Scout Vespers

Dad came dancing out of Teresa's room today after putting her down for a nap. Aftter 2 years of singin Scout Vespers to Teresa as a lullaby, it has sunk in... Dad asked Teresa to sing with him and she complied. Dad was very excited!

Christmas

Well, here it is.. the post-christmas downtime again. Two years ago we were still frantically getting ready for Teresa... This time around, waiting for Walnut, things are a little more relaxed, but still exciting. Teresa received a few things of note for christmas, besides a bunch more little people... A big magna-doodle: it has shapes which make it easier for her to fill the whole thing up with magna-black. A green chair with 'Teresa' on it. Raggedy Ann. A wagon. I definitely think it's time to put away some things (rotating her stock of puzzles, for instance) and putting away some of the 'walker' toys... Fortunately, the house doesn't seem all that much more crowded now, which is good. Hopefully I continue to feel that way.

Teresa is moving up to twos next week... she's been 'trying it out' the last two... She seems to be adjusting well: yesterday all of the kids were following her around crawling on the floor, according to her teachers. Recently she's also started figuring out how to open doorknobs. I guess it was more just getting tall enough that really figuring it out, though :) Fortunately, it means little in practice, since she still tends to come find us in the morning. She's also been reading her new Christmas books about being a big sister! I think she's looking forward to it (although I know she doesn't understand everything that it entails).

Anyway, off to pick her up at daycare!

Counting.

A few weeks ago, Teresa started using 'one' and 'two'... 'One more book' etc. This quickly became 'one two three'. They say this at day care before they go outside, apparently. She quickly went from one to six (seven was hard), but if you gave her seven she'd get eight, and if you gave her nine, she'd get ten. Now she goes all the way to nine or ten without any help at all!

 
Sometimes ya just gotta wear a raincoat.. 

 
We like pumpkins! 

 
With Allison at Alden Lane Nursery. 

ChooChooTrain!

  

 

In a field of pumpkins, you can see forever. 

This morning Teresa came to greet me while I was still cuddled in bed. I asked, "should we go to bagels this morning?" She responded, "bicycles! ride bike to bagels."

That's my girl! We've gone to bagels off and on this summer on weekend mornings, the highlight to Teresa is getting to ride in her bike trailer with her "bike helmet, mommy too, daddy helmet, Teresa wear helmet."

I love it that simply asking if we should have bagels for breakfast leads her to talking about bikes and helmets needed for bagels!! All those synapses are connecting.

 
First rain of the season.... And not really sure about the crinkling noise that
this raincoat makes! 

Our little spelunker.

  

 
Concentrating hard! 

 
On the beach at gualala point. 

 
Weee! 

 

We're continually amazed by Teresa's physical abilities... Her latest trick: climbing like a six year old. I think it's only a matter of time before we are putting her on some rock climbs... (And Yes... she climbed it all by herself, and then went down the big kids slide.) Then on the way back we stopped at an elementary school and she climbed up a big jungle gym (again, all by herself). 

Starfish!

 
I think it's time to go to the Monterey Aquarium again... Teresa was very happy to look into all the tide pools! 

Daddy's Little Girl

  

Sea Ranch

 
Swinging at One-Eyed Jack's 

 
PLEASE don't TAKE.... my SNUGGIES... AWAY! 

 
Look at me! I'm with Daddee!