Going on a Swing Hunt!

We were determined today to find a park with infant swings. East City Park has some, but they are so low that Daddy couldn't do under-doggies, which just wasn't acceptable. So each weekend we've been hitting up a new park. We walked to another local park this morning, one I hadn't been to in forever, and sure enough there were some infant swings high enough for under-doggies! Yippy! Of course she has to practice her skills on the big kid swings too! Enjoy...

Namaste

A glimpse of a two year old's yoga practice...

You Are My Sunshine

Ahhhh....

Funny Faces

Just a little fun with Daddy during bath time.

Coop Kids

Maggie and I now have a weekly routine which involves many activities and programs in the Moscow community.

Monday: Play at home, run errands, clean house, library for new books

Tuesday: Coop kids, grocery shopping, cooking with mommy

Wednesday: Moscow Parent/Toddler Cooperative School

Thursday: Family Storytime at Moscow Public Library

Friday: Play at home, Appaloosa Museum, Discovery Center, end of the week errands

Saturday and Sunday: Family Time!

Each evening we enjoy a family meal together. Maggie usually helps prepare every meal. She pulls her Svan chair right to the counter and helps me measure, pour, stir and cook! She of course has to taste EVERYTHING! We often pick Daddy up for lunch, or even meet him for a picnic. Last week we packed a lunch, picked up Daddy and drove up the hill to find the source of the "poopy smell" Maggie kept commenting on when we were out and about. Of course those who have lived in Moscow know all about all the Ag cows on the hill, to Maggie it was the best kept secret ever. We actually drove to a quiet road on campus near all the Ag barns and animals, parked right next to a bunch of white cows and listened to the loud "moooos" as we ate some lunch in the car. I won't comment on enduring the smell, but overall it was a fantastic picnic for Maggie, and now she doesn't have to ponder where that "poopy smell" comes from any more!

Her very favorite activity so far is Tuesday mornings when we go to Coop Kids. Of course we renewed our membership to the Moscow Co-op as soon as we moved back, but it was another parent who shared with me that they had a program for young children every Tuesday morning. Coop Kids includes an activity for the children, free coffee for the moms, and a $10 co-op gift card raffle each week! Obviously Mommy loves this activity too! We walk to the coop, grab my coffee, a milk or juice for Maggie, along with a fresh baked muffin, scone, or slice of bread (yum-yum), and then sit down to a fun activity with other children in the community. The woman who runs the group is a delightful mom herself, and she also teaches part-time at one of the local charter schools. She remembers every child's name and she's fantastic at following the children's lead and supporting their exploration. Maggie and I love the food, the activities, the other families we've met, and of course that delicious early morning Moscow Co-op smell that just seems to make the rest of your day perfect!

Oh, did I forget to mention the child size carts at the coop????

Seriously, it's a Maggie dreamland!

Imaginative Play

The creativity and problem solving in Maggie's play seems to have increased tremendously since we moved to Moscow. I'm amazed watching her each day with the play themes she comes up with, the tools she uses to make it happen, and the way she communicates to those she's playing with. Most of the time her play is centered around babies. She is usually the mommy or the teacher. She will write daily sheets for each of her babies when she's the teacher commenting on what they did at school that day. She takes her babies to the park to swing them. And on, and on...

Here Maggie is "swinging" her babies at the park. She used Daddy's lunch box, and asked me to put it on the staircase railing for her. She brought in the white stool because it's the buggy that the babies rode in to go to the park. She's the teacher and she's swinging baby Emma and Maggie. Baby Riley is waiting to swing in the buggy.

Miracles Do Happen!

I only call this glimpse of my napping daughter a miracle, because she's gone 4 entire days without napping previous to this. I was ready to admit defeat, and accept that she may be outgrowing naps. Many almost three year olds often do stop napping. Maggie had been easily laying in her bed for 45 minutes reading books, and then would yell to me, "Mommy! I not tired. I ready to wake up!" At that point, what do you do? You get her up.

She would get through the rest of the day just fine until bedtime. Zac and I noticed that she was acting especially irritable and irrational during bedtime routines on the nights where she didn't nap that day. Mommy was also a bit frazzled by the end of the day!

In addition, I was approached to take on some work funded by a grant to develop infant and toddler resource materials that utilize our state's early learning guidelines. Probably a lot of work, but it sounds exciting. Exciting that is, until I think about doing all that work early in the morning or late at night. But now, with a quiet house, and a blissfully sleeping child upstairs...I feel as though I can do anything!