Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh MY!

Today, we started off the day at the Guenther House for brunch. It was a beautiful old house/restaurant. Here I am eating my keys before my egg arrived. I also shared some of Maria's broccoli/cheese soup.

From the Guenther House, we went to the San Antonio Zoo. I was really sleepy and slept for most of the 3+ hours, but Mommy made sure to take pictures of any of the animals I missed. Here are the flamingoes...

And Black Bear...

And Senior Citizen Bear...

Not sure what this is, but we like the photo...

Rhino....it said that he is a baby, but he is 4 years old!

And, an ostrich

And Elephant...

And the Lory Bird from Australia. Mommy was waiting for me to go in with her to feed the Lory Birds a special nectar....

....but, Mommy couldn't wait any longer....I was still sleeping, so she went in with Maria and took a bunch of pictures so that she could share them with me once I woke up from my nap.

Luckily, I woke up in time for the petting zoo. This is me watching Maria feed the goat through the fence. Mommy actually took me inside with the animals, but we don't have any pictures.

After the zoo, Mommy, Sue and RaeAnna and I went to the pool to go swimming. The water was just as cold as last night, but we still had fun!

And, here I am again SLEEPING after my swim. I just can't seem to get enough shut eye today. Maybe it was all of the partying from my 7 month birthday at Fiesta yesterday.

After swimming, Mommy and I met Robert, Suzi and Maria at the Liberty Bar for a delicious dinner. I fell asleep in the middle of dinner after another fun-filled day in San Antonio. Tomorrow, we leave to go to Houston for Mommy's business meetings and I get to see DADDY. I really miss him.

My 7 month birthday at Fiesta!

We had a fantastic day full of many fun activities. Here I am this morning on the River Walk. We took a long walk up and down stairs and over bridges...

On the way, we met "Ballapeno" (rhymes with Jalapeno). Robert and Suzi told us that he is the mascot for a San Antonio baseball team. Here I am shaking his hand. He was pretty big...Mommy thought he might scare me, but I actually really liked meeting him.

And, here's a lion I met on the River Walk. Ballapeno was in the background a bit jealous that I found another friend.

Maria and me after I was given my two necklaces...

Mommy and me on the River Walk

In the afternoon, we went to an Arts Festival right by our hotel. There were some beautiful things....some incredible photography...Mommy wanted to buy something for a friend, but couldn't pick out just the right thing. Here I am at the end of the festival getting sleepy in Suzi's arms.

After the Arts Festival, we went to La Fonda for a delicious and relaxing meal on the patio. I started with some bananas and cereal and then had some avocado, chicken and beans from Mommy's salad...Here I am with Robert at the end of dinner.

After dinner, we walked over to an ice cream place. I had a bottle while everyone else had some ice cream. Here I am chatting with RaeAnna...

You would think after such a busy day, we would be so tired....well, I was, but when Mommy asked me if I wanted to go for a dip in the pool (at 8 pm!), I rallied and put on my bathing suit. This was my first time in a real pool. The water was a little chilly, but I didn't notice too much since I was riding in style in my cool float. After I got out of the pool, Mommy wrapped me in a towel and I fell asleep in her lap. What a FUN day. Happy Birthday to me.

It's FIESTA time!

Today, Mommy and I flew to San Antonio to get together with Sue and RaeAnna, Maria and Robert and Suzi for FIESTA! We went to Robert's and Suzi's house tonight for a big party. We had fajitas (well, I just had some cheese) and drank margaritas from the Margarita Man Machine (well, I had some formula). We had a great night to start off our fun weekend.

Suzi, RaeAnna, Sue, Maria and Me!

Maria and me DANCING!

Sue and RaeAnna, my new buddy :)

My NEW Vehicle!

Tonight, after work, Mommy and Daddy took me in my new Radio Flyer wagon. Mary Jane and Joe bought me my new wagon when we were down in San Diego visiting last weekend. Isn't it the coolest? As we rode by our neighbor's house, the cat came by to say "Meow". We continued on down the street and went to Baja Cantina, where Mommy and Daddy met, and had dinner.

Swimming!

It was a VERY hot weekend here in So Cal. On the way back from Carlsbad, Mommy and Daddy stopped at Toys R Us and bought me a pool. Can you imagine it was less than $5?? Also, Mommy bought me a float for our trip to San Antonio next weekend. I was trying to float in it in my pool, but didn't really work. In the first picture, I am trying to pick up a bubble. Mommy bought bubbles and was blowing them into the pool!

Visiting Joe and MJ in Carlsbad

Today, we went down to Carlsbad to visit Joe and Mary Jane and their family. We stayed at a very nice B&B, took a couple of long beach walks, went wine tasting and enjoyed a wonderful meal at Gary and Maya's (thanks, Gary and Maya). Here are some photos of the fun we had.

Splish Splash I Was Taking A Bath...

Ethiopian Cuisine by Daddy

Tonight, we went to Ethiopia with Aunt Julie and Uncle Steven. Well, uh, I guess we didn't ACTUALLY go there, but we had a meal with several dishes cooked by Daddy (mostly from the current month's Saveur that had a spot on Ethiopia). I really loved the chicken (Dora Wat). I can't wait until Julie's and Steven's children are home from Ethiopia. Then, we will have more opportunities to coax Daddy to cook all day for us, like today. If you haven't tried Ethiopian food, I recommend it! On the other hand, there really isn't much food that I don't like....but, I think Mommy, Daddy, Julie and Steven were all raving about the yummy flavors.

Steven read to me after dinner, or was I reading to him?

Xylo-Maraca Class

Today, at class, the teacher brought a xylophone (did I spell that right?) We were all mesmerized by the sound and sat at attention. Then, I learned to shake my maracas (see the video below). It was another fun day. Unfortunately, I will miss the next two weeks as we will be out of town (San Diego and San Antonio!)

I saw my twin while driving around the neighborhood

This morning when Mommy and I were driving up Washington Blvd., I saw my twin. It was SO great to meet her. I tried to hold her hand and laugh with her.

Bike Riding! Another first :)

This afternoon, we rented a bike buggy....and you guessed it, I was the passenger! We rode along the bike path....and at the end, I fell asleep. What fun! We went out to dinner at the new Canali Cafe down the street. I tried grilled tofu for the first time. Bath time pictures are last....guess who was giving me a bath (hint: my goofy Daddy).

Breakfast with Aunt Julie and Uncle Steven

Today, we went out to breakfast at Ronnie's Diner. I sat in a highchair at a restaurant for the first time with my cool germ protector. I had egg yolk, squash, avocado, toast and a little potato. Yum! Here are some pics. Looks like Aunt Julie is whistling, but she was blowing in my face very softly and sweetly.

The first picture is back at Julie and Steven's in their swing. I really loved swinging there. Ranks up there with all of the swings I have experienced.

Tomorrow, Aunt Julie and Uncle Steven visit for Ethiopian food. I think I will like it because we get to eat with our fingers! No spoons :)

No Spoon with my Peas and Edamame

Today, Nanny G gave up on using the spoon when she gave me my lunch (peas and edamame by Daddy). It's much more fun to "feel" the food before eating as you will see!

Hey, did you notice I am sprouting new hair? Must be all the veggies I am eating.

Finger foods, please

Mommy is catching on. I really don't like the purees much. Purees are for babies. I prefer what Mommy and Daddy are eating. Case in point. This morning, Mommy was trying to feed me Daddy's chicken/sweet potato puree (Daddy made it for me with love) and apple puree. Mommy was eating toast dipped in soft boiled egg. Doesn't that sound more interesting and fun? So, I did eat a little of the puree after Mommy gave me some yolk, but it wasn't nearly as yummy as her yolk. Then, since Mommy had leftover toast because I ate most of her yolk and she had nothing to dip it in, Mommy gave me little bits of toast with cream cheese. She left them on my tray and I showed her how I can pick it up and put it in my mouth ALL BY MYSELF.

Then, tonight, Mommy didn't even try to give me any puree. She shared her brown rice, chicken, mango, etc. salad. She only gave me brown rice, chicken and mango...no etcetera for me. Yum. Then, I had some mozzarella cheese. Sorry, no pictures. The camera is missing!