Garden Update.....

We've got several lovely dark purple and white columbines growing by the backyard patio, some pretty irises around the front porch, and hostas both in front and back.

Can't wait for the wildflowers to bloom! They have sprouted and are getting bigger every day, but no buds yet.....

No Lions, No Tigers.....but Very Possibly a Bear!

Eleven people so far have seen it just south of Zeller. It was quite the talk of the playgroup today among the mommies and daddy.

Mommy is making me play inside today, so I think I'll go destroy something. Any suggestions?

Got the Blues, but it's All Good!

I took Mommy, Daddy and Daddy's friend Dennis out to the 965 for North Liberty's second annual Blues and BBQ's festival. They all had meat and chicken kebabs. I guess it was good, but I wasn't hungry and didn't try any of it.

I got to dance a little, run along the side of a pond, and wear a cute little romper since it was a warm day for a change.

The best part was when I met a boxer puppy! I LOVE DOGS! I don't know if you know this, but every time Mommy goes to Fareway, she goes down the pet food aisle just so I can "visit" the dogs and cats. (If you go there and hear someone screeching in delight, that's me, looking at the pictures!)

I did have a lot of popcorn when we got home, though. Silly adults were too busy watching the movie to notice my "sneak attacks" on the bowl. Heh!

Chocolate Ice Cream Rocks!!

I have to give Mommy and Daddy credit sometimes. When it comes to big moments in my life, they know how to do them right.

I got my first taste ever of chocolate ice cream, a hot fudge sundae, a raspberry sundae, a strawberry ice cream soda and a "pink lady" at the nation's oldest ice cream parlor today. We went to the Wilton Candy Kitchen, and I got to sit in the same booth that Brooke Shields did back in 1991.

This place still has the original walnut and leather booths, the original stamped tin ceiling, and old marble tabletops. The little stereo kept playing some female singer from the forties, but Daddy insisted that the guy singing along with her was Mario Lanza. I think the only reason he kept saying that was because Mommy kept looking at him like he was nuts.

The little picture in the corner shows you what the place looks like on the outside. It's been around since 1860, and the current owners have had it in the family since 1910! The man and lady running the place have been married for 58 years (the lady worked in the ice cream shop for 8 years before getting married, too.) Some of you might know their son. He's a dentist in Phoenix. Seriously!

I loved the chocolate ice cream, and the hot fudge sundae was my favorite. I wasn't too crazy about the strawberry soda or the raspberry sundae, and there was no way I was going to eat the grilled cheese sandwiches that Mommy and Daddy enjoyed.

I know what I like. It's chocolate, and lots of it, please. The nice lady running the place gave me two servings of chocolate ice cream. Being cute as a button has it's privileges.

Apparently, I provided lots of entertainment value while drinking the "pink lady"....a mixture of strawberry, cherry and vanilla syrups mixed with real soda water. I took a sip from the straw, made a face that said "yuk!", and then went back for more. I think Mommy got three whole sips of that drink.

We're gonna have to go back there someday. After all, I still gotta try things on the menu like the "hadacol" (a mix of root beer and cola....they "hadacol" it something), the "suicide" (a mix of all the different syrup flavors in one soda), the "green river", and so many more.

It's all so good it will make you kick your crib. Just like I'm doing now....

Come on up to see me sometime, and I'll see if I can get Mommy and Daddy to make the drive again!

Why I Like Mommy's New Workout Machine

Mommy has decided to skip the gym for now. She's got a new, slick machine she uses while I nap.

At least, she says she uses it then. I don't hear a thing, which is wonderful. I hate it when I have a really cool dream about ducks and machine noise wakes me up! I love to hear about the birds and animals she sees while she's mowing, too. Today, I even got to see the cardinal in the back yard she was talking about when I woke up from my nap. How cool is that?

Ok, this picture isn't of the actual cardinal I saw. But it truly was that red, and seeing it against the green grass was amazing!

We'll see if the workout machine keeps her "conditioned" for snow shoveling in December, right?

Still Waiting for the Warm Weather....It's Coming, Right?

Well, Mommy and Daddy are both cranky and wishing they could wear shorts more often. Not gonna happen any time soon, we think. So I go from wearing my cute little rompers to being bundled up in sweat pants and jackets.

In the meantime, I'm working on things like saying more words. Today I learned "fish", or anyway, something close to it. Mommy kept trying to get me to read The Rainbow Fish along with her, but I just wanted to look at the pretty pictures. I love the sparkly scales on every page!

I also decided that maybe vegetarianism isn't for me. Yep, for a while the only animal product I would eat was milk, and occasionally some cheese. If it was multigrain, I was there, baby! But I couldn't resist the curried ginger lime chicken Mommy was eating and demanded some for my own dinner tonight. (Don't worry, I got plenty of weird food jags lined up to keep her guessing....)

This Boy is Made for Walkin', and That's Just What I'll Do......Sometimes.......

So, we've had some lovely days lately. Mommy and Daddy decided that maybe I should get out in the spring air and enjoy the great outdoors.

Unfortunately for them, they decided that a good place to go would be taking a short walk as a family to a restaurant about a block and a half from our house.

Big mistake, but you probably are smart enough to realize that.

We went the Friday before Mother's Day right after Daddy got home from work. They got me all dressed up in my cool hoodie jacket, and got that monkey on my back. Then we set out for what turned out to be the second longest block they ever walked.

(The longest one was the walk back from the restaurant, in case you were wondering....had to make up for my calm behavior while they were eating, you know.)

Ok, they did carry me across the street without a problem. But I had my own ideas of how to get to wherever it was I wanted to go. I can't remember where it was that I wanted, no, needed to go, but I know one thing.....it sure wasn't that restaurant. And I let them know in no uncertain terms, too.

I stomped my feet, I howled, I tried to run into traffic, I sat down and refused to move, and finally tried flopping to the ground. I would have tried banging my head against the sidewalk, but Mommy decided to pick me up and carry me before I could do that.

(Note to Mommy and Daddy: when I stomp my tiny little feet, stop telling each other how cute I look when I do that. It may be true, but I don't wanna hear it!)

I think I might have pushed too far, though, since Mommy and Daddy went and got me ready for bed almost as soon as we got home. Oops.

Come to think of it, that might be why Mommy strapped me in tight in my stroller when we went with Miss Rachel, Elijah and Eleanor to Beaver Kreek Park. It's about a block from my house. There's a play structure, swings and a rocking ducky that I'm almost big enough to ride. Naturally, I didn't care about any of that. Oh, no.

I decided to run towards Beaver Kreek in the middle of the park and look for....something. Not sure what. But I know it had to be good if it inspired Mommy to sprint after me and drag me back to where everyone else was playing. I think she did that about ten times before she finally just plopped me into a swing for five minutes. Heh!

I'm just glad Mommy and Daddy are patient with me. They took me out today to the farmer's market by the North Liberty recreation center. It was the first time this season that the market was open, and Mommy spent a lot of money there. I think it was eight dollars.

Anyway, we got some spices for Daddy to put on steaks he's planning to grill up on Memorial Day, some kettle corn and a little cherry pie.

Hey, wait a minute.....I didn't get any pie!

Oooh....someone is gonna pay for that.....