Back to School Feast

We started a new family tradition this year, with our back to school feast. The night before Elsa started her 5 day a week mornings in the Ocean Room, she got to pick out dinner (pizza and watermelon) and we made her a special crown.

We talked about important nursery school things like sharing toys with friends, listening to her teachers Ms. Uma and Ms. Saba, and most importantly making all of her classmates feel happy by doing nice things and playing with old friends and new.

Labor Day 2012

Labor Day in Greenbelt is pretty much every kids dream. Fair food, rides, music, people and tacky carnival games. Most importantly, it is a focal point for all families for 3 straight days, and its only a block from our house. The first day Elsa got a wrist band that entitled her to unlimited rides...she took full advantage and went on about 16 rides in a mere 5 hours. It was epic. She fell asleep at 6:30.

This was Milo's first festival and he was happy just ridding around in his stroller waving at all the people. He also got to watch the parade which he was surprisingly enamored with.

Elsa, Errol, and Milo walked the last block of the parade with Elsa's nursery school. She is a bit shy and didn't love it, but apparently Milo was waving and clapping at everyone!

Lemons

Mmmm, lemons are yummy!

Ohhh...maybe not so much.

Milo is 11 Months!

Milo completed his first masterpiece at 11 months! It was a struggle to have him not eat everything, but he seemed to enjoy it. He is sleeping better, maybe 1-2 nights per week we get a 7pm-4am stretch, which has made a world of difference.

He spends his days mostly at the Greenbelt pool and at the playground with Elsa, Jackson (our new nanny share), and Clara. He says mama, dada, a version of Clara and we think he is trying to say Elsa. Julian moved at the beginning of the month.

He is seriously into absolutely everything and he is very spirited. He is somewhat shy with most people, but once he warms up he lunges for people. He likes to point, give high fives, hugs and kisses. He also knows everything in Spanish - like with Elsa, Clara speaks to him all day in Spanish.

Early August

 We got a mini-pool in the yard, and although it didn't last long, Milo seemed to really love it!

 Elsa and Dolly. She has had this doll for two years now and is still as attached to her as ever.

Milo - not pleased we had to put a gate up at the top of the stairs...he is mischievous, fast, and not nearly as coordinated as his sister was at this stage. Pretty much if you re-direct him, he wants whatever you want him to avoid just that much more. Stinker.

A glimpse into late July happenings in the life of Elsa and Milo. Its been hot, hot, hot here and they have pretty much spent every waking moment at the pool! Milo is a crawling machine and officially a little stinker. He is into EVERYTHING!

A Boy and His Dog

Milo and Dalasi are buddies. Dalasi now sleeps next to Milo's crib, he lets him pull and tug on him, and most importantly he "cleans" up after Milo at meal time. Dalasi was always good with Elsa, still is, but Milo is stronger than Elsa and Dalasi still tolerates things that even Errol and I can't!

Summer Party

Our dear friends Ryan and Andrea host an annual summer party at his parents house up near Baltimore. Its an amazing spot on the water with tons of fun stuff for adults and kids. We all had a great time, particularly Elsa who got to go in a kayak for the first time, and Milo who "drove" for the first time!

Milo is 10 Months!

This month has been a big one for our little man. He started crawling, cruising, and has even slept through the night a few times. He is also getting super curly hair! He is now at the stage where he absolutely does not want to be contained - he always wants to be on the move. The video is one of his first attempts at crawling - in just a week he has really come along way. Sleeping, well, we won't hold our breath but even a few nights of uninterrupted sleep is appreciated around here!

Patapsco with Peace Corps Friends

We were lucky enough to score a visit with The Weber's during the hottest and stormiest weekend of the year, but you would never know it by looking at these pictures. Cadyn, Mason, Matthew, Elsa, and Milo had a blast playing in the Pataspco river. We were excited to see the Weber's if only for a short time!