Slide time!

Here's the video of me sliding as promised! I tried sliding down into four inches of water in my pool too, but until the weather's a tad-bit warmer, I prefer landing on soft, warm and dry pillows! (Maybe M & D could install a water heater in my pool!!!)

ulyuu - That's me typing!

Boy is meal time ever fun now. D has set up a special place for me next to the kitchen table so that I can sit on a "big person's" chair while eating on a TV tray that's at the right height for me. As you may have guessed, I feel much too sophisticated to sit in my high chair any longer. Today I enjoyed turkey hot dogs - yum, yum!

In other news, I'm working on communicating through Baby Sign Language, but I have my own "regional dialect". Instead of rubbing a circle on my chest with one hand to say "please", I like to rub my hair. (M thinks I picked up this motion from D who didn't know BSL and just imitated what I was doing in a silly manner....now it's stuck!) Oh, well.

Pizza!!!

Mmmm...piiizzzzzaaaa. Need I say more?
Today, I was so thirsty that I held my sippy cup full of orange juice in one hand and my milk cup in the other - a two fisted drinker, M called me.

We picked up a mini-slide from a neighbor down the street tonight. Boy did I have fun. Dad said it was difficult not reaching out and trying to help me each time I climbed the ladder or slid down. I may have been a bit wobbly, but I got the hang of it quickly. At the bottom I always applauded for myself for a job well done!

Grandma Shari and Grandpa Jerry were like kids again pushing my around on the tricycle. I'm not certain who had more fun. Oh, and I LOVED walking around with Uncle Jay's cane sooooooo much that I even tried taking in on the tricycle and down the slide with me!

Love to all!

Me, an angel?!

It was a beautiful, warm day so I played in the birds' bath with my imaginary friends! Boy, did I get wet! Then, I enjoyed a tour of Grandpa and Grandma's "estate" in the yellow wagon. Oh, and I had bean and ham soup for the first time - mmmm, it was so good I wouldn't let anyone help me eat it except the dogs who cleaned up the multiple spoonfuls that were tipped over before they made it to my mouth.
I met my second-cousin Jillian Charlotte today. She was a snuggle bug tonight with Grandma. Her older brother, Gavin, and I enjoyed tossing frisbees into a wicker basket -- my throwing arm's not quite like Daddy's yet, but I'm getting there. Gavin REALLY liked Gradpa's pork chops and brats!

It's been a busy time, and to top it all off I'm teething which means I like to sink my teeth into whatever I can get them into!

Tie a yellow ribbon round...the Julian

So, Aunt Jan passed along this box of craft and scrapbooking materials to M, but I thought this yellow ribbon looked like too much fun to just lay motionless in a box. I had a ball watching it unroll, and then wrapping myself up in it. How do you like my spring fashion statement?

I waded in the kiddie pool in the backyard a little today - the pool water is REALLY tastey!

In other news, tomorrow is the last day of Motor Mites - the indoor playgroup sponsored by the park district. I'm going to miss seeing Ms. Robin with her spiked white hair and dramatic facial expressions. Hopefully, some of us kids will keep getting together throughout the summer, and, oh, yeah, bring our moms along too.

Take it easy! Love to all!!

A tricycle for Daddy?!!!

What wheels!!!! This weekend I went for a "Sunday drive" (on Saturday) to Bishop Hill. Along the way in Galva, IL was this really cool art shop specializing in metal sculptures like this giant tricycle. They also had a rod-iron tree with glass bottle "leaves", a dinosaur with farming spades for its scales, and a row of fire hydrants just for the heck of it. We toured various old buildings in Bishop Hill including a quilt show in the old school house. But, my favorite part was playing in the park! By the time we got home, the water from Kickapoo Creek had risen so high that it flooded the Hardee's parking lot at the bottom of our subdivision. The poor mechanic's shop at the end of our street had at least a foot of water in its garages. By the next morning the water was down and the streets were dry again.

Oh, the weather outside is frightful

It really IS scary weather outside - severe thunderstorms, tornado warnings, flash floods. I thought April showers were supposed to bring May flowers...what's up with these May torrential rains?? Oh, well. I've had a great day indoors today tangling myself up in yellow ribbon while M puts the final touches on D's Father's Day gift - yes, I like to plan ahead sometimes. While M shredded zucchini for muffins, I sampled a few bites and shared some with the dogs. Then, after messing around with the antenna on the radio/CD player and breaking it off, I figured out how to put a CD in the player and press the "PLAY" button. Now I can "shake my booty" whenever I feel like it! By far my favorite activity though was snuggling on top of the Coleman sleeping bag M aired out yesterday and brought inside to sew up a few rips. This rain needs to stop so I can go out camping!!

Toes, anyone?

Toes - yum, yum!?? Who needs plastic teething rings when you've got the real deal at the end of your feet, right?! Not only did I work on my flexibility today, but I also surprised M by putting a CD in the player and pressing the "play" button by myself. I also enjoyed some chalk graffitti on the wooden bench outside. It was early to bed for me tonight as I didn't take my afternoon nap - I just couldn't relax and sleep in the middle of the day when it was so beautiful outside once again. Tomorrow we are supposed to have severe rain storms, so M and I will stay indoors reading, playing, maybe watching some Baby Einstein Musical videos for the first time, bake some tasty treats and surprise D with a crafty, one-of-a-kind present for the fun of it!

Watch 'em roll...

Whew! What a busy day I've had so far...first, I went to playgroup and rode around on all my favorite set of wheels including a scooter that you operate by wiggling the hand bars. Then, M took me to "Touch a Truck" sponsored by the Peoria School District. I was in seventh heaven around the fire trucks, ambulances, crane, back hoe, tractor, school buses, city buses, book mobile, and even this brand new garbage truck. Can you say that you've ever been inside the bed of a garbage truck?? Well, at least you can tell everyone that M and I were!

Fun in the sun!

Gotta have shades for this sunny weather! (Oh, yeah, and that annoying sun block M is always smearing on my forehead and cheeks.)

These days I would spend 24/7 outdoors if I could. The only times I come inside are to sleep and sit down to eat - but, don't worry, I do my darnest to let M & D know I'm not too happy about the interruption to my backyard playtime. Today, I discovered the garden hose for the first time and immediately copied M's actions of holding it over the plants. Then, I held it up to my mouth for a taste too - of course! One of the funniest things to watch outdoors is Gertie standing on her hind legs to drink out of the bird bath which she seems to prefer to her water bowl.

Over the weekend I visited the Pizza Machine restaurant in Springfield, IL. They have the world's largest pizza - 60 inches - which costs $300, includes a party package and is delivered to your table via an overhead crane system. The three floors of the restaurant are filled with interactive displays - a slide, a ball rolling along a track that "collides" with wind chimes, an air gun that shoots smoke rings, conveyor belt rollers that spin, cranks to turn, and more. It reminded me of the downtown St. Louis Museum which M & D have yet to take me to - hint, hint. Anyway, M and I were inspired to create our own interactive "machine" in the backyard. Here it is in part (we had yummy pepperoni pizza for dinner too by the way):

Oh, to be thirteen months old!

This is the life! I get to run around the house in my birthday suit (sorry, no pictures); get pushed in the stroller while munching on fig cookies or animal crackers or banana puffs or string cheese or raisins or all the other wonderful finger food snacks M provides; flirt with my neighbors through the fence until they can't resist coming over to visit; chase the dogs with my arms held out over my head; play in the dirt with sticks; run around outside until daylight fades; and end the day with a swim in the tub!