"hello, world!"

i'm potty-training finally...

2012-01-28T21:55:00.002-06:00

so i am not going to post pictures of me actually ON the potty, but i can promise you, i am making progress. a couple of weeks ago we tried the "panties-only" approach & it just upset me to have wet pants. i was always surprised when the wetness came. yesterday, we tried this method again & it began to click! yesterday afternoon, i realized i had to pee & i ran across the kitchen and sat on the potty with my pants still on! but at least i DID get some pee in the potty. i really liked my first set of panties though... they had love-bug cars on them. unfortunately, we only had one set like that & i was really sad about it. so mommy drew cars on my other panties so that i could always wear a car. this made me really want to wear the panties & not wear diapers.

on saturday, i only had 2 accidents & i peed in the potty about 8 times!! i am still a bit skittish of the potty -- i usually just ask mommy to put a diaper on me. but then she would say to me, "no, we aren't wearing diapers today. you need to sit on the potty." and so i would sit on the potty & wait for the pee to come out. the first time i saw pee coming out of me, i squealed with JoY!! my reward is that i get to play with mommy's phone for 15 minutes after i get pee in the potty.

"it's a better plow, john deere..."

2012-01-18T06:27:00.001-06:00

you've probably known for a while that i love "the fields" -- which means anything to do with a farm. sometime ago, grammy got a john deere tractor video for me. i LOVE this video & can recite many parts of it. grammy & pappy also got this john deere t-shirt for me one day when we visited the john deere store. so when mommy found this *girly* john deere tractor fabric, she knew that i needed some pants to match the shirt. as soon as i saw the fabric, i was so excited & could not stop saying, "it's a john deere fabric!"

finally an update...

2012-01-15T22:28:00.006-06:00

sorry i have been away from the blog for a while. mommy is still trying to learn the laptop computer (the new camera is not easily compatible with our desktop computer.) so we took these couple of quick-pics today so you could all see my pretty dress. mommy has been wanting to try this on me for a while now, but we just haven't had the right combination of opportunity & weather. today was perfect. i like the dress because it has so many squares on it. mommy likes the dress because she got it at a consignment sale for $8! in the first picture, i am being silly about the camera going "click." when daddy takes my picture, he says "1,2,3, click!" and i think this is so funny. so mommy tried it today too, and we got some pretty good smiles!

it's a polly pocket palooza...

2012-01-05T23:20:00.001-06:00

WoW! i got a lot of polly pockets for christmas & i love them all very much!! i really enjoy all the tiny teacups & shoes, etc. and the girls go down the water slide & go parachuting from the airplane. there are just so many exciting things!

zoolight safari...

2012-01-03T08:51:00.005-06:00

sorry i have not posted in quite some time. mommy & daddy got a new camera for christmas & mommy is still learning how to use it & upload pictures. i am posting some pictures from one of our trips to zoolight safari at the birmingham zoo. for two weeks they put christmas lights up all over the zoo & have music playing. we went three times!!! i got to ride the train, merry-go-round & a hayride. my favorite is definitely the train.

making music...

2011-12-22T23:01:00.004-06:00

in case you didn't know it... i LOVE music!! in this post, you can see me playing daddy's bass guitar, singing into the [wrong end of] the microphone, & playing a pretend piano at the dinner table. mommy tried to video my singing, but the camera cramps my creative style, so i stopped...

i am a Christmas helper...

2011-12-21T22:47:00.002-06:00

today we wrapped some Christmas presents & did a little holiday cooking. my favorite thing was playing with the "stars" that we put on presents (bows). finally there are some gifts under our tree!

pick a pic...

2011-12-14T19:42:00.003-06:00

mommy has been working on a new outfit for me to wear this Christmas season. last night she & grammy finished making it. now some of you may know that i can be pretty choosy about my attire, but mommy was relieved that i actually WaNTeD to wear this festive fashion! i wore it to school today & then we went to my speech and OT sessions. after that, we went to aldridge gardens to get some photos. maybe one of these pictures could be on our Christmas card... what do you think? mommy & daddy are *always* late getting our cards out -- so why should this year be any different??

a beautiful day...

2011-12-06T22:40:00.006-06:00

mommy took these pictures after church on sunday. i really enjoyed throwing leaves up in the air and crunching around on all the leaves on the ground.

rick & bubba, rick & bubba...

2011-12-03T18:26:00.008-06:00

i have a friend named cadence & her mommy is finishing up an internship with the "rick & bubba" radio show here in birmingham. rick & bubba allow people to come to the studio during the show so that they can see what goes on behind the scenes. cadence's mommy, ms. allison, asked mommy & daddy if they wanted to come to the show. of course they said YES and they brought uncle craig & aunt judy too. daddy was there for most of the show, but mommy & i arrived later, since i have trouble sitting still & being quiet. everyone was SO nice to us! i went to the kitchen & got to eat cookies (like this snowman-nutter-butter you can see in the picture.) we looked at all their equipment & uncle craig even played ping-pong with bubba during the radio breaks.

mommy & i listen to rick & bubba on the mornings that she has to work at 8AM. so i can sing their theme song & i like to say "rick & bubba's in the HO-use!" but of course i got shy in the studio & i refused to perform for any of the staff. oh well, we'll just have to go back again!!

the onion ornament...

2011-12-02T00:25:00.012-06:00

i love to look at the ornaments on our Christmas tree. i have learned that when i spot a beautiful ornament up high, i am supposed to ask mommy or daddy if they can lift me up to look at it.

i have asked to look at my "purple onion ornament" so many times that mommy has now moved it to a lower place on the tree. now i enjoy it whenever i wish!!

a whole lot of nothing...

2011-11-29T21:29:00.001-06:00

on tuesday, mommy & i just hung out here at our house. we tried to get out & do a few errands, but i was asleep before we even got out of the neighborhood. so mommy took that as a cue to save the errands until wednesday. i took a great nap & woke up very happy. but i was NoT in the mood for picture-taking today, so these are just some action-shot play photos...

my new dora puzzle...

2011-11-28T20:18:00.003-06:00

my cousin madison gave me this "dora the explorer" puzzle for christmas (we celebrated with them during thanksgiving.) i LoVE doing puzzles -- i am so proud of myself when i finish one! these pictures are in order, from when i started the puzzle to when i completed it. and the last few pictures are of my celebration dancing! "we did it! we did it! we did it, yeah!!" (that's what dora sings!)

yo gabba gabba & more...

2011-11-27T21:41:00.001-06:00

uncle kyle & his family went home to missouri today. madison introduced me to a show called "yo gabba gabba." i am sure that most children are familiar with this show, but we don't watch a lot of television. i LoVeD this show!! it has dancing & music & lots of silliness & learning. madison & i danced like crazies!! sorry these pictures are not that great, but we were too busy dancing to worry about taking pictures. i also enjoyed looking at the "blocks" on uncle kyle's uniform. i can tell he is very brave. i am sad to see them go -- i was just getting a little more comfortable around all of them.

happy thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T22:16:00.009-06:00

i began my thanksgiving festivities by going to star lake with my mommy, grammy, pappy, uncle kyle, aunt trudy & cousin madison. we enjoyed feeding the geese and ducks and i ran around A LoT! it was a beautiful day to be outside.

then we went back to grammy & pappy's house to continue making dinner. i helped mommy put cornflakes on the potato casserole! but i still refused to eat any of it.

grammy got these matching outfits for madison & me to wear together. we were pretty cute, but neither of us was very interested in taking pictures. in one pic, you can see me stealing a toy from madison -- i did this a lot when i got near to her. i also gave madison a few hugs, but this often scared her. so you can see us sitting in chairs looking entranced... well, that's because we were watching dora the explorer. that was the ONLY way we would sit still together!

my busy day with friends...

2011-11-22T20:41:00.004-06:00

WOW!! what a BuSy & FuN day i've had!! today we went to the mcwane center with my friends savannah & megan. we dug up the dinosaurs & played with the water trough & did lots of other cool stuff. we also played at my house... we did potato-heads, play-doh, music & puzzles. i must admit, i have done better than usual on my skills of sharing & playing with others. savannah & megan have been setting good examples for me, and they are also very patient with me. we cannot wait to do it all again!!

get ready for a sleepover...

2011-11-21T20:41:00.001-06:00

my friends savannah & megan came to visit!! they arrived this afternoon & we had dinner together & i showed them my toys. i hope they get to sleep in my room tonight!

a busy friday...

2011-11-18T21:52:00.006-06:00

this morning i had a session with ms. lisa & we worked on writing letters & we also did a fishing game. as you can see here, we've already decorated for Christmas & i LoVE the tree! i fell in love with these bird-ornaments -- there are 2 red birds & a yellow bird. i carry them around in my purse & i have even slept with them for the last 2 nights. they are looking ragged already, but oh well...

then i went with mommy to a work meeting. i was really well behaved, especially considering that we were there for 2 hours! as a reward, we went to see grammy. then we had to go grocery shopping & i actually fell asleep on the way home. but i was tired after dinner anyway... it was a long & BuSy day! and i did GReaT!!

one little tired indian...

2011-11-17T00:16:00.002-06:00

this is me after school & my speech & occupational therapy on wednesday. you can see that it wore me out!! i made this indian crown at school & i even got to wear it after school. i have been singing, "one little, two little, three little indians..." i love that song & i even make up different verses for all the different things around me. i sing about my ducks & fields & tractors.

sunday morning fashion show...

2011-11-13T09:03:00.002-06:00

i am getting ready for church this morning. today i will be wearing this little flower frock that grammy made for me last year. it was WaY too big last year, but i am always GRoWinG so this year it fits pretty well! i just had to share, even before going to church (you never know when i might get food on my clothes!!)

this is what i did on friday...

2011-11-12T09:43:00.004-06:00

on friday, we did chores & ate lunch at the house. i am really enjoying my trains, in fact, i like to carry these little blue & yellow trains with me everywhere (i keep them in my purse.) i also enjoyed playing with play-doh & i even made this tree all by myself!! mommy did not ask me to make anything in particular & i just molded it as i wished. when i was finished, i told mommy that i had made a tree! i am pretty proud of it. we also played farm with this set that aunt lorna & uncle gene gave me recently. i like to organize the hay bales & plant my orange flowers & pumpkins. in the afternoon, we went to a concert at the mall because mommy's friend was playing in the band. unfortunately we did not take any pictures, but i really enjoyed it... i actually sat still for all of the 45 minute show!! my pappy's family came in town last night so we will be spending time with them today!! can't wait!

my busy wednesday...

2011-11-09T21:16:00.007-06:00

today was very busy for me. i returned to school today after missing monday. i have been sick with a cough & cold -- and i even shared this virus with mommy, daddy, grammy & pappy!! but i have been feeling better & only had a runny nose one time this morning. after school we went for my speech evaluation with ms. lynsey, but we will not know those results until next week or maybe after that. then we played with ms. janet & she said i followed instructions very nicely. next we went to grammy & pappy's house to play & have dinner. then we came home & played some more, then it was bedtime. whew! i am tired!!

a little of this, a little of that...

2011-11-05T22:27:00.008-05:00

this is just a post of random pictures from this week. first, you can see me playing with my train set. i especially like the purple "rosie" train that aunt judy & uncle craig gave to me for my birthday. next you can see you playing on my laptop -- my orange fish also got in on the pic. daddy bought this fish for me recently because he just thought i really needed it. i think he was right!

lastly, you can see me playing with mommy's winter dishes. i told her we should use them now. i like to "drink juice" from the coffee mugs and say "aaaahhhh!"

a little of this, a little of that...

2011-11-05T22:27:00.000-05:00

more pumpkin fun...

2011-11-03T10:43:00.004-05:00

these are the pumpkins & flowers outside our front door. i enjoy singing to these pumpkins too. and the weather is getting chilly on some days now... i wore this purple jacket to play outside, but many times i DO NoT like jackets or sweaters. i guess we'll see how that works out when the weather gets ReALLy cold.

the fall festival...

2011-11-01T22:49:00.009-05:00

on sunday i went to st mark umc for the annual fall festival. but i was just waking up from my afternoon nap, so i was not in the best mood! but i had a pretty good time, considering that i refused to wear my costume, didn't understand any of the games, and was afraid of trunk-or-treating!!

i did enjoy the hayride, once mommy convinced me to get on the truck. my favorite activities were the fishing game & the cake walk (the pic with the stars on the ground). i "caught" some stickers at the fishing hole & i won a chocolate ding-dong cake at the cake walk -- and mommy even allowed me to eat it!

down at the patch...

2011-10-28T14:11:00.003-05:00

these pictures are actually from last week, but we have been soooo busy... we visited the pumpkin patch at grammy & pappy's church & selected several pumpkins to bring home. i especially loved the bumpy pumpkins & gourds. whenever i touched a bumpy fellow, i would sing "everything is beautiful, in its own special way..."

hanging out at the park...

2011-10-26T20:38:00.004-05:00

sorry i have not posted in a while... things have been hectic around the bolton household lately. but here are some pics from a recent trip to the neighborhood park. i have begun to enjoy hanging from these parallel bars.

stringing beads & calming down...

2011-10-12T22:50:00.007-05:00

today one of my teachers worked with me on taking turns & completing a task that i was not interested in. this sounds pretty harsh, but i know it is good for me because life is not all about just what i want to do.

to practice sharing, we threw a beach ball back & forth. i LOVE to throw & catch the ball all by myself, but i learned to enjoy it with my teacher too. then we worked on stringing beads, which has been a difficult task for me in the past. she'd ask me to string a bead, then we would play with the ball as a reward. i had a minor meltdown because i did not like the beads, but my teacher really encouraged & pushed me. we were able to put 3 beads on the string. so when mommy & i got home this evening, she decided we'd practice the beads again. i got frustrated at first, so mommy went to get my body-brush *this calms me down* and when she returned to my room, i had strung a bead ALL by MYSELF!! we were SO excited! so i finished stringing the other half of the beads & we made this necklace. then we played victory music on my xylophone. i was SO proud of myself!! sorry these pics are not the best quality, but you can get the idea...

another fiddlers' convention...

2011-10-09T00:05:00.005-05:00

WOW!! we had a wonderful time at the tennessee valley old time fiddlers' convention on saturday. it is in athens, alabama every year & this was my second time to go. last year, the music did not really hold my attention. but i have been working on recognizing the different sounds of different instruments & i talk about instruments a lot to my family. so i was very excited to see a real banjo, bass & "bandolin" (i mean that's a mandolin!!) my pappy never meets a stranger, so he asked his group of new jamming friends if they'd play a song just for me! they played "you are my sunshine" and even asked mommy & me to stand in the middle of the jamming circle! we had the BeST view of all the instruments (there was also a fiddler, 2 guitar players, 2 harmonicas & a doboro!!) so we sang *LouDLY* and turned around the circle looking at the different players & their instruments. i really enjoyed watching the bass player & counting along 1,2,3,4 with him. what an experience!! i had the best seat in the 'house.' i can't wait to do it again!!

going to church...

2011-10-02T23:00:00.004-05:00

this sunday was the first time in a LONG time that we were able to go to church. this created a fair amount of anxiety for me, especially since i have not been to my new class since we "moved up" to the next level. mommy caught this picture before i realized what was happening this morning. when i learned that we were on our way to church, i began crying. and i continued to cry in the car & after we arrived. my teachers let me stay for 15 minutes before they paged mommy to come & get me. oh well, maybe next week i will last 20 minutes! after church we went out to lunch with grammy & pappy and some other friends... then i was just fine!

a new zoo...

2011-10-01T22:58:00.005-05:00

well, it was a new zoo to ME... on saturday, we went to the montgomery zoo with my friend cadence & her family. cadence is 5 years old & we get along pretty well. she pushed me in the stroller a lot & we sat beside each other at lunch. i even held hands with her as we toured the zoo! we saw so many lively animals & i really had fun!!

more music...

2011-09-25T22:05:00.002-05:00

here i am, singing and playing the xylophone that grammymommie gave me for christmas last year!!

the bicycle song...

2011-09-22T22:15:00.005-05:00

some time ago, grammy checked out a music video for me from the library. i fell in LOVE with this music video. she has since purchased a copy for us to keep at her house. the video teaches about playing the piano & it shows right-hand finger numbers and left-hand finger numbers. i talk about the finger numbers a lot & i often sing the simple songs from this DVD.

one of the songs is called "the bicycle song." it goes like this: C-D-E-F-G-G-G and the words are "riding on my bicycle." on wednesday afternoon when we returned from the mcwane center, i was playing at the piano as i often do. without being prompted, i began to play & sing "the bicycle song." so on thursday afternoon, i gave a little concert & mommy made these videos of my performance.

"you want go na mcwane center..."

2011-09-21T22:35:00.006-05:00

this morning we started off slowly, just hanging out around the house & doing a few chores. we didn't seem to have a plan for the day, so i asked mommy, "you want go na mcwane center?" so, yes, off we went to the mcwane center...

my favorite part of the sea exhibit is always the moon jellies, but they don't photograph very well. but today i also enjoyed this fresh water turtle. i followed his swimming around that tank for quite a while.

i guess the museum is in the process of putting together a new exhibit, because all of my "fields" favorites had been removed from the third floor area. so we spent time doing the old stand-by stuff like the sand box & building blocks. they have brought the mini putt-putt course back. mommy tried to show me how to putt, but i was not interested in that aspect of the game. i was more interested in lining up my golf balls so that they resembled planets. and i even designated each ball as a different planet or star.

a lazy sunday...

2011-09-18T23:22:00.001-05:00

we all just did a lot of relaxing today, which is good since i am not totally over my infection. here, you can see me helping daddy to play a song on the piano. later mommy & i visited a different playground after our errands. this playground is actually at the ball park behind grammy & pappy's house, but we but we just have not been to it very often. i have been feeling better & i am singing songs & running around just like always. i just get tired a little bit faster than usual. thank goodness i am feeling better!

a light at the end of my tunnel...

2011-09-17T15:03:00.001-05:00

i have been on my antibiotic for about 2&1/2 days now. i really do NOT like my medicine so mommy & daddy have to hold me down while they give it to me. mommy tried mixing it in with my milk or dinner, but i am too smart for her. but i am definitely feeling better. on friday afternoon, i passed out in the den floor on this little pallet that daddy made for me. zoom on the picture & you'll be able to see how sweaty i was... so maybe the fever was breaking.

a visit to the doctor...

2011-09-16T08:07:00.006-05:00

i started getting sick on monday morning, but it was just a little coughing. when grammy picked me up from school on tuesday afternoon, i had a fever of 101.1. on wednesday, mommy & i just stayed around the house & i did act like i felt better. but on thursday morning, i still had a fever so i couldn't go to school. well, you know what they say... if you're too sick for school, then you need to go to the doctor. so that's what we did. mommy used my 1-2-3-4 chart to warn me of what was going on & i accepted the visit much more easily this time. i still didn't enjoy it, but at least only mommy had to hold me, rather than 3 people holding me like what has been necessary in the past.

we actually saw the nurse practitioner, ms spence & i like her a lot. she swabbed my throat & told mommy that i have strep! *yuck!* but we played with play-doh & my duck puppet. and when my nurse came in, i ReALLy liked her "purple hands." mommy decided to get pictures of these new friends so that they can be on my "board" when ever we have to go again.

mommy did make me get my flu shot. i was NOT happy about that. but at least i will not have to go to the doctor again any time soon. (let's hope!!) after all of that we went to grammy's house & i watched videos & napped pretty much ALL afternoon!

i went to see grammymommie...

2011-09-11T18:15:00.015-05:00

this weekend we went to grammymommie at her new home at morningside in tuscumbia. grammymommie has a special chair that also helps her to walk. i enjoyed taking rides on the special chair. one day we went out to the courtyard & grammymommie picked these pink flowers for me off of a crape myrtle.

i made up a silly game of lifting up the pink flowers & laughing. i also enjoyed going up to the flowers that were still on the trees & shaking them so that they fell off onto the ground.

we ate most of our meals at morningside. they have delicious food (even peanut-butter & jelly sandwiches for me!) but of course my favorite part was the DeSSerTs!! in these pictures, you can see me eating ice cream on a stick. i have never experienced such tastiness!!

mommy, daddy & i stayed back at grammymommie's house & did chores & errands. there is a huge bradford pear tree in the front yard & i loved running around it.

one of my current favorite books talks about the leaves on the trees, and for some reason this tree really reminds me of that book.

also notice that i have lots of toys with me, even for just running around the tree. it's getting a little awkward to carry them all, but i don't care. i just have to have them all with me. we had so much fun visiting with grammymommie & i can't wait to go back.

my thursday...

2011-09-08T20:30:00.013-05:00

my day started off with school. at first i was sad when mommy left me, but by the time 5 minutes had passed, i was already settled and happy. we painted a green frog with "magic paint" (paint that washes off without soap.) maybe i can bring the frog home next week -- he was still drying today. so all of these pictures were taken after mommy brought me home from school. i enjoy playing with my mr. potato head accessories such as the purse & these black glasses. i think i am pretty funny. then i took in a little light reading (actually, these are instructions to one of my toys & there are really neat pictures on the other page - you just can't see them in this photo.)

i ate a pretty good dinner tonight. i had milk, blueberries, grapes, yogurt & a nutella sandwich. i did not have a nap this afternoon, so i was a bit giddy during dinner.

we also played outside since the weather was so nice. mommy blew bubbles for me & i chased them. unfortunately, it is impossible to catch both bubbles AND me in picture. as i was chasing my bubbles, i was singing "rick & bubble, rick & bubble. rick & bubble's in the house!" can you guess what radio show that mommy & i listen to in the car??

and here i am with my noah's ark animals. mommy & i took turns pairing up the animals together. but i really didn't want them to go aboard that boat. oh well... thank goodness i wasn't in control of the REAL noah's ark.

a visit to the mcwane center...

2011-09-07T22:30:00.011-05:00

this first pic is of me just after i finished a "thomas the train" puzzle. i was so proud! i had to share it because you can see i was SOOO happy.

mommy, daddy, and i were all three at home today with nothing special planned. so we went to the mcwane center in downtown birmingham. it is always fun to go there, but it was really great today now that all the bigger kids are back in school. there were not very many people there & most of the children were my or younger. i actually played in the 2-year old area for a while, but there was only one other little boy there, and we got along pretty well. we jumped in these "pools" and pretended to splash around. we also played with trains.

the dinosaur dig site is still there, so i worked on that for a little while. but i really enjoyed the big blue blocks (and so did mommy & daddy!) last time we went to mcwane, i wanted to build with these blocks, but the older kids were too rowdy & fast for me play in that area. today i had the blocks pretty much all to myself. mommy & daddy created a track and i rolled the balls down the hills. we had SO much fun & i took a great nap this afternoon!

listen up...

2011-09-05T09:33:00.008-05:00

daddy has these special headphones that he uses when does music stuff on the computer. when he tried them on me at first, i was a little scared. but now i love them -- and i i wear them even when they are not hooked up to the computer. (in fact it is BEST if they are not hooked up because i sing & dance around so much!)

this morning i wore the headphones & sang "the wheels on the bus go 'round & 'round."

everyone deserves a good education...

2011-09-01T22:47:00.003-05:00

for a while now, we have been working on increasing my imaginary play-skills. since i am so fond of letters, numbers & shapes, it makes sense that i would also enjoy playing "school." i have started putting people on the school bus & sometimes i even make the bus ride to another spot in the room, when mommy encourages me to do so. but i also have a little school house. one day mommy overheard me saying, "you want neese birds to go to na school?" and you can see here that i made sure all my bird friends had access to my school.

my purple publix balloon...

2011-08-29T21:22:00.002-05:00

i love it when mommy does the grocery shopping at publix because it's where "shopping is a pleasure." for me, this is because they give me a free balloon. most recently i have received purple balloons at the publix & i have kept them until they are pretty pitiful looking & almost deflated. well, today my almost-deflated-purple-publix-balloon popped!! i was SOOO upset! so on her way home from work, mommy stopped by publix & asked for a balloon, even though i was not with her! actually this balloon is not the *publix* balloon because they were out of those, but a special friend made sure that i still got a *purple* balloon -- as far as balloons are concerned to me, purple is definitely the best!

playing at the park...

2011-08-28T21:02:00.001-05:00

here i am, just hanging out at the park. i am still a little afraid of the slides -- i won't slide unless mommy does it with me. but i am very good at climbing the ladder & going up & down the stairs.

school days have begun...

2011-08-28T08:37:00.004-05:00

i started back to school on thursday this past week. actually the first real day of school was last tuesday, but we were still at the beach. this turned out good for me because my teachers said that SeVeRaL other children in the class had meltdowns on the first day & i know that would have made me have a bad day too. as it was, i was a little upset when mommy left me, but my teachers say that i adjusted very quickly.

here's the only pic that mommy could get of me in the classroom -- once i saw her, i realized that i WaS ready to go home! this year, my teachers say that we will do some new activities, like a more structured story-time & even go to chapel for worship. my teachers are mrs. tina & mrs. carol.

i am thankful that my teachers say it is still OK to bring some comfort items with me to school. i brought my purse & of course the purse was loaded with carrots, a rainbow, a star, a whale, and the all-important ducky. we tried to take some more pictures in the courtyard, but i told mommy that i was just TOO worn out. school is hard work.

and on our car ride home, i slept like a baby! but i will be ready to go again next tuesday!

thank you, panama city beach...

2011-08-24T21:55:00.017-05:00

we have spent the last week at the beach in florida. first we spent two nights at the state park at grayton beach. we were really excited about this because we were able to arrive at the beach two days earlier than what we had originally planned. and any extra time at the beach is a 'plus' to me! the water at the state park was clear & free of seaweed. i was still a little fearless at that point, so i went out swimming a little with daddy. but by the time we arrived at the condo, i was more cautious about the ocean waves!

daddy and i fed the seagulls one day. they made me giggle SoOoOo much!! i loved watching them fly right up to daddy for the food. you can also see in these pictures that i am much stronger than i was last year. this year, mommy was able to let me fight the waves on my own. and as i mentioned earlier, i developed a respect for the ocean -- i did get slapped in the face with a wave a few times. afterwards i would mostly laugh & go right back to playing, but with more caution!!

on most days, our routine consisted of two similar outings. first we would go to the beach & build castles & play in the waves. then we'd go to the pools & play some more.

we went to margaritaville for lunch one day. i got to see an airplane flying among the clouds (on the ceiling) and we pretended to play drums too. it was a really fun place for me to eat lunch.

i really enjoyed just walking on the beach. one afternoon, mommy & i walked about a mile altogether (1/2 mile in each direction!!) and as i would walk, i would recite portions of my john deere video that i watch at grammy's house & also portions of a new favorite bert & ernie book about friends. i was just a little chatterbox! i sOoOoOo loved this trip to the gulf coast.

great-grandma brandt came to visit...

2011-08-17T19:29:00.005-05:00

my great-grandma brandt from north carolina has been visiting us this week. she is staying with grammy & pappy, so i have been going to their house to see her. today we played with play-doh -- i made a pink telephone. no one even coached me on what i was making with the play-doh, i just told them that it was a telephone & then i began using it! i talked to great grandma & grammy on my play-doh telephone. later, great grandma & i read a book about waking up on the farm.

my birthday toys...

2011-08-16T22:32:00.003-05:00

it's been a very busy week or so since my birthday. here are some pics of me enjoying my new toys.

a great day for the zoo...

2011-08-11T22:10:00.011-05:00

mommy, daddy & i went to the birmingham zoo today. we (unknowingly) chose a terrific day to visit the zoo because most schools are back in session. AND the weather was actually cooler than it has been recently, so we were pretty comfortable. one of the first things we did was to feed the giraffes. we have never done this before. at first i was intrigued by the beautiful creatures, but then they stuck out their tongues to eat the snacks! their tongues are SoOoO long that i was a little frightened. so mommy held me while daddy fed the giraffes. but i did make sure to bless the food they were eating... with each snack they ate, i recited, "God is great, God is good, let us thank him for our food. Amen."

of course we rode the train, and again, the day just couldn't have been any better. there were very few people riding the train so we had our choice of seats. when the ride was over, no one was waiting to get on after us. so the engineer was kind enough to allow me to inspect the train & tracks. usually we have to get off so quickly because more people are waiting to get on, so i have never been able to spend much time looking at any of this. i walked up & down the track for a while & i enjoyed it so much!

and we always save the fountains for last. it's a good thing we did do them last today, because i was SO excited that i didn't wait for mommy to change me into my bathing suit! i just ran right while i was still wearing my clothes! there were only a few other children in the fountains today. it was a perfect day! in fact, even as i was eating dinner & taking my bath tonight, i was still talking about the giraffes eating their snacks. "she ate the food!" i said this OveR & oVER!! a random funny thing to take note of is that i am holding three paper carrots in most of these pictures. the carrots are small, so you kind of have to know what you're looking for. but ever since my birthday party, i have been in LoVE with these cut-out carrots that mommy made for the birthday crowns. i even took the carrots with me to the zoo! (you can see the back-side of the carrots in the pic of me & daddy on the train ride.) what a busy, busy day! oh, i will sleep well tonight!

a review of some birthday prep...

2011-08-09T22:39:00.002-05:00

i just realized that i never did share these pictures that were taken before my birthday party. mommy & i went to grammy's house for help making the birthday crowns (pictured in an earlier post.) i fell in LoVE with the carrots. in fact, some of the carrots never made it onto hats because i stole them! i like to put them in my purse & say *in a HiGh pitched voice*... "hi little sweet little carrots!" i even took the paper carrots to bed with me tonight.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...

2011-08-07T23:25:00.014-05:00

on sunday we celebrated my third birthday!! i was excited to have friends & family come to visit, although we were sadly missing some important people (but i hope to see you soon!) the theme for my party was "fields," which means anything to do with a farm. of course my favorite is the fruits & veggies that are grown in the fields.

this is the "fields cake" that mommy made for me. it has a barn, animals & even haystacks & a vegetable garden.

here i am, eating my birthday cake. to be honest, i was not in the best mood today. i think i was somewhat overstimulated by all the activity. so i am sorry that my pictures are not happier & better. i DO hope to soon upload the pics that grammy took on her camera! maybe she had better luck thank mommy did.
pictured below are the crowns that mommy & grammy used the cricket (scrapbooking machine) to make. nobody likes to wear those hats with the elastic under their chin! plus, mommy had a hard time finding decorating supplies that met my needs & wants. so she decided to make the birthday crowns. i think they turned out pretty well!

mommy helped me to open my gifts... and my friends & family ReALLy took care of me in that department! THANK YOU EVERYBODY!!

pappy got the difficult work of untying all the presents from their boxes. nobody knows why companies tie toys into the box so strongly.

i took this picture with aunt judy, just before they left us. i sat with her for a moment, but what i really wanted to do was to chase my balloons!
on friday, mommy got a balloon for me at the publix grocery store. ever since then, i cannot stop talking about balloons. we ended up tying all my birthday balloons to a box so that i could carry them around without the risk of having them float away. you can see in this pic, that i just wanted to run away -- just me & my balloons!

randomness...

2011-08-04T23:11:00.007-05:00

here i am, coming down the stairs, on our way out to do errands & go see grammy & pappy. nothing much special, mommy just said i looked cute!! i really like the "opotusus" on my shirt!

here i am asleep... with my entourage of toys that must come to bed with me! in this picture, you can see my "planets" (i don't care that they don't orbit any central star) and my purse of fields (fruits & veggies). i am also holding a paper carrot which will actually end up on a birthday party crown. and of course there's my beloved ducky & train tracks. and please note the TwO pillows, because i AM a little princess! don't i just look ToTaLLy comfortable??

i'm blue...

2011-08-03T22:46:00.006-05:00

on wednesday afternoon, i told mommy that i would like to paint. i guess i got distracted & pointed the paint marker in the wrong direction... then i was concentrating so hard & looking at my picture so closely -- and *bump* i accidentally stuck my nose on the blue paint! at first, it upset me a little bit because i could feel something funny & slick on my nose. but then mommy called me a "blue-nose" and i thought that was hilarious! so i put even more blue paint on my nose. when i looked at myself in the mirror, i laughed A LoT!! (it is water soluble paint, so no harm done!)

my monday...

2011-08-01T20:59:00.011-05:00

today i stayed at home with daddy while mommy went to work. but these pictures are from monday morning before mommy left. we just hung out in my room, snuggled on animals & read a few books.

then i went downstairs to eat breakfast & watch "the dark" video. (in these pics i am actually watching the video from the upstairs landing.) this is my new favorite video about outer space & the planets. i guess i named this video "the dark" because the space-sky is so dark. you can see in these pictures i am holding onto my two yellow wooden stars, but now they mean more to me than just "twinkle, twinkle." they are SPACE stars!!

lazy sunday afternoon...

2011-07-31T21:37:00.001-05:00

i stayed with grammy & pappy all day on saturday & most of sunday. so when i got home, i spent the afternoon just playing with mommy & daddy & being lazy. so here are some pics from playtime in my bedroom.

at the zoo again...

2011-07-29T00:43:00.008-05:00

on thursday, mommy & i went to the zoo. we got there about 12:30 & ate lunch at a picnic table outside. in reviewing these pics just now, it appears that we didn't even see many animals!! i really did enjoy the animals today, but i was too busy to have my picture taken with them. we got to see one of the elephants up close, both from the train & also from the regular exhibit. i SOOO love the train!! we like to sit at the front of a car (any car will do) so that i can watch the track go by underneath us. then i played a drum duet at the africa exhibit. when we went to the lorikeet cage, we were the only people in there! so i was able to watch several of the birds up close.

and of course, we did my FaVoRiTE activity, which is to play in the fountains! i think i was the happiest person out there, just running & jumping, squealing & giggling. it was wonderful!!

a little boat ride...

2011-07-27T20:37:00.001-05:00

today daddy took mommy & me for a little boat-ride on one of the neighborhood lakes. we did not stay out long, mostly because of the thunderstorm that was coming. but i ReALLy wanted to get out of the boat and INto the water!! i was able to put my hands in the water over the side of the boat & mommy *securely* hung onto my life jacket. it may be a while before mommy & daddy take me on the boat again though... maybe we'll just go swimming next time!

the bolton reunion...

2011-07-24T22:16:00.006-05:00

so we were having some internet problems last week but daddy has gotten it fixed. but today, mommy realized that we had not posted any pictures from the family reunion from a couple of weeks ago. i actually tried some new foods -- well it was potato chips & some kind of dessert. but mommy said she was proud of me for even TrYiNG the potato chips (even though that's not exactly a health food!) i got to meet so many cousins and we actually had great weather that day!

grammy's windmill...

2011-07-22T22:58:00.003-05:00

one of my recent loves is "the fields." what i actually love is anything to do with a farm -- this includes tractors, rows of vegetable or fruit plantings, and farm animals. some farms even have windmills & i LOVE the way windmills are so SpINNy!! grammy has a baby windmill in her back yard & i enjoy admiring it.

a trip to see dr buttler...

2011-07-21T09:51:00.008-05:00

in case you don't know it, i do NOT like going to the doctor's office. but who does like the doctor's office anyway?? i even get upset if a place just LooKs like the doctor's office (department store help desks, the post office, etc.) but i have this little bump on my hand, so mommy & daddy wanted me to go to dr buttler. before we arrived, mommy & i had talked about where we were going, and i got a little stressed out. but when we got there, i was not as distressed as i usually am. and mommy gave me playdoh in the exam room so that helped me to be happy too. thank goodness dr buttler says the bump is nothing serious -- he says it is a ganglion cyst that will probably eventually go away on its own. so we will just watch it for a while.
mommy also mentioned to dr buttler that we are using a picture schedule (like i talked about in an earlier post) so she took his picture to put on the schedule for our next visit. maybe i'll be even LESS stressed out then!!

i am a princess...

2011-07-20T07:29:00.003-05:00

i like to play with mommy's jewelry. sometimes i organize it on the floor & other times i like to wear it myself. i thought i'd wear this necklace as a "hat" but it really looks more like a princess crown.

wednesday at mcwane center...

2011-07-15T00:17:00.015-05:00

on wednesday this week, mommy & i visited the mcwane center. they had some interesting new exhibits. i enjoyed building with these huge blue blocks. in these pictures i was working on my "windmill."

some of the blocks resembled a track & other children were lining those up & rolling balls through. that reminded me of a train track so i LOvED it!

perhaps my favorite activity was one that i named the "puzzle fields." it was a big table with cut-out shapes of fruits & vegetables. i would remove the puzzle pieces & place them in the bowl. mommy & i talked about the names & colors of the foods. we did this puzzle SeVeRaL times.

of course the light sticks & huge piano were still there. they are always fun to play with.

lastly, we played in the water areas. we went to the aquarium section & i actually touched a REAL shark! but mommy was holding me, so we didn't get any pictures of that. i also enjoyed the water lab, where i made a big mess. but it was just water, so that dried up pretty easily. i had so much fun!!

dominoes at grammy's house...

2011-07-13T11:22:00.003-05:00

grammy & pappy like to play dominoes, and i enjoy the traditional dominoes that they use. but they also have this set of "bend-dominoes" that i played with on tuesday. (the dominoes are curvy instead of straight.) i worked very hard to get the dominoes positioned just like i wanted. i was so proud of myself!!

a relaxing day off...

2011-07-09T20:52:00.008-05:00

today mommy & daddy were both off from work. we went to the bass pro shop where i got to do all sorts of fun things. i got to drive a boat & couple of "tractors" (they were really four-wheelers!) i also saw lots of animals, like bears & wildcats & hogs. i even got to see real LIVE fish! today must have been a special day at the bass pro shop because they had tables upstairs for us kids to make crafts. i got to color this beautiful birdhouse! when we came home, i even got to go to the park! whew! i will sleep well tonight!

nite, nite, sleep tight...

2011-07-07T22:22:00.004-05:00

until recently, i have not really understood the true purpose of a blanket. i just like to hide under blankets & drag them around the house. but lately i have started asking mommy to pull my covers up over me when i get into bed. i do still request to have several toys in the bed with me. tonight i wanted the school bus, my purse of fruits, ducky & a little wooden cabinet with strawberries in it. but i am becoming less of a baby every day... *tear from mommy*

just a normal day...

2011-07-06T22:17:00.001-05:00

these are just some regular, every-day activities. nothing special... just some cute pics to enjoy...

my arizona cousins...

2011-07-06T07:27:00.003-05:00

this week we have been visiting with more of daddy's family. on tuesday night, i got to meet my cousins madison & delaney, who came ALL the way from arizona!! they were very patient with me. we worked on my united states puzzle & built with my blocks.

ready for bed...

2011-06-27T22:18:00.007-05:00

sorry this is not a very exciting post, but it's just everyday life. i was sitting in the study, watching videos & preparing for bedtime. bedtime has actually been difficult lately so mommy started using a picture schedule. we can change the schedule around for whatever activities we are doing, but mostly we use it for the bedtime routine.

i am posting an example of my picture schedule. each box on the schedule is attached with velcro so that we change the items. this schedule shows that we were going to watch the video "colors, colors" then brush my teeth, then watch the "wheels on the bus" video, and lastly, go to bed. i used to cry & get upset when mommy would tell me to go to bed. but now i see it is on the schedule & i am alright with bedtime. (although i do play & sing songs in the bed for QuitE a while before going to sleep!)

more of my weekend...

2011-06-27T09:03:00.008-05:00

on saturday, i went to the birmingham zoo with my cousin savannah & mommy. we looked at the elephants & birds & sealions & all sorts of animals. we ate lunch at the new cafe in the africa section of the zoo.

see the picture below of me & savannah, the one with me in the stroller? look behind us & you can see the elephant! another fun thing we did was to ride the camel. at first i was scared, but once we got going, i really enjoyed it. we wrapped up the day by playing in the fountains. we had SO much fun!!

mk & savannah...

2011-06-25T11:01:00.003-05:00

my cousin savannah & her daddy came to visit us this weekend. on saturday morning, savannah & i played with playdoh & watched videos. what will we do for the rest of today? just wait & see...

reading & fishing...

2011-06-22T23:22:00.005-05:00

wednesday is usually mommy's day to do chores & errands. we didn't even leave the house today!! i helped mommy vacuum & dust, but we also played a lot. you can see me here, reading my mickey book that talks back to me & plays music. the video is of me "going fishing." i caught all sorts of sea creatures with my magnetic fishing pole -- of course we put them back when we were finished. i was so proud of myself!

today's water adventures...

2011-06-18T21:44:00.006-05:00

this morning, i asked SeVeRaL times to go outside & play with my sand & water. during the afternoon, we finally had the time to do it. then it started to rain... but that didn't dampen my spirits! i was all ready & dressed to get wet, so that's what i did! i went outside & played & splashed in the rain! of course the storm did not last very long & then i got to play with my sand & water, as i had asked. i also got to play with the hose in the front yard. i even drank the water straight from the hose! it was delicious!

a day on the farm...

2011-06-14T21:55:00.004-05:00

recently we visited oak mountain state park. we went to the petting farm & then we had a picnic by the lake. i got to see and hear all sorts of real animals, like sheep, goats, horses, pigs & even a peacock!

flippity floppity...

2011-06-13T22:19:00.004-05:00

recently, i have developed an interest in the shoes that mommy & daddy wear. i wore these flip flops around the kitchen & den for quite some time the other night!

squeak squeak squeak...

2011-06-10T22:14:00.001-05:00

grandmommie bought these pretty green shoes for me. the shoes have a little bonus... just watch & listen!

more playing at the park...

2011-06-09T22:05:00.005-05:00

these pictures are from a trip to one of our neighborhood parks. we usually go to a different park, but mommy wanted to see how i would act on this curvy slide. i LOVED it! so i guess i love slides again! hooray! you may also be able to see a couple of leaves in my hand... i am holding a maple leaf & a tulip poplar leaf. on our way to & from the park, mommy & i discussed the different types of leaves & we also looked at pine needles. my fave was definitely the "tuna poppa neaf."

picnic & playing at the park...

2011-06-08T21:55:00.008-05:00

so we've had some computer troubles, but i think we are back up & running again. these pictures from the park are from last week, but i wanted to share them anyway. mommy packed sandwiches & fruit for us & we went to a different park -- a BIG park! we had lunch underneath the shade of this great tree & then we played on the playground.

mommy told me she was really proud of me for going down the slides. recently, i have been somewhat afraid of slides. but i took on these slides like a champ!

and check me out, on our way home... i had SOOO much fun, i was just worn OuT!

i'm moving out (and up, down & all around)...

2011-06-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

i like to dance along while daddy plays the piano. on sunday night, he was playing some billy joel songs that made me a little hyper. i think my interpretation of this song is a masterpiece. just watch...

a day of rest...

2011-06-05T21:25:00.007-05:00

on sunday we went to church & played in the water and sand. pretty much, we were just lazy & we did whatever i wanted to do all day long!! my favorite thing to do is to take all the sand from the yellow side and put it in the water on the blue side of the table. of course, this makes a big MeSS, but i love it!!

enjoying the outdoors...

2011-06-03T22:20:00.004-05:00

i love to play outside... here i am blowing bubbles & just running around with my beloved blue whale.

playing outside...

2011-06-02T10:26:00.001-05:00

here are a few snapshots of me being silly outside in the driveway & also a pic of me and my beloved school bus...

silly sunday afternoon stuff...

2011-05-31T07:35:00.004-05:00

here i am, on a sunday afternoon, following church. i played in the yard for just a bit & i also worked on my music. you can see me playing the piano & i also worked on my vocals... although, i sang into the wrong end of the microphone!! but hey, i thought i sounded pretty good anyway!!

i love kindermusik...

2011-05-26T22:29:00.007-05:00

for the past five weeks, i have gone to kindermusik class with several other children. at first, it was a little rough because i don't always adjust very well to groups of new people. but my teacher, ms tammy sings songs & tells us stories about the beach. she even gave us a CD so that mommy can practice the songs at home with me. we are pretty busy during class -- we do a lot of bouncing & jumping & dancing, so there is not much time for mommy take pictures.

we started every session by looking at mr hercules (a hermit crab) and giving him some food & water. that is what we are doing in this picture. this wednesday was our last group kindermusik session. i am going to miss it!!

i'm back...

2011-05-25T21:19:00.010-05:00

sorry i have not posted in quite some time. our computer has been acting a little funny, but tonight it is actually cooperating! so we took these pictures last week when we went to visit grandmommie again last week. i did not get to see grandmommie because she was in the hospital, but i did lots of other fun things. i really enjoy playing in grandmommie's yard because she has a fence, so mommy lets me run around pretty freely. i also made a "get well soon" card for my grandmommie. then daddy wanted me to see these old trains & buses so we went to downtown tuscumbia. i was very excited & even got to "drive" a bus!

the leader of the band...

2011-05-15T21:49:00.004-05:00

my daddy likes to listen to dan fogelberg, so that means i also like to listen to dan fogelberg. i'd like to present to you my little rendition of a special song that dan wrote about his father. this video begins with me singing the instrumental part, followed by the last verse & then the chorus. you can read the lyrics below:

i thank you for the music
and your stories of the road
i thank you for the freedom
when it came my time to go
i thank you for the kindness
and the times when you got tough
and, papa, i don't think i said
"i love you" near enough

the leader of the band is tired
and his eyes are growing old
but his blood runs through my instrument
and his song is in my soul
my life has been a poor attempt
to imitate the man
i just a living legacy
to the leader of the band

it's a picnic...

2011-05-11T21:27:00.000-05:00

tonight we had a picnic at my church. i got to eat outside on the grass & hang out with friends. the entire church worked on a "chalk-by-number" drawing of Jesus in the parking lot. i was very excited to help with that. in these pictures, you can also see my friend lydia. we were chasing bubbles!

a family history lesson...

2011-05-09T21:50:00.006-05:00

we went to tuscumbia to see grandmommie this weekend. we drove out to the "old country" to see grandmommie's parents' house since it is up for sale again. while we were in that area, we also stopped by the cemetery. now this may sound a little depressing, but it was a beautiful, peaceful cemetery, with plenty of grass & trees, and even cows in the distance! we enjoyed listening to grandmommie tell us of all her sisters & the cousins. in the picture of grandmommie & me together, we are sitting on the headstone of her parents, emmie & fernander moland. on a somewhat related topic, this weekend i started calling my grandmommie "grammymommie." so perhaps that will be her name from now on!!

some flowers, the zoo & some singing...

2011-05-05T22:26:00.010-05:00

i had a really busy day on thursday. after school, mommy & daddy took me to the birmingham botanical gardens. i ran all through the roses and sang songs.

then we went to the zoo, which is just around the corner from the gardens. of course we rode the train, but this time we also went to see the goats at the petting zoo. i didn't really care a whole lot about the goats. i was not frightened of them, but i didn't not really want to touch them either. i was more interested in organizing the rakes which were kept in the goats' area.

lastly, here is a video of me during dinner. quite often nowadays, i will just randomly break out into song. this was the case tonight at dinner. i started off singing "mr sun, sun, mr golden sun, please shine down on me!" but then i told mommy all about how wonderful i thought my song was! (and of course she agreed!)

just another day...

2011-05-04T19:55:00.002-05:00

here are some of the things that i did on wednesday: i popped bubble wrap that daddy brought to me from his work. i played outside (we actually blew real bubbles outside!) and for dinner i ate chicken & applesauce. i am still pretty messy when i use a spoon, so mommy was laughing at me & calling me "applesauce face." i thought that was hillarious, so that is why i was smiling so silly & so big!

nots of nizzards & a necklace...

2011-05-02T22:10:00.003-05:00

i love these "nizzards" that came in my Easter basket. they are stretchy & i like to pull off pieces of their tails! (ouch!) but i also enjoy letting them ride the bus & play with my ducks. in this video, you can see me arranging the nizzards inside a necklace. i think it's a pretty good design.

a mish-mash of happiness...

2011-04-26T21:26:00.004-05:00

so there's no real rhyme or reason to this post. i am simply sharing my sweetness with you. some items of note are the baby & the train. i have recently begun to enjoy feeding this babydoll -- she even burps!! i think she is really funny. also, daddy set up this train track for me! the train cars actually move around by themselves! he set it up so that the train drives under my bed & behind the couch. i get SoOoOo excited when i know the train is just around the bend!

the gallery of mk...

2011-04-25T22:22:00.002-05:00

here are a couple of recent examples of my artwork. of course mommy helped me with glueing the shapes and using the paint markers, but i drew the magna-doodle bird all by myself.

more Easter fun...

2011-04-25T08:43:00.005-05:00

here are some pictures from my happy Easter yesterday. i got lots of neat things in my Easter bakset, but my favorites were these stretchy lizards. i like to pull on them & say "nots of nissards" which means "lots of lizards!" mommy & i went to church with grammy & pappy. pappy drives the church bus & yesterday he was using the bus to pick up people at their cars & bring them to the church building. so i got to ride a REAL bus! pappy even let me open & close the doors -- and of course we had to sing about it! after church we walked around in the courtyard & tried to take pictures. well, grammy & mommy chased me a lot, but i just don't like to stand still for pictures. and even though the day has passed, we can celbrate Easter all year round... so HAPPY EASTER!! thank you Jesus!

the hunt is on...

2011-04-23T16:26:00.016-05:00

on saturday morning i went to the neighborhood easter egg hunt at grove park. i was sad that daddy had to work today, but mommy, grammy & pappy came with me.

the folks who set up this egg hunt know exactly how kids my age look for eggs... you can see that the eggs were all in plain view for my age group. i had fun looking at all the colors & i even put a few eggs in my basket. but then i started taking the eggs back out of the basket!

the easter bunny made an appearance too, & i had my picture taken with him. he will email the picture to me later though. so i also hung out with some of bunny's friends. on the way home, i picked flowers from alongside the road -- those are the ones i am holding.

we took this picture by the lake on our way home from the hunt. grove park is about 1.5 miles away from the house, but it was such a beautiful day, that mommy & grammy decided to walk. (pappy rode his motorcycle!) when we returned to the house, i got an easter basket from grammy & pappy!

it's playtime...

2011-04-22T21:28:00.001-05:00

there's nothing special here, other than my cute SMILE!! in these pics i am playing with my noah's ark animals & also playing with construction paper shapes.

just another day...

2011-04-21T21:37:00.001-05:00

i went to school this morning, like i always do on tuesdays & thursdays. we had an Easter egg hunt & my teachers told mommy that i knew exactly what to do! unfortunately, mommy didn't know about the hunt until afterwards, so we have no pictures. but i am also going to a neighborhood hunt on saturday. after school, we came home to nap & have dinner. the afternoon was rather uneventful, but i did re-discover all these birds that i got for Christmas. i lined them up all around my star & i took turns feeding them & singing songs to them.

a new favorite story...

2011-04-20T14:29:00.004-05:00

grammy has this book called "sam's sandwich." it belonged to my uncle kyle when he was a little boy. i love to read it to myself & open up the pages. each page is like a layer of a sandwich -- the lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, cheese, and so on. but sam also hides a different bug in each layer of the sandwich so that his sister will not want to eat it. i love this book & i read it OvER & oVeR!! *by the way... "twamos" is my way of saying "tomatoes."

some dinnertime silliness...

2011-04-18T22:06:00.003-05:00

here i am during dinner on sunday night. i was having fun talking in a silly voice & asking to play with the telephone. honestly, this video makes no sense at all, but i am just two years old.

oh atlanta, i hear you callin', i'm comin' back to you one fine day...

2011-04-17T21:22:00.007-05:00

this weekend we went to atlanta to visit our friends, the landers. we went to the georgia aquarium on saturday. i LOVED the fish & i got to see many different varieties. back at the house, i enjoyed playing with savannah (5) & megan (3). they were very patient with me & showed me good examples of sharing. we can't wait to go back!

"hello, world!"

i'm potty-training *finally*...

"it's a better plow, john deere..."

finally an update...

it's a polly pocket palooza...

zoolight safari...

making music...

i am a Christmas helper...

pick a pic...

a beautiful day...

rick & bubba, rick & bubba...

the onion ornament...

a whole lot of nothing...

my new dora puzzle...

yo gabba gabba & more...

happy thanksgiving!

my busy day with friends...

get ready for a sleepover...

a busy friday...

one little tired indian...

sunday morning fashion show...

this is what i did on friday...

my busy wednesday...

a little of this, a little of that...

a little of this, a little of that...

more pumpkin fun...

the fall festival...

down at the patch...

hanging out at the park...

stringing beads & calming down...

another fiddlers' convention...

going to church...

a new zoo...

more music...

the bicycle song...

"you want go na mcwane center..."

a lazy sunday...

a light at the end of my tunnel...

a visit to the doctor...

i went to see grammymommie...

my thursday...

a visit to the mcwane center...

listen up...

everyone deserves a good education...

my purple publix balloon...

playing at the park...

school days have begun...

thank you, panama city beach...

great-grandma brandt came to visit...

my birthday toys...

a great day for the zoo...

a review of some birthday prep...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME...

randomness...

i'm blue...

my monday...

lazy sunday afternoon...

at the zoo again...

a little boat ride...

the bolton reunion...

grammy's windmill...

a trip to see dr buttler...

i am a princess...

wednesday at mcwane center...

dominoes at grammy's house...

a relaxing day off...

nite, nite, sleep tight...

just a normal day...

my arizona cousins...

ready for bed...

more of my weekend...

mk & savannah...

reading & fishing...

today's water adventures...

a day on the farm...

flippity floppity...

squeak squeak squeak...

more playing at the park...

picnic & playing at the park...

i'm moving out (and up, down & all around)...

i'm potty-training finally...