Freedom!

Rejoice, for the parents have finally recognized that I am not a little baby!  The baby jail cell was removed from my bedroom yesterday, and modified into a big-girl bed which is just my size.  Except for my usual objection to my mid-day nap, my new bed and I have gotten along quite well.  I slept like a happy, little rock last night, and woke up from my nap today ready to roll. 

Shine sweet freedom!   Thank you, Mom & Dad!

A little Southern culture

Clairee in the movie Steel Magnolias:

"... I just want to expose us to a little more culture and that's not easy to come by in this neck of the woods..."

 

Here we are on the grounds of the Bethesda Home.  It was really pretty

and the trees were covered in Spanish moss.

My mom's friend, Angela, and her daughter, Madison, visited us from Colorado last week.  We tried to take in as much high culture as Savannah has to offer.  Thank goodness I had Madison to entertain me!  She is the coolest.  I can't wait until I am 6.  Anyway, we took a tour of all the sites in Savannah associated with the TV cooking queen, Paula Deen.  We even met Paula Deen's husband, which really thrilled Angela!  We also went to the kid's interactive area of the art museum.  We ate at the Pirate House, and I even exposed them to a little bit of my version of culture: jumping in the bouncy houses at Monkey Joe's.

FISH!!!

 

Waiting for some down-home Southern dish at Uncle

Bubba's Oyster House, one of Paula Deen's restaurants.



 

At the Jepson Center ArtZeum.



Leaving my mark.  This will be

worth some bucks some day!

Weeza in Steel Magnolias:

"You broaden your horizons your way and I'll broaden my horizons mine."

I just couldn't get on-board for some of this "culture," so I spent some super-fun quality time with de Da.  You wouldn't believe some of the things he's taught me.  I can catch a ball, run speed laps around the kitchen counter, and I understand NFL football better than my mother does.  I can't believe the Patriots aren't going to be in the Superbowl!!

I heard all about the other activities in Savannah though, and my mother showed me the pictures.  The grown-ups went to an old mansion that is "really haunted."  My mom even took a picture of the Ghost Meter to prove it!  They went to the Old Savannah Candy Kitchen, and most importantly, brought me some candy.  Also, my mom, Angela, and Madison went on a boat to see some dolphins.  I passed on the cold wind for now.  Maybe next time.

 

Sorrell-Weed House, built in 1836, is one of the ten most

haunted sites in the U.S.!

Grand time with Grandma & Grandpa

Happy New Year everybody!  I ended 2010 the right way, with a fantastic visit with Grandma & Grandpa Ford.  They came to see me in Georgia, and we had a lot of fun.  Grandma is very attentive when I show her how to play with my toys, and when I have something to say, she listens!  Grandpa is just hilarious.  I laughed every time I saw him!  I even got to supervise my grandparents by myself one evening, while my parents went out to the movies.  I performed the full Gracie show, and taught them quite a few things.  Here is a video clip of one of my more entertaining acts.  No, I am not peeking.  My hands just aren't big enough to cover my eyes all the time...

We had Christmas II, and I got a lot of cool toys.  This one where I get to hammer wooden balls through these holes was one of the first gifts that I opened, and it's a winner.  I didn't care about much of anything after I opened this.  I spent the rest of the evening hammering!

I got my own table & chairs, and this Aquadoodle, which uses water to magically draw pictures on this big mat.  No clean-up required!  And books with puppets, puzzles, some more (stuffed) dogs, and some bowling pins that look like silly monsters.  I will definitely have to show-off my bowling skills in a future Gracieland post.  My mom says that my grandma & grandpa kind of spoiled me, but I'm really enjoying it all!  Thank you Grandma & Grandpa!

We also took a trolley tour of Savannah, which I particularly liked because I got to ride on a big bus, and did not have to sit strapped to a car seat.  I sat on my mom's lap, and tried my best to talk louder than the tour guide.  We ended with lunch at a pirate restaurant, and thank goodness, my mother did not try to give me to the pirates again, like she did a few months ago.  This pirate wasn't even scary.  He didn't say a word to me.

 

It was a wonderful week, and I've been looking for Grandma & Grandpa since they left.  I can't wait to see them again in the Spring.  They will come back to meet my little sister, but mostly to play with me.

As for 2011, I have announced my New Years resolutions to my parents, but they are only semi-cooperative in supporting my goals:

   1.  No more high chairs in 2011!  I tell them very clearly before each meal that I would prefer to sit at the table in my booster seat.  Sometimes I even have to kick and scream to get my point across.  They forget who's the boss here.

   2.  Shorter naps in 2011!  I've been trying to keep it to no more than an hour and half this past week, as I've got a lot of things I want to do.  My parents keep tricking me into going back to sleep.  I'm on to their tactics now.

   3.  Spread the joy of dancing and making faces to as many fans as possible!  Most people catch-on quickly.  If I do a dance move or make a funny face, and then look at you, that means you should copy what I do.  I believe it will make the world a happier place.