"Where O' Where Did My Summer Go?"

I busted out into song as I thought about my blog title this week. I was thinking of the familiar tune, sing along now, "Oh where, oh where has my little dog gone? Oh where, oh where can he be?" because it seems to me that summer just started! I can't believe that Mommy goes back to school tomorrow! She works all week and then the following week is when the part-time rotation begins... yeah!!!


Thanks to Heather's blog, we were able to steal this image. This was the "before" classroom picture and Mommy promises to take an "after" picture this week. I went to the classroom with Mommy (she forgot her camera) and she showed off the super organized, colorful and FUN classroom and it looks great! They have worked hard these past several weeks so I guess I now understand why I was neglected for several days while Mommy and Heather worked.

You can tell that Mommy is warming up for the school year. This picture was taken after a long day in her classroom (hence the grubby clothes and the messy living room). Mommy was really proud of the way I was sitting, "Criss Cross Applesauce." She thinks it's great that I LOVE to be read to! The picture at the top of the blog shows my new favorite toy... the timeout bench. This too cute to be naughty bench used to be in Mommy's classroom, but since the new classroom is much smaller, she brought it home. I now enjoy the days of sitting and climbing and tumbling over it. It will eventually be the "naughty chair" for where I go when I am a stinker. I was actually placed on the bench for my 3rd or 4th (Mommy is starting to lose track) timeout. It took a lot for Mommy to keep a straight face as I sat on my bench smiling and jabbering about the fun time I was having on it.

We decide to have one last pool outing last week when the weather was nice. We packed up and headed to Fairfax Pool and spent about an hour there. My favorite event was sharing a cherry slushie with Mom. I kept trying to drink from the straw and instead it just made a huge mess. It was a good thing to have water nearby so that I could wash the sticky, red goop off of me.

On the way home from the pool, Mommy was belting out a song on the radio (she always does this) and she was trying to get me to dance in my carseat. I usually nod my head, kind of "gangsta" style but instead, I decided that I hated Mommy's singing. She now has a complex over it.

She quickly grabbed the camera and aimed it backwards to show you proof of this!After flashing her my famous smile, she forgave me.

Grandma and Grandpa came to visit us last weekend. We went to the Farmer's Market while the boys played golf. Grandma and Mommy were on a mission to buy lots of tomatoes and cucumbers for canning. This is probably news to you, since Mommy's friends also tease her about her domestic ways (completely kidding, of course). They did can all afternoon and the best part for me was that I got a HUGE chocolate chip cookie from the nice lady at the Farmer's Market. The picture below shows the look of contentment after my yummy treat!

To make the day even better, we headed to our favorite ice cream shop after we had a BBQ. This is one of the luxuries that will end very soon since ice cream and winter don't mix, according to Mommy.

Another fun event to say "goodbye" to is music in the park. We wanted to go all summer, but with Daddy and Mommy playing kickball on Thursday nights, it was nearly impossible to go. We went to the park and met up with Kerri. I mostly walked around and harassed any dog that walked by. Daddy is trying to teach me to wait until he asks the dog owner if I can pet it. I also enjoyed flirting with the hippie girls sitting next to us. At this point, I was nearly falling apart, which explains my crazy face. It was time to head home and get some rest for our big day. We were headed to the MN Zoo the next morning! Daddy took a vacation day so we could have a family day at the zoo. It was a cooler day, but we were ready to spend a full day looking at the animals. Our first stop was the indoor exhibits, since it was pretty chilly outside. I LOVED the aquarium and fish. We have agreed that this will be a perfect X-mas gift for me (a much smaller scale of a tank, of course!)


Next up, we went to the farm area at the zoo and this was a huge hit. I call every tractor "John" and use a scary voice when I say this word, repeatedly (Mommy and Daddy can't figure out why the scary voice). I just love the huge tires and the cool green color, I guess! Since I couldn't ride on this "John" I was ready for the farm animals. My favorite... the goats of course! I think it is hilarious how they butt each other and fight to reach me. They must think my fingers taste really good (possibly because of the goldfish crackers, raisins, or other treats I eat during the day).

Back to "John"... there was an oldie "John" at the farm that kids could sit on. I was amazed by this huge thing! I couldn't quite reach the steering wheel and in case you are concerned for my safety, Mommy was ducking behind the large tire, just in case I attempted anything crazy.

After we ate lunch, I was ready for my long, afternoon nap. I couldn't keep my eyes open to even see my favorite animal, monkeys. Mommy and Daddy had to watch the little rascals and laugh at them without me. There was no possible way I was waking up for this. It was a fun day and I loved seeing the animals and attempting to make many animal sounds during our visit. After a long, needed nap, I woke up and what do you know... I was at Grandma and Grandpa's house! We had a little birthday party for Daddy (his actual b-day is Sept. 3rd) and we had a b-day party for Uncle Jimmy's girlfriend, Karri (b-day is Sept. 4th). Daddy is turning 34 and Karri is just a babe at 29.

Cousin Lexi and I helped blow the candles out

The best part of the birthday party was the ice cream cake AND... Daddy received a Vikings shirt and Vikings jersey, since his "boy" went to the Vikes. Mommy just L-O-V-E-S that he is going to have to convert to a Vikings fan to cheer his idol on! Of course, Mommy's relatives love it too!

Cousins Sam and Lexi gave Daddy a t-shirt... love that purple Dad!Mommy is still trying to figure out if he is happily smiling or just smiling because he can't believe it either! Daddy and his god-daughter sharing the special moment together!

To end our busy weekend, Mommy and Daddy went to the MN State Fair to fight the crowds, look at exhibits and eat nasty/delicious food (pickle on a stick, beef jerkey~Dad, pronto pup, cookies, Australian battered potatoes, and a beer each). I can't believe they didn't bring me to the fair, but after seeing this picture, I sure am glad I didn't go. My stroller and I would have been in the fight for our lives! The good news... they brought home mini-donuts for me and a John Deere hat AND I got to spend more precious time with Grandma.

As sad as I am that summer is now over, we look forward to fall colors, hayrides, pumpkin patches, apple orchards, Halloween, and all the fun that fall brings!

I'm Walking!

Yes, it is true! I am now an official walker. As you can see in the pictures, I usually have my arms up over my head or out to the sides. This helps me with balance and makes me look like a little monster as I walk. The biggest adjustment is when I sneak up on Mommy and she forgets that I can walk. I have made her jump a few times this week. I really don't know what "clicked" and made me walk, but it just happened all of the sudden. I guess that explains the whole "developmental" garbage that Mommy always reads about. Mommy and Daddy will most likely reminisce about the times where I could only crawl. I think they will have their work cut-out from here on out! In the video clip below, I sound like a monster because to get me to walk, Mommy said the magic word, "TRACTOR" which is my favorite toy of all (Daddy's John Deere mower). I can say, "Da-da," "John," and "tractor" but they often are interchanged, so you can decipher what I am saying. All I know was that I was tricked into thinking I was going to get a ride on "John" and Mommy was just playing paparazzi.

We don't have a lot of pictures to post because I was at Jenny's last week since Mommy had a teaching workshop to attend. It was really nice of Jenny to take some pictures of us with Mommy's camera. Mason and I had some fun playing outdoors, especially in his little pool. I had a bit of a head wound when we thought it would be fun to throw rocks into the pool. I lowered my head just in time to get clocked in the head with a rock. There was blood everywhere (thanks to head wounds), but now I just have a little scab. Mommy thinks this is the beginning of childhood...bumps, bruises, scrapes, etc....

Mommy is completely bewildered by these photos of me in the pool. I will only splash my hands in my kiddie pool, so she is wondering what got me to go in this one??? It was probably the peer pressure and the new, fun toys they had in their pool. Plus, I don't like the palm tree canopy that is over my pool. It kind of scares me!

The little girl in the picture above is Jenny's niece who came to play with us for the day.

I am adjusting well to Jenny's house. The only tricky part of my day is napping. I act like I need a morning nap but then I sleep for only 45 minutes followed by 1-1 1/2 hour afternoon nap. Mommy is now trying to do everything, except stand on her head, to keep me awake until 11:00. Then I go down for a nice LONG nap (3 hours +). Today is day three of our new nap trial and so far it is going well for all of us.

I was climbing all over Jenn trying to get that bottle

On Sunday, we went to church and to brunch with Jennifer, Arlyn, and the twins, Jacob and Aiden. The boys are doing great and they have both put on 2 pounds in the past month! Aiden is now in the 6 pound range and Jacob is a hefty 8 pounder. The good news is they are healthy. Mommy, Daddy, and I were in awe just watching them juggle the twins. I wasn't jealous at all when Mommy was holding the babies, although I gently poked Jacob with my pointer finger, just to be sure he was real and not a doll. I am glad they didn't come home with us, because then I probably would have been jealous.

I got a new toy this week that will help me learn how to drive a real car (just kidding). My parents are worried that I now can turn a key over to start an engine and I can shift the car into different gears. They better keep the doors locked in their cars. Mommy has let me sit on the John Deere and I now reach for the key to turn it over. She is thinking twice about letting me sit on the seat. This toy is great for anyone who has a curious little person, like me. It keeps me very busy and I love zooming it over the floor. It has great sound effects and even speaks Spanish, which we sometimes listen to just for kicks and giggles. I also like using the key for a cell-phone. I immitate Mommy because she is constantly on her cell-phone while driving which she considers, "multi-tasking." She is already teaching me naughty habits! I talk on cell-phones in the shape of my shoes, cars, toys, and of course, my play phone. This keeps Mom happy and laughing as I blab to my shoe while holding it to my ear.

In the evenings, we have spent a lot of time outside since the weather has been so nice. Daddy takes me on "John" for cheap entertainment and Mommy continues to drag me to the garden to pick vegetables and to weed. Let me know if you need any zucchinis. They are growing out of my ears!!! It's hard to imagine that summer is ending! Mommy heads to her classroom tomorrow to start setting up. I will be at Jenny's to play while she shifts her attention to her "other kids" (aka her students). I am not ready to give up my Mommy, but at least it is only half of the week! Have a great week everyone!

If You're Happy...

It seems like ages since I last updated my blog page! I guess it has only been two weeks, but according to Mommy and Daddy, I am a new kid everyday! I have started to do some very exciting things lately, starting with the title of this blog post... "If You're Happy and You Know It"... you know the rest! Click on the video below to see my latest trick.

Two weeks ago, Daddy had his high school 15 year reunion. Wow, he's getting old!!! While Mommy and Daddy went to dinner, Grandma and I took a walk around the "island" and had a nice night together. Grammy was nice enough to not only watch me, but also our lovable dog, Liberty (for those of you who don't know my Grandma, she says she doesn't like dogs, but we think that she secretly likes Liberty because she buys special dog treats from the Chetek bakery for her!)

The next day, we all went out on the lake for a pontoon ride and for lunch at Pokegama and there was a fly-in. It was so exciting to see the noisy pontoon planes land in the water. I kept saying, "Waz tha?" which is short for "What's that?" and is my question of the hour these days.




It wasn't the warmest of days (story of the summer, right!?!?), so Grammy gave me cuddles and kept me warm on the pontoon. Liberty came for good measure and it was nice to get out for some fresh air.

Grandma loves tickling me and making me laugh

Who wouldn't love this face!?!?!

That week overall was a pretty quiet one, but then came a busier one. It was my last of three sessions of summer swim lessons. Luckily, the weather was warmer and I had a fantastic swim instructor this time. The instructor was a little more reasonable with her expectations and didn't make me dive off of the diving board (whew!) She taught us fun songs, fun skills to do in the water, and also told the Mommies WHY we were doing what we were doing (since Mommy is a teacher, she loves this component). Little did Mommy know that I could actually blow bubbles. All week, she would try to dip my mouth in the water and I wouldn't do a thing. I had a little sleepover at auntie's house (see info about that below) and auntie told Mommy that I played a game where I would blow bubbles into a pitcher of water in the tub, lick my lips, and then laugh hysterically. I think I was laughing because I usually do these stunts when Mommy is not around.

The boys who took lessons with me this week were Carter, Ethan, and Finley. What a bunch of chick magnets we are.... oh wait, where are all the girls??? On our last day, we received an award certificate (same one from last swim lessons), but we also got a sucker. I had a watermelon one and Carter had a pineapple sucker. Mommy and Jaimie (Carter's Mom) were talking and when the looked down, we had swapped suckers just to see who had the better flavor. The Mommies just laughed and laughed at us and quickly switched our suckers back to the ones we originally had.

On Wednesday, Ms. Lily and her parents came to our house for a fun night. Lily's Daddy and my Daddy went golfing and the Mommies had Sangria and took us on a walk. When everyone returned, we had a nice dinner (wait a second... I must have been in bed). I think all I had was ravioli, no fair! At least I got to see Lily and play with her for a bit before bedtime.

Mommy has been trying to get me to be a little better about eating with a spoon. Rule #1 is that you need to have those suction cup guys on the bottom of the bowls and Rule #2 is a reasonable sized spoon (she sometimes forgets this rule). After all the rules were checked, she thought she would give it a whirl with one of my favorite snacks...pudding! Step 1... Use super long spoon to dig the delicious stuff out Step 2...taste pudding and make sure it is smeared all over my face

Step 3... Screw this... my hands work great! That's what I am talking about....speedy delivery!

Since my spoon skills aren't the greatest yet, we moved on and decided to work on other important things. Mommy is determined to make a shopper out of me, so she brought out my shopping cart. Funny how these mysterious toys keep appearing (she hides them on me I think). She keeps warning me that in one month, our new living room furniture will arrive and the living room will no longer look like a daycare center. I have no idea what that means for my toys, but I don't think it is looking too good. Disregard my mis-matched outfit here. We just returned from swim lessons and I wasn't changed out of my swim top and sweat shorts. My Mommy DOES take care of me!!!Here I am cruising around with the cart. I have Ernie in the baby seat, and a buffalo (from Papa who was just in So. Dakota) and my favorite ball in there too. I do really well with pushing the cart, but Mommy and Daddy sometimes have to take it away when I bash it into the wall repeatedly. I have started to realize it is much more fun to push than ride, which means I push my stroller, cozy coupe, wagon, and most of my toys. That also means I throw fits when Mommy plops me in the stroller and doesn't let me push it.

Daddy's work held their annual picnic at the hospital for all employees. We all went despite rainy and chilly weather. Lucky for us, the rain stopped briefly so we could spend time outside. I fished at the fishing pond and pulled up a whopper, it was a kids toothbrush! This is one of my favorite obsessions, brushing my teeth! I don't look too excited in the picture below, but I really was, especially because the toothbrush had a little plunger deal on the bottom so that I can suction cup it to any surface (usually my bathtub).

I then picked out a duck at the duck pond and received another fabulous prize. This game was so easy that a baby could have done it!!! I must have picked the best duck because I won an exciting sand pail and shovel.
One of my favorite events, was when great-aunt Judie (she is an OR nurse at the hospital) gave me some soda to drink. I love drinking out of a cup, although it is a skill that requires careful hands and head tilt. I am improving and it sure is easier than feeding myself with that spoon!
This is kind of a silly picture of me and a weirdo, just kidding, it's Daddy's boss named Skip. There was a DJ at the picnic who was playing fun music so Skip and I were dancing away to the music. He just made the crazy face in time for the camera!

Our final event of the week was a trip to the cities for Mommy and Daddy's 9 year wedding anniversary. Yes, NINE years!!! The actual anniversary date is August 12th, but since that lands on a Wednesday, they figured the weekend before would be more enjoyable. They went to the Spalon for some spa treatments (Daddy won't allow me to tell you what he had done for fear of being teased). After the spa, they checked into the St. Paul Hotel for their evening stay. For dinner they headed to Pazzaluna, one of Mommy's favorite restaurants, and after dinner they went to Cirque du Soleil's, Kooza performance in St. Paul (see picture below). While they had their day packed full of events, I also had a super time with auntie Stefanie, cousins Lexi and Sam (uncle Bruce came home from a golf outing that night, so I saw him a bit the next morning).

Ah.. the newlyweds at Kooza!

So let me explain this picture. Mommy and Daddy were watching the exciting performance, Kooza, when all the sudden, tornado sirens went off. The show immediately stopped and everyone was evacuated to a parking garage near the Kooza tents. They had to stand in this garage for one hour, and then learned that the show was going to be cancelled. This is the LAST week the show was in the cities, so sadly, they didn't get to watch more than the first 30 minutes, which were amazing. The picture above is some of the acrobats and performers from the show, who also evacuated to the same parking garage. Luckily, the show had evacuated in an orderly fashion, along with police escorts, and the tornadoes and really bad weather was north of St. Paul, so they were not in any danger.

Me and Auntie


While Mommy and Daddy had their fun day and night, I also had a great time!

Mommy says it is too bad I don't have siblings to keep me constantly entertained!


We went swimming...no severe weather for us! They are presenting the one and only, CADEN!

We ate yummy popsicles. Do you think Lexi is a "mother hen?"And of course, Lexi helped me hone my skills as a walker. I am now "ALMOST" a 100% walker. I am able to round corners while walking and I can walk across a room. I still choose to crawl a lot, but my walking skills have greatly improved. Mommy is hoping to get a video clip of me walking this upcoming week! This week I am at daycare while Mommy attends a teaching workshop, so hopefully Jenny will take some pictures for Mommy. It is hard to believe that summer is coming to an end. Mommy will start going into her classroom next week to set-up and she is really sad at the idea of leaving me during the day. She is relieved at the job-share plan for next year so that she is only away from me 2 1/2 days a week. We are going to enjoy these last few weeks before school starts. Don't forget to clap your hands and think about happy times for me!!!