I love Sparkle!

It seems you've caught me during a private moment, loving on my new friend Sparkle. Isn't he wonderful? He is orange, and, so so...sparkly! I just can't get enough of him. We met only a few moments ago. It was the strangest thing, really. I'm visiting the grandparents this week, and they took me out to eat at this crazy restaurant with big fish tanks everywhere. I was so mesmerized by the sharks, the big turtle, and the diver that I could hardly eat my pizza. After supper we went into this room full of plushy fish, and there in a basket was Sparkle and others like him. At least they looked like him, but he radiated a certain pizzaz that none of the other glittery orange fish could touch! I love him so! I will take him everywhere. Can't wait to introduce him to Tiggy.....

Dirtface

Daddy took me to the park today! Can you tell? Yes, it's true that I fell down and landed on my face, but that's what we boys do when we go to the park, we eat dirt! It was so much fun. Whew, I'm tired! Must work hard now that I'm home to avoid a "Mommy wet wipe attack."

The Giant Lotus

Oh, Giant Lotus Flower, symbol of peaceful Buddhist-type thoughts, do you smell? It's so hot out here, all I can smell is the suntan lotion Mommy has lathered all over me. Supposed to be 100 degrees today. Smart parents decided to take me outdoors to run around. What are they thinking? This flower is at Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens, and there is some sort of Asian festival going on here today, but it is so hot I am thinking of blowing off the puppet show they want me to see in favor of going home to nap in my cool room. As soon as I'm done smelling the beautiful lotus, I think I'll pitch a fit and ditch this place.....

Colanders make great helmets!

"Brrrrrrrrrbrrrrrrrrrrr, pilot to Rescue 9, prepare for emergency water landing! Plastic toys animals down, REPEAT, plastic toy animals are down. Watch out for giant yellow enemy float, DO YOU COPY, beware of floaty! Keep helmets on at all times, team, this will a dangerous rescue! OVER AND OUT!"

I've Been a VERY Good Boy

Whoo-hooo! Jackpot! Come on, you KNEW they'd take me to FAO Schwarz for a little treat! I've been such a good traveller, acting nice on the train, sleeping well in the hotel, and eating pretty much anything they put in front of me. How could they not reward me at the most famous toy store in the world??? The irony, though, is that my "purchase" was a small British-made recycling truck called Flip 'N Tip Fred, but the store was out of little bags, so Mommy had to schlep this giant bag through the city! Bet everyone thought I was some sort of spoiled only child or something!

Central Park (East!)

"Wow, I'm turnin' inta a reel New Yorkur! Play'n in thuh watuh spiggots, cruisin' thuh taxi thru thuh paark and everythin'."

Seriously, guys, this place is so much fun! I ate the best pizza in the City with my cousins Abby and Kirby, checked out the penguins and polar bears at the zoo, and rode the Subway. This place is alot like home, except busier, with bigger buildings and more people. And I think this park might be larger than the one near my house. No one has tried to mug me yet, Gram!

Aunt Kate and Uncle Al are here too, and we have breakfast together and go for a walk every morning. Hope Daddy has a lot more work to do, because I'm having a blast!

Just One More...

Now this is what I call a block tower! It's starting to look like the Empire State Building, don't you think? I'm hanging out in the Big Apple this week while Daddy hobnobs with players at the All Star Game. Mommy and I are checking out the Children's Musueum of Manhattan, which has all sorts of fun toddler play stations. I had no idea blocks could be so big. I guess everything is bigger in New York....

Lunar Landing

Hey, Wallace and Grommit were wrong, the moon isn't made of Wensleydale cheese! All this exploring has made me hungry too! Thank goodness I brought Cheerios. So far I find them mysteriously unaffected by the lack of gravity....

I Can't See A Thing!

My girlfriend Greta invited me swimming this afternoon. It's awfully bright out here, so I stole Mommy's sunglasses, but I swear now that I have them on I can't see a thing! I DO NOT LIKE THEM one bit. Somebody get these off of me!

The Fourth of July Parade

Evil Mommy won't let me stay up to watch the fireworks tonight, but at least she took me to our neighborhood parade. I was kind of dubious at first, but as soon as the firetrucks came through, and the candy and beads started flying, I got into the holiday spirit. Some crazy person gave me a miniature copy of the Declaration of Independence! Come on people, I'm tall, but do I look like I can read that yet? (Photo by "Aunt Lori")

James Emmett and the Temple of Bhutan

The parents have whisked me away to an exotic land--no, it's not really Bhutan (after all, I don't have my passport yet) but the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. The temple behind me is a replica. Inside are altars of flowers and a bunch of orange monks who insist on tying strings on your wrist for some unknown reason. We spent most of the afternoon catching up on all the new Bhutanese folk dances. Mommy and I shared a mango lassi, and I made a prayer wheel in the kids' craft booth. Ah, the life of a city baby....