Sunday, August 27, 2006

THE WOG VS. THE CUPCAKE

The Wog doesn't get that many sweets. She loves fruit, so that pretty much does the trick. (Except when Minnie gets involved, in which case all bets are off...)

We went to a picnic the other day, and The Wog positively stared down a little girl who was enjoying said sweet. So. We succombed to the inevitable cuteness that is The Wog eating a cupcake.





Decision? The Wog. But the cupcake put up a good fight.

LIKE POP-POP LIKE WOG


Saturday, August 26, 2006

WOGERELLA

When Minnie and Pop-Pop were here (I'm still playing catch-up, if that's not obvious), we checked out Storyland. The Wog loved it, and it's not even ten minutes from our house so it will undoubtedly become one of The Wog's summer haunts. It was a really cute place with cute nursery rhyme-themed rides, shows, and characters. There were even petting animals--always a hit with The Wog!

The Wog went on her second-ever ride--the carousel. (The first was the teacups at Sesame Place.) She mostly liked it. (These pictures, unfortunately, represent the other side of "mostly.")




She also went in the mini-ballpit, which she liked when she was "floating" and disliked when she sank!



Here she is being fished out by Pop-Pop:


The Wog also walked the pirate's bridge, peeked at the animals, and played dress-up.


Friday, August 18, 2006

THE WOG RESTS HER EYES

When I was growing up whenever my father would nap on the couch he'd always claim he was just "resting [his] eyes." While visiting us last week, Pop-Pop "rested his eyes" for a bit; The Wog joined right in.


THE WOG TAKES TO THE STREET

Sesame Street, that is.

While visiting Minnie and Pop-Pop in New Jersey, we, accompanied by The Wog's Aunt MB, headed to Sesame Place. Aside from the excessive heat and our failure to bring bathing suits, it was a great excursion. A sweaty little Wog enjoyed herself immensely; she fearlessly strutted up to each character and bestowed upon him/her (I guess we saw all "him[s]"--we just missed Zoe; we also just missed Cookie Monster, about which, to be honest, I was more disappointed than The Wog) a sweet hug.

Grover was definitely the best-tempered Muppet, but who could expect them them to be their finest wearing those costumes in 102 degree weather?


Giving Elmo a smooch:


Baby Bear (or "Bay-uh" as he calls himself) was not the most popular character (although he is The Wog's father's favorite) so The Wog got to spend some quality time in his company:



Big Bird was the only denizen of Sesame Street who gave The Wog any pause. She got over it, though.


We took advantage of the half-price, "twilight" admission and there were no lines for any of the attractions or rides. As the concept of waiting in line currently eludes The Wog, it worked out quite well.

Saturday, August 12, 2006

A SOPHIELEIN AND A WOGLEIN

Sophie was visiting New Jersey from Germany so she and The Wog had their very first meeting. Fast friends, of course! They shared a meal (Sophie--country vegetables; The Wog--cinnamon coffee cake; someone obviously got a raw deal); played with Sophie's toys (she's quite accomplished at sharing for a 6.5 month old); and swam in the pool, where Sophie and her mother were awarded the first place medal in the "1 and Under Tandem Noodle Riding Competition."

A very happy, post-meal Sophie:

The Wog looks sullen, but was not so:

Sophie on her inchworm way, while The Wog observes:

Friday, August 11, 2006

A HIGH ROLLING WOG

The Wog hit Atlantic City while in NJ. A Wog on her way!

The Wog enjoyed a meal at the Rainforest Cafe and a respite from the 102 degree boardwalk, but did not enjoy the occasional "thunderstorm". Here she is, looking concerned.



And here is the perpetrator, causing The Wog's alarm:


The Wog made friends with a gorilla on the boardwalk:


She was willing to get a bit closer to the gorilla, but only accompanied by Aunt Mary Beth (and notice her little hand clutching Aunt MB's hand).



One highlight of the trip was when The Wog was personally escorted out of one of the casinos. I guess "21" isn't counted in months.

SWIMMING WITH MINNIE

The Wog loves to swim, and even learned to blow bubbles on our trip to New Jersey. Michael Phelps who?

ONE WEDDING AND A WOG

The Wog attended the beautiful wedding of her cousin (and new cousin-in-law!) Gianine and Tim last weekend.

Here she is immediately following the ceremony, making off with my mother's bouquet and yelling, "Flou-wah! Flou-wah!" (My sister actually took some accidental video of this; I'll have to put it up later.)


The Wog has some serious soul; she loves music and is compelled to bounce as soon as she feels the rhythm. There were several "big girls" at the wedding, which pleased The Wog to no end, as she is currently in a "big girl" phase and loves following them around and attempting to initiate play (which is occasionally well-received, but is more often an annoyance as the "big girls" she seeks out are usually on their own hunt for "bigger big girls"). Luckily, Holly and Lexi were very sweet and indulgent of a persistent Wog.

There was a great live quartet playing during the cocktail hour, and that got all the kids moving. Here is an action sequence involving Polly and Holly.






And here they hit the dance floor during the reception:






The Wog and Cousin Peter appear to do the jive:

(The Wog's pink sparkly shoes are my two favorite pieces of clothing. Ever. They were purchased for the wedding, but have since incorporated themselves into her everyday wardrobe.)

When The Wog wasn't actually dancing, she was running around and around (and through!) the dance floor; thankfully, only one collision occurred in what was fast becoming a toddler moshpit.

Here she is on one particular tear:


And here you can see her--just a teeny blur of green--dissapearing into a crowd. That's pretty much my memory of her for the whole event.


These pictures are dark, but The Wog and John are fast friends. John does a mean robot, and then Polly is on her way.



I love the blur that is Holly in this photo.


Tired out twins:


The Wog also discovered that she loves fudge.


She loves kisses from her Daddy more (but just slightly).


Congratulations, Gianine and Tim, and thank you for sharing your big day (and dance floor) with The Wog!