Hangin' With Pa and Using A Spoon

Yesterday, we left Pa at the house for a trip to the Farmer's Market.  On the way, however, we made a stop to try the beignets at the Beignet Cafe.  And it was well worth it.  We may have to make that part of our routine.

We came back and had a nap, then took Pa to the zoo.  He hadn't been in many years and the zoo has changed a lot in the meantime.  He hadn't even seen the pandas.  And the latest exhibit, the Teton Trek, actually opened to the public yesterday.  Even Daddy hadn't seen it yet, though me and Mommy went during the member's preview last week.  The grizzly cubs are pretty cool, as are the timberwolves.

Pa wanted to try a new BBQ place and jumped at the idea of eating at Neely's, which is owned by that couple on the Food Network.  I didn't really want any BBQ, but I did discover that I like ketchup.  I wouldn't sit in my chair, so I was in Daddy's lap.  I saw him dipping fries in ketchup and tried it for myself.  I didn't know what I was missing!

Pa also wanted to try some Memphis chicken, so we went to Uncle Lou's after church today to get some of their Sweet Spice Love and honey buttered biscuits.

Oh, and guess what I can do!  Give up?  I can feed myself with a spoon!  I started with my morning yogurt, but it's been pretty messy, mostly due to the fact that I am still learning to use a spoon.  But, this evening, Mommy got all excited because I was using my spoon the correct way...for a while, at least.

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!

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!

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.