Preschool Fun

School ended this week, along with preschool. Desert Boy really enjoyed his first year of going to preschool and learning how to better interact with other kids and have a little more structure. One of the best things he learned was that before he could play with a new activity, he had to put away the one he was playing with. We reinforce that at home all the time.

He also learned his colors, more numbers, and how to say the alphabet correctly. He misses Teacher Gwendy already and was sad when I told him that there was no school for the summer.

On the last day of preschool, we went to the school for the kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders. There are seven students in total for the three grades.

During recess, all the kids had fun playing together.

The girls had fun posing for the camera.

Desert Boy hung on every word that the teacher said. He was so excited to be in the big kid school.

Meanwhile, another mom, Chayo, was helping me with Desert Girl.

And then Isaac came and we thought it would be fun to have a little photo shoot. We honestly didn't plan their outfits. We just were thinking on the same track, I guess!

I think Isaac is telling Emma that he has some news for her.

"In just a couple years we'll be in preschool and get to have all the fun."

But for now they can lean and drool and chew on things. Life is good.

Thinking Outside the Box

The other day Desert Boy declared he wanted his train tracks to go in the canyons. Apparently that meant under his train table. I helped him make a circuitous route and he brought down the accessories.

He arranged the accessories quite nicely. In the background, you can see Desert boy pushing the little train under the table.

This table is low, even for a preschooler. That didn't stop him. It stopped me, though, so I wasn't able to chase his train as much as he wanted me to. He's big into chasing, on the playground, on the train table, and through the canyons.

He did manage to take a break long enough to flash me a smile. What a charmer.

It was fun watching how entertained he was running his train in a slightly different way.

So I guess I should have titled this post under the table, but that didn't have quite the right ring to it. Now that Desert Boy saw me writing this post he wants to return his train tracks to the ground.

And here's a photo totally off the subject, but I figure a little bit of drool is a good way to help get through the day!

Growing Fast

While the bigger kids were playing in the water the other day at the playground, we put the two babies side by side on the picnic table. It wasn't so long ago that Desert Girl looked petite next to Isaac. I guess she didn't like that, so she's been eating like crazy and has gone through a growth spurt. The puffed sleeves also give her a bit of a football player look.
She and Isaac have also learned to stick out their tongues on cue. Just kidding. They were both in very good spirits and were happy to be looking at me standing above them. And maybe they were trying to catch flies.
Here's the full body comparison. Of course they're both so busy moving their legs that it's nearly impossible to get a photo of them with straight legs while they're awake.
Okay, Grandma, hope you enjoyed this post, you said you wanted some new photos!

Bathtime

I realize it's been a little while since I've put up photos of Desert Girl, so here's a post to keep the grandparents happy! She's still eating, sleeping, and pooing well, in fact that last activity often precedes one of her baths.

Desert Girl didn't like her baths at first, but now she realizes how wonderful water is and enjoys the feel of it. That's good, considering that she was starting to stink a little. The milk that dribbles down her big cheeks and lodges in the neck crevasses doesn't smell so good after a day or two. And then there are the weird gray things that lodge between her fingers and toes. Whatever they are, they don't smell so good either. And new babies are just supposed to smell good.

Desert Girl's baby acne is fading. It hasn't bothered her a bit. And her eyelashes are coming in, at least the top ones. She doesn't have much in the way of eyebrows yet, at least they're not easy to see because they're so blonde.
She's an extremely sweet baby, and she just keeps getting more interesting as she starts watching us and smiling. Those smiles are priceless!

I'm Asleep

Here's Desert Girl asleep in her high chair. The thing that cracks me up the most is her hands.
How many people sleep with their hands flexed?
She sleeps best when someone's holding her, but sometimes we have to settle for second best, especially when it's time to make dinner!

Fun at the Playground

We went to playgroup on Saturday, and the weather was thankfully nice enough to go outside and play. The three little munchkins had lots of fun hanging out and chasing each other while Supermom Nomi looked on.

They were testing all the different ways they could go down and up the slides. It was funny seeing how creative they could get.

Meanwhile Jenny and I had our babies out in the grass. Isaac is just two months older than Desert Girl, but he is already so much bigger! I didn't manage to capture it in these photos, but he has the biggest, most beautiful eyes.

It's hard to imagine that Desert Girl will soon be that much bigger.

One Month

Desert Girl turned one month on Monday. Yeah, she can't believe it either!

She says, "Hey, Mama, make sure you photograph my good side. And photoshop out all that baby acne."

It's amazing how much like a teenager she is in other ways, too. She likes to be up at all hours, eat huge amounts around the clock, make a lot of noise, and get lots of attention.

Fortunately we don't have any attitude problems. Yet.

Time to Eat

I wasn't sure if I was going to post these pictures, but then I figured that this blog has lots of posts about nature and what is more natural than eating?

Desert Girl was getting hungry one day, and Desert Boy offered to feed her. I said sure, he could give it a try. Here are the results:

Needless to say, the "feeding" didn't last long!

It was very nice of Desert Boy to offer to help. But once was enough for him!

No Internet

We've been without Internet all week and it's driving me crazy!

Here's a quick photo of Desert Girl--she has been a real sweetie and has helped keep me sane!

Now I have to get back home and take care of her. Hopefully we'll get the Internet fixed in the next few days--I'm finding that I really crave it multiple times a day!!

Adjusting

Desert Boy is slowly getting used to the idea that he has a little sister. It's not been the easiest concept for him to grasp, especially leaving his only child status behind.

He's had to try out his old baby swing again. Fortunately it didn't collapse!

He makes the bouncer seat look positively tiny. He also had to try out Desert Girl's car seat and pacifier.

We've been trying to give him some extra attention, and when some friends brought over a wonderful dinner for us (thank you!), it included a colorfully sprinkled cake. It was perfect for celebrating it as Desert Boy's cake. He likes to think every cake is his birthday cake, regardless if it's his birthday or not. So we humored him, stuck in a couple candles, and sang to him.

Then he blew out the candles and was very happy. What's not to like about blowing out candles on your birthday cake.

One of the things that's jumped to our attention is just how much Desert Boy has grown in 2 3/4 years. When we put Desert Girl next to him, it's obvious that he isn't a baby anymore (despite what he thinks at times!).

Although they do tend to have some of the same moves. Some of their shared expressions and body movements cracked us up.

Desert Boy likes to pose for the camera, so taking lots of photos is a way to make him happy!

And maybe having a little sister is okay--or at least it will be in a few months when she can do what he says.

Introducing Desert Girl

I've been a little irregular about posting lately for a very good reason: Desert Girl! She entered our world February 1. It won't be long until she is following Desert Boy around trying to imitate him. Our family is looking forward to more fun and adventures, and we thank you for visiting this blog to share them with us.