I love parties!

Last Saturday, we went to my friend, Ayla's 4th birthday party. The theme was Princesses and Pirates, so I enjoyed wearing my crown, since I believe I am a princess.

Here I am with the adorable birthday girl, Ayla:

One of my many boyfriends, Hollis

Don't worry, Daddy- you are my one and only Prince!

Now, my Princess look is complete with the magic star wand, pink ring and bracelet.

Back to my silly self!

It's a beautiful day for the Zoo!

Even though it was sprinkling on the way down, the weather cleared when we got there and gave us a gorgeous day! I hadn't been there in 2 months so I was extremely excited about seeing my animal friends again!

Here's the beautiful sea lion:

Meerkats are fun to look at (and play a staring game with- he won):

Here is Daddy's favorite- the Gorilla

This was my reaction to the giraffes (actually it was a little yawn, but I was really happy to see them!)

"Come here, Cow" is what I kept saying to this one

The monkeys are extremely entertaining and LOUD!

Check out me and Mommy with our "baby" dinosaur friend

The "baby" dinosaur needed a kiss

I could sit and watch the fish forever!

Come on, Komodo Dragon, let's get up and go!

A Video Montage

She loves reading The Snowy Day, even in the spring:


Not sure if Mommy or Daddy taught her this, but she licks her fingers to turn the pages:


A few examples of her terrible 2-year-old personality coming out:




Showing her motherly side:


Sweet, adorable, wonderful Eleanor (but I am biased)

My Mother's Day

For a change, I'm letting Mommy write on the blog in her words instead of mine. I'm taking this break to celebrate my wonderful Mommy on her special day.

In 2 years, my life has changed immensely and I cannot imagine it without Eleanor in it. She is the light of my life and makes each day a fun, new adventure. She has taught me how to be truly patient (which was a hard one for me), love with all my heart, and how to laugh at everything. I'm not always the best with my own words (unlike my wonderful husband) so here's a poem that describes how I feel about being a mother:

Before you were conceived I wanted you
Before you were born I loved you
Before you were here an hour I would die for you
This is the miracle of life.

-Maureen Hawkins

Mommy will always hold your hand, even if there is peanut butter on it..

Thanks for the beautiful flowers and I can't wait to plant a garden of them with you!

Thanks to your wonderful preschool teachers for the gift of a beautiful picture.

My two favorite people in the whole wide world- I love you Daddy & Eleanor!

I will never let you fall in unless I am there to catch you! I had a wonderful mother's day!

Picking Strawberries

On Thursday, we were lucky to have Daddy take off work so that we could go Strawberry picking! The Bush-N-Vine Farm was the perfect location.

I'm all ready to go with my Dora bucket!

How exciting to find my first strawberry!

Yum, it smells good- can I eat it yet?

Mommy says I have to wait until she cleans it off, but I'm not upset about that.

We could be here for hours with all these rows!

Daddy and I each show off our perfect ones- I preferred to get the baby ones.

Our bucket is full- let's eat some now!

After rinsing them, I relish in the taste of the first fresh strawberry- so good!

The perfect bite

Family & Friends

Last Saturday, I went to a Pope Martin family reunion at my Great-Aunt Annette's house. It was great to spend some quality time with Cousin Memphis and see lots of family!

I really think chairs are better for standing than sitting.

Memphis loves to smile!

I was very good at this game- I think Daddy sees basketball in my future!

This game was a little more difficult for me, but Grand Daddy was trying to show me how to do it right.

Memphis and I had fun emptying out her diaper bag.

This is my thoughtful look:

This is my full-mouth, happy-eating face:

I want to be just like Daddy, so I wear his hat and his slippers.

My friend, Claire, who Mommy used to baby-sit, came over for a morning of fun. We enjoyed a nice picnic lunch..

.. and followed it up with a nice nap on the floor!

What a baby needs..

..a bottle! I've started taking really good care of my baby from getting her dressed, to giving her a bottle, and taking her for a walk in the stroller.

Even though I never took a bottle while I was a baby, I seem to like it now!

This video was taken right before I turned 2 and Mommy just wanted to show you how much I can recognize!

A beautiful day..

..to feed the ducks! On Wednesday (while I was still missing pre-school), Mommy took me to Winthrop Lake to feed the ducks and then we met Daddy for lunch there too!

Watch how I can waddle like a duck!

Come out, duckie! Your friend is looking for you!

Enjoy the duck feeding video now, but you may want to turn the volume down a little: