Bethany Beach Trip

Leah is a beach girl!  She & I spent nearly a week at the Delaware shore with Grammy, Grandpa, Laurie, & Ryan. :)  First, we traveled to PA on the 9th of June. We mimicked our road trip from last August and left early in the morning (before dawn) so we could be at Grammy's by dinnertime. The trip took just over 12 hours, which is pretty excellent for traveling with a toddler. Leah is an awesome road tripper. She naps, chats, hums & sings, and plays with toys. We didn't use the portable DVD player once!

We stayed in PA for just under two days. We swam in Grammy's pool, visited with extended family on my side, visited with Popel & Grandma for an evening, and went through a bunch of old toys at Grammy's house. Leah now has a bunch of Ryan's old Toy Story toys, my favorite Barbie & Ken dolls, a bunch of Barbie furniture, Annie dolls, some odds & ends, and her favorite: Ryan's rubbery figures of Shadow, Chance, & Sassy from the movie "Homeward Bound". Leah plays with them every single day and clearly adores them. :)

On Saturday, the 11th, we packed ourselves back in the car and drove to Bethany Beach, Delaware. Ah, it was wonderful! Leah LOVED the ocean this year. Once she got her feet wet a couple times, she could not get enough. She giggled, squealed, splashed, and jumped around in the waves. It was a blast. I am so grateful she enjoys the beach and can play out there for hours, because it is truly my favorite place to be.

One day during the week, our friends Rachel & Ethan came to play with us! Rachel & I belong to the same mommy board, and Ethan & Leah were born just two days apart. We met up at their home in Delaware last summer, so this year, they joined us for a beach day. The kids played SO well together and they both love the water. A few times, Leah ran away as Ethan chased her, and she even tried to boss him around a bit. Silly girl. It was really such a fun day and Leah totally conked out for a late nap after they left for home.

We spent one evening in Rehoboth, where we took Leah to Funland to play some boardwalk games (and where Ryan was determined to win Leah a prize). We left with an armful of stuffed animals, thanks to prizes won by everybody, even Leah herself!

It was a big week, with lots of excitement, lots of play, lots of sunshine, and lots of new experiences. Leah had her moody moments, where the stress of being out of her routine got to her and all she wanted was Momma. But all in all, she handled herself pretty well for such a fun-filled week. Leah & I returned home on Friday the 17th, where we were greeted by two very excited dogs and a very happy Daddy. She spent most of Friday's road trip and the remaining weekend catching up on sleep! :)

EVER!

"Don't touch my toys. EVER!"

"Don't look at me. EVER!"

"You don't do that. EVER!"

Ah, yes. This is the latest thing out of Leah's mouth lately. Leah knows what she wants and now, she can (try to) demand it. The way she yells it is kind of amusing and I seem to giggle every time she says it, which is probably why she continues to do it. (Yes, negative attention. I know. Ooops. It just comes out like "EVAH!" and I can't help myself. She's like a teeny little dictator.) I've been trying to piece together how she picked this up. Last summer, she was very much into the movie, "Lilo & Stitch". In one scene, Lilo tells Stitch, in reference to a precious item, "Don't you touch that. Don't EVER touch it!" That was my first thought, but up until recently, Leah hadn't watched that movie in months. Did that really stick out in her mind?

Then, I realized I sometimes say it when disciplining her. "Don't ever throw things at the dogs!" "We never, EVER hit anyone!" Etc, etc. And of course, she imitates nearly every phrase I use on a consistent basis, so that sort of made sense.

And then, we have "Tangled". Leah has been in love with this movie lately and while paying attention to it one day last week, I noticed that Mother Gothel scolds Rapunzel for wanting to leave her tower. "You're not leaving this tower! EVER!" Ah-ha! Ding, ding, ding!

Truthfully, it's probably a combination of all three of these influences. I, like any mother, simply choose to believe it was from a nasty character in a movie and not me, of course. ;)

Summer Classes & Things

Dance class began again today! There are only five little girls in this summer session, and Leah is the only "veteran". She was SO excited when we walked into the lobby area and we were greeted by our instructor - it was that sense of familiarity and Leah began dancing around and chatting up a storm. All the other girls are adorable and I think it's going to be such a sweet group for the next six weeks.

Last week, Leah had her first gymnastics class and it was a BLAST! She jumped on trampolines, did somersaults, walked on balance beams, and generally ran around and had a great time. She's been talking about it ever since and cannot wait to go back. I am thrilled it's a success!

Leah also has a brand new bedding set and pillow for her room. For months - maybe even a year now - I've been asking Leah if she wants a pillow for her bed and she's always refused. Recently, Dan was asking her again and she seemed interested this time. So we decided that if we were going to buy a pillow & pillowcase, we may as well pick out a whole new "big girl" set. She had been simply going to bed with the big Pooh crib blanket and her special blankie. Now, she's got a pretty floral set that still matches her yellow & green room, but definitely tells everyone she's a big girl and not a baby. :)