Golfing with Dad

Awhile back Papa and Gigi bought me my very own set of golf clubs. I liked to play with them but had never truly gotten any lessons. (Mom finds this quite hard to believe.) Well, Wednesdays is my night with dad (Mom goes to Bible study) and he's been giving me some lessons.


(Hmmm, no one has their eye on the ball.)



The best part of the lesson is watching dad run to get the ball when we've hit it across the street. Just like in the real game of golf, if it doesn't go in the street, I'm not very happy. I suppose this is how adults feel when they can't get it in the hole. Thankfully, my target is much larger.

A Visitor!

I had a very special visitor from Austin, Texas come and stay with me this weekend. Haley and her mom came just to see us and we are so thankful! We had a fabulous time despite some car trouble (more on that later) and are very much looking forward to our trip to see them in October.

We started the trip out at the spray ground. Just a few pictures to show off the girl's spray ground fun!










































We also went to the zoo on Saturday. Mom forget her camera though. Check out Haley's blog for a recap of that adventure. I must agree with Haley, the lions were by far the most exciting!

On Monday when all the water parks were closed. We went to Paradise Park. We both had a blast with the many things they had to offer. Here we are doing an art project together. Stamps with pictures of my favorite thing, bus! We also tried out the car, bicycle, train, and boat. But my favorite is bus. I say it to the trucks and buses that drive by our car!


We also played at the water table. Thank heavens they have smocks or we would have been drenched!














And in closing....


Yes, this picture sums up the car trouble. Throughout the course of the weekend, we had moments of waiting. Waiting for mom to get the car jumped. Dad, on Sunday gave us his best effort to try to get it fixedy, but the battery just wouldn't fit. But on Monday, when even a jump didn't seem to start that tired battery, Dad left work and got us a new battery before taking Haley and her mom back to work. We are so thankful we have such good friends who stuck by us with a smile through it all. The tally at the end of the day was: 1 on Friday, late to the airport, 1 on Saturday, off to the zoo, 2 on Sunday, to church and back, 1 on Monday during our trunk snack.

Little Butterfly

Today mom took me to Powell Gardens for the butterfly festival. What an experience! We walked through a tent that had thousands of butterflies flying through it. Then, we waled the gardens and explored all of the flowers and the dinosaurs that were on exhibit. (They're fake dinosaurs, thankfully! But they look very real.)

The highlight of the trip though was the master gardeners who brought butterflies and caterpillars to a special tent. In this tent, you could touch the butterflies and let caterpillars crawl on you. This was my absolute favorite and I learned that I am much braver than mom. (She promptly returned the caterpillar to the gardener when she stopped it from crawling down my onesie and instead let it crawl on her.) The gardeners were all shocked as I kept coming back for more and more butterfly feet on my hands and arms. Plus, the wings were really soft. (Mom didn't mind that part.) The gardeners all said I was the bravest little girl they had seen my age.

At the end of the morning we went for a craft and I made my own antennas.

Through the Tunnel

That was our lesson for the day at our trial Gymboree class. Yes, it's so hot here that we're using our free trial coupons now instead of the dead of winter. It was fun, not too busy which was sad for me, I had only one friend to play with, Davis. However, we did discover that with my high energy level and desire to explore everything maybe a class like this isn't really for me. What a great way to beat the heat though! And, I must admit, even I stood still while mom helped the parachute to fly over my head.



So, mom called the Gage Center and we're going to go try out preschool gymnastics on Monday! Stay tuned for more updates on that. Mom is hoping it's a hit so she can enroll me for the winter class. Something to look forward to when it's cold (or brrrr as I say it) outside.

Beauty Shop

This has been one of my favorite activities as of late. I love getting my hair done and doing other people's hair. Mom needs some lessons from Mrs. Pacheco when she comes next week with Haley (We are so excited!) on little girl hairdo's, ribbons and bows, pigtails and more. But in the meantime, you'll have to settle for me playing beauty shop with dad. He's such a good sport.

He has quite a few bumps on his head. My little arm gets tired and the hair dryer often falls and knocks him on the head. Ouch! or Uh-Oh.


But dad doesn't mind because he really likes it when I wash his hair with my pretend soap. (Thankfully, Ainsley has not yet figured out how to get the soap out of the pump bottle. I don't suppose it will be that much longer though before I find a trail of lotion or baby wash in the house.)

"Waow" the Water Park

Wow. Or "Waow" as Ainsley says. It sure is hot here! We're under a heat advisory so this morning at 8:00 when the weatherman said it was 81 degrees already, mom said we had to have a plan. And "waow" we went to the water park. A new one we hadn't been to before and I loved it. They had an awesome play area for kids and three different water slides for me to attempt. Aunt Trish caught me at the end of the big kid, superfast one and I think I finally have a healthier respect for the water slide. But just enough to keep me off the yellow tunnel slide for awhile. I loved the foam water tunnel slide and the frog slide though. On the frog, the slide is his tonuge and you go through the mouth.




They also had water falls and spray areas. I didn't want to leave but I was getting tired. Mom promised we could go back, so I'll make sure we go. We're under a heat advisory all week!

Chanie and Me

Today I got to hang out with my cousins. The basement at my house is under construction and we had to evacuate as they prepared for insulation. So, mom took me over to Aunt Markie's and we had a blast at the pool. I love playing with my cousins and mom loves it too, I'm always tuckered out at the end of the day!

Chanie had her sunglasses on so I got mine on as well. Here I am saying "Uh-Oh", my new favorite word. Though I really need to learn to distinguish between a real "Uh-Oh" and "Sorry mom, I did that on purpose."



We took a wagon ride to the pool together and played forever. I was a real dare-devil and jumped off the edge to mo. We rolled in the water, went under, and flew high in the sky. I love the water. I think my daring moments gave Chanie some more courage in the pool too! I even prepped to go under water by wearing my cousin Will's goggles. Mom thinks I'm still a little young for this move though. It was a good thing we were in the baby pool at the time.

Crown "Clown" Center

Before this post gets too far, Happy 6th Anniversary mom and dad. And what a great anniversary it was as we celebrtaed with the clowns at "clown" center. (It's really Crown Center, Hallmark's headquarters.) And, the clowns were there because it was National Clown Day! I must say, I really wasn't too sure about these funny dressed people, but I sure did love my balloon puppy and clown nose that I acquired while we were there.


(Oh, and for as many traits that I have just like mom, I'm definitely dad's too. I twisted and twisted that balloon puupy to figure out how they made one long balloon into an animal. Without any fear, I successfully untwisted that thing back to it's original shape on the way home.)

While we were there, I also got to experience the fountain. It's a lot bigger than the sprayground sprinklers that I normally go to. But, I braved it anyway! We all got a little wet and had a really good time.



Mom and dad couldn't think of a better way to spend their anniversary than with their precious gift from God. The Lord has truly blessed us with a wonderful marriage, child, and family. (Well, they did manage to make it to dinner (alone) as well.)

Rankin Reunion 2007

With the promise of many more to come, this post has been dated. This year, we went to Lake of the Ozarks and met at Tan-Tar-A. It was a lot of fun had by all, though it really was too short! I got to meet my second cousin, Sophia, for the very first time! She'll be 2 on the 11th. Happy Birthday early, Sophia! Everyone was there and it was really good to see everyone.

Here's a picture of just me and Sophia.


Here's a family photo of us. (This is just our immediate family.) Unfortunately we weren't able to get a group photo of everyone this time around.


We also had some fun at the pool. There was a sprayground, which of course I loved.


But my newest adventure was the water slide. I loved it! Mom and dad had to take me down over, and over, and over again. We even came back for more right before check out!

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to mom today. She turned the big 30. We celebrated in the morning with lots of presents and then got in the car to drive to the lake for a family reunion.

The Petting Zoo

Mom took me to Deanna Rose petting zoo today. Nether of us could get over the fact that this was a free activity (well, except for the gas...it's a 40 minute drive). They have all kind of animals at kid level and some that you can pet or feed.

So, I was really interested in watching the cows eat. They eat a lot of hay in one bite! And they look kind of messy. I definitely couldn't eat with them....I ask to get my hands and face wiped after each bite.


I also really liked the goats, though I wasn't much for feeding them myself. I did enjoy watching them eat from mom's hand though. Wow, mom sure does love me...she would have never done that otherwise. There's also a section were you can walk around with the goats. I wasn't so sure the first time we went in, but I started petting them the second time around! Although, be it known I was saying "woof, woof" and thought they were just dogs. Or, I was fooling with my mom in yet another attempt to get a live dog instead of a stuffed one.



They also have multiple play areas for when you want to take a break from the animals. I loved riding on the tractor (mom pushed me around the track), checking out the tepee, and most of all the tunnel slide! I wouldn't even wait for mom to catch me at the bottom (I needed help getting up to the top). This became particularly stressful for mom as I love to go down head first. I'm so daring!




I liked this zoo so much, that we (mom, dad, PaPa, and Gigi) went on the 4th of July! We had a great time despite it being incredibly warm and sticky. Mom will post some pictures of that later.

For those of you who keep us with us regularly. I renamed my Grandma Randall, previously Nonni, to Gigi. I walked up the steps with mom and declared "Hi Gigi" to the right person. I could not find her if it wasn't, "find Gigi", so Gigi she became.

Another Day at the Pool

The weather has been warm and I'm still enjoying the water. But since my last post, I've developed a few quirks. I love to take towels, wash cloths, and generally any item used to dry off into the water with me. The other day, I lined the bottom of my pool with my towel. Mom just laughs and isn't willing to fight with me on this one.

But the other big thing we've discovered is that I am much more comfortable playing in the water features of my yard with clothes on. That's right, clothes, not a swim suit. I think swimming suits are for the real pool only. So, we have some designated "swim" outfits now.


My sprinkler has become one of my favorites. I love putting the balls in and watching them pop out. I'm definitely not afraid anymore as I stick my face right in to get a drink when I'm thirsty. And, I've learned how to fill up my bucket and watering can. This has been great, mom is never at a safe distance anymore!





I guess it's not a bad thing. I'm more protected from the sun and it makes my clothes last longer. You know, clothes stretch when they're wet.

Big Foot

Well, I've definitely acquired a taste for shoes. I know where mine are, I have a designated spot for getting them on, and I love to go for walks in them. So, with my new found excitement in shoes, my PaPa went out and got me a pair of Nike's. (With a pink swoosh and everything!)

Check out how much my foot has grown. Now, Nike's do run small, but a size 6! Wow! Official stats will follow in mid-July, that's my next checkup. But we can tell you I'm 31 inches tall and still under 20 lbs! Skinny little legs and good size feet give me great balance.


I've been running around in them ever since.

What a Character!

My personality has developed quite a bit over the last month. Perhaps that's because I have so many people to draw off of in the house. I am such a lucky girl! I've really been into accesories for my head as of late. Tupperware, hats, and of course pants! The pants and shorts are my favorite, the elastic keeps it on until I'm ready to say "Ta Da" (very loudly) and yank them off.


I've also been known to covertly get into the sock draws. My parents, not my own. Here I am modeling a future soccer player look. Dad's footjoy socks are a favorite around here. I wonder, why don't grown up socks have sticky pads on the bottom? It sure is hard to run in these!

Water Baby

School's out for everyone and it's officially summer. I've been enjoying it with water extensively! Sprinklers, spraygrounds, water parks, and pools. This is what my summer is about and mom has been a really good sport. Because you know, if I'm wet...she's wet.

So we started off with the at home sprinkler. Of course we moved up from that and went to the sprayground by our house. Three different sections, complete with huge sprinkler showers and mysterious buckets that sporadically dump water all over you. But this was just the beginning....

Then, the neighbor brought out the baby pool. I went in fully clothed! So, after sitting there for 15 minutes mom thought we should get a pool of our own in hopes of a similar reprieve later that afternoon. Well, we have a pool but mom did not get a break. I also got some really neat toys and Papa has tought me to fish with my new magnetic fishing rod.




And then, for the big water finale. Mom and I met some friends at the water park today. Wow! I thought I had seen water but nothng like this. A lazy river which didn't really make me feel lazy, I was very intrigued by the current. And a huge playground for kids. And this is where mom really gets the good sport award. She took me up on the slide, because I wanted to go, she shielded me from the huge dumping water bucket and got drenched, and she went down with me. She was soaked and so was I! But wow did we have fun.