A playground just my size

Finally, a warm day to go outside to the toddler playground. All the equipment here is my size! How cool is that! There are swings, a slide, and a little platform too. And no one over six is allowed (except for mommies, of course).

Yeah, I've Been "Nice" All Year!

Hey, that Santa guy isn't so bad after all (but my opinion on this outfit hasn't changed one bit)! He brought me all kinds of gifts on Christmas morning. I can't figure out how to get into them myself, but that's okay, the dog will unwrap them for me. For those of you unfortunate enough to miss the big reveal, here's what I got: a ball popper, lots of books, some shape sorters, cars, little stuffed animals, and singing farm magnets. Motherload!

Holiday Exhaustion

Wow, the holidays are wearing me out! It's been GO GO GO for me ever since Halloween! What's a baby to do? I'm so trashed from charming the relatives, playing with grandparent gifts, and sampling Thanksgiving food that I fell asleep today during my Jumperoo workout. How embarrassing is that? Mommy says I continued to jump even in my sleep! I need a vacation.....

The Devil Wears Red

HELP! I thought we were just making a routine stop by the bank! Why is the Devil here, and why did you set me in his lap and start laughing?! I DO NOT LIKE HIM ONE BIT! I WANT OUT OF HERE!
And what am I wearing now? I look like some sort of eco-prisoner in this green striped onesie. Ever since October I've had to wear all these weird outfits. Mommy has lost her mind.

This Field is MINE!

You wanna go nose to nose with me? Fine! This is MY field! MINE! ALL FOR ME! I am plowing here. Get out of my way. And don't even think about Frenching me, Leo! I saw you eat horsey-poop not two minutes ago!

"You Been Farmin' Long?"

Hey, look what Gram gave me now! A big tractor that I can ride on myself! It's just like the little toy one Pop got me at Tractor Supply a couple of days ago. Now I can "plow" the front fields all by myself! Who looks like a City Slicker now?

I Want a Brother!

Just look how cute this little guy is! Meet my new buddy, Edison Gannon. He's only three months old. Can we take him home, Daddy? Please?? I could show him the ropes: how to eat solids, how to make Mommy fuss during a diaper change, how to flirt with blondes when we go out to eat. All that baby stuff! I want to be a BIG brother--and have someone to play with!

Leggo My Eggos

This week is all about eating! The great feast of Thanksgiving got me thinking: Why the heck have I been limiting myself to purees? My new resolution is NO MORE MUSH! I've decided to taste everything that comes my way as long as I can pick it up myself. This morning I tried some scrambled eggs. Yummy! Fun to smear everywhere too!

Turkey Day at Uncle Doug and Aunt Joan's House

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Bet you're all eating turkey today, but not me. They gave me some nasty "turkey and vegetable puree". What is wrong with these people? I'll just eat my plate until someone acts like they care.

What am I wearing on my head, you ask? I am dressed as a Native American. And just like the original inhabitants of our country, I did not come to the feast empty-handed: I brought Cheerios, carrots, and some cheese cubes. For some reason, the "pilgrims" in my family didn't want to share any of my food.

I partied all night--well, until about 8pm, which is WAY past my bedtime. My Uncle Doug is the best party host ever! He built a swing for me in his living room. How many of you have an uncle who can do that? I was surrounded by these cute chicks dressed as pilgrims. I'm told they are my cousins, and boy were they nice to me! They must have pushed my swing for an hour! Can't wait to go back there again!

Bubba Baby

Can you tell I'm no longer in the city? I've traded my cars for a tractor! Ain't it neat?! Everybody down South wears caps like this. I blend right in. No one can tell I was born in a blue state....Shhhh, don't turn me in.

Behind the Scenes at a Photo Shoot

Whoever said modeling was easy work must have been blonde! This is an outtake from the Eaters and Sleepers portrait session. Boy was it chilly outside, and since we all had to match, we're only wearing tees. (Grandmothers everywhere are cringing as they read this...) There were lots of delays for crying, fussing, and nursing. Those of us who were feeling more cooperative had to hang out for a long time just waiting. Chloe, Elle and I had no idea how to pass the time. Augie called his agent/grandmother to complain.....

Closing Day at Dogwood Park

Well, here I am at closing day at Dogwood Park, the baseball diamond in my buddy Henry's backyard. That's him batting behind me. Dogwood Park is really cool: it even has an oldtime scoreboard behind the sandbox. I watched most of the game from the sidelines, but it was just too tempting to run the bases at least once. I only made it as far as first before the players called a delay of game, but I had fun.

You Guys Look Ridiculous!

What on Earth! Alice, you look like one of the birds in my board book! And Chloe, is that you? I have no idea what that is on your head. And to think, I accused Mommy of making me wear silly hats! I really dodged a bullet on this one. Thank heavens no one put me in some ridiculous outfit today.

But speaking of outfits, there is a long stuffed thing hanging off the back of my onesie. I heard someone call it a "tail". I don't know that word, but the dang thing makes it hard to sit down.

This party is pretty fun. Alot of you look like my friends from playgroup, but it's hard to tell with the wacky outfits you are wearing. Plus I'm getting sleepy--why are we up so late? This is usually my bath time.

Weird Food

Do they actually expect me to eat this stuff? It is HARD. I prefer my purees, big people! I will taste this weird hard stuff, but I won't swallow it.

What are you eating? It looks better than what you are giving me. I heard the word "pancakes", though I have no clue what that is. "Pancakes" look softer and tastier than my pellet breakfast!

Tiggy Attack!

HELP! Tiggy heard it was Halloween and decided to get all scary! He's coming after me! Ahhhhhyeeeyaaaahhhh!

BTW, I'm wearing a cool Halloween onesie that Gram found for me. It had matching pumpkin slippers, but Tiggy ate them! (Just kidding!)

Thru My Bedroom Window

Now that I can stand up on my own, I can get to alot of neat stuff that was off-limits before. Like, this window, for example. Who knew you could see through it to the backyard?? No wonder those big people are so powerful. They can reach all the good stuff because they are taller than me. And to think, I used to believe they were smarter, but no, they are just taller....

This Crib Sure is Tasty

Oh boy, there's a whole new world I can reach now, like these tasty crib rails! I LOVE cutting my new front teeth on the wood! I can even make little marks with my teeth so that any future babies who use this crib will know it was mine first. Truthfully, just about anything is good to gnaw on these days--wood, plastic, metal, even big people. Especially big people because they make this really cool surprised noise when I bite them. They must think it's as funny as I do!

The Zoo with Gram

At last, Gram has come to visit! She took me to the zoo to see some of those animals that are in my board books. We saw an elephant, some monkeys, a fishing cat, and the famous baby panda. I wanted to unlock their cages and take them home to sleep in my room (like in "Goodnight, Gorilla") but my plastic keys don't actually work! Gotta talk to Mommy about that.

Gram was really fun. She tried to buy me tons of stuff in the gift shop. The only thing I really wanted was a magnet with a floating panda in it. It's great to teethe on!

Finally, Fall!

At last, the weather has turned cool and I can wear my fall duds! I've been waiting so long I've almost outgrown some of them. Today Mommy and I went to the park to hang with some other babies. Everyone played on the blanket, tasted leaves, and smacked each other in the head. The mommies ate a baby food puree they called "Hummus". I stuck my hand in the bowl to see what it was, but decided against tasting any. The leaves were good though...

BTW, can you see my new front teeth? I don't show them to just anybody, so consider yourself lucky!!

The Dangers of Older Women

Hey, Greta, I thought you said you could stand up! I thought I could too if I just grabbed onto your ears (and gnawed a little on your beautiful blond hair), but we went DOWN DOWN DOWN! Don't blame me! You are older, and should have known better. Plus, as my future wife, I expect you to look out for me when I do boneheaded stuff. No time like the present!

Tell it to the Mayor

Can you tell from this picture that I am upset? I was having a lovely afternoon, just me and my new firetruck, when Mommy and Daddy decided to drag me to the Barracks Row Oktoberfest! Like I care about that! I'm not old enough to drink, so what fun am I supposed to have at Oktoberfest? Since they weren't listening to my wishes, I decided to do what any irate citizen would do and take my complaint straight up to the Mayor. And I didn't even have to go to his office, because he was at Oktoberfest too. And in case you are wondering whether I feel bad about melting down on him, let me clear this right up: He's an elected official, so it's his JOB to kiss up to babies, no matter what their mood. Of course Mommy is mortified by my unusually surly behavior. She'll have to vote for the guy for the rest of his career to make up for the guilt she felt for asking him to pose with me!

I've Got a Tiger By the Tail

In the words of the famous Buck Owen, "it looks like I've got a tiger by the tail." Seriously, his name is Tiggy, and he's my new best bud. Now that I've decided to nap less, and party more in my crib, I need Tiggy as a Wingman when I'm chatting up the Teddies. Now, if only we could find a way out of here and down to the floor, we could play with that toy firetruck....

All Played Out

What was Mommy thinking, dragging me around all day? My afternoon nap got all screwed up because she took me to a consignment sale. We stood in line forever! She bought me a bunch of clothes (yawn) and a toy firetruck (cool, but I'm too wiped out now to play with it). Later we went to a playdate at Alice's house. It was crazy, with babies crawling all over each other, and everyone fighting to play with the Big Yellow Schoolbus and the stacking cups. I couldn't stay awake on ride home, even though it was only a few blocks away. I'm so tired I might actually sleep through the night...

Yeah, these playdates are a laugh a minute...

Ever get the feeling those mommies schedule playdates more for themselves than for us? They sit around laughing with their bottles of strange brown milk, and expect us to do what, exactly? I mean, okay, Anderson IS making the sign for "ball", but it's not like we can toss it around! He's only four months old. Come back in like, three months, kid, when you can crawl, and we'll see. And what's up with all that hair? How did you get so much hair at four months? I'm just now starting to get hair. Something is up with this....

The Invisible Tunnel

Mommy took me to the playground today. It's about time. Just look at the neat thing they had there: an invisible tunnel! I know it sounds lilke something you'd find at Hogwarts, but I swear it's real. When you crawl through it, it's like you are suspended in the air! You can see out on all sides! I just couldn't believe my eyes. Infantatum leviosa!

Rockers and Rollers

Well, it was bound to happen sometime: I've been kicked out of Eaters and Sleepers. And, no, it is NOT because I grabbed little August pretty hard by the ear. I have outgrown E&S, and being a practical baby, I decided to join the next playgroup, Rockers and Rollers. Here I am playing ball with Sofia, who is almost a year old. Maybe she can teach me to walk!

Eaters and Sleepers

Wow, playgroups are fun! Here I am at "Eaters and Sleepers". I decided to make friends with Augie, so I just grabbed him by the ear! I go to playgroups every week. Most of the time we babes just stare at each other, drink a little milk, chew on a few toys. Sometimes the mommies meet without us. They call their group "Drinkers and Talkers". They stare at each other, drink a little sangria, chew the fat about their husbands...

Of course the best reason to go to playgroups is to meet girls. Man, there are ALOT of girl babies out there! And they're all cute too! As you can see, Roya can't keep her hands off of me.

A Pool of My Own

Mommy got me a pool of my very own to play in at home since all the big pools closed for the summer. It's like a smaller version of the Watertown Waterpark, and it even shoots water up in the air! Plus, I can crawl off of it whenever she's not looking and explore the garden. SO many leaves to eat, SO little time.....

I WANT TO CRAWL!!!

This crawling business is hard work! I've been at it for awhile now, and I've only moved a few feet. Can't get my arms and legs to work together. But you watch out, Mama, any day now I'll be cruising!

Lake Norden

Daddy's hometown is pretty cool! Here we are in front of Salo Hall, home of the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. My Granddad Ray, whom I never got to meet, started it a long time ago, and it draws visitors from all over the country. Across the street is his business, J&R Feeds. My Uncle Rusty runs it now, that's him with me and daddy in his feed office. One of the women who works for him said I was "oh for cute"!

Ooh, this place has a waterpark!

Yes, I DO get to all the pools, don't I?! This picture is from the Watertown Waterpark (yes, that's the name!) where I went swimming with my cousins. The beautiful Emily is on the left--aren't I lucky to have all these pretty girls to take care of me?

My South Dakota "Grandparents"

So many places to go this month! Now I'm in South Dakota, hanging out with my dad's relatives. I don't have any grandparents out here (but there are Aunties, an Unc, and a bunch of cool cousins!). I've decided to adopt these people, Carlos and Anita, my Aunt Sherry's parents. They have 20 grandkids already, so I figure they know what they are doing. They invited me out to their farm in Hazel for lunch. To return the favor, I left them with a poopy diaper. Carlos says he'll put it in his corn to keep the coons away!

Hope he'll take me ice fishing next winter....

Working on my record deal....

Heading home today, but thought I'd touch base with my buddies Kenny, Jewel, Brad, and Martina before I go to discuss my plans for an album. I plan to cover some old favorites, like "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and some of my own new material, like "Aaaaaaa-yeeeeeee-ahhhhhhhhh--bbbbbbbbubb".

Hangin' with Chance at the Barn

Boy the dogs are HUGE here! Actually, that's a horse, the first one I've ever seen. His name is Chance, and Pop swears I'll get to ride him when I'm bigger!

It's Just Crazy Around Here.....

Wow, there's alot to do here at the Ranch! Went swimming with my crazy cousins (all beautiful girls, lucky me!) on Thursday. They are a silly bunch, as you can see. I'm teething this week, and that diving ring sure did feel good on my sore gums!

Pop took me to see some goats at Miss Sue's farm yesterday. (The goats are NOT relatives.) They are very soft, but tried to eat my fingers. I didn't like that one bit! Pretty cool, especially since the only animals I see at home are dogs, cats, and Congressmen.....

Ridin' at the Ranch

I'm back in Mt. Juliet this week hanging out with the grandparents at the Ranch. Pop made me a terrific new hat with a buffalo on it! Spending my time playing on his saddle and checking out all the new toys they have here. Hoping to ride a real horse later this week!

My Six Month Birthday

July 20th--I am six months old today! I love "flying". I can sit up without support, scream very loudly, and put my toes in my mouth. I take two naps a day, and sleep through the night! I am eating solid food--cereal and veggies. I know my name. And my first tooth is coming in!

Museum-hoppin'

June 25th--Gram and Pop took me to my first museum. They didn't take me in to see any exhibits, but we did hit the gift shop and cafe, where I sat in a high chair for the first time. I am five months old, but can more or less sit up on my own with a little bit of support.

My Baptism

June 24th--I've been saved! I wore my Great-Granddaddy Wright's gown from 1900. I cried just a little bit because I was trying to take a nice nap in the pews, when suddenly I got dragged up front and someone dumped water all over my head. You would have fussed too, had it happened to you. There was a brunch afterwards, but since I'm not eating solids yet I didn't pay much attention to all of that. I did get alot of nice presents, however, including my first horse--a rocker--from Gram and Pop. Ride 'em Cowboy!

First Dip in the Pool

June 15th--Greta invited me swimming! It was COLD. I made a few faces to show my dumb parents that the water was COLD, but I didn't cry. I can't cry in front of Greta. It wouldn't be manly. Just look how her sunhat matches mine: We are meant to be....