We had a fun, if wet, weekend. There is a great marionette theater near us. This is the 2nd time That Grace and I have been. She made it almost all the way through the show (Beauty and the Beast -- 1 hour) before we had to go to the back to stretch our legs. She talked (signed) about the music more than anything.


We got wet leaving the theater and coming home.

That Grace has been working with an early interventionist because she has not been talking very much. Miss Meagan came today and that Grace must have said 40 new words today alone. It's like the flood gates have finally opened. I won't say she's a chatterbox but she's getting there. You should hear her say "Dah-dee." It is so sweet, melts her daddy's heart, of course.

Here are some more:

boo = blue
tease=please
mo=more
see see=Sweetie
bah-be=baby

On a related note, she loves the song, "The Wheels on the Bus." So tonight we were all sitting on the sofa singing it (Caroline was at MYF) and Rob says, "What does Mommy say?" That Grace responds, "shh, shh, shh." Then he says, "What does Daddy say?" Her reply? "Oookaaay." So, I try to change the song to, "The mommies on the bus say, I love you." She just stood on the couch shaking her head no and saying, "shh, shh, shh."

Part Two

We had such a big day, it's taking up two posts. After the zoo, we went to the park for a picnic (if you count take-out as a picnic, which I do).


She's really only interested in the slides. She does not really like to swing. She hated the carousel at the zoo, but she loves the slide.

That Grace hates the vacuum (which is the only reason I so rarely use it!), but I had to vacuum up some crumbs tonight. She ran into her room and this is where I found her when I finished. The book is Everywhere Babies, still her favorite book. She likes to "count" all of the babies.

Stormy Friday

We had quite the storm this morning. We were scheduled to go play with The Moms at a local gym. I thought about staying home. That Grace is pretty calm, even if she stays inside all day, so I don't really feel like she has to get out and burn off energy like some kids her age. However, I had some errands I had to run so I decided we may as well have some fun since we had to be out in it anyway. She had a great time. There were a couple of babies there, so I had to keep a close eye on her. It's a shame we're not having any more children because That Grace would a great big sister. She is just fascinated with babies and when she sees one, she does her "gentle hands" and "baby" signs. She is also very helpful and tries so hard to be good and do the right thing.

One of The Moms had a baby this week so I took her dinner tonight. I know That Grace would have loved to have gone with me but she stayed home, since I didn't think they would appreciate a germy toddler who was fascinated with their baby! After I got home, we took That Grace to eat at Salsaritas. We have been mostly cooking and eating at home so this was a rare treat. She loves to color these days so this kept her happily occupied.

Veteran's Day

We went to the Veteran's Day Parade with some friends today. That Grace loved the bands -- she was dancing as they came down the street. She had a lot of fun waving at all of the soldiers as they marched by.

After the parade we had a picnic in the park. She's helping herself to the best hummus in the world. She just gnawed on the apple and ate the hummus straight from the jar.

I finally got a sliding picture. This was a new park for us. They had a slide that was perfect for her. She was able to climb up and slide down alone. She was so funny. She would climb up to the top and then sit there giggling in anticipation before she slid down.

On the Go.

On Thursdays, we go to a Tot Class. It's basically a preschool type class but the parents stay with the children. They have free play, stories and songs, snacks and an art project. The babies are always the first thing That Grace goes for during free play. She is baby obsessed these days!

She loved the markers. Unfortunately, she kept trying to draw on herself instead of on the paper.

After Tot Class, we came home for a nap and then went to The Little Gym with The Moms. One had a baby with her. That Grace kept leaving the play area to go look at the baby. She's so sweet. She kept squatting by him and making the "gentle hands" sign. She even tried to give him a kiss (we have to beg for kisses these days and still usually get a "no"). Once she got into it, though, she had a ball. She was all over the equipment. When they brought out the parachute, they didn't even have to tell her what to do. As soon as they lifted it up, she took off running underneath it.

It was a very busy day -- but lots of fun.

More Pumpkins!

We went to the park to paint pumpkins with the playgroup today. It was the first time That Grace has painted with a brush. She caught on really quickly and was very enthusiastic (hence the blue neck)!

After the painting, the kids played in the sand for a while. She also loves the slide but I haven't been able to get a picture of that, yet. I need both hands free to catch her when she comes down! Maybe I can get Daddy to come along this weekend so I can get some pictures.

Snuggling with Daddy after a busy day!

Pumpkin Patch

We went to a pumpkin patch to pick out a pumpkin to paint. That Grace had a lot of fun rolling her pumpkin. I took it from her to hold and she asked for it back. I said, "Okay, but be careful. You have to be gentle with the pumpkin or you'll bruise it," at which point she dropped it on the concrete and laughed as it rolled away. Once we got home, the stem broke off completely and she gnawed on the raw pumpkin that was still attached to it while she "explored" the pumpkin by rolling it, sitting on it, stepping on it and inflicting various other forms of pumpkin abuse on it. A multisensory experience to be sure.

the lake

We had a picnic with some friends at the lake. She loves the water.