Hot Rod

Julia had a lot of fun "driving" this pink Barbie car at Costco. Also, Alex and Julia really like the new cake pops from Starbucks.

Home Run!

Many accomplishments for Julia and Alex this week -- unfortunately, we did not have our camera for most of it.

Alex: First, in his teacher's words, Alex gave a description of "the concept of minus" to his class. He was adding to her discussion of counting and addition. Second, Alex hit a home run in T-Ball class on Saturday! He was batting with the bases loaded and with no strikes and he hit an in-the-park homer in the infield. He knew just how to run the bases. He found the T-Ball 'SHARK ATTACK!' game too scary to play, which is understandable. Way to go Alex!

Julia: Julia declared herself graduated from her high chair on Thursday and we gave it a go in a big girl chair. She did great using a plate and sitting in a chair. She has also been a great help putting away toys. Her teacher said this week that Julia is very smart -- whenever Julia is naughty, she runs up to the teacher and gives her a big hug so she does not get in trouble. Below is a video of Julia having a screaming contest with Alex while she does a big jump.

Swimming and the Aquarium

We had a fun week. Alex and Julia went to the aquarium with Grandma and Grandpa F. They had lots of fun except Alex was hoping to see a Megaladon - a 50ft great white shark he's been learning about in school. On Sunday we went swimming. Both Julia and Alex like jumping in the pool from the side the best. Unfortunately, Julia burped up a tiny amount of breakfast when she swallowed some water, and the lifeguards decided to evacuate the entire pool (including yellow caution tape around the whole thing). She wasn't embarrassed. Julia has also been quite fearless about climbing things - the window sill, the fireplace hearth, the outside of the stairs. Both Alex and Julia were good hosts to their friends Brock and Caden at a playdate on Sunday. Julia showed them how the marble game worked, and Alex shared his computer and the brownies that he made.

Updates

Julia has mastered saying 'hi' and 'bye bye' and blowing kisses. She is also very excited to wear underwear like Alex but she does not have the idea quite right yet (see the picture). She has been fearless with the slides and playground equipment the last few weeks and is suddenly a great climber and dancer (see the video).

Alex started T-ball class right before soccer on Saturday. He does not like it as much so far. He has been very excited about science recently and learning how things work. After Diego, his favorite show is How It's Made on the History Channel. He is also a good helper with pancakes but he does not like to wear clothes.

Marbles and M&Ms

We did a lot of fun things this week, mostly around the house. Alex and Julia played marbles, ate M&Ms, played soccer, and read a lot of books. Alex has started reading chapter books and Mom enjoys reading some of her old favorites with him (Runaway Ralph, Superfudge, Socks).