…we have a new “walker” in town! Let me teach you a few tricks, perhaps, what it looks like to take steps forward instead of backwards: (See below video tutorials)

Milestone accomplished! I’ve also spent my first couple months of being a one-year-old earning the below list of bragging rights:

• I learned how to snap!
• I am a meat eater. Nom, nom, nom! I love brats, hamburgers, breakfast sausage, you name it! But, Mexican food is my favorite entree. Also, I am quite fond of adult beverages, mostly whole milk.
• I’ve been trying on a couple new smiles: wrinkle-nose-face and the Home-Alone-mouth-wide-open. Somehow they enhance my cuteness.
• I love to throw the ball around and I’ve got a good arm on me.
• I invented my own version of the moon walk.
• Call me a book worm! I’m especially a sucker for those stories with no plot.
• Put on some good music and my butt automatically starts to wiggle.
• I can open and close the garage door.
• I am a trendsetter! According to a recent Yahoo Parenting article, my middle name (Amari) tops a list of gender neutral baby names that are quickly rising in popularity. (Thanks for pointing that out, Kari!)

Impressed? Well, there’s more to come! Being one is fun and I’m just getting started!

Last weekend we mooooved our bellies to a neighboring farm for my 2^nd annual dairy breakfast. As you might remember, I was too little to sample the pancakes last year…

2014 Dairy Breakfast

…so I brought my teeth with me this time!

2015 Dairy Breakfast

Now I know for sure, eating hot-off-the-griddle pancakes is much better than merely inhaling pancake fumes from a distance.

I also learned that dairy breakfasts are more fun when you stay awake. I got to pet a bunch of animals, play with a balloon, sit on the tractors, and consume all things dairy (including ice cream and cheese curds)! I don’t know about the rest of you, but I plan to celebrate dairy month well after it’s over, because 30 days just isn’t long enough.

School’s out for summer! …But not for an overachiever like me. Besides, if I stayed home for the summer, I wouldn’t get to entertain my lovely daycare teachers and I’d also have no friends to bite.  So if you’re looking for me during the summer weekdays, I’ll be busy getting my learn on. But after school and during the weekends, I’ll be soaking up the sun, discovering new adventures, and connecting with loved ones.

Here are some snapshots of the fun times summer has already brought on:

My new hat!

Summer is for building gardens!

Dad needs supervision out here

Hi!

Dad’s best watering buddy

Summer dinners on the deck!

What happened to the sunshine?

Rainy day!

Sunscreen all up in my hair

Visiting Bethy!

School field trip! (Sleeping on the way back from the park)

New favorite hat!

Swinging with mom

Splish-splash

My new pool!

Shades

Sand is so much fun! And tasty too.

Playdough at school is the best!

Bring it on some more, summer!

Last weekend I took my earaches and my grumpy face to go visit Papa Florence! I sure love him and he loved me back, despite my occasional meltdowns. We had a full weekend…catching up, playing with my cars (and his cars), and showing off my still-can’t-walk skills… but my favorite part was giving Papa high-fives! I also met Uncle Bryan and hung out with Aunt Donna. Thanks for the visits!! Before heading back north, we practiced hitting some golf balls so Mom could represent at her big golf outing the next day. After Dad taught her a few swinging techniques, Mom took over the golf clubs and she was really good…. at missing the ball. How embarrassing! Hopefully I inherited Dad’s hand-eye coordination. Nevertheless, Mom still participated in her golf outing and everyone was really impressed…. with her plaid golf pants.

Whoa! Who is that handsome fella?!

Oh, it’s me! That’s right; I experienced my first professional haircut today and I am looking GOOD!

It wasn’t easy though. I was kind of a wigglyworm-noseypants-sassafrass, but you would be too if you suspected a stranger was attempting to amputate your ears. Plus, I’ve been growing quite fond of my curly-do and it was a bit devastating to see some of my cuteness scattered on the floor beneath me. And if that’s not bad enough, I had the Paparazzi (Mom) all up in my not-in-the-mood face, trying to document every snip of the scissors.

I definitely made my stylist work for her money, but I hung in there ’til the end and even expressed my gratitude with a loving embrace for one final photo op.

Mom and Dad said it wasn’t one of my finer moments. They thought I was unnecessarily dramatic, and when I continued to cry long after leaving the salon, my parents wondered if something else was bothering me. So, instead of heading to our Happy Hour party to try out my new look, we made a detour and spent a not-so-happy-hour at the doctor’s office. As it turns out, my attitude didn’t need an adjustment. Instead, my ears needed one! Doc said I have a double ear infection.

We did eventually make it to the party. Needless to say, me and my haircut arrived fashionably late, and then me and my earache left painfully early.

So, if you’re looking for me, I’ll be snuggled up with my dad because I earned myself some extra sympathy points today. I didn’t sign up for an ear infection, but I’ll gladly take any free hugs coming my way! (Toys, ice cream and cash will be accepted too.)

Woohoo! It’s camping season again and this weekend’s trip to Hayward, WI was a good reminder of why the great outdoors are so great. I managed to squeeze in all sorts of fun! I visited a nursery, I played on the swing, I watched a movie, I went shopping in downtown Hayward, I walked along the beach, I enjoyed a root beer float, I read stories to my dad, and I entertained my grandparents with all of my goofiness. My favorite part of camping was pretend-mowing the lawn. Cutting grass that’s already cut provides me with a sense of accomplishment. I mean, if you wanna play hard, you gotta work hard. And I think everyone would agree that I definitely earned my playtime this weekend. In fact, I’m probably good for the rest of the summer.

I bit someone at daycare yesterday. My inner zombie told me to do it. My mom found out and decided to keep me home from school today so we could talk about all the reasons why I’m not supposed to bite my friends/enemies. The talk was less than compelling and my attention span only got me through the first three words of her opening remarks, so I might attempt to be a repeat offender if the opportunity arises.

Moral of the story: Don’t mess with me; I’ll make you my next victim.

Dad’s birthday today + Grandma’s birthday last week = Birthday bash last night!! Happy birthday, loved ones! Thanks for giving our family a reason to indulge in cake. I raise my sippy cup in the air to you both, for being constant and incredible sources of love, wisdom and happiness in my life. Cheers to you, Dad and Grandma, and to many more birthday cakes to come!

This past weekend we made our annual trip to the Amish greenhouses in Cashton, WI. Grandma Goodenough and Great Aunt Mary made us a delicious lunch, complete with homemade chicken salad sandwiches, pumpkin bars and my new favorite treat: potato chips! I got to play in the park with Ashlee and Cortney, I helped mom pick out the prettiest flowers, and I chatted with Grandma & Grandpa Goodenough between stops and naps. Celebrating Mother’s Day with flowers is a brilliant idea. This way, even when I come down with a case of the grumpies (as demonstrated during this field trip), our garden will be smiling all season long!

Today is the day I like to spend time with my good friend, Photoshop. This year, I decided to see what life would look like if I time-traveled back to 1975….

Oh, hey, Nana Florence! Fancy meeting you here. Mom and I were just talking about how much we missed you. I sure wish you could hang out with me in the year 2015. Mother’s Day is happening right now and Mom says it’s not the same without you. My parents always tell me how you would have showered me with love, which is quite the coincidence because I love water!

Even though we don’t get to snuggle and play kissy-face in real life, mom and I can feel you all around us. We look for you in the clouds, we listen for you in Spanish conversations, and we talk to you through each blooming flower. We follow every dragonfly, we order every tamale, and we never stop loving.

So, Happy Mother’s Day to you Nana Florence, and mom, and to every momma figure in my life, especially Grandma Goodenough, Aunt Julie, Aunt Helen Renee, Aunt Chelsee and so many more. How lucky I am to feel your love…whether that love is near or far, in spirit or in presence. Because a mother’s love is forever.