Indoor Fun!

While I still very much prefer to be outside, the weather still very much prefers to stay cold, so I've still had lots of inside time lately while we all excitedly anticipate warmer weather!  One of my Christmas gifts from Santa was a kitchen set, and I play with it nearly every day.  (in fact, my new trick is to open the oven door and try to stand on it, which nearly caused the entire kitchen to topple down on top of me last weekend!)  Mommies aren't sure if I got this from watching them cook, but I like to "cook" things on the stove, then I taste them to make sure they taste right.  (I also make sure others in the room, including Joey, get a taste) 

In addition to playing with my kitchen, I LOVE being on the couches now and insist on being on the couches whenever I'm not playing with my other toys.  Sometimes I just sit on the couch like a good girl.  Other times, I stand.  And other times, I sit and read books to Elmo and share snacks with him.  (mommies haven't caught this last one with the camera yet, but it's pretty funny!)  Here are a few pictures of what will hopefully be my last few weeks on winter house arrest!

I'm stirring!  I'm stirring!  I'm stirring in my pot!  (that's the tune my pot sings when I play with it ... mommies have pretty much memorized all of the sayings and sounds my toys make ... they've had enough of the house arrest too!)

Sampling my concoction to see if it needs more spices!

Getting a second opinion.

Taking the train to the store (the pantry) to buy more spices.

Relaxing.  Being a kid is hard work.

Nap time!

On another bored, cold day, Mama built me a little fort that I like to sit in and read my books!

This is why Most Toddlers Don't Get to Have Bright Red Drinks That Stain!

During our first "50 Degree Day" (yes, we get excited about that here), Mama decided it was time to celebrate and she took me to Dairy Queen to get my first Mr. Misty.  (well, really we were going to the bank, but DQ was on the way home!)  Needless to say, I LOVED it.  That is, until I dropped it.  I'll let the pictures tell the rest of the story....

Game on!  This is DELICIOUS!

Can't get enough of it!  (okay, really, I drank about 1/8 of it, but still, it was tasty!)

Running through the living room with my treat.  (this one made Mommy unhappy ... red drink + light carpet would be a bad combo!)

Check out those cheeks!

Sharing with my best friend, Joey!  (or "GO" as I like to call him)

Soaking up some rays with my main man and my main drink.

GAME OVER!  (thankfully, the "game" ended on the wood floors instead of the carpet!)

Sporting my new Play Clothes!

Now that it's starting to get warmer outside and I'm becoming more and more determined to be outside all the time, mommies decided it was time to invest in some play clothes.  (for the most part, up to this point, mommies have always bought me nicer clothes since I don't really ruin anything)  After some searching, Mama came across a website that sells plain sweat pants and sweat shirts for cheap, so she stocked up.  I now get excited whenever I see mommies going through my bin of play clothes because I know that can only mean one thing - OUTSIDE TIME!!  While the clothes are far from cute, being outside makes me so happy, so mommies have been willing to look past the fashion "no-no" of it all.  Here are a few pictures of me enjoying the great outdoors in my new gear!

Looking like a gray monster in this one.

Running around outside.

Hi Peanut!!

Sitting deep in thought ... enjoying nature.

Getting a closer look at nature by rolling down the hill.

The swing gets me every time!  :)

Pointing at ... something.  I point at everything outside!

Giving Mama a little grin in the front yard.  (while reaching for Peanut)

Me and Mommy hanging out.  One of us looks cute in this picture.  One of us does not.  Can you find which one is acting silly?  (hint:  it's NOT Peanut)

Throwing the soccer ball around!

Checking out what's hiding under the front porch.  Mommy quickly grabbed me and stopped me from doing this.  They know what hides under the front porch.  And so do the cats....

Desperately trying to get on the 4 Wheeler and go for a ride!

There's a Slide .... in my Living Room!

A couple of weeks ago while visiting Grandma and Grandpa McNamara, I came home with a surprise - a new slide!  Mama was kind enough to set up the slide in our living room, and I've been playing with it constantly ever since.  (much to Mommy's dismay)  Mommy loves the slide.  She loves that I love the slide.  She does NOT love the fact that the slide is residing in our living room.  When will it get nice out, seriously?!  The slide belongs outside, along with a lot of my other toys. 

Regardless, I really enjoy the slide, and my favorite new trick is to stand up on top of the slide.  (which makes mommies panic every time - such worry warts!)  Here are a few pictures of me ...  playing on my slide ... in the living room.

Making my climb to the top.

Nearing the top, but I got distracted trying to find my tummy.

At the top now, still looking for my tummy.

Look what I found!!  My tummy!!

Blowing kisses from the top of the slide.

Naughty Maggie face.

The slide's not the only thing I like to stand on.  My train is fun too!



Biking Season is Just Around the Corner!

.... and that means, it's time for my first helmet!  With warmer weather on the horizon, mommies decided I was ready for my first tricycle, which meant I'd also need my first helmet.  I'm way too small for the trike right now, but Mama put some padding on the peddles, and they're hoping I'll be able to move myself around some time this summer.  As for the helmet, they also got it for when they pull me behind their bikes in the bike trailer, so it should get lots of use.  As with most things that go on my head, I'm obsessed with the helmet and love putting it on and taking it off.  (and putting it on, and taking it off ....)  Now we're just missing one piece of this equation - "warmer weather!"

Figuring out how I can still see while sporting the helmet.

Posing for the camera on my new trike in my new helmet!

Clapping for myself.  I do this a lot.  :)

Close-up.  My eyes almost match my helmet!

Our New Toy!

After MUCH searching, Mama found a 4 wheeler a few weeks ago for the family.  While the primary use of it will be to plow our driveway in the winter and haul tools and trees around the yard in the summer, we also plan to go for some joy rides too!  I've already been on it several times despite the cold, and I LOVE it.  Every time I'm outside now, I immediately walk to the 4 wheeler and try to get mommies to take me for a ride.  (and most days, they do because they can't resist my cute face ... Mommy's words, not mine)  I can't WAIT for it to get a little warmer out so we can explore more areas in the yard.  (right now, due to snow and mud, we've mostly stuck to going up and down the driveway and occasionally a small circle around the house)  This makes me even more excited for spring and summer to get here!

Mama showing me how everything works!

Close-up.

Going for a ride around the yard.

What you can't see (or hear) in this picture is me yelling "ooooh!  oooh!" the whole time.

I even learned how to push the gas, which is now my favorite thing to do when we get on the 4 wheeler!

Chocolate Face!

One of my many new favorite foods is chocolate - more specifically, Three Musketeers.  I get a fun-size Three Musketeer most nights before I brush my teeth.  (as long as I eat a good dinner and drink enough milk)  Mommy doesn't understand how I can take something as small as a Three Musketeer (about the size of her thumbnail) and make such a big mess out of it, but I manage to do it every time I have one.  Here's a recent picture of me, post-Musket.



Have You Met My Friend, Carol?

Many of you may have already met my dear friend Carol, but for those who haven't had the pleasure, I'd like to introduce you to her.  Carol is the Cabbage Patch doll Santa brought to me for Christmas, and she cries ... a lot.  In fact, there will be times when mommies put me down for a nap, then they accidentally bump Carol in the living room and I'll start talking in my crib because I hear them bothering Carol and I don't like it one bit.  Carol even came to Arizona with me, so she's worldly too.  I can't say enough good things about my dear friend Carol.  Here are a few shots of me taking Carol on a train ride last week.

Try to push the button, Carol!  My train makes all sorts of fun noises!  ("fun" is my word, not Mommy's ... she has other words to describe the noises my train makes....)

Here - I'll show you, friend!

Oh, and Carol, another thing I like to do on the train is stand on it.  See?

Do You Know The Muffin Man?

Over the past week or so, I've REALLY started to get into dancing in the car when mommies play my music.  (I have 1 cd from Jessie and Dan that I got for Christmas and 2 cds I got from Mamma for Valentine's Day)  I can be sitting perfectly still, then the second mommies turn on music, I go wild.

Here's a video Mommy made of me in the car last Saturday.  Keep in mind it was during my snack, so I do have to take some breaks to nibble on my goldfish, but you get a feel for my love of music!

Winter Trip to Arizona!

The last week of February, Mommies and I hopped on a flight and headed to Arizona to see Mamma and Papa and to escape the cold Wisconsin temps.  Mommies were worried about what it would be like to fly with an active toddler, but they were pleasantly surprised with how I did on the flight.  On the flight to AZ, I was only up for the first hour, then slept the last 2 hours.  On the flight home, I was probably only up for the first 30 minutes or so, then slept the rest of the time.  Granted, I was pretty wild during my awake times, but the sleeping time made up for it.

While in AZ, we had tons of fun.  We went out to eat at some of Mommy's favorite restaurants, we went to a fun park near Mamma and Papa's, we swam several times, went for walks and we also spent lots of time at Mamma and Papa's playing with all of the toys they bought for me!  We also went over to Uncle Mike's and Aunt Erin's one afternoon so I could meet their dogs, which made me really happy!  My favorite part of the trip was just being outside.  It gave mommies a glimpse into how fun summer is going to be now that I'm mobile! 

Here are a bunch of pics from our trip!

Running around the airport before our flight to Arizona.

Running around the tennis court at Mamma and Papa's.

Taking a stroll through the McCormick Ranch railroad park with Mamma.

Climbing up the stairs to get to the slide at the park.

Close-up of the cute strawberry hat Mamma gave me!

Climbing up the slide.  (I prefered climbing up the slide versus going down the slide)

Checking out the sites at the park.

Me and Mamma.

Me and Mommies on the merry go round.  This park has everything!

Having fun on the swing!

Swings will never get old to me!

Vacation makes me happy!

I loved playing outside, even if it meant just playing on Mamma and Papa's driveway.

Enjoying the warm air.

Trying to break in to the pool for another swim!

Swimming with Mommy.

Drying off in a chair.  I look like such a big girl!

On Sunday morning, we met up with Mommy's best friend from high school and her husband and their daughter Morgan.  Here's a picture of me and Morgan enjoying our breakfast.

All done!

I believe Papa's supposed to be reading me a story in this one, but Mommy thinks it looks like he's watching TV instead....  :)