This afternoon, we were trying to get ourselves out the door to go get some ice cream. Helen Grace was being especially feisty/independent, and she wanted to put on her shorts all by herself. Well, that she did, and John and I couldn’t stop laughing! She got both legs through one pant leg, and she pranced around and was so proud of herself. She wouldn’t let us help her at all, so we just took pictures instead. :)
On Friday night, we went to a really fun event at the Botanic Garden- the Firefly Glow Party. Helen Grace was really excited about the “party.” She could have been entertained all night just by the playgrounds and little playhouses, but we also made a lightning bug out of a water bottle, cooked s’mores over a campfire, had a dance party with hula hoops and firefly dancers, and ended the night watching a LED hula hoop dance performance. It lasted until 9 p.m., but Helen Grace really did pretty well- only a little bit of fussiness at the very end. She thought the glow necklaces were pretty cool, and I’m thankful I picked up a handful at Target. It was really dark out there by the end of the night, and we could keep an eye on her better when she was wearing them. All day today, she has talked about the “party” and the “hoops,” and she’ll show you how she moves her hips to keep it going (even though she can’t do it for real by herself). What a fun family date night!
Putting on our glow bracelets
Mama throwing her up in the air
Yummmm
Sadly, she got the tongue-hanging-out gene from her mama.
Cute little lightning bug
On Wednesday morning, Helen Grace and I spent some time together in drive-thrus, and we had some funny conversations.
One time when we were in the Walgreens drive-thru, she realized we were getting medicine and freaked out because she thought it was for her. So now in the drive-thru, she likes to talk about how the medicine is for one of us (and not her) but that it makes us feel better.
Her new favorite game to play is Three Little Pigs. We take turns being the wolf and the pigs, although she much prefers being the wolf, and we have to switch from having a brick house to a stick house.
We are working on learning the hard lesson of saying, “Excuse me,” when grown ups are talking and she needs our attention. As we wrapped up that discussion, we were rounding Chick-fil-A to get in the drive-thru and she spotted the playground. She begged to get out and go inside to play, even putting her cute little hands together and whining, “Pleeeeeasseee!”
So after Helen Grace and I went to the zoo last Friday, we headed back to the zoo that Sunday with Daddy. Yes, I know, we are kinda addicted. We really enjoyed our visit with John, and we found a new favorite exhibit- the aquarium! We ducked inside while we were running from the mosquitoes from the farm area, and HG went bonkers. There was a ledge or step up around the whole room, so I’m not sure if she liked jumping on and off it or screaming and pointing to the turtles and fish more. Regardless, she really enjoyed the aquarium and kept us running from tank to tank for quite a while. Here are some pics from our visit…
Looking at the penguins
LOVE the hands on the hip- that is an inherited gene.
She’s telling me that she’s been looking for her friends and that they are lost at the zoo. (She’s used to coming with all her little people.)
"Skip to my lou”
This monkey was LOUD!
She held a birdie all by herself! 
Constantly running at full force
Sparkly Toes I have been waaaay overdue for a professional pedicure, so today John treated me to a little spa happy. I came home, and Helen Grace immediately pointed to my toes- “Pretty! Red! Sparkly toes!” She has continued to call me Sparkly Toes throughout the night.
“Crap” Helen Grace and I were watching a friend’s video together today on my computer, and someone said “crap” in it. Of course, my little parrot immediately repeated it. I explained that it was not a nice word and that we didn’t need to say it. And she emphatically repeated it another time. And then she said, “Mommy, crab in the ocean!” Ooohh, yes, baby, crabs do live in the ocean! Whew!
Prayers for Spiffer After our nightly prayer the other night, Helen Grace asked for more prayers. "Who else to you want to pray for, Helen Grace?" She responded, "Spiffer." "What are we praying for for Spiffer?" "A present!" She went on to tell me all about it, but I couldn't understand her babble.
“I stopped crying, Mommy!” Lately during Helen Grace’s fits, I ask her, “Do you want to go home, or do you want to stop crying, act like a big girl, and stay here?” The last few times that I’ve asked her that, she’s surprised me by pulling herself together and then proudly saying with a big smile on her face, “I stopped crying, Mommy! I’m happy!”
“You can do it, Mommy!” At the zoo the other day, she asked me to come up on the playground with her. After a few minutes, she hopped down and asked me to follow her down the steps. From the bottom, she turns to me, puts two thumbs up, and says, “You can do it, Mommy! I’ll help you!”
Emmy’s Pool Party We celebrated Emmy’s (the new Mrs. Brown) birthday on Saturday night with a pool party at the Brickells’ house. While HG was terribly shy of the people, pool, and big dogs at the beginning of the night, she eventually eased into the pool with us and had a good time. One of the dog owners gave her a spray bottle to use on the dogs when they got too close, and she thought that was very cool. Unfortunately, more partygoers got sprayed than dogs, but at least they thought she was pretty cute. :) She later found the radio on the screened in porch and let loose with a dance party, pulling in anyone who walked past her. 
Love for MoMo
Calling Buster I am in love with the way Helen Grace calls Grandma’s dog, Buster. We were walking back to Grandma’s after dinner with the Browns and Uncle Charlie and Uncle Marty on Friday night, and I caught her calling Buster- well calling Peggy too.
Air Guitar Friday morning, while I was getting ready, Helen Grace was watching one of her cartoons on my phone. Somehow, she clicked over to the songs, and when an AC/DC song came on, she went NUTS. She pulled out her air guitar which looks a little bit more like air violin, but I about lost it. She had to listen to it over and over again. So funny!
This morning, we celebrated our friend Sallie Key’s third birthday party with adorable smocks, decorated crowns, and lots and lots of PAINT! This was the cutest party, and Helen Grace really got into it. Looks like she may have inherited her Grandma’s artistic genes!
What are you painting? “A picture.” A picture of what? “A face.” Whose face? “A fish.”
“Look, Mommy!”
