Art With Maya

More fun artwork from Maya...

Princess walking to her castle.

With the artist.

Maya decided to draw different versions of various things on the body.

Dexter at 2.5 Years

Dexter is 2.5 and becoming a little boy... 

Here are some approximate stats:

Weight: 35.8 lbs (around 94th percentile)

Height: 36.5 inches (around 56th percentile)

Teeth: 17 (8 upper, 9 lower)

Our little guy is really coming into his own.  His vocabulary is growing rapidly and he's much more content now that he can communicate better.  He finally started calling Maya by her proper name and he's stringing together lots of two-word sentences like "want that," "blueberries, please," "come on," "help me," "see truck," "Maya do it," "Dexter do it," etc.  Dexter knows letters, numbers, and colors, but still hasn't figured out which color names go with the appropriate colors. Every day he's learning new words and he's really enjoying being able to speak his mind.

Falling into typical boy stereotypes, Dexter is completely infatuated by things that go.  He loves trains, firetrucks, ambulances, cars, and construction equipment.  He will stare adoringly at the garbage man and will point happily at any interesting vehicle on the road.  

He is starting to do a lot pretending and will do little voices for his animals or his lovey.  He remembers familiar activities and places and frequently guess what place we are going based on where the car is going.  He also wants to direct activities more.  We frequently hear what he wants and it is frequently not what we are doing.  This, of course, is the end of the world and Dexter will yell, cry, or turn into a noodle if we don't follow his whims.  

He loves being outside and looking for bugs with his sister.  Squirrels and ravens are thrilling.  Flowers are pretty.  He loves running, jumping, climbing, and pushing anything that rolls. He can sing the ABCs and other children's songs thanks to visits to story time at the library with his babysitter, Elizabeth.  Music continues to be a constant source of happiness.

He is beginning to play more WITH other kids instead of next to them.  He has always worshipped and respected other kids, but he's been a bit domineering and pushy with the younger ones.  Now, he is beginning to see that it is fun to play with the younger ones is less likely to push them over or try to keep them away from his toys.  It is very satisfying to catch those moments where Dexter is just having fun playing with children his age.  

We just started potty training and it has gone very well in the peeing department.  Like his sister, Dexter also seems determined that pooping is very bad and really has trouble allowing himself to poop.  This has made him very moody especially after holding in poop for a day or two.  We are hoping he'll figure it out soon.  

We have signed Dexter up for preschool starting this summer.  It's hard to believe that it is almost that time.  Our little guy isn't so little anymore. 

Run For Reading

Maya's school was running again to earn money for libraries.

Nothing is as fun as running in circles.

Go Maya, go!

Getting her laps marked by one of the moms.

Maya with her friends after the big event!

More Randomness

We've been in the house more than usual while potty training.  Things are getting a little crazy around here.

 Magnatiles!

 Dexter gets to enjoy much more juice than usual in order to get more practice on the potty.

There is a lot of this going on.

Fun At Home

Here's a few random shots of what life looks like in our house.

 Weekend morning story time.  Even Lily wanted to join in.

Maya reading to Dexter.

Breakfast anyone?

Naked lemonade on the first day of serious potty training.

Maya shows Dexter how it's done.

Maya heads over to a friend's house for a sleepover.

Of we go!

Daddy stays home with the naked potty trainee.

"Obligatory 'Let it Go' Performance" video

Yes, the kids can't seem to let go of 'Let It Go.'  This performance is pretty cute though....

Lulu Visit

Lulu decided to come for a visit.  It was fun!!

Lulu and Dexter get ready to decorate a helicopter.

Hanging at the park.

Lulu with her adoring grandkids.

Maya and Dexter hang out with Melodie on a quick trip to Jake and Sophie's house on the way to the airport. 

Lulu was excited that Jake's parents were in San Francisco at the same time.  Jake and his dad...

...and Sophie and Jake's momma.

The fam.

It was time for Lulu to leave.  We were sad, but we consoled ourselves with In-N-Out.

Oscar Night Winners!

We had a fabulous night watching the Oscars and winning money from our friends.

Let's get this party started.

Ballots ready, everyone watches bland speeches and beautiful people.

The cool crowd in front.

Todd proudly shows his ballot where he scored his record of 43/45.

Daddy got the winner's pool and Maya won the loser's pool for getting the most wrong.  A fun and profitable night for the Vaziri/Higgins crew.

Volcano Erupts In California

Coco bought Maya a cool project which involved making a volcano out of clay and then creating an eruption.  The volcano didn't dry in time to actually have the eruption there, so we brought it home and got busy with the baking soda and vinegar.

Ready to add vinegar.

Awesome!

Thanks Coco!