Sunday funday!

Uncle Christian and Briana came over to swim with Lizzy and they had a blast. Lizzy got to play with some pool toys and she really liked throwing the ball. Lizzy's lessons are going well, I dunk her completely under the water in preparation to swim under water. So far, she does well and enjoys it. Today she didn't want to kick and swim like she has in the past but I think she was more interested in playing with uncle Christian and Briana.

After everyone left, Lizzy passed out on the couch:

After the rain...

This week we have had warm summer rain almost everyday for parts of the day. It will be completely clear and sunny out, then the next minute it's dark, rainy, and thundering. I love summer rain it's relaxing, slows you down, and keeps you in. So thanks to summer rain our park play date was canceled and we haven't been out to swim when we planned but today we waited for the rain to stop in our swimsuits and when it stopped and the sky magically became clear and sunny we went out for a swim.

Water Play

Lizzy got this water table as a birthday gift from her grandparents. Almost every morning we go out to the porch and Lizzy will play here until she gets soaked. It's not a big deal that she gets soaked because she gets her bath afterwards so this has become part of our morning routine. Lizzy loves splashing in the water and pouring it all over the ground then splashing in the puddles. Every morning after she has her breakfast we go out to the porch and she plays with the water table then we blow some bubbles and go back inside and she has her bath.

Here she is enjoying splashing and pouring the water

Recently, Lizzy has learned how to make water toys squeak and squirt. She gets so happy and excited when she makes the rubber ducky squeak, she thinks it's out of this world!

Sensory Bin Exploration

I made this sensory bin last week for Lizzy. I used a under bed storage container and filled it with oatmeal and rice, then threw in wooden pegs, rocks, shells, spoons, baby food jar lids, and pincher tongs.
Today was the first time she got to play with it. I put a tablecloth under it to catch any mess it might make.
Lizzy had fun exploring the bin and playing with the spoon. The bin allows an opportunity to explore new textures and play with whatever you put in it.
I have a couple ideas of future bins I will make for Lizzy. I'm thinking of doing a Jello bin then an ice bin next.
Everything is new to a baby and the sensory bin is a great way to introduce new textures, volumes, temperatures and vocabulary while having fun. Lizzy had a good time with this bin, she played for about 10 min and didn't make much of a mess or even try to eat any of it! She particularly enjoyed scooping with the spoon and large shell and finding the hidden rocks.

Jump N Jungle Day Out

Today Lizzy went to jump n jungle, a inflatable jumper amusement center with bouncy houses, slides, and mazes. Lizzy had fun as always but she doesn't "jump" yet so she just walked through everything, went down the slide, and played with the bouncy balls. We may try this again when she starts jumping.

Happy Summer Solstice!

Summer has officially arrived...Every season is special but summer is definitely my favorite. I love going out to the pool and beach, having picnics, going out for ice cream and sno cones, wearing summer clothes, and eating watermelon at the end of a hot day. In honor of the summer solstice Lizzy and I created our own celebration, Lizzy wore her fairy wings and picked sunflower petals. At home, she threw the sunflower petals all over the ground and played in them. Bella (our dog) ate a couple petals and joined in the fun. This is going to be a fun summer!

Happy Father's Day!

I was lucky to grow up with a father such as this:




And then I was lucky to marry a man such as this:





Father's Day 2010

Day at the beach

We took Lizzy to the beach today, this is her third time going to the beach and each time we take her she has more and more fun. When she was only a few months old she liked being outside but didn't know how to handle the windy breeze, and now today Lizzy loves the breeze. The second time we took her to the beach she was sitting but not walking or crawling much and she explored the sand. Today Lizzy had a picnic on the sandy beach, walked along the shore, talked to seagulls, and had lots of fun splashing in waves! We had lots of fun with our little beach bum today.

At the park day two

Running around at the park was good for Lizzy, she was happy and slept really well afterwards so we went there again today.

Playing on uneven surfaces

After watching the video, "Outdoor Preschool in Norway" (click to watch) I was inspire to get Lizzy outdoors as much as possible. Walking on uneven surfaces allows children to develop better motor skills and muscles, there is also great importance in exposing children to the beauty outdoors. So...we headed to Lizzy's favorite park where she ran around like a little fool. She really loved running free. Lizzy got to pick up some leaves and pine cones to add to the nature table we made and along the way she met Mr. Squirrel. Mr. Squirrel was really friendly he was just relaxing and looking at us...Lizzy was eating a pita and she tried to give some to Squirrel, he seemed interested but didn't bite so next time we will bring peanuts for him. Bellow are some pictures of Lizzy's adventure.