It is enrichment time, people!

Last weekend, we hopped into the car and headed over to the Denver Children's Museum again.




I like to paint here ...




... mostly because nobody cares when I go off-canvas.

Dad and I made this handy orange juice container purse in the museum's wood shop. It comes in handy when shopping for fake groceries.




Once you buy fake ingredients at this museum, you can cook them in the kitchen.




Sometimes, the fake ingredients can fool even me.




Fake food wasn't filling me up, so we stopped at one of our favorite vegetarian restaurants. It's frequented mostly by fake artists who have tattoos and wish they were living in the East Village in 1974.




Yeah, I have no patience for them either.

I never watch more than the prescribed eight hours of TV per day

Mom and Dad try to limit my TV time.




Really, they do.




But the fact is, it's the only thing that keeps me still for more than 10 seconds.




And besides, a girl's got to watch Franklin in the morning.




One of Dad's lenses lets him take nice bright photos with nothing but light from the TV and a lamp.




I asked him if he could just use a flash like normal people.




He threatened to turn off the TV, so I stopped asking.




I try to maintain an inqusitive, intellectual appearance while watching TV. That way, Mom and Dad won't worry that we should be reading instead.




It doesn't always work.

Concrete repair and so forth

There's a fascinating crack in our driveway. The previous tenants seem to have tried to fill it with chewing gum and bees.




As it turns out, those are not contractor-grade repair materials.




I am as surprised as you are.




This is Eva from across the street. (I think that's how you spell her name.) I took my shoes off on the sidewalk, so she helped me put them back on. Very helpful neighbors around here!

This old kid from down the block

This really old kid on my "beep beep" is Zack. He lives on our block.




This is him in his turtle helmet. I've gotta get one of those.




I was pushing him around the neighborhood recently.




Come back here, Zack!




Whee!!!




Ba ha ha ha ha! He's finally worn out!

Bows!

Mom distracted me with the TV long enough to get these pretty bows into my hair.




What you're seeing here is me not putting up a fight.




I can't deny it: this is cute.




It is a little subtle, though, with only one full package of bows in my hair.




I wonder if they sell these in 55-gallon drums at Costco.




Even Osa got in on the fun.




What do you think? Do they work on me?




Good--because they're never coming out.

I stretch and learn that cats don't have Google Maps

Yesterday was gymnastics again. Instead of walking the plank, I had to hold on to this bar.




They claimed that the mat was wired for a "mild corrective response," but I tested it out and nothing happened.




See? No correction. By the way, I'm posting this from Dad's laptop, which he claims is from 2004. Now, I happen to know that they didn't even have computers in 2004, so I think he's just exaggerating. Nevertheless, posting might be a bit light for a few days. Regardless of the year when they made this thing, it's pretty slow and has Photoshop 2 or something. And I can't get anything done without dual monitors anymore.




I actually like doing this. I figure it will stretch me out. I'll get above that third percentile for height in no time.




Today, I was walking down the block when the neighborhood kitty asked me for directions to a good sushi place. Dad took this photo of me explaining how to get to Sushi Zanmai, where they make wasabi dinosaurs. I have no idea how the fish is there, but the dinosaurs are worth the price of admission, and I have a hard time believing that a cat could be very picky about akagai.

I am a product of my environment

This is my bear, Osa. These days, Osa wears a diaper and asks me to give her water from a sippy cup.




From my parents' excellent example, I'm learning how to take care of a baby.




Open wide, Osa. I don't have all day. Boxing is on CBS this afternoon and I've got five c-notes on that bald kid from Detroit.

The penalties for falling off the beam are unspeakable

Oh, hello there.




I didn't notice you come in. I was busy watching TV while sitting under the end table and poking my head out, leaning on the ottoman.




It's a new thing I do.




I also grab pens and write all over my parents' mail.




Oh, yes. This one will do nicely.




The parents subject me to weekly gymnastics training now. Apparently I am to make the national team before I get too old. So I have 10 years to go.




Somehow this does not seem natural.




After an hour of walking the plank, I was given my daily meal at the local organic sustainable whole-grain community-oriented gluten-free cooperative wind-powered all-natural watering hole.




You can really taste the cooperation!




I kid. I kid. I love this stuff. And since we were out in public, I even got to eat while clothed.




I'm as surprised as you are.




Last but not least, here's a picture of me dad at 15 months. He is poking a Smith-Corona "type-writer," which apparently is what people used to communicate before the printing press was invented. In the background, you can see my grandparents' iron perched atop an old ironing board, which is what people placed near babies before safety was invented.

I like unusual things

This is a pickle.




Chomp!




Yes, it's pretty strange for a toddler to eat pickles. I also like olives and falafel.



I roll my pickles around in butter ...




... and pretend they're corn on the cob! (Yep, I eat that too.)




Sometimes my unusual tastes create "inherently comical incongruity." (I learned that term when I was coloring in dad's old textbooks.)




Tonight, Dad told me I couldn't have any apples until I finished my ice cream.




This is a pretty weird house.

What schmatte with you?

I never let mom put anything pretty, like bows, in my hair.




But mom finally realized that if she wears that stuff, I will too!




Is this more "fabulous" or "stunning?"




Now I don't like to go anywhere without this thing.




We are still getting the fit right.




Before I played with my train set today, we went to gymnastics.




I had a ton of fun as long as I didn't have to do what anyone said.




When we got back, I was super hungry.




I tried preparing my own lunch, but mom and dad insisted on giving me food with "nutrition" ...




... so I grabbed my favorite new snack and started chomping.




Some parents cut up cucumbers for their children ...




... but my parents have a saying: "gnawing builds character."




What's a toddler to do?




(Again, still working on the fit.)




After my meal of a single, whole cucumber, I put my hair up again and got back to the business of toddling.




It's hard work ...




... but someone's got to do it.