Weekend at Grandma's!

I'm not sure where my mom, dad or puppy were this weekend.  All I know is that they missed all the fun!  I was at Grandma and Grandpa's all weekend, playing in the pool and going to the zoo with Aunt Liz and Uncle Aaron.  I love the water, and was quite happy to spend the whole weekend working on my doggy paddle.

I'm a water baby, for sure!

My mom was suddenly at Grandma's house when we got back from a baby shower Sunday afternoon.  Still not much explanation of where she had been or how she got to Grandma's house... but I hear she was with my favorite Mandy in NYC playing dress-up!  I can't imagine why I wasn't invited.

My favorite Mandy!

Mom, Mandy and Aunt Betsy were looking for "The Dress," which is silly.  There are millions of dresses out there - I must have twenty in my closet alone!  So why they were looking for THE dress instead of A dress is beyond me.  Grown-ups are beyond silly.  But I hear they had fun, even though the search for THE dress is still on!

Ayuh, Been to Maine

My mom tells me this was a bumper sticker on the water heater of the outdoor shower in Brewster for a long time.  I don't know what any of that means, except that it's some sort of New England-y way of saying "Been there, done that."  I wouldn't know, since I'm only a toddler and I'm a Marylander through and through.  That said, we flew to Maine this weekend to visit Uncle Parke and Aunt Sarah!  Here is our weekend in pictures:


Uncle Parke has the best dogs in Maine!



Me and Jenny!
Don't listen to her, we are BFF's.

There are slides in Maine!

Shoulder ride with Uncle Parke

Asleep in The Bob (aka best stroller ever)
during our three-mile hike.

Oh no! The John Deere-o-saurus is eating Uncle Parke!

MaryAnne the Steam Shovel
(for Grammy)

My new BFF, Norman. 
Just before he knocked me over.

Although it is not pictured above, we also spent a lot of time eating cake, chasing dogs, napping, reading and playing in the pool.  It was a fantastic weekend!

Why Don't We Slide

Oh my gosh, friends.  I was all prepared to sit down this evening to tell you about my fabulous weekend.  But boy did my mom have a surprise for me!  So very briefly, I had a fantastic playdate with my friend Danny on Saturday.  Danny's mom and mine play really nicely together, so we encourage these playdates.  On Sunday my weekend got even better - we met Auntie Maria and her friend Jarrett in Severn to go swimming in the Severn River!  The water was delightfully warm, and I LOVED splashing, kicking and blowing bubbles.

If it's possible, my weekend got even BETTER today - Monday of all days!  When I got home from school today, there was a big surprise waiting for me.  A new slide!!!  Even before it was put together, I had fun sitting on the slide.

 I sat on the unassembled slide for a few minutes, just to test it out.

 Then I checked out the box to make sure we had all the parts on the lawn and ready to go.

 Next, I read the instructions out loud - in Spanish!

Then I helped turn the screws to make it sturdy.  And finally, it was ready!  As soon as that slide was attached, I was up on the platform and ready to go.  Here's a video of my first trip down:

I LOVE MY NEW SLIDE!

Summer 2011 Lookbook

Tutu shown with diaper

Tiara shown with orange sandals



Uggs shown with romper



Sweater dress shown with MaryJanes

Oven mitts shown with sundress

Let's Dance!

My fabulous Aunt Betsy was in town this week for a microbiology conference.  That sure sounds like a fascinating bunch of people!  I'm not sure how, but Betsy managed to drag herself away from the microbiologists for a few hours Friday night to have dinner with me (and my mom and dad).  I found a delightful little French bistro on Urban Spoon, and made a reservation through Open Table.  I'm a whiz with iPhone technology, as anyone who answers my frequent phone calls should know!  Dinner was fabulous, complete with crepes and several rousing renditions of (my favorite) Ring Around the Rosie.  Everyone in the restaurant just loved me!

On Saturday, I packed up my mom, dad and dog and took them for a walk around the neighborhood.  I held onto Riesling's leash very tightly so she wouldn't run away.  I'm very responsible like that.

Need a dog walker?

 On Saturday night, I chose to stay home with Auntie Maria and her friend Jarrett while Mom and Dad went to another wedding.  There are so many weddings this year!  This one was for Dad's buddy, John, and his wonderful wife, Kerry.  Mom and Dad were really impressed by the beautiful reception site - where they went down into a silo to get to the dancefloor!

My mom and dad are pretty cute, just like me!

I hear the dancing was fantastic.  I could have shown all the guests a few moves, but it looks like Dad held his own on the floor.  He even shared a dance with the groom - pretty silly if you ask me. 

My dad's a pretty good dancer

On Sunday, we relaxed as a family and enjoyed the beautiful weather.  It's been gorgeous here in Maryland!  I hope it lasts all summer!

My Best Friend

I love my dog, Riesling (or Eeeh as I sometimes call her).  She is so much fun to play with!  I know she loves me too, because she played my favorite game with me and Dad yesterday:

I'm such a lucky girl!

Love and Laughter

My wonderful family came together to celebrate the marriage of my Auntie Liz to my Uncle Vin this weekend.  It was a wonderful weekend filled with lots of laughter and even more love.  I was one of the flower girls, and I took my job very seriously.  I even picked a few flowers to make good on my title. 

I just adore my cousin Emily!

I loved having a chance to finally meet so many of my relatives on my dad's side.  He has some pretty fabulous aunts, uncles and cousins.  They all showered me with hugs and kisses, which isn't surprising.  I'm pretty adorable.

Congrats, Liz & Vin!

We are so happy for the new Mr. & Mrs. 

Thank you for letting my mom, dad and me share in your special day!

May Recap

May 2011:
Well, I haven't been great about keeping up with this, but Laura is cute as ever.  Recently:

• Laura just got a tricycle from Grammy and Grampy.  She can't work the pedals quite yet, but she loves being pushed on it.
• For the past month or so, Laura says "Cheee-az!" and clinks her sippy to our glasses as a toast.
• Laura still isn't saying a ton of words, but she communicates fairly well.  She has added "Gall Gah" to her hand signals when she's through eating, and she nods her head very earnestly to say "Please."
• She can point out several body parts and has said "head" a few times.
• Laura loves playing Ring Around the Rosie, most notably at Auntie Liz's wedding over Memorial Day. She also bit a friend at school when he decided he was through ringing the rosie.
• Laura was one of the flower girls (the cutest?) at Auntie Liz's wedding!
• Laura says "Hot!" and blows on her food when it's still too warm.
• We walked outside the other day to get to school, and Laura yelled "HOT!" and started blowing to try to cool down the atmosphere.  If only that worked!
• Laura loves shoes, bags, jackets, hair ties - basically any accessory she can find.  She says "Sha" for shoe from time to time.
• Laura loves her dinosaur book, and will find it if you ask her for it.  She has even said "die-saur" a few times.
• We are going through a bit of a bratty toddler phase right now with lots of tantrums, obstinance, and some pushing and biting.  I can't wait to get out of this phase.
• Laura has started saying "baby," and I think she uses it when referring to herself.