Lunch at the Casino Arizona and Visiting Uncle Scotty

After doing crafts with Auntie Jennifer, Mommy and I went over to Grandma and Grandpa's to pick them up for lunch.  One of their favorite places to eat is at the Casino Arizona.  It took me about 15 minutes to make my way into the building.  There were so many interesting fountains and gardens outside that I wanted to do some exploring first.  Grandma Bunny and I found some ducks, but no fish in the pond.

 

Grandpa Mitch kept me safe from the prickly cacti.  I was really nervous about getting poked, but soon realized if I stayed close to Grandpa I'd be safe.

The food was really yummy, but Mommy and I didn't like walking through all the smoke to get to the restaurant.  (At least there was no smoking in the restaurant area.)

Uncle Scotty couldn't join us since he was working.  So we stopped by McDonald's and brought him some food after we ate.  While in Uncle Scotty's store, I tried on a few items.  I don't think the hat and belt were too big.  What do you think?

Crafts with Auntie Jennifer

Since I've arrived, Auntie Jennifer had a few projects she wanted to do with me.  Today we FINALLY had some time to go to Michael's (a craft store) to pick up some craft supplies.  Before we left, Auntie Jennifer was admiring my outfit.  Considering she gave me the shirt and fancy jeans, she really liked it.  (The colorful shoes were from Grandma Bunny and the princess tiara was from Auntie Betty.)  I let Auntie Jennifer know if we found a princess tiara for her, she could wear it all day, too.

I didn't know where to start, there were so many neat things to do.  Auntie Jennifer bought a sun visor, glitter paint, foam stickers and a package of Valentine's beads to make some jewelry.  I decided to start with the sun visor.  After all, as pretty as my hat is (from Uncle Scotty), sometimes just a sun visor will do.  We had so much fun!

Thanks, Auntie Jennifer!

Visiting the Schades

We were supposed to visit the Mays today, but "Auntie" Carol was so sick that she couldn't have any visitors.  So we ended up joining "Auntie Betty" and "Uncle Herald" Schade for church.  (Mommy had been best friends with their daughter in high school and even one of her roommates in college.)  I did the best I've ever done in sacrament meeting.  I must say it really helped since Auntie Betty was giving me scratch backs and foot rubs.  I was very quiet for the entire meeting.

After church we went back to the Schades for Sunday dinner.  Before dinner was ready, I discovered some items to play with in their living room.  I had a great time giving the wedding bears a carriage ride.

Before we left for the evening, Auntie Betty gave me some other gifts.  The warm fuzzy hat I'll be able to use when we get back to Ohio.  But Mommy said this mask scared her so much I wouldn't be allowed to wear it, especially around Auntie Jennifer's dogs.

After hearing about how Mommy wasn't sleeping well (mainly due to me flopping around during the night as I slept), Auntie Betty invited (again) us to stay the night.  (She'd offered before we stayed in town, but since they live so far away from everyone else, we'd stayed with Auntie Jennifer instead.)  They have two guest rooms at their home.  When Auntie Betty showed me the room I'd get to sleep in, which had rainbow sheets and LOTS of dolls, I was all about staying with them tomorrow night.

Hooray!

Stoller Family Night

Mommy wanted to be able to see her entire family on one day.  She tells me there's one sure way to get all the Stollers in place:  have a lot of good food available.  And guess what?!  It worked!  In addition to my grandparents, uncles, Auntie Jennifer and cousins, "Auntie" Erika (one of Mommy's friends all the way back from her teenaged years) came, too.  Auntie Erika brought some super yummy desserts.  Here I am tasting "S'more cake in a jar".  Can you tell if I liked it or not?

 After eating such a yummy dessert, I was in the mood to give hugs all around.  Auntie Jennifer sure looked like she needed a hug since she was trying to resist eating one of those yummy desserts.

 And I had to give a thank you hug to Auntie Erika for making these yummy desserts!

Auntie Erika took this family photo of the Stoller Clan.  In the back row are Uncles Matthew and Scotty, Auntie Jennifer and Mommy.  Sitting on the couch are Cousin Lexi, Granpa Mitch, Grandma Bunny and me.  Cousins Logan and Jake and kneeling by the sides of the couch.  (And Patsy sneaked into the photo.)

Here I am with Cousin Jake and his fiancee CJay.  They're getting married on Halloween.  I hope this doesn't interfere with my trick or treating.

I know I met everyone back when I turned 2 years old, but I didn't really remember them.  So I'm sure glad I was able to see them all tonight!

Lost and Found at The Phoenix Zoo

I had been very sad when I realized I lost my purple jacket at the zoo yesterday.  So after breakfast this morning, Mommy called the zoo and spoke with their lost and found section.  My purple jacket had been turned in.  Hooray!

We went to the zoo right away.  It was pretty chilly, by Phoenix standards at 60 degrees.  There was a lady in front of the zoo entrance selling neat hats that had scarves/mittens attached to them.  There were so many options, bunnies, pandas, leopards, etc., but I wanted the ladybug hat since it matched my ladbybug Pillow Pet that Daddy gave me for Christmas.  Isn't it a great hat? 

 

While I still don't understand why people in Phoenix need such warm hats, I know I'll get to wear this a lot when we go back to Ohio.

Breakfast at Auntie Nicole's and Uncle Stan's

Yesterday Auntie Nicole invited Mommy and me over for breakfast so Uncle Stan would get a chance to see me this trip.  I had picked some oranges when I was over at Grandma Bunny's and Grandpa Mitch's the other day.  I gave them to Auntie Nicole yesterday, and she said we could squeeze them this morning.  So I learned how to use a juicer this morning!  Mommy, Auntie Nicole and Uncle Stan couldn't get enough of the orange juice.  And since they have a grapefruit and tangelo tree, we picked some more fruit and made a mixed juice.  They said it was so tasty, but I didn't want to try any myself.

While I was making all the juices, Uncle Stan made some super yummy pancakes.  We all filled our tummies.  It was a great morning!

Visiting the Phoenix Zoo with Mommy and "Auntie" Nicole

Today Mommy and I picked up "Auntie" Nicole and we all went to the Olive Garden for lunch.  I did a good job eating my food since Mommy said we were heading to the Phoenix Zoo afterwards.  And guess what?!  One of the first exhibits was for the giraffes!  I was so excited that I ran as fast as I could to get a better look!



There was a tall tower so we could get a closer look at the giraffes.  It had wiggly steps and stairs.  I think I had as much fun playing on the tower as I did looking at the giraffes!

Doesn't this cactus look spooky?

Mommy and I took turns looking through the telescope to get a better look at the desert bighorn sheep.

At first glance from 20 feet away, this statue looked pretty real.  Since someone else had been "riding" the antelope when I first saw it, I had to take a ride, too!

At the Columbus Zoo in Ohio they had pony rides.  But at the Phoenix Zoo they had camel rides!  Not every zoo offers this, you know.  Auntie Nicole treated me to a ride on the camel.  It was super exciting!

There were play areas throughout the zoo that were just as much fun as looking at the animals!  I was so worried that I'd get poked by a needle on the saguaro slide.  (Zoom in to see my expression better.)  But after the first trip down, I finally believed Mommy when she said this was a pretend cactus and I wouldn't get poked by it.

After going down the slide a few more times, I climbed up the big spider web like a monkey.  What a great day, even though I lost my purple jacket that Grandma had given me for Christmas.  I am so glad Auntie Nicole suggested we all go to the zoo!

Scary Doggy Encounter, Lots of Visits and Peter Piper Pizza

Can you believe Mommy forgot to make an entry about all the excitement from yesterday?  It was a full day, I tell you.

Since I was still used to the Eastern time zone, I woke up relatively early.  Mommy heard Auntie Jennifer and her roommate, Ms. Holly, talking around 5:45 a.m.  So Mommy said I could go over to Auntie Jennifer's room.  Well, Mommy is used to me being really quiet (she'd even say sneaky at times) when I go into her bedroom in the mornings.  So she forgot to remind me that I should make some noise as I went into Auntie Jennifer's room.
 
Auntie Jennifer has two dogs living at her house, Patsy and Cholla.  Let's say that even though Auntie Jennifer didn't hear me coming towards her room, Patsy and Cholla sure did.  They growled and went into attack mode since they weren't used to having a little person around.  I screamed and went into "Piper flight mode".  This resulted in Mommy going into "Mommy panic mode."  Fortunately, Mommy and I were faster than the doggies.  Even though we were all right, I still cried for quite a while.

Grandma Bunny then came over so we could all go see Uncle Matthew and go out to lunch.  We happened to drive by a a McDonald's on the way to Uncle Matthew's.  I said we should eat there for lunch.  As that happens to be one of his favorite places to eat, Mommy thought this would work out well.  Of all days Uncle Matthew didn't want to eat at McDonald's, today would be that day.  What was I to do but sulk and cry?  Well, Mommy didn't stand for that.  So I agreed to be cheerful for our lunch at Taco Bell and then we went to McDonald's afterwards.  Mommy was super surprised how nice the restaurant was considering it wasn't in the best part of town.  I had a great time at the indoor playground.

After spending a couple hours with Uncle Matthew, we went back to Auntie Jennifer's so Grandma Bunny could pick up her car.  Then we went over to Grandma Bunny's and Grandpa Mitch's.  (Her doggies really scared me, especially after all I went through this morning.)  So the visit was really short.

Our next stop was going by Uncle Scotty's store, which is pretty close to Grandma and Grandpa's house.  I was pretty worried about getting poked by the cacti in front of his store.  With Mommy's help, I stayed safe.

After Uncle Scotty closed the store, we all went to Peter Piper Pizza and met with Grandma and Grandpa there.  Can you believe my name was in the sign for the pizza place?  That was so exciting to me!  What was even better about Peter Piper Pizza was they had an indoor playground and arcade.  I quickly made a friend with another girl my age.  Here we are "riding" a roller coaster simulator.  It was great fun!

I was still pretty jet lagged and worn out from all the visits.  I almost fell asleep on my slice of pizza.  So we made it an early night and went home to Auntie Jennifer's.  What a day!

My First Text Message

For those of you who know my Mommy and Daddy, you know they do NOT send text messages.  But Auntie Jennifer does!  I was very interested in watching her send and receive messages on her phone.  And guess what?!  She showed me how to send a message of my very own!  I sent my first text to my cousin Lexi asking her if she wanted to play.  She said she couldn't play right then, but she would when she came by this coming Saturday.

After showing me how to send a message, Auntie Jennifer showed me how to take pictures with her cell phone.  If you look closely, you'll see my first attempt didn't go as planned.  I ended up taking a picture of my eye rather than Mommy.

This time I was able to point the phone in the right direction.  I wonder what else I'll learn while we're staying with Auntie Jennifer!

Mommy and I are in Phoenix!

Mommy and I are in Phoenix now, visiting lots of my relatives on Mommy's side of the family.  We will be here for a week, then head over to Los Angeles to visit Mommy's cousin Nancy.  We're sure to have a great time, and I have been super excited about going for about the last week.  In fact, last night I couldn't get to sleep because I was so excited!  I had more problems falling asleep last night than I did Christmas Eve!  This morning I was even all packed and ready to go, well before we needed to leave for the airport.

We are sure going to miss Daddy.  I have told him that a lot the past few days.  Yesterday I told him "I'll miss you Daddy, but I'll be having so much fun I might not remember you!"  I know he understood what I meant, but just to be sure, a few hours later I clarified myself, saying "Daddy, I'll be having a lot of fun, but not too much where I won't remember you!"

Sledding, finally! And the Wright Cycle Company

Last year by this time there was a ton of snow on the ground and we went sledding all the time.  But this year, we haven't been able to sled even once!  But today when we woke up we noticed there was just barely enough snow on the ground to try it.  Mommy's shoulder still hurts, so she didn't go down the hill, but Daddy and I got all suited up and ready to go!  Daddy couldn't use his wooden sled because the snow wasn't deep enough, but we wanted to try out the new red one we bought.

It always seems like such a long walk to get to the top of the hill!

It turned out there wasn't really enough snow for Daddy to go sledding, but if he gave me a good push, I could get pretty far down the hill.  I was pretty sneaky a few times and got him with a snowball!

After sledding we went into downtown Dayton to the Wright Cycle Company, a National Park where they have restored the Wright Brother's bicycle shop and have some other interpretive exhibits.  There was an area with some "hands-on" exhibits with parachutes that I thought was a lot of fun.  I headed for the ejection seat right when I saw it!

The Wright Cycle Company building was pretty interesting too.  There were a lot of displays and machines the Wright Brothers used and example of how they used a lot of bicycle parts in their first airplane.

It was a neat day and a lot of fun!



A late Christmas present!

My Sunday School teacher gave me a late Christmas present!  Today was the first time she's seen me since Christmas, and I couldn't wait to open it especially since it was in a super big box.  It's a cardboard castle that I can color!  Daddy and I got it set up real quick in the living room, and then we decided that it would be perfect in my bedroom.  In fact, I told Mommy and Daddy that I could color a little bit every day, and I have been!  I'll disappear into my room for 15 minutes or so at a time and color a little bit more.  It was a great gift! 

It's finally SNOWING!

Last year we got a TON of snow in December and were able to go sledding a lot!  But this year it had only snowed twice, and not enough to accumulate, until last night.  This morning we woke up and it was still snowing and everything was covered in it!

Daddy went out into the garage to do something, and when he did I was still in my pajamas.  I really surprised him when just a few minutes later I jumped into the garage fully dressed with my big winter jacket, boots and mittens on, and loudly announced, "Daddy, I'm ready to SHOVEL!"  I was so excited to help shovel, especially since he had bought me my own Piper-sized shovel a few weeks ago.  He hadn't even planned on shoveling, but I was so eager to help that he took advantage of the opportunity!

I got right to it, and did a great job going down the driveway.  At some point I realized that I could make a snowball, and guess who my target was?  I got him good!

I made a few more snowballs and then kept shoveling.  I wanted Daddy to look at the big pile of snow I was collecting, and let him know that I was piling it there so I could make a snowman.  He thought that in the grass would be a better spot than right behind the car, and I thought that made good sense too, so we moved it.

I was very proud of my work.  Look at all the shoveling I did all by myself!  (And notice how much snow has already fallen since I started.)

We didn't have enough snow to make a really big snowman, so we made a little baby one instead.  Later, I even gave it a carrot for a nose!

Too bad it really wasn't enough snow to go sledding, but maybe soon!

Happy New Year!

I'm very excited that it's 2012!  The last few weeks we've been learning how to say the days on a calendar, and every day when Daddy would pick me up from preschool, I'd take him to the big calendar on the wall and point, and tell him what day, date, and year it was.  Like "Today is Tuesday, the 27th of December, 2011".  I was very proud of saying this every day and knew that there were only a few more days until it was 2012.  And now it's here! 

I also know that this is the year I turn 5 and go to kindergarten, so I'm super excited about that.  Of course, I still think my birthday is way too far away, and have let Mommy and Daddy know several times!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is finally here, and I was so excited!  I did sleep in pretty well, which made Mommy and Daddy very happy.  But when I came in their room I was ready to go downstairs and see what Santa brought!  I got my Santa hat and headed on down.

Look, Santa ate the brownie!  But I said he must be a sloppy eater because he left some crumbs behind.  Mommy and Daddy said he was probably just in a hurry to get to another kid's house.

The very first present I wanted to open was the one from Santa. I knew right away exactly which one it was, because I had looked at all the other presents so much the last few days and weeks that I knew which ones had been there last night.  When I opened it up, it was a pillow pet, the unicorn one I wanted just like Shobhana's!  That's what I asked Santa for last week, and he remembered! 

Later I opened another pillow pet, this one was a ladybug from Mommy and Daddy, so I was super excited that I now have two!  That means I can have one at school for naptime and one at home too.

I got a lot of other nice presents as well.  Here is a fun doggy purse from Grandma Bunny.

And I got a Christmas Barbie doll from Grandma and Papa Roslewski.  I could see what it was as I started to open the package!

I got some super cozy pajamas from Mommy.

Daddy gave me a great picture frame that says "Daddy's Little Girl" and has a cute picture of him holding me in my Snow White dress.  I love this picture and had him hang it up next to my bed so I could always see it!

I also gave him a picture frame so he could take it into work.  It says "My heart belongs to Daddy" and has a picture from all the way back on his birthday last year where I'm giving him a big hug but can't quite get my eyes off the giant chocolate cake we're going to have!

I really had a great time opening up presents!  I even slowed down a little so that Mommy and Daddy could open theirs, too.  I really liked picking up the presents and bringing them to the right person.  Since I can read their names on the presents now, it was easy!

Merry Christmas!

Fun Saturday and Christmas Eve!

Today was a really fun day with Mommy and Daddy.  They had bought an XBox Kinect figuring it would see a lot of use and give us some exercise during the cold Ohio winter.  So today Daddy finally set it up!  I really learned fast how to play the games by moving my hands and feet and jumping around.  A lot!  Mommy is feeling really sick, so she didn't play, but Daddy sure did, and worked up a sweat too.  We had a fun time riding down rapids together, racing each other and getting worn out.  I jumped almost non stop!  Poor Daddy, he even twisted his back during one of the games!

We went to Sam's Club next, and I got to see Santa again.  There was no line this time either, so I got to sit in his sleigh and talk with him for a long time.  I told him some secrets again, and when Daddy told me it was time to go, I walked a little bit away, turned around and with a big smile on my face, waved and yelled "Goodbye, Santa!"  He waved back and I looked like the happiest girl ever!  Daddy thought it was absolutely adorable, and got a little choked up when he thought of how fast I'm growing up.

After dinner Daddy played some Christmas carols on the piano, and then we read "Twas the Night Before Christmas".  It was almost time to go to bed, but there was one last thing we needed to do first - put something out for Santa!  Think he'll like a little brownie?  I bet he will!

I got in bed and let Mommy and Daddy know that I was going to fall asleep right away - and to prove it, I started snoring right after they got done giving me hugs and kisses.  I want Santa to come - I am so excited!



Counting the days until Christmas, almost there!

Ever since December 1st I have been reliably moving the candy cane on my calendar forward one day at a time, getting ever closer to Christmas.  Every morning it's the first thing I do when I come down the stairs.  I definitely don't need Mommy or Daddy to remind me of this duty!

I am so excited it's almost Christmas, it's all I've been talking about for weeks!

Picture with Santa!

I got my picture taken with Santa tonight!  He was at Sam's Club and there was no line, so I even got to talk with him for a long time.  I told him what I want for Christmas, but when Daddy asked what I told Santa, I said, "I can't tell you, it's a SECRET!"  Only Santa and I know what it is!

Christmas songs

We have learned that I have a really good memory for song lyrics, and I LOVE to sing!  Since it's Christmas time, I had Daddy sang "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" a few times.  Then later, he found me singing it to myself, with only a few mistakes.  He was pretty amazed!

I also have had a lot of fun learning some new "color" songs at school.  I've been coming home with a new song practically every day this week.

My favorite one has to be "Pink", to the tune of "Jingle Bells":

COTTON CANDY, FAT PINK PIGS,

GIRLS WITH SOCKS AND BOWS

P-I-N-K, P-I-N-K THAT IS HOW IT GOES

BUBBLE GUM, VALENTINES

THESE ARE ALL PINK TOO

PINK ICING AND PINK BALLOONS

WE CAN SPELL, CAN YOU?  YES!

I like to substitute "Love Hearts" for "Valentines".  I told Mommy and Daddy it's because I love them so much!

Saw the Dentist today!

I got to see the dentist again today, since it has been almost 6 months since my last checkup.  Daddy picked me up from school before lunch and we headed on down there.  The hygenist was very nice and she showed me all the different tools she was going to use and explained everything before she did it.  Daddy even learned some things!  I was really great as she checked and cleaned my teeth.

When the dentist came in, he was very nice just like last time.  He took a good look at the two grown-up teeth that I have now, and then found 4 more teeth that are a little bit loose!  He didn't think they'd be falling out before Christmas, but it does look like the tooth fairy will be pretty busy in the next few months.

I also got my first x-rays, and I did great holding the bite-wings in place.  I was very interested to see what my teeth looked like.  You can even see my 6-year molars in the back, they just haven't poked up through the gum line yet!

When we finished with the dentist, it was time for lunch, so we met Mommy at Logan's Roadhouse and I got to show her my shiny clean teeth and my x-rays.  It was a good day!

New books from Grandma!

I got a package from Grandma Roslewski today!  And she said I was "most definitely" allowed to open it immediately, not to wait until Christmas!  When I did, I saw it was three books that Daddy loved when he was my age - "The Monster At The End Of This Book", "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer", and "Frosty the Snowman".  Of course, right away I wanted Daddy to read them all to me.  So he did, and I loved it!