New Bling

As if life isn't exciting enough...Mom decided to surprise me today and took me to get my ears pierced thanks to a promise Titi Nery made.  You should have seen my reaction when Mom pulled up to Sydney b. and told me the news.  I was smiling from ear to ear, but unfortunately the reaction was short lived.  I quickly survived getting earring number one put in, but number two didn't go so smoothly.  After realizing that there was some pain involved there was no way, no how that I was allowing the lady to touch my other ear.  I screamed and cried until I was all out of tears.  It was such a scene that all four clerks as well as some nice customers were trying to convince me it was okay.  They were bribing me with lollipops and stickers, and sharing stories from when they got their ears pierced.  Ryan even brought me tons of stuffed animals from around the store.  There was nothing they could have said or done to make things better; however, Mom was finally able to settle me down, and we took a break, grabbing a taco for lunch.  Afterwards I decided I was ready to give it another shot, but as soon as I stepped back into the store and that gun came out I was done.  After another 20 minutes or so Mom took me for a walk and explained that it was now or never, and I could tell she meant business.  With only one shot left I put on a brave face (with a slight quivering lip) and buried my head in Mom's shoulder.  I never even felt the second earring go in, but as soon as the lady cheered that I had done it, I screamed and cried again like never before.  I calmed down quickly this time around though, and fell instantly in LOVE with my new earrings.  The pain was gone, and my ears were beautiful!!!  Everyone was so happy it was over, and all of the nice customers came up to Mom and congratulated her on a job well done even though I did all of the work.  After almost two and a half hours it was finally time for us to leave.  I thanked the clerk and let her know that piercing my ears was "actually kind of fun" which was followed by shock and a lot of laughter from everyone involved.  I'm definitely glad it is over, but I'm sooooooooo glad that I did it!!!   

I DID IT!!!

After riding a bike sans training wheels a bit last year, I was hesitant to get back up and try again this year.  It took some convincing (and bribing me with ice cream), but I'm happy to say I DID IT!!!  I'm still a bit shaky on the corners, and we're still working on getting started all on my own, but I've got the rest of it down pat.  On a side as well, I must say I look pretty stylin' cruising around with my princess helmet on here in our world!

Exploring Door County

With another day of forecasted blah ahead of us, we dressed for the occasion, and headed up to Door County.  Someone was definitely watching over us, because the weather couldn't have been nicer as we made our way from destination to destination.  We started bright and early at The Farm in Sturgeon Bay feeding the goats, and this year we even got to milk one.  Mom got slimed by a giant bull, and we discovered a whole litter of kittens which stole the show.  Next stop was PC Junction in Baileys Harbor where we enjoyed having our food delivered via train. After stuffing our bellies it was onto shopping.  We visited lots of shops where the rule was "don't touch anything", but after a while we needed a break so we headed to Wilson's in Ephraim for some yummy ice cream.  We finished our journey at Wood Orchard Market in Egg Harbor where after snacking on apples and cherry doughnuts we raced around the giant red apple.  Door County is always an adventure here in our world!

Bay Beach

With a not so nice forecast ahead of us we headed to Green Bay to try and squeeze in Bay Beach Amusement Park on Friday evening.  Squeeze is an understatement, considering it rained before we got there and it stormed right after we left.  We couldn't have timed it more perfect, and we enjoyed some of our favorites as well as some new rides in the few hours we were there.  The bugs, planes, helicopters, boats, train, and race cars were fun; however, the giant blue slide was amazing as we flew down on burlap sacks.  We weren't quite tall enough to ride by ourselves so Mom and Dad graciously volunteered to make the trek with us.  For some reason Dad got stuck and he and Lily barely made it down, but Mom and I flew over ever hump.  Lily got to brave the blue monster twice (the second time with Mom) just so she could experience the full effect.  Lily also gave the swings a whirl flying around in circles.  Our last experiment was the Scrambler which whips you around super fast.  I was a bit afraid as we climbed aboard along with Dad, but Lily was ready and raring to go.  As soon as the ride started there was a role reversal with me loving every second of it, and Lily crying in fear as we flew around.  She survived tears and all, but the helicopters were more her speed as Dad and I took another spin on the Scrambler because once just wasn't enough here in our world! 

Big Wand = Big Bubbles

Have big wand, blow big bubbles...it is as simple as that!

Sharks and Sting Rays

Today we headed to the zoo with a bunch of Daddy's friends from Athletico.  We thought that we had seen everything our zoo had to offer, but boy were we wrong.  Today, we got to explore a new exhibit where we actually got to pet sharks and sting rays.  Our little arms were too short to reach the sharks, but plenty of sting rays came right up to us.  Who knew they were so slimy and rubbery?!?!  We left AMAZED,WET, and begging to go back for more!

Hidden Gem

After hitting up the South Shore Farmers Market this morning, we decided to explore the North Shore a bit as well.  The easiest destination was Virmond Park which is right by our house so off we went.  We enjoyed the playground which is a given, but we had even more fun trekking down the trail on the bluff (or at least what we interpreted to be a trail) to the beach.  It was one of the nicest beaches on Lake Michigan that we've been to by far.  We split up walking in opposite directions, Lily hanging out with Dad, and me with Mom.  We both collected tons of amazing rocks, and I even had a few shells in my collection.  This is definitely an adventure that we will go on again here in our world!

Oh, To Be Three Again!

Over the hill and through the woods to Zach's house we will go!  Okay, not really, but we did head to our neighbor's house today to celebrate our friend, Zach's, third birthday!  It was a hot day so good thing we brought a pool, slip n' slide, and sprinkler with us or the kids may have melted.  There was tons of food, presents, and fun to be had.  For only being three, Zach sure knows how to party!!!

Life is Good

While Lily was busy at Kangaroo class today with Dad, Mom and I spent the morning taking in the sights and sounds of the zoo.   My only request was to see the fish in the lake and the monkeys with red butts.  I succeeded at this and also got to see the wolves and Willy the polar bear swimming in the underground viewing area.  These were both firsts, which is crazy considering how many times I've been to the zoo. I must have been extra good too because not only did Mom let me ride my favorite dragon on the carousel, but she also let me take a ride on the Safari Train.  Life sure is good here in our world!

Winding Down

With only a few weeks left of t-ball, I feel like I'm just warming up.  I've finally found my groove with batting and have a few sweet hits under my belt.  Mom even caught me on video (she missed the home-run I had the inning before) crushing the ball.  I almost ready for the big leagues here in our world!

Little Shopper

Typically when asked who loves to shop, the answer is undoubtedly Lily; however, Trader Joes is my kind of store, and I just can't get enough of their little red carts.  Lily actually doesn't care much for the carts as they are quite tippy, but it's nothing a little muscle can't handle.  I've been begging Mom to take me since we found out our store finally got the carts so you can imagine my reaction when she mentioned this morning that we were headed there.  By the end of the trip my cart was full, and I only tipped it once.  Watch out world, I'm becoming quite the little shopper!

Tea and Cookies

Mommy had to work today so Grandma and AJ came down to take care of us.  We had a blast building forts, playing house, and baking with my Easy Bake Oven.  We got so into it that we had a real tea party with Mommy's Chai tea, chocolate chip cookies, and red velvet cupcakes.  We even learned to drink with our pinky extended.  It was delicious!!!

4th of July Weekend

What a weekend we had up at the cottage!  We spent the last five days swimming, paddle boarding, riding in a parade, and lighting off fireworks.  Dad was able to score some stand up paddle boards to bring up with us, and they were the hit of the weekend.  Everyone LOVED the boards, although I had some reservations about riding on one for the first few days.  By day four though, Mom had convinced me to give a shot with her, and I'll admit, it was "a little bit" fun.  (Dad's bribe of ice cream from the candy store if I gave it a try didn't hurt either.)  Lily thought they were awesome, and rode on them every day, even going with Mom for a trip all the way around the lake.  The boat parade on Munger Lake was more up my alley.  I am all about comfy chairs and railings that help prevent me from falling in.  

A good majority of the weekend was spent swimming.  Lily couldn't get enough of swimming in the middle of the lake off of the paddle boards.  She was frequently heard begging to head out for a swim, so much so that by the end of the weekend we determined that she is part fish.  I preferred the comfy confines of Shay Lake, where we were able to swim with our cousins, John and James.  I even braved the deep waters, swimming all the way out to the floating raft.  We also took Wrigley swimming at the boat landing, where we managed to convince Mom to let us go in as well even though we didn't have our swimsuits on.  Good thing we had cute underwear on!  

Fireworks were another highlight of our weekend.  Uncle Robb provided quite the show and we took part in the action with pop-its and sparklers.  Lake John had their annual display as well which was quite impressive.  Along with fireworks comes darkness, which means Lily and I got to stay up way past our bedtime every night.  Long naps during the day allowed for some nighttime fun including star gazing and s'mores from the camp fire.  Throw in a manicure/pedicure for Lily thanks to AJ and Miranda, and a pet frog and turtle that we captured, and the weekend is complete here in our world!