A WILD Birthday Party!!

One of my friend's had a birthday party a couple weeks ago, and it was VERY...VERY cool.

The party was at his house, and they had a nice lady come by that brought a bunch of animals with her! She told us a little bit about the animals, and she also let us touch and play with them! (Gently, of course)

She let us hold a very fluffy bunny that I REALLY enjoyed meeting...he was very calm, and seemed to enjoy playing with all of us...

We got a more close-up view of a duck than I had ever gotten thanks to this nice lady...I was pretty excited to show off my quacking skills, and I must say, the duck seemed pretty impressed. I felt pretty good about it.

We put on a heavy glove to prevent getting scratched by the cockatiel. It was a very sweet bird, and we were told that he sometimes talked, but I think he was feeling pretty shy towards us, so he was pretty quiet that day. But it was still very cool to get to hold him...

Next up...a lizard! He was a lot smoother and dryer than I imagined...I figured he'd be all slimy, but he felt very nice, and I liked getting to hold him. Another very calm customer...

What is an animal day without snakes! There were two kinds....one was a little fatter, and we all got to hold him...

One was kind of long and slithery, and I got to put him around my shoulders....they were both very nice, and didn't do anything sketchy and mean...I was impressed with their professionalism.

Even though the party was focused on the animals, we still had time to play with some of the toys my friend had in his back yard, which was cool. He had this neat construction toy that had pretend dirt and diggers. It was pretty cool.

And of course, how could the day be complete without some cupcakes to finish off the party, am I right!? Delicious offerings as always!

Me and my friends also got to go downstairs and play with my friend's drum kit...it was loud and just as awesome as I had hoped!

My friend's brother played a little mini concert in the back yard full of great songs that kids would like...he had us singing along and dancing...it was SOOOOO much fun!

We got to do a lot of running around, socializing with friends, and having some great food...but to finish off the day, we all got to line up and see just how big that one snake was...the answer: Pretty darn big! A unique, and very fun birthday party!

Tumbler Tour 2012!!

So...Dad had this idea in his head to go and check out the BatMobile (Called by its name "The Tumbler" in this series of films) and the BatCycle (Called...uh...the...TumblerCycle?) I am a fan of Batman, and though I hadn't seen this series of films, I thought it might be cool. It took a bit of convincing from Dad, but I finally acquiesced...

Boy, was I glad that I did.  

Now, it took some doing, since we drove about 45 minutes, parked in a garage about a 15 minutes walk from the event, and THEN discovered that the BatStuff was part of a larger radio station event that you had to pay for.

Because Dad is awesome (and he was kind of excited about seeing the BatStuff, too) he paid the only slightly unreasonable ticket price, and walked on in...

Only to be confronted by The Joker!! To his credit, he was doing his best to be friendly, but I regarded him with suspicion from the get-go. After awhile, I finally warmed up to him (and his friend Harley Quinn, glimpsed in the background) but I was always on the lookout for anything that didn't seem like it was on the up-and-up 

Dad tried in vain to get a nice picture of my with the vehicles...he had Mom put me in my Batman shirt (Thanks Mom!) and tried to get a nice picture...

...and tried...

until I FINALLY smiled (he bribed me with being allowed to go into the misting house

THERE it is!

A very cool little event to check out...AND since we got there so late, we were able to watch them drive the car away (Alas, they only rolled the motorcycle away, but it was BEYOND awesome to watch the man climb inside The Tumbler and drive it off...)

And as promised...WE GOT TO RUN AROUND THE MISTING HOUSE!!

Such a lovely way to end a warm evening...

Dad ran around with me and cooled off a bit too...we were both all soaked and laughing...

What a cool night!

Memorial Day 2012 Visit From Gramma Mindy!

A few weeks ago was Memorial Day, and that meant that Gramma Mindy had a long weekend, which meant she was coming to visit!! Hooray!!

She came down on the train, and Dad picked her up after work...her and I got to hang around a lot, because Mom and Dad had errands to run, so they left me with her...

Obviously, we played a lot of Hide-n-Seek....sometimes she hid:

And, of course, sometimes I did...

I managed to find her, and when I did, she was a very good sport...

We also took the time to play with some of my Dinosaur Train...she helped me put the tracks together, and then we rode the train around for awhile...she thought my trainset was VERY cool...

That weekend, we also managed to get outside and get some exercise with Mom...the weather was so nice, we took my soccer net out to play with in the park near our apartment...

Gramma Mindy and Mom watched me kick the ball around, and even participated a bit, keeping me on my toes. I like soccer a lot!

 Look at that!

 I have some pretty decent soccer moves, I must say...

 I was also finally introduced to our rooftop swimming pool...since I wasn't quite potty trained yet, I couldn't go in, but now that I am, like, 80% potty trained, I FINALLY get to partake!

Mom and Gramma Mindy took me swimming around the pool, while Dad went to get some dinner for us...

Since Gramma Mindy was here, we got some cool takeout, and had a really nice dinner before Gramma Mindy had to go...as is typical, Mom and Dad also took the time to go out to a movie while Gramma Mindy and I hung out together...what more could a kid ask for?!

An Epic May Weekend Visit: Sunday

All good things must come to an end, and alas, our epic weekend visit to Connecticut was finally wrapping up...Uncle Steve tended Gramma Debbie's garden a bit, while Nicholas and I ran around the yard for a little while before I had to hop in the car with Dad for our long drive home...

We took some time to enjoy the water table a bit more (And had a few nice drinks from it...I'm sure there are no pesky micro-organisms, dirt, or germs in there...right?)

It was the longest time I had spent back in Connecticut that wasn't directly a holiday event in a long long time, and I really enjoyed myself...I know Dad did too, as did the family and friends I got to see while I was up there....thanks for hanging out with me, everyone!

An Epic May Weekend Visit: Saturday

Saturday was Dad's Big Night Out with his friends, but that didn't mean we couldn't have a good time during the day! Aunt Amy and Uncle Steve bought a bunch of cool stuff to play with...first up was a big sandbox that I got to play in with Nicholas.There were lots of beach toys to dig and move sand with so we had a lot of fun and spent a long time in there.

Next up was a water table....Nicholas and I got to help Uncle Steve put the table together. There were A LOT of pieces....so many that it seemed overwhelming at first!

Luckily Uncle Steve had two very small but very able helpers to assist him in the complicated process...I think that there may have been some instances where we might have possibly gotten in the way a little bit, but I think for the most part, we made the process easier.

Or at least more fun, right? :-)

Soon enough, through Uncle Steve's superb skill (and our able assistance) the water table was complete!!

Now, even though we were excited about the water table, it simply wasn't enough on this blazing summer day...so Uncle Steve scored some more kid points by hauling out the hose with a sprinkler at the end of it! He was barely able to move out of the way in time before the hose turned on, and the sprinkler started shooting water everywhere!

I was out of my mind with joy and excitement! I kept running through the sprinkler with Nicholas, and take drinks from it when I could...

Nicholas joined me in the sprinkler while Uncle Steve moved to sit with Gramma Debbie for a well-deserved break...

Nicholas and I would run back and forth from Aunt Amy, exchanging high-fives whenever we looped back around to her...

Nicholas was going as crazy as I was! He was shrieking with delight, and getting absolutely drenched!

I couldn't stop running back and forth! I can't put into words how ridiculously happy this little sprinkler made us both...it's so much fun hanging out with Nicholas!

It wasn't until a little later that I realized that the sprinkler was designed to look like one of my old favorites: SpongeBob SquarePants! How cool is THAT!?

We finally wound down the water play outside, and I gave Aunt Amy a final high-five before heading over to see Gramma Debbie...

...who wrapped me in a nice warm towel to dry me off. This is my "mean face" Yeah...that's right....watch out!

We finished up the day cozied up on the couch watching TV with Aunt Amy ('Mom' to Nicholas) and a bit of relaxing...such a nice day...

An Epic May Weekend Visit: Friday

Dad had some plans to hang out with friends on Friday, so he brought me to go and hang out at Gramma Mindy's for the day.I was a little leery since I had been informed that Gramma Mindy had a houseguest for the weekend...my Uncle Mat and Aunt Mallory's dog, Marley.

 Yeah, he looks small and cute, but to me, he was terrifying...

When I got to Gramma Mindy's, I initially refused to get out of the car until i could see that the dog was safely tucked away on the back porch, which he was.

Dad tried to explain that I couldn't see the dog from where I was sitting, so I had to get out and look. I, of course, countered with what I thought was a pretty solid plan: I would hang out with Gramma Mindy while sitting in my car seat.

Dad was finally able to convince me to get out and check out the dog...he looked harmless enough, but BOY was he excitable!

Luckily he and I were able to come to a peace agreement that benefited us both....I would continue to regard him with cautious acceptance, if he agreed to not lick my toes.

We got along great.

While I have no pictures, Gramma Mindy and I DID manage to make it over to the beach as well...I got to play over there for awhile, which I always enjoy, and then when I got back, she let me play with an old toy set that she found at her school. It was really cool because the whole thing was self-contained in its own case.

There were cars and soldiers to play with, and I really had a great time with them. This is one of those toys that "lives at Gramma Mindy's" so I know it'll always be there for me to play with. It's always nice to have little satellite stashes of toys in various places. How cool is that?

Later on, since Dad was going to be coming in late, Gramma Mindy changed me into pajamas, and tucked into bed. I fell into a blissful slumber and only awoke briefly when Dad showed up to bring me back to Gramma Debbie's for the night...twas a lovely day. :-)

An Epic May Weekend Visit: Thursday

Dad had a special long weekend in Connecticut planned (Which of course led to Mom having a VERY special weekend back at home...this was her FIRST long weekend without me, Dad OR being on a work trip, so she got to have a nice weekend filled with pedicures, dinner with friends, reading, and yeah...a bit of work ) This meant I got to go to Connecticut for an unprecedented four-day weekend. I started right off hanging out with the family. Unfortunately, my Auntie Steph and cousin Braelynn were out of town, but that meant I got to spend even MORE time than usual with Aunt Amy, Uncle Steve, and my cousin Nicholas.

Right off the bat on our first day, Aunt Amy took us on some cool wagon rides up and down the hill at Gramma Debbie's place...she was a lot of fun, and Nicholas and I had a blast...

Look at this kid! He is getting so big!! Luckily he and Braelynn are both getting bigger, so that they can play with me even more than they used to! They were already fun, but NOW they are even MORE fun!

There wasn't a lot going on that day outside of some playing, relaxing and a nice dinner together, since Thursday was the day we did our driving as well. It was a pretty good drive that Dad and I had, so we were in a pretty good mood when we got to Connecticut.

What a GREAT weekend, so far!