New Nightgown

Now that I'm almost 4, I told Mom I wanted to wear nightgowns, not pajama pants.  She begrudgingly relented, so here I am in all my princess-y nighttime glory:

Tommy's 18 Month Pictures

This is Tommy's 18 month picture.  Mom says it doesn't capture the full essence of his Tommy-ness, but I still think it's pretty cute.

Enjoying a Cool Refreshing Drink

I helped Dad build a bench for our backyard. Since it was hot out, Dad took off his shirt, so I did too.  Dad said he was thirsty, so I suggested we share a "cool refreshing drink" (my words) on our finished product.  

Little Gym Dance Class

Mom took some videos of me at dance class today...


And so did my teacher, Ms. Kristen.

Irvine Park with the Dombeks

We met Auntie Leslie, Kara, and Avery at Irvine Park for big park fun.  First we went on the train.  The little kids had to sit with the mommies...

But we big kids got to sit on our own...

Look, Moms, no hands!

Tommy tried to keep up with all of our running, jumping, and balancing... 

And our peacock chasing!  Don't worry, we didn't really pull this off a peacock, just found it lying on the ground after chasing one.

We also went to the zoo and saw owls, mountain lions, eagles, and bears.  

My wingspan is almost as big as a barn owl's!

But the best part was, of course, the petting zoo.

They even had a brush that the goats loved.  I showed Tommy how to use it...

I was very gentle.  This one was my favorite.

Kara and I named him "Black Light". 

Tommy's a quick learner, and this little kid was just his size.  

After rubbing barnyard animals, it's always good to eat with your hands.  Picnic time!

 Yes, Tommy did shove this whole watermelon triangle (and many more) in his mouth.  He would have eaten the rind too if we didn't take it away from him.  Maybe he learned a little too much from the goats...

Before we left, I got to go on a pony ride.  Tommy was too little.  I love being a big kid!

Giddyup, Don!  One step closer to being a full-fledged cowgirl.

Multi-tasking While I Talk To Grandma

Can't Beat Peek-a-Boo with This Little Face!

Reading

Mom's been teaching me to read a little bit every morning for the past month, and I've been doing a really good job!  I can read little stories now, and am learning something new every day.  Here was my story for the day:

And here you can hear me read it through for the first time, though you might have to turn your speakers up because I'm kind of quiet and you can hear Tommy chatting with himself over the monitor as he goes down for his nap.  

I also now write "Kat" on all my drawings, and have learned to write my whole name (with a little spelling help from Mom):

But don't worry, I'm not all work and no play!

Backyard Goofiness

Tommy and I have so much fun in the backyard.  We love sliding...

Playing leap frog... 

And most of all, swinging!

Oh, and being goofy.  

It's safe to say that the official favorite food of the moment in our house seems to be hummus.

We both also enjoy that it makes us messy.

Hopscotch

This is how you play hopscotch "princess-style", Mom.  Duh.

Birthdays

Nana, Uncle Stuart, and Kyle came down to celebrate Nana and Kyle's birthdays.  

Nana helped me bake my first pie.

Turned out pretty good, if I don't say so myself!

Happy Tom Tom Frog...

We sang happy birthday, and Kyle blew out his candles.

Cake and pie all in one day? I love birthdays!

Tommy and I helped Kyle play with some of his new presents...

Then we played outside and did lots of swinging and squealing.

Wheeee!

It's Much More Effective and Flashy to Dance With Only One Sock On

Fireworks

 We didn't make it to the beach for the fireworks, but we did get to see some great ones from Mom and Dad's window, so we were all happy.  Tommy even got to see some before he went to bed, since the neighbors were lighting some off.  We watched from the balcony, but first I had to make sure it was clean.

Chewy kept whining and crying about the fireworks, so we had to put him back in the house.  Tommy kept trying to spring his buddy free, but he's not quite tall enough.

All in all, fireworks fun was had by all!  Even Tommy's dinosaur got to watch.  Happy 4th!