It was so exciting for us to start ballet, it felt like forever when we first signed up and had to wait for classes to begin. Cristiana was so excited but didn't know what to expect and least of all, she didn't expect me to leave her there while I waited outside. The studio so graciously offers this wonderful free ballet class for 2 year olds. Monica and Amelia shared this with all of us and we were lucky enough to get in (there's always a waiting list since it is a free class), but mom's are not allowed inside the studio during the class, I unfortunately didn't prep Cristiana for this since I thought it being the first class we would be allowed in, it was a surprise to me too. With all that, she did SO great on her own. Didn't even cry when I left, a bit surprised and looked like she was about to get upset but was quickly over it once class began. She danced and had a great time (the window has a semi see-thru curtain so you can get a quick peek at what's going on). We bought her ballet shoes that afternoon and she was ready for class the following Monday. The following Monday after ballet we took the girls to a local Ice cream shop and they played in a sitting area right next door to the ice cream shop. Cristiana really seems to Love ballet, what can I say, dancing is in her blood.
We had a great time celebrating with The Grant Fam and all their friends for Joe's birthday. Cristiana played in the pool, played with Ava and some new friends and even curled up under a blanket w/Ava. She ended the night with some yummy ice cream cake. We had a great time and it's always so nice to hang out Grants.
Just a few pics of Cristiana and Ava having fun together. These girls get even funnier together everytime. They enjoyed time in the pool, playing dress up, and bowling (which they didn't seem to understand very well). Lots of laughs!
We headed to Longwood for a fun story time w/ Kristin and Ava. Unfortunately we got lost and ended up missing 90% of the event but we decided to have a picnic lunch @ Big Tree (which I've been wanting to visit for a while) and got a shot of the girls standing in front of "The Senator" which is a 3,500 year old Bald Cypress that is 118ft tall with a circumference of 35ft (it's the state's largest cypress). They look so tiny next to that tree. It was a pretty cool sight to see.
I have to say that this age so far is my favorite! They do such funny and cute things. Here she is playing a concert for her "friends" which she placed so nicely on top of their "house" so that they could listen to her play. Should have caught this on video!
This summer Cristiana was able to take part in a 3 wk, once a week educational program called the Cub Club @ the Central Florida Zoo. The kids read animal books, pretended to be animals, sang animal songs, and the best part of all was experiencing the animals that came to visit them in the classroom, some of which they were able to touch such as a bunny, an opossum, and a few other visitors. After every class we enjoyed the zoo, which Cristiana has a deep love for (hmmm..I wonder who she got that from.), my little future biologist/zoologist. On our way out of the zoo, the girls got to enjoy the little train, which always seemed to be a big hit. Great educational memories, what more can you ask for?
Jaime had to travel to Fort Lauderdale for a few days so of course we joined him for the trip. My mom was able to meet us up there and we had a great time together. Cristiana LOVES her "Lela" and was so happy to play with her. We visited the mall and rode the carousel and just spent some good quality time together. On our trip down and back up we made sure to stop at the rest stops so Cristiana could visit the potty and she did, but THANK GOD for our travel potty (Potette Plus Potty), that thing has been a life saver because she always needed to go for a second time when there was no rest stop in sight and she always needed to do #2. I don't know what we would have done on this trip without that wonderful invention. She has also gotten a lot easier to travel with (for the most part). As long as we leave Fort Lauderdale around lunch time she'll usually nap a good portion of the ride home and she stays pretty entertained on the ride down with all the things I bring her. We still have trouble napping once we check into the hotel, but I guess that's expected for a toddler whose excited to be somewhere else.
Still learning how to use our new camera, so bare w/me with some of the shots that may look the same.
