Vacation

Mommy, Daddy, and I went to Sandestin the last week of August for a little getaway before daddy started at his new firm. Gran and Papa met us there with lots of fabulous toys, including Hot Wheels Rumblers which light up and make more noise than mommy and daddy care to discuss. They tried to take me to the beach, but I didn't want to have anything to do with the sand, something daddy wishes he had known before paying $40 to rent beach chairs for the day. Finally, they just gave up on that idea and took me where I really wanted to go - the tiki bar at the pool! Daddy and Papa Cecil would sit at the bar while mommy and Gran sat on the pool steps. I positioned myself squarely in between the two parties and danced to the music that was playing. Every time a pretty girl would walk by I would "accidentally" bump into her, then tell her "bye bye" as she kept walking. Mommy says I really am daddy's son. She really thought that after I discovered pina coladas, which I inhaled every time I came near one. The pina colada has officially replaced milk as my favorite drink!

Sipping Pina Coladas in the Pool
Tasty!
Examining the Lobster at Poppy's Seafood Factory

Top Five Things I Did the First Week of August

5. Learning How to Give Treats to the Dudyas. (Self-explanatory).

4. Stealing Mommy's Brie. Mommy simply adores brie. When daddy was going to be gone all day last week, she thought she would treat herself to a nice wedge and a baguette. Who knows, maybe she thought she'd relive her days in Paris or something. I put a stop to her culinary fantasy with my "ehhhh" (which means, "Um, mommy, I need some of that right now, please."). She gave me some of the baguette; but who wants a plain baguette when you can have a baguette with silky, creamy brie on it? It was delish!

3. Discovering Peanut Butter. My pediatrician told mommy that I shouldn't have peanut butter until I am able to say, "Mommy, my throat feels funny." At the rate I am going, that won't be until I'm 13. Mommy thought she'd have a peanut butter and jam sandwich for lunch while I ate my chicken nuggets. I was having none of it and howled and pointed until she finally gave me a bite of her sandwich (and prayed that I wouldn't go into anaphylactic shock). Thankfully, I didn't; and I'm now a bonafide peanut connoisseur.

2. Going to the Movies. It has been 100 degrees here all week, so our outdoor outings have been severely restricted . The movie theatre by the house has free children's movies on Wednesdays, so mommy thought we should go just to get out of the house for a little while. She said even if we only stayed for 10 minutes, it would be worth it just to get out of the house. We got to the theatre half an hour before "Clifford's Big Adventure" was supposed to come on, and the place was PACKED. Half of Loudoun county was there! Mommy found a movie booster seat for me, so the seat wouldn't fold up with me in it. I loved watching all of the other kids and the movie was pretty good, too. The best part by far, however, was....

1. Discovering Popcorn! Not only was the movie free, but the theatre sold $1 popcorn. Mommy put some in my snack trap cup for me and watched to see how I would take to that buttery goodness. All I have to say is WHY did I have to wait 18 months to try this little slice of heaven!!?!?! I didn't bat an eye at the new, crunchy, yet also soft, texture. I just devoured it all! Unfortunately for mommy, I was ready to leave the theatre once we ran out of popcorn (which was about an hour into the film). Next time, she'll know to get her own box. I'm not up for sharing this stuff.

Heaven

My Nana and Papa came to visit last week. It was such a great time! Nana had a big birthday (her 40th) while she was here, so we did a lot of celebrating. I figured she would like to celebrate her birthday week playing cars and building buildings with blocks. I was right!


It was so cool...almost as cool as the race track train table she bought me! I loved it so much that I refused to come to the table for dinner because I couldn't stop playing. Needless to say, I couldn't be bothered with bath or bedtime either. I love to line up all my cars and trains on the outer track and let them race down the hills. It's a lot like having the Atlanta Motor Speedway right in my own family room.

Cars

Last weekend, daddy let me supervise while he washed the cars. I have never had so much fun!

Speaking of cars, I trashed five of my Hot Wheels today.

July Update

As you can see, I've been spending so much time at the pool that I haven't had time for blogging. Spending even an hour at the pool just wears me out. I can barely keep my eyes open on the five-minute stroll home--even if mommy gives me a snack--as evidenced below:

I've also had company in town. My Auntie X came to visit! She was a lot of fun, just like mommy said she would be. She took me for walks, taught me how to do jumping jacks, and played with me outside. The coolest thing about her, however, is that she let me drive my cars on her bum. She and mommy told me that she was voted "Best Bum" in high school; and I can see why. It is the perfect ramp for Hot Wheels!

Last, but not least, my ghostwriter and typist (aka Mommy) has been feeling a bit under the weather. It kind of stinks for her, but the good thing is it means she is letting me watch an inordinate amount of Blue's Clues and The Wiggles. She says that she'll feel better in a few weeks...and a lot better next February; but that my world will be turned upside down. I'm not sure how I'll like this whole "big brother" thing...especially if all it means is that I have to wear this t-shirt for the next 7 months!

Samson Davis

Daddy took me to get a haircut this week. Mommy about died when she saw it. She said I looked like a marine with virtually no hair in the back and on the sides. I think she may have even shed a tear or two over my lost locks. It's probably because the one thing people say I have that remotely resembles mommy is my hair...not any more. She is devastated and has told daddy that he has lost all barbershop privileges!

Other than that, it's been a pretty slow week. Mommy and I went to the pool yesterday afternoon, which was kind of fun...but really only because I got to be outside. I'd rather spend my days eating frosted rice cakes than lounging in the water anyway. I am totally addicted to those things, by the way. I will open the pantry door, find the box, take out a package and hand it to mommy. She tries to limit my consumption, so I've developed a great trick to get my way. Usually, I call mommy "baba" just to make her mad; but when I want some of my rice cakes, I hand them to her and sweetly say, "mama." It works every time.


Oh, one last thing, in honor of Wimbledon, mommy gave me some strawberries and cream tonight for dessert. Needless to say, it was a hit. I discovered I also like whipped cream on my peas and ravioli, too. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it!

Trampolines and Gorillas in Tennessee

I'm back! Mommy and I have been home for a few days now and are finally getting settled in enough so I can blog a bit. I had a great time visiting my Nana and Papa in Kentucky and then my Aunt Robin and my god-family, the Clarkes, in Franklin, TN. Mommy and I dropped daddy off at the airport on Father's Day morning and then headed to Aunt Robin's. We were a bit (read three hours) early because daddy's 11AM flight was cancelled, so United put him on an 8AM flight instead. Thankfully she was awake. I tried to play with her dog, Tatum, but she wasn't too fond of me. I consoled myself by pushing all of the buttons on her TV and knocking over her lamp.

That afternoon, we headed over to the Clarke house for the rest of the week. It was Jessica's birthday on Tuesday, so our visit was (hopefully) a big surprise for her. Her birthday celebration, was certainly a big surprise for me! We went to the Rainforest Cafe, where Jess has celebrated her last seven birthdays. Jessica apparently is not scared of gorillas that gruffly grunt, shake palm trees, and conjure up tropical rainstorms. I, on the other hand, am terrified of them. Unfortunately, they seated us in only inches away from the gorilla (I still contend that I could smell his breath), which meant I was NOT happy. My godfather, Jay, took me out for about 10 minutes until the major rainstorm passed, but I was still upset. Mommy says the fact that Mr. Jay bought and put me in a bright-orange UT t-shirt didn't help matters. Mommy ended up renting a super-cool stroller in the shape of a car and letting me "drive" around the mall while everyone finished their dinner. I hated to ruin Jessica's birthday, but gorillas and Mr. Ts just don't mix.

Other than that, the trip was awesome. My godmother, Jill, set up Jim's old train set for me to play with, and it rocked! It was almost as cool as the trampoline they have. Philip and I jumped on it the night before we left. Man, I wish I had discovered that thing sooner! I have never laughed so hard in all my life as I did when Philip would do these amazing flips! I laughed so hard that I couldn't even walk - I would just fall right over! No wonder I threw up when I finally got off.