Mama and Me

Dear my bloggy friends,

Today was so exciting! It was jam packed and all about me!! This morning I slept in until 6:30. Mama and Daddy were fretting when they realized the "mama, I get down" alarm didn't go off. I laughed because I had to remind them that it was a no school day! Yeah!

At 8:00 we headed to my school for a parent teacher conference. Mama and Daddy were a little shy being in front of my teachers since we were the only people in the classroom, but I told them it would be okay. Those teachers of mine are sneaky! They told Mama and Daddy that I eat all of my food AND that I am one of the best helpers at clean up time. Now I have to do this at home. Geez...when does a princess catch a break? They also gave away one of my secrets. Mama and Daddy thought I was a genius because I knew all of the animal movements in the book "From Head to Toe" the first time they read it to me. Well, that's because it is my favorite book at school! I love school so much. Every weekend I talk about my teacher Nina. I love her!! But I didn't want mama and daddy to think I love her more than them so I pretended to not like when she held me this morning:

After the conference Daddy had to go to work. Mama kept going on and on about how I had a doctor's appointment and how much fun it would be. I was getting excited!! First we had to stop at her work because Mama forgot her cell phone. I would never lose a cell phone if she gave me one. I'm eyeing an Iphone 'cause I could also watch Elmo videos. Anyways, all the people at her work wanted to meet me. They were okay. This Kelly lady gave me a sticker so she's my favorite. Mama's desk was pretty boring. I don't know where she keeps her finger paints, but she does have a lot of stickers. I made sure her chair was working correctly and spun around a couple times:

After work, Mama seemed kind of tired and I was hungry so we went to a cafe. I made her get yucky coffee. I got yummy milk, a muffin and a banana.

Then we went to the doctor because I'm 2 years old. Mama got me so excited that I ran down the hallway saying "yay doctor!!" The nurse laughed at me. I'm not sure why. I loved all the fishies in the tank. The doctor was very nice and she said I did really well. There was some sort of talk about how I was like mama and only in the 30th percentile for height. The doctor also told mommy to ignore tantrums as much as possible. Ignore me?! Why would anyone say that? I'm screaming and throwing myself on the ground for a reason, people! I wish I never said "Yay doctor!" Then this lady came in and gave me shots. Mama asked for a sesame street sticker to feel better.

Once we got home it was nap time. Mama said I could nap with her. Do you know mama naps any free day at home? She says she wishes work had nap time like my school. I'd rather not take a nap. Mama was almost asleep when I decided to rock her to sleep by jumping near her head. Darnit if her bed doesn't have bars around it! I fell on the floor. I decided to give up helping mama sleep and take a nap.

After nap time we headed to the park. Mama said we could stop at the Cake Eater Kids Happy Hour for a $.50 cent cupcake. I got a cupcake because Mama got one. It was okay. I ate the whole thing. The best part was licking my fingers.
I wore my raincoat on our walk since it was drizzling. Mama thought I fell in the puddle in the street, but I meant to do it. I like jumping in puddles.
I told Mama she couldn't go down the slide because it was too wet. I had to stand on the steps to stop her from going up the slide.
Once we left the park, I decided to try this ignore tantrums thing. I cried the entire 3 blocks, and I must say, Mama deserves a sticker. She carried me home and ignored me the whole time even when I screamed so loud that 2 people came out of their houses to make sure I was okay. She told me I'm not allowed to test her at Uncle Mister Christopher's wedding. I'm not sure what that means...I think it is up to me when I get to test her ignoring skills.
Well, that was the Mama and Me day. It was great fun. I can't wait for the next one.

Love

Penelope

P.S. Mama says this is inspired by some guy named Mercer Mayer who writes kids books that she used to read. I don't know anything about that. I just wanted to tell you about my day.

Emma's Hope

This past Saturday we went to Emma's Hope in Pepin WI. Emma is a neuroblastoma survivor. Her family has been doing a 5K walk in their small town for 10 years in honor of her. They've raised over $150,000! So amazing! The whole town is involved. There are just over 800 people in the town and I bet almost all of them were doing the walk or helping out in some way. A group of us went down for the 10th anniversary.

Pepin WI is really beautiful. Lake Pepin is not a lake actually. It is where the Mississippi gets wide enough that the water is very slow. What is surprising is there are train tracks right along the river. 32 trains go through a day! It takes you back to how it must have been when trains were the main source of shipping.
A family picture. It was maybe 60 degrees so we broke out the hoodies.
The CCRF staff visiting Pepin

Libbi and Penelope giving hugsPenelope fell in love with the balloons
Afterwards we had a small birthday picnic for Penelope. The Pepin playground has many of the old equipment deemed too dangerous, but is so much more fun than the new stuff. I LOVED these types of merry go rounds when I was a kid. Penelope enjoyed it too.
What a busy day!! Penelope missed the scenic route and sleeping baby gives chris an excuse to not stop at every quaint town and scenic overlook. It is a really beautiful drive.

I DO IT!!!

Before Penelope's 2nd birthday she'd often tell us she would do something by pushing our hand away and saying "No, me me me me." On her 2nd birthday she was opening presents and said repeatedly "I DO IT!!" It has now become her favorite words. Also, the web cam has been a great gift. Penelope has been able to play peek a boo with both sets of grandparents and Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Christopher.

On her actual birthday I picked Penelope up from a very exciting day of school. Her teacher's gave her a new book and little musical clackers. The best part for Penelope was the pink gift bag. Anything that looks like a purse catches her eye. So we went grocery "chopping" at the co-op and she carried around a pink sparkly gift bag and sung "we go chopping". I got many "She's so cute!" comments.

Then we took Penelope to the Cake Eater Bakery. Penelope ate a smore cupcake, I had a pumpkin chocolate and Chris had a dark chocolate kahula creme. I told Penelope she'll have to wait another 19 birthdays before she could have that one.
"Yummy cupcake! I didn't even have to share with mommy!"
Daddy and Penelope running home to eat dinner. Yes, we had cake before dinner and then presents. It was a great 2nd birthday.

Two amazing years

Dear Penelope,

You've given me the best 2 years ever. It's hard to believe it has been a whole 2 years since I first held you. Every morning I smile when I hear "mama mama, I get down, mama mama" even when it is only 5:30. You've also won over your daddy. The other day he said "We must have a really cute kid. Everyone always says she is so cute. I've never stopped a stranger to tell them they've got a cute kid and people do it all the time for Penny." I didn't bother to tell him that the majority of women and grandfatherly aged men comment on stranger's kids adorableness on a daily basis.

So here's a snapshot of what you are like right now:

You love: Elmo, cookie monster, peas, salty foods, skinimarink (especially yelling boop boop be doo at the end), stickers, walking Cece, the big kid's playground, the neighbor's battery powered car, cupcakes, KITTIES (I'm very afraid she is going to be a crazy cat lady if we don't get her a cat during childhood), dancing, Milk, water, playing in the drivers' seat of mama's car, coloring, apples, fishies, your teacher Nina and school friends, shopping, ABCs, sesame street videos on the computer

You dislike: Mama wiping your nose, bedtime, 'ot foods (hot), oranges, watermelon, Cece barking, the vacuum cleaner, sitting in the stroller, hair brushing

I can tell you are turning 2 years old. Here's why:

Independence--Oh my goodness, your mama is going to either learn patience or pull all her hair out! You want to do everything on your own. That includes climbing into your car seat, dragging the stool around the house so you can switch on the lights (heavens forbid mama turns on the lights in the morning), and unscrewing the top on the gallon of bubbles. But then there are things that totally surprise us. Like this weekend I gave you your cereal at 6 am when you demanded it, then I went back to bed. Fifteen minutes later Chris and I heard you get down from your chair, pad into the kitchen, put your bowl and spoon into the sink and then come to our bedroom and announce "all done! manos mama (wash hands)" You've been putting your bowl in the sink every day since.

A little mimic--Just like you observed us putting our dishes in the sink, you also pick up on every word we say. Good thing I never curse! You've copied me say "oh no" "shoot" and "oh my goodness" You convince your elmo doll to eat his food with the same tone of voice we use with you. And we realized we need to stop scolding Cece in front of you. You are quite good at saying "no no cece. 'Top! Cece 'top!" (stop)

Staller--We can already tell you are going to be an expert at this very soon. The moment we start getting ready for bed you say "waler, agua?" "potty?" "book?" "sit, mama, daddy sit?" You usually do convince me to do a few snuggle moments together, like tonight.

We love you Miss Princess Penelope Pooper Pea!!!

Mostly Wordless Wednesday

Check out this apple we bought at the co-op. We were totally surprised to see it was bright pink in the middle.I'm not sure of the name. I'll have to look for it again. It tasted like an apple flavored sour punch. It made my tastebuds numb. If you do want to try a new apple, I recommend the Sweetango. Brought to you from the same University of Minnesota group that created the Honeycrisp. (By the way, this isn't genetic modification, just hybridizing of apples. Genetic modification means they take two different types of species that would have no chance of coming together in nature and forcing them together. I know things like this from Michael Pollan's documentary The Botany of Desire. I highly recommend it!)

Flirty by Thirty*

Okay, so I'm putting my goals out here in blog land. Thirty is coming up in a year so I'm sort of treating this as my new year, or the beginning of the Laura fiscal year if you will. The Pioneer Woman recently posted top 10 important reminders about blogging. One of them was only talk about things you'd tell your sister. Well, many times my sister and I don't agree on things, but if there is one subject we can talk about forever it would be our struggles with weight.

For the past 6 years I've let go of a lot of body issues I had for years. From about the middle of 6th grade I weighed myself every day no matter what. I can still recall my weight from each big day--first days of school, homecomings, proms, opening nights of shows (especially dance shows!) and on and on. Even during the 3 months in Scotland Jennifer and I bought a scale.The crazy thing was that I was at a completely healthy weight and only yo-yo'd up and down 10 pounds. Some of my friends dealt with major eating disorders that required medical intervention. Mine was never like that. I'd count every calorie, point, fat gram and go for mass quantity of fat free crap with no taste for a few weeks and then binge like you wouldn't believe. I was really active all through high school and college, but obsessed! Now I realize how annoying it is to hear someone talk about weight and exercise all the time. Ridiculously boring and self centered to hear someone discuss the 30 extra calories between a low fat eggo waffle and a fat free eggo waffle. (That was an actual discussion I had with a friend in ninth grade). Or just as annoying, announce to the world that since "I only biked 10 miles today I'll only have a half a slice of pizza". Ugh! But many days that was the main subject revolving in my brain. I left college with the ability to estimate the calories, WW points, fat grams and fiber of almost any food.

And then something changed. I'm not sure what exactly. I found more exciting things in life maybe. For the first time I surrounded myself with people who were not calorie obsessed. I started to realize food could taste good and not even think about the calories. I hate to say "I let myself go." I don't think of it like that. It felt freeing in a way. The fact that Chris and I went 3 years without having a scale in our house was a big accomplishment. However, in the first couple of years of marriage I put on 10 pounds every year. This was about the point I got pregnant. It dawned on me how bad my body image was because I loved shopping while pregnant. It was the first time I didn't scrutinize myself in the dressing room. As a pregnant woman I looked like the women in the maternity store ads. I looked how I was "supposed" to look!

So now 30 is creeping up. And, most importantly, I have a beautiful daughter. I want to master this mentally and physically before she follows in my crazy footsteps. Early this spring 3 people asked me when I was due. The thing that shocked me is that I lost all the baby weight right after she was born. I was at my pre-pregnancy high weight with a very different shaped body. At night I'd lie in bed and hear my dance teacher from high school "Laura, you've got to be careful. You pop out a few kids and with those hips you'll earn the nickname Miss Saddlebags" I'm NOT exaggerating on that one. I remember the whole dance room went silent, and he sort of mumbled an apology about how he was trying to help me out. To think I was 25 lbs smaller than I am now when he said that...

Well, anyways, once I figured out in April that my BMI was closer to the obese range than the overweight range I signed up for Weight watchers. Unlike in past years when I told the world of every diet I was trying, I told maybe 3 people. I was determined to not get obsessed with the points, but use the program to help with my moderation. I eat foods I love (banoffee pie for instance), but I eat one small slice, and I make better fruit and vegetable choices. Now that I've lost enough weight to be noticeable, I've told more people I'm on WW. I get more questions about how much I've lost every week, which I hate. It took me 4 months to lose 9 lbs and now I've plateaued there for 2 months. I'm happy about that. It has to be slow and steady. The goal is not to hit 30 with 30 lbs less and go eat like a pig for 5 years again. The goal is to change my lifestyle...and not feel a need to tell everyone about every 1/2 lb I lose and every calorie I consume.

Wow, this was not meant to be so long...here's my goals:

Run a 5K--I'm doing the couch to 5K program. I start week 3 this Wednesday. My friends and I are registering for a 5K in November so there's a goal.

Reach a BMI of 22--This is about 18 lbs from where I am now. I think I should be able to do this in a year, but any weight off is a good step. I'm about 7 lbs away from being back in the normal range.

Lower my cholesterol--The irony is that I had my cholesterol checked last September and it was fine. Now I've lost 9 lbs and it is in the high range. Maybe those 3 winter months of cooking my way through the Pioneer Woman cookbook can attribute to the rise.

Don't wait until the goal weight--Now this one doesn't have a number. I remember for years saying "I'll do _____ once the scale is at ___. I'll be happy when that I get to that weight" Deep down I knew I had other issues besides my weight. I often wonder if I'd sabotage my diets because I was scared to reach the goal weight and find out I still didn't like myself. I need to make an effort every day. A ponytail and sort of fitting clothes every day just isn't acceptable. Stapling my pants as a hem just isn't going to cut it.

This blog won't turn into a weight blog. There are crazy ones out there where women take pictures of every piece of food they put in their mouth every day, except when they binge and then it is a "I hate myself. What's wrong with me?" blog. I hope I'm past that mentality. One very strong benefit about working for a children's cancer non-profit is every day I read and interact with families dealing with the worst situations imaginable. It has helped me maintain a perspective I never had before. I'll probably post occasionally about my goals/wins/challenges, and things I've learned, but other than that it will be the normally scheduled programming of cute Penelope photos.

*By the way, I'm not planning to flirt with anyone but Chris. It is more of me liking myself and feeling good and healthy. "Dirty thirty" doesn't quite do it.

A wonderful birthday

Here's a play by play of an absolutely wonderful birthday.

5:30 am--Penelope wakes up to celebrate. I could have used a little more sleep. Chris got her some oatmeal, and we tried to snooze a little more.

6:15--Opening presents in the living room. Chris gave me an iPod a few weeks ago. He couldn't handle the wait. My last iPod had an unhappy ending with an exploding applesauce in the diaper bag. My parents sent a really nice video camera. They must want me to start vlogging...or maybe they want to talk to Penelope. Nah, they want to see me, I'm sure. My mother-in-law sent a great journal called My Quotable Kid. She even put a photo of Penelope in the front. I already have things I want to write in it.

7:00--Eating at Colossal Cafe. The irony is they can barely fit 14 people. This cafe didn't quite live up to the hype. There's always lines waiting to order, and it has been on Diners Drive Ins and Dives. I didn't find the famous flapper (a yeasty pancake) to be worth the rave reviews.
8:00--Garage Sale Heaven!! We hit the jackpot. I made Chris do a u-turn when I saw a little red wagon. Turns out the wagon wasn't for sale, but they had tons of kid's clothes. I got about a dozen 2T outfits suitable for fall and winter for $4. Score!

10:00--Target Children's Book Fair. It was much bigger than I expected, but the crowds were pretty lite. Penelope was very excited to take a bus from the parking lot to the fair. We watched a half hour of Lambchop. Chris had to explain why Lambchop is a cultural icon because I've never seen the old show. It is the daughter of the creator who now tours with Lambchop. She had a great singing voice, even if her jokes were pretty lame. At one point she called all the kids onto the stage. Penelope started running up there, but once we got there she changed her mind. We stood on the edge and participated. See us below in the yellow box.
Then we spent a couple of hours running around the festival. All sorts of great crafts, performers and books books books. They had great little book nooks all decked out in the Target logo. We had a great time reading books together.

Noon: all of that advertising must have worked because we headed to Target for some grocery shopping. Penelope loves to go "chopping" Every day after day care she asks "We go chopping?!"

2:00 Lacey and I went shopping during Penelope's nap. I haven't seen Lacey all summer so it was great to catch up. She brought me to her heaven: TJ Maxx. I was a little overwhelmed. Sadly, we both fell in love with a Nanette Lepore suit. It was originally $750, which makes the $250 seem like a good deal. Both of us came to our senses pretty quickly. That TJ Maxx can be a dangerous place!

4:00 Back home. Chris has cleaned the house and was making dinner. Great Aunt Janet also joined us for dinner. He made some of my favorite foods: blue cheese stuffed chicken, green bean casserole (hot dish to be a real minnesotan) and banoffee pie. Very few people here know about banoffee pie. My sister and I ate it in Scotland all the time. It is toffee mixed with bananas and whip cream on top. It is a dangerous recipe. Literally dangerous, not just to the waist line. Chris had to boil two cans of sweetened condensed milk for 2 hours to make toffee pudding. If too much water evaporates there's a chance the cans will blow up. I wanted him to wear goggles just in case! It is pretty amazing to see at the end. He opened the cans and out poured caramel colored thick toffee pudding. The cans were obviously expanded...kind of scary.

The pie before the whip cream! yum yum yum

6:30--A call from Aunt Carolynne AKA Elmo. Here's the great part about having a children's librarian in the family. Carolynne started singing Elmo's Song in her best Elmo voice, and Penelope went bonkers. She loved it and was very upset when I took the phone back. What the heck did mommy have to say to Elmo?!
Penelope and Lacey had a great time.
Now here's the funniest part of my birthday. Penelope was running around the room giving all of us high fives. Then all of a sudden she shoved a closed fist at me. Chris said "I think she is trying to give you a fist bump" Sure enough, we spent 10 minutes fist bumping. Even Chris's 75 year old aunt was giving fist bumps to Penelope. I wonder what else she learns at daycare...hmmm

Recharge

By the afternoon of day 2 Operation No Diapers, it became pretty clear that she wasn't ready. I guess just because she pees and poops in the potty when she wants to does not translate into being ready for complete potty training. At one point she told me "mama, I poo poo" so I ran her to the bathroom and tried giving her some stickers to sit, despite the "NO NO NO". Well, to get her message across she leaned over and bit me. She has never bit before. Rather than create a perfect subject for a Freudian pyschotherapist, I put her in a diaper, and the day got much better. I'm sure she'll be able to master the potty by preschool.

So on day 3 I wanted to get away from the house. We drove to Richfield, a very close suburb. There is a beautiful nature preserve. I was surprised how big and beautiful it is since I've driven by many times and had no idea it was there. A nice walk through nature was the perfect thing for recharging.

Penelope checking out bugs.
Don't you love the hat? She sure does! It was a gift from her Grandma, and she wears it all the time. In fact this morning she ate her oatmeal while wearing the hat and her tutu pulled over her pajamas.
The beautiful boardwalk. It squeaks and creaks a lot so it was a little unnerving.
Penelope is on an anti-stroller kick. She does NOT want to ride in the stroller, but halfway through the walk she also didn't want to wear shoes. The boardwalk had recently been targeted by Canadian Geese so walking barefoot was not an option. Sorry to any birdwatchers who had to deal with my screeching child as I buckled her in the stroller!

Can I get an X-ray over here?

Penelope must have the largest bladder ever!! We started potty training at 6:30 am, and she went pee 3 times by 7 pm. I know her diapers get really really full, but when Chris and I saw the actual amount of pee all over the bathroom floor we were shocked. Maybe she was holding it from the potty training pressure? I kept telling myself "Michelle Duggar has done this with 18 kids. I can do it with one!"

I guess I'm starting early by today's standards. 6 months ago she started playing potty with her little potty in the bathroom. Then she peed in it and for a month or two was peeing pretty regularly at home and school, but that stopped around July. Last week she said "poo poo" and ran to the potty. Twice in one week she told me, and we made it to the potty in time. She fits every readiness check list I've found. She even wakes up dry in the morning and after naps. And boy, she hates dirty diapers. She cried on our walk the other night because I couldn't change her diaper right then and there. The one checklist exception---"Child is in a positive state and does not say no to everything." I'm afraid how long I'll have to wait for this positive state!

All my mom friends have told me to take a potty training vacation week. Well, I don't have vacation time to devote to that...you know, brother's wedding and family beach vacation kind of takes precedence. So I thought I'd capitalize on the long weekend. I told Chris "Okay, tomorrow we are not going anywhere. We can maybe put her in a dress and go outside if it is warm enough, but other than that we are home." He was on board...until we had to put it into practice. Let's just say the day didn't start well. She threw the biggest tantrum about not wearing a diaper. I mean 30 minutes of screaming at 6 a.m. and did not want anything to do with big girl panties. At least in 10 years she won't have to hear "And when you were little you wanted to run around naked all day long" like my sister and I heard for years. After naptime we negotiated pajama shorts, which seems okay to me since she can pull them up and down. Rather than give you a play by play of the peeing, let's just say there was a lot of pee next to the potty. She did lots of sitting, except at the right time when she'd stand and cry. Maybe too much pressure from mommy and daddy? By the end of the day, our marital bliss was on the rocks (did I mention it was our anniversary?). Chris couldn't believe we really weren't going to enjoy the beautiful day, and we had both OD'd on Barney, Dora, and the 4 books Penelope wanted us to read over and over again. Once she finally went pee at 5:30, we went for a walk around the neighborhood. If tomorrow isn't better I guess I'll give it a few more months...

Here's a video of us by mid afternoon when we had lost our heads. One book gave a tip to give kids salty foods so they'll drink more. I didn't know 1 pretzel M&M could create that much blue dye!

The Little Minnesota Get Together

Okay, all of you in AZ, NY, VA, could you please tell me if you know where the state fairs are held in those states? I'm pretty sure AZ is in Phoenix just because I never heard of it happening in Tucson. Is VA in Richmond? NY somewhere upstate? The state fairs never seemed to be a big deal in any other place I've lived, but here in MN it is a BIG deal. It is known as the The Great Minnesota Get Together and for 2 weeks out of the year all you hear about is the fair. I've decided there are very defined groups of people:

1. The people will go every year at least once, sometimes more, and will often take a day of vacation from work. My unscientific poll has found that all of these people are born and raised Minnesotans. I haven't found one transplanted person who is a fair aficionado, which makes me think there is childhood nostalgia playing a big part in group #1.

2. The people who never go or go every 5 or so years and then remember why they don't go to the fair every year.

3. My coworker told me there's one more set. The people who fall into group 2 but have kids so they end up becoming group 1 for a few years.

I fall into group 2. I want to like the fair. It's good wholesome family fun with tons of animals, food and music. What's not to like? Chris and I went 2 years ago. We went early in the morning to beat the crowds. The best exhibit by far was the Miracle of Life center. They put a bunch of ready-to-pop mama animals in a huge building so you either see some really uncomfortable animals, animals giving birth, or babies. I loved it! Then as we were leaving the fair I saw the huge crowds and lines for that building and thought about those poor mamas. No privacy! And what kind of therapy do those babies require after being born in front of a whole bunch of gawking, furless, 2-legged animals? As for the rest of our vist, we ate as much fried food as we could stand at 9 am, wandered around the chicken/cow/horse barns, looked at all the blue ribbon food and craft winners and saw Miss Milky Way's head carved out of butter. No joke! That's a real pageant and the winner has her head carved out of butter! I will say it was worth it that one time, but I don't feel a need to go every year.

I am tempted to go just for the food. Every year the the newspapers/tv/radio spend a huge amount of time oulining what is the next winning fair food on a stick. Move over world news, we've stuck a corndog wrapped in pizza on a stick! At least this year they thought globally and included a camel meatball on a stick. If it wasn't for the Star Tribune posting the calories before the fair I might have headed over to the fairgrounds after hearing about the new foods. I mean who can resist a french toast sandwich with peanut butter and chocolate, or a fried pork chop on a stick (supposedly amazing!) or maybe the old favorites like a pronto pup (think corn dog, but doughnut batter!). Thankfully I read that fried cheese curds--an absolute must--pack 88 grams of fat!! Woowee! I chose an outdoor yoga class at Lake Harriet over the state fair last Saturday.

So anyways we didn't go this year. I can't imagine it'd be that much fun for a 2 year old. Have you ever sat in the vantage point of a stroller? You'd see a lot of large behinds headed to the food stands the whole time. I know in a few years we will fall into group #3, but do I really need to shell out ridiculous prices to ride a jumbo slide with this one does the trick?

At the fair it costs $2 to go down the big slide. This one was free and no lines...that could be because I took these pictures at 6:30 am. EEK! She's such an early bird.
And no need to go see hundreds of show animals when we've got our lovely companion! (When was the last time Cece was on the blog? And a picture of just her? Poor ignored pup)

To ease my guilt of not being a fair lover, I was very excited when I heard my friend Alise was throwing a Family Fest at her day care. Alise ran the first day care Penelope attended. She has now moved to a different part of town into a much better facility. The highlight of Family Fest was the petting zoo:

Penelope especially liked this mini baby goat. Just her size
Maybe she'll be a rodeo queen? I guess we'd have to go to Tucson for that.
"Hey! Why have you never given me corn dogs before? These are scrumptious!"
hmmm...tons of animals and she kept going back to the dog. She is just like her mama.
Penelope was quite attracted to the llama. Thankfully he was a pretty patient guy and put up with her yelling "HELLO LLAMA!!! LLLAMMMMA! HELLOOOOO"
"Llama do you want to dance?"
"Mama, check out this llama!" She then decided to check out his teeth and finally got a reaction from him, which then led to tears...sigh.

My friend Julie met us there with her son Wyatt. He's a few months younger than Penelope. He was not really interested in the animals so we went up to the playground. I call this a "posed shot". If I get 2 kids in a picture at the same time it is a success! Wyatt's the strong silent type--a good match for my chatterbox :)

I had to include this picture since it has Julie in the background. I got 1 photo with someone over 2 years old!