I had a great visit at Grandma Tice and Jay’s house.

For starters, the weather was very warm, and there was this nice cool fountain to play in!

I got soaked and loved every minute of it!

Then there was a hose to investigate…

…and then some watering cans to move around.

Finally, I got a ride on the mower with Daddy.  Maybe next year, I’ll work up the nerve to steer!

The next day, there were more hoses to investigate…

…and a splash in the pool with Daddy as chaperon!

I also was delighted to meet my Great Aunts Carol and Jean, and Great Uncle Phil.

M&D and I always read before bed.  This was the first time that I got to sit in the chair all by myself.  It’s very roomy and comfortable.  I could get used to this!

Maybe one day I’ll be able to read all by myself, too.  But that wouldn’t be as much fun, I think.

I… have… the Legoooooo!

Daddy managed to scrounge a loan of some blocks from Auntie Linda.  What a find!  There’s all kinds of shapes, sizes, colors, not to mention people, carts, platforms, and more!

Daddy says that while technically these are ‘Duplo’ blocks, we can call them Legos if we want to.

M&D took me to this museum last weekend.  It is right near this big red bridge.

Of course, I was very excited to go, so I had to nap on the way down to conserve my energy.

Once we go there, we met up with the Edmonstons.  Here, Cole and I are splashing around, fishing for salmon.

Got one!  (What do I do with it now?)

In addition to the indoor play areas, there was a big outdoor play area.

I got to spend some quality time working the gravel pit…

…and then later, putting this dump truck through its paces.

Maybe next time I go back, I’ll be able to play on some of the bigger stuff!

One of the most fascinating but off limits toys around is the dishwasher.  The movements!  The sounds!  What does it all do?  How does it all work?  Sliding, clanking, clattering, massive parent attention from all quarters!  (That part, at least, I understand!)

One recent day, M&D and I agreed to a dishwasher session so long as the flatware was removed from play.  Suckers!  I’ll take whatever I can get!  Wooo hooo!

But seriously, this was lots of fun.  And M&D, please take note: I didn’t break anything, so that means I get to play in the dishwasher again, right?

I finally convinced Mommy fork over the, uh, fork, and let me try eating with it.  Oh, and did you know that parents hoard the best food for themselves?  I’ve discovered that the best things to eat are right there on their plates.  Now that I’ve go the fork, I can reach those plates, too!

Not bad, eh?  Never mind the collateral damage…

I had a great first birthday weekend extravaganza!  My Ma and Pa, and Grandpa and Mr. Alton came to visit.  And yesterday, the Knapps all came over to visit and sing to me!

Mommy handled delivery of my first cupcake.  I think the following sequence says it all:

Turns out those wascally cupcakes can be tough to eat!  But I got a piece of ’em!

(Ed. Note: Ben, I’m sure you’ll know what to do when next year rolls around!)

It seems that gone are the days of cold and rain, and it actually gets quite hot here in the backyard!  I’ve not experienced this before.  How hot does it get, anyway?

To help beat the heat, Mommy put me in my nice light Hawaiian shorts and my nice shady hat.

Also, Daddy put up the gate to make a safe place for me to play on the back deck.

Mommy also broke out my sandals, which I’m modeling here, for your viewing pleasure.

Very cool!

(Ed. Note: Thanks, Luciana, for the Brazillian sandals (complete with national flags!))

My first balloon!  Who knew that such “up” thingys existed!  Everything up until now has been a “down” thingy!  Daddy got me my first balloon on our trip to the grocery store.  I wonder if this is how airplanes fly?  Are they full of balloons?

(Ed. Note: 98 more balloons, and you can be a German pop star, Ben!)

Mommy & Daddy took me outside for an Easter egg hunt last Sunday.  Searching for eggs amongst the bubbles was fun…

… but just as fun was sitting and playing with the dirt.

I did get to wear my new fancy hat!  What do you think?