Officially A Toddler?

Aiyana took her first steps less than three weeks ago. And as Mommy and Daddy suspected, once she took a step, she was off and running. She's still a few days shy of eleven months, so even though she's toddling around like a pro, Mommy and Daddy will always think of Aiyana as their little baby.

                                                                

Apple Pickin' Mishap (Part 2)

I have a short attention span, so we got out of the orchard before we got caught stealing apples.Then it was off to the pumpkin patch.

I carefully selected a big pumpkin for me, a small one for baby Aiyana, and a medium one for Mommy and Daddy to share.

We sat in the sun and enjoyed the fruits of our labor. 

Aiyana preferred bowling with her apple.

So I had to step in and show her how to eat it like a big growl (that's girl, in Zadia speak.) Aiyana caught on pretty quickly (particularly because she likes to put everything in her mouth these days.)

It was a great pit stop and Mommy and Daddy were happy that we had

an autumn apple picking experience, albeit brief and without permission. But next time it might be best to go on a day when apple picking is encouraged.

The End.

Apple Pickin' Mishap

The whole family was in Virginia visiting Uncle Cory and Aunt Kacey in their new house this past weekend. We all had big plans to go apple and pumpkin picking on Sunday. Too bad I decided to take one of my longest naps EVER on Sunday afternoon and by the time I woke up the apple orchard was nearing closing time. There were more than a few disappointed faces that afternoon.

Then Mommy suggested we stop at an orchard on our way out of town on Monday. Great idea! Aunt Kacey found a great little place for us near the Delaware/Maryland border, and it would be a perfect way to break up our six hour drive home.

Unfortunately, we got to the orchard and realized apple picking was only on weekends. Nobody had the heart to tell me, so Mommy and Daddy tried their best to make it the experience I was hoping for.

Daddy "borrowed" a wagon for a quick photo opp.

They made me wear this silly disguise.

And we sneaked into the orchard for some long-awaited apple picking.

 

 To be continued...

The Way To A Girl's Heart

The way to my heart is through my stomach.

Thanks for the delicious lollipop, Auntie Jodi You sure know how to make a girl smile :)

School Days

School was at Milo's house this week and I was very excited to go. Especially because I picked out my own outfit! I had fun walking to school with my backpack, and drop off went very smoothly.

I was also in a good mood when Mommy picked me up.

And other than one meltdown on Wednesday because " I want to go to school at my house," I was pretty happy in between too. We did some painting, made play dough out of coffee grounds, and had snacks (which I didn't eat because it wasn't the right kind of yogurt or hummus.)

While I was at school, Mommy and Aiyana had some much needed personal time together. Aiyana took a peaceful nap in the stroller, and then it was off to music class.

 

Aiyana spent the first half of class very, very close to Mommy.

When the instruments came out, she managed to separate herself from Mommy's arms, although she was still more of an observer than a participant.

It took the duration of the class, but after 45 minutes Aiyana finally gained enough courage to join the other kids in the center of the room.

Reflections

Who's that pretty girl?

10.5 Months: Big Everything

Big smile, big eyes, big personality, big girl!

Small Successes, Big Trouble

Wondering what the little one has been doing while her big sister has been getting straight "A"s? She's been having some successes of her own.

Aiyana's been getting into her fair share of trouble too.

Tuesday is Laundry Day

Straight "A"s

My friends and I completed our first week of school, and Mommy completed her first week of hosting and assistant teaching. It felt like a long week, and we had a few challenges, but we all got through it!

Almost all of us have stay-at-home parents, so it's kind of a big deal for us to be dropped off somewhere a few mornings a week. Which is probably why Milo put his shoes on and spent the first 45 minutes each morning trying to make his escape.

It's also a big deal for a 2-year-old to share her Mommy and her toys with five other friends. But Mommy says I got straights "A"s.

 Aiyana, on the other hand, had a more difficult time sharing Mommy's attention with the big kids. Lucky for her, she doesn't have to share Mommy again for another five weeks or so.

 

I shared my dolls.

And my water table.

And when the building management complained about the chalk on the roof, we took turns washing it off with my spray bottles.

I'm not the only one good at sharing though. Teacher Vickie brought some of her toys to share too--lots of play dough accessories.

And a parachute!

After the first day I was disappointed because "we didn't do art." So I was very excited to break out the scissors and glue on the final day at my house.

Who knew there was so many budding artists amongst us?

We really were SUPER kids during our first week of school. We waited patiently for our friends.

We followed directions (some of the time.)

And have you ever seen six 2-year-old sit so nicely for snack time?
 (Ok, so right after this picture we all got ants in our pants. But we did sit long enough to get a picture of the entire class!)