Sunday, October 18, 2009

Zoo Boo

Our little Bumble Bee is getting so big! Marilyn's costume came as a gift from her Great-Grandma Day Day in Nashville. It is so cute! She even sent a leotard and tights to make sure that the cooler Indy air wouldn't be too much for Miss Buzzz. We went to the Zoo Boo where all the little people come dressed up for Halloween at the Zoo.

Anything at the Zoo has Marilyn's approval. She liked getting to see the other kids in the costumes. But I think her favorite was a twirling Elmo that she met on the dance floor.


In this one, the seals just started barking- you can see the surprise on Marilyn's face.



Watching the other kids on the dance floor before deciding to join in. Yes, she wowed them all when she twirled and did her fancy dance moves.

Here the fog machine made it a little hard to see while dancing.

Talking to the ducks.

Full on cuteness. I just love her excitement. Zoo Boo was wonderful. In order to leave, I did have to tell Marilyn that the animals needed to go back to sleep.

After the Zoo we went out to dinner Downtown and Marilyn was able to see construction equipment, trains and horses- her favorite things. It must have been like day in Heaven for our little two year old.

Pumpkin Patch

I love Fall and I love the Pumpkin Patch. We had a beautiful crisp day to be walking through the Anderson Orchard and Patch. Marilyn was elated to see the tractor that pulled the wagon to the patch. She kept exclaiming that it was "her turn". She picked out her own little pumpkin, and we selected a fantastic large family pumpkin. It is so hard to believe this is our third year here.







The Zoo!

By far our best Christmas present last year was a Zoo membership. It has been used frequently this year, and I foresee numerous trips still to come. Marilyn LOVES the Zoo. Sometimes she wakes up in the morning and asks, "Me, Marilyn, Zoo, Animals, Downtown, Now, PLEASE, Mommy..." This mantra varies but repeats itself over and over.

One day it started, and it was a day for the sitter, so I explained to Marilyn that she was going to visit her friends and play. Well, she started to cry. She kept saying, "Me, Marilyn, Animals, Downtown...." so I fibbed. I told her that all of the animals were sleeping and she would have to wait to visit them when they woke up. This worked. She said, "Ok, Animals, Night-Night, Nap."

So when Hunter and I planned a weekday excursion to the Zoo, it was great to tell Marilyn we were headed to see the animals. She excitedly asked Piper (our Dachshund) if she wanted to go see the animals. Then she asked Spud (our other Dachshund) if he wanted to go. She even tracked down our skittish cat Macy and invited her to the Zoo. I explained that she could only take one toy. She chose her new Owl, Who Who.




We had such a wonderful day at the Zoo. We both had the day off and made for a great family day. It felt like we had the whole zoo to ourselves. We even splurged and let Marilyn ride the carousel. Her sweet, "Me, Marilyn's Turn" is sometimes just too hard to resist.

Thanks Kate & Brett for the membership and the opportunity for so many wonderful memories.

Goofy Times with Grandma

Grandma unloaded the Halloween tote and supplied Marilyn with endless hours of fun. Here is Miss Marilyn dressing up Grandma and her baby... ha!

Dachshund Derby 2009

On October 3, Marilyn and I invited Pappaw & Grandma to join us for the Franklin Fall Festival and Dachshund Derby. It was a chilly Fall day for the little weiner dogs to be running the big race, but they forged ahead and looked so cute!

Pappaw, Grandma & Marilyn

The race and big crowd

Pappaw & Marilyn

Marilyn's 2nd Birthday!

We celebrated Marilyn's second birthday on September 12th. It was wonderful! She loves animals, so we had a Barnyard Bash. We have been so busy that I have been terrible at updating. So here is the link to Kate & Brett's post about Marilyn's 2nd Birthday. Their pictures are fantastic- as always!

Here is Marilyn playing doctor with Grandma Jane. As you can see, she lined up her babies and gave each one a full overview. Too cute!

Birthday weekend fun with Pappaw & Grandma. Marilyn loved her toys especially her new bike, baby, puzzles, books, instruments and horse.

Thursday, October 8, 2009

The Big Top

Marilyn's 2nd Birthday was September 12- this also happened to be the weekend that the Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey Circus was in town. We had a very full day celebrating Marilyn's Birthday and taking in the fun of the Circus.
First she attended her gymnastic class, then we had lunch and headed downtown for the Circus! After that it was time for Marilyn's nap as we prepared for her birthday party. The evening of family fun culminated in an exciting round of "Happy Birthday" at Marilyn's Barnyard Bash.

Grandma, Marilyn & Daddy off to the Circus!


Marilyn sat transfixed throughout the 2 hour show.
Pappaw, Grandma & Marilyn

Such a sight to see- music, animals, lights and so much to absorb.

I think one of Marilyn's favorite parts was the elephants and horses. She loves the animals and enjoyed seeing their fancy tricks.
Marilyn's day of birthday fun was made even better with her Pappaw & Grandma in from TN for the weekend. She loves spending time with them, and we are so happy they have chosen to make her birthday weekend one of their special visits. Marilyn lights up seeing their pictures and talking to them on the phone. Now we can add a visit to the Circus among our special times together.