It Just Keeps Getting Better

Recently, Grandpa took Stella for her first 4-wheeler ride. Personally, I was against this. My reason is that I do not want Stella riding any toys that are not propelled by her own exercise. Also, as you can see below, there were no helmets. Grandpa flunked the Mom safety test, but passed the Stella fun test. In spite of the look on her face, she absolutely loved her ride and only whined when we made her get off of the 4-wheeler. Today we decided to try to outdo our Fun Friday by celebrating Stupendous Saturday as a family. We started the day off as all perfect days start, with a trip to the Donut Hole. Yum! Next, Stella caught a quick nap. When Grandpa and Grandmere arrived it was time to head to the Children's Hair Palace for Stella's first haircut.

The Hair Palace is in Kenner and it is one of the cutest places I have ever seen in my life. Stella had her hair cut in the taxi, but one of the other chairs is a red airplane! The decor is very appealing to kids of all ages, and the lady who cut Stella's hair was fantastic. No tears; in fact, Stella hardly noticed that anything was happening. We only got her bangs trimmed...I would not agree to anything more. I even got to take a lock home for the baby book.

Pourciau and Pourciau give the Children's Hair Palace two thumbs way, way up. We can't wait to grow more hair so we can go back!

Next, it was back in the car to travel to our next adventure. Stella's word of the day was "Out!" as in "Get me out of this car seat/stroller/whatever I am in."

Stella and Daddy were amazed by the lifesize sharks in the entrance to the aquarium.

"Ooh! Fish! This is just like my flashcards!" thought Stella.

Stella was very impressed with the sea otter exhibit. Did you know that sea otters are the furriest animals on earth, with over half a million hairs per square inch? That's why they were almost hunted to extinction during the 1920's. I bet they made really warm fur coats.

Stella loved learning more about Buck from his trainer.

Mommy warning Stella that you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your Damon.

Stella and Daddy recreating their Carlos 'n Charlie's pose, this time in a more wholesome environment.

Stella waving from inside an aquarium. She kept saying, "Fish! Fish!"

After leaving the aquarium, we decided that our own little tadpole needed to go for a swim, so we headed to the pool.

Stella thoroughly enjoyed her Family Fun Day, and she was not the only one. It's great to explore God's creation with a one year old. She has a way of making everything seem fresh, exciting, and amazing. We can't wait to see what the rest of the summer holds!

Fun Friday

At the Pourciau house, learning comes first. So, even on a "Fun Friday," Stella is hard at work on the flashcards. Recently, we have been trying to give her concrete examples of the pictures on her cards. It is so fun to watch her make associations. For instance, she knows that to call a dog, you make a kissing noise with your mouth. When she sees the card for "nose," she can point to her nose and say the word. Here she is investigating a pair of overalls with one of her cards. For breakfast, we ate some cold watermelon and learned about the letter W, which is one of Mommy's favorites.Later we went to Lapsit Story Time at the library. After Lapsit, Stella cruised the shelves for some new reading material.

Reading is FUNdamental...

Okay, this shot is actually from Thursday. Stella was all decked out in her bikini and looking for her sunblock. Friday Daddy joined in on the pool fun. Stella LOVES her pool float. She does great in the water. Never a whimper, not even when other kids accidentally splash her. She also talks to and waves at all the lifeguards. If this behavior continues when she is 13, I might be worried.

The Duck Whisperer

New Pics

Stella and I had a marvelous day today. We were able to spend some time with Daddy early in the morning before he went to work. Next, we had lunch with our friend Jamie at one of our favorite LaPlace restaurants, Frost-top! Then, we headed into Metairie to visit another of our favorite places, Sears. We love Sears. L.L. Cool J clothes and all. Their portrait studio rocks. While I have always considered myself something of a picture snob, I think I am going to have to come to terms with the fact that Stella just does not like Susie. I had these grandiose dreams of Stella, resplendent in her smocked outfit, smiling angelically in a one-of-a-kind professional portrait. Instead, Stella refuses to even look at Susie, much less smile, everytime we go. The lady at Sears, however, she LOVES. Goes right to her and never looks back. We have been hoarding all of our $7.99 portrait package coupons for months and now that we actually have time to go take pictures, that lady is going to see us A LOT! Here are the shots from our session today. Since I was only ordering one pose, I chose the second one. Which one is your favorite?

In other news, our attempt to visit the pool was foiled by swim team practice. Ugh! We will try again on Friday, weather permitting.

Hooray for Summer!

Now that summer is finally here, Stella and I have some time to enjoy leisure activities. Here is Stella, catching up on some of her reading."I don't know how to make you a sandwich, Grandpa! Ask my mom!"Stella and Grandmere with Stella's first rainbow. (Look hard! I promise it's there!) It is such a wonderful feeling to share one of God's visible promises with your little girl. During naptime, Stella and La-li threw their pacifiers out of the bed.

Stella giving one of her infamous trick-riding seminars.

Trying out a new hairstyle at lunchtime.

Daddy teaching Stella how to fly like the ducks. (Note flower in her hand)

In other news, Stella now has 12 teeth. I noticed that there are molars on both sides on top yesterday. Today we are going to have Stella's picture taken, and we might go for a little swim tonight. We LOVE summer!

Weekend with Grandpa and Grandmere

Recently, Stella got to spend the weekend with Grandmere and Grandpa while Mommy, Daddy, and Grandma Tonie went to Las Vegas. Stella was originally supposed to go to Vegas too, but there were some last minute complications (a sick Daddy) and she had to stay in Louisiana. I think she probably enjoyed Grandmere and Grandpa's cool backyard much more than she would have enjoyed the heat of the Vegas strip. Here are some pictures from her weekend. Apparently she snacked....a lot...

Laughing in Grandpa's face when he told her he could drive the lawn mower faster than her...
I think this was taken during another snack....

Still munching, but this time sporting a stylish backwards cap.

Catching up on some reading in her brand-new wagon.

More Graduation

The family at Chad's graduation. Stella decided it was a good time to take a nap right before it was time to take pictures...She woke up in time for one shot with the handsome graduate, and Mommy's tan lines.Later at the crawfish boil, Stella was wide awake and ready to explore!

Pretending to be shy...

Graduation Fun

This past Saturday Stella visited Southeastern Louisiana University to attend her first graduation. She and MawMaw Shirley cheered for Chad and Kyle. Congratulations, college graduates! We are so proud of you! All that cheering wore Stella out and she had to take a little nap on Daddy.

Refreshed after her nap, Stella was ready to eat some crawfish with Grandmere. Back at home, Stella rocked the toilet paper boa while we experimented with some potty training.

We had a light snack with the ducks, and a new addition to the flock joined the fun.