Gardening with Dad

My dad and I have been trying to take back control over the backyard. It's hard to have a yard in the city. It's mostly concrete, which my entire family hates. We also have two odd flower beds, but we can't get many flowers to grow. So, my dad decided that we needed to clean everything up.

I grabbed a spade so that we could get started right away.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We pulled weeds, dug out roots, cultivated the dirt, and trimmed the rose bushes.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
We worked really hard all weekend, but we finally finished . . .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Looking good, dad!

Famous Neighbors

So apparently, my role model Michael Phelps recently purchased a home in Fells Point, Baltimore (less than 2 miles from my house).

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Jenna Bush (U.S. President George Bush's daughter) and her new husband already live three blocks away.

Pound by pound, still the prettiest girl around

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Can you believe that my doctor told my mom that I was 36.4 pounds?!?!? I told her to weigh me again because I would never be that heavy! I mean, do I look fat to you? How can a pretty girl like me be thirty-six pounds?

Daddy's Helper

When my mom and dad bought our house two years ago, they knew that it needed a lot of work. Apparently, the house was built in 1820, and the last major rehab was performed in 1910 (other than some cosmetic and plumbing updates in 1989).
.
.
.
.
.
This is our house.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Anyway, the front door has been giving us some trouble for nearly a year, and it started to fall off of the hinges about a week ago. So, my dad and I decided that it was time to do some home improvements. While my mom was sleeping, we took off the front door.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.
.
.
.
.
Mom, I swear! I told dad not to do it!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
But it is a good thing we decided to replace the door; gophers were trying to get into the house by eating the wooden frame.
.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
My dad said that I'm the best helper ever!

My Best in Sweepstakes picture

My addiction

So, as you may remember, I love sweets--especially when I'm not allowed to have them. Some of my many conquests include: cupcakes, vanilla ice cream, Rita's water ice, and most recently, oatmeal cookies!

My mom was baking cookies for an Orientation event that she was hosting at our house last week for her Law Journal. She told me that I couldn't have any until after the event was over, but they smelled soo good. My mom is a really good baker. While she was in the other room, I snuck into the kitchen to look at the cookies. I swear on my rawhide that I was only going to look at the cookies. I swear! But, while I was there, I figured that it would probably be ok to smell them a bit. Ok, and maybe I should touch them to see if they were still hot. Ok, and I should probably lick a small one to see if it was poisonous. I mean, I don't want my mom to get sick. Ok, and maybe it might be a good idea to take a tiny-teensie-little nibble out of the small one. I mean, I already licked it. Ok, so I should probably eat the little one. I mean, no one will want to eat it if I already took a nibble. Uh, oh. I accidentally licked the one beside it. Guess I should eat that one too. And whoops, I touched another one. Better eat that one. Oh, no! Look what I did! I accidentally knocked the cooling sheet onto the floor. My mom is so busy cleaning, so I should probably help her out with my super-vacuum-tongue. I was just trying to get the last little cookie off of the counter when the timer beeped to let my mom know that the last batch of cookies in the oven were ready. I hadn't been able to put away the cooling sheet yet, so I tried to hide it by sitting on it. She came into the kitchen to get the cookies out of the oven, but when she couldn't find the cookies, she looked very disappointed. I don't know why she was sad; I had worked really hard to clean up the cookies for her!

My bed

So, my mom keeps talking about buying a new bed for me. I don't understand why she would want to get me another one. I like this bed just fine. I mean, it might be a good idea for my mom to buy a new bed for my dad since he takes up a lot of room on my bed and complains that he can't stretch out. But, she can save her money. I love my bed. It's not too big, not too small - but, just right.

Saturday Trip to Quiet Waters

I love Quiet Waters!

Laila'lympics

Every year, on the last day of the season, the local Riverside Pool opens its doors to the puppies of Federal Hill and Riverside. All of the neighborhood dogs train for weeks before this big event. I had some private training sessions in Outer Banks, so I was fully prepared for the challenge.

My competition:

. . . . . . . . . Wrigby. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Patches
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. . . . . . . . . Murray. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maggie
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. . . . . . . . . Austin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dinyo
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
. . . . . . . . . Jake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lexi
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
The whole city came out to watch us swim.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I put down my shoes to get ready for the big race.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

On your mark, get set . . . BLAM!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Everyone said I had a perfect entry into the water.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
At the halfway point, I was in the lead followed closely by Lexi. Everyone wondered "Will she make it? Will Laila beat the Baltimore Record?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

And the answer is "YES! LAILA WINS!"

I've decided that my new name should be "Laila Phelps!"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
This is me right after I won the gold medal. My mom was so proud!
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
I need to put this in a safe place so that it doesn't float away. Maybe I'll put it with my other gold medals from sports such as snuggling, couch jumping, digging, gymnastics floor exercises, contortion, diving, ball catching, rolling in dead birds, running, and cupcake eating. I do love cupcakes. And hey, if Michael Phelps can eat 12,000 calories a day, I don't thing a little thing like eating two dozen cupcakes is going to hurt my perfect little figure.

But before I could put it away, the paparazi wanted to snap a few pictures of my magnificent self. I indulged them, of course. Who am I to deny my fans?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
After the pictures, I took one of my old bronze medals out for a few laps around the pool. I have so many medals, that I don't mind sharing this one with a few of my friends.