My Thanksgiving Adventure

                                       

    I look forward to Thanksgiving every year because it's a chance for me to really think about the great things in my life. And let me tell you, I have a lot to be thankful for! Starting with my parents and Zippy, for putting up with me constantly leaving the Hollow (sorry guys, I've had some important missions to take care of). Then there's my best friends in the whole wide world - Phinn and Croak. I couldn't have gone on any of my amazing adventures without them. I'm thankful for my new friends, Ollie, Ophelia, the Soarington children, Shelly, Myrtle, and Otis. They make sure that life is anything but boring. Lastly, I am thankful for all of you! It's been so incredible having my stories printed into books and sharing my adventures with people all around the world.
    Okay, enough of the sappy stuff. As well as being thankful, Thanksgiving is also about FOOD! At sundown on Thanksgiving day, all the frogs of Lily Pad Hollow get together for an amazing feast of roasted grasshoppers, mashed sow bugs, and fly pie. Mmmmm! My mouth is watering just thinking about it! It's the one time of year that I eat until I nearly pop! Then I waddle home and curl up in my bed for a long, long snooze.
     The next morning, it's tradition that all us young frogs play Lily Pad Tag and race our pet snails. My snail, Smudge, and I have been practicing at home, but I'm doubtful he will win any races this year. He'd rather slide in circles than follow the track. Oh, well. He gets so excited just to participate and see the other snails, so it's all worth it.
     I hope your holiday is as amazing as mine is sure to be! See you on the next adventure!

My Not-So-Rainy Day Adventure

Hello humans! Our lovely fall weather has decided to drastically change from 80 degrees, to cold and blustery - within a day. Can somebody please tell whoever is in charge to make up their mind already? Our meteorologist frog, Stormy Stan, predicted rain this weekend, so I slipped into my favorite rain boots and braced for the downpour - which apparently is never coming. And I was so looking forward to splashing around in some squishy mud puddles. Oh well. I've decided to treat today like a rainy day anyway and embark in some indoor fun. My day began with a camping trip - in my living room. Boy, was I surprised to find that a wild animal (my pet snail, Smudge) had meandered into my tent! I used my awesome fighting skills to scare the beast away (and just in time because it looked like it was going to charge). 

After leaving my campsite behind for the day, I boarded my great pirate ship and used my sharp, witty mind to figure the clues to a treasure map I found (okay, it was a puzzle, but when I put it together it did make a picture of a treasure chest). 

Once the map was complete, my faithful deckhand (Zippy) and I searched the house for treasure and found some, in the cabinet (fly cookies - yum). After a long day of pirating, I ended my day, curled up with my favorite R.T. Hopkins' book next to a roaring fire with a steaming mug of hot fly tea. Couldn't have asked for a more exciting and eventful day, without even changing out of my pajamas! See you on the next adventure!

My Halloween Adventure

                            Happy Halloween! Mwah-ha-ha-ha-ha! 

(That my was version of a scary laugh)

I think I may have found a new favorite holiday! It doesn't get much better than carving pumpkins, dressing up in super fun costumes, and trick-or-treating for candy. The night felt magical as we tromped down the leaf strewn streets, pumpkins aglow, with the sounds of laughing children in the air. Hope your Halloween was just as spook-tacular! See you on the next adventure!

My Pumpkin Patch Adventure

It was a foggy, fall day when we pulled into the parking lot of the pumpkin patch. My mouth dropped as I gazed upon a forest of perky corn stalks, standing at attention, guarding hundreds (if not thousands) of orange pumpkins. I squirmed anxiously in my seat and pointed my finger repeatedly out the window. I couldn't wait to explore this magical place! Apparently this vegetable is used for eating, carving, and decorating. Talk about a super veggie! 

The brisk autumn air chilled my skin as I leapt out the car. Leaving my humans behind, I sprinted into the patch. I wanted to see one of those pumpkins up close and I wasn't going to let any human slow me down (sorry guys, frog on a mission). The corn stalks gently tickled my arms as I pushed them aside to reveal a clearing of pumpkins as far as the eye could see. This place was incredible! 

I wasted no time in leaping circles around the patch. I couldn't believe how unique each pumpkin was! Some were big, some were round, some were green, and some were odd shapes that I can't even describe. They kinda reminded me of the frogs in Lily Pad Hollow. Though we all are from the same species, each one of us is different.

It took hours to properly explore the patch and when it came time to leave, we got to pick out and purchase a pumpkin of our very own. A small, round pumpkin caught my eye and I immediately knew it was the pumpkin for me. Though it's size was not nearly as grand as the pumpkins around it, there was something about it that I could relate to. It was as if it sat amongst the larger pumpkins, its stem raised high, proud to be different - kinda like me. I can't wait to carve it up for Halloween Night! See you on the next adventure!

My Tahoe Adventure

Greetings from beautiful Lake Tahoe! I spent the most relaxing weekend lounging in the sun, watching the ripples on the lake, and eating some yummy vacation food. Fried flies and candied mosquitos... yes, please! But my favorite part of my trip was watching the sun paint the sky in cotton candy pink, tangerine orange, and buttercup yellow as it set on the most glorious day. We took a splash in the lake and were surprised to find that the usually frigid water was actually warm! It was such a wonderful vacation! Now it's time to head back to my Kindergarten friends. See you on the next adventure!

My Adventures in Drawing

Happy Friday! Have you ever seen a more handsome frog? Ha, ha. Just kidding. But I am very impressed with the amazing artwork my human friends made of yours truly! I think they did a good job of capturing my adventurous spirit. We may have some future illustrators on our hands. Check 'em out!

My Kindergarten Adventure

I made 25 new friends this week as I started Kindergarten. I was feeling a little shy on the first day of school when a group of young humans stormed the classroom. I mean, who wouldn't be intimidated by that many kids? I may be a great adventurer, but I still get a little nervous when starting a new school year. What if the kids didn't like me? What if they thought I was different because of my green skin? What if they didn't want to play with me or they played too rough? (They are giants compared to me, you know) Thankfully, those worries disappeared quicker than a fly snow cone melts on a hot summer day. After finding a square on our rainbow carpet, we all scooted into a big circle and introduced ourselves. I had the best job of all because I got to hop around the circle as all the Kindergarteners got a turn to hold me and say their name and their favorite food (for some reason they found it funny that my favorite food is my mom's fly stew. Obviously they haven't tried it). As the day went on, we played games and sang songs. It was so fun! The next day was even better because the kids created an art project where they made a school of frogs like me! Being surrounded by that many frogs really made me feel like I was back in Lily Pad Hollow. Kindergarten is awesome! I can't wait to see what surprises will await me next week. See you on the next adventure!