More pictures to be added featuring the Monkey Princess
Lillian kept helping me decorate the pumpkin as I was carving; she brought ribbon and stickers
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Happy Halloween!
More pictures to be added featuring the Monkey Princess
Lillian kept helping me decorate the pumpkin as I was carving; she brought ribbon and stickers
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 27, 2008
A bookstore, cupcake and treasure hunt
Lillian and I went to hear the author of If You Give A Mouse A Cookie read from her new book If You Give A Cat A Cupcake last Friday. We got to the bookstore a bit later than I had planned so we had to stand in the back. Lillian was not very keen on this and after having to pry her down from climbing the bookshelves, we forgot about the reading and just went to the kids section and read books about Halloween. Joe was planning on meeting us there.
During the reading, the bookstore announced that they would be serving cupcakes provided by the neighboring Whole Foods Market and that Whole Foods was going to have a kid's haunted pirate treasure hunt that night. So after Lillian's cupcake we headed to Whole Foods. Lillian was presented with a reusable shopping bag, with art by Sheryl Crow, and a treasure map. The employees were dressed like pirates as we made our way to the various stations to collect the treasure. Lillian spent the entire hunt in daddy's arms. At the end was the Haunted Cove Cafe. They had decorated the classroom into a pirate room and had various haunted pirate things in there. As soon as we got in, Lillian went from daddy's to mommy's arms. As we left she said, "I did not like those spooky pirate things, did you?"
The treasure involved two organic lollipops, a cookie, organic gummy treats, stickers, a pencil and pencil sharpener and the bag. A haunting piratey fun time was had by all of us.
During the reading, the bookstore announced that they would be serving cupcakes provided by the neighboring Whole Foods Market and that Whole Foods was going to have a kid's haunted pirate treasure hunt that night. So after Lillian's cupcake we headed to Whole Foods. Lillian was presented with a reusable shopping bag, with art by Sheryl Crow, and a treasure map. The employees were dressed like pirates as we made our way to the various stations to collect the treasure. Lillian spent the entire hunt in daddy's arms. At the end was the Haunted Cove Cafe. They had decorated the classroom into a pirate room and had various haunted pirate things in there. As soon as we got in, Lillian went from daddy's to mommy's arms. As we left she said, "I did not like those spooky pirate things, did you?"
The treasure involved two organic lollipops, a cookie, organic gummy treats, stickers, a pencil and pencil sharpener and the bag. A haunting piratey fun time was had by all of us.
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Fair - Part 2
Lillian and I bagged off of playgroup this week (I still had my cold and did not want to spread it to any of the mom and kids) and decided to go the fair once again. I have no problem spreading my cold germs around strangers!
It was can day so the admission was only 4 canned goods for me. And we took the park and ride shuttle bus service this time. Lillian and I got in for only $7 total (she is still free for both fair admission and shuttle admission.) Her main goal was to ride more rides; mine was to go a frozen banana.
Lillian was a bit unsure of the bus ride and refused to sit in her own seat; she had to sit on me, which was fine. She ate a cereal bar and an apple while waiting for the bus to leave. We pretended that it was just another ride on the way to the fair. As soon as we got inside the fair gates, she was ready for the rides. She wanted to ride the swings again and we rode the teacups twice. The second ride on the teacups was by chance.
Any trip to the fair must involve the petting zoo so we ended up there with a bag of carrots again. She really loves the animals. There were some older children there afraid of the animals and Lillian kept asking me what they were screaming for. We also stopped by the rabbit hutch which we did not get to see on the first day and Lillian walked around blowing kisses in the air at all the rabbits.
We visited the old mill which we did not see on the family fair day and Lillian ate both of the hush puppy sample we were given. We toured the old time village and she requested to stop by the blacksmith shop to watch the demonstration - something her daddy likes to do. We toured quickly through the gardens until she started to climb in the gardens and demanding to go to the Field of Dreams.
On our way there, I saw a vendor selling frozen bananas and had to get one. Lillian did not want it at first but quickly changed her mind when she saw the banana dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts. We shared it until she wanted to sit down. We went inside an exhibit where there were Christmas trees on display. As soon as we sat down, she wanted to hold the banana. In other words, the banana was now hers. After she finished eating the banana, we looked at the Christmas trees and Lillian tried to touch every single fake cardinal that was on display.
Then we made it to the Field of Dreams where she promptly had 3 hissy fits. The first one was when I was not carry her through the maze. The second one happened when she got caught going through the crops rather than walking on the sidewalk (I think we might have a farmer on our hands here) and I had to pick her up. The last one happened just as it did on Friday and last year. She does not like having to hand over her basket of picked fruit to receive her money. She knows at the end she will get a bag with an apple and peanuts but is not willing to part with her crops in order to receive that bag. It also happened to be past her nap time so we went and sat down for a spell while she ate her peanuts. We were sitting down on some hay bales and two guys stopped and said they were leaving and handed us their unused ride tickets. The tickets were just enough to get us back on the teacups. Moments before this encounter, Lillian had been asking to ride again. I told her we did not have any more tickets, she send, "Then we need to get some." And then I told her we did not have any money left (we did) she said, "The we need some more." So we headed for the teacups once again.
After that it was time to go. While we waited for the bus ride, we passed some port-a-potties. She asked what they were and I told her. We went inside and she actually used it! I was sure she would not because she was very interested in the blue water at the bottom. If there is ANYTHING in the potty, she normally will not go but she did here. I was glad because we had visited to potty three times before heading out and each time she would not go but I knew she had to. The sound of the LOUD hand dryers in the bathroom startles her and she did not want to be in the bathroom.
While we waited she ate an apple and a couple that was on the original bus with us asked if that was the same apple she was eating in the morning. I said not that this was her second, they laughed and thought it was funny that she preferred an apple over all the junk food.
I thought Lillian did real well and walked about 50% of the time. We did have a few times where she fell on the ground because she did not want to walk any more but for the most part was great.
It was can day so the admission was only 4 canned goods for me. And we took the park and ride shuttle bus service this time. Lillian and I got in for only $7 total (she is still free for both fair admission and shuttle admission.) Her main goal was to ride more rides; mine was to go a frozen banana.
Lillian was a bit unsure of the bus ride and refused to sit in her own seat; she had to sit on me, which was fine. She ate a cereal bar and an apple while waiting for the bus to leave. We pretended that it was just another ride on the way to the fair. As soon as we got inside the fair gates, she was ready for the rides. She wanted to ride the swings again and we rode the teacups twice. The second ride on the teacups was by chance.
Any trip to the fair must involve the petting zoo so we ended up there with a bag of carrots again. She really loves the animals. There were some older children there afraid of the animals and Lillian kept asking me what they were screaming for. We also stopped by the rabbit hutch which we did not get to see on the first day and Lillian walked around blowing kisses in the air at all the rabbits.
We visited the old mill which we did not see on the family fair day and Lillian ate both of the hush puppy sample we were given. We toured the old time village and she requested to stop by the blacksmith shop to watch the demonstration - something her daddy likes to do. We toured quickly through the gardens until she started to climb in the gardens and demanding to go to the Field of Dreams.
On our way there, I saw a vendor selling frozen bananas and had to get one. Lillian did not want it at first but quickly changed her mind when she saw the banana dipped in chocolate and rolled in nuts. We shared it until she wanted to sit down. We went inside an exhibit where there were Christmas trees on display. As soon as we sat down, she wanted to hold the banana. In other words, the banana was now hers. After she finished eating the banana, we looked at the Christmas trees and Lillian tried to touch every single fake cardinal that was on display.
Then we made it to the Field of Dreams where she promptly had 3 hissy fits. The first one was when I was not carry her through the maze. The second one happened when she got caught going through the crops rather than walking on the sidewalk (I think we might have a farmer on our hands here) and I had to pick her up. The last one happened just as it did on Friday and last year. She does not like having to hand over her basket of picked fruit to receive her money. She knows at the end she will get a bag with an apple and peanuts but is not willing to part with her crops in order to receive that bag. It also happened to be past her nap time so we went and sat down for a spell while she ate her peanuts. We were sitting down on some hay bales and two guys stopped and said they were leaving and handed us their unused ride tickets. The tickets were just enough to get us back on the teacups. Moments before this encounter, Lillian had been asking to ride again. I told her we did not have any more tickets, she send, "Then we need to get some." And then I told her we did not have any money left (we did) she said, "The we need some more." So we headed for the teacups once again.
After that it was time to go. While we waited for the bus ride, we passed some port-a-potties. She asked what they were and I told her. We went inside and she actually used it! I was sure she would not because she was very interested in the blue water at the bottom. If there is ANYTHING in the potty, she normally will not go but she did here. I was glad because we had visited to potty three times before heading out and each time she would not go but I knew she had to. The sound of the LOUD hand dryers in the bathroom startles her and she did not want to be in the bathroom.
While we waited she ate an apple and a couple that was on the original bus with us asked if that was the same apple she was eating in the morning. I said not that this was her second, they laughed and thought it was funny that she preferred an apple over all the junk food.
I thought Lillian did real well and walked about 50% of the time. We did have a few times where she fell on the ground because she did not want to walk any more but for the most part was great.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Three S's - Sun, Sunglasses and Slippers
Today Lillian got yet another pair of sunglasses. Where all her sunglasses go I have no idea! She also got a new pair of slippers. And it must have been sunny and cold in the bathroom this afternoon because she wore both of them during a potty break:
James Taylor & Dirt
Tuesday Lillian and I skipped on gymnastics and headed downtown for a free concert by James Taylor. He is doing some shows in support of a certain presidential candidate. The ticket for the show said to be there at 11:30 am but he did not come on the stage until 12:30 pm. That got me a bit mad because we had nap time to keep but it was free. We actually ran into Mr. Sweet Baby James before the concert. When we were parking, he was doing his sound check. We ran into the local kids museum to use the potty and on our way out, he almost bumped into him. I did not recognize him at first (he is VERY tall and thin) but I noticed the ear wire and then noticed all the people walking with him and saying they would see him on the stage.
Lillian spent much of the time playing in dirt. She seems to likes dirt and pretended to make the flowers grow by sprinkling dirt on them. She had me lift her up to some trees so she could play with the branches and leaves. She even planted an acorn and a weed in the ground. She began throwing dirt on herself so by the time we left, her scalp looked black. I did not realize how dirty her hair was until we got ready to put her to bed and noticed black rings on her sheets. It was the dirt from her hair that fell out while she was sleeping. Daddy scrubbed her hair good last night but I am still finding bits of dirt in it today! There was a brick wall that Lillian saw another little girl climbing on and before I knew it, Lillian was up there too.
This child also loves trees, especially those that have little hiding places that she can squeeze her body in.
Lillian ate her lunch while we waited and then it was time to get home for nap. We (I) only go to here four songs but it was such nice weather to be outside and Lillian took a great nap, so it was worth it. As we were walking to the car, I told Lillian that mommy and daddy saw James Taylor in concert years ago and she wanted to know if she went to the concert with us. I tried explaining to her that she was not born yet and she kept asking, "Did I stay home? What did you say when I said I just stayed home?" So I ended telling her that she stayed home while mommy and daddy went out. She then said, "I don't like you going out the concerts." I guess at her age, she can not comprehend a time when she was not around!
Lillian spent much of the time playing in dirt. She seems to likes dirt and pretended to make the flowers grow by sprinkling dirt on them. She had me lift her up to some trees so she could play with the branches and leaves. She even planted an acorn and a weed in the ground. She began throwing dirt on herself so by the time we left, her scalp looked black. I did not realize how dirty her hair was until we got ready to put her to bed and noticed black rings on her sheets. It was the dirt from her hair that fell out while she was sleeping. Daddy scrubbed her hair good last night but I am still finding bits of dirt in it today! There was a brick wall that Lillian saw another little girl climbing on and before I knew it, Lillian was up there too.
This child also loves trees, especially those that have little hiding places that she can squeeze her body in.
Lillian ate her lunch while we waited and then it was time to get home for nap. We (I) only go to here four songs but it was such nice weather to be outside and Lillian took a great nap, so it was worth it. As we were walking to the car, I told Lillian that mommy and daddy saw James Taylor in concert years ago and she wanted to know if she went to the concert with us. I tried explaining to her that she was not born yet and she kept asking, "Did I stay home? What did you say when I said I just stayed home?" So I ended telling her that she stayed home while mommy and daddy went out. She then said, "I don't like you going out the concerts." I guess at her age, she can not comprehend a time when she was not around!
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Junk food, animals and rides, Oh MY!
Friday was our day to go to the 2008 NC State Fair - the weather was chilly and a bit rainy at times but it felt like fair weather. Lillian had her raincoat and we brought the stroller along. This was her mode of transportation for a portion of the fair: She walked some but the stroller came in handy. She is just too big and long to carry for any length of time.
We found a play set and Lillian had fun on that. Actually all three of us did - the twisty slide was very fun! Lillian even got to ride her "first amusement ride", a little train that went up and down.
After that we headed to the Field of Dream exhibit. You walk around various exhibits and the children get to carry baskets and "pick" apples, strawberries and blueberries. Then the children turn them in for money and then use that money to buy a bag of goodies. As with last year, when it came time to hand over the basket, Lillian was none too happy about it and promptly sat on the ground. She was not interested in buying her goodie bag either - she wanted to pick more fruit. She did eat the apple and peanuts that were inside the goodie bag though.
We made our way over to the petting zoo. Lillian knew just what to do (I guess hanging out at Grandma & Grandpa's farm has taught her well.) She fed the goats carrot chips and petted several and even hugged a tiny baby goat. She was not sure about feeding the camel though.
When we left the petting zoo, Lillian shouted, "I want to go on a RIDE!" Joe and I were hungry so we said we would eat first and then do rides. Joe got his usual Jumbo Turkey Leg, I got a falafel sandwich, we all shared a lemonade and sweet potato fries. When we were done eating, it began to rain so we headed inside one of the buildings. Every time we went inside a building, Lillian would announce, ""I don't want to be in here." So off to the rides we went.
The first rode she went on was the swings with daddy. I did not think she would do well and I told Joe to keep a tight grip on her. But she loved it. She also rode a caterpillar roller coaster with daddy and some twirly cars with mommy. When we ran out of ride tickets, she was a bit upset so we high-tailed it out of the kiddie ride area.
Riding the swings:
Lillian definitely fits in with her parents attitude with the fair: petting zoo, fair food, rides and the weather must be cool. The best part of the fair for me was this exchange:
"Put that cup on my tray Daddy!" That was the response Lillian shouted at Daddy when she saw the ice cream from the NCSU booth. Really it's the best deal at the fair - $4 for all that ice cream.
We found a play set and Lillian had fun on that. Actually all three of us did - the twisty slide was very fun! Lillian even got to ride her "first amusement ride", a little train that went up and down.
After that we headed to the Field of Dream exhibit. You walk around various exhibits and the children get to carry baskets and "pick" apples, strawberries and blueberries. Then the children turn them in for money and then use that money to buy a bag of goodies. As with last year, when it came time to hand over the basket, Lillian was none too happy about it and promptly sat on the ground. She was not interested in buying her goodie bag either - she wanted to pick more fruit. She did eat the apple and peanuts that were inside the goodie bag though.
We made our way over to the petting zoo. Lillian knew just what to do (I guess hanging out at Grandma & Grandpa's farm has taught her well.) She fed the goats carrot chips and petted several and even hugged a tiny baby goat. She was not sure about feeding the camel though.
When we left the petting zoo, Lillian shouted, "I want to go on a RIDE!" Joe and I were hungry so we said we would eat first and then do rides. Joe got his usual Jumbo Turkey Leg, I got a falafel sandwich, we all shared a lemonade and sweet potato fries. When we were done eating, it began to rain so we headed inside one of the buildings. Every time we went inside a building, Lillian would announce, ""I don't want to be in here." So off to the rides we went.
The first rode she went on was the swings with daddy. I did not think she would do well and I told Joe to keep a tight grip on her. But she loved it. She also rode a caterpillar roller coaster with daddy and some twirly cars with mommy. When we ran out of ride tickets, she was a bit upset so we high-tailed it out of the kiddie ride area.
Riding the swings:
Lillian definitely fits in with her parents attitude with the fair: petting zoo, fair food, rides and the weather must be cool. The best part of the fair for me was this exchange:
"Put that cup on my tray Daddy!" That was the response Lillian shouted at Daddy when she saw the ice cream from the NCSU booth. Really it's the best deal at the fair - $4 for all that ice cream.
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