First Trip to Build-A-Bear

Yesterday mommies decided to treat me to a "special day" since the last couple of weekends have been spent cleaning the garage and basement.  (not much fun for a toddler!)  We headed to Mall of America, and our first stop was Build-A-Bear.  Mommies let me pick whichever toy I wanted.  There were lots of bears and puppies and monkeys, but ultimately, I landed on an orange cat.  I was able to give the kitty a heart, fill her with stuffing, give her a bath, get her dressed and even register her birth certificate!  It was so much fun!

After that, mommies took me to Rainforest Cafe, which they thought I would love.  They thought wrong.  During the first "thunder storm", I jumped out of my chair and onto Mommy's lap, where I remained for most of the rest of the meal.  Mommies decided we might wait another year before going back there ... maybe by then I'll think it's fun!  :)

To top off my special day, they let me get ice cream on the way home!!  I am one lucky little lady!

Giving Kitty her heart.

Mesmerized by the machine the puts filling in Kitty.

Kitty's all full and ready for a bath!

Brushing Kitty and bathing her.

Mommy  helping me get Kitty dressed.  (I even picked out a pair of sparkly shoes for her - no surprise there!!)

Registering Kitty's birth certificate.  (well, Mommy helped, but I sat at my own computer and worked on it too!)  :)

Trying to scan Kitty's bar code.  This is where I also chose her official name - Kitty Kitty McNamara.

Kitty's complete and ready to come home with me!

So proud.

Finishing a great day with a sweet treat!

Saturday Swim Lessons

I've been taking swim lessons at the Centre in New Richmond for the past 6 weeks.  During my "swim tots" classes, we learned to kick, move our arms, blow bubbles, climb out of the pool and float on our backs.  (oh, and put our heads under water!!)  My favorite part of each class was climbing out of the pool and jumping back in, and I also liked when we would sing songs. 

The parents weren't allowed to take any pictures until the last day (which, as you can imagine, made mommies crazy), but here are a few pictures Mama captured of me after my final lesson.  We plan to spend lots of time at the pool this winter so I can continue to practice!

Recent graduate of Swim Tots.  :)

Heading to the locker room to put on some warm, dry clothes.

Carrying around my "diploma".  :)

Posing with my swim partner.  (aka Mommy)

I'm Not Even Two and I Can Already Read!

In the past few days, I've been "hijacking" reading time from my mommies.  What that means is that I have to control the turning of the pages (which I have for some time now) but I also have to read most of the books myself.  In one particular book (I Love You, Stinky Face) the kid in the book says "Mama, Mama" on almost every page, so I do the same.  Unfortunately, mommies haven't caught a video of that yet, but here's one of me reading "Bear Wants More", and I do say bear once or twice, and I also mumble "the end" at the end.  :)

Future Contestant on American Idol?

Recently, I've started singing a LOT.  Mommies are never really sure what songs I'm singing, but I generally sing them very enthusiastically!  There's one song in particular where I sound like I'm saying "alright, alright" and I hold my hands out to the side, but mommies can't figure it out.  (and at the end of that song, I throw my hands up in the air and scream "YAY" then start cheering for myself)  Mommy tried to get me to sing that one on this video, but I ended up singing something different.  She's hoping to get one of that song soon!  It's pretty funny.  This video also demonstrates some of my instrument-playing abilities.  :)

Sunday Funday!

Last Sunday was such a fun day!  We spent most of the day at Grandma and Grandpa McNamara's, and ALL of the cousins were there!  (that rarely happens!)  The highlight of the day was when Grandpa, Mama and Aunt Kelly finally got the 4 wheeler to work.  We had a blast on that!  We also spent lots of time jumping on the trampoline and playing on the slides!  Can't wait to get together again next weekend for family pictures!  Also, while we were there, Grandma made delicious apple bars for Mommy to take to work on Monoday.  I got a little sample on Sunday night, and they were YUMMY!  Thank you!!

Making funny faces at mommies earlier in the day.

Posing by the apple tree.

Picking an apple.

Happy with my choice!

Grace taking me for a ride on the 4 wheeler.

Me, Ella and "Lo Lo" (which is what I call Lauren) going for a ride!

First Trip to Fawn Doe Rosa Park!

On Saturday mommies took me to Fawn Doe Rosa Park in St. Croix Falls.  We had never been there before, and it is such a fun place!  Unlike the zoo, you get to touch most of the animals and feed them too.  We saw all kinds of animals including deer, geese, rabbits, a fox, a bear, a bobcat and many more.  It's so fun to be able to interact with the animals like that!  Here are a few pictures of me enjoying our latest adventure!

  Feeding a deer.

Spending time with the sheep.

More deer time.  This one let me get really close!

Posing.  :)

I love mini horses!

Getting up close and personal with a llama.

It's so fun that many of the animals are just walking around!

Posing on the old carriage.

Trying on a coonskin cap before heading out!  :)

We stopped at the grocery store on the way home and mommies let me pick out a pumpkin.  Not the prettiest one they've ever seen, but I love it!



Mamma and Papa Came to Visit!

A couple of weeks ago, Mamma and Papa came to town to see me and also to watch me while mommies went camping.  We had SUCH a great time!  We went out to eat (they learned how I behave in restaurants!), we went to Mall of America to go on the rides, and we spent lots of quality time playing at home!  (oh, and Mamma even took me to my swim lessons on Saturday morning!)  Here are some pictures from the last day of their visit when we went to downtown Hudson for dinner and shopping!

This brings new meaning to the term "window shopping".

Strolling with Mamma and Papa.

More window shopping.

Cheese!

Fun Weekday Afternoon with Lauren, Ella and Luca

On Wednesday afternoon, Mama took me over to Grandma and Grandpa's to hang out for a while and I was lucky enough to spend time with my Weimert cousins!  We had a great time - especially since it's October and it has been in the 80s all week!  We played on the trampoline, on the slides and teeter totter and even went for a Gator ride!

Me and Lauren hanging out on the trampoline.

Teeter Totter Time!  (notice my wardrobe change...)

Looks like I'm doing something naughty in this one.

Mommies love this picture!

Trying to follow Lauren's lead and go down the slide on my stomach! 



Crazy Hair

The older I get, the more hair I get.  (FINALLY!!)  My hair is starting to get to a really weird length where there's not enough to put all of it up in a ponytail, but it's too long to not have something holding it back.  As a result, mommies have started to play wtih my hair a little when I get out of the tub and my hair's still wet.  Here's a picture of Mama's creation from a few days ago....

This is why Mommy usually does my hair, not Mama.  :)

PS:  Check out yet another pair of Elmo pj's!  (why I have them is a long story)  But look - they even have fur on the collar and the arms!

Trip to the Zoo Part Deux

Last Saturday was a beautiful fall day, so after swim lessons, mommies decided to take me to the zoo!  (what a lucky girl, right??!!)  We tried to take a different route once we got there to see some different animals than we did before, but we of course ended up back in my favorite place - the Wells Fargo farm where you can pet the goats!  We also saw the penguins this time!  I was a little scared of them at first, but I warmed up quickly and LOVED them!  We also saw some baby monkeys that were really silly!!  Can't wait to go back more this fall and even this winter to check out more of the indoor exhibits!

Hello Mr. Penguin!

Posing with my penguin friends.  :)

Just like Happy Feet!

Enjoying the tractor ride to the farm.

Hanging out with my goat friends!

This one was one of my best friends.

I also liked this black one a lot and kept dancing for him.

Brushing the one mommies thought was pregnant.  (she wasn't, just chubby)  :)

Checking out the tractor.

They also have a small playground at the zoo so we spent some time there before calling it a day!