Phoenix Trip

Yesterday Daddy had the opportunity to go to Phoenix for work.  That means that Mommy and the kids seized the chance to go visit our cousin's Grandma.  YAY!!  We played all day!  E played with Berta's tea set and play food.  I was so amazed at her imagination.  They were drinking imaginary hot chocolate when she started scooping something off of one plate on to Berta's plate.  Berta: What are we eating? E: Peas!

I had no idea she was that ready for imagination play.  Oh the wonderful things I learn about my children when I just play a new game with them. Or in this case watch someone else play a new game with them.  I have been wondering for some time now what the next step of toys are for E.  I think I have finally found my answer: imagination toys.  Cooking toys, tea sets, dress ups, etc. I'm so excited to see how her imagination develops from here.

We also got her to play in water other then the bath tub!!  This is a big step.  To get the full view of this amazingness I have to back up a little.  This last summer we tried to play in the sprinklers with her...She was not excited at all.  In July when we were visiting cousins, we tried to get her in a kiddy pool, again no success.  Then monsoon season started.  E thought rain was the most amazing creation in the history of her life!!  WOW!! Water falling from the sky! (How this is different from sprinklers, I will never know).  She would splash in puddles and everything.  So now we get to yesterday.

Berta got out a slip n' slide for us to play on.  Honestly I didn't think E would go for it.  We tried it any ways.  I started with the spray about a foot high.  She wouldn't go near it.  very well, I turned the hose off after we got some nice puddles on the run way.  Mommy: Look E, puddles! Come splash with me.  So we splashed for a little while.  Then I set J down in a puddle.  He loved it!  He started splashing and having a good time.  So E sat down and started splashing.  So I sat down and soon enough we were splashing each other and finally I started throwing water in the air.  "It's just like rain." LIGHT BULB! "You know what else is like rain? Let me show you"  So I turned the water on so the spray was about three inches.  She played and started drinking the water.  So I thought I would take a chance and turned it up to about 6 inches.  J was having a blast with water spraying up to his shoulder.  E was playing and we had a great time.  By the time J needed a nap, I had E sliding on her knees half way down the slip n' slide.

J made some great accomplishments too!  I have only seen him get up on to hands and knees once, for a very quick second...until yesterday.  He was trying to get up on hands and knees as much as he could (with all that weight, it wasn't too many times but it was quite a feat)!  He was moving.  Backwards, but moving!  He had a great time chasing toys around and watching balls fall round and round (a toy Berta had).

Thanks for such a great vacation day Berta!

Once again I was a terrible mommy and didn't bring the camera...We could have had some great pictures.