Alison really loves the taste and smell of flour. So today, while I was attempting to mix some pizza dough, I put some flour in a cookie sheet. Then Alison could draw in the flour in between watching me mix the dough. I wish I could claim this idea for my own, but I just received a book called The Preschooler’s Busy Book. It has TONS of fun crafts and activities for preschoolers. We liked the first idea!
Alison Rose Huntington
Summary: 30 months
Eating
Alison is so great at trying new foods. It took 20 attempts, but she now likes tomatoes!! She also loves fresh fruit, peas, corn, raw carrots (as long as it’s the tiny baby carrots), and CHEESE. Oh, and anything with sugar.
Playing
Alison (ie. JD) got train tracks and a car mat at Ikea a couple weeks ago. Hours of entertainment there! She also has had a renewed interest in puzzles lately. She got a Thomas the Tank Engine floor puzzle that she can do alone and I got her a 48-piece Cars puzzle that she likes me to help her with.
She’s an outdoors-loving girl though and we’re all excited for more sunny days!
Sleep
Alison sleeps great at night and always has. She rests every day in the afternoon, but doesn’t always sleep. She and Hannah have rooms right next to each other so they occasionally wake each other up. This can make for an interesting afternoon!
Learning
Alison is learning how to put away her clean laundry and choose her clothes for the day. We got her a new dresser and she has had a lot of fun putting clothes away and picking her outfits. I’ve decided to let her be creative in her color and pattern combinations, but exercise veto power when it comes to more formal outings!
She is also learning to ride a Skut bike! Grandpa and Grandma have one at their house and they even bring it over here sometimes. She glides so fast on that bike and has so much fun!
I compiled a bunch of craft materials, coloring books, and etc. in a box for her to have at her play table. Most of it she can do on her own, but I’m always around for putting the lid back on a glue stick or scraping up that last bit of play doh.
She’s figuring out the difference between lower-case and upper-case letters and we’ve sounded out some small words. She also likes to work on tracing in a Kumon activity book.
This girl loves to learn and keeps me on my toes.
Outings
We’ve been taking more stroller walks as the days have gotten nicer. I try to walk 2-3 miles a couple times a week and stop by a couple parks and/or the library while we’re out. There are also plenty of stores and sites to keep us entertained. There’s a park with a pond that we occasionally see some ducks. Ali usually does pretty well at the library, but we never stay more than 10 min. It’s hard trying to keep a toddler and a 4 month old quiet in a library! It’s usually easier to go with just Alison or when JD can join us.
Last weekend we went on our first train ride at the zoo, went to the beach and had a picnic. No sunburns - yah! :-)
Schedule
Ali wakes up around 7 and gets dressed and ready for the day. She then plays independently while I fix breakfast. After breakfast, we do some sort of activity together (craft, coloring, workbook, play-doh, etc.). Then I read to her for 15 min or so. Afterwards, she plays by herself for a while, has a snack and then Hannah joins us for play time before lunch. She takes a nap (or just rests in her bed) in the afternoon and then we do another activity before dinner. Sometime throughout the day I attempt to keep up housework, cooking/baking and projects. Lucky I have a helper who loves to work with me! I tend to forgo all of the above (except nap), if the weather is nice. In this case, we are outside! JD gets home around 6:30-7 and they play together after a quick dinner. Her bedtime is around 8, but it usually takes her a while to finally get settled in and asleep.
Many times in the evening, JD and I share stories and laugh at all the precious things she’s saying and doing these days. :)
Today we took some Peters-Huntington family photos. Afterwards, Grandpa and Grandma treated us to pizza at the park with homemade cream pie for dessert. There was football tossing, playground exploring and all-around relaxing in the beautiful outdoors. Great day!
On our way home from the zoo, we decided that the weather was too nice to just go home. So, we went to the beach. :)
Zoo trip!
Honest Ali
Alison came to me holding a train car and told me that she needed to put it onto the counter because she had thrown it. A bit blown away, I did manage to thank her for her honesty.
We had a full weekend celebrating Easter twice! Two egg hunts, tons of playtime at each grandparents house and some amazing food. As always, a fun weekend that went by way too quick. Pictures to follow…
We had a wonderful, long walk in the sunshine this morning. The sunshine has warmed us and made for a great Friday. So happy we’re all feeling better and slowly getting over these colds. :)
Alison ran down a wood bridge and looked at ducks at a park. She kept peaking down to look at the sidewalk while we walked. It made me a little nervous that she could get a finger caught in the wheel! We were gone longer than I thought and are finishing up a very late lunch. Then it’s time for naps while I get around to some chores.
~ Erica
