Fairs and Hairs

The beginning of Fall is marked by trees displaying a beautiful palette of colors, by the weather cooling off so much you can actually walk outside, by the arrival of apples and pumpkins and squash, by the fattening of the turkeys for Thanksgiving, and in New Mexico, by the start of the State Fair!

Old MacDonald had a farm. EIEIO! And on this farm he had a...horse. EIEIO!

...and a turkey. EIEIO!

...and some geese. EIEIO!

Looks like we found a turkey for Thanksgiving!

...and some rabbits. EIEIO!

Cages can't keep these bunnies' love from blossoming...

...and a rooster! COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!!

...and the cutest little doggy mama with her puppies. EIEI-oh-so-cute!

...and a sheep. EIEI-oh-my!

...and a lotta baby chicks. EIEI-cheep-cheep!

...and some baby ducks swimming in a tiny pool. EIEIO!

...and a cow! EIEI-moo!

...and some baby pigs and their little piggie bertums. EIEIO!

...and a mama goat with her wee kid goats. EIEIO!

...and a white Bengal tiger. EIEI-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGH!

What's this? An actual farm? Well, it's time to put a baby to work! There's cows to milk, horses to ride, apples to pick...

Adalyn's ready to get to work with Daddy leading the way.

BIG tractor! BEEP BEEP!

Adalyn found a tractor that was just her size...beep beep!

Everyone off the sidewalks! Adalyn's coming through!

Gotta gather eggs for breakfast.

High on her horse, Adalyn surveys her farm and is pleased.

YEEEEEHAW!

Pigs...dancing...need I say more?

Adalyn can't resist touching every...single...turtle. Sigh.

Adalyn looks like a pro taking her very first bite out of a turkey leg. What you didn't see is the ten minutes it took her to chew it.

Uh oh...can't pass up the petting zoo!

Not sure who won this staring contest...

Adalyn squealed as she spotted a pony that was just her size!

Realizing her second birthday is around the corner, Adalyn turns up the charm and requests a pony for her birthday...please, Daddy??

She's here, she's there, she's everywhere, with her hair! As Adalyn's hair is finally growing out, the selection of hairstyles available is increasing...so far, we have regular, crazy, and OMG SO CUTE!

Adalyn receives her first lesson on static electricity.

Adalyn approves of her crazy hair.

OH MY GOODNESS! Those are the cutest pigtails I have ever seen!!

Adalyn learns how hard it is to be this cute.

Nana and Babycakes

Nana came for a visit to see her Babycakes! And once she arrived, there was nothing but sheNANAgans going on as Adalyn and Nana spent lots of time together!

Adalyn's pretty sure she can fit in Nana's shoes.

Backpack or hat...decisions, decisions...

"Popcorn! Get your hot popcorn!"

"No autographs, please!"

Adalyn and Babydoll contemplate the meaning of life.

Babydoll is swaddled and ready for bedtime. Adalyn's such a good mommy to all of her dolls.

Time to eat, Elmo!

Elmo will never want for food again.

Adalyn really makes sure that Elmo eats well.

What's the use of having a cute granddaughter if you can't take her shopping for cute accessories?

This is what happens when grandmothers and granddaughters go shopping together. Seriously...

Adalyn can't decide between the mound of accessories over here and the pile of accessories over there.

Mommy: "Seriously..." Nana: "Seriously cute!!"

Adalyn shows off her loot from Nana that she put on all by herself!

Now that we know what kinds of sheNANAgans were going on indoors, let's see what happens outdoors!

Wheeeeee! Adalyn's on a big swing!

Adalyn wonders why other kids are allowed on "her" swings.

Will Adalyn go down the slide all by herself?! Will Nana catch her?! Details at 11.

The best thing about being short is that Mommy can fit on the playground, too!

Pit crew adjusting Adalyn's treads.

Mommy gives Adalyn a 50-50 chance of getting to the top of the stairs all by herself.

Daddy's always prepared to provide reinforcements.

Daddy and Adalyn recharge and share a delicious muffin for breakfast.

The Three Stanleys: Nana, Daddy, and Adalyn

End Of Summer Botanical Garden and Aquarium Visit

Adalyn's second summer is coming to a close, and since she's been hard at work learning new things, she's ready for an end of the summer bash. What new things has she learned already??

• Adalyn's using the potty like a big girl!! YAY!!! She's such a big girl that her belly is a poster board for all of the stickers she gets as rewards.
• After learning all of her letters, Adalyn has moved on to learning the sounds of each letter. ("B" says "buh"...I'll never get that out of my head, and apparently, neither will she.)
• Adalyn is putting words together, and occasionally tries to construct a garbled sentence. Things are "baby doll" this, and "Adalyn's hair" that...
• Adalyn is taking her counting skills to count flowers, and kitties, and hands, and shirts...we haven't quite gone to 11, but 10 is good enough for now.

For our summer bash, Adalyn, Mommy, and Daddy head on out to the Botanical Gardens and Aquarium!

Hat The Baby - The Morning Coffee Addition

Mommy's barely holding on to an excited little girl ready to start her Botanical Garden adventure!

Adalyn's giving a BI-I-I-IG ant a helping hand.

Little did Adalyn know that a Mommy was peeking behind her...

Adalyn and Mommy found a moat and a castle!

You can lead a baby to water, but you can't make them not splash.

The flowers all salute as Captain Babycakes makes the rounds.

A turtle!

Somewhere in this picture is a frog...

Let's count the butterflies we see...one butterfly...

Two butterflies...

Three butter...ACK! IT'S MOTHRA!! RUN!!

The geese were just minding their business, sitting quietly in the grass until...

A little girl held up her snack, wafted the smell of homemade bread through the air, and proclaimed, "Behold! This is the most delicious bread I have ever tasted." The geese were not amused that Adalyn didn't share.

Adalyn admires the natural beauty of the desert.

Adalyn admires the flowers over here...and the flowers over there...

Well, at least she left a rocking chair for Mommy...

Adalyn reenacted her version of Godzilla at the Japanese Garden...OH NO! There goes Tokyo, oh no, Godzilla! Ooh ooh ooh!

After romping around the Botanical Gardens, we head on down to the Aquarium to see sharks, fish, jellyfish, seahorses, and sting rays.

A sting ray prepares to put on a special show for a special audience.

Adalyn's version of a big screen TV.

Adalyn has never seen a starfish this BIG!

Mr. Sting Ray makes an encore appearance.

"Bye bye Mr. Sting Ray!"

Adalyn LOVES the aquarium!

To round out our end of summer bash, Adalyn, Mommy, Anthony, and Anthony's Mom go to the local water park for more fun in the sun!

Adalyn hasn't mastered the "smile for the camera" smile. Neither has Anthony.

Adalyn tries to get Anthony excited about playing in the water.