Beach bums

Last week Grandma Johnson invited us to see low tide at Seahurst Beach. I brought my friend Amelia too. Unfortunately, Mommy was running late, as usual, and Grandma (who didn't know for sure if we were coming) was halfway down the beach by the time we got there. We walk a little more slowly than she does, so she didn't see us until she started heading back our way.

The first thing I noticed right away were the birds. I love chasing birds. So off I went across the sand to catch some birds. They're pretty fast though, especially since they have wings and can fly away. I wish I could fly after them.


Amelia was a little unsure about the dirt and water at first. Here she is trying to figure out how to cross this stream.

Mommy showed me half of a big shell she found in the dirt. I showed it to Amelia.

You can't tell what I'm looking at, but we found a small hermit crab and a small regular crab in the water. They kept trying to hide under the seaweed.

On our way back up the beach, someone pointed out this huge purple starfish. Cool, huh? After all the other kids had left, some guy from a newspaper took a few pictures of me touching the starfish and asked what my name was. We never found out if I actually ended up in the paper. I could have been famous!

Grandma Johnson liked the starfish too.

After the starfish I was off to chase more birds.

Amelia and I had lunch on some big logs.

And Grandma Johnson gave us popsicles to eat.

Normally I hate getting sand or rocks in my sandals. It really bothers my feet. But this time, I didn't care. I was having too much fun.

Happy Birthday, Cooper!

Yesterday was Cooper's birthday. We had a little birthday celebration for him at the cemetery with some friends and family.

Mommy and Daddy brought Cooper some white calla lilies. They were blooming in our yard when he was born last year, and they remind us of him.

We started the celebration with Bruce Nelson playing "Amazing Grace" on the bagpipes. Bruce has been learning to play this for the past year just for Cooper. He did an "amazing" job. Hee, hee. (Mommy only video taped him playing--no regular pictures. She wishes now that she had taken pictures with the camera because you can't scrapbook video! Maybe Grandma Johnson has some pics we can have????)

After Bruce played, everyone was given a white balloon. White symbolizes purity, which Cooper definitely was. There were 22 balloons--one for each hour that he lived. We released these in the air at the same time in his memory.


(Once again, Mommy got one "before" shot, and then only video-taped the balloons flying away.)

After the balloons, everyone got to eat cupcakes and hang out for a while. Here's Bruce with his bagpipes snagging a cupcake:

I know it looks like a ate a ton of cupcakes, but I swear I only at three. Plus the one at home before we left for the cemetery.

Cooper sure is loved. The sunflower balloon is from Grandma and Grandpa Johnson. The Happy Birthday balloon and calla lilies are from Mommy and Daddy and me. The balloons are attached to a pinwheel from Aunt Kari. The purple flowers are from Grandma and Grandpa Glick. The soccer ball is from Amelia. And the yellow flowers are from the Ortons.

Even though I never got to meet Cooper, I sure am glad to know that I have a brother. And we're all thankful to know we are an eternal family.

A visit from Aunt Denise

Aunt Denise and her boyfriend Chris came to visit this weekend. I had so much fun playing with them.

We went on a hike on Saturday.

Who wants to look at a camera when you're standing next to rushing water and rocks that are just asking to be thrown?

Check me out! I climbed this hill by myself!

Chris helped me jump off this big rock.

I saw some other people standing on top of this huge rock and wanted to climb it too. Chris helped me get up there. Mommy followed and thought I was getting too close to the edge, so she held onto me tight while Aunt Denise snapped the picture. I don't see why she was so worried--I have great balance.

Of course, all the climbing, running, and throwing wore me out, and this is how I made it back to the car for the last part of the hike.

You might have noticed that there aren't any pictures of me with Aunt Denise. She had the camera most of the time, and when she didn't, I wasn't too keen on getting my picture taken. This is the best they could get:

And here's Aunt Denise trying to take a picture of us together:

On Monday we visited Cooper's grave. While we were there, we saw three tiny frogs on another kid's headstone.

Denise picked it up to show my, but I was more interested in the cars that had been left on his headstone.

Mommy and Aunt Denise standing near Cooper's grave.

I had so much fun during the weekend, and then I was duped right at the very end. Mommy told me we were going to the airport and I got so excited. But when we got there, only Chris and Denise got out and I had to stay in my car seat. I started bawling. I thought I was going to get on an airplane, not just look at them through the window. What a ripoff!

A first!

No, not my first ice cream cone. But I got the ice cream cone because I went peepee in the toilet for the first time on Friday night!!!


Mommy and Daddy and I all got in the car and went to Dairy Queen to get ice cream. All the way there I was shouting, "Peepee in the toilet!" and "Ice cream cone!" I couldn't wait to go peepee again.

Mommy keeps putting me on the toilet when she changes my diaper, but usually I'm all done peeing by then. But on Saturday night, I got lucky. I went peepee in the toilet again, and this time Mommy went to the store and bought me a whole bag of Smarties. Now when I go in the toilet, I get a little pack of Smarties. Yum! I didn't get any Smarties on Sunday, but I did get some this morning.

So peepee in the toilet=Smarties. No I just have to figure out how to save up my pee for the toilet so I can get lots of Smarties.

Oh, deer!

We had a visitor stop by our backyard last Saturday morning.

Prayer Time

Bless Mama. Bless Dada. Bless Ty. Amen!

So you think you can dance?

Check out these moves.

Mmmmm...sucker!

On Sunday I didn't get a nap before church. I was so exhausted afterward that I fell asleep in the car on the way home without even finishing the sucker I got from the Bishop.