Wal Mart

Annah likes to ride in the cart on the way into Wal Mart because the ground has this rough surface that vibrates the cart and feels funny on her tush. It doesn't take much to entertain Annah.

Ice Cream

Rachel, one of Zaheeda's daycare moms gave her a coupon for a free Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Here Annah is at Lunds picking up her mom's ice cream and a couple other odds n' ends.

Off roading it

This afternoon we headed out on an off road adventure riding along the Minnesota River in Mendota Heights. The trail, which was never that great in the first place, was made even less accommodating with a heavy coating of soft lose dirt left over from the floods this Spring - it made for some pretty tough slugging. The Pudy didn't know what to think about all the bumps and mud puddles, she kept giving me these quizzical looks, wondering if I knew what I was doing or had gone completely mad. Options are severely limited for poor Annah though, lunatic or not, being that her bike is bolted to my frame she's following me whether she wants to or not. We finally took a little break next to a little stream that flowed into the river. Annah really enjoyed seeing the sparkling rapids.



Eventually we ended up under the Interstate 494 bridge that heads into Bloomington. We threw some rocks in the water and admired some of the graffiti before it was time to head out.

Pine cones

We took a little family bike ride along the river this afternoon and Annah got some pine cones.

This is what she looks like when she gets pine cones.


This is what she looks like when you tell her it is time to grab her pine cones and leave.

Harriet Island

Took The Pudy on a bike ride this afternoon to Harriet Island where she played on the swings, sand and water.

Bike ride rest stop

Yesterday we went for a long bike ride because the weather was nice and The Pudy stayed asleep for about an hour and a half. After waking up she was in good spirits and ready to do some serious bus watching.

Shoe shopping

We ran to the mall last night to look for new shoes. I needed a pair of sandals for the summer and Zaheeda needed a pair of walking shoes. We both got what we were looking for and Annah was happy because she got to carry the bag.

Mischief

Is this a face you can trust?

Mischief

Is this a face you can trust?

Playing in the bleachers

While Maya was doing her running, Annah played in the empty bleachers with a golf ball she's found.

Ice cream

When it's time to leave the playground there are a limited number of options one faces in getting Annah to leave without throwing a tantrum. One is you can lie and say, "C'mon Annah we're going to go find some other swings to go on..." When in fact there are no other swings and you hope she falls asleep in the stroller before you get home. The other is to try and entice her with some comparable activity such as, "Annah do you want to go see if we can find some buses!" Then walk home and point out every bus you see and act really excited, like seeing a city bus is equivalent to spotting a flying saucer or something. The final alternative is to offer a treat. Being that DQ is right across the street from the playground, I opted for the path of least resistance.

Playing on the swings

Took the girls for a walk to the library playground this afternoon so Annah could go on the swings. Truth is Zaheeda was trying to clean the house and both Maya and Annah we being counterproductive to that effort, so the best solution was to get them out of the house. Annah had fun and I'm not sure, but even Maya seems to still like the playground.

Sunglasses

Annah finally got a pair of sunglasses so she can stop stealing Zaheeda's.

On the Hiawatha bike bridge

On our bike ride this afternoon we stopped on the Hiawatha bike bridge so The Pudy could look for buses. It's pretty much part of our routine now.

Shopping

Annah has reached the age where she refuses to ride in the stroller while at the mall. She needs to be on her feet to get some serious shopping done.

Guyana Pictures

Annah's cousins. We think Barakah (the girl in the middle) and Annah kind of look similar.



Some of Annah's cousins with Great Brown Grandma

The nap time look