Teaching An Old (Toy) Dog New Tricks

Little kids can be quite silly at times and Cassandra is not an exception.  Today, she was playing with a toy dog and she was trying to pretend like it had been jumping up on things to lay down.  At first, the doggy wanted to drive.  Then, Cassandra realized she wanted to go with him and so she improvised.

Like This Grandpa!

Starting last Christmas, Cassandra has been exposed to a unique rite of passage:  wearing the bows from presents.  At first, we would just put them on her head.  Now, she is at the point where she will put them on her head without prompting.  Here she is, putting on a bow that actually looks good as a wig at Grandpa Hodges' birthday.

Afternoon At The Zoo

Time to go to the zoo!  Cassandra had not been to the Kansas City Zoo all year so we were definitely overdue.  Aunt Kristi and Uncle John joined us for the afternoon.

We visited lots of animals including otters, the polar bear, elephants, hippopotamus, and chimpanzees.  Then, Cassandra was given the opportunity to ride over all the animals.  See how excited she is to just be told we can fit a ride into the schedule?

Most of the rest of the trip was standard fare.  One item if interest is an orangutan that wanted to play.  He was fairly young and was having fun pushing his toy (a strip of cloth) through enclosure and pulling it back inside through another hole.  He did drop it one time on purpose to get someone on the outside to pick it up and hand it back to him.  He was playing with the visitors.

Happy Little Girl

I have no idea why she is clapping and so happy but I'll take it.  It beats the alternative any day of the week.  (Neither I nor any other member of the Empress's staff can confirm or deny rumors that her good mood is due to the K-State attire she is wearing.)

Balloons! And Friends Too!

Today, we took Cassandra down to the Great Mall of the Great Plains for a special treat, the Great Midwest Balloon Fest.  During the morning we saw them fly over and try to hit a target.  Then, we returned in the evening for the balloon glow.  All the balloons were parked closely together and they would light up at the same time.  Cassandra had a ball.

While we were out at the mall, we ran into the twins!  The girls had fun trading places on the motorcycles.

New Dress

Cassandra's clothing choice process is interesting.  At the beginning of the year, Elmo was the most important feature.  Thomas began to make major inroads over the course of the summer but occasionally she surprises us.  Today, she is very proud of her dress and sandals.

The Midland Railroad

Today we are celebrating Father's Day, Uncle Doug's birthday, Grandma Wendel's birthday, and Grandpa Wendel's birthday.  This is mostly because the travel schedules of Daddy's brothers mean we only see them three or so times a year.  So, as a family we headed out to Baldwin City to ride the Midland Railroad.  At first, given the heat, I wasn't so sure.  You can see how red Cassandra's cheeks are.  As it turned out, a cold front blew through while we were out and it actually was cooler at 2:00 than at 11:00.

Our train.  We rode on the flat car.  The passenger cars didn't have air conditioning.

 Cassandra was very mellow, taking it all in.  She didn't talk much the whole trip.

Cassandra seemed to have a good time, oscillating between smiling and being enthralled.

When she got bored (at the turn around spot), she did play a little.  Otherwise, she just had a good time and it was obvious we would need to go back at some point. 

 After our train ride, we went into the gift shop.  Cassandra very quickly identified Thomas on a book cover and had to tell Grandma all about him.  I think next year we will go earlier in the season when it is cooler.