Otherwise we've had a fun month. Madeline spent two weeks in preschool summer camp and the other two at home with me during the week. We had lots of fun together, and now that preschool's out for the rest of the summer we have a long list of fun summer activities to keep us busy through August.
Madeline has been great this month. It's been a long and gradual process, but the 'tude she was so good at wielding during her late-1s and 2s has subsided. It's not that she was a bad kid, obviously, but we now know that the Terrible Twos is not just a myth. But the last few months have just been, well, easier. She's still having some trouble at bedtime, but from what I've heard that's a pretty common issue with kids her age. But we've even been making progress there in the past week or two.
Something that hasn't subsided is Madeline's interest in all things space. She's still acquiring an encyclopedic mastery of information about the planets and the solar system. As a tangent to that, she's also becoming familiar with global geography. I got a 12-inch globe earlier this year, thinking she would find it interesting. Sure enough, she can spend a long time checking it out and describing to her dolls where certain countries are located and where imaginary people live. She knows some real things, too - like where we live and the locations of Australia, China, the Equator, the north and south poles and, oddly, Namibia.
Here are some pictures from the month:
Madeline participated in a July Fourth pageant at her preschool. After observing the first song or two, she actually participated in later numbers, both vocally and physically.
She enjoyed getting decked out in her red, white and blue accessories for the occasion.
Madeline tried out the hula hoop at a neighborhood picnic.
After our original Brian the Goldfish didn't make it past the first night last month, we got a new one. Happily, he's still thriving a month later.
Madeline and Papa share a story.
Madeline was so excited about the annual summer visit from our cousins. So excited that cousin Noah started feeling a little, um, crowded.
Much of the visit was spent playing in the backyard with the soccer ball and the swingset. Fun was had by all.
Madeline and Mommy got to enjoy a quiet kayak ride together on the neighborhood lake.
Madeline and cousin Caleb enjoyed creating many gustatory delights in Madeline's kitchen.
Madeline points out the location of some imaginary friend's house on the globe.
To help foster Madeline's love of space, I pulled out the telescope for her to check out. Of course, it's hard to see much of space during the daytime, and it doesn't get dark until an hour after she's in bed for the night, and she doesn't even know how to close one eye to peek through the viewfinder. But maybe this winter when the days are shorter we'll have a chance to see some celestial objects together.Madeline burns off a little energy during the lull between bathtime and bedtime.
