Oh I Just Can't Wait to be King!!

Everybody look left, Everybody look right, Everywhere you look i'm standing in the spotlight. Oh I just can't wait to be King!!

My second Halloween was a big deal. It was a year in the making as my mom found my costume on Freecycle last Fall. And then the rest of the year I spent waiting to be King; it was well worth it. Like all little cubs, I tried on my costume a few weeks in advance to make sure it fit and everything was set for the big day. I didn't realize my costume was going to be so big! I wasn't quite sure what to think of it and didn't really feel like I could move in it, so the question was whether I would cooperate on Halloween.

Well Friday the 30th came and brought Goddard Halloween Parade and Party. At 2:30 we started preparing by getting dressed. I absolutely refused to wear my mane. By 3:00 it was time to head outside to debut our costumes. All the parents were lined up like prisoners against the fence waiting for us. Emily, my buddy, dressed up as a duck (wasn't she cute!).

I walked around the perimeter of the fence three times and headed back inside for our party. We had lots of snacks, included cheese puffs. As you can see I enjoyed the cheese puff head to toe.

That evening, I entered the costume contest in our town. This time I decided I would keep the mane on and show those youngsters what being King meant. I roared for those Judges and before you know it they were casting the winning ballot for me. That's right, I truly was King of South River. I took home a medal and a goodie bag with a stuffed animal as my prize. At the end of the night Freddie the firetruck came. He was so cool; remote control firetruck that sprays water, plays and dances to music, and flashes his lights and sounds his siren.

Saturday I awoke to the smells of candy throughout my neighborhood. I could hardly wait to get that costume off on Friday night, to only have to be chased down like a rabbit running from a lion, to be forced back into it. We headed over to Josh's grandma's to trick-or-treat through her neighborhood. Josh dressed up like Dave from the Imagination Movers. His mom made his costume and did an amazing job. While trick or treating we met the neighbor's dog, Player (kinda weird if you ask me), but I enjoyed the fact that he followed me and Josh around, maybe it was my cat costume.

After loading up on loot and stuffing my tummy with pizza, we headed back to our cave for a little visit to the neighbors for cash, candy, and stuffed animals. Pete across the street always gives dollars and candy for Halloween; its awesome. After some grub we headed to Hall-RO-ween III at Kate and Andy Ro's house. It was a great party and everyone loved the Lion King. I spent the evening chasing my tail with giggles from everyone. When I wasn't cleaning my mane, I was chasing ping pong balls. Being that it was daylight savings time this weekend, I got to stay up until 10 pm in hopes that I would sleep late on Sunday.

And it worked; I slept in until 7:30! We headed to the Diner for some pumpkin pancakes to gear up for some modeling for Frank. This little Lion King roared and smiled for the best of 'em. It was such a great surprise to walk up to his studio and see my face everywhere.

Late Sunday afternoon we were paid a visit from Rebecca and Andrew. Rebecca and I spent the day running in and out of the curtains and eating yummy guacomole. By Sunday night this little Lion King was exhausted and ready to hit the hay without my mane. Happy Howl-o-ween!

Movin' On Up!

Big day today my blog followers...I have graduated finally. I graduated from the Infant Room to the First Steps Room. Now you may be wondering what an almost 15 mn old was doing in an Infant room as doesn't one become a toddler when they start to walk? Yeah, that's what I was thinking, as well as my parents. When I started walking at a 11 mns I gave them fair warning that I was not going to stand for playing with babies all that long, but they had other things in mind. That is until my mom got a hold of them.

Thanks to my mom's persuasive reasoning, she insisted on me spending time with the "big kids" and work on adjusting to their lifestyle. So over the last month or so I have been spending more and more time with them. Finally, last week I was spending pretty much all day over there. I even took a nap on a pillow one day, and not in my crib. So on Thursday, when Goddard offered to move me up, my mom jumped on it.

Amongst the many changes that go with heading into the First Steps room is the fact that I get to sleep on the floor on top of a sleeping bag. So over the weekend, I picked out my first sleeping bag. Another change that is not so welcome is the sadness I feel as I bid farewell to my friends in the Infant room. Its especially sad because they did not move my best friend/crush, Emily.

Today proved to be a confusing day. I started my breakfast in a weird room with lots of big kids. Weird Steven tried to steal my banana in my the midst of my confusion, but my mom fended him off with a stern NO! Thank goodness, because that banana is the only thing that was a constant of my day. After the confusion passed, I adjusted quite well and even took a short nap on my new sleeping bag. I did lots of new things and even came home saying a new word, "mouth", while I pointed to mommy and daddy's. I can also say shoe now while attempting to put them on.

The day did not end all that sad as I heard from a little birdy that Emily's mom is not so happy that we were separated!! She is now pushing for my girlfriend to move on up too! I have a feeling that we won't be separated for all that long. In fact, I heard she's going to be joining me tomorrow for an afternoon of fun in the First Steps room....can't wait!

All the Right Moves

Today we spent the day with Frank, our good buddy from the Dominican who took all those awesome pictures of me. We started out at PJ's Pancake House in Princeton filling our tummy's with some excellent Buttermilk Pancakes. If you haven't been to PJ's you must go as you can write on the walls, tables and even the ceiling if you dare. PJ's is a late night spot for those Princeton buffs after a long night of studying (according to my mom you have to study hard to stay in Princeton). With my tummy all full and my belly button sticking out, I proceeded to walk around the streets of Princeton waiting for Frank and showing off my belly button to anyone who walked by. We encountered a dog I was half the size of; he was very interested in my belly button.

Frank finally arrived and immediately began shooting my beautiful face. We headed over to the campus to play in the leaves and climb up the hill. I played on tons of benches and found lots of sticks to entertain myself with. We then headed to the Gardens that are located on the campus and got some great shots. While we were there a "uf uf uf" (Golden Retriever) showed up and I got to hold the lease and take him down for a bath in the fountain. Definitely the highlight of the photo shoot if you ask me!

As I was growing tired, mom decided we needed a break after 2 hours of shooting. I didn't even make it back to the car before falling asleep on dad's shoulder. I slept for about an hour while mom and dad watched a crew competition. After waking up we dined at a local spot in Kingston, NJ, before heading to Frank's studio for some more shots. We also were able to preview what Frank shot in the morning; wow do I look GOOD! After the studio it was on to the pumpkin patch.

Now you may ask, who brings a professional photographer to the pumpkin patch to take pictures of me picking pumpkins...that's right, my parents. So there I was toddling around the patch with a huge camera following my every move. I have to say I felt like a movie star. I had all the right moves and all the right faces to make this day awesome. He even asked me to stop by the studio for shots for his window. Do you know that this means...I'm going to be a model!! As you can see from the pics, a big thank you goes out to Frank for a fantastic fun-filled day!

You can view some of Frank's amazing work at http://www.digidg.com/

Evacuate the Dance Floor

Saturday brought my last day of swimming lessons for this session. Daddy swam with me on my last day because mommy is going to be my dedicated Gymnastics buddy!! Yes, you read that right, I'm going to be starting Gymnastics on Halloween! Not sure who's more excited about this...me or mom?? My mom keeps telling me how many days left until we start Gymnastics. Based on her excitement, it's gotta be fun, right?

Goddard had their annual Fall carnival today. Because it was pouring out, it was held inside. The rooms held different activities, including food, magic show, art, and dance club. I visited each room but had a preference for the dance club. I was dancing away with the teachers and the DJ right in the middle of everything. Every once in a while I would stop and take a look around, not sure what to do next. It was a good time!

So BIG!

Today I went to see Dr. Manfredo (I love her) for my 15th month check-up. But before I get to that I have to tell you all about my exciting day at school. I am now spending some time away from the Infant/Tigers room (makes senses doesn't it) and a little more time in the First Steps/Lions room. I'm gearing up for my big move across the kitchen spending more time with children similarly situated to me, as my mom would say. I headed over around 10:30 to learn language arts (reading), matching farm animals on a puzzle, painting, dancing, learning Ring around the Rosie, pushing tractors around, and looking for worms in the grass and garden. My life skill was learning how to hang my coat up in my cubbie. It was an awesome day with challenges galore. It was so much fun!

Now about my visit with Dr. Manfredo. It was essential that I visit her as she is about ready to have her very own little boy in mid-November. So I wanted to get in to see her before she went out on maternity leave. She promised to only be gone for 8 weeks, but you never know these days. With regard to the visit itself, I got to sit in the scale, and was told that I now weigh 24 lbs, and 13 oz. Then they put this funny thing at the top of my head all the way down to my feet, and told me that I am 31 1/4 in. tall. And last but certainly not least, they measured how smart I was and I guess I'm 48 cm. smart (I think that means I'm brillant) or at least I can't fit normal shirts over my big brain. As for the rest of me, I'm in the 50% or just average...that's okay my big brain compensates for what's lacking.

And then the worst thing happened, I got stuck three times, yes THREE times! First I got the DTAP and HIB, and I thought I was all done creating drama. I walked up front to greet the girls, and low and behold the flu shots came in. So Dr. Manfredo asked if I wanted another shot. Over my protests, and only because its mandated by New Jersey law, I was vacinated against the flu. Oh the drama was in full effect and continued all the way to the front of the office, out the front door, and in the car half way home. I surely made it known that I was not in agreement with the flu shot. All I have to say is this vaccine better work!

I also overheard mommy and Dr. Manfredo discussing the H1N1 vaccine and I think i'm going to have to get that the next time; not if I have a choice in the matter.

I Love to Eat, Eat, Eat Apples and Bananas

Because we live in New Jersey we have the advantage of being able to do a wide array of fall activities, including apple picking. Additionally, we live by one of the best orchards in New Jersey. Today Josh and I set out to find the perfect apple. We started the day with swimming lessons, breakfast at Perkins, and on to Delicious Orchards which is a fantastic speciality shop that has the best vegetables and fruits. Outside they serve apple cider and apple cider donuts. Because the morning was rather gloomy, we waited for the rain to pass until we set out on the prowl for giant apples. And boy did we find them, they were as large as heads!

Both Josh and I had our wagons in tow which was handy as we rode in one wagon and left the other one for hauling apples. This orchard was huge and had several types of apple trees to pick from. We decided on two varieties: Crispin and Jonathan. There are signs posted around the orchard telling you to try the apples. So Josh and I did just that. We tried lots of apples that day! By the end of the day, the two of us had eaten about 1 1/2 apples each, and we ended up picking 20 lbs of apples between the two of us.

Red, Red Wine

Today we went to the Alba Wine Festival for the second year in a row (well my second time). We met up with Josh and his parental units for an afternoon of sun, snacks and wagon hopping. That's right, Josh brought his wagon and I brought mine. We spent the afternoon getting in and out of both wagons. In fact, a couple of times I decided not to use my door allowing my nose to smell the grass real close. All the while we were playing in the grass, our parents were taking turns at different tents tasting wine. A couple of our other friends joined us for the afternoon: Evan and Corey, April and Mike, & Casey and Scott. It was a perfect fall day with a long nap on the way home.

La, la, la, la, Elmo's World

Today Penelope Kirkpatrick turned 1 and I was lucky enough to be invited to her birthday party!


Now I say lucky because out of the blue, in came Elmo with a juke box, dancing and singing. Not sure what the birthday girl thought of the whole thing, but I loved Elmo. I even let him hold me and got to take a picture with him.



As for the rest of the party, it was really fun. Gavin Grouser was there and we had fun chasing each other around the party.



I had the best chicken strips with fries as my lunch. Penelope's mom had these cute gift bags with lots of stuff to play with. Penelope got lots of presents and had an awesome cake too. I helped myself to an entire piece of birthday cake with a scoop of ice cream.



By the time dinner came around, I wasn't so hungry. I went to bed that evening dreaming of dancing with Elmo in Elmo's World!

I Wear My Pajamas All Day!

Today was PJ day at school. Every once and a while Goddard springs this cool day on us. The last time this happened was early in the summer when I could wear my shorts and t-shirt type pajamas. But now its fall which requires a different type of pajamas. It's not warm enough to wear shorts and a t-shirt, but its not cold enough to wear heavy pajamas. Plus, we have to wear sneakers with our pajamas, so that discounts the footsie pajamas as they would look a bit odd with sneakers. So I ended up wearing sleep pants with a long sleeve t-shirt. It was a fun day because I got to go outside in my pajamas and played all day long with my friends. Even Emily had cute PJ's!