Moonicula and stuff

Viv told her first real joke last month. I am sure I told some of you this already. Well, she is very much into the idea of jokes and loves to try her hand at knock knock jokes, but her idea of telling a joke is still pretty much looking around the room and finding two nouns. E.g.,

knock knock
who’s there?
apple
apple who?
apple couch! hahahahaha

But last month, she told her first real joke.

Who took Yaya’s peas?
Pod - when he was a pea Pod!

Not bad, kid!

So, life goes on for a month, and now Viv has told her first real story. Not the stream of consciousness kind that ends abruptly. This one has a beginning, middle, and end, complete with the conflict/resolution formula we expect in stories. Here goes.

Once upon a time there was a baby turtle. She lived in Alabama, but it was too hot. So she moved to the North Pole, but it was too cold. So she moved to Louisiana where it was just right. The end.

Love it! Especially the part where it’s too hot in AL but just right here. I expect Oh Susannah! may have something to do with that.

Gus is doing well in his own pursuits. Gus HATED swim lessons when we first started going. The first lesson was too bad for me to describe without physically gesturing a lot, and all that would be lost here. But he has steadily improved to the point where he is willing to jump into the water at me and doesn’t mind getting his eyes wet. He is still not thrilled about floating on his back, but even that feat has seen progress. So much so, in fact, that his new swim teacher (Coach Jessie) has encouraged me to sign him up for advanced toddler classes next session. I am considering it because he has progressed so far. Now Viv, she is just a fearless fish, so she is doing well at her swim lessons too and has loved them from the get-go.

And because Viv’s imagination is on fire right now, Gus has benefitted by showing his own imagination developing earlier than I remember seeing it with Viv. He imitates her and plays along. The other day they were in their room playing with their instruments, and I passed down the hall and listened in on them. Viv and Gus were playing “jazz musicians,” and Viv was a jazz musician named Moonicula.

The thing is, somewhere out there is a jazz player named Moonicula. Right? There has to be. It just seems like the perfect name for a jazz musician, anyway. Turns out she got the idea from a book she had checked out from the library before which features a rabbit vampire named Bunicula. But still, I shake my head and chuckle that her jazz-playing stage name is Moonicula.

July pictures

Happy Fourth!


Cupcake time





Vivienne and Violet - this was one of the first nights Viv decided to move into her own bedroom. We hadn't yet moved her bed, so she was sleeping on a nest of blankets on the floor in these pictures. After she went a week wanting to sleep in there, we moved the bed, and she hasn't changed her mind.



Wading pool and water(ed) slide












Drawing with markers







Insectarium - it was the only place Viv would hear of going for an adventure on this particular day, and it turned out to be a lot of fun, as usual.










No button is safe.








Hats and silliness

Visit with the Jarands

Alan, Marjie, Emily & Justin came to visit us last month. I didn't take many pictures. I never do anymore. I drag the camera around with me still from time to time, but I never use it. A lot of these pictures are from Em's and Marjie's FB pages. My favorite is the one of Alan in the spinny thing at the Brad Pitt playground. Those things are so much fun. Anyway, we had a wonderful visit, and Viv & Gus are still talking about Emily and Justin all the time.