Austen & Gage

Seeing her friends/Running around with her friends/Playing with friends

“Going out” to classes like art, music, preschool and soccer

Art projects: drawing with marker, pencils and crayons; cutting paper, gluing paper, play dough, coloring books, activity books, mazes, stickers, chalk, painting.

Watching Curious George episodes on public TV.

Dressing up/Pretend play/Talking to her imaginary friends

Singing songs, many of them made up. She now enjoys popular music like Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’

Games and puzzles.

After Mommy got out of bed this morning, wandering from room to room with blurry eyes, she noticed Austen helping Gage as he lay in his swing. She offered him a pacifier, put a blanket on him and told Mommy he was probably hungry. Mommy was barely able to walk straight and Austen was on top of things.

Auntie Janet & Susan dropped in for a visit and hung out with the kids.

Asked what ‘MOM’ spells, Austen answered “Lucinda!”

Austen loves Beyonce’s hit song, Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It). She first heard it on the radio during a car ride with Mama. Later, while driving with Dada, Austen requested to hear “Mama’s song” which she sang as the “Oh oh oh oh” song. Dada figured it out and played it (yeah iPhone!).
Now, after seeing the video a few times, Austen requests to watch the “Ho Ho Ho” song. If you don’t understand what song, she sings a verse for you: “If you like it shoulda put a bing on it…ho ho ho…like it shoulda put a…ho ho ho.”

How young is too young for some noodles?

Gage can now do “Up, Baby!” and control his head in the upright position.

[taken 2/27/09]

She also spells her name. It’s fun to listen to her “pretend” spellings (‘pretend’ and ‘delicate’ are two words she’s been batting around lately). She’s currently asking Dada how to spell ‘boy’ ‘toy’ ‘red’ and ‘squiggly.’

Austen helps knead the dough for Grandma Mindy, who’s making aloo pronti. Like many true artists, Austen has quirky demands: she must work on the floor.