Redi or Not....

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

More Summer Days....

Some of my favorite pictures of Spring and Summer 2012

Drama Camp

Pretending to be a Mommy

Pretending to be a "Mommy-to-be"

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

What a great birthday beginning with a train ride into Boston with Mommy, Daddy and Two-Papas. Next, a carousel ride, riding the swan boats, saying hello to the "Make Way for Ducklings" ducks, another carousel ride and lunch with chocolate birthday cake. What a day!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Preschool Days 2012

Dressing Up

Wow. Has it been a busy year. I cannot believe I haven't posted anything since October 2011! Part of the problem, besides being incredibly busy, is that the girls do not pose for pictures anymore. To get them to look at me while holding a camera is challenge enough but both together with some what of a not so goofy look on their faces? Impossible. So here are a few pictures that were somewhat successful to show what a great year we are having.

"My hands and feet are cold, Mom."

Maia and Daddy reading

Callie at our favorite playground

Maia and friend Zoey riding a swing

Maia and Daddy fixing a door hinge

Maia's hair salon for Mommy

The girls have been having a great first year at preschool. They adore their teachers and everything their school has to offer. They are making new friends, as am I (with the other moms) and we are truly enjoying being part of such a wonderful community of people.

Maia is becoming quite the artist. She draws and paints everyday and is constantly discovering new ways to express herself. She loves to draw people, flowers, trees, and ladybugs. She is also writing many letters including her name and keeps asking to learn more! Maia takes both ballet and gymnastics and loves both! After gymnastics ends, she will take swimming which she asks about every week! Me thinks we have an athlete on our hands! Both girls are beginning to recognize certain words like, "boo", "no", "go", "zoo". They still love reading and singing and truly enjoy making up games with each other.

Callia has quite an imagination. She loves pretend play and often narrates her play like an intricate story. We think she will be some sort of writer and are starting to take videos of her telling her stories. Recently, she has been narrating herself as she is doing something. For example, she will say "Callia walked over to the ball and picked it up with two hands." My favorite phrase she has said to date has to be this one from the other night. I told her that her asparagus was waiting for her on the table to which she replied, "And it waited and waited but Callia never came." She just cracks me up. Callia takes ballet and swimming right now and loves both! She is taking lessons with Daddy right now but in April, she and Maia will go to the lesson without us being in the water. Should be interesting!

Jason has been working a lot as he usually does, but he has also been taking a course at MIT called Greater Boston Executive Program which will allow him to expand his managerial skills in case he wants to go that route some day. We were able to go on our annual trip to Okemo Mtn in VT in February and Jason took Maia out skiing for the first time. She liked it but only lasted about 20 minutes. We will try again next year!

I have been very involved with the girls' school since it is a Parent Cooperative, I am there quite a bit. Even the other kids have noticed how much I am the parent helper! I love being there and Callia & Maia get to do special jobs on parent help day. I have recently joined "Get In Shape For Women" so I can feel healthier and start a regular exercise routine. I really needed someone to motivate me and show me how to exercise properly. It has really given me some more energy which will come in handy this summer with the girls! Another fun thing I have been involved with is a writing workshop lead by my friend Joslyne (another Russell parent). I have always loved writing and this inspires me to get back to it.

We are all looking forward to a fun Spring and Summer with new friends, playgrounds, camps and activities!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Growing up....

Callia & Maia's First Ballet lesson

Friday, September 30, 2011

Hooray For School!

First Day of Preschool

After much preparation and discussion, the first day of preschool finally arrived with much excitement. Jason and I were both able to take them to school that day and dropped off our babies for the first time in their lives! Let's just say, Maia was the only one without tears that morning! Now on our 3rd week at Russell Cooperative Preschool http://www.russellpreschool.org/parentcooperative.html , there are no tears as we have all settled into the routine of school.

Sometimes it is so hard for me to leave school because it is such a magical place to be! The girls engage in a lot of imaginative play, as well as art projects, water table and their favorite time on the playground. Every day that they attend, they participate in helping to make a homemade snack. Most kids identify with the days they go with which snack is being served. Callia and Maia go on "Moon Rice", "Soup" and "Porridge" days. All the kids contribute a vegetable for Moon Rice and Soup day and then help to chop it to put in the crock pot to cook. So far, I don't think either girl has actually eaten the snack but there is hope that they will eventually try it.

Jason and I are really excited to be a part of this new "Russell" community. It's a parent cooperative so we all volunteer for many things throughout the year. We have to be a parent helper for 12 days of the year since we have 2 kids attending. I am really looking forward to being there as there is something so calm and wonderful about it. Now on non-school days the girls say, "I wish it was a Russell day."

Maia could barely contain her excitement

Russell Coop's unofficial cheerleader

Sporting our new school backpacks

Rose, Callia, Maia and Sally (our neighbor who attends Russell too)

Sunday, August 7, 2011

My big three year olds!

Maia and Callia

July 2011

I still cannot believe I have 3 year olds! They have come leaps and bounds since last summer and I am looking forward to seeing all of the new changes to come in the next year! We have had a really great summer so far spending so much time doing outside activities like gardening, playgrounds, outdoor concerts, visiting the town pool, etc. We are also lucky to have built-in friends in our neighborhood so each afternoon is usually playtime at home. However, on those really hot days we are happy to stay inside and enjoy our newly renovated basement/family room! The girls love playing with their babies, stuffed animals, dinosaurs, trains and most definitely building towers of Legos with Daddy. I love that they are interested in many things and not just stereotypical "girl" toys.

Maia and Callia totally adore each other. They hug each other often, like to hold hands and sometimes out of the blue say, "I love you" to one another. I could not be happier for them as they will always have each other and be friends. Granted they argue and get on each other's nerves but for the most part they love playing together. They love to play "Ring Around the Rosie" and have just started including other friends in this game. They also love to play tag and chase each other around the house.

I am loving this age right now because they are so much fun and a little more independent. We have been to the beach a few times this summer, the Butterfly Place, the Zoo on their birthday with GG, Granddad, & Two Papas (grandparents), many parks, playdates galore and we are about to embark on a trip to NY & PA to visit some friends and relatives.

Everyday Activities

Callia's favorite activity these days is playing dress-up. You will find her, on any given day, wearing a hat and a "ballernina" skirt (as she calls it). She calls herself any of the following: ballernina, prince, princess, ladybug girl or she is pretending to go to school. We have no idea where she is getting all of this princess stuff since she has never seen any Disney movies but I guess it was bound to happen. The one thing that bothers me about playing "princess" is that she goes around saying, "I'm so beautiful". The other day, I added "Callia, you are also so smart and kind and fun to be with." She said, "Mama, I just want to be beautiful." How do you explain to a 3 yr old that there are many more important things to be! We'll work on it....

Jason sometimes says to the girls, "Do you want to be a princess or an engineer?" A few weeks ago, the girls were arguing about who gets to be a princess. I said, "I want to be an engineer!" Then they both started yelling, "But I want to be an engineer!" We'll have to add some other ideas into the mix as well....scientist, artist, musician, doctor, etc...

Maia just continues to be very active. She just needs to move at all times and we can barely get her to sit in her chair at mealtimes. She also absolutely loves to draw and paint and will spend a half an hour just making picture after picture. She loves to draw people and the sun mostly. Maia's favorite activities include riding her scooter, making mud pies, swimming (she can swim by herself with a bubble on during swim class), puzzles and playing doll house.

Maia is a very kind, thoughtful little girl. She often thinks of others and wants to help with everything. She helps me make my coffee and put Daddy's tea bag in. She also loves to help me cook or bake adding the ingredients and stirring them all up! She also is very concerned if someone gets hurt or has a boo-boo. She and Callie saw a cat scratch on my leg last week and Callia wanted to kiss it and Maia got me a bandaid and put it on for me. She is very loving with her babies and she told me she wanted to be a mommy someday. I told her she would be a wonderful mommy someday.