Grandmama taught me a song. She said everyone is born on a special day and every year you sing them this song. Not only do I like to sing this song, but I made up a little dance, too. This dance requires special skills and is not recommended for people who suffer from motion sickness, vertigo, and/or lack of rhythm.
As you can see, it takes great coordination to sing and dance at the same. I dedicate this video to all the bird-days for each day of the year.
I mean that literally not figuratively. It's official, I'm finally out of the crib and sleeping in my very own big boy bed. Well, Mom and Pops call it the "big boy bed." I like to say it's my Nemo bed. I love my bed! It goes so well with the fishing/outdoors theme I have going on in my room. My Nemo bed is bright orange and blue (which contrasts with the bright honeydew color walls) with stickers of Nemo and Marlin on the headboard and footboard. Remind me to take pics so you all get a good visualization of it all. Pops was worried I would roll out of bed but it hasn't happened yet. I love living or should I say sleeping on the edge. The cool thing about the bed is that I don't have any bars to hold me back. Not that I really roam around too much like a buffalo in prairie but it's nice to know I have a little bit of freedom. Once it's beddy byes, I'm pretty much out like a light.
And a happy birthday to ME!! I'm the big 2!
We're gonna call this the transportation birthday. I got a sweet '32 Ford hotrod plus that 4-wheeler motorcycle in the background. The 4 wheeler has a rechargeable battery so I can go-go-go any time I want to! I don't have the steering thing down so well yet. For that matter, I don't have the pedal thing down yet on my hotrod either. But I'm determined to figure it out soon.
Oh..oh.. plus I got my very own lawnmower! And to that I say....OLE' !!!
For quite some time I've been wishing for a lawnmower. I've been obssessed with having one ever since I saw it in one of my books. I would always ask Mom what it was and she would tell me, "It's a lawnmower." Even the word itself sounds magical. Then spring came. There was Dad out there cutting the grass. I love the loud grumbley noise and the humming as it goes across our lawn. So for my birthday, they gave me a lawnmower.
I'm still experimenting with cutting patterns for the grass. I really like what they do at Wrigley Field. If anyone knows how to get that crosshatch look, let me know.
I really don't see the point of cold weather. Everyday should be like today. Sunny, breezy, warm, and FUN! Besides playing in my makeshift sandbox, aka the horse shoe pit, I got to run through a lawn sprinkler today. It was totally AWESOME! I don't know why I didn't do this last year. Oh wait! Now I remember...Pops got me a swimming a pool (please reference the June - August 2006 archives for a refresher). Anyhoo...I really don't know what could be more fun than running through a sprinkler and getting wet.
In between running through the sprinkler and catching bubbles, I found time to bond with the BEEEEEG trucks. Can't forget about my homies. You know what I'm saying?!
Of course, I couldn't stay away from the sprinkler! Not even shovel could resist!
As for my potty training, I think I'm at a standstill right now. I just can't bring myself to use the potty. I love flushing and wiping my butt, but it's just much more convenient to go in a diaper. Sometimes I don't mind the stink so much. Although, Mom says the stink can be quite offensive. Well, we'll see if I can convert to being a user of the potty. I'm young so there's plenty of time.
In the meantime, I think I'll just concentrate on trucks and sprinklers.
What a day. I'm...well..I'm speechless.
Yesterday was a great day. Pops and I went to the zoo (NO stroller, mind you). We saw monkeys, rhinos, elephants, giraffes, bears, goats..even a mountain in the middle of the zoo. And yes, I can say all those animals' names. I had a 20 minute nap on the way home (hell on pops but I don't want to miss anything). Then Pops took my trucks, my bucket and my shovel outside to the sandbox (ok..so it's a horse shoe pit..so what).
BUT WAIT!!! It gets better!
So Pops, Bo and myself are playing in the sand. Filling buckets, playing trucks, gettin' dirty. All that good stuff. And what does Pops do?? (THIS is genius) He gets a fishing pole and sets it up outside the gate in our lake! Apparently that's my other playground.
So there we are playing trucks and whatnot when all of the sudden Pops says " Leo, I think there's a fish on the fishing pole!"
I couldn't contain myself! I ran to the gate, all the way yelling "fshing!fshing! fsh fsh fsh!!"
And look at what I got! My first fish...and a BEEEEG FSH at that!
I would have written more about the zoo, but c'mon...did you SEE the size of my first fish??!!
There's this holiday that celebrates eggs. These eggs are very different from the ones I have for breakfast. First off, they're very colorful. I saw yellow eggs, purples eggs, blue eggs, and other colors I'm not all that familiar with. These eggs were so bright and colorful I had to open them to see what gives them their color. Alas, the eggs were empty. In all the excitement of finding all these eggs, there was no disappointment to be had. I just thought it was cool the Bunny came in and dropped them all off at my house. I think Santa has some serious competition.
Not only did I get all these eggs, I even got a basket filled with race cars! I thought I was going to explode if I didn't get my hands on those cars fast enough! I mean really...how long does it take to rip open a plastic bag?! I guess easier said than done.
So I made it through another year and I think I made some pretty big fetes. 2005 was just practice. With 2006, I was just getting started. I'm all warmed up and ready to bat. I think I'm ready for the big show. I was able to accomplish my 2006 resolutions. It wasn't easy, but I did it. I don't mind a challenge. It makes life interesting. So here's a recap of resolutions and interesting events from 2006:
Resolution #1: Blogging more often Typing is quite a challenge for me since I get distracted easily with that stupid mouse. It's that bright red light that draws my eye from the keys. Still, I managed to chug away at the keyboard to spew out 2-3 posts per month. (I do admit that the summer months were a bit lean.) I could have blogged a little bit more but I think I made up for it with videos. So now everyone can see me in action!
Resolution #2: Getting cuter everyday Honestly, I didn't think I could get any cuter! Although, Mom says I'm not just cute. I'm a pretty handsome dude. I think having teeth adds to my winning smile. I don't really know how to be cute. Mom doesn't even let me pick out my clothes. I do know how to comb my hair and brush teeth. So I have good hygiene going for me.
Resolution #3: Saying real words I can talk like no other 18 month old. My sentences don't always come out like I want them to but some of the words I say sound like they come from the English language. My vocabulary seems to grow everyday. I've recently added the word "cook" and "pizza" to my list of words. If I put those two words together I might be getting somewhere.
Resolution #4: Walking Why did you all let me crawl for soooooooo long?!
xoxo It's amazing how a hug and a kiss can make a person's day. Greetings and good-byes are my favorite parts of the day because I get to tell everyone I know how much I really love them. Even if I give Grandpapa big, wet kiss, he still gives me a hug and a kiss right back.
roar-roar I've discovered the true meaning of friendship at a very young age (ala 7 months old). No matter how many times I throw Roar-roar out of my crib or the many times I've bopped him on the head, he's always there for me. When I'm scared or a little lonely, I know I can count on Roar-roar. Hobbes is to Calvin as Roar-roar is to me.
Well, that wraps up my 2006. It was a rockin' year for me to say the least. Hopefully, 2007 will bring the same and then some. As for my resolutions...I think I'm going to work on getting a new layout for my blog, sleep in my own big boy bed, and to stop hitting.
We all need an anthem in our lives. Mine happens to be the roar-roar song taught to me by my roar-roar friends. It's a great way to let out all that aggression. You can try hitting, but it usually results in having your trucks taken away.
Kudos to my cousin Buzz for the awesome gift. This mic is way better than a cardboard tube! Rock on!
Don't worry - this isn't going to turn into some Rocky franchise where we'll have Sledding Part MVII. Really, now. Do you think I'm that obnoxious?
Who would have guessed riding a on a big sheet of plastic that would be mistaken for a giant tupperware lid could be so invigorating?! Pops was awesome because he would run super fast and the sled would go super fast. We went around the yard a couple of times and then we toured the pond. Everything looked so pretty in white until we came across a trail of goose poop. :P
Mom really needs to work on her camera skills. Seriously, the shakiness makes me a little cross eyed and dizzy. I think we need to invest in camera track rigging system thingy or hire a professional.
A few weeks ago it snowed. How can something so small and so cold be so wonderous? In beginning, the adults were grumbling about something falling from the sky. I would see the weatherman pointing at a pink cloud telling us to make preparations. What is this pink cloud bringing? Honestly, I couldn't understand what the big deal was about nor could I fathom anything else coming from the sky besides rain. (Whenever it rained, Mom said God was watering the earth to make things grow.) Then one day it happened. The ground was blanketed in all this white stuff. I dipped my bare hands in a few times and I was surprised as to how cold it was. That's when I realized there is thing called snow.
Mom and Dad said it was time to go out there. My goodness was there a lot of work involved to get dressed so I could play in the snow. First I had to put on snow pants. After 10 minutes of struggling to get my legs in them, I had to put on boots. Of all the footwear I wear, boots have got to be the coolest thing since instant oatmeal! My boots are black with these big velcro straps going across them. They are da bomb! So it was another 10 minutes of putting the boots on because we had to make sure the jeans were tucked in and my snow pants were pulled over them. Geez! I was ready to throw in the towel but I got my coat on pretty easily.
So there I was, standing right before the snow. It was almost like a stare down. Who was going to wince first? Then Mom just nudged me out there like it was nothing. It freaked me out a little bit. Snow is different from rain. It's cold yet solid but turns wet. What a strange concept. Well, I got over my inhibitions with snow and just went with the flow. What a blast it is playing and taking a ride in it.
I hope we'll get more. I don't ever want to forget about snow.
So that whole story about the Pilgrims and Indians eating together and sharing that big feast, not true. You'd be shocked about the real thanksgiving. Anyhoo....I had a wonderful turkey day filled with lots of good food. Mom made the most awesome turkey. It was sooooo good I wanted to eat the bones, too! Sure the meat was juicy and flavorful but the bone really got my attention. It was uber saturated with sugar!!!!! What more can a boy ask for?! I know how to eat a drumstick. Really I do, but my sweet tooth got the best of me.
Halloween is extra special this year because I got to trick-or-treat with the kids for the first time. How awesome is it to go door to door and get free candy? I didn't get the opportunity to taste the goods but I had an awesome time with Mom, Pops, and Bo. I did get a little stage freight when it came time to go roar-roar, but everyone loved my costume. I think I fooled a lot of people into thinking I was a real lion from the zoo instead of kid dressed up as one. Everyone pointed and said, "Wow!!!! Look at the lion!!!" I would have thought the stroller was a dead giveaway to the fact I wasn't a real lion.
After trick-or-treating, I chilled out at home with my costume on. I didn't want to take it off! It was too much fun being the king of the jungle.
On a side note: Please forgive the poor camera direction. Mom doesn't have the most steady hand and one would think she worked on the Blair Witch Project.
So Pops and I went to the zoo last weekend. Mom was telling me that I've been to the zoo before but I was still a wee little baby. I really don't remember my first at the zoo but I definitely this time around. It was quite a chilly day but all the animals were out doing their thing. I saw all the roar-roars you could possibly imagine. It was just amazing. I even got to see one face to face! Not only did I have a close encounter with a roar-roar kind, I was this|close to a seal!!!! It was like watching torpedo launch in the water and hone in on you. I think I wanted to get down but I was too mesmerized in watching the seal dart towards me.
After we played with all the animals, Pops took me for my first carousel ride. I'm not big enough to ride the animals to go up and down but I did get to sit with Pops in a bucket. I never would have guessed going in circles could be soooo fascinating.
I would love to go to the zoo everyday and to finish my day off with a ride on the carousel. What more can a boy ask for?!
Seriously, I think some babies are major cry babies. I really don't understand why they cry like there's spilled milk when they get their ears lowered. To me it's like a day in the park. Pops whips out this contraption that's like a vacuum cleaner for hair. (No! It's not a flowbee!) I believe they call them clippers. Whenever I get my haircut, it always puts me to sleep. Having that buzzing against my head is just soooo soothing. Pops does really good with the clippers. My head still looks as big as Mom's but at least I don't look shaggy anymore.
