Como Zoo

Last week we took a family trip over to Como Zoo in St. Paul!  It was my technical last day of summer vacation, so we wanted to do something together as one last hurrah.  We brought Nadya along and it was the smartest thing we could have done.  She and Mya entertained each other the whole ride over to the zoo.  They tickled each other, read books, played with baby dolls, and sang.

When we arrived, we set up our picnic lunch.  I for sure thought Mya was going to make a run for it, but surprisingly, she parked her little butt on the blanket and ate!

After lunch we hit up the zoo!  Mya was tired and didn't make it through to see many of the animals.

Every cool girl needs to wear sunglasses when checking out the penguins indoors!

Tuckered out!

The girls

After hanging out with the animals, we went to Como Town, a mini amusement park.  The first ride Nadya went on was The Tornado.  Now, this girl gets carsick very easily, so I was VERY nervous about this.  However, when she got off, she had this big smile on her face and said she wanted to do it again!!!

Nod went on some more rides like Frog Hopper, the Tea Cups, and she rode in a car.  

We had a super, duper time together!  Even though Mya might be a little too young to enjoy the zoo, it was still a fun experience taking both of the girls!

Adventures with Grandma and Grandpa

Mya has been spending some fun times at Grandma and Grandpa's house while Greg and I have been at work.  She's been lucky to be able to play with a lot of her cousins!

Playing in tubs with Trajan

Reading with Liam and Grandpa

 I began some new teacher orientation this week and we don't start daycare until next week, so Mya spent some fun days with Grandma and Grandpa.  

Coloring with Tatiana

Looking through Nadya's frog binoculars 

Grandma Pat was brave and took all of the kids to McDonald's for lunch.  Notice that all the kids are looking at the camera except mine?  You can't come between a girl and her chicken nuggets!!

Then they got a real treat and went to Oleson's Ice Cream shop for some delicious ice cream!  Mya even joined in on the action.

Sometimes, time at Grandma and Grandpa's means a little dancing.  Everyone loves dancing to a little Elvis in the Telisak house!

18 Months Old!

Today our little lady turns one and a half!!  Boy, oh, boy!  Mya continues to amaze us each and every day and we think we have a keeper!

In case you're interested here are some things our little girl is up to...

Words she says:  EVERYTHING!  This girl copies everything we say and literally doesn't stop talking.  She is very good at saying names of family members, animals, objects, etc.  She's been saying a lot of two word phrases, as well.

Favorite foods:  Fruit, mac and cheese, hot dogs, fries, chicken nuggets, corn on the cob, fruit snacks, grilled cheese sandwiches.

What she knows:  Mya can identify about 10 animal sounds/actions.  She can also identify most of her body parts and will point to other people's when asked.  She is really good at identifying and pointing to objects in books when asked.  She is a pro at using eating utensils and brushing her teeth.  She understands everything we say.  For example, I ask her if she wants me to sing her a song and she'll make a spider with her hands (for The Itsy Bitsy Spider) or say EIEIEIEI (for Old McDonald).  Mya also is able to walk down stairs unassisted.  And when I mean unassisted, I mean she will not let you help her.  

Favorite things: Her electric toothbrush, getting ready in the morning with Momma (putting on lotion), cats, reading books, her cousin Nadya, singing along with Momma, playing with dolls, closing doors, swinging, dancing and giving hugs and kisses.

And just for a little humor, trying to get a good picture of Mya not taking off the sticker on her onesie was a challenge.  The above picture was taken after the first dozen attempts.  The below picture was taken first...can you tell why I tried for a better one later???

Birthday Party

On Sunday we went over to Tanya's house to co-celebrate Greg and Nadya's birthdays.  We ate and played and had a lot of fun!!!

Mya was most thrilled to see Nadya, of course.  When she saw her, Mya got super duper excited.  Nadya is definitely Mya's buddy!  :)

Happy birthday to Greg and Nod!  Mya and I love you very much!

Mya even picked out a special dress to wear to the party.  It was only fitting that she would wear the dress into the sandbox.

After a while we went inside and played with Nadya and all her toys.  Mya was in doll heaven.

Watering Flowers

Mya is an extra good helper.  Especially when it comes to watering flowers.  I'm pretty sure more water got on her than it did in the the flower pots, but that's okay!  Mya had a lot of fun helping.

Those watering cans can be pretty heavy!

Helping Grama Shelli

After a while, it made more sense to just take Mya's clothes off rather than keep them on. I considered the flower watering to be her bath for the day...

Classroom Visit

Greg was curious to see how my classroom turned out, now that it is complete.  Mya tagged along.

Putting a classroom together is a ton of work.  So much time and money goes into making it just like you want it to be.  But, I think it looks so nice and now I'm excited to get this school year rolling.  New school, new grade...changes can be so good for the soul!

Future teacher?

The picture looks a little blurry because Mya kept rocking back and forth on my new chairs!

This was the only way I could get a picture with her on my new rug!

Mya got right to work by helping to sweep the floor.  Pretty sure she sweeps better than some of my students!

Sunday Funday

Sunday was an absolutely gorgeous day and so Mya and I took a walk over to Putnam Park to play on the swings and climbing equipment.

This kid literally sat in the swing for over half-an-hour!  I kept asking if she wanted to get out and she kept shaking her head no.  So, I kept pushing and she kept swinging.  In order to not go crazy, I took pictures.  I also quizzed her on her body parts and animal sounds.

I can just hear her cute little giggles!

Mya wants absolutely no help in maneuvering the climbing equipment.  She goes up the stairs, through the tunnels, and down the slide all on her own.  Such a big girl!

Love that static hair!

Mya is really good at doing her "Cheeeeeese!" look when I grab the camera.  Here's what I got when I asked her to say "Cheese!" the first time...

...and here's what I got when I asked one more time.  Lovely.