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.

Trains And Balls

With Uncle Doug and Holly in town, Grandma and Grandpa Wendel decided to have people over for lunch.  This would be the first time the Empress or her staff had met Holly's parents.  Of course, to a one year old, neither the food nor the company are nearly so important as the toys.  Grandpa fired up the Santa Fe Super Chief so Cassandra would be Wowed!

  

Cassandra was even given the chance to run the cab, blowing the horn to her heart's content.

After playing with trains, it was time to entertain her subjects.  Here is a graceful faceplant for the crowd.

And Cassandra providing us blackmail material for when she is a teenager.

Chocolate Pudding

As an experiment, we offered Cassandra chocolate pudding and we let her feed herself.  You can hear her say at the beginning of the video "I like it."

And the evenings adventures immortalized for future boyfriends to view.

Christmas in July

We continue to parcel out Cassandra's Christmas and birthday presents.  Mommy pulled out her Duplo hospital and put it together while the Empress was napping.  She was pleasantly surprised when we showed it to her. 

  

While we did get some good photos of her, I think the video probably gives a better idea of how she feels about her new toy.  She still has the staccato laugh.