A great big world

I'm beginning to realize that there's a lot more to this place than just Noah and the animals in my room. Mom and Dad have been taking me out on a lot of adventures lately, and the more I see, the more I want to see.

This was my dad's birthday weekend and it was the first time that there wasn't a party. But there was a lot of fun. Early Saturday morning (more early than I care to remember) Mom, Dad and I drove down to a place called Rancho Santa Margarita. When I first heard we were going there, I got excited because I recalled that this was the place where my pal Trenton was getting settled into his new home. I had a sneaking suspicion we might end up there at some point.

But first, it was off to a soccer tournament. Cousin Sammy from up north in Lodi (don't worry, I don't know where that is either) was down playing with his team, which I hear is the team to beat. After Mom lotioned me all up (something to do with blocking the sun) we sat and watched all these guys run really fast back and forth on a grassy field. At first, I wasn't so impressed. But then, I saw some of the guys kicking the ball and even hitting it with their heads! I couldn't believe it! Mom spends so much time protecting my head, she even talks about getting me a helmet. And here were these guys hitting their heads on purpose, and everyone was cheering. It was great. I've gotta figure out how to get in on this soccer business.

After the game, Dad drove around looking for something to eat. He and Mom didn't get to have oatmeal and bananas like me, so they were pretty hungry. After hunting for awhile (apparently, people in this Rancho place don't eat much) we stopped at a bagel place and then did some shopping at Borders. And the next thing I knew, we pulled up in the driveway of Trenton's house! I was so excited. Trenton is a big guy now, too and he shared all his toys with me. I checked them all out right away by putting them in my mouth. I always have to check everything for chewability. Trenton's favorite toy was this crazy looking ball with a dinosaur inside...I have no idea how that got in there. Trenton and I played for a long time and I showed him how I crawl around and stand up now. He looked like he was ready to crawl any second. Pretty soon, we both got hungry and had to take a lunch break.

After visiting for a little while longer, I was pooped out and it was time for us to head home. I napped the whole way and was looking forward to a quiet evening at home with the folks. You can imagine my surprise when Mom and Dad started packing up all my stuff and Nana and Papa came to pick me up! They said I was having my first "sleepover." Well, I was a little upset that I was not consulted first. It reminded me of that episode of Little Bill when his parents needed "private time." I didn't understand this at all, I mean, who wouldn't want me around? But I got over the insult pretty quick because I really love spending time with Nana and Papa. Mainly because they have this little black dog, and I'm determined to run her over with my walker. She's had a couple of close calls already.

I decided that since this was my first sleepover, I'd make a good impression so I let everyone sleep...for most of the night anyway. At least, I think they slept. Now that I think about it, Nana did look a little tired this morning. But I don't think that had anything to do with me. It must've been that silly dog.

Let me at her.