Christmas Again

Aunt Dan & Auntie Karen were back from Tucson, so we celebrated Christmas with them, Boppa & Grandma, and Auntie Sherry on Saturday. Daddy made the potatoes for our dinner, and Mommy baked pecan pie and apple pizza for dessert. I got to eat people food -- some of the potatoes, a few green beans, bread, and lots of fruit. I am a kiwi junkie, plus I had bananas and strawberries. I could eat like that all the time!

Everyone must know that I'm quite the reader, because they gave me lots of books: Elmo, sign language, ladybugs, cows, colors/art appreciation, and more! I love to look at them all. I did get more toys, clothes, a giant fish pillow, and other things too. Auntie Sherry gave me a giraffe toy that's supposed to be a stacker/shaper sorter, but I found many additional uses: whistles, a hat (see the Christmas Eve picture), teether, book holder, toy swirler...and probably more soon.

It was quite the tiring week...and not just for me!

Christmas Day

When we woke up, we saw that Santa filled our stockings with all kinds of fun stuff. Mine is the one on the left. You can see the set of magnetic numbers hanging next to it. I wanted to reach up and pull all of it down myself, but I'm still too short. Mommy's is the second one; notice Santa had to put some of her stuff above the stocking. The red stocking is Daddy's. He got Jiffy Pop last year too. Even Shadow got some Christmas goodies and an ornament. That last stocking is hers.




Here I am with some of my stocking stuff. That flip phone in my hands made me very, very excited. At Thanksgiving, I played with Daniel's Cars phone a lot. Santa brought me this fun one with Tinkerbell on it. I also got some new books (my favorite toys), a cd of great dance music (Funky Chicken, anyone?), and of course, socks.






After some fun playtime, Mommy got out the carolers so she could get some pictures of me playing with them. They've been lots of fun! And to think someone gave them to Mommy as a joke. I think they're the most fun Christmas decorations we have. They take turns singing verses of "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" over and over. You'd think I'd know the words by now, but I just can't seem to get them to come out of my mouth. Usually I just hum, clap, and dance with them. It was great fun, but then we had to take a break for breakfast and my naptime. All this partying sure wears out a little girl like me!






Check this out...I got Mommy & Daddy got me a rocking horse! I liked it so much, I tried to climb in the box with it. I'm trying to get the hang of riding it, but mostly I like to pet it, lean on it, and squeeze the ears to play songs and horse noises.


My first Christmas sure has been fun, and I've still got one more Christmas party to go! I'm going to need another nap.

Merry Christmas to All!

Greetings from me, Daddy, and Mommy. They put on sweatshirts this morning, otherwise we're pretty much straight out of bed, and in front of the camera...because we wanted to get it on the blog first thing in the morning. I guess the intentions were good, but the back dating was more effective!

Here's a picture of our tree too. I wasn't so sure what a Christmas tree was about at first, but then I decided I wanted to play with the lights, steal the ornaments, hang out under the tree, and consider climbing it. Daddy & Mommy expected that I would be this way so they only put 1/4 of our ornaments up...and put up a barricade so I couldn't try to sneak close to the tree. In the above picture, Mommy let me hold one of the reindeer ornaments I thought was pretty interesting. But then when I tried to pull down other ornaments (I just wanted to hold them too), they moved our party away from the tree. Talk about your mixed signals. Parents, I tell ya!

PopPop & LaLa on Christmas Eve

We had such a fun time on Monday at Grandma Mary's house. We got there just before Daniel, Auntie Jenny, and Uncle John. I practiced walking around in my new shoes so I could impress Daniel with my Mad•Skills. I followed him around right away, but, boy, it was hard to keep up with him. Finally we took my shoes off since I walk better without them. Still, I had to go back to crawling to keep up with him. I walk just okay right now, but Daniel RUNS. I gotta learn to do that.

We had a blast anyhow. He showed me how to pretend to take a nap on Grandma's bed, tried to get some tunes going for us (sorry if we messed up your radio station, Grandma), put Grandma's shoes in the closet...and he tried to shut me in there too, how to practice smiling in from of the mirror (as if I can't do that!), jump on the couch, play with different toys...it was all very tiring. He also gives nice hugs, shares his carrots, and lets me carry around one of his cars (down the back of my shirt).

Auntie Jenny gave me this really fun singing mirror. I play with it a lot. Sometimes, I just like to check my funny hats, at Mommy & Daddy without facing them, and make the music play while I read my books. Mommy laughs when I reach up without looking to it a button and start the music again. Of course, it's also tons of fun to shake the microphone while I dance around the mirror.

I got lots of other fun toys, pretty clothes, books, and ornaments, but the best part of the day was hanging with my cousin. Thanks to him, I now like to jump on the couch...especially since I've figured out how to crawl up there by myself!

Good Dog, Star

We spent some time dog-sitting right before Christmas while Auntie Karen and Aunt Dan went to Tucson to celebrate with Auntie Karen's family. Usually Star and Colter like to play with me and lick my face, but when I picked up a Kong, even Bailey came over to give me kisses. I guess they thought I was planning to give them a goodie. Really, I just wanted to play with the pretty blue toy!

Bailey is to the left, Colter is in the middle, and the one sitting is Star. Mommy told them all to sit, but Bailey can't really hear, Colter was thinking about a treat in his belly, and Star, well...Good Dog, Star.

God Bless Us Everyone

Wow! Talk about a fun night...we took a relaxing car ride (read: nap) to Dick & Dee's for the family Lutefisk and Spareribs Christmas Eve Dinner, a tradition shared with Great-Great Grandpa & Great-Great Grandma Cecil many years ago. It's been going on as long as Daddy can remember...and then some. He may be Norwegian, but Daddy doesn't eat lutefisk. Mommy was brave enough to try it once (or was she tricked?), but really once is enough. Nowadays, the gathering is on a different night, and lutefisk is absent. The spirit of family, fun, and togetherness still remains. If you listen closely, you can still hear Great-Great Grandma Cecil following the prayer with, "God bless us everyone."

During dinner, I got to sit on Mommy's lap and steal her potatoes . That was a lot of fun right up until I did my master impression of former president George H. W. Bush in Japan. Yes, I got sick right on the table. I also hit Mommy's pants, but in a stroke of luck, missed her plate of ice cream cake (it was also Dick's birthday). I felt just fine after, and spent some time playing on the floor. Then when we went downstairs the real excitement began. First Domino (their Brittany Spaniel) kept licking my face. Maybe I still had some food and stuff on me...or dogs just love me! While everyone else was involved in a fun gift-stealing game, Dee let me play with some of her pig collection. When she first showed me the little girl pig in a charming dress, I began to giggle. Dee started to talk to me using the pig's voice, and it made me laugh even harder. She also brought out the pig's brother. He was funny too. Grandma Mary might have some pictures or video to share; we didn't have our camera in the house.

I think I slept the entire ride home.

Walking

Okay, we don't have pictures yet, I am officially a walker now. Dear Marsha, I do solemnly swear to try to avoid all injuries -- big and small, and to not demolish Christmas trees, eat dog food, or empty wastebaskets (and for Daddy, I won't mess with the wastepaper basket either)...then again, I don't even know what solemnly means yet, so I don't think anyone can hold me to this.

At Thanksgiving, I took my first few steps, and have tried more here and there when the mood found me. Last week I decided it seemed a better method of travel. By the weekend, I was shaking off Mommy if she tried to help me. Today I was impressing Boppa and Grandma G with my newest mad skill by walking more than they've ever seen. I can't wait to show Grandma Mary (Mommy better get me to town for lunch soon) too! Then on Christmas Eve, I can show off to Daniel.

My Mad-Skills have come on fast and strong recently. I'll post some pictures of my tricks, and maybe Mommy can get some video of me walking too. I've been only been promising some sort of video since July. I've just been so busy learning everything possible, I couldn't find the time!

I Finally Ditched Them!

Saturday night, I had my first overnight without Daddy and Mommy around. It was so much fun! They dropped me off with Boppa and Grandma on Saturday morning, and headed off to celebrate their 14th anniversary with a trip to Duluth. While I was here having a blast, learning how to do So Big, and tugging at my socks every time Boppa said sock, they were busy being boatnerds.

They stayed at the Inn on Lake Superior, which they highly recommend. The room had a nice hot tub which was very useful after standing out in frigid temps watching the ships come in and out of the harbor. Two of the 1000-footers (of 13 on the lakes) made an appearance, one going and one coming. Both ships had lots of ice down the sides, and the crew worked hard to clean off some of it.

First, they saw the Indiana Harbor departing with a load of coal headed for St. Clair, Michigan. In the evening, the Oglebay Norton or American Integrity (it's new name) came in light (empty) to load coal. There was a photographer on the deck taking pictures of the crowd on the pier. He stopped to wave for the Boatnerds that were taking pictures and filming. The saltie Kwintebank also left, and the Frontenac came in, but Mommy & Daddy missed those because they went to dinner. They may be boatnerdy enough to stand in the rain at to watch a ship come in at 23:00, but not enough to stand in sub-zero temps!

They had a happy, relaxing trip, and I really didn't even miss them. It was like being here for an extra long workday, so I guess it worked out well for everybody. Not that they need to do it again too soon!

You Say It's Your Birthday...

Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday to you...
Happy birthday, Auntie Jenny...
Daddy's younger than you!



Tee hee hee! Hope your birthday is a wonderful day.



P.S. Check out my new "big-girl" car seat. Just two more months, and I can sit facing forward too. Sometimes it IS good to get older!

M is for MONKEY

This week we have an extra dog staying with us. She normally lives with Mommy & Daddy's friends Pat & Lisa. Her name is Kiana, but Daddy & Mommy call her Monkey. They've called me "M is for Monkey" since I was very tiny because Daddy bought me an outfit that said that. When they say Monkey, we both answer.

She's a very sweet dog, and likes to play with me a lot more than Shadow does. Sometimes she just lays there while I make her collar jingle, and other times we play together with my toys. Her favorite game is to hang around my chair when I'm eating. Once I realized what a fun noise it makes when she chews, I started dropping all my food for her! I like to smile and wave at her a lot, but she never waves back. She does smile a lot though!

I Look Sweet & Innocent...

I really do. But Mommy & Daddy's friend Pat likes to call me Mad Mary. He's either thinking of Typhoid Mary or something he saw in a movie. Nobody should tell him what I did for Thanksgiving.

I told you I got sick, and then Mommy did. The rest of the story is that I am so spectacular at sharing, I helped some others get sick too. First Daniel, then Daddy, then Morgan, Auntie Sherry, Grandma G, Aunt Dan, and then Auntie Jenny. I think that's the whole list. In order. Mommy & I felt a little sick again the next week.

I must be an amazing little girl to share with so many of my loved ones. Really, all I was doing was sharing very nicely.

You think that will keep the coal out of my stocking?!

More Thanksgiving Fun!

Last night, I had another Thanksgiving at Boppa and Grandma's house with Auntie Sherry, Aunt Dan, Auntie Karen, and of course Mommy & Daddy. I still didn't get a chance to sample any of the food since my tummy hasn't quite recovered. It looked pretty tasty though. Next year they'll have to let me eat it!

Today we came back for leftovers, the Vikings game (wanna hear a joke? Eli Manning), and to see Auntie Sherry before she has to head home. Well, we're all back except for Daddy. He's not feeling so hot today. It's his turn to stay home and sleep all day. Sorry, Daddy.

PopPop and Lala's Big Weekend

Daddy calls me PopPop (though I'm also called Mad-Mad, Silly Millie, Moxie, Pipsqueak, Little Pepper, Toots -- short for Tootsie, Doodlebug, Bugaboo, Gigantor, and many other nicknames... that's Mommy & Daddy for ya!).

For my first Thanksgiving, we went to visit Uncle John, Auntie Jenny, Morgan, Gunnar, and Daniel (aka LaLa). We got there on Wednesday evening. Just Daniel and Auntie Jenny were home, so we had lots of time to play! He's 11-months older than me, so he knows how to do many more things than I do, but I tried to learn. We watched some movies, pulled out a bunch of his toys, played with my little books (Daniel seemed to like the D book best), plus he pulled my car seat around and buckled things into it. He also showed me how to climb stairs, the best hiding spot under the piano, a good way to build bridges with the couch pillows (just don't try to crawl on them), and even to play the piano. Daddy played a fun game where we stood on the second floor, and he would jump to try and get our feet. Auntie Jenny made sure I didn't fall down the steps. It was a funny, funny game. We all just kept laughing at Daddy. Then he started to get a little too tired to keep jumping, so we went back downstairs.

On Thanksgiving Day, we celebrated turkey and Gunnar's 14th birthday. Grandma Mary came along with Great-Grandpa, Great-Gommie, and Great-Uncle Michael. I fell asleep right before the meal started, and didn't wake up until shortly after. I did get to taste some pumpkin and cherry pie. I didn't eat the same meal as everyone else, but I stayed in the theme with my jar of turkey rice dinner and sweet potatoes. Later Daddy, Auntie Jenny, and Daniel played Ring Around the Rosie, but I wasn't so sure what that game was.


Friday was not quite as fun of a day. Right after I had my breakfast bottle, it all came back up. I felt better so I played a lot more, but I was definitely sick all day. So was Mommy. We took some nice naps together, but otherwise we didn't see her much. It was a big disappointment because Mommy & Daddy were supposed to go to a place called Fogo de Chao with Auntie Jenny & Uncle John. Google the restaurant, and you'll see why it was sad Mommy missed out. Grandma Mary came over as planned to babysit Daniel and me, and Mommy kept sleeping. Next time we visit, they'll try to go out again...Daddy's mouth is watering already!

It may be hard to read in the pictures, but my t-shirt says "everyone loves a blue-eyed girl!"

Happy Birthday, Gunnar

It's a double first for me today! Today is not only my first Thanksgiving, it's also the first time I get to celebrate Gunnar's birthday with him. We got him a remote control helicopter. Gunnar flew it around in the house. It made Daniel double over with laughter, Sami (their dog) was a little nervous, and Daddy was excited to see just how fun it was. Gunnar tried to land it on the blades of the ceiling fan, but they had a little too much lean to them. Then he and Morgan came up with other ideas of where to land it.

I was much happier sitting by Gunnar than our picture shows. I had a BIG smile, but Mommy was sooooo slow to take our picture, I had to yell at her!

Big Day: Salon, Doctor, and Daddy

We had a very, very full day today. Mom finally got her hair cut -- TEN inches! She and Auntie Sherry have been measuring it since August to see when she could take that much cut off and still have enough left to keep Daddy from freaking. He's still in shock over how short it is now! Don't worry, Daddy...it grows fast. Mommy gets to donate her ponytail to Locks of Love, so it was worth it. We all went to the appointment together. While Julie was cutting Mommy's hair (and they talked about Uncle Brian, as usual), Paula decided to put me in her chair (the one time we didn't have the camera). Don't worry, the scissors didn't get anywhere near me. I'm not giving up the Cousin It look just yet! She just came up with this cute little 'do for me. It got me lots of attention the rest of the day!

Later, we went to the doctor for my nine-month appointment. After I got weighed and measured, it was confirmed I am Gigantor. I rank in the 90-95th percentile for my weight (22 pounds), and 95th for my height (29.25 inches). The doctor said I am the size of the average 12 to 14-month-old. I was told there would be only a quick toe prick, and no shots this time. Unfortunately, I did need my flu shot. Mommy had to run to the lab for her own date with a needle, so Daddy had to handle my shot alone. Mommy told he'd be fine since the needle wouldn't be touching him, and he was. He didn't even look queasy! And I did just fine too. No tears at all, but the shots don't usually bug me too much.

After some errands and dinner, we went up to the big house to see Auntie Sherry. She was going to remove Daddy's stitches. See more on that story below...

Number One With a Knife

Surprise, surprise... on the opening day of deer hunting, Daddy cut his finger worse (or is it better) than normal. Boppa had to take him to the emergency room to get four stitches. Just the night before, Aunt Dan was saying that I would be able to dress a deer and clean a duck before I could even hunt. Mommy told him it's because he and Daddy are always injuring themselves, and they'll need me to learn to man the knife early for the sake of their fingers (oddly, they still have them all)! Way to prove her right, Daddy...and in only about 12 hours! Mommy knew it was really bad when he first came in the house looking like he might pass out at any second. Plus, he never wants to get stitches, no matter how bad the cut is. Funny thing, after he got home, he didn't even remember most of his conversation with Mommy! Tough guy that he is, he was back out in the woods later the same day. There were only a few times where moving his hand a certain way gave him unexpected, severe pain. I think I only grabbed it twice. It looked like his finger was shoved in a hot dog bun the first few days, and he kept waving it around like a giant number one. I just had to get a closer look. I'm sorry, Daddy...you're MY number one! He's glad to finally have the stitches out, but his finger still requires some healing. Can't wait to see which finger he tries to take out next year!

Happy Halloween

My first Halloween is in the books. This year Mom and Dad decided that I looked like Cindy Lou Who from "How the Grinch stole Christmas". So they dressed me up in a pink outfit with ribbons in my hair. Mom even made antenna for the top of my head, but they didn't stay on for long. We went to Grandma Mary's house where she took this picture, then on to Grandpa Mark and Grandma Gina's house. Our last stop on the late night trip was to Aunt Dan and Auntie Karen's house. I gave away candy at each stop, since I can't have any myself yet. Mom and Dad were able to collect some candy for themselves though.

An Evening At Grandma Mary's

I got to spend an extra hour with Grandma Mary!!!!

We went to Grandma Mary's house for dinner. The idea was to go to church and then to dinner, but Daddy, who's always early, got us to Crosslake about 45 minutes early. We stopped at Grandma's to check my diaper, and at the suggestion of Grandma I got to stay while Mom and Dad went to church by themselves (I wonder who kept them in line without me there).

Grandma let me play on the floor and chase the vacuum cleaner around. Then I got to play with some pots on the floor, just like Daddy used to do. We had a lot of fun, I hope I get to do that again soon!

Long time since last update

Wow, Mom and Dad have not been doing a good job of keeping up with my site. I may just have to find my real parents and see if they are up to the task. Just what have they been up to anyway?

Maybe this picture explains it.

Exciting News!

Guess what? I have a TOOTH! Two days before we left for Canada, Mommy noticed me gnawing on my pacifier. After I was done, it had marks all over it. She and Daddy couldn't feel or see my tooth that day. On the way to Ontario, I was holding Mommy's hand...and left her with scratches! That time she could feel my tooth. When we stopped, she and Daddy looked in my mouth and saw it. Everyone seems very excited about it. It hasn't bothered me too much. Up until last night, no one would have guessed I had anything going on. I was perfectly happy other than a bit of a fever now and then. Last night, I woke up almost every hour...and woke up everyone sleeping upstairs in the cabin. Auntie Sherry thinks either my tooth is just getting to a painful spot or maybe there's another one on the way. It's kind of been a fussy day for me, but everybody is trying to keep me happy.

My latest hobby is standing whenever possible. When I wake up, I stand in my crib almost right away. It's most fun at home where I can stand right in front of the window. In the cabin, I like to stand ON the couch so I can try to climb over the back. I'm working on pushing myself up from a sitting position with no help. Mommy is going to get a picture or video of that soon. She better hurry, or I'll be past the point of trying, and actually doing it!

International Baby!

We're spending this week in Canada going fishing, making friends, and just relaxing. I brought Mommy & Daddy, Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt Dan, Auntie Sherry, and Sunny (Grandma's dog, she stays at Grandma's cabin). There are more fisherman and some bear hunters here too. Plus a wolf that stands over my shoulder during dinner. I think he wants my peas & carrots, but I don't share!

Then there's Bob. He lives at the lodge. He's a lot of fun to play with. He hung out at our cabin (called the Teepee) to play with me one day...when he was supposed to be working. Oops! He got busted by his mom. I got to play with him later at the lodge. His little brother, Alex, hangs out with me sometimes. He always smiles and lets me climb on him so I can stand up.

A very exciting thing happened to Daddy while we were here. He got his first muskie. It was huge...at least it is to me. Daddy came in very smiley. I thought it was because I was standing on the dock to greet him, but then he leaned over and whispered, "Daddy caught a muskie" right in my ear. And in Mommy's too. We were very happy for him. Later, on the way back from dinner, Daddy told me the whole story. I can't wait to hear it again and again and again!


I haven't done any fishing yet, but I've gone for lots of walks to visit Sunny and Grandma & Grandpa's neighbors. Auntie Sherry took me to the park, and I went on a slide and swings for the first time. A the cabin I love to climb on the couches. I do lots of standing now. Not much without a little help with balance, but soon, I'll do it on my own. I'm an expert crawler now too (I can't wait to see Daniel again, so I can chase him!).

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday, Grandma Mary!

Happy birthday to you!

We had such a nice time celebrating with Grandma Mary. We went to a great prime rib place to see what the new owners had done with the menu. They hadn't changed that at all yet, but they did have nice new tables and chairs. They even had new high chairs instead of ones that were back from when Daddy & Mommy were babies. The chair was just like the one at Grandma Mary's house, so I knew how comfy it was before I even sat down. I got to sit by Grandma and talk to her all through dinner. She didn't share any of her walleye with me, but she did give me a bottle to drink. After dinner we went and played at her house for a while. She has a toy telephone that makes different animal sounds; I really like that toy. I dug around in the toy box and found a truck that Daddy said was his. He remembers getting it from Hardees when he was young. It had a truck, trailer, and A.J. Foyt's car on it. Nobody knows where the rest of the set is, but Grandma will be keeping her eye out for it. Mommy says getting the truck must have been a pretty big day for Daddy because he talks about that day a lot. This was a pretty big day for me. I think I'm actually going to sleep tonight...Mommy and Daddy hope that's true since they are very tired!

Anyone For a Movie?

Hey, look at what I found! I wonder what's playing at the movie theater...and if I can get someone to take me.

Feed Me, Seymour!

I am really enjoying this food thing, even though no one lets me eat off their plate. That stuff looks really good! I try to get it, but the plates get moved just out of my reach. I need to get longer arms.

Right now they let me eat rice cereal, oatmeal, bananas, pears, applesauce, peaches, sweet potatoes, peas, and green beans. Either the bananas or the peas are my favorite. This weekend I'll try carrots. Mommy and Daddy think I should like those since Mommy ate tons of those while I was inside of her.

This picture of me in my pea bib is from the first time I had peas; I didn't even make at face at them! Guess Grandpa won't have to trick me into "eating my age" in peas...I might even be willing to eat HIS age in peas.

My Favorite Games

I like the wind...a lot. It makes me smile to be outside on windy days or just be under the ceiling fan, but the best way to enjoy the wind is when Daddy plays "Wind Gust" with me. He's the one making my hair look so funny in this picture. He has powerful lungs! I just stand there and wait for him to send a wind gust my way. Sometimes I laugh before the blast comes my way because I just can't wait any longer. It usually makes me laugh very loud. Daddy & Mommy think I have a pretty great laugh, so we play this game every day.

I have a pretty good time flying too. It's fun just to be up in the air, but it's a game you can only play for so long. Daddy played it with me one too many times the other day, and jostled my tummy. I got him back for it...got him good! Mommy likes to lift me up so I can see out the little window above her bed. It makes me smile. She can't figure out if it's because I see the Buggy-Buggy, a big tree, Shadow-Carl, or something else. I'm just letting her wonder for now, but maybe some day I'll tell her!

My Really Big Weekend

We went to Auntie Sherry's house for the weekend. It was such a big trip! We couldn't seem to get out of the house, then the car ride took forever. I handled it pretty well, though. When we got to Auntie Sherry's, she let me hang out in her giant chair. Well, it seemed giant to me. I had quite a blast sitting there. We went to dinner at everyone's favorite Italian place near Auntie Sherry. I guess it's hard to order there because they have such a big menu, and it's all good. Daddy tried their cioppino for the first time, and said it was better than at the Italian place near home. Mommy looked at him funny.

On Saturday, we got to take another drive, though a much shorter one, to a wedding reception for Mommy's cousin (congratulations, Rob & Jackie). I got to meet Grandpa's brother. Mommy calls him Ringo, but he said his name was Tom. I don't know who's right, but I liked him a lot (and the Beatles' music he was playing). He introduced me to lots of people, played peek-a-boo, and gave me one of the pretty decorations to eat. Mommy wasn't kidding when she said he was my GREAT uncle.

By the time we got back to Auntie Sherry's we were all very tired. I can't believe how late we slept the next day! Then we had to drive home. Mommy and I got to spend Monday recovering, but poor Daddy had to go to work.

Another Birthday to Celebrate!

It is Auntie Sherry's birthday today. We get to go celebrate with her on Friday...yay! She comes up here a lot to see me, so this time, I'm taking Mommy and Daddy to Auntie Sherry's house. We'll have lots of fun eating Italian food, taking Charlie the cheese dog for walks, and going to Auntie Sherry & Mommy's cousin's wedding reception.

This pretty pink Pooh outfit came from Auntie Sherry. It's still a tad big for me, but I like it very much. Even the booties are so comfy, I didn't even try to take them off. Mommy says I can't sleep with them on, though. That's okay, I'll tell Daddy I want them on in the morning when I go to Grandma's.

Have a happy birthday, Auntie, and I'll see you very soon!

Going to Wisconsin, Meeting Great-Aunt Jeanette

As promised, the details of Grandma G's family reunion...

After the longest car ride I had ever taken, we finally arrived in Wisconsin. There were people everywhere, plus tables and tables of food...which no one let me taste! We didn't get there in time for the introductions, but lots of people seemed to know who I was anyway. All 10 of Grandma's brothers and sisters were there, along with many of their cousins, most of whom Mommy had never met before. Hmm...if they are Grandma's cousins, that makes them my...ummm...relatives. There we even 3 Maddies at the reunion, but we all spelled our names different (Madeleine, Madelin, and Madeline)! Next reunion, I will be big enough to play with the other kids. I finally got to meet Aunt Jeanette; she is Mommy's Godmother. She was fun to play with, but had to leave early because she didn't feel so hot. Later she went to the hospital and had surgery (she's doing much better now). I guess it was a big day for her too! We stayed later than planned, but everyone was so much fun, and Aunt Janet wasn't getting there until dinner time. I couldn't leave without getting to meet her too. The ride home seemed really long, and I had trouble staying asleep because I couldn't get to my side, the way I prefer to sleep. Good thing I had a week to recover before having to go to on an even longer car ride to a wedding reception on Grandpa's side of the family. I'll tell you all about that day too, but after all this typing, I need a nap!

Since everyone keeps asking...

People always want to know where I got my hair. Mostly Mommy & Daddy say from Grandpa Corky, and no they weren't surprised about it...they were hoping for it! To those who wonder if they had hair like that, here are their first pictures -- Mommy on the left & Daddy on the right. Looks like they both had some hair, but not as thick and dark as mine.




As my hair gets lighter, Daddy & Mommy hope it keeps going to as light as theirs was. They were both about two in these pictures. Hmmmm, I must look old for my age.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

It's Grandma Gina's birthday today. She is turning XX-years-old. That's not really an age, but Mommy says it would be more polite not to mention just how long ago Grandma was born. I think that means she's over 21, but less than 80.

Daddy, Mommy, and I took Auntie Sherry to church where Grandma met up with us. After the Mass, Grandma walked around the church and took me to meet a nice friend of hers. Someone made a joke to Mommy & Daddy that he thought Grandma would be prouder carrying me. She was disappointed when I had to leave, but we needed to pick up pizzas and ice cream cake to take back to her house. Aunt Karen & Aunt Dan came over too. Silly Grandpa was still in Canada (I need to go there soon to see what's so great about that place!). It was such a big day, but lots of fun. I can't wait until someone else has a birthday!

My Slippers

So, Auntie Sherry gave me these great slippers, but they were way too big to stay on my feet. Finally, they fit me pretty well, so Mommy let me wear them. It went a little something like this...

"Hey, what are these things on my feet?"

"They're pretty cute, aren't they?"

"What? I'm not doing anything."

"Just tasting..."

"And they're off! Well, I kept them on for 5 minutes this time!"