Freaking Phenominal Fall Fun

Oh yeah, this fall stuff is some good fun. Mom and Dad had me out somewhere new just about every day it seems, and it usually entailed being outside. I like being outside. You can have a lot more fun outside. You can run a lot more outside. Overall I'd say outside is where it's at. What's "it"? I don't know...but outside is where you can find "it". Fall was also neat because of all of the changes I got to watch. The air was cooler, the trees turned pretty colors (most of which I know by name, thank you very much), you can see your breath in the morning, and all the pesky bugs went away. I changed, too. My teeth are all coming in now, I have grown a ton, I look less like a penguin when I run now, and I can help get myself dressed to go outside to play. I'm still a punk, but that will NEVER change. Yeah, I'm pretty much all grown up now I'd guess (although I can't be sure...I haven't done this before). Figure I'll keep living here though so I don't have to pay rent somewhere else...you have no idea how overpriced housing is over here!

My most fequent hang-out was the park down the street. It's only a 3 minute walk to get there, so we'd go there a lot when Mom and Dad got home from work. It has swings, slides, a merry-go-round, and plenty of room for me to run around. For some reason they liked to take me there right before a nap on the weekends, too. Haven't figured out why yet...I was usually too tired to think about it while we headed back home. Anyways, I'm pretty awesome in a swing (as you can see), so that's usually where we'd start and finish the outing. Dad would get me going pretty high sometimes, but it's just a good place to chill out and check things out. Since we're so close to the airport, it was a great place to spot "air-pains" and say "bye-bye" to them. Did you know that they go ssssshhhhhhhhh across the sky? Well I did, that's why I told you.

You meet some cool kids at the park, too. This is a shot of me playing with my friend Udi and his mom on the merry-go-round (I like pushing it). They just moved here from Israel. I also have a South African friend that I play with from time to time. His dad has a funny accent, and usually is pretty silly when he's pushing the swings. I like the neighborhood kids... I just hope we can still play when it gets cold outside.

Then there was Halloween. The bigger kids at daycare tell me I'll like it more when I can go "tricking and/or treating", but for now I like it just fine running around in silly clothes. This year, I was a monkey. Instead of telling you all about it...I'm just going to show you a ton of monkey pictures. Cool?

Monkey w/ Mommy...

Monkey w/ Daddy.

Monkey in movie-esque chaos.

Monkey on hay...

Monkey saying "hey".

Monkey throwing poo.

Monkey caught writing grafitti on a pumpkin.

Monkey and a goat.

(sweet.)

Monkey...out.

Don't Forget to Write?

...Well I didn't forget, but I should have found more time to keep the blog up-and-going. I'll be sure to get on it more this Fall. Let me fill you in on what I've been doing with Mommy and Daddy for the past couple months:

I've spent some time at the beach since it's been such a hot summer. They tell me it gets cooler in the Fall, but It's October and in the high 80's... they lie. Anyways, here's me and my cousin Emily at the beach at Spring Lake.

Great Grandpa and Grandma Buck had a little BBQ for the folks and I in August. Good eatn'.

GG Tom and GG Betty took us to Greenfield Village to watch the "old timey" baseball game, but the highlight was the frozen custard...

...good times had by all.

My hair is getting long, so I'm learning how to style it different ways.

Of course what would a summer be without a trip to the zoo? I'm serious. Would it be considered official or just a trial run? Best not to risk it and just go.

As you can see, I get around pretty good on my own now (thank you very much).

Have you guys tried this "spaghetti" stuff?

"Grazzi Mille!"

And Finally, I met Emma...

...and Madelyn when we went to Homecoming at AQ. Dad told me to avoid any conversations about squirrels with the guy in the blue shirt (seen above with a woman way to attractive for him).

Until next time (which won't be as long this time, I promise)...

The One Year Anniversary of... ME!

July 3 was my "first" birthday. This kind of confuses me because, though it was all kind of a blur, I seem to recall this whole "birth" thing happening about a year ago. To my knowledge, that was the first time that happened to me, so wouldn't that be my first birthday and this be my second? Have I been zero years old until now? Isn't the definition of "zero" considered a symbol that represents the absence of quantity or magnitude? I may be small, but I'm no zero! I can't wait until I can articulate questions like that verbally and ask them to Mom and Dad over and over. Others questions I plan to pose include "why is the sky blue?", "where does God live?", "why does the rest of the world not like our country?", and just plain "why?". That one will be my "go-to" question I think. You know, if asked with the right inflection, it can be quite a profound question... or statement even. Let that be your first lesson in Zen-Evieism. But for now, less questions and more me, sound good?

I'll start with the BEST part about my whole birthday experience: Mom and Dad took the week off! I got to spend the entire week with them, which is something I haven't been able to do since Christmas. We did all kinds of things. We went to the park, we went to the mall, we went swimming (in a big pool, in a little pool, and in a lake!), we slept in, and we played so much it made us want to sleep some more. We also said bye-bye to my bottles and formula since I'll pretty much eat whatever they put in front of me. Pickles have become one of my favorites, and re fried beans are really good, too. Of course the next day Mom and Dad don't seem to happy that they fed them to me, but a girl's gotta get her protein somehow. Yup, I had a blast with the folks. Pretty sure they had fun, too.

To celebrate my birthday, Fr. John Young offered to host a party at his cabin on Lake Michigan. I was so excited to see so many friends and family there, and his house was beautiful! There was a TON of food, and Grandpa Davey worked his magic on the grill. We played games, chatted up a storm, opened presents, had our cake, AND ATE IT, TOO (What a dumb expression, but I digress). Everyone was very thoughtful with their gifts; from books, to toys, to clothes, and all sorts of goodies. Paula had her mommy make me a beautiful quilt for my room...it even had a beach theme to match all of my stuff. Father John gave me a wonderful family Bible with pictures and stories. There were so many presents that Dad-oo could barely get them all in the car! What can I say, people dig me.

After the feast and the presentation of gifts, we headed down to the beach. Fortunately, Frankie and Annette weren't there breaking into silly songs and romping around with their goofball friends... I would have been annoyed. Nope, it was just us on a nice private beach. I tested the waters a little bit, but it was quite cold. Instead, I decided to build sandcastles and play in the sand. I was torn as to whether to build in an Art Deco style or Neoclassical. I'll do some pre-planning before my next beach excursion...maybe bring some blueprints. I must say that Aunt Barbara was a pretty good foreman, though. I'll have to keep her on staff.

Needless to say, by the time the day was over, I was wiped out. I was lucky enough to wake up in time for the greatest game of ladder golf ever played (tough luck Uncle John!), and then pooped out again on the ride home. Thanks to Father John for hosting us, thanks to everyone for coming, and thank goodness for sunscreen! It was a great first birthday... even though it was really my second :)

June 2007: Thank you I'll have another.

June came and went fast, but it was one of my favorite months so far. Since my birthday is right around the corner, June was my last first month (I'll pause for some of you to process that one----got it?----OK, I'll continue). I could write all day about all of the great things I did this month, but I thought it'd be better to sum it up through pictures. This way I spend less time typing and more time out doing cool new stuff to write about next month. Sound like a plan? I asked that question knowing that you would not be able to answer in time to change my mind, but at least I can say I made an effort. Anyways, here's my June:

Early in the month, I went to the Kalamazoo Art Fair with Grandpa and Grandma Buck. We saw some pretty things, some unique things, and some junk. Mom also let me get shot from a cannon! Nope, no "helicopter parents" here.

Later on, my Great Grandpa and Great Grandma Buck brought me my birthday gift a bit early... A NEW TOY BOX! Of course I helped put it together.

While we were in Grand Rapids one weekend, I got to go to the John Ball Zoo with Papa, Grammy, and my cousin Emily. Yeah, I touched a goat.

...then we sat poolside and relaxed a bit.

On four occasions, we packed up the old stroller and headed down to "Top of the Park", which is a month-long festival in Ann Arbor where they have concerts, performers, and ice cream...lots of ice cream. Our friends Paula and John came with us one time, and we saw crazy acrobats on poles. No kidding.

Yup, June was an action-packed month. I'm looking forward to July...especially my birthday. I'm hearing things about presents, parties, and a sugary concoction called cake. I'll keep you posted.

"Kitty"

I know that scientists have been classifying different animals and species into phylum through biological taxonomy for decades, but I have taken it upon myself to redefine and improve upon what others in academia have been unable to do. I have developed a new, stream-lined method in classifying organisms, and that is to call everything a "kitty" (or "Kithy" as I prefer to pronounce it). Whether it is a live animal, a picture in a book, a stuffed animal, or even a plant in the distance that looks like an animal; by classifying it as a "kitty", I have completely revolutionized the tedious work of classifying species. Once I learn how to speak in complete sentences, I plan to present this to the University's faculty for consideration. My guess is that they will grant me my doctorate on the spot. 'Bout time we had a Dr. Greenwald!

We've been keeping busy around here lately. Daddy is coaching baseball right now, and Mommy is always running me out to the store to get this, that, or the other. Last weekend, I spent some time with my grandparents in Kalamazoo. Grandma went out an picked me up a brand new pool, and we set it up out in the backyard. Mommy, Megan, and I spent the afternoon lounging poolside and soaking in the sun. Next time I'll have to order my bottle with an umbrella sticking out of it or a lime twist...I think that's what you're supposed to do. Anyways, we also hit an art festival while we were there. There was a lot of good food and a lot of neat things to look at. I had a lot of fun that weekend, and used a lot of sunscreen.


Last, but not least, I have a major announcement to make. I TOOK MY FIRST STEPS! I know none of you are the least bit surprised that I, Evangeline MacKenzie, would master this two-legged crawl that all of you seem to use to move from place to place, but I still feel that this was worth sharing. Mommy was very proud of me, and even sang me a special song based upon that theme. She tells me she learned it from a Mr. Rogers. Must be a nice guy, though his lyrics lead me to believe he's no Bob Dylan. Regardless, the gesture was appreciated. I am working hard to improve on this new form of getting myself around, and will surely keep you all posted.


'Til next time...

Oh Nature!

Over the past few weeks, I have spent considerably less time inside, and a heck of a lot more time outside... and I LOVE it! At daycare, I play with all of my friends in the backyard. I see birds, trees, green grass, and (my personal favorite) DIRT! Man, dirt sure is fun. When I get home, Mommy and Daddy take me for walks. Sometimes we walk around the neighborhood, while other times we go to "parks". Parks come in all shapes and sizes. Some have lots of trees, some have lots of grass. Some have lots of people, some have lots of squirrels. Some even have swings. It's a good thing I don't eat cookies yet, otherwise I might toss them when Dad's pushes me. Yikes.

So far my two favorite parks are Gallup Park and Nichols Arboretum (the "Arb"). They both follow the big river, and it's pretty neat to watch all of the canoes and kayaks go by. There are a lot of fun bridges, trails, and places to sit on a blanket and crawl around. Mommy always packs a lot of toys to play with, but I can usually keep myself busy just checking out the people walking by or playing with the grass and sticks that are all around. Worst case scenario, I crawl all over Dad-oo like he's a jungle gym until I've got enough drool on him that he's soaking wet. He has great shirts to chew on, and he's pretty understanding about this whole teething thing. He's good people.

I spent last weekend in Grand Rapids, and got to see a lot of family. Saturday we went to Aquinas to watch Uncle Mikey graduate. He got to dress up funny and parade around with a bunch of other people who looked like extras from a Harry Potter movie. What a goofball. As you can see by my "expression" in the picture here, the speaker was AMAZING (that's called sarcasm, boys and girls). I actually had fun playing with Grandma and Stacey, but that was a long afternoon and I required a nap. Good thing I slept though, otherwise I would have missed the feast that took place after the ceremony. Mommy has started to let me mooch a bit off of her plate... so the better she eats, the better I eat. Pasta, chicken, ice cream...yum.

We spent that evening with Papa and Grammy, so I got to go exploring all over their house. I always enjoy exploring new places and finding things that I'm not supposed to get into. Papa is much more lenient then Dad-oo when it comes to me making mess. Sucker. The next day we went to see my second cousin Nadia and congratulate he on her first Communion. She was dressed very pretty...like a little wedding dress. I have to get one of those. Anyways, all of my aunts, uncles, were there with my Great Grandma Greenwald. We ate a lot of food, but the best part was the doggie! This doggie didn't look like Spot, but it was cute none the less. As you can see, I got to pet her and chase her around. Doggie's are silly, but I prefer it when I'm getting all of the attention. Dogs tend to detract from that.

Until next time... you know where you can find me :)

Hey Boo Boo, where's our pic-in-ic basket?

Part II: Bath Time!!!

After a long day of playing...

... hiding...

...driving...

...discussing world events...

... and swimming with my friends...

...I can get pretty tired.

But before I go to bed at night... I always make sure I take a bath!

I always help get it ready...the water has to be just right.

An then when I'm done, Mom and Dad make sure I stay nice and warm.

Then it's time for bed.

That's my bath story :)

the end.