SCISSORS IN HAND!...
Okay, I admit that mom may get a bit excited about introducing me to big boy stuff...but I am really excited too! I have my first pair of scissors and I am holding them correctly to cut just about everything. We had the talk already about how to be safe and what was appropriate to cut, but I already knew that. I simply replied, "only paper!" Mom said to go for it. She began by holding the paper for me, but now she finds me sitting on the floor next to my art table trimming pieces of purple paper. We are working on making long cuts across the whole page now. As it turns out my scissors even came in handy in the kitchen. Mom and dad were ready to go eat, but I wanted to make Jello. I went to the pantry got it out and begged. They tried to convince me to wait, but I had a different idea. I went and got my scissors and my stool and took matters into my own hands. SNIP! Whata know...mom and dad were ready to make Jello too :) Yummy! Orange is my favorite flavor and Dad's favorite too.

UPDATE 7/28/08: I got tired of paper and decided I would try my hair. At first I thought it was really funny I ran to mom and told her what I had done. Mom heard the scissors and just assumed I was using paper. When she asked me to clarify I just made my very sad eyes and teared up a bit. It wasn't long before I buried my head in her chest. She examined the locks and ran her fingers through my hair...2 big curls wrapped right around her fingers. Lucky for me my left over curls...the ones still on my head...hide my mistake. Back to paper for me! As for the fallen curls, mom taped them up and saved them.

ZOO DAYS...
We headed to the zoo following our big circus adventure the night before. We wanted to see some more animals in action. It was a really hot day though so we got to thinking...we made it an air conditioned day at the zoo. After riding the new and improved train we visited all of the indoor exibits with others that fell along our path. The birds, fish, reptiles and amphabians were thrilled to see us back. I even made my "your a bad guy face" to the snakes and alligators. They are my favorites now! How do you like my anklets? I got these at Collin's birthday party and I thought they would look great on my feet. How could mom say no? I have my own style!

BELLO-BRATE!...
This year the circus was better than ever before. We arrived 1.5 hours early so we could interact with the animals, clowns and entertainers. WOW! We had such a good time. There was so much to see and marvel at. It was literally a show before the show. We saw elephants of all ages; 2 were born in 1961 and one was even named after dad--PT. Check me out! I am holding an elephant's tooth! Whoa! I would hate to be the toothbrusher in that group of keepers. Elephants have lots of hidden talents. We watched one paint a picture and others do tricks, climb on stools and carry ladies with class. We soaked up all the fun including watching some very ticked off tigers. Their daddy trainer had to step in and break up the sibling rivalry. Mom tried to say they were just like Sassy, but I knew better. I copied their trainer and pretended to tell them to sit, stay back, go home and use my switch when they were not listening to me. Mom and dad were very entertained by me. They had plenty of giggles behind my back. It was amazing to them the difference one year makes in a toddler. I can do so much these days. I enjoy things on a completely different level. My baby days are just about up, but I make sure that I still give mom plenty of time to snuggle me and wrap me up like a little baby. Several of my friends have little brothers and sisters these days and I think I am just enjoying being loved on like them. Back to the show...Bello (the lead clown) was fantastic and even though we had a 7:30 show time I kept my eyes wide so I would not miss a thing. Dad even bought me $12 cotton candy! Mom really thought he might have a heart attack; esp. because mom almost did after paying just $4 at Sea World, but the multi-colored stuff was well worth it. Aunt Kaci got one too and we enjoyed every bite of that sweet stuff. It was difficult for us to pick our favorite parts of the show. We talked about it all the way home. Each one of us remembered something different and yet fantastic about the show. I really enjoyed the human canon balls and of course the confetti falling from the sky. Dad liked the tigers best of all and Aunt Kaci loved all the bendy people. Believe it or not, moms favorite parts involved the clowns. They were so interactive and not scary at all. We had lots of good laughs at the greatest show on earth! This is definitely tradition! This is how great memories are made! Family time is so important we just need some more of it.

DON'T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS...
Unless you are me. I count all the eggs as Mawmaws drops them into the basket. We have special head gear because these chickens bury their eggs in the sand like wild birds. It is an Easter egg hunt every day in Bellville. Minus the fireants; I love the farm!

SAN ANTONIO CHILDREN'S MUSEUM...
On Monday we headed downtown to the river walk. It didn't take us too long to decide that we would rather play inside. On we walked to the Children's Museum and we were so glad we did. Mom was so impressed with the number of exibits and how different it was from home. I loved all the do it yourself activities. I dressed up and tended to the animals, drove a trolly (I called it a firetruck), an airplane and 2 pieces of heavy machinery. I actually scooped rocks and dumped them into a bin in the CAT. It was so cool! We did our best to inclose ourselves within a bubble and use a manual labor elevator too. Whew! That is hard work. We were unsuccessful at both. It was a day to remember and a great end to our San Antonio adventures. Back to Houston we go with smiles galore and 3 hours to snore!

OVERFLOW...MUST HAVES!...
Anamito rejected some of my favorite pictures. They were just too big for the video. Mom is still learning how to re size and all that jazz. These are must haves though. They tell an important part of our San Antonio journey. For instance, the aveary was one of my favorite spots and mom has actually learned to love birds too. We paid $3 a cup for nectar and fed the birds 3 cups over the course of our 2 days there. With the memories we have from there it was well worth the money. The birds did great our first trip. It was later in the morning and they were not so hungry. They landed on my arms, Mawmaws head and flew overhead chirping. I thought it was great until 2 birds stole my cup of nectar...they did it twice! I was mad and yelled at them. Well, the next day mom got smart and divided 2 cups of nectar into 4 cups. She thought we would have plenty, but it was early morning and the birds were CRAZY! Even the keepers commented on how hungry and how active they were. We should have walked away then and just watched, but we didn't. We went right on in and were swarmed! I had birds, like 4 at a time, dive bombing me for nectar. I just threw the stuff behind me and ran for cover with mom. She wasn't doing too much better though. She had 4-5 birds on her and acting agressive toward one another to keep the golden spot next to the nectar cup. Mom tried to convince me that they were just hungry and sweet too, but I stayed tucked away under her arm to watch...that was the end of the birds for me.
Oh, the life jacket! I wore it with pride...it did end up changing colors though. Orange matched so much better and it was a size smaller and fit me snugger. The water park at Sea World was a blast! It was super hot out--101 so the water felt great. We all lubed up with sunscreen and wore our protective gear. We were doing good until mom introduced me to the wave pool--I called it the OCEAN! I LOVED IT! Infact, I refused to leave it. I did not care what lay around the ben; I wanted the ocean and only the ocean. I bobbed on the waves, jumped, splashed and laughed in that water and I did not want to leave it. Mom and Mawmaws were aching for a new adventure so they convinced me through screams and cries to try something new. We made it to the lazy river...what do you know...I loved that too! Changing scenery was tough for me on Sunday. I just wanted to stay put and enjoy what I had. Each move brought tears and a "talk." I had a blast and melted to sleep around 4 in the stroller as we cleaned up for our dinner with Shamu. That of course was after I discovered PINK COTTON CANDY! Mom saw the price tag and said it was not a good, healthy snack or a good idea. Trouble is, I did not care about that. I tried to walk right out of the store with it. Mom of course put it back and offered me everything but what I wanted. Well, in the end, a few hours later, I had what I wanted and gave mom a thumbs up and a smile for the pink stuff. I ate every bite with delight. Mawmaws told mom that it was worth it and she agreed. My smiles and of course my memories are priceless!
We were a little pinkish on the way out but we enjoyed ourselves and all the time together. We would not trade the trip or the adventure for anything!

SEA WORLD SENSATIONS!

WILDLIFE RANCH--OUCH!
MawMaws is always up for an adventure. Her sisters say she has always been that way; if there is an opportunity to go and do Mawmaws is ready! I think that is where I get it from. I love trying out new things and San Antonio was one adventure after another! It all began on Friday morning with a long drive to Wildlife Ranch. Mom remembers when she was last here as a tween. It was a good trip then too, Uncle Dot was just a wee one and he was the one crying then. A giraffe tried to put its head into the mini-van window and Dot freaked! He was used to looking at the griaffes knees and when he realized how tall the giraffe really was he backed up from one side of the van to the other with tears in his eyes. Everyone laughed till they cried then and now they were laughing at me. Mom had not laughed that hard in ages. The expression on my face was absoutely priceless; she only wishes she could have captured it all on video. MawMaws purchased 2 bags of animal feed so we would not run out...we took 2 drives through the park and man were we in the right place at the right time. We saw some amazing animals. Mom was so excited to see the zebras up close; TOO CLOSE! They were whole face in the car with us from both side windows. One of the zebras took a bite of MawMaws arm and nipped my finger too. I screamed and cried and tried to get away. That was the end of them. Not too far down the road we met the ostriches. They were hungry too. We learned a good lesson here; Never feed an ostrich from the palm of your hand. THEY PECK! OUCH! MawMaws had no luck. Her hand was part of the snack. I decided that the ostriches were scary and that I would rather look at them from behind the window. Mom started to worry that she might have left me traumatized, but never fear I recovered quickly with lots of stories to retell. I even fed a few deer, donkeys and bongos before we left the ranch. It was a great day with the matriarchs of the family and all the animals on the ranch. I GOT TO DRIVE while mom gagged at the stink left behind in the car from the longhorn. IT WAS TERRIBLE and it was all over moms hand! YUCK! I fed from afar. Throwing the food leaves you with less mess and more enjoyment and after seeing Mawmaws and mom with disgusting fingers and injuries I think I had the best idea for a little guy.

DAD SAID NO!...MOM SAID OKAY!...
How did dad think I could resist? I wanted to air my own podcast. I think I would have a captive audience so I tried it out. Dad said "no, don't touch" and more. But, after dad left the room mom said "Okay! SHHHHHH! We have to be quiet..." I typed away on both of my keyboards, spoke into the mic and wore my headphones like a champ. I am ready to host and mom can be my co-host!
I am the dramatic play man these days. I love to copy what I see in everyday life, phrases I hear will be repeated so watch your mouth and set a good example. I am role playing and really looking for my place. I am studying how people and groups are working and playing together and mom can see me watching before I jump in. One of my favorite conversation starters is "BOO!" I like to make people laugh and get there attention. Mom says the way I play is a stage and that I am really mastering it well. I am dictating how play is completed. I find people to interact with me (even strangers,) take them by the hand and then I tell them what role they are to play and what they should do to fulfill it. It may be as simple as where to sit, or what to wear but mostly I let you know what role you are to play or when it is your turn. I'm having lots of fun and meeting lots of new people, but finding out that not everyone cooperates with my plan.













So cute! I just wanted to be like dad

MOMMY HAS A NEW NAME!...
Mom is having an internal struggle. I used to call her muma, then mama and now for the longest it has been mommy. She liked her name and she loved the way I said it, but now that has all changed. Now I just call, "MOM!" It started in the night and it has just carried over. Mom as I call her is trying to convince me to revert back to Mommy...we'll see. I'll keep you posted!

SIDEWALK FAMILY...
This was a whole new experience! Mom traced me and I got to choose how I wanted to look. I wanted pink hair, then orange hair, then yellow hair. I wanted blue pants and an orange and purple shirt. I made myself a silly smile and mom helped me with my purple eyes. It was hot out, really hot! We had fun designing our sidewalk family...dad even helped trace mom skinny :) When the rains came the next day our sidewalk people washed away until the next time. I'm sure I will be even bigger then.

AGHHHH! ENOUGH SAID!...
This hat brought out my silly side. The lady at Papasito's let me pick 3 of my favorite colors...notice they are all the bright ones! This hat fits my personality just right...super silly!

SUNKIST SMILES AND MORE...
Mom is getting more than she asks for these days. If she wants picture she literally gets a series of expressions. I did not mind so much today though...I had a soda to enjoy. Oh the joys of spending time with the fam. I get away with so much more :)

**UPDATE--Mom just found out that there is caffeine in Sunkist....AGHHHH! Dad knew all along but apparently did not see a problem with a 2 year old drinking it. That might be due to the fact that he is a HUGE Starbucks fan. Mom on the other hand is having issues with the idea that her baby was drinking and really enjoying the caffeine filled beverage instead of just eatting it like her. WE LOVE CHOCOLATE! Note to family...NO MORE SUNKIST SMILES until I am of age :)**