Kylie's Birthday Party

We headed down I-35 for Kylie's birthday this weekend.  The road trip was not as easy as the last time.  For some reason, the Empress was not interested in taking a nap in spite of it being her usual nap time.  Mommy eventually got her down though.

When we arrived, they were about ready to setup the pinata.  I've always wondered about those.  Don't we spend enough time as parents telling kids not to hit stuff?  Anyway, the birthday girl gets first whack.  All the kids took turns, even little Cassandra.

"I'm done.  Something is not right here.  Let me watch the others and think about it."

"This is better.  Something longer and tougher."

The pinata turned out to be tougher than expected.  Note to self, don't use cardboard to reinforce a pinata unless you are trying to keep kids occupied for hours or want them to use real bats.  Eventually, Kylie called in reinforcements, AKA Daddy.

After we had opened the pinata, it was time for cake.  Well, cupcakes really.  Cassandra ate the whole cupcake herself.

After the party was over, we went back to Kylie's place.  Cassandra had fun playing with "boy" toys like the work bench, police SUV, fire truck, and geotrax trains.  I should probably note that the toys she was most interested in were Noah's.  With the exception of Legos, she really had no interest in any of Kylie's new toys.

Noah did his best to stay out of the way of all of the girls. 

Kylie also modeled her new dress and fashion accessories for us.

Finally, as everyone (but the kids) was getting tired, it was time to go.  We rounded them up for the traditional "family" picture we have been doing.  Kylie and Noah did a good job of sitting still but Cassandra was a real challenge.

Notice how Cassandra's feet haven't stopped moving?

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.