Kindergarten completion

On Thursday, the first and kg classes had a completion ceremony. Pretty cute as they were all so excited to be going up a grade. Now Z proclaims, I am a first grader!

Here he is with all his class.


And with his teacher Ms. Vazquez.

Miriam rides

Today Miriam got to sit in the cart/trolley at HEB and looked jolly pleased with herself. She much prefered it to the wedged car seat method, and it makes it way easier for me to navigate and load the cart too. Win Win. Plus she got to make faces at Z through the entire store.

Pictures!

Our kids are fantastic and adorable, and we took some pictures capturing their fantastic and adorableness. Miriam has taken a brief hiatus from totally predictable sleep, so we aren't entirely coherent but what else is new? We've made it into month 5, and we're having more fun than ever. Look! Fun! I recommend running over to flickr and checking out the "Miriam with green pepper" extravaganza. She's not really eating food, but she's absolutely intrigued by it. She's playing with it (with supervision, don't worry, no baby choking hazards) - and nibbling a bit on things like banana in the net bag. She's joining us at the table in her high chair too, and she loves being involved and chatting through meals. (She's also suddenly become fascinated with trying to eat Willow. I'm pretty sure she just thinks Willow is an awesome interactive stuffed animal. Willow has been SHOCKINGLY tolerant and let's Miriam totally maul her. I think she's been swapped for some other black and white cat. She didn't let Zachary near her until he was 4, at least...) In other news - Zachary lost *both* front top teeth in one day (one was danglingly loose, the other got a bit of an assist at school). That's actually what inspired the photo shoot - I wanted to capture his gaps before they disappeared (one is already coming in, only a few days later.)

Santa Cruz Boardwalk funtimes

bouncer fun

Sitting up

Miriam has been working really hard. For the last 2 weeks she's wriggled and jiggled. She's been building up a core strength and now she gets to put it to good use. She is sitting up like a champion.

The snorting sleepy baby

Miriam under the couch

Last night we had a blast at BevoBash, the big spring fundraiser and party for Zachary's school. Mark was one of the organizers, and they all did a fantastic job! There were great activities - including a book walk (like a cake walk) that was one of Zachary's favorites. Another big hit was a group called "Typewriter Rodeo". You give them a topic, and they write a poem, on the spot, using antique typewriters. Fantastic. Here is the last of our nights poems (Zachary commissioned three). It is my favorite.

Zoom

The 2nd best part of this video (aside from the explosive giggles) are the faint stomping sounds. Those are Zachary, ducking and dodging throughout our living room and kitchen, attempting to surprise the baby.



Since she was in utero, she has responded to him more and differently than she does to anyone else. It is really fantastic to see them siblingbond. (We initially heard those crazy noises and were like - are those bad noises? No no, those are shrieks of glee, not terror... Good to know...)

Froggy hops

Oh, the giggling. Zachary can get giggles out of Miriam like no one else...

Big Brother

Zachary is so great with Miriam. He likes to play with her and bring out her smile. He makes her laugh like no one else can. He holds her and sing to stop her crying. He even has a song he made up just for such an occasion; "Don't cry little baby, Miriam!". Today he was the most thoughtful and sweetest, as an ambulance zoomed blaring by he leaned over and covered her ears, ever protective of his little sister.

No one puts baby in a circle

Our baby has turned into a premiere competition level belly wriggler. She can move backwards to any wall or under both couches. Sometime after this video we had a moment of kindness and removed the overhead bars. Or as Miriam likes to call them "The Evil Green Traps". Now she can spin unimpeded, troubled only by the toy deserts she encounters every 45 degrees. Spinning and singing, she passes her days...

Happy playtime

Miriam is surrounded by pillows and couch cushions. But has to take advantage of there cushioning ability as she has been sitting up pretty well and pushing herself up when she tilts. Big grins all-round.