Flower walk with Grampy

Saturday Alivia spent the morning taking a tour of Grampy and Grammy's garden. Grampy picked flowers along the way, which Alivia held in a bouquet the entire walk.

Smelling Basil

Alivia's bouquet

Walking up to Grammy and Grampy's house

Pathway dedicated to Alivia's great great grandparents

Getting a little assistance from Grampy on the uphill walk back to the house.

Porky Kisses

Rise and.....SURPRISE!

Walking into Alivia's room each morning brings a new surprise. Here are 2 examples...two days in a row....two surprises to start our day.

Brett Michaels or Bust

Tripod Gone Wrong

The tripod has evolved from a yoga move to something a little less serene.

Chicken Taco Pizza

Whether it's tea parties, grocery shopping, or cooking...Alivia loves anything to do with food. Here's a video Alivia and Daddy making pizza.

And for dessert...

Chef Alivia

Coming to a station near you: Cooking with Alivia

Lickin' Chicken

Baby vs. Wild: First Fishing Trip

After many discussions, Brian and I decided we were going to be brave parents, buy Alivia a toddler fishing pole, and take her on a mini-fishing trip.

Surprisingly, she was all about this new purchase. We began our search online, where she let us know by a "Nooooo" or a "Yeah!" which poles she fancied. Once we got to the store, it was down to Dora the Explorer, or Barbie. Barbie won because Dora was all plastic and wouldn't have held up well.

Brian and I had extremely low expectations for this trip. We both agreed our goal was to exposure to the concept this year and not force the issue. Boy were we in for a treat!

Alivia squealed when she looked over the dock and saw Pumpkin Seed fish swimming everywhere. A stranger took the pole out of her hand and quick set up the line and we were fishing in no time.

Within 3 minutes Alivia was the proud new owner of her first catch! Thanks to the same stranger, we have this (interesting) photo of the three of us. Alivia is a bit distracted/disgusted, as she just finished touching the fish.

While she's not looking at the camera, I'm so touched to have this photo! What a great memory from a great milestone! I have a feeling we have on our hands, a girly girl who knows how to run with the boys as well. Good girl Alivia!

Sebastian Joe's...It's a good thing

Even Martha Stewart would have been impressed with Alivia's homemade Banana Yogurt Ice Cream she got as a treat from Sebastian Joe's in Uptown. Mom and dad each had their own cone, but Alivia was quite proud of her own big girl bowl and spoon.

Operation Fireworks!

I had a secret mission to keep Alivia up until 10 p.m. to see the Eagan fireworks from our house. Brian caught wind of this pretty quickly and wasn't too trilled, but went along with it. 8 p.m. passed (Alivia's usual bedtime) and 9 p.m. rolled in. Alivia was in good spirits as we watched fireworks on television. She "ooohed" and ahhhhed" at the appropriate times and made sure to point to her favorite ones.

Between 9 and 10 we heard fireworks, so we searched outside around our house, but only saw a few smaller ones. By this time Alivia started getting lethargic and cuddly (Yay!)

The story has a happy ending (sort of). "Operation Fireworks" was a success in that, Alivia made it to 10 p.m., however, we weren't able to see any fireworks from our house. Oops. Next year it looks like we'll go to Eagan's Central Park to watch on site. Lesson learned.

Eagan Fun Fest Carnival

Here are pictures from Eagan's Fun Fest Carnival. Alivia went on her first ever carnival ride, (make that 3 rides for a total of 10 times!!!) and first ever carnival game (times 2).

Sidenote: I just started using new photo software and am not sure why the blog isn't handling the vertical photos correctly. I'm looking for a fix quickly.

Listening to an outdoor concert

By far, Alivia's favorite ride. Mommy, however, was shaking in fear!

She did the slide 6 times.

In proper carnival attire: Dress, sunglasses and a Liz Clairborne purse.

Picking a duckie to win a prize

A prize that mommy quickly threw away, convinced it contained lead.

Goldfish!

Target Field

I'm proud to say this was not Alivia's first Twin's game. At 2 months old, we took her to see one of the last games at the Metrodome.

This was, however, her first game at the new Target Field and it was a much more positive experience than last year. Alivia sat in my lap for more than an hour, watching baseball, birds, and after Twins' home runs-fireworks.

When the fireworks when off she would gasp, "Wowwww!"

Eagan Fun Fest Parade

We're Back in Business

I apologize for the hiatus. Our family computer was on the fritz and needed to be shipped away to get repaired. It's back and it's time for Alivia updates!

Memorial Day Weekend Dinner

We're so fortunate to have a daughter that isn't a picky eater. Alivia doesn't like everything we give her, but she'll always try something before she writes it off completely. Some days (like today), she'll eat anything you give her.

Tonight for dinner she ate:

1/2 Turkey dog
Cold pasta salad
Corn on the cob
Fresh fruit salad
1.5 meatballs
bread with marinara sauce
1/2 banana popsicle

Como Zoo

My favorite thing to do is take Alivia to the zoo. Each visit is different and it's fun to see how much she learns in between each visit.

The sippy cup was initially cooler than the seals.

There they are!

With Sparky and Mom

Alivia's favorite animal is currently lions. When you ask what a lion says, she responds, "Raaaaar!" We told her we were approaching the lion at the zoo and she Raaar'd the whole way. Bystanders were laughing at us. It was pretty funny. Since it's her favorite, Alivia got to make a wax lion figurine.

Unfortunately, both lions were sleeping.

Monkey

This little guy and his buddies were obsessed with standing in front of Alivia. Love the beards!

A day with Auntie Kristine

On Saturday Alivia had a long over due play date with Aunt Kristine. First off was "shopping" in downtown RF. Afterward we had lunch at Bo's N' Mine:

Lunch at Bo's N' Mine. Alivia read the menu carefully before making a decision.

Found the winner!

Yummy Chicken Tenders.

Bloody nose after a bar fight. Oh wait, that's ketchup! This was Alivia's first introduction to the condiment.


Kristine kept Alivia's attention during lunch by waving to her in the mirror above our table. Bless her for having the patience to continuously wave during our meal. I was pretty sure one of their hands would break off by the end of it.

By the time we finished lunch it was nap time. This was followed by Alivia's first introduction to The St. Croix River.....which didn't go as well as planned.


Alivia likes water. She loves baths and playing in kiddie pools. Today we learned Alivia does not like waves. She cried when we waded into the river.


Good thing we brought back up toys.


Alivia was most intrigued by collecting rocks along the beach.


After filling the bottom of the pail, she carried it all the way up the hill to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Playdate with Jordan and Lila