Yesterday, one week after your 2.5 year birthday, you went pee pee on the potty THREE times and poo poo on the potty one time! You had a great potty training day today at daycare, so we made a special family trip to the store to buy toddler underwear and a new potty seat.
We are so happy for you and so proud of you!
You started real gymnastic classes for the first time this week. You will have a 45-minute lesson with 3-year olds and Miss Jan once a week. Miss Jan has been teaching at this gymnastics center for over 15 years. Everyone raves about how great she is working with little tykes like you. Many of her students end up in the “accelerated” program called PERKY… that’s gotta crack you up – it does me. So you might be a PERKY next year. Hee hee… can’t even type it without laughing.
Anyway, you had a FANTASTIC time! They have incredible equipment. I think the lessons will teach you how to channel that amazing energy and fantastic strength and coordination that you demonstrate all the time. I’m sure most parents say things like this, but you have always had surprisingly strong athletic potential – you throw very well and quite often very on target. You climb better than most of your peers. You jump confidently and competently off of very tall things… landing firmly on 2 feet. When I take you to classes with other 2 year olds (like at the Little Gym), you are the first in line and you can do the things (like a front roll) without any help. Your daycare teachers comment on this agility as well.
Anyway, I think gymnastics will give you a good start for whatever you decide to do… soccer, dance, football (right Auntie Amy?)…
Here are some pictures I was successful in sneaking from the night:
By the way – they don’t let parents even WATCH you. It was quite painful for me. I so wanted to know what you were doing…. so I sneaked around to the corner of your classroom about four times to peek in on you. I got yelled at once bu the secretary, but that just means I need to also sneak by her next time. It was fun to see you sit on your circle and watch so attentively waiting for your turn to give it a try! You have such an incredible spirit… I love you Peanut Butter!
Okay, so here are a couple great stories you’ll enjoy:
Maya Reads Me a Story
Last night I came home from choir practice, and Daddy was just about to leave your room after he read to you and stayed for 4 songs (that’s what we do these days – 2 songs rocking, 2 songs snuggling). You asked me to stay a while too, so I plopped myself down next to you. You said, “Mommi, read a story.”
“It’s too dark, Sweetie. I’ll read a story to you tomorrow.”
“Maya read a story to you?”
“Sure, you read a story to me.”
You pick up your I Spy book and point to a picture. You say, “What is that?”
“A fork” I answer
“GWATE!” you said encouragingly….
After each question I got right, you encouraged me wtih a “Gwate!”
A bit more scary of a story: Escapee
Last Thursday morning, Daddy was working so you and I were doing our morning routines together. We came downstairs after I showered. I opened our big heavy wooden door but locked our storm door so you could see out but not get out. After getting you set up, I wentto the bathroom to dry my hair. After a while, I turned off the blow dryer to find Daddy standing in the kitchen.
“How’d you get in?” I asked. “You shouldn’t have been able to get in… I locked the door!”
“Well, it was open when I got here,” he said. “Maya was hanging on the door handle.”
“Hmmm….” I pondered but didn’t think much more about it.
Later that night we went for a walk around the block. We went over to say HEY to our neighbors Laura and Alan. After chit chatting a bit, Alan looked at Laura and said, “Did you tell her?” Laura said “Not yet.”
She goes on to explain how, while she was putting on her makeup in her bathroom, she saw you open our door and let Macy out. After that you walked out of our house, down the stairs and down the street. Laura noticed that there were no adults around, so she hurried down and grabbed you and Macy. She deposited both of you in our house, and left… without telling me what happened. I’m so glad you’re safe! What a crazy wonderful world. I guess it really DOES take a village…. Than you God for our Village – especially Laura who noticed and did something about it. We are blessed!
Okay – so this is the last BIG event that I missed out on blogging about this summer. Early July, Daddy and I went to Niagra-on-the-Lake for a couple days and Oma and Opa flew to Rochester have special time with you while we were gone.
These pictures are from your wonderful time with them… and some others… These pictures came from Oma and Opa’s camera and include not only their visit to Rochester, but also a wedding in Minnesota, and Niklas’s baptism in Michigan.
Opa and Opa, Uncle Mark, Aunt Bi and Niklas (as well as Aunti Bi’s parents) went to my cousin Kayla’s wedding in Minnesota. As you can see, she is a BEAUTIFUL bride!!
4 Generations Again – How GREAT
Niklas’s Baptism at the River and Family Time Following
But before more time goes by, I just want to say how awesome it is to be near you these days, and how even MORE awesome it is to be your Mom! You have a million words! And most of them PACKED with personality… Let’s see, here are some of the more common or more recent phrases:
“I am NOT happy.” (imagine your fists on each hip)
“I’ll be right back.” (imagine your list 2.5 year old self holding up you whole hand toward Mom or Dad as you walk away… sometimes right out the front door!)
“I’m SO proud of you Mom” (imagine you holding both of my cheeks in your little hands)
“I’m going to go WIFF you!”
“Dad, where’s the remote?”
“I’m going to work now”
In general, you’re putting longer sentences together now… yesterday I counted a nine-word sentence.
Here are a bunch of pictures that show different aspects of your personality. You’re such an AWESOME kid!!
What a loaded smile…
You were the first to see (and chase) a little chipmunk… do you see it here?)
Climbing (which you do on EVERYTHING!)
My beautiful girl…
And some with our neighbors and friends…
You graduated
First day in your next classroom
So big!
Ready for any adventure!
Excited to see the new space
Teacher Maritza – you’ve been getting to know her for a little while now to get ready for this transition.
Assigned seating – very strange – I guess routine is good.
Private bathroom – the year of potty training
No more individual daily reports – so I brought in a journal for your teacher to log great things you did during the day. Can’t forget them! And I want to hear ALL about them!
Mommi and Daddy took you together (even thought Daddy worked the night before and was very tired). And your WHOLE family picked you up together (including Jake and Macy!!)
Aunti Judi and Uncle Jim called later last night (around 6:30pm) and left a message JUST for you – hoping your first day as a Spruce went well.
You are DEARLY loved – you know that, yes?
Here are some picture highlights!
These are your sweet little 2 and 1/2 year old swimming foot prints.
You couldn’t wait to get out on a boat on the “swimmin’ pool” called the lake.
Uncle Jim is out there in that sailboat!
This is 3-year old little Gracie. You and she had a FANTASTIC time! Let’s seei if I can get this right. Gracie’s Daddy (Tibor) is Jim’s nephew — his sister Andi (& Ti)’s son. Andi and Ti (Tibor II) are the one’s who live in Tennessee. Liz and Tibor, Gracie and Baby Tibor are AWESOME! We had such a fantastic time getting to know them!!
We also had the wonderful privilege of hanging out with Judi’s sister Karen, her husband Dick and their daughter Allison. This is you with Allison!
This little skateboarder is Baby Tibor… Check him out!
This is Lily – Libby’s daughter Wendy’s daughter. Wendy was there too! What a fantastic time!
After Gracie came out in a pretty skirt, Maya and I asked Judi if she happened to have a pretty dress in size 2T. Of course she had a “pretty dress!” She pulled a “pretty dress” out of her closet, grabbed a ribbon out of a drawer, and we were all set! Aunti Judi ROCKS!!
All Judi’s Girls!! Allison, Gracie and you are all Judi and Jim’s Godchildren!
(Still playing catch-up on the blogging…)
The weekend of August 11 we visited Daddy’s family in Ohio – your Grandma Tatro’s family – at Jim and Kelly’s house. We were only there from Saturday to Sunday, but we had a fantastic time and wished we could stay longer.
FOUR GENERATIONS! How Special!
Horses! What fun!
Family… gotta love them!
Your new best friend Lindsay!
it’s so hard to say goodbye…
We had the BEST TIME!! Thanks Kelly and Jim and everyone else! We love you!
Let’s do it again soon!
Today was your last day in the Linden Room – a sad day for all of us.
You gave Bonnie and Becky cards and gifts, and both got a little teary-eyed. It has been a fantastic year in the Linden Room. You love your friends (levi, marlie, apryl, elsie, maeve, maya2, raine, and others). You often don’t want to leave at the end of the day. In many ways, I think your friends have become like siblings for you – wonderful playmates, inspiration for mischievous behavior and sometimes, arch enemies (but that doesn’t last long). Becky and Bonnie will still be teachers at your daycare, but next week they will be moving down to the infant room. Bonnie promises that she will be watching you grow from no on – she has made a significant investment in you and wants to see the wonderful little person you grow up to be.
Highlights from the year in the Linden Room:
Your daily schedule included breakfast at 9am, group time between 9:30 and 10am, muscle room or outside from 10 – 11:30; lunch and nap after that; snack at 3pm, and outdoor play until we picked you up.
Your favorite songs:
* Fly, fly butterfly
* I’m bringing home a baby bumble bee
* Hello, how are you?
* Slippery fish
* Is Maya here today?
Some of your favorite activities:
* The “picnic sandwich puzzle”
* Wooden blocks
* Dolls and doll houses including changing doll clothes and feeding the babies
* The big playground
* Sand boxes!
* Painting
* Shaving cream
* Corn starch and water
* Dressing up in fancy dresses and dancing (I love watching you do this!)
What I wrote on both Bonnie and Becky’s cards was: “Though we realize you will always be a part of Maya’s “village,” we will deeply miss seeing you each day.” Bonnie and Becky were very good to and with you and us. We are so very grateful for the wonderful care they have given you!!
So next Wednesday you start in the Spruce Room… What adventures do you think are in store for us there? I can hardly wait to see!
God is so good, Baby Girl. God is so good.
Love you to pieces,
*mommi
I’m going to try to catch up a bit on the blogging I missed out on this summer. You did so many fantastic things that I don’t want us to forget!
So the focus for today’s blog is our trip to Seneca Park Zoo. You and your daycare friends had a wonderful field trip to the zoo on June 22. You and I drove separate and met your friends there, and we had a fanTAStic time! At the end of the day, you rode back on the BUS!! You LOVE the bus! [Mommi gets a bit nervous about the safety of the bus, but that is a whole ‘nuther story ; ) ]
Here are some picture highlights:
Maya S, your teacher Bonnie, Marlie and you!
You absolutely LOVE the bus!