The Tess on the Bus Goes Weeeee.

My Mom and Dad say I am a big girl and to prove it, they took me down to the Orange Line to ride the bus. I like buses. One of my favorite songs to sing is "The Wheels On The Bus Go Round And Round." Today, I got to be one of the people on the bus. It was fun.

My Dad brought a pocket full of change to buy tickets for him and Mommy. I don't need a ticket because I am special. He put the coins in and one of them didn't get counted. It was a Sacajawea Gold Dollar. He said he doesn't like them very much so I guess it's OK that the machine ate his coin. He put in some more coins and then the tickets came out. It was just in time because the bus was arriving.

We got on the bus and at first I sat on Mommy's lap next to the window. Daddy sat in a seat in front of us so he could hold my stroller. I wore my sunglasses because that's what people do when they ride the bus. After a little while, Mommy let me sit in the seat all by myself because I am a big girl.

She kept her arm on me though, because I am still not THAT big.

The bus was neat. I got to see the sod fields and the LA River and all the stops going West into the Valley. We finally got off the bus across the street from a mall. Mommy and Daddy took me to lunch at a little bakery and I at my chicken salad and fruit and bread. I drank my milk from a cup because I am a big girl.

While we were eating lunch, a big green and blue beetle flew over to our table. It scared Mommy and she screamed. I wasn't scared, though. I thought it was pretty. I like bugs.

After lunch, we walked back across the street and Daddy bought more tickets. We had to wait a few minutes for the bus to come. While we waited, I discovered that the benches at the bus stop are kind of like little slides. I had fun sliding down them. When the bus came we got on and sat in a row of together this time. I sat on Mommy's lap by the window and Daddy sat next to us. Another daddy got on the bus with his baby. He took a long time folding up his jogging stroller. He was all by himself and it's hard to hold the baby and fold the stroller all by yourself. But he finally got all situated and the bus took off. Not for long, though.

At the first stop, the bus doors opened and all the new people got on. We sat there for a long time and the bus didn't go anywhere. Finally, the bus driver told us that the bus was broken and that we all had to get off and wait for a new bus.

When we got off the bus, Mommy sat on a bench while Daddy and I walked down to the end of the bus stop to look at the map. We came back and I sat on the bench with Mommy until the new bus came. This time the bus was really crowded. I sat on Daddy's lap and we snuggled in tight for the ride home. Lot's of people got on at each stop, but very few people got off. I guess that's what happens when one bus breaks down.

When we got back to our bus stop, we got off the bus and walked to our car. Daddy put me in my seat and drove us all home. I was pretty tired so Mommy brought me upstairs to take a nap and rest my body. While we were rocking in the chair, Mommy told me that I am a big girl and that big girls don't need pacies. She said I could have my paci today, but for my nap tomorrow, I don't need one. Hmmmm. I don't know if I agree with that. I'll let you know.