Friday, February 28, 2014

In Which Vivian Sits Some More -- February 27


See that little girl sitting all by herself!  Clearly, I'm excited about this development.  She sat and played with that moose while Hazel and I did the dishes.  And she didn't ever tip over.

Playing Together -- February 26


Lately, these two have been much more likely to play next to each other.  Hazel will bring toys and books for Vivian, and often gives her hugs.  Hazel has gotten better at sharing with Vivian, and will often ask politely for a turn with a toy.  This week in the grocery store, Hazel rode in the cart, insisting that she "snuggle Vivi" for pretty much the whole shopping trip.  Vivian gives smiles, and she's pretty liberal with them.


Vivi is Sitting! -- February 26


All of a sudden, Vivian can sit all by herself!


She kept herself occupied with some books on Hazel's bed while I did laundry.


She has discovered the toolbox, which entertained her while Hazel picked out her clothes for the day.


Ricing (Again) -- February 20



Vivian got in on the rice activity, and she had a great time. As hard as it is to keep the rice in the bins when Hazel is playing, it is much harder when Vivian joins in.  


Hazel is happy to clean up this mess though, which is pretty nifty. With a little guidance, she gets the bulk of the stray rice up off of the floor.


Ricing -- February 19


We have been getting out the rice again lately, and if you ask Hazel what she's doing, she'll tell you that she is "ricing" in a very matter of fact tone of voice.  She has learned to fill up the teapot with rice all on her own, so now she fills it up, empties it out into the teacups, and starts over again.  


Reading -- February 18


Kiowa Park -- February 17


Hazel has mastered climbing up this little ladder, and all she needs is someone to spot, just in case she falls.


It was warm enough, and there wasn't too much wind, so we turned Vivian out so she could see better.  She seemed to enjoy the view,but most days she still enjoys being warm and out of the wind.



Giggles -- February 13



Vivian laughs and smiles a lot, although it's hard to catch her on camera.  


Hazel Reading -- February 12


Hazel perching in Vivian's Go-Pod chair to read a book.  This is one of her all-time favorites, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton.  She will tell you all about the dinosaurs with "long, long necks and long, long tails" and she has learned to say "diplodocus."  

Go Cowgirls! -- February 8

 

We got to see the Cowgirls play UNLV, and had a great time.  The Cowgirls won (of course) and Hazel got to see the trumpets again. She likes the other instruments, but the trumpets are still her favorite.  We sit in the student section to give her a good view.  The pep band is pretty fun for the rest of us to watch too!




Nana's drum circle played during halftime, and then Nana and Grandad joined us in the student section.  Hazel really liked listening to the drums, and was clearly a little disappointed when they didn't play again at the next game.

Shopping Store -- February 7


Hazel likes to go to the "shopping store" every Wednesday to get groceries, and she has started pretending to go to the store with her shopping cart at home.  Here, she had filled up her cart with oranges.  In February, she stopped riding in the cart at the grocery store and now she walks next to it and helps put things in the cart.  Vivian rides in the cart instead of in the baby carrier.  Hazel mostly does a good job, and she likes to help find things.  It does make our trips to the shopping store a little more exciting when Hazel is not contained in the cart, but she really enjoys walking, so it's worth it.

Closer to Sitting -- February 7


In early February, Vivian was getting more and more stable on the floor.  We've been trying to give her lots of time to practice sitting.


Hazel in a Kitchen Wanting Chickens -- February 6


We have been looking at lots of houses lately, in the hopes of finding the right one--or at least one that will work!  Here, Hazel is looking out the back door of one house at the chickens in the backyard.  Hazel was very sad to see the chickens go, but hopefully we'll have our own in just a few months!  For days, she was talking about chickens, saying "chickens...sawed it!"  She also does a great chicken sound.  We have been checking chicken books out from the library, watching chicken videos, and talking about chickens.

Stacking Blocks -- February 2


This time last year, we were stacking up the blocks for Hazel to knock them down. This year, she can stack all ten of these alphabet blocks all by herself.  She does like a little guidance as to which block goes next, but she does the stacking on her own. 

Hazel figured out all on her own that if she stands on that stool, she can reach the tippy top of the tower to put the smallest blocks on properly.

If you're interested, you can click here to go back and take a look at those pictures from last year for yourself!

Skiing on the Golf Course -- February 1


As soon as it was marginally warm enough to try, we took the girls out skiing on the golf course.  Hazel did a great job.  She is getting so much better at balancing on her skis, and getting them uncrossed when she gets them crossed up.  Vivian is always a good sport about being in the front carrier, she likes to be with us and she stays quite warm in there.


When Hazel had had enough, she was happy to ride for a bit.  We discovered that the skis are actually pretty easy to tote, and are looking forward to trying the whole thing again!




Hazel's Escape -- January 31

When Nellie was staying with us, she had Vivi's room, so Vivi slept in a portable crib for the week.  Hazel liked the new crib a lot more than Vivi did, and became an expert at climbing in an out of it.  She would also haul all of her balls from the living room one at a time, and pop them in.










Vivian and a Monkey -- January 31

Grandpa Frank and Grandma Evelyn sent this very cuddly and soft Monkey at Christmas time, and it's a favorite with both of the girls.  It's about as big as Vivi, but that doesn't stop her from playing with it!




Finger Painting -- January 31

Hazel and I managed to make our own finger paint again, and this time we used parchment paper to paint on.  Hazel had a good time, although she has gotten much more finicky about being messy, so she was somewhat torn between the fun of the painting and her desire for a wipe up.  Overall, a very successful activity.



Happy Vivian -- January 30