These pics are actually from the 4th of July weekend! Andy and Rachel came to visit and Emily and Bob got engaged! Here we are on our front lawn enjoying a fun game of washers.
Leo tried to fetch the washer as Bob tosses in a ringer. Leo actually got one and we heard the metal ping against his teeth. Poor guy!
Andy and Emily think about their strategy.
Kujoe is enjoying his new haircut and watching over everyone.
Johanna pushes her cart up and down the block looking for bargains with Daddy.
Here Johanna "reads" her little book about animals. Listen closely to hear that she knows most their names and the noises they make. This video cracks me up.
Vince showed me these last night and I really wanted to share. I am SO proud of him that he is working for an organization that is dedicated to effecting such needed change in our world.
When I think about how happy Vince is at his job and that his work is essentially working toward one goal - clean water for all - it brings tears to my eyes.
Hon, I am SO PROUD of you. Check out these two videos.
After MONTHS of having this sit around half-finished I have FINALLY completed it. Yay! And I am really happy with how it turned out. Johanna has been playing with it a lot and seems to enjoy it so far.
Let's give you a tour! "Hi Grandma's and Grandpa's!" (She was kissing all of your pictures the other day and pointing out the Poppas and Gammas in each photo. It was REALLY cute.)
Here we have the sink, faucet, burners and knobs.
Kujoe is keeping Johanna company and saying, "I'm going to get some dog hair in your food. Just you wait!"
Here is her frying pan, always in reach in case Daddy gets out of line and needs a good whack to the head. Oh wait, that is what Mama is supposed to do.
A removable chalkboard so she can scribble tonight's soup dujour - probably Dog Hair Soup. Yum!
Mommy finally brought out all of that felt food she's been stashing for Johanna to "cook."
This just needs a board or large cooling rack to make it an oven.
Time to fry an egg!
And boil some bacon? This kid needs cooking lessons.
Here she is saying, "Cheese! I'm ready to make you a feast when you come to visit! Miss you Gammas and Poppas!"
Johanna and I have been having such a great time since I have been off of work the past few weeks. Actually, this entire summer has been really great for us. I love spending time with her and helping her learn and grow. She's my little buddy and I look forward to seeing her change day to day. I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to be a mostly stay at home mom. It just works for me.
Anyhow, I wanted to share what we've been up to lately.
Johanna is learning new words everyday. She actually made her first sentence two days ago - we went swimming at this little wading pool not too far from our house and I asked her where her little inflatable boat went to. She looked around, spotted it and said, "I see boat." I couldn't believe it!
Today we went to storytime and she was yelling "yay" and clapping. She was also jumping up and down and singing along to the "ABCs" and even tries to count to five. I am in awe at everything she picks up and how quickly she does it.
My mom gave me a really interesting article from Newsweek about Creativity in America. Research shows that creativity has been on the decline in children since 1990. It also listed research on how important it is to nurture creativity in children to help them succeed in life. It made me think how lucky I was to grow up with parents who really nurtured our creativity - we went to the library, explored nature, always had art supplies, and were even able to piano lessons, even ceramics!
I really want to learn more about how to nurture a child's creativity. It makes me think back to the REL program I was fortunate enough to be a part in from 3rd grade through high school. I remember tons of activities we would do that encouraged problem solving and creative thinking. I really feel it molded me - I think I am good at problem solving and thinking of creative solutions.
Anyhow, I rambled off on a tangent but I just believe Johanna is a bright little girl and I enjoy playing with her and helping her learn. I really want to nurture her creativity and create toys and do projects that encourage imaginative play and problem solving. That is why I love doing projects like the play kitchen and felt toys.
Here is a video that shows her playing and singing her ABCs. Smart girl!
