Hilarious!!!

Guess what...I'm hilarious!

It's true.  And, while I think it must have been true for a while now, I just found out a few days ago.

You see, every once in a while, Mommy or Daddy or someone will laugh at me.  Well, the other day, Daddy laughed so hard that it made me laugh.  And now I laugh at myself all the time--because, you know, I'm hilarious.

And, when I say laugh, I really mean laugh hysterically.  I'm talking the squealing and screaming kind of laughter, when you lose yourself in joy.

Busy, But Fun!

Yesterday was a busy, busy, yet fun, day.

First, we all slept a little later than usual.  Then, we definitely stayed in bed later--well, all of us except for me, but I stayed in Mommy and Daddy's bed.

Finally, we made it downtown to the Farmer's Market.  If nothing else, we have to go down to be around the people and pick up some tomatoes.  We also got some basil, snap beans, and ground beef.  And Ms Valerie June was playing lovely music, although she was on a break during most of our visit.

After a nap and lunch, we walked over to Clamjamfry and the Scottish Faire at the Presbyterian church down the street.  I was too small for most of the stuff for kids, but I was able to pet the sheep!  There were also some shepherds and dogs herding sheep in one area.  And that was pretty fun to watch.

We walked home and, then, drove over to the park for Nuts! Over Art.  Several artists had booths and quite a few even had hands-on activities for kids, but I was too little.  Mommy did find a nice print for me by Kong Wee Pang called Bird Tree.  It is an orange tree with brown leaves that slowly turn into brown birds flying out of the tree.

Then, we traveled over to Cooper-Young and walked around.  Mommy found a few books for me at Burkes.  One was Bear Snores On, the full sized edition of which I already have as a board book.  I also got Go, Dog.  Go!  P.D. Eastman's Book of Things That Go and It's Not Easy Being Big!, which is about Big Bird and Elmo.  (Add those to The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! and The Pigeon Has Feelings, Too!, both by Mo Willems, that Daddy brought home the other day and I racked up this week!)

We stopped by Young Ave. Deli before leaving for picnic food and headed back to Overton Park.  As part of Nuts! Over Art, the Levitt Shell was hosting the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.  First came the string quartet, who played some Mozart.  A librarian joined them and they accompanied her as she read a children's book.  Then the woodwinds took over.  Soon, the librarian joined them, reading How I Became a Pirate.

I didn't pay much attention, but ran around with Daddy, playing.  I did leave him a few times, though, to play with some other kids.  I also had to come play with Uncle Grant and Aunt Kelly when they arrived.  And, then, my friend, Michael, showed up and we played.

As you can imagine, I was pooped after such a busy day.  I almost didn't make it home for my bath, but Mommy said I was stinky and needed to get clean for church.  But she was even more pooped than me, so she went to bed and left me with Daddy.  She deserved an early night, though.

Mommy is such a good Mommy and I love being with her all day, but I need (and love) Daddy time.  And, any way, Mommy needs Mommy time sometimes.  It doesn't matter who puts me to bed, but Daddy can't sing like Mommy!

Memphis in September!

It's September in Memphis and that means it's Cooper-Young Festival time.  At least, that's what Mommy and Daddy have been telling me for a few weeks now.  And I was able to experience my first CYF today.  There were lots and lots of people.  And they were all over those few blocks around the intersection of Cooper and Young.

We saw some really cool art.  We wanted some, too, but it was out of our price range.  That's too bad, especially considering that Mommy and Daddy got some of our best pieces at the festival.  (Oh, I colored a picture the other day.  I'll have to scan it and post it tomorrow.)

Also, the smell of corn dogs and funnel cakes and crepes had me on edge.  I really wanted something, but then I filled up on Goldfish.  Oh, well; I guess I had enough at the fair.

At any rate, we stopped at the new Chick-Fil-A (the only one actually in town) on the way to yet another concert at the Shell.  Farmer Jason, of Jason and the Scorchers fame, was playing.  He was great fun, too, until the weather hit.  After a week of rain, you'd think the sky would clear up.  But, no.  And we didn't even get to hear "Punk Rock Skunk."

That's okay, though; it did give me an excuse to play in the rain.  I ran around, up and down the hill.  And I only did a face-plant once.  Then, in front of the stage, I found a big puddle.  Well, that was just too cool.  I stomped and danced around that puddle for quite a while.  And it made the rain stop, after which I continued to run up and down the big hill.

Then, I got to meet Farmer Jason.  He winked at me and signed my CD.  Too cool.  Too cool.

Grandmommy Time

Mommy had a lunch meeting today and needed to get some work done over lunch.  That means she didn't need to be chasing me around.  So, who did we call?  Grandmommy.

Thanks, Grandmommy.  I had fun and still took a nap.

Hey Ya, Chuck

Teeth

I have cut my molars...and a couple other new teeth.  Mommy saw the molars coming last week and then, today, she felt around back there and found more.

Fall Fun, Part the Second

Today was another big Fall day.

After sleeping extra late, we got up and went down to the Farmer's Market.  We didn't get much, but we did get our staples of tomatoes, basil, and honey straws.

Today was Wolf River Day at sites all over Memphis.  There were several clean-up activities happening all around and then several expos as well.

The youth at our church were helping with a group called SOAR, or Save Our American Raptors, so we walked over to see what was going on.  We were all excited about seeing the birds of prey fly around a gymnasium, but we got there too early and, by the time the program was starting, I was getting pretty antsy.  So, we had to leave.

Then, this evening, we were back at the Levitt Shell for another concert in the Fall series.  We really enjoy it there and I have so much fun.  The children's show was a performance by Rattletree Marimba, which is a great band that uses traditional Zimbabwean instruments and plays fun music to which to dance.  I ran all around and danced and played with a couple of my friends who were there.

It pooped me out, too.  It's been a big weekend already!

Fall Fun, Part One

Yesterday, we welcomed Fall with my very first trip to the fair!  You know it's Fall when the fair's in town.

The old Mid-South Fair has packed up and left Memphis for Mississippi, so we went to the Delta Fair instead.  Mommy and Grandaddy took me and we had a blast.

We (and that includes me!) ate so much junk.  Mommy said that's the main reason to go to the fair and the main reason Daddy doesn't care for the fair.  We had Pronto Pups (corn dogs) and Funnel Cakes and Cotton Candy and Fudge and, well, I can't remember what else.

I had two favorites.  One was the petting zoo.  I never did get the whole feeding-the-animals-out-my-hand thing, but that's what Mommy's for.  She fed the, while I loved on the animals.  And they enjoyed licking some of the fair food off of me, too.  The other was the life-sized Elmo.  I couldn't get enough of him.

Oh, and we ran into Edens and Mrs Carol.  Me and Edens played in a mud puddle together.

Anyway, we had lots of fun, but I was pooped afterwards.  Mommy had to give me a bath, though, to get all the dirt and grime off of me.  But I was in bed way early and slept over an hour later than usual, too.

I can't wait until next year!

Good Luck Charm

I am a good luck charm!

Daddy went to see his football team scrimmage and then went to their first game. Both times, they were beat pretty badly.

Then, he started taking me. And guess what? They've won the last two games just as badly!

Go Wildcats! Whoo-hoo!

Oh, Glorious Labor Day!

Thank the heavens for Labor Day!

Following up on my/our busy weekend, filled with all kinds of fun activities, the extended weekend proved a grand way to top it all off.

First, after Mommy convinced Daddy to get off the computer, we walked to the zoo. I got to see a lion asleep on his back, with his head back and mouth wide open. And the panther looked me right in the eye. (I wasn't scared, but that Panther sure did turn around and walk off!)

Then, in the farm, I tried to reach through the fence to touch the donkeys; they were pretty close, but they were preoccupied with eating straw off the ground. A couple chickens were out roaming around and one pecked on the footrest of my stroller.

The elephants smelled just awful and the polar bear didn't want to swim by the glass wall, but two black bears smelled my berries and came over to the fence. And they had a big sidewalk sale and Mommy picked my out an elephant puppet.

After me and Mommy took naps (separately), we gathered up our things and went swimming at Aunt Cathy's house, where we had dinner plans. I played and played around her house, had dinner, and played some more. Finally, I wamed up to Aunt Cathy and loved on her some. (You just have to smooze the ladies, especially when they have a pool and feed you good!)

Like I said, it was a good (extended) weekend!

Monkin' It Up!

I had a blast last night at the Levitt Shell! At first, it was a little low-energy, as the Tibetan monks started off with some meditative chanting. But, as the sun set, they started dancing. And that was high-energy and tons of fun. I especially enjoyed the Snow Lion Dance. I did't make it long past intermission, though, as it was past my bedtime.

Here's the best video of the Snow Lion Dance I could find on YouTube (the last couple minutes are the best):

For more, check out Daddy's post here.

Fun in the Sun!

We went to the splash park today at Peabody Park and Skinner Community Center for the Disabled, thinking that it would close Labor Day. However, we found out that we still have another week. We wanted to take some pictures before the end a summer, but our camera's not working. So, here's a generic photo:

My New Cuz'

Here is a picture of my new little cousin, Jayda:

Big Time Day

I had such a big time day today. And I had so much fun!

First of all, I slept late. I'm a morning person myself, but I felt bad for Mommy and Daddy, so I decided to let them sleep in today. I'm a compassionate person like that.

Once we got up and moving, we trekked down to the Farmer's Market. That's one of our new Saturday routines, now that Daddy is down to only one job. But this week was extra special. Some friends of ours, who are part of a co-op with one of the farms (Whitton Farms), were out of town and gave us their weekly share. So we came home with a bounty of veggies, as well as a bouquet of flowers.

After a short nap and some playtime, Mommy decided we needed to get out of the house. So, the two of us went up to the church to play on the toddler playground, leaving Daddy watching football on the couch. Well, I think I tuckered Mommy out, so we didn't stay too long.

At any rate, we had to get home in time to get ready to go again. Like I said, it was a big time day.

Once home, we packed up a picnic and a blanket, then headed for the Levitt Shell. (In case you don't recall, the Shell does 50 free concerts each year, half in the Spring and half in the Fall.) We went to lots of concerts there in the Spring and the Fall season just started this week; in fact, today was the first children's show of the season.

The Billy Jonas Band played today and it was lots of fun--and the live show was way better than the recordings. All of us kids (and our parents, too) got to be part of the band. And we learned that almost anything can be a musical instrument, as Billy and his friends played trash cans and water jugs and all kinds of neat stuff. I danced and ran around, took a break to drink some juice, and then went back at it.

It was so much fun, a sign of things to come over the next month of free concerts. Tomorrow, we are going to see The Mystical Arts of Tibet, performed by Tibetan monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery-in-exile in India. Come out and join us if you can.

I'm A Maniac, Maniac...

I'm a maniac, maniac on the floor. And I'm dancing like I never danced before.

Yep, that's me, the dancin' dancin' dancin'...dancin' machine. And I dance like they do in Flashdance, all running in place and all, though sometimes I just stomp. Then, when I'm done running, I put my hands on my hips and shake it. I do this many times throughout the day.

Oh, and I'm especailly zealous in my dancing when Mommy lets me have half of her ice cream for desert--like she did tonight.

New Cousin!

I have a new cousin! Her name is Jayda, but we already knew that. She came yesterday and we can't wait to meet her.

So, welcome to the world, Jayda!