More Piper-isms

(After seeing someone standing in the street) "You don't stand in the street or you'll get squished!  By a car, or a bus, or a truck, or a van, or a tractor..."

(Driving by the Moore High School) "When I be older I can go to high school.  Probably when I am 4 I can go to the high school with Mommy and Daddy!"

(Usually when I'm putting on my shirt and it gets stuck on my head) "Daddy, I'm having problems here!"

I also continue to amaze Mommy and Daddy with my memory.  Earlier this week Daddy mentioned Hawaii.  I said that "I have been in Hawaii!  And Alex was there, and we were dancing silly!"  Of course, that was over a year ago, when I was just 22 months old.  And we did dance silly!

Daddy told me that I'd be going to visit Grandma and Papa this weekend, and am going to stay for a week.  He told me that they have a new house now, and we hadn't seen it yet.  I corrected him by saying "I have seen it, when it was super muddy!"  Yes, two months ago, the last time I visited Grandma and Papa, they took me by their new house when it was still under construction, and it was muddy.  I remembered!

It's hot!

It has been really hot for the last week, and today was no different.  With temperatures a little over a hundred and the heat index a few degrees higher than that, neither of us wanted to go outside today.  So we stayed in and played.  When Daddy got out of the shower, he found out I had lined up my water balloons.  I've always been very organized!  Later I separated out all the pink balloons and kept them apart from the others.  Then Daddy found me playing with the balloons in their big bed!

For a snack this afternoon I had some peanut butter crackers.  I sure did make a mess!

After he took that photo, I asked Daddy I could do one with a "sad" face.  So out came my "boo-boo" lip.

I was having fun being silly!  We also ate some of the cookies that Mommy and I made last week. We had made some into cupcakes, which I started calling chocolate-chip muffins. So Daddy and I had some "muffins" today too!

Shawnee, OK

This morning we flew over to Shawnee, OK (a really short flight but it had been a while since either Daddy or I had gone flying, so he wanted to fly anyway) for a local fly-in/aviation day put on by the city.

I wore my "Humu-humu" shirt that we got in Hawaii last year.  It still fits!  (It was pretty big last year.)  But what amazed Daddy was when I saw it, I said that "I have been in Hawaii, and Alex was there, and we danced silly!"  It has been 15 months since we were there, and I was only 22 months old at the time, and yet I remember it.  Mommy and Daddy are pretty amazed at my memory.

On the way there I was counting in Spanish.  I'm getting pretty good at it!  I made it all the way up to nine, and Daddy asked what came next.  I said I didn't know, so he told me "diez" and asked me if I could say "diez".  I responded very adamantly with "I don't know how to say 'diez'!"  He had a good laugh!

We landed and parked the airplane, and immediately on getting out I forgot all about this being about airplanes.  Much more importantly, they had a Moon Bounce set up!  I of course asked if I could go on it, but Daddy said we had to look at some airplanes first.  So after we looked at an airplane, I asked again.  And after the next airplane, I asked again.  After doing this three times Daddy decided to have a little chat with me, reminding me that yes we would go on the Moonbounce, but not if I kept asking, and guess what - I didn't ask again!

They did have some neat airplanes there, a WWII B-26, the FAA's DC-3, and even some helicopters.  There was a helicopter there giving rides, and it turned out the pilot was Daddy's helicopter instructor last year, so we got to say hi up close.  No we didn't go for a ride, but I wanted to! 

I told Daddy I thought the Army helicopter was "boring" looking, and I liked the other helicopters better.  Why?  They were painted in brighter colors!  Of course I had to hop in the NewsChannel 4 helicopter.

After what seemed like forever, Daddy finally asked me if I still wanted to go in the Moonbounce.  Of course!  Here is a silly picture of me trying to get the camera from Daddy.

Right next to the Moonbounce was a fire truck, and I got to drive it a little bit.  Look, my feet even reach the pedals!  I did want to know one thing about the fire truck, though, and Daddy said I needed to ask the fireman who was there.  What was my big question that I needed to know?  "Where does the gas go in?"  Yep, that was it!

Fortunately we left before the real heat of the day, but it was still plenty hot when we got back around 11.  We did some shopping and even got me some new socks, that are shorter than the ones I've been wearing.  I like them a lot!  In fact, Daddy caught me "hiding" under his bed sheets with the open bag of new socks.  When he asked me what I was doing, I said "cuddling with my new socks!"  Daddy thinks I'm silly sometimes!

A day of firsts

Today was a great day of "firsts"!  But first, a little hiding on the bed with Daddy...

I hope Mommy doesn't find us!

I've been doing really well with not swallowing my toothpaste when I'm brushing, so today I got to use "big girl" toothpaste for the first time.  I did great, and Mommy and Daddy were very proud of me!  (However, I did comment that I didn't like the toothpaste as much as the other one I had been using.)

Then, we went to the movie theater, and saw "Toy Story 3".  This was my first time at a movie theater, and I did great!  I was mostly quiet the whole time, sitting there and paying attention to the movie.  I did make a few comments out loud, though, like "Hey, he's a tortilla!" and "They're dancing silly!" I was having a great time!

Since we had to take Mommy to the airport today to head back to Indiana, Daddy decided to take us by his work.  I've never been there, and although he talks about me a lot, none of his coworkers have met me.  So this was another first for me!  I met some very nice people who were very excited to finally get to meet me, and I was as cute as I could be.

But then, all the fun was over and we had to take Mommy to the airport.  We sure had fun this weekend, Mommy, thanks for coming home!  We've only got about a month left until she's home for good!

The Froggy Bouncy-Bounce place!

We had planned to go to the water park today, but it was raining.  So instead we went to the bouncy-bounce place that I last went to on my birthday.  I had a great time again, and ran around until I wore myself out and told Mommy I wanted to go leave.  So we went to eat lunch and then a few stores on the way home.  I was really tired, though, and sure enough on the way home I fell asleep.  Daddy got me out of the car and I took a nap right next to him for a while. 

I woke up just a little, rolled over, and realized Mommy was on the other side!  It has been a long time since I've been able to cuddle up with Mommy, so I was quite happy sleeping right there for a nice long nap!

I sure was worn out!

Fun day around the house

We mostly stayed inside today, since it was really hot and humid, but we still had a good time.  Mommy read a lot of books to me, and I played a lot with both Mommy and Daddy.  Especially Mommy!  I wanted HER to be the one to help me when I needed it, not Daddy!

After I woke up, I went into their room and we got to play on the bed.  I got to play horsey with Daddy! 

Of course, when I do this I risk Daddy dumping me off on the bed and giving me raspberries!

Later in the day I got to do something I've been talking about since my birthday a month ago - riding my bicycle with Mommy AND Daddy.  Of course I've become a lot better in the last month since Daddy and I go riding almost every day, so I wanted to show Mommy my new skills.  And did I ever!  She didn't know I could go so fast!

We even had to ride super fast through a sprinkler.  I got a little wet, but it'll dry!

Another great day with Mommy.  I love having her home!

Mommy's home to visit again!

Mommy's home again!  Daddy and I picked her up from the airport this morning and I was very happy to see her!

I slowed down from a run to a walk at the end because Daddy showed me how I couldn't go any further or alarms would go off.  But I was very excited!

It was still pretty early in the morning, not even lunch time, so we went to the park to play and show Mommy how big a girl I have become.  Then we went out to lunch!

Mommy and I went out grocery shopping too.  Mommy had invited her friend Mr. Duaine over for dinner and needed to get some things to make it with.  Of course it didn't hurt that Daddy coincidentally hadn't gone grocery shopping this week, so we needed some basics too!  Daddy stayed at home and did a lot of yardwork.  I was a good girl at dinner, and once Mr Duaine left, Mommy got to read some books to me before my shower!  I also showed her what a big girl I am now in the shower, and it was fun to have Mommy dry me off and even braid my hair.  Daddy doesn't do that!  What a great day, I am so glad Mommy's back.  She has to leave on Tuesday, back to Indiana, but we're going to have a good time until then!

"I don't need a nap, Daddy!"

About ten minutes after telling Daddy that I didn't need a nap, here's where he found me!

Daddy was surprised because I slept in really late (for me - until about 8:30) since I was up so late last night.  But we went to get new tires for the truck this morning, and as we were waiting we walked around to some of the local stores (including a pet store where I got to pet some doggies).  All the walking must have worn me out.  We also stopped at Braum's for lunch and I convinced Daddy that he should get me an ice cream cone - mint chocolate chip!  I then helped him outside doing some work on the gutters.  So even with all the sleep last night, I still needed a nap today.  He picked me up from the table and laid me down next to him on the big bed, where I immediately fell back asleep.  It was pretty late, though, so he didn't let me get a real long nap!

Happy 4th of July!

It was still raining off and on today, so we stayed inside most of the day, but we still had fun.  For dinner we went over to our neighbors Jim and Karel Webb's house, as they were having a little party for some of their friends and neighbors.  I was sure the star of the party and played it up by acting as cute as I know how.  I was dressed in my patriotic best!

After dinner we were planning to go to the park where the Moore city fireworks display is held at, but it was canceled because of the bad weather.  So we walked back home, but then I noticed that people were setting off fireworks all around us!  Fireworks are illegal in Moore, which of course means that everybody has them, so we got a good show.  When our neighbors a couple houses down started setting theirs off, we had a real close-up view!  Daddy thought I'd be scared like with thunder and lightning, but I surprised him by giggling and saying how "beautiful" the fireworks were.  Especially when our neighbors started setting theirs off, my jaw dropped open and stayed that way almost for the rest of the time as I swung my head back and forth to see all the displays.  I thought it was great!

But it was pretty late, and I actually told Daddy "I want to go back inside.  I'm tired."  Well, that's pretty rare, so we went back inside and I managed to fall asleep even with all the loud noises all around us.  I really was tired!

Back to the Omniplex

It has been a long time since we went to the Omniplex, but today was the perfect day, since it has been raining off and on all day.  They had some new displays, and I even got to see a science show!  Daddy wasn't sure if I was going to like it, because it had some explosions, but it was really a lot of fun.  Some kids even got to go up and help!  I started to get up once to run down to the stage, but Daddy said first they had to pick me to help.  Oops!  They show was pretty neat, and they did have a lot of explosions, so I kept my ears covered practically the whole time.  But I didn't ask to leave, which Daddy took as a good sign.  He was happy because he really wanted to see the show too!

Here I am with a boy who wanted to be in the picture too.  I like this place!

I ask a lot of questions

I've been into the "why" phase for a few weeks now, keeping asking "why" even after Daddy's already answered the question.  I know what I'm doing too, because I start giggling after about the third "why".  Well, this week I finally admitted it.  In the car, I simply said:

"Daddy, I ask a lot of 'why why' questions!"

He made sure to tell me that I sure do!

Quotes of mine

I've been saying a lot of silly things lately, and Daddy's been writing them down.  Here are some of them!

"Camels keep water in their humps so they don't spill any."

When seeing a sprinkler in somebody's yard - "Why is somebody not playing in their sprinkler?" - I'm VERY confused about that!

I get a can of Reddi-Whip out of the refrigerator - "Daddy, I really like this!"  But then I admit "I don't know what it is!"

Said in the toothpaste aisle at the store - "When I be older, I can SPIT!"  With accent on the "spit", of course.  Daddy's tried getting me to spit out my toothpaste, reminding me that I can use "big girl" toothpaste once I can spit.

This morning Daddy said "Do you want breakfast, Piper?"  Me - "Yes, then I can have a treat!"  Daddy - Not after breakfast, but maybe after lunch."  Me - "I want lunch!"  (Aren't I smart?)

Ada, Oklahoma air show

Daddy found out that the airport in Ada, OK was hosting an airshow this weekend, so he asked if I wanted to go.  I made sure to tell him that I didn't want any loud airplanes like the F-16 last week.  He said there wasn't going to be any loud airplanes like that, so I said yes, let's go!

The drive there was really quick, or at least it seemed that way since I was asleep for most of it.  They had lots of airplanes and helicopters on display, and planes doing aerobatics and formation flight constantly. 

Of course I ran right over to the News Channel 4 helicopter and had to jump inside (I'm such my Daddy's girl). 

We went on the FAA's DC-3, saw a Russian helicopter, and watched the airshow acts, including parachutists, which I thought was really neat and told Daddy all about what they were doing.  Daddy didn't get many pictures of me, though, since he was holding me most of the time so I could see!

One aerobatic pilot Daddy told me was a girl!  When I found that out, I started asking him if we could go say hello to her.  Daddy reminded me that she needed to land first!  But I kept asking and we finally were able to meet her.  She gave me a personalized authographed picture!  Her name was Kelly Pietrowicz and lives just up the road from us in Midwest City.  She told us that she does offer aerobatic rides - Daddy said no thanks for him, but I kept telling him the rest of the day that when I get a little bit older, maybe I can fly with Kelly - upside down!  Oh no!

It was pretty hot, so we only stayed a couple of hours, but had a lot of fun while we were there.  I kept talking about Kelly on the way back, too.  She's got a new fan!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

Today of course is Father's Day, and I helped Daddy celebrate it nice and early by waking him up at 5:30.  I just wanted to cuddle a little bit!  This wasn't that bad, though, since Daddy expected I'd wake him up early (I haven't been sleeping very well since Mommy left last week) and planned for us to fly to Cedar Mills, TX for breakfast.  We met up with a couple of other dads and their sons and had a good meal.  Daddy ordered the "short stack" of pancakes for me.  It was only two pancakes, but they were each almost a foot across!  I did my best but could only eat about half of it.  That's still pretty good!

They have a marina, boats, and even a petting zoo at Cedar Mills, so we stopped by and gave the animals some love.  This guy was especially friendly!

Since I love to be Piper the Explorer, we did a little exploring among the trees that lined the grass runway there.  I called it the "jungle" and told Daddy he needed to be quiet because I was looking out for Swiper the Fox (from the Dora the Explorer series).  I thought I saw him in the jungle, so I said loudly, "Swiper no swiping!"  It was a fun time, but it was really hot!

Once we got home, we tried to stay in the cool air conditioned house as much as possible.  We had a little snack, and then I went over to play on the couch.  A few minutes later Daddy realized it was pretty quiet over my way.  Sure enough, I fell asleep "hiding" on the couch!  He thought this was great and went and took a nap too.  About 30 minutes later I fussed a little, so he came and got me and brought me back in bed with him.  I fell right back asleep cuddled up to him, and slept for about another hour and a half!  He thought this was the best Father's Day present ever, since I don't really nap on his shoulder much anymore.  He thought it was so nice that he let me sleep a little longer than I should have, and it was about 5:00 when he decided I needed to wake up.  Usually I fuss when I'm woken up, but this time he asked me if I wanted to go play in the sprinkler.  Yes!  I woke up right away!

We went outside and I quickly got rid of my clothes down to my underwear, and ran through the water, squealing.  What fun!

After a few minutes, though, I decided that I had way too many clothes on still, and quickly took my underwear off too!  Naked 3 year old!  I told Daddy "Daddy, you need to take your shirt and pants off too!"  Needless to say, he didn't think that was such a great idea, but I sure had fun anyway.

Too soon, I had to dry off.  I tried to make a duck face in my duck towel!

After this he let me ride my bicycle around a little while he mowed the lawn.  He was, of course, trying to tire me out after my long, late nap so I'd be able to fall asleep tonight.  (Nice try, but he was wrong!)

So it was a great day - flying, pancakes, Piper the Explorer, long nap with Daddy, playing in the sprinklers, and riding my bike.  Wow!

Tinker AFB Air Show

Today was the bi-annual Tinker AFB Air Show!  Daddy and I got to see lots of airplanes, and I even got to go in a few of them!  The best ones were where I got to sit in the cockpit, this this Army C-23 Sherpa.

And this Navy helicopter!

Two of the airplanes had big shark teeth painted on the nose.  I thought this was pretty neat and wanted to go touch it, but was a little scared.  Daddy said he'd be right there so the shark wouldn't bite me!

After we saw all the static displays, we watched some of the airshow.  I was having a great time enjoying it, right up to the F-16 demonstration flight.  The F-16 was REALLY LOUD, and it really scared me!  There wasn't much Daddy could do about it, of course, but I just hugged him tight and held my ears tight.  I just wanted to go home!  So we started walking towards the entrance, but of course I saw another plane I wanted to go on, the E-3 AWACS.  There was a long line, but we waited, and when we got to the top of the stairs, I headed right for the cockpit, of course.  But I saw there were other people in there and changed my mind.  Now I was ready to go home!

We were only there for a couple of hours, but it was enough.  I was asleep before we even got out of the parking lot!

Gift from Miss Sharon

Today I got a big box from Miss Sharon, Auntie Charlie's mother, who came by to help Auntie Charlie pick up her cat in February.  When Daddy said it was a present for me, I got really excited, like it was still my birthday! I even thought the card was great (with 3 princesses on it)!

There were a great handmade quilt and blanket in the box.

I really like them, and I've been using the blanket and quilt when I'm on the couch. To be cozy with and to hide under, of course!

Thank you Miss Sharon!

Daddy posted a video of me riding my bike

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gkuJwhfseE

Enjoy!

3 year checkup!

Today Daddy picked me up and took me to the doctor for my 3 year old checkup.  It was my first "big girl" appointment, I'm no longer a baby!  The nurse took my blood pressure with an arm cuff, and I even had to provide a urine sample (they check for things like diabetes).  That was a lot of fun for Daddy!  I didn't want to do it at first, but once he mentioned that I could have a treat if I did it, I changed my mind right away.

The best news was that I didn't have to get any shots!

Height - 39 inches (90th percentile)
Weight - 35 pounds (80th percentile)

I am healthy and a big girl!  That's about 3 inches and 5 1/2 pounds more than last year.

Since I was so brave, and since Daddy promised a treat, we went across the parking lot to Braum's for some ice cream.  I had mint chocolate chip, and loved it.  Coincidentally, Mommy had some mint chocolate chip ice cream today too - am I my mother's daughter or what?

I finished my brownie, can I have a treat?

Today after dinner, we finished off my birthday brownies.  I ate mine really fast, too!  When I was done, I looked at Daddy and in all seriousness, said "Daddy, I ate my brownie super fast, can I have a treat?" 

Daddy just started laughing and asked me what exactly I thought the brownie was!  I was being silly!

Drive back from Kansas

We took Mommy to pick up her car at the airport this morning, and that meant we had to say goodbye.  I didn't want her to go and was very sad.  But we still had a little fun before she left.

On the way back, Daddy and I stopped in Wichita at the Wichita Aviation Museum.  They had a few neat exhibits, like these propellers that Daddy said I could touch.

But when I saw this mini cockpit setup on the ground (probably the display was being repaired), I knew it was made just for me!  I sat right down and started flying and adjusting all the instruments.  I could have stayed here all day, and Daddy actually had to drag me away after a little while.  They have some planes outside, you know!

Like this one.  It's big!

I was a really good girl on the drive back, but with a little over a hour to go, I was getting pretty restless.  So Daddy got out the portable DVD player and put in my new Dora movie.  I was hooked instantly!  I was getting pretty animated following the story, waving my hands and clapping at the right times, and yelling out phrases like "Swiper no swiping!" and "Lo hicimos - we did it!" at the right times.  I was really getting into it!

We already miss Mommy!