Violet's first movie

Glenn LOVES to go to the movies, and he has been wanting to take Violet to one forever!  We didn't know how she would do, but decided to take her to Monsters University when it came out this weekend.  She loved it, and she laughed in all the right places!  She started to get a little antsy toward the end of the movie, but still watched and was quiet; she just switched from Glenn's lap to mine a lot.  It helped that we brought candy!

A Picnic at the Rose Garden

For Glenn's birthday last November, I gave him the gift of twelve envelopes, and inside each one was a pre-planned date for every month of the year.  Anyway, the date for this month was to play croquet and have a picnic at the Rose Garden.  Since babysitters are in short supply around here, Violet came too!

We had a wonderful time.  The weather was perfect (like low 70s) and we just found a corner of the park where there weren't too many passers-by, and set up our croquet game!  After one game (Glenn won, naturally), we had our picnic, which was take-out Indian food and delicious.

You may notice I didn't get many pictures with Violet's face in them, and that is because she was a very busy girl.  She had the best time running around, smelling the flowers.  The flowers were all so beautiful.

She also spent a lot of time collecting leaves for me.

You'll notice that all of the leaves in front of me in that picture are of a modest size.  She walked a little ways away from me, and when I looked up, this is what I saw.

"I got a big one, mama!"

Haha, she makes me laugh.  Anyway, Violet had so much fun that we think we'll have to go back soon to let her run around there again.

Glenn loves Violet

Violet is a very lucky girl; she seriously has the best dad ever!  In honor of Fathers' Day, I'm going to try to think of some of the things that make Glenn the best. 

(These are all just random pictures of Glenn and Violet, and are not related to each thing that makes Glenn the best, although they do illustrate the same concept...)

Nothing makes Glenn happier then when Violet snuggles with him, but she is like the most uncuddle-y person ever.  But, when she watches tv shows, she loves to lay right next to him and put her head right under his chin, so Glenn will watch ANYTHING with her and just lay there with her hair in his face, the happiest guy in the world.  The happiest guy in the world who has every single Dora episode memorized.

He has an album on facebook with 128 picture of Violet in it.

He has an amazon wishlist called "For Violet" and I really have to convince him not to buy her every single present he thinks of.  "But she would love it so much, Afton!" This wishlist began when she was in my womb, and he started bookmarking baby girl clothes he thought she would look pretty in.

Violet and Glenn check the mail everyday together.  It is sweet.

If Violet and I are walking somewhere with no stroller, she walks most of the way.  If Glenn is with us, Violet takes about two steps and then reaches up for Glenn to hold her, and they are both happy.

Her favorite song is , "I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home" and she does all the actions like "pat his cheeks" and "give him a great big kiss" right on Glenn, which he loves, of course.

Happy Fathers' Day, Glenn!

p.s. Happy Fathers' Day to my dad too!  The other best dad in the world!  And maybe I should get a new picture of us together, because I'm pretty sure this is the one I used last year on Fathers' Day...

Noodle Love

Someone just tell me to stop posting food pictures - I'm addicted!  I wasn't going to post about this, even though it was delicious, but the pictures of Violet eating her noodles were too cute not to share!

These were SPICY, and it didn't slow Violet down at all!

(If you are interested, I got the recipe here but used udon noodles instead of lo mein.  And here is the picture.  They are called Dragon Noodles, which I think is a cool and dramatic name.)

I'm so proud

Here's how dinner went tonight: 

(I'm just so proud, I couldn't help but share!)

Violet ate all 3 of her edamame dumpling before I finished serving myself.  "More!  More!" she cried.  Then she ate 5 more dumplings (which I believe is only one less than I ate).

Then she started on her applesauce without me having to tell her to.

The she ate all of the zucchini on her plate and said, "Zucchini!  Like candy!"  Then she ate the rest of the zucchini that was in the serving bowl.

Then I tried to clear her plate (with the two pieces of broccoli I'd put on her plate just for show, with no hopes that she would eat it) and she said, "NO WAIT!  MY BROCCOLI!" and ate both pieces while saying, "Mmmm, broccoli, like candy!".

I'M SO PROUD!  I feel like I put so much effort into making sure she eats more than just cheerios all day, that it feels sooooooooooo good when it pays off.  

(An old picture, but this is the same meal I made tonight that Violet devoured.)

Grandpa??

On Sunday, we sometimes walk around USC campus and let Violet run free for an hour or so.  She loves to explore.  Last Sunday, Violet saw this statue and said, "Grandpa!".  

Dad? Scott?  What do you think?