Banana & Bread = Delicious

On Saturday, my grandpop Steve, Michele, Dan and Dawn visited us for a Turkey dinner.  We all had a great time.  There was turkey, homemade stuffing, gravy, roasted potatoes, sweet potatoes, glazed carrots, green beans, rolls, and apple pie.  Michele baked Banana Nut bread. 

Mmm... Banana Nut Bread

I love Michele.  And bananas.  And bread.

Drool....

Hey mom, can you please cut a piece for me?  Michele told me that she baked it just for me.  Oh, she didn't tell you? It must have been when you were upstairs doing something.  You can go into the other room and call her if you want, but uh... why don't you leave the banana bread with me while you call her.  Don't worry.  I'll keep it safe.

Vegetarian Thanksgiving?

We spent Thanksgiving Day with my mom's family down in Southern Maryland.  I always have a fantastic time and spend most of the day zooming from room to room to get pets and cuddles from my grandparents and human aunts and uncles.  Thanksgiving was even better than our usual visits -- it was a wonderful day full of delicious goodies, which my human grandparents were all too willing to share. 

The Turkey was a magnificent bird.

 Since all of my aunts and uncles made the trip, the turkey was about 25 pounds.  Nine people (plus me) are a lot of mouths to feed.

Smells yummy, grandmom!  When is the taste test?

 My grandmom did a great job basting the turkey all day.  I was her ever-vigilant helper.

But by far, the best dish of the day was...

Carrots, cauliflower, broccoli, and cucumber, oh my!

The delicious vegetable tray.  

My favorite is probably cucumber.  No, broccoli.  Wait, carrots.  Umm... I changed my mind.  Cauliflower is my favorite.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I love them all!  

Veggie-lover Vizsla -- will perform tricks for vegetables

I sat under the vegetable tray for hours begging for a piece of broccoli or cucumber. 

At one point in the evening, someone left the kitchen trashcan with some turkey trimmings and vegetables unprotected in the middle of the kitchen.  My mom heard a rustling sound, and rushed to the kitchen to find my head in the trashcan up to my shoulders munching away.  Boy was she mad!  She pulled me away from the trashcan, pulled the food out of my mouth, started to scold me for eating out of the trash, but then started to laugh.  I wasn't eating turkey; I had a mouthful of sliced cucumber.  Yeah, I know the turkey was on top, but I really wanted that cucumber! 

Secret Kiss Attack: A "How To" Guide

Here we are on a beautiful fall day, and my dad is talking on his cell phone and ignoring me.

Yes, that's right.  Ignoring me.

Time to bring out my secret weapon:  the Secret Kiss Attack.

  The key is the element of surprise. First, you have to go up to your "victim" with the cutest "wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, roo, roo, roo" that you can muster.  That will catch him off guard, and he will lean over to pet you.  It is at that moment that you strike and initiate the patented "Secret Kiss Attack" move. 

First you go for the nose, and then the chin, and then right in the mouth!  

Gotcha!  Super Secret Kiss Attack for the win!

Dad, why do you look like you just ate a lemon?  Don't you know that my kisses are super-sweet?

Squirrely College Park

My mom and dad had to pick up my dad's cap and gown and graduation announcements last week. 

Oh, did I tell you that he graduated from his Masters program in July/August??  Congratulations, Dad!  

So we took a detour to my mom and dad's alma mater after our hike last week to pick them up.  

I came along, which was really fun.  My mom and dad met in college, so I got to see where they went to school -- and my mom even took my picture in front of Testudo for good luck.  By the way, why do people leave trash for Mr. Testudo?  Do they think gum wrappers and empty coffee cups will really help them pass a test or get an "A" on a paper?

Anyway, the best part of the trip, in my opinion, can be summed up in one word:

SQUIRRELS!

There are literally squirrels everywhere.  

Grey ones,

and black ones.  

Who knew squirrels came in different flavors?  My mom had mentioned these legendary black squirrels, but I didn't think that they actually existed. 

 I watched them hop around looking for food, totally unsuspecting.  My mom said that the students feed the furry things.  Silly move.  A squirrel actually came up to my mom and begged for some food.  It wasn't scared of me at all.  Foolish squirrel.  If you lived near me, your days would be numbered. My puppy friends would nibble your fluffy tail for breakfast. 

Here, squirrely, squirrely....

I stood around very politely for a long time, but then something caught my eye.  Oh my gosh.  There are five squirrels right over there.  In one spot!  Mom, did you hear that?  Five. Five as in one-two-three-four-five!  Wow!

My mom gave me a little bit of slack so that I could walk around the grass and sniff around, and then . . .

Must. Get. Squirrel.

... my self-control was gone.   

What is the popular saying?  "Give an inch, take a mile"?

*Do Not Disturb*

My bunny and I really need our beauty sleep.  My mom thinks it is cute when I take my bunny to bed with me and use it as a body pillow.  She wanted to take a picture, so she told me not to move and ran off to get the camera.  I was tired, and the flash hurts my eyes.  So I thought of the perfect solution: 

I stole my mom's eye mask.  Sweet dreams, bunny.

Hiking with the colors of fall

I went on a super fabulous hike with my Vizsla meetup friends this past weekend.  My friends Khan, Colby, and Tia came -- and I met two new friends named Winston and Phoebe.  We all had a great time.  The weather was perfect, and the leaves were beautiful.  We saw two mountain bikers.  I thought they were fascinating and started doing zoomie circles around our group as soon as they left. 

We hiked, ran, played chase, swam, and then -- just when everyone thought that the hike was about to be over -- we decided to stick around near the stream and bring out my favorite thing in the whole wide world. 

Zoom!  Chasing the leader with the flying squirrel!

Yup, you guessed it:  My flying squirrel. 

 

At first my mom got it stuck in the tree.  My dad saved it.  And then, my dad got it stuck in a tree.  That is the hazard of playing frisbee in a forest, I guess.  Anyway, I was awesome at sneaking in and getting the flying squirrel every time.  And by every time, I mean EVERY.  TIME.  I wasn't about to let those big boys grab it. 

Full steam ahead!  Girls rule, and boys drool!

 At some point, Phoebe snuck in and snagged it before I did.  I didn't even see her coming!  If she was a super-hero, her superpower would be speed.  Come to think of it, maybe she is a superhero.  She is super-hero fast.  And awfully good at playing with the flying squirrel.  Anyway, Phoebe snagged the frisbee, and then Tia snagged it from Phoebe, and then the boys gained control of it.  And then, I didn't stand a chance.  I was the total lightweight of the group. 

Winston and Phoebe playing tug, as I wait patiently for one of them to drop it.

 Hey, Winston, can we play “flying squirrel” with the flying squirrel? Pretty please.

Such a fun day.

Sing Along

Happy Birthday to me,

Happy Birthday to me,

Happy Birthday dear Laila...

Lookin' good for three years old, don't you think?

Happy Birthday to me!

Hey mom, you are going to bake a cake for me, right?