Hanging with the Ladies...and my Bestest Friends

So, spring is finally here; although, it feels more like summer, and with spring comes a much more packed schedule, which, of course, suits me just fine because I prefer to go, go, go. In fact, I usually grab my shoes first thing every morning and stand by the door in hopes of getting the day started as early as possible. With the addition of some really fun outings lately, Mom and I have maintained our normal social calendar. Monday is still Publix day, and I know it now. As soon as we get into the car on Mondays, and sometimes before, I begin chanting, "Balloon, balloon!" Once we get to Publix, I refuse to get into the cart until I a have found and hugged Mrs. Suzana, which always secures me a balloon in the color of my choice. I've also worked my charm on the deli guy, who always gives me a piece of ham, my favorite, and Mr. Francisco in the produce section, who has taken to making me my own little plate of fruit in return for a smile. I'm no dummy; I play the game well and make sure to get something from someone before I'll even acknowledge him or her. I am a smart Publix gal.

I've also had a ball playing outside with my new outdoor toys, some of which were handed down from Grandma. I beg to go, "Side, side" every waking moment. My favorite outside toy is still my sand and water table, but I definitely like to take my car or bike for a spin every once in awhile. I even got to play with the hose while Dad watered the plants the other day, and I got soaked. I can get into way more with Dad. Oh, I also recently discovered the joys of chocolate pudding - so silky and perfect; I can't get enough!










Continuing on with my normal activities, the last two Tuesdays have included fun playgroups, as always. Lucas left early last week and was unable to make it to this week's, and although I have missed him terribly, his absence did give me the opportunity to bond with Boris. We are becoming very good friends. In fact, he gets mad at anyone who touches his trucks or his food; however, he willingly hands these items over to me. Last week, we got a little wild; we were jumping up and down on Mrs. Tina's chair while yelling as loud as we could back and forth. We thought that we were hysterical; however, I think everyone else just thought that we were really loud. This past week's playgroup was at Boris' house, and he had some BIG news to share - actually, his Mommy shared it. Boris' Mommy, Mrs. Olga, is pregnant with twins! Holy cow! That means that we are getting three new playgroup members in November: one from Mrs. Tina and TWO from Mrs. Olga. I don't think Boris has any idea what is about to hit his house. Congratulations, Mrs. Olga and Boris! Before playgroup, Mrs. Amber, Jace, and Jordan stopped by our house for a minute. I tried to be nice and share my horse with Jordan, but I think that he wanted to ride by himself. My sharing skills aren't that great at this point, but I'm working on them so as to avoid timeout. During playgroup, I mainly stuck with Boris. I shared a cookie with him and held his drink while he drank from it; of course, Mom missed the cutest part of both with the video camera. I know the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. I make sure to treat my guy friends well so that, in return, I get whatever I want. Case in point, Boris had a xylophone with which I wanted to play, and when yelling for it didn't work, I walked up, waved at him, batted my eyelashes, pointed to something outside, and then slowly grabbed it out from underneath him. He didn't even notice, and the xylophone became mine. The Moms totally saw my tricky ploy and laughed hysterically. None of the boys have a clue on how to use a little innocent manipulation, so I've definitely go the upper hand right now.

Last Thursday included a fun filled morning at Gymboree. I even willingly participated in all of the activities with the exception of one - definitely a vast improvement. My teacher and Mom were very proud of me. The only time that I had a small meltdown was when I got caught under the parachute, fell down, and was picked up by some lady I don't know, but that would freak anyone out, don't ya think? Lucas and I had so much fun running around, walking on the balance beam, climbing the ladders, and going down the slides. We aren't afraid to do things our own way, which we proved as we lay in the middle of the parachute while everyone else sat around us during parachute play. We are trend starters, not followers!

Mom signed me up for another month of Gymboree, and today, Dada joined us for the last 5 minutes or so of fun. Again, I participated in pretty much every activity; my participation may have only lasted a minute or so before I took off back towards the slide, but I still get credit. The continued concept for this week was high and low. We stood up high on some objects and got down low under others. Surprisingly, I didn't even balk when we were instructed to crawl underneath the air log, and I then joined some of the other kids in the little hideaway under the slides. To add to the excitement, I am really getting the hang of calling Baby Gymbo at the end of class, which includes the pound, pound, clap song. However, I did miss Luke today, who is the best at calling Baby Gymbo, and I looked for him everywhere when we first arrived. Hurry up and get better, Mrs. Allison, because I have been asking about Lucas everyday!

Now, for some fun new activities:
One evening last week after Mom and I went for a run, we stopped at Mrs. Allison and Lucas' house for a little outdoor fun before dinner. Lucas and I had so much fun dunking our heads in his water table - yes, he and I have the same one - then laughing hysterically. Looks like I'll be ready for the pool this summer since I have no fear of getting my face wet. I kept trying to wipe sand on Lucas' arm as he told me, "No, no, no"; I thought it was hilarious, but apparently, he didn't feel the same. There's nothing like some good hearty laughing with Lucas to work up an appetite. Thanks for the adorable pictures, Mrs. Allison.

Last Friday, Lucas, Tyler, and I went to the new Midway Park that just opened up near us. The park is designed just for toddlers. The ground is made of soft turf for those inevitable tumbles, and the entire thing is scaled to our size. It was awesome! We all ran in different directions and started exploring everything. My favorite was the tunnel slide; I kept trying to climb up it, as well as slide down it. There is a huge concrete pavilion with buckets of chalk so that one can draw on everything. Too cool! I even found a hula hoop, and we all discovered that running down the little hill provides sheer entertainment. As it got later in the afternoon, more and more kids showed up to play. Of course, I gravitated towards the boys; the girls just don't play rough enough. I tried to do everything that I saw any little boy doing. I also tried to talk to everyone, but a couple of the boys ran from me; those boys just don't know what they are missing. Mom is excited that I am really starting to communicate; at one point, I found her bag, grabbed my jacket, and walked up to her while saying, "Brrr", which makes it pretty easy to understand what I want. I even went and got my own juice cup, instead of whining, when I was thirsty. After playing hard, we all went to a new restaurant next to the park called Construct-A-Burger. Lucas and I shared driving responsibilities on the arcade car; he was in charge of steering while I shifted gears. I'm pretty sure that we totally won the race. I had a wonderful time, and Midway Park is sure to become a staple in our weekly routine.

On Friday night, Mrs. Teri came up and stayed with us since Dad was at the Masters all weekend. Mrs. Teri brought me a little chick that says, "Peep! Peep!" when you hit the bottom of it - sure to drive Mom nuts, so thank you, Mrs. Teri. The three of us ate pizza and hung out; then Mrs. Teri and Mom watched a movie after I went to sleep. Note from Mom and Mrs. Teri: Do NOT rent "Did You Hear About the Morgans"! I was thrilled when Mrs. Teri got me up in the morning, and she even took me on a walk while Mom packed us up for a long Saturday out of the house. Thank you, Mrs. Teri; I always love spending time with you, and Mom really appreciated the help. Our Saturday was packed, so it was good that I took a little early nap in the car on the way down to Atlanta! I also made sure to take all of my babies so that no one felt left out. First, we enjoyed a lovely ladies' day in the Virginia Highlands, complete with shopping and lunch with Mrs. Teri, Mrs. Heather, Mrs. Melissa, Mrs. Taylor, and Baby Graydon. I have to give a big shout out to Neighbors, who served an awesome kids' meal for only $2.95. Mrs. Heather even wanted to order one for herself! Of course, I was mainly interested in the french fries. At one point, I did dump an entire cup of water on myself, which made me cry. Thank goodness, Mom comes prepared, and I immediately changed into a dry pair of pants. It was so good to see everyone, and Mom was excited to get a little first-of-the-season sun on her back. It was the perfect way to spend such a sunny and beautiful day. We left downtown around 3:30, which is way past nap time, so I immediately fell asleep in the car; when you are that tired, even a hand makes a great pillow.

As soon as we left the ladies, we headed to Grandma's house, and by the time we got there, I had gotten my 2nd wind from my very short power nap. Mom went running while I played with Grandma; then I joined Mom and Grandma in a round of sit ups. Since I have such an awesome stomach already, I decided to help out by acting as an extra weight during the 2nd round of sit ups. I think they really appreciated my contribution. That evening, Great Grandma Jenkins came all the way from WV for a quick visit on her way to Disney World. Aunt Stephanie, Uncle Ian, Aunt Mallory, Chris, Great Aunt Robin, Great Aunt Marsha and Uncle Ray, plus Cameron and Haley all came for dinner. Of course, I had a great time with Cameron and Haley; we played basketball and even spent the majority of the evening outside. Cameron made sure that I got to throw the basketball whenever I wanted, and he was very good about standing in front of me and protecting me when anyone else was throwing the ball. I think I have a little crush on Cameron. I was quite the source of entertainment for everyone while we were outside. I kept running in circles, lifting up my shirt, dancing, and telling Mom, "No, no, no" while shaking my finger, which everyone, except her, thought was very comedic. I adamantly refused to come back inside for bedtime, so I got to stay up a little later than normal. I don't think I could have had a better Saturday, except if Daddy had been there instead of at the Masters, but I know that he had a great time, and he got me a really pretty pink Masters' dress, so I'm glad he got to go.

When I woke up on Sunday, Dada was home, and I was so excited to see him. We all went on a 3-mile run in preparation for Mom and Dad's race. Then we headed over to Mr. John and Mrs. Joanne's house to finally meet Baby Grayson, who was born last month. He is so cute and looks exactly like his big sister, Parker. We all went to Midway Park, the toddler-sized park, and it was packed because of a baseball game happening on the neighboring field. Parker and I were more interested in the sidewalk chalk, big grassy hill, and stairs than the actual park anyways. Dad did have to talk to some older boys who were taunting me with a balloon - go Dad, the protector. The Dads chased us around while the Moms and Grayson walked up to Smokehouse Jack's to grab food for dinner. After the park, we took our BBQ back to their house where Parker and I enjoyed an evening on her new slide, complete with old school puffs and some Sesame Street. The Moms enjoyed some Apple Martinis in celebration of Joanne's no longer being pregnant. Congratulations Louiseaus; your new addition is perfect, and Parker, you are going to make the best big sister!

Oh, Mom and I also had to go by Costco the other day for diapers, and we decided that I needed some summer pajamas. I grabbed a pair of cupcake pj's and decided that I just had to have them. They are great for those around-the-house chores. Plus, they look quite nice; don't cha' think?

A few necessary shoutouts:

Congratulations to the Carr, Riggs, and Ingram crew for another tax season come and gone!

Happy 2nd Birthday to my Godsister, Reese. I wish I could have been in Texas to celebrate with you!