Dinner with Madison and Mackenzie

This evening we got to do something different for dinner.  One of Daddy's coworkers, Mr. A.J., invited us over to his house for dinner with his wife Phyllis and their two (fraternal twin) granddaughters who were visiting, Madison and Mackenzie.  They are only a couple of weeks older than me, so we got along great!

When we got there, Madison got out some of her blocks, which were just like mine.  We happily played together, ignoring everything else!

After dinner we got to play out in their backyard.  The three of us played "hide and seek" with Daddy and Mr. A.J.  Madison and I are doing a pretty good job hiding, aren't we?

Then it was Mr. A.J. and Daddy's turn to hide.  I found Mr. A.J.!

I was having so much fun, Daddy let me play until long after my normal bedtime.  I hope I get to see them again, it sure was nice of them to invite us over!

"Are we forgetting something?"

I surprised Daddy this morning with a new expression.  He got my clothes together as usual so I could get dressed next to him while he shaved.  I looked at the clothes, then looked up at him, and said in a little cute voice "Are we forgetting something?"  He asked me what, and I said "shoes".  He had a good laugh and I thought it was pretty funny too.

Then tonight as I was getting ready for my shower, I started to climb into the tub, and once again, looked at him and said "Are we forgetting something?"  Earplugs this time!  Daddy and I had a good laugh again.  He's not sure where I picked this phrase up, but I sure was proud of my new words!

Daddy, can we go flying?

I melted Daddy's heart again today.  I was out back and told him to come quick, the sun was out!  When he came on over, I pointed at it, said "right there!" and let out a loud squeal of delight.  But the next words out of my mouth Daddy REALLY liked - "So now we can go flying!"

He thought this was pretty great, and of course also wishes we could go flying right now.  He picked me up and gave me the biggest hug and kiss ever, and told me that he was so glad I wanted to go flying, but we couldn't go right now.  He said we'd go some other time when it was sunny, to which I responded "but it's sunny now!"

Yep, I'm his daughter, no doubt about it!

Myriad Gardens

In downtown Oklahoma City there is a very nice botanical gardens called the "Myriad Gardens". Every year they put on an art festival. We went two years ago, but missed last year (due to being in Hawaii). It's a really pretty area with lots of trees and flowers and grass. So this year Daddy and I headed on up.

We first had a snack by the pond. There are a lot of koi and turtles in the pond. I may have even seen a shark!

Where we ate our snakc was at the bottom of a big hill, the hill that Daddy rolled down two years ago. Well, lots of kids were rolling down it this year too. I didn't want to do it at first, but after a few minutes of seeing them all do it, I decided to give it a try. It took some practice, but I was having so much fun I kept going up and down the hill, over and over again!

He even got some videos of me. This is one of my first attempts. I got a lot faster with practice (and learning to tuck my arms in).

Daddy decided I needed to take a break and we went to explore the rest of the gardens. Here I show that I've got some of my Grandma Roslewski in me!

We sat right next to the edge of the water for a while and watched the fish and turtles. I let Daddy know I was a bit annoyed at him for always holding on to me, but he told me he had to. So he mostly hooked a finger onto one of my beltloops to keep me from standing up (and falling in!) That's why these next two pictures are so close.

I caught Daddy taking pictures of me, and like I have started to do, immediately reached for the camera, saying "I want to see the picture!" He thought I looked pretty cute and so got a picture.

Then he tried to get me to pose almost as cute and got another picture.

We walked around for a bit longer, looking at some of the art exhibits, but really I wanted to go back to the big hill. So we made our way over there, and I went down a few more times. There were a brother and sister there that went rolled down holding their hands together over their heads. I thought this looked pretty fun, and turned to Daddy and said "Daddy, will you hold my hands please?" He told me he'd "love to", and I could tell it really melted his heart! We tried it but it didn't work very well with the two of us, so we only rolled a few feet. I tried to go down the hil some more by myself, but I was really getting tired so we headed on back. Apparently, though, I wasn't too tired to insist that I carry Daddy's backpack (with the camera, juice boxes, and other stuff) up the hill for him. He didn't mind a bit!

I fell right asleep on the way home, but much to Daddy's dismay, woke up when he got me out of the car. No nap for Daddy!

Ardmore for lunch, a "first" in the plane

Today Daddy and I flew down to Ardmore to get some lunch at the "Blue Pig BBQ".  We were going to meet some friends there, but they had to cancel.  I was pretty excited about flying, so we went anyway.

But before all that, there was some serious tower construction to do!  I stacked these blocks while Daddy was in the other room.  He was very impressed with the tower on the left.  It must have taken me some time to get them all lined up just right.

Soon we headed to the airport.  The flight down went fine, except for one tiny thing as we were coming in to land - I threw up!  I've never done that before, and Daddy has been surprised at my "iron stomach" as I sleep through all kinds of turbulence.  But not today, sorry Daddy!  I ate a LOT at lunch, though, I sure was hungry.  And it made Daddy really happy that when we were done, I hopped right back in the airplane, not scared one bit!

We had planned to then go to the Myriad Gardens (botanical gardens) for their annual art show, but I really needed a bath, of course, so we headed home.  It turned out to be cold and windy anyway, so we didn't go.  Maybe tomorrow.

That night I insisted that my baby needed diapers.  So I practiced putting them on and taking them off over and over again.  I did it all by myself! 

I DO like pepperonis!

I have never liked pepperonis on my pizza.  Any time we get pizza, we either get cheese pizza or I ask Daddy to take them off my slice.  Which he doesn't really have a problem doing, since it means more for him.

But today he (knowingly) left one on, that was kind of hidden in the cheese.

When I ate, he told me I just ate a pepperoni, and asked if I liked it.  I nodded my head really big!  Then I started asking for pepperoni off his pizza, which he nicely gave to me.  Although one time I just reached over and started pulling one off the slice on his plate.  He did stop me and tell me that wasn't very polite!  So I asked nicely for the next one.

Maybe I'm getting a little more adventurous as I get older.  Daddy is very glad I like pepperoni now, like him.  Poor Mommy!

Another rainy day. Let's make brownies!

Today was another rainy, cold day, so we mostly stayed inside.  But we still had a fun time.

Daddy and I had been looking forward to making brownies, and this morning, before lunch, we finally made some.  We did it before lunch so we could have dessert after lunch!  Mommy even got to watch and talk with us on a video chat as we were baking, which made it even more fun.  I was a big help, too.  Daddy lined up all the ingredients and I poured them all in the big bowl.  I tried to stir, but needed Daddy's help for that. 

While they were baking, I went over to play with my babies.  We had a nice meal!

Soon it was lunch time, and we weren't sure what to eat, so we made pancakes.  Daddy is really becoming quite domesticated!

I ate my pancake really fast, and a little while later we ate our brownies.  They were really yummy.

Later I helped with put some clean dishes away.  Daddy asked me to take my cups and put them in the cabinet.  Of course I didn't want to make multiple trips. 

After dessert, I went back and played with my babies.  While Daddy was out of the room I put some water in the three cups.  When he came back and was cleaning up the kitchen I was happily pouring water from one cup to the other at my little table, when all of a sudden he heard the noise stop.  I very quietly snuck in to the kitchen, opened the drawer, grabbed a washcloth, and started to sneak away, when realized Daddy saw me, so I simply said "I made a mess".  I went and cleaned it up, and brought the washcloth back to him.  I went back to playing with the cups, then snuck back in to get another washcloth.  He saw me again, handed me the same one, and told me to just use that one.  So I went back, dried up the water, and came back and handed the washcloth back to him.  And went back to playing with the cups.  When I came back yet again to get a washcloth, he decided this was enough and maybe I should pour the cups in the sink! 

Rain, rain go away - Omniplex, playground, and storytime

This week I've really been getting good at riding my tricycle around outside.  Every day after we get home the first thing I've done is grabbed my tricycle and headed to the garage.  Daddy figures it's good exercise, so off we go!  I've been riding laps around our block, and even like to do two laps now (three if Daddy would let me, but he says it takes plenty long to do two!)  I've learned that the uphill parts are no fun, but the long downhill part sure is!  Since Daddy greased the axles on Sunday it has been much easier to pedal and doesn't make the terrible loud squeaking sound it used to.  I always make a point several times a day about how "there's grease on the wheels".

It was a nice week, but today it rained all day.  So what else were we to do but go to the Omniplex!  And after the Omniplex we went to get lunch - where else but at the "playground", also called McDonald's.  Daddy makes me eat all my lunch before I go play.  Of course, his plan as usual is to get me nice and tired so I take a nap at home.

Well we got home and I showed absolutely no sign of being tired, and didn't even try to take a nap!  After dinner I wanted to feed my "babies".  I even found some of my old bibs and Daddy helped me put them on!

(Daddy liked both pictures and couldn't decide.)

When it was almost my bedtime, I crawled into Daddy's bed and laid down.  I know he's not going to let me sleep there, but it sure is cozy.  Daddy laid down next to me and asked if I wanted him to tell me a story.  I sat up, looked around, and not seeing any books, said "I don't see any stories".  He told me that he meant he would make one up.  What did I want it to be about.  I said "Who says MOO?" which is the name of one of my books.  I still didn't understand.  Daddy and Mommy read me a lot of books, but this is the first time Daddy has made up a story for me.  Once I figured that out, I was pretty excited! 

He told me it was about a princess, and asked me to guess her name.  "I don't know".  When he told me it was Princess Piper, I got a big smile on my face.  I like this story already!  It was a silly, short story about riding my horse over to see Daddy (the King of course), but when he was done, I quickly said "tell it again Daddy!"  He made it different this time, about riding my horse to see him and then we went flying in his jet airplane (with me flying of course), and going upside down, which was okay because the "Queen" wasn't there!  I laughed at that.  And then I made the best landing ever, even better than Daddy's.  Yes, his stories are silly.  But once again, I told him to "tell it again Daddy!"  But this time he told me that not only was I the prettiest Princess ever, but also really smart because I knew all my letters, could count to 10, and knew ALL the states.  And guess what, I liked that story too! 

The whole time I laid there, I listened intently to the stories, and wasn't constantly distracted like I usually am.  I think Daddy's going to be telling me a lot more stories!

After that it was bedtime.  Daddy and Mommy think it's pretty cute that after Daddy tucks me in and leaves the room, he can hear me singing to myself and my stuffed animal friends.  Sometimes this goes on for 5 or 10 minutes too!

What a busy day!

This being the first Saturday in a few weeks where it's just been Daddy and me, and with it also being a really nice day outside, Daddy sure kept me going all day long!

I slept in nice and late, which means 7:30.  Right after I got dressed we headed on down to the airport.  We flew to Ardmore, OK, for their monthly pancake breakfast.  I like pancakes, and Daddy likes flying, so it's a great combination!  I chowed down on pancakes and bacon - I'm Daddy's little girl all right.

When we came back, Daddy had some work to do on the plane so I got to play pilot for a while.  Fun!

On the way home we stopped at the park and played for a while.  Then we were both hungry so we headed to lunch.  After lunch we went back home a flew a kite!  With how windy it was, it got way up there, although the wind was gusty and the kite when down a couple of times, with the line caught in the fence, trees, roof, everywhere!

After the kite flying I got to ride my tricycle around outside for the first time - it's finally warm enough.  I started to get really good at it and kept pedalling up and down the block.  By this time we were both getting a little worn out, so we headed inside and watched a movie.  Daddy planned to do some other things while I was watching it, but it felt so good to sit down after our busy day that he sat right next to me the whole time!

I did my map puzzle, then it was time for dinner.  After that we read a couple of books and it was time for bed.  Daddy was very surprised I went the whole day without even looking like I was tired, let alone take a nap, but I sure fell asleep fast!

Bye-bye Mommy, back to OK

This morning was a sad morning, because we had to leave Mommy and head back to Oklahoma.  Daddy and I really had a lot of fun with her the past few days and hated to leave.  But we headed down to the airport before Mommy had to be at work and got ready to go. 

When Mommy stood me on the wing so I could get in the plane, I looked at her and said something really really touching - I told her she needed to get in the plane too, and held her hand to help her up.  I really wanted Mommy to come home with us! 

Mommy reminded me that she was going to be staying here in Mississippi, that she wasn't coming home with us yet, and I gave her a big hug.  We'll miss you Mommy!

The flight back was pretty uneventful, at least as far as I was concerned, with one big exception - I had to go potty with over an hour left until Shreveport, our lunch stop!  Of course, Daddy can't just pull over like in a car, so he reminded me that I was wearing pull-ups instead of big girl panties for just that reason.  But I held it in anyway!

I did spend a lot of time playing with this thing Daddy handed me.  I'm not sure what it does, but it has some wires and plugs and occupied my attention for far longer than any of the toys he brought along!

We stopped for lunch in Shreveport, and I got to meet some very nice ladies at the airport cafe.  I say they were really nice because they gave me a cookie!  Which I managed to get all over me (including in my hair) as we walked around the airport stretching our legs.  I was a mess!  But it sure was a good cookie.

The rest of the flight went just fine and I got a little nap in near the end too.  It was a great trip, and I hope we get to do it again to see Mommy!

Park, birds, and beach

After a nice long nap this afternoon, we decided to go out and play some more.  We headed to the beach and brought bread to feed the seagulls.  But first we stopped at the playground that Daddy and I went to on Friday, since it's right across the street from the beach.  I got to show Mommy how strong I've become.  Daddy's right there, but he isn't even touching me as I slid up and down the rail.

I met this other girl about my age and we had a great time hiding from Daddy (and her Daddy too).  Here we're both slapping the window trying to match Daddy's hands.  We kept this up for quite a while, and were both giggling the whole time!

I thought for certain Daddy couldn't get me up here (and told him so), but sure enough he climbed up the side, reached through and started tickling me!

We headed from the playground, across the street to the beach to feed the seagulls.  There sure were a lot of them, and they liked us!

After just a minute or two of this, I realized that I'd rather eat the bread in my hand than feed it to the birds, so I did and let Mommy have all the fun while I went over to the edge of the water.  Remember on Friday I just barely got my toes wet, so I took it slow this time too. 

To Daddy and Mommy's surprise, after getting my feet wet, I took off with big strides out into the water!  We weren't planning to go in the water at all, so I wasn't wearing my swimsuit, but Daddy got me back and rolled up my pant legs.  And off I went!  No fear this time, I was having a ball!

When I was just about done playing in the water, I started doing something that really made Mommy and Daddy laugh.  I started picking up fistfuls of sand in the water, bringing them onto the shore, and throwing them down on the ground.  I did this over and over again.  I said the sand wanted to be out of the water!

Obviously we had a great day, and it was nice to spend the whole weekend playing with Mommy and Daddy.

Kangarooz, again!

Today was another cloudy day.  So much for going to the beach and playing in the sand and sun!  Since we all had so much fun at Kangarooz yesterday, Mommy and Daddy asked if I'd like to go again.  Of course I did! 

When I went over to play on the one where adult supervision was required, Daddy asked who I wanted to go with me.  To his delight, I said "Mommy!"  Of course this meant he was going to get lots of pictures!

I really got a kick out of watching Mommy crawl under and through some of the obstacles. 

I tried to show her how it's done.

Mommy wasn't about to go down the slide like me though!

Mommy is really good at the hula-hoop.  I tried to do it too, but I wasn't quite as good.

Mommy even entered an adults-only hula-hoop contest.  She did great, and came in second!  Daddy says she's still got the moves!

When we went back to the same bouncy-bounce as before, this time I wanted Daddy to go with me.  When we got to the big slide, I went down head first.  I was being silly! 

When I got down to the bottom, Daddy was still up top. So I yelled up to him to "do it like me, Daddy!"  Of course, how could he pass up a request like that from me, even if it meant risking breaking his neck?  Silly Daddy!  He's not as graceful as I was!

I ran up to him and gave him a big hug for his efforts (laughing too).

There were very few kids there today, so sometimes we had a whole bouncy-bounce to ourselves.  Daddy and Mommy would "sneak" in and play with me some.  On one, I asked Daddy if I could go "super high".  Did I ever!  Can you tell I'm having a great time?

When we left Kangarooz, we had a late lunch then went back to the room, where today I actually took a nap!

Kangarooz

Once we left the Stennis Space Center, it was raining, so we still couldn't go to the beach.  But we did something even better!  Right near our hotel they have a place called "Kangarooz", which is like the Jump Zone back home.  I was very excited when I walked in.  Wheeee!

Although adults aren't allowed on most of the inflatables, on one of them they are required to be there to assist kids from 36" to 42" - which I am!  So Daddy got to help me.  He was pretty excited because it looked like a lot of fun.

He's a little big for the slide!

I'm trying to help him through this part.

Is it just me, or does Daddy look a little tired on the 3rd time through?

I decided to take a little rest too.  But a few seconds later, I was ready again!  Daddy told me I needed to play on something else for a while....

They also had a toddler's area for kids less than 36" tall.  Well, I'm close enough.  They had a few fun toys there, but I really liked playing in the little houses.  I got Mommy and Daddy to come inside too (they almost didn't fit)!

It sure was a lot of fun, and I told Mommy and Daddy I was tired when we left.  But I surprised them and didn't take a nap (Daddy especially was really hoping I would).

Stennis Space Center

Since it was pretty cloudy today we decided to not go to the beach again.  Instead, we headed to the Stennis Space Center, where they test rocket engines!  When I heard that we were going to ride on a shuttle bus, I got very excited and kept saying "shuttle bus" over and over.  Mommy and Daddy weren't quite sure why I was so excited, but I sure was!

On the bus there was a boy about my age sitting behind me.  We had a lot of fun talking over the seat back.  Notice the rocket test stand in the background that we are ignoring. 

The bus took us to the visitor's center, where they had a lot of displays outside, like this Solid Rocket Booster from the Space Shuttle!

Of course I ran right over to the NASA Learjet, and tried to turn the nosewheel.  Daddy helped me, and it turned!

Daddy and I just had to stare into the end of this rocket engine.

Mommy helped me up to get a beter look at this one.

"Please do not stand on exhibit."  Daddy got a picture of me before Mommy could tell me not to.  They were amazed at how flexible I am.

Inside the visitor's center they had a Space Shuttle flight simulator, so of course we had to head in there.  I got to fly!  Daddy helped point out the runway.

Then Daddy showed me how it was done.  He got the best score of the day!

They had an "International Space Station" display too.  Mommy and I got to use some rubber gloves to work on a "science experiment" with blocks.

Maybe someday I'll be an astronaut!