Amelia's 13 Month Photo Shoot

I love to explore the City.  So when Dad asked, "Amelia, where would you like to take photos for your 13 month photo shoot?"  I replied, "Somewhere with a view."

So, Mom and Dad took us to the Air Force Memorial in Arlington.  Evidently, Phin had been there last year to see fireworks; although he also swears that he was also there to see the demolition derby.  Mom told him not to swear and that they don't hold demolition derbies there, just concerts and remembrance ceremonies.  I don't know who is right, but I did not see any car crashes while we were there.  However, I did see a lot of planes landing at our airport.

Turning 13 months is great.  Just before my 13th month-birthday I started to pull myself up on things.  First on chairs, then ottomans, and now I can pull myself up on anything (even something only a couple of inches tall).  Standing holding on to things is a lot of fun - I wonder why I didn't do this earlier.  Now that I can pull myself up, I've taken to climbing stairs.  While I can only do a couple at a time before I start to back down, my goal before my 14th month birthday is to climb all of the stairs in our house.  This will be quite a challenge, as there are lot (I cannot count, so I do not know the number). 

Anyway, back to the photo shoot.  The Air Force Memorial is perched on a hill above Arlington Cemetery and the Pentagon (although I do not know what these things are since I am only 13 months old).  The Memorial also offers great views of the City, including the Washington Monument.  The photo shoot was a lot of fun, I got to eat grass, dance with my reflection, stand at a glass wall, climb up a few stairs, have a smoothie snack, and play with Phin.  I love to eat grass - it's like a hobby. 

On the grass overlooking DC and the Washington Monument

Dancing with myself in a glass wall

Having a snack with Phin in front of the Air Force Memorial.

Check out this link to view all of my 13 month photo shoot pictures.

Lots of Love,
Amelia

Pet Store Fun

Last week while at Target, I asked mom if we could go to the pet store.  The pet store is only 3 boxes down from Target and sometimes we make the special trip down there.  I like to look at the fish, watch the dogs, chirp at the birds, find the lizards hiding in their cages, and see what cats are available for adoption.  It is kind of like the zoo, only closer to home and all of the animals are smaller than Amelia and not very exotic. 

Unfortunately, it was raining the day I asked.  Mom stated that she "did not want to schlep everyone in the rain and we would come back another day...possibly on the weekend with Dad."

So on Sunday after lunch, the four us loaded up in the car for a special visit to the pet store.  We had so much fun - it is a nice treat.  We got to look at the all of the fish in their tanks.  I got to bang/tap on the glass of the aquariums to scare the fish.  I was able to pet a cat (they usually run away when I go to pet them - this one was in a cage).  And best of all, we got to watch the dogs play in their giant room.

We would put our hands on the glass wall and the dogs would come over and do the same with their paws.  So silly.  Sometimes, the dogs would even scratch at the glass, like they were trying to rub my hands.  One time when a dog was scratching the glass, I turned around and pretended he was scratching my back.  Ahhh.  So relaxing. 

Amelia even liked putting her hands on the glass.  Well, she liked it until the dogs would bark.  Amelia is scared of dogs, unless they are behind a glass wall, quiet, and small.  Silly Amelia, don't be scared.

You can see the pics from our visit here.

Peace Out,
Phin

PS - Mom says that you should not buy me a pet.

Giggles

Today Phin brought out his green tent and popped it up in his bedroom (I have a blue one just like his).  Normally we use them when we travel and camp - we sleep in them.

So, it is completely out of place to have a tent set up in his room.  It totally gave me the giggles.  Luckily Mom caught it on her camera; click here to open the video to view the video.

Giggles and Lots of Love,
Amelia

Mmm...Blackberry Picking and Eating

It’s well documented that I love fruit picking.  When we were in StL a couple of years ago, I picked pears with Grandpa in his backyard.  I’ve also picked apples, peaches, strawberries, pumpkins (I know this isn’t a fruit), and plums.  When I say I love picking, I really mean that I love picking and immediately eating fruit (well not the pumpkins).  When I’m a home, Mom and Dad give me 5-10 raspberries, a handful of blueberries, 3 strawberries, ½ a peach, OR ½ an apple (depending on what we have).  But when we’re in the fields, it is a free-for-all to see how much I can shove in my mouth!  Mom and Dad are distracted with their own picking and eating – so there is no one paying attention to how much I eat. 

Oh man, I love the fruit rush that I get from all that eating!  If I could eat just fruit, I would be a happy, energized, and poopy Big Guy!

Last weekend, we went peach and blackberry picking with my pal Max (and his mom and dad).  You may recognize Max from previous picking adventures.  He’s a great picker too (and loves to eat fruit as well). 

After a fun, twisty, turny car ride we arrived at a new picking place.  After a climb up the hill, it was open season on blackberry picking and eating!  I must have picked 100 blackberries (I can only count to 14 though, so I do not know how many I ate).  Even Amelia got to pick and eat some blackberries.  The one thing I do not like about freshy-fresh blackberries is they make your hands all messy. I wiped my hands all over my pants to keep them clean.  While Amelia, just used Dad’s back.

 

After our fill of blackberries (I had a lot), it was time to run back up the hill and pick peaches.  The problem with peaches is that they grow on trees and I’m not tree-tall yet.  With Dad and Mom’s help, I was able to achieve success.  Success = eating 5 peaches.  I like the hard peaches better; everyone else liked the soft ones better.  I think Amelia ate 3 peaches while we were in the fields – she loves peaches.

 
After all that eating, hill climbing, and fun I was too tired to walk down the hill back to the car.  So, Dad gave Max and me a ride in the wheelbarrow while we finished our peaches.

After all that picking, there was only one thing to do… go to lunch (because who doesn’t need more food).

I can hardly wait to go apple picking next month.  Check out all of my Blackberry picking pictures here.

Peace Out,

Phin

Night Out at the Park & Conquering My First Step

Last night after dinner, we went for a little walk. We went down the bike path, under the metro tracks, by the construction zone, and past the ball fields. By the time we made it to the little playground at the school, it seemed like this was going to be another trip made especially for Phin. I'm not saying that I don't enjoy the Phin oriented trips, but sometimes I feel neglected.  I cannot walk like Phin, I cannot climb like Phin, and I cannot hold on to spinners like Phin - so parks without swings are not much fun for me.  Most parks have too many kids and limited Amelia options.

But, at the little playground we were the only ones there, so Dad and Mom pulled me out of the stroller, put me on the big landing on the equipment, and let me roam.  It was a lot of fun to just do my own thing. There was even a tube I could climb through and a couple of big steps I could try climbing up.

This park also a little table and chair set - Phin made us a pretend breakfast - and a couple of steering wheels.  In addition to climbing my first steps and going through my first tube, I got to go down a slide by myself (with just a little hand holding).  I am so excited thinking about my adventure last night!

What an great playground visit - I can hardly wait to go back!!  You can check out some photos from my visit.

Lots of Love,
Amelia