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.

Oh, how I have wanted to do this myself many times

                                                       

Happiest reading a book

First class the girls took by themselves!

Callia on her 1st day of Drop-off class at Isis

Maia looking so grown-up on her 1st day of "Tot Time"

 Tot Time with Ms. Jennifer (seated on the right)

3rd Birthday Party!

Callia "Ballernina"

the cakes....

....waiting for the cakes.

I love my butterfly cake...

mmm....sugar!

And cupcakes, too?

My first lollipop

Wow, we never get to have this much sugar.

Too.... much.....sugar.

Father's Day and Summertime fun!

Father's Day Brunch at Ryles Jazz Club

We are thrilled that Summer is here...the girls have been saying all Winter, I wish it was Summer and we are thoroughly enjoying spending every minute we can outside. Whether it is at local parks, friends' houses or in our own backyard, the girls are happiest when playing outside. They are usually busy climbing, sliding, swinging, jumping, riding tricycles or cars or scooters, pushing lawn mowers or baby carriages or just playing in water making mud pies. We are so lucky to have 13 kids living on our street under the age of 12 so there is usually someone to play with for the girls and other parents for me to talk with! 

Callia & Maia taking their ice cream very seriously

lovin' each other

another hug

Callie thought she would dress up for the backyard

Playing at the water table 

Maia, as usual, has been so active. She loves to ride her tricycle, scooter and bike with training wheels.
Whatever she can find to climb on, she will climb on with much success. She loves to keep trying something over and over until she masters it.  She also has a very funny sense of humor. Her latest "joke" is whenever I ask her for a "high five" and hold up my hand, she runs into it with her head and cracks up! She also likes to "wrap" things in tissues for me to open like a present, such as my lip balm. Maia really likes to do everything herself. She wants to wash her own fruit, get herself dressed, go potty by herself. Today she taped her own mouth shut...ahhh a few moments of quiet. Let's just say Maia likes to wake up really early and find the loudest possible toy to play with first thing in the morning.

Maia at a family wedding in MD

Callia has been so busy playing with dolls, Little People, doll house people with intricate scenarios that she narrates with language and feeling. She is often found singing something from the "Sound of Music" or " Mary Poppins" (Julie Andrews is her idol). I love it when she sings the line, "The hills fill my heart, when my heart is Yonyey (lonely)."  She also likes to substitute her own words in songs we are familiar with. The other day, she sang a song about her diaper being soaking wet....

Callie at a family wedding in MD

We recently went to Burlington, VT for a few days to visit my brother Mark, SIL Jodi and their amazing boys. These are a few photos from our very special visit. Since we only see them once a year, we were so thrilled to have this time with them and what fun it was for my dad to have his kids, their spouses and all his grand kids at the same time. Exhausting at the same time....

After our visit, upon saying goodbye to Mark, Jodi and the boys I was feeling sad and Maia asked what was wrong? I said, "Maia, I am sad because I already miss Uncle Mark, Aunt Jodi, Jack, Charlie and Max." She said, "It's ok, Mama. You have me!"  She takes good care of me...

Callie & Two Papas in VT

Swinging

Attempting a family picture

At Shelburne Farms

Hangin' out with cousins Jack & Charlie

Attempt at a cousins' picture

Attempt # 204

Hangin' with my bro

Hugs for Max

Two Papas exhausted after hosting his 5 grandkids for several days... thank you, Dad!

All in all, having a great summer so far and looking forward to enjoying new milestones for our family in September!

Mother's Day 2011

Spring 2011!

Finally, Spring is here and we can play outside! The girls have been so excited to see the magic of Spring arriving as the first flowers appear in our garden. We spend a lot of time wandering around the yard looking for pinecones and sticks to collect as well as pulling out weeds and looking for new flowers.

Callia and Maia are now 2 years and 9 months and have become so independent. They are both in big girl beds and Maia is completely potty-trained! Although they still like our help now and again, they are enjoying learning how to do things for themselves. Maia is very excited that she can dress herself, put on her own coat and shoes and practice buttons - "Look Mama, I am learning how to button!". Callia has also learned to put her own shoes on and put her clothes in the hamper. They love to help set the table for meals and even serve themselves. It's amazing how much more they are interested in trying when they can serve their own food.

Maia is such a riot these days. She definitely has a sense of humor and an amazing mind. She still loves to try to figure things out and is asking "why?" all the time now. Maia's favorite thing in the world is riding her tricycle, which she taught herself to ride last Fall. Our one-way street is a small neighborhood with 13 children living on it! So on nice weather days, signs are put out into the road and kids and parents gather to enjoy outside time! We have the nicest neighbors and love that the girls can grow up around all these great kids!

Callia is happiest when she is singing or listening to music. She memorizes words to songs and even gets the right pitch! Her new favorites are songs from Mary (or Maria as she likes to call her) Poppins or Laurie Berkner. Callie was singing Laurie Berkner's song "I'm Not Perfect" the other day (really cute song) and I said, "Callia, if you're not perfect then what are you?" She replied, "I'm WONDERFUL!" grinning from ear to ear!

Indoor and Outdoor Early Spring pictures

Callie being Callie

Maia buckled herself into an old booster seat

Oh, Maia

Will her bangs ever grow out?  Stay tuned.....

Happy to be outside!

Maia let me braid her hair!

My sunshine girl

My little star

Winter 2011

Happy 2011 Everyone!

 We have had an incredibly crazy Winter and will be so happy when Spring comes....between major snowstorms several weeks in a row to having constant colds to a basement renovation, we need to get out of our house!!!

On the positive side, Callia and Maia are growing so fast! They are now 2.7 yrs and doing so many independent things. Our week is quite busy (albeit interruptions of colds and snow) with music class, mommy and me class and swim class. The girls enjoy singing to all kinds of music but most especially "the Sound of Music". It has been challenging to find things to do with 2 year olds when you you are stuck at home but we have discovered a few things we like: painting with watercolors, stamping, baking, playing dress-up and having tea parties to name a few. Callia is developing quite a funny sense of humor....well at least we think what she says sometimes is funny. The other day I asked her if she wanted to wear a particular dress and she said, "Well, maybe not." She also likes to hold up her pointer finger and say, "I'll be right back." She and Maia are best buddies when they are not arguing over a toy and have really cute conversations. Callie says, "Maia, Maia, are you happy or sad?" or "Maia, I wuv you so very much."  Maia's big news is that she has been out of diapers for almost 2 weeks now! She is so proud of herself and declared the other day, "I love underwear!" We are so very proud of her and are also thrilled that there are only 1/2 the diapers to contend with until Callia is ready to train.

Our basement is near to completion as only the floors and final touches need to be done. We cannot wait to have a new play area for the girls and maybe reclaim some of the rooms in our house that have become makeshift playrooms! I don't think I remember what my living room used to look like under all the primary colors and toys. Will post pics of the new basement as soon as it's done....

Callia 2.5

Maia 2.5

Tea Party

Dress-Up

Maia "mopping" the floor with real water

 Valentine's Day and Sister Love