Good Day Sunshine

Recently, Ernie and I got Vita a playhouse for the backyard (at a truly amazing price). The playhouse is so much fun! The front of the playhouse has a door, a mailbox, a working doorbell, a basketball hoop, and a chalkboard where we can write "Vita's House". (Not all of those things are pictured, as we still haven't put all of it up yet.) Then, each of the three remaining sides has a window and something else going on. One side has a sand and water table, one side has a puppet theatre, and the last side has a grill with a lid and knobs. On the inside there is a play sink and a play phone. FUN! Here's Vita pressing the doorbell before she goes inside.

When I handed Vita this flower from our tree, she said "wow". It's one of her new favorite words.

Fast forward from last weekend (pictured above) to this weekend (pictured below). This weekend was one of those PERFECT sunny weekends that reminds me why we live here. We spent all day Saturday just playing in the sunshine in the backyard.

Playing in the sandbox.

Checking out the birds.

Back in the playhouse, Vita hands me the phone like "mom, it's for you".

DEVIOUS DEVIOUS GRIN!

So sweet.

Vita poses for a shot with dad in the house.

And keeps cool with a sunhat and lots of water.

At the hottest point of the day, I finally got around to adding water to the sand and water table. I was a little bit worried that Vita might explode with excitement.

But it turns out that sand and water require a lot of concentration. With the focus of a true scientific researcher, Vita explored every dimension of the sand and water. What happens if you put water in the sand? What happens if you put sand in the water? What happens if you put your wet hand in the sand? What about cups and spoons, can they be filled with sand and water? And the age-old question: What does sand taste like?

Still hard at work. Vita and mom shake off the sand by the back door, in an act of purest optimism (futility). Finally, Vita climbs into her big girl chair at her big girl table for a snack of some kiwi fruit, and makes a silly fish face for the camera.

Bonus!

This is not my regular weekly post... this is a bonus post! Here are a couple of pictures of Vita enjoying a bath. She splashes so much and she doesn't seem to mind at all when water gets in her eyes. Also, this is what happens when I sleep in and Ernie gets Vita dressed in the morning. Tomorrow I will be doing my regular weekend post, and I have lots of great pictures from our day of fun in the backyard today that I'll be posting tomorrow.

Sand

To celebrate the official transition into Spring, Ernie built Vita a little backyard sandbox with some scrap pieces of wood that were just laying around. Vita is having SO MUCH fun with it! Sorry to offer such a short post tonight. Busy busy busy!

From Arizona With Love

This weekend, Vita's grandparents Bob and Joan came to visit from Arizona. Vita tentatively checked them out. Vita's not so sure about Bob in the photo below. But after about 5 minutes she warmed right up! Bob and Joan brought Vita a pretty summer dress, so we had a mini photo shoot and captured the beautiful smiles below.

Then, Joan read Vita a compelling little book about the alphabet. The book said that V is for Vicuna, which apparently is a real thing...

After lunch and a nap, we headed to the park for some fun in the sand. This photo of Vita's feet reminds me of how much I used to enjoy the warmth and texture of sand on my bare feet as a kid. Bob and Joan brought some huge bubble wands that make enormous bubbles. Strangely, Vita didn't seem that interested in the bubbles, and spent most of her time playing in the sand with a set of measuring cups that belonged to another child... while two or three other kids had a blast with Vita's bubbles. After the park we changed our clothes and got ready to head out for Vita's first Sushi dinner. Yum.

Smooch! Nose kiss!

We all had a great time, especially Vita. Although no one else heard, I heard Vita say "papa" and point to Bob out the window on his way in. Vita had such a blast, and just loves being the center of so much attention and love. As Bob and Joan headed out, Vita smiled and waved goodbye at the window until they were all the way down the block.

Dressy

Early this week, Vita got a package in the mail, with a pretty blue dress inside. Vita walked around the house holding the dress up to her and examining it with great interest. Vita was so interested in the dress, we had to try it on right there and then. Despite the Godzilla shoes and black pants, Vita is so pretty in this dress. I think she likes it. I realized that it rarely occurs to me to put Vita in dresses and skirts. So this weekend Vita wore this pretty plaid skirt. And then, we brought out this dress that Vita was given a long time ago. It finally fits and it's the cutest thing I've ever seen... especially with little white tights and black patent leather Mary Janes. On Friday, Vita went to the doctor for her 15 month check up. Vita did great, as always. Interestingly, Vita seems to be long and lean for her age. She is in the 68th percentile for height, and the 32nd percentile for weight. This surprised me, as Vita STILL hasn't met a food she doesn't like. She eats TONS of good veggies and fruits, whole grains, good dairy, and lots of other super healthy food. (Sure, she's pictured eating pasta... but spinach or asparagus just don't make for as good of a photo.) Anyway, the point is that she's healthy as can be. Yay!

Signs of Spring

We've had a lot of (much needed) rain over the past few weeks, and our 5 day forecast calls for 5 more days of rain. However, the little bits of sunshine we get here and there put us all in a great mood, and remind us that spring is just around the corner. Pointing to body parts is endless fun. Vita, where's the monkey's eyes?

We're also starting to see signs of spring outside, even in our extremely neglected yard. The daffodils are blooming, the apricot tree is just starting to bud and blossom, and the jasmine is exploding! Vita loves smelling the jasmine and getting tickled by the leaves.

On clear days, we ALWAYS head out to the park, where Vita runs around like a maniac, swings, plays in the sandbox, and goes down the slide (with assistance).

On rainy days when we can't go to the park, Vita gets a little bit stir crazy. That's when Vita and dad built forts. Beware of the gremlin that lurks in the cave. Her beady red eyes see all.

This picture is included because it's a quintessential Vita shot. What is she doing? Where is she going? Is that a cheerio under the couch?