Just Me and The Two Greatest World Wonders

I have been visiting my mom and dad for the past week. They both work full time. This has given Stinky and I sometime to play around and for me to share some of my childhood enjoyments with her. I grew up near the beach and most of my memories of summer include many many day trips to the beach. I decided to take Stinky to our favorite beach. We packed up the sand toys, a blanket and towels only to discover when we got there that is was fogged out. A little disappointed I decided that we would make the most of it. Luckily I had brought a beach cover up for Stinky with long sleeves. She didn't mind the cold on her legs, in fact I don't think she even noticed that Mommy was freezing. Of course I did not pack myself warm clothing. She played in the sand scooping up sand with the shovel and putting it in her bucket. Eventually she grew bored of this activity and wanted to go closer to the waves.

We walked down to the water and I put her feet in the water. She wasn't so sure about the water touching her as she quickly gestured for me to pick her up. I wrapped her in the towel I had been using to shelter my shoulders from the cold and then came one of those moments. She put her head on my shoulders, wrapped her arms tightly around me with a little squeeze and we just stood there staring at the wondrous, powerful yet gentle waves ease their way on to shore. Those few moments seemed like a pause in time I relished the enjoyment of two of the greatest gifts God has given me. The unconditional love of my beautiful daughter and the great strength and power of the ocean. In that moment was pure comfort and peace.

Bow B-licious: Shop and Buy

I have found new interests since having a baby girl. I had bought bows for my little girl and put fear in my husband not to lose them. So I thought maybe I could make them. I bought the materials, took one bow apart and then began making my own. I have enjoyed making them so much that I haven't stopped. I opened up my own shop Bow B-licious. Check it out. You will find the link to my shop on the right hand side of my blog.

Happy Mother's Day!

I love my little girl. To me just being able to celebrate Mother's Day is the greatest joy. I am so thankful to be a mom everyday. On this special day we went to Dim Sum which is my favorite breakfast ever. My husband (with the help of Stinky) wrote a wonderful card which was so sweet I might have shed a few tears. I also received some beautiful earrings. Thank you honey. And a belated Happy Mother's Day to all.

Indian Birthday

One of the greatest things about living in San Jose is the diversity. Not only for myself but for my daughter. She has had the opportunity to have many friends from many cultures. A friend brought this sweet dress back from India and we jumped at the chance for her wear it when we attended a first birthday of one of her little friends. It gave her the opportunity to experience Indian food, be a part of the beautiful dresses of Indian culture and spend time with good friends. Stinky loved dancing to the music and playing with her little friend. I have to say she was the cutest little girl there.

Art Is Self Expression

This was Stinky's third introduction to painting. Unlike the previous times this time she actually enjoyed herself. In previous experiences she was a little disturbed by the feeling of paint on her hands. This time was different, she was really excited by the affect created by sliding her fingers across the paper.
After she had played in the blue a little bit I could see she was losing interest. To regain interest, I added red. She dipped her little finger in the red paint and began swirling it around in the already painted blue spots.
She was in her little zone. I really enjoyed watching her create, furthering her imagination and creativity.
She was very interested in the paint on her fingers. She was anxious to show daddy what it looked like.
When painting the paper lost interest, freedom to create moved to the body. Nice! Nothing a quick bath won't fix and worth the experience.

"It took me four years to paint like Raphael, but a lifetime to paint like a child."
Pablo Picasso

Mirror Image

As Stinky gets older I have noticed she has begun emulating our every move Lately she pulls the hair brush out of my hand and pretends to brush her own hair. In the shower she grabs the soap, pretends to pour it on her and then she rubs her belly and her hair. To encourage this pretend play I bought her her own brush and I grabbed an empty travel bottle and set them up next to a mirror. I did this while she was sleeping so when she woke up it was sitting there. Immediately she walked over to the activity and picked up the brush. She was so excited, she smiled and laughed. The past few days she continues to revisit this activity. Looking in the mirror, brushing her hair and soaping herself. The activity has evolved and now she wants to brush my hair and soap my belly. She thinks it is so funny when I lift my shirt up and let her pretend to put soap on and then rub. She laughs so hard and her cute little laugh makes me laugh.

Knowing that she is watching and doing what we are doing we have to start watching what we are doing. I hope she picks up our good habits and not our bad. Unlikely, but I am sure it is going to make for some funny stories in the near future.

Water Play: A Take Off Of Interest in Scooping

Stinky received a pots and pans set from her Great Grammie this past weekend. She is beginning to put more thought into her play. It was only a matter of minutes when she realized that this pot could hold substance. It was at this time that she wondered if it would hold liquid. The only place she could get liquid would be the dog bowl. She made her way quickly and quietly to the dog bowl. I caught up with her only after she had filled the pot with water and was attempting to carry it out of the kitchen.
After a few more trips and failed attempts I decided it was time to provide an opportunity where she could explore volume, water, and pouring more. I filled a container with water, put the pot she had been using in the container and set an empty bowl next to it. Right away she began filling her pot with water and then pouring the contents into the empty bowl. She did this quite a few times. Each time she was able to fill her pot with more ease and transfer more water into in the empty bowl. Once she felt she had mastered this task she was off to discover other things.
A small lesson in math/measuring and she hasn't tried to fill it up in the dog bowl since.