Tunnel exploring

Sometimes, the greatest adventures are in your own living room.

Birthday party time

Last Wednesday was my birthday, but Saturday was my birthday party. That mean a great ocean-themed cake from Aunt LeeAnn and a trip to the bowling alley with a bunch of friends. 

Bowling was so cool. I managed to get three spares and knock down a ton of pins. The trick is attitude. Just watch my form and focus below. 

Emma even got in on the action, with a little help from Pop Shane.

Everybody sang "happy birthday" and ate a ton of cake (Mom had like 500 cupcakes there) and had a great time. We should really have birthday parties every month, because they're a blast.

Oh, and there was one more big surprise! My Delaware pretzel guy shut down earlier this year, and Grandmom Linda was upset I wouldn't get birthday pretzels. So, a few recipe experiments later...  

So cool. Thanks to everybody for a great 6th birthday!

Happy birthday to me (part 6)

It seems like only yesterday I was coming up with bear jokes for my last birthday...

But that was actually a full year ago, and it's always good to show just how much that faithful stuffed friend ages each year. So, let's take a look back:

Here's the bear when I was just a few days old:

Here he is at my first birthday:

At my second birthday:

At my third birthday:

At my fourth birthday:

At my fifth, just last year: 

 

And here he is today, celebrating my sixth birthday with me:

Good guy, that bear. But he never gets a different view of the room, so I boosted him up so he could see a little further this year.

It's a good look -- we may need to try that from now on. 

Winter zoo visit

This weekend was the first really nice weather of the year, so I seized the opportunity to take Emma (and Mom and Dad) to go to the zoo for her first chance to see big animals. 

First we checked out the lions, who looked like they wanted to go for a swim.

Then we checked out the elephants. Emma really wanted to pet them, but I convinced her they were a little too big. 

Then I showed her the bison. She kept calling them buffalo, though. Silly kid. She'll learn. 

But Emma's favorites were all at the bird house. She especially liked the "duck" exhibit outside. I didn't have the heart to tell her it was really for the flamingos, but whatever makes her happy. 

How to carry a baby

I'm pretty sure I've seen Dad carry babies this way, but she seems kinda floppy.

 

Maybe if I just use her hat as a handle...

Oh well. As long as I give her a hug in the end, it'll be OK. 

Smooth sledding

We had another snowstorm this week, but we still didn't have a sled. Luckily, Mom and Dad got creative with some household items and turned an unused baby mattress into a junior bobsled that I could use at the school on top of the hill. Here's a sampling of the day's runs. 

Next up: Snowboarding. 

Late Valentine's Day message

I got my valentines out for school last week, but I forget to get the rest in the mail. So, instead, I just gave Emma an extra big hug. Hope that's OK with everybody. 

I was OK with Emma, at least. 

Can't stop the beat

Sometimes, there's just nothing you can do but dance.

Dinosaur hat day

I don't really have any explanation. Dinosaur hats are just cool. 

Super Bowl picks with Pop-Pop

I think Cam Newton's skills are too much for the Broncos defense to handle, but Pop Shane thinks that Peyton Manning can still pull out a little more magic. Naturally, our discussion got pretty heated, so here's a clip of each of us laying out our predictions for the big game.

Playing dress up

Seriously, this is my favorite thing to do at school. And Mom still hasn't bought me a bright pink tutu for home yet. 

Journey to the peak of Mt. Warminster

Day one: My journey begins to scale the famed-snowy peak in southeastern Pennsylvania. The tundra ahead is foreboding, but my will in strong. 

Day fifteen: Halfway up the peak, and the air is getting thin. If I don't make it bad, tell Emma I love her. But don't let her play with my Paw Patrol figures. 

Day twenty-three: Finally, the summit. Our crew is exhausted but morale is high. Plus, Grandmom Shane just said it's time for hot dogs, and we're starving.