Tea Party

tea party for two

"here you go mr. bear"

"a little bit more"

mr. bear was quite thirsty that day

Brilliant:

keeping kids occupied while waiting for food 

 how about a side of artwork with those pancakes?

Zero to Sixty...

...in no time flat

Twirling

Penelope judges dresses by their twirl factor.

This one passed the test.

Nurse P

Feeling under the weather?

 Never fear, Nurse Penelope is here!

(The Real Story: Daddy wanted to lay down and watch football, but Penelope wanted to play. This was the compromise.)

A Visit to the Zoo

We had some "Mommy and Me" time at the zoo a few weeks ago while Daddy was busy working. Neither of us ever seem to tire of exploring the grounds and gazing at animals.

Hey, Penelope, I think the ostrich wants his egg back!

My! What big hands you have!

A ride on the carousel capped off a fun-filled day.

Go Duke!

Before going to her first football game P was a bit unsure of what this football thing was all about 

But once she joined the other fans in the stadium, she was mesmerized by the "football boys"

her daddy was very proud

"Let's Go Duke!"

"Touchdown!"

Play time with Daddy

 once again, daddy got roped in to penelope's play time

she really needs a sibling...

Growing Up is Hard to Do

First it was giving up the crib. Then it was giving up the diapers. Then (finally!!!) it was giving up the pacifiers. It's hard work being two.

Two weeks ago Penelope gave her pacifiers away to the little baby rabbit who frequents our back yard. After much convincing, Penelope decided that he needed them more than she did. So on our way to school one morning we ceremoniously deposited all of the pacifiers on the grass in the middle of the backyard, called out to the baby rabbit that they were for him, and sadly waved goodbye.

As soon as we got home from school, Penelope ran into the backyard to check and see if they were gone. Indeed they were. (Thanks to some incognito work from Daddy.)

This was the transition we were all dreading the most. Neither of us could conceive how Penelope would be lured into dreamland without her beloved "paci's." But, surprisingly, she hasn't looked back. Thank you baby rabbit!

First Day of School

Time for a little back-tracking...

Here's Penelope on her way to her first day of school.

She was very excited!

(In reality, I believe she was actually more excited about her new lunch box than the prospects of school.)

Fast forward a month, and Penelope is still giddy about her lunch box, but she doesn't look like this when we announce it's time to go to school. In fact, it's quite a feat every morning to get us both ready and out the door in one piece.

But whenever I arrive to pick her up, she is having a blast playing with her new friends and has to be convinced to say goodbye and head home.

Scrapes and Bruises

Poor Penelope!

I barely recognized her when I picked her up from school today. She was covered in scrapes and bruises from head to toe after a nasty tumble on sand-covered cement.

Fully recovered from the incident, Penelope was delighted to tell me all about her "boo-boo's" and reenact the fall over and over again.

So Long Diapers!

Watching the workers fix the road--one of Penelope's highlights during "Potty-training Week 2011"

It's official. We've done away with diapers! After several grueling days (for Mommy anyways) of do-or-die toilet training and being confined to the house, it FINALLY clicked.

Exploring the Eno

Exploring the Eno River one hot summer day.

Upon discovering a green bug struggling on his back, Penelope kindly picked him up and put him to rest in the safety of a nut shell.

After much concerted efforts to save his life, the bug died.

The toddler was crushed.

May he (or she) rest in peace.

Mr. Murphy Would Be Proud

The crib has become a "couch" for bedtime stories.

Behold Penelope's new sleeping apparatus:

A Murphy bed from the early 1900's that we picked up at a local antique store a few years ago.

(Don't worry. We did replace the original feather bed and tightened up a few loose springs. Now it's as good as new!)

You just pull the knobs and fold it out into a bed. Voila! A perfect place for little P to catch some Z's.

Nighty-night!

Oh, Lolly, Lollipop

Love at first lick.