The Great Mimic

We were in the bookstore the other day, and Maya picked up this toy and... well... you'll see what she did. She must be watching her mommy. Note Jonah's totally relaxed state. He is so different from Maya...

Summer Fun.

We haven't done much, since moving to CT, but the kids are still happy. Tomorrow is Maya's last day of summer school, so then we really need to work on finding more fun activities. I have been really exhausted, due to Jonah's decision to completely stop sleeping at night, so my motivation is seriously lacking. Anyway, I'm on the lookout for library activities, because I know it's a good place for meeting other mommies and babes. Anyway, here's a peek at our lazy days...
"Mommy always says, 'Gotta love a clean, naked baby!'"

"Jonah and I were mesmerized by the Rainforest Cafe at the mall."
"I love jumping off the turtle at the mall playground."

"Here I am, in action!"

"Yessss!"

"Look at meeee!"

"Jonah loves sweet potatoes, peas, and applesauce."

"I love popcorn and cookies. Yum."

"He's a happy Jonah."

Off to School.

Maya is starting preschool in the Fall. Yes, there is actually preschool for kids this age. Maya will be attending school at the JCC, and she is quite excited to go by herself. This summer, the program is having a little transition class, so the kids can come in once a week to play and get to know each other. Maya loves this class, and she'll certainly be sad when it's her last day, next Tuesday. Her 2 favorite parts of school, so far, at the playground, where they take out baby dolls and little strollers, and snack, which is always Kix. The second we get there on Tuesdays, she says, "Ooooo, babies on the playground, and KIX!!!" I hope they still have Kix in the Fall. I'm sure they wouldn't be nearly as good if I bought them at Stop and Shop, right?

"We get Kix for snack, and water in a little cup. I think this is the best snack EVER."

"We get to wear big smocks when we paint at school. This protects my beautiful clothes."

"Like my picture?"

"Jonah comes to school, too! Mommy holds him the whole time, though, because he's too small to participate."

"I had a great day at school."

She has Enough Energy for Both of us, Right?

Every morning, after we take a shower, Maya climbs into Jonah's crib to play with him. Yesterday, she decided to use the crib as a trampoline, so I removed Jonah from the scene. You probably won't be able to understand what she's saying, because there's a lot of commotion, but I will try to interpret some of the highlights. I don't remember the order, but here are some things you may hear:

"The Wiggles need a little break."
"Maybe I'll just take a little rest too."
"Wait! They aren't sleepy!"
(Chanting) "The Wiggles aren't sleepy! The Wiggles aren't sleepy!"
"The Wiggles are on the swings!"
"The Wiggles go down the slide!"
"Go on the trampoline!"
(Chanting) "Trampoline! Trampoline!"
"Oh, ouch."
"Well,maybe we'll just do a little more jumping."

Hmmmm. Now that I wrote that, I'm sensing a Wiggles theme...

Oh, and P.S. I have no idea why these are showing up in half-screen. I think it's because I'm recording them in widescreen on me camera. I need to fix that, apparently. I realize it's pretty annoying. Sorry, friends.

Oh, and P.P.S. You like Jonah's little "Hmmmmm, hmmmmm," in the background? Gotta love a little baby moaning to accompany Maya's burst of ridiculous energy.

How did I get so Behind?

Again!!! I am still catching up on last week, for some reason. We traveled into Rhode Island last weekend for Uncle Adam's nephew's birthday. His name is Zack, and he turned 2 (so he's a few months younger than Maya). Grammy, Grampy, Uncle Adam, and Auntie Nora were going to be there, so it was a chance for us to spend time with everyone. Plus, we really enjoy being with Adam's family. Maya had a fabulous time, playing with the cat (a.k.a chasing), eating chips (she even tried a hot dog!), and loving on Grammy, Grampy, Adam, and Nora. It was very sweet. That morning, before the party, we went to a demo music class with Bubbe (Aunt Karen) and Tyson. It was a fantastic class, but unfortunately, it was on the second floor of an un-air conditioned building. It was 85 degrees that day. Um, we decided not to enroll in the class, based on the ridiculous heat. Oh well. We still had a grand old time.

"Mommy and Daddy say they don't have any photos of the two of them together anymore. Um, who cares, now that I'm alive?"

"Give me a juice box, and I will be happy."

"Jonah was sleepy at the party."

"Auntie Nora is having a baby, so she loves to hold Jonah, for practice."

"This kitty is named Oreo. I love catties."

"That's Zack. Mommy says we're the same age now, but I know I'm much much older (4 whole months)."

"Daddy and Grammy taught me how to pump my legs on the porch swing. They are hoping I won't continue to force them to push me for hours at the playground. Yeah right."

"I loved this swing. We can fit so many people on it! What a dream come true!"

"I play drums, now!"

"Tyson loved our class. I
was happy to go with him. Now, WE are the same age (well, I am 6 days older...)."

Lazy Days of Summer

Maya has been begging to go to the playground lately, and I've been politely declining, since it isn't very easy with Jonah there. I finally caved last week, because I realized it wasn't quite fair of me to keep her away from her beloved swings. Well, I knew of exactly ONE playground, but I hadn't been there before. It was... in a word... disgusting. I will let Maya explain why, in her video below. Anyway, we lasted 15 minutes before I decided I couldn't take it anymore, so I brought the kids to the mall. Well, guess what?!? There happens to be a terrific play area there! It's very reminiscent of the playgrounds at our old St. Louis stomping grounds. I think we'll go back tomorrow. As you can see, Maya loved it.



"Before we go out in the mornings, I play with Jonah."


"Other times, I just get annoyed by Jonah."

"And sometimes, I take photos of Jonah with Mommy or Daddy's phone."

"The playground at the mall is awesome."
" I love sliding down this tree trunk. It is endless enjoyment for me."

"There is much climbing to be done at the mall."
"But the sliding is tops."

Cousins!

One of the great things about moving back to Connecticut, is that Maya and Jonah will finally have a chance to get to know their cousins. We have spent a lot of time with family since we've been back in town, and last weekend, Julie, Dave, Jaden, and Aryella came to visit us and see our new apartment. Jacob was a camp, so he missed the visit. We ended up at Rein's Deli for dinner, where the kids had a blast. I am so happy to see Maya loving her time with her cousins. She has taken a really adorable liking to Jaden, and seems to follow him around everywhere. As for Aryella, the 2 of them played with their twin babies all evening. They were so adorable, and so serious with their playing. It's nice being back. So nice.
"Aryella got me this baby, named Lane. She has Lane's twin brother, Clinton. Aren't they sweet?"


"Aryella likes to make silly faces, just like me!"

"I let Jonah hold Lane's carrier, but then I took it back, since Jonah has a carrier of his own."

"Mommy says that Jaden is a kid, but I'm pretty sure he's a grown up, since he's bigger than me."

"Jonah had fun at dinner with us."

"I like to feed my new baby."

"I am very excited to live near my cousins and the rest of the fam. This is good stuff."

"Jonah clearly thinks Juju is comfy."

Burgers and Dogs.

We had a terrific July 4th weekend. I can't even remember what we did last year, but I think it involved an incredibly hot house, and running back and forth to Wal Mart. Needless to say, this was spectacular in comparison! We spent the afternoon at Liz and Matt's house, mingling with friends, and eating good food. Liz and Matt have a beautiful new swingset, a water table, and a sandbox. Of course, our little lady was in heaven. Fortunately, she wanted nothing to do with the sandbox, which was great, considering the fact that I wasn't really excited about giving a 9pm bath that night! She also enjoyed feeding the 2 doggies, and running around in a bathing suit and her party shoes. Jonah and Mia, who are only 3 weeks apart, spent a good part of the afternoon flirting... Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but they certainly were sweet next to each other.

"Ryan and I both love shows. After we did tons of playing, our Mommies gave in and turned on Sesame Street."

"Jack the doggie likes beans, burgers, chicken, and quinoa. He doesn't like onions, though."

"Jonah and Mia are almost exactly the same age. Mia is 3 weeks older, so she's much wiser."

"Daddy and Matt are much bigger than their babies."

"Daddy loves babies, but I think he's glad these 2 aren't twins. Right, Daddy?"

I love her...

I'm behind in my blogging, but here are some highlights...




"Mommy interviewed me!"

"This is the face I make when I say 'Hmmmmmm.'"

"Like my dress?"

"That's silly, Mommy!"

"Mommy and Daddy had a date night and left us kids with Grammy!"

"Look at that cool Cirque tent!"