Swimming & Cookouts 2010

It's that time of year again! Warmer weather is finally upon us and we get to hit the pool with our water baby! Andrina loves to swim, I love swimming with her, and we love pairing it up with making BBQ for dinner!

Andrina all safe in a flotation vest and a "baby dinosaur" swim ring

Eating her first hot dog in a bun like a little kid!

(no nitrates or by-products in that dog either)

Welcome back summer! We've missed you, please stay as loooooong as possible!

...is nice... I like...

I know I say all the time just how much I love my daughter but I have to say it again. Andrina's newest emerging part of her sweet personality has been seen many times over the past week or so. For the past several pre-school days, Andrina will tell me on the way to school: "I go play with Zane, Zane's nice, I like Zane". Zane is a little boy in her class with whom Andrina shares a mutual puppy love (that's a post by itself).

Well today after I picked up Andrina from school she told me:
"I go home and see Dada, Dada's nice, I like Dada" (if only he had heard that, his heart would have melted!) Then tonight I told her we were going on a playdate tomorrow and she said:
"I go play Anne's house, Anne's nice, I like Anne".

Yep, how can I, or anyone, not love this child?

Doing Exactly...

what we told her not to! Both Tom and I told Andrina not to climb into her shopping cart. Seems like she didn't listen to that!

Another Busy Day

As usual, almost every day that isn't a pre-school day, is spent going somewhere for Andrina or doing something planned at home. Today a local church had a family-type day. Moonwalks, crafts, pony rides, petting zoo, hot dogs & snacks and other activities. Unfortunately it was the coldest day in several days but my little love is someone who really enjoys all life has to offer so that didn't stop her from having a blast on several pony rides, petting baby goats, jumping in different moon walks, getting her face painted and even decorating a sun visor and eating her first hot dog that didn't need to be cut up. Thankfully for Momma, the crafts, face painting, snacks and two of the moon walks were indoors. Andrina thoroughly enjoyed herself, as always and took a great nap too after all the fun.

Big girl on a big pony!

The Finding Nemo jumper was a favorite-what little kid dosen't like Nemo?
Getting her face painted

It dosen't look like it but Andrina liked having Elmo on her face

Party Favors

Not only did Anne's birthday party rock for a group of really little kids, April created great party favor bags. Andrina has been playing with the monkey doing gymnastics all day and now she's "hatching" some of the zoo animals that were in her goody bag. She loved watching them break out of their "eggs".

Andrina proudly holding up the rhino she grew.

And I'll mention the clothes in the picture because she got to pick out her own outfit today. I'm loving the combination of an Animal from the Muppets t-shirt with a floral bucket hat!

Anne's 4th Birthday Party...

...and Andrina's first trip to Brookfield Zoo. Anne had a great birthday party at the zoo. Andrina had never been to this zoo before and after she got used to being around some new people, she couldn't get enough of it. You name the animal, she loved it, of course. It was the first time she got to see real elephants, seals & sea lions, bears, and gorillas. Anne had such a nice party there, it was a great idea with a small group of only 4 kids, seeing the animals and having lunch & birthday cupcakes there. Great party April!

Anne & Andrina

The group of kids from the party
Andrina as a fish!

Andrina with the gorilla statue. She loved the real gorillas and this statue.

Andrina kept crawling under this, she did not want to leave it!