Odds and Ends

I've started learning to use crayons. Before you get all excited at my progress, all the squiggles on the page were made by Mommy in an attempt to show me what to do. I enjoyed holding the crayons by the end and dotting the page. But hey, it's a start.



Paka requested a picture of me in this hat.
"Would you like fries with that?"





Our neighbor gave us this walker - old-school style - so Mommy will have to make sure I don't go down any flights of stairs in it. Haha... really. It helps me build up my leg muscles, so that maybe one day I'll walk. Mommy says she's not carrying me when I'm 12.

Garland, TX

Finally, the CD arrived from Paka. I got to do lots of fun things, and meet lots of great people. The following pictures are not a complete representation of my time in Garland, but rather a few highlights... meaning Mommy liked these pictures. Also, these pictures are not necessarily in order of events...

Me and Paka in the backyard, musing on nature and the finer things in life.



Me, Mommy, George, and Tammy (Mommy's friend from high school)



Paka, Mommy, and Me in McKinney



Me in an "artistic" photo...



Me and Paka at a shoestore - another "artistic" photo...



Mommy and Leslie (she was Mommy's maid of honor)



A rare Grammy sighting (in pictures that is)... me and Grammy hanging in the backyard.



Paka, Grammy, Pawpaw, Mimi, Mommy, Daddy, and Me in Paradise...



Mommy and Daddy dancing - they haven't been drinking... they swear.

More FYI

I've got my 8th tooth coming through - one of the front top ones. At what point do you stop counting?

In other news, I have an ear infection. Here is a transcript of the exchange between Mommy and the Dr.

Dr: Is this her first ear infection?
Mommy: Well, that I know of - I didn't know she had this one.

Mommy's learning, so I'll give her a break. I got the yummy pink antibiotic, and hopefully everything will clear up soon.

FYI

We're still waiting on the picture CD from Paka of my vacation to TX. Hopefully, it will be here in the next couple of days so I can show you some pictures of my time with Paka and Grammy.

*Paka wishes me to note that he has sent the CD, we just haven't received it.

True Love

My mommy loves me. She bought me a song on itunes that I really like, even though it's not her favorite.

What is it, you ask?

"Song for the Lonely" by Cher.

Yep. Cher.

It's the theme song for the Jenny Craig commercial - when it comes on TV, I smile and dance, and butt-scoot as fast as I can to the living room to jam with it. So Mommy broke down and got it for me (she still had some $ left on her itunes gift card).

Once it was downloaded, she played it, and Mommy, Daddy, and I danced around the office.

Good times. There are no pictures - Mommy refuses pictures of herself dancing. How selfish.

:)

Paradise

That would be Paradise, TX, where Daddy grew up. This past week, Mommy and I were in Dallas visiting Paka and Grammy (those pictures to come later). Daddy flew up on Good Friday, and we went out to his family. Immediate family only - over 20 people... in one house... and most of them are kids! I had a great time, and enjoyed meeting all of my relatives.

Because this involves so many people, I'll just show you the formal pictures - Mommy and Daddy took over 100 pictures in 2 1/2 days!

Tim (the oldest brother) with wife Cindy - kids are Madison, Joey, and Natalie



David (next brother) with wife Connie - kids are Heather, Gennifer, Sonya, Charla, Alisabeth, Danielle (I know I've misspelled them all)



Daddy (next brother) with Mommy and me



Anna (younger sister) with Trein



Sarah (youngest sister) with Makayla



Pawpaw and Mimi



Daddy with his brothers, sisters, and parents

More teeth

Yep - Mommy's a moron. I've got at least 3 molars that have cut through - 2 on the top, and the previously mentioned one on the bottom. Well, it makes the last month of sporadic crying for no reason make more sense :)

Marsh Creek State Park

Mommy, Daddy, and I went for a picnic at Marsh Creek State Park. It was a nice long drive out there, and while they enjoyed listening to NPR and seeing the Spring foliage, I too enjoyed the scenery, and then napped.





When we got there, we found a nice spot near the water to set up our picnic. Mommy's had this picnic basket for 5 years, and this is the first time she's used it...at least with Daddy...and can't remember before that anyway. (not in the oh so romantic way, in the slowly going senile way)



We all enjoyed a nice hearty lunch - they had a fancy salad, and I enjoyed these bran muffins Mommy made - they make me poop a lot. (hey, if you don't like that kind of thing, then why are you reading a baby blog) :)



We enjoyed nature, and I practiced waving (my new skill) at everyone - I'm really trying to say "puppy", and I'm getting really close.





After we were done with that, we headed over to the playground. I enjoyed swinging (as usual - what's not to love).



(in the next picture, the slide in the following story is to the right - really, what were they thinking!)



And then Mommy got this great idea - let's start me out on the small slide - hey no sweat - I did real well. So well, she thought I needed to try the big tube slide. Like really big. Well... let's say that didn't go so well. About half way down, I kind of freaked out, and tried to roll over, which meant that I went the rest of the way down on my face - not so bad if you're a bigger kid, but I'm just a baby - remember Mommy? A BABY! I cut my lip with my tooth (there was blood), and it's a little swollen now. Hmph. Mommy and Daddy hightailed it out of there after that. There were a lot of people, and I think Mommy was embarrassed at her STUPID idea. Oh well. She still feels guilty about it, but I'm a trooper. There are no pictures of that - Mommy decided to give me a break. Gee, thanks. How about before you sent me down the behemoth slide? Hmm? Well, all is forgiven. After all, they feed me and clean up my poo, so I can't stay mad for too long!

Teeth

In other news, my first molar is cutting through. When I was throwing a fit on Mommy's 5 mile hike, she was able to get a look in my mouth as I screamed. Sure enough, there was a little spot where it's beginning to cut through. In fact, if you stick your finger in my mouth (but really, please don't), you can actually feel it. Very exciting!

Ridley Creek Part 2

Check out Bruce's blog for more pictures from our walk.