Crosby Farm Park

On Sunday, I visited a part of the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area called Crosby Farm Park. It was a beautiful day, and I enjoyed walking with Mom and Dad along the path by the Mississippi River.

We stopped for a little while on the shore. I threw rocks into the river.

I sat on a tree trunk.

And Mom spotted this little leaf floating calmly on the water.

Tasks

I like it when Mom gives me a job to do, whether it is writing thank you cards to my grandparents...

...adding Halloween decorations to a window (I stuck on the ghosts and a couple of the bats)...

...pulling clothes out of the dryer, handing Mom the silverware from the dishwasher tray, wiping down the coffee table with a diaper wipe, and on and on and on. 

I'm such a good little helper.

Fall in Minnesota

I don't know if it's like this every year, but the last couple of weeks have been beautiful in Minnesota. The weather has been favorable, and the colors on the trees are very pretty. Mom has taken me out for a few walks to enjoy the last days of being able to get outside before the cold weather comes.

We walked around Lake Camelot on Monday looking for birds. We mostly saw ducks and geese, but did catch a glimpse of an egret.

There were some flowers still hanging around despite the changing seasons.

The weather was so warm, warm enough for shorts and short sleeves. No brisk air fall walks for us, not yet at least.

The maples have been especially vibrant this year.

On Tuesday, Mom took me to Elm Creek. We looked for turtles and snakes. We found a baby snake. It was so small, Mom thought it was a worm at first.

We walked a new path through the woods. It was so pretty.

On the way back to the car, I put together a collection of sticks from our walk. It's becoming a tradition on our nature walks.

Art Project

A few weeks ago, I started a class with my mom through a program called Early Childhood Family Education, or ECFE. For the first half hour of the class, my mom and I do art projects together, play with toys, and sing songs. Then my mom leaves the room to go to her own class to talk about parenting/childcare while I continue to play. Last week I wasn't very happy about separating from my mom, but this week, I hardly noticed she was gone.

A super cute art project was set up for us today. My mom and I collected colorful leaves through the past couple of weeks and brought them to today's class. At the art table, paper cutouts of leaves were placed out. My mom helped me glue on some of the leaves we brought, then I painted over the paper and the leaves. After I finished and my mom hung the project by the window, I kept pausing in my play to look at my art and point out the leaves. I was very proud of my creation.

2 Year Portraits

Mom and Dad bought some balloons and took me to Elm Creek Park for portraits. I loved the balloons, and I even cooperated with posing in front of the camera.

Birthday Zoo Trip

Instead of a party, Mom and Dad (and Grandpa) took me to the zoo for my birthday this year.

I really enjoyed watching the fish.

And it was cool being able to get up close to the penguins.

My favorite animals, though, were the lynx. There were two chasing each other around. It was very exciting to watch.

I was able to feed the goats again. I was much less afraid of them this time.

We arrived in the farm area of the zoo just in time to listen to some country music singers. I don't know if you can tell, but I really enjoyed the music.

Happy 2nd Birthday to Me

I celebrated my birthday the other day. It was a small celebration with just Mom, Dad, and my grandpa. We had cake, and Mom and Dad got me a great present.

I've been wanting a doll for a while.