Maya's first trip to the beach!

We were not expecting that Maya's first trip to a beach would be in May, nor did we think it would be in Nahant, however, it was!  She LOVED it!!  

Maya never made it into her bathingsuit and she didn't care.  She dug in the sand, she tasted a little of it, went in the water, took a cozy nap under the covering of a deep sea colored beach towel and even tested out her big sister's sunglasses.  

We all cannot wait for the next warm day to head to the beach again!  What fun!

SURPRISE Sabba!

Yes his birthday is about a month away, but all the more reason to surprise him with a special gift!  An in home concert with none other than his favorite MOOCK!  

Samantha and Derek came in town for the long weekend and Jenna wanted to show them her new t-ball, or as she calls it her "softball, just like Daddy's."  Sabba joined them out in the front yard and all of a sudden this tall backpack carrying man approached and asked "Are you Jay?"  Stunned and astonished, he replied "Yeah!?"  It was Allistair Moock!!  He introduced himself to Jay/Dad/Sabba, and he responded "I KNOW!"  His birthday/Father's Day gift was a surprise as we had planned!  Jenna kept the exciting secret for nearly 1 1/2 months!!!!  

The afternoon was spent enjoying various familiar songs, some new ones and chatting away with a new friend.  The intimate gathering was just perfect!  A memory for all of us to treasure.

We capped off the afternoon with drinks and apps with Moock and then Ashley and Brian joined us for a bbq dinner.  It was perfect weather, perfect entertainment and perfect company.  What more could we have wanted?  Happy birthday and Father's day!

It's time for...

A BIG GIRL BED!!!!!

Upon Jenna's request last weekend, she is now sleeping in her brand new, "BIG GIRL BED!"  Mommy and Daddy are usually super organized, however, we opted to make said change on one of the busiest days.  We also neglected to purchase bedding in advance or check to see if the crib Jenna had been happily sleeping in since 10 weeks old, converted into a toddler bed or a twin bed.  

One of the few perks of getting up as a family at 5 am on a Saturday, is being able to accomplish A LOT!!!!!  By 10 am, Jenna's new TWIN bed was built, sans mattress, however, there was bedding awaiting it's arrival.  With a quick run to test out various mattresses at Baby Furniture Warehouse in Reading, Jenna opted for the "pillow top" style-ironically what Mommy and Daddy have.  The mattress was hauled upstairs by Daddy at 11:30 and by 12:30, the new bed was made with the brand new owl sheets, blanket and pillows and Jenna was out cold by 12:45 for her nap.  Talk about cutting it close!  :)

So far, three days down and all is the same.  Jenna still wakes up with the birds in the morning and wants a few extra visits from Daddy before she falls asleep at night.  Mommy and Daddy wish for only a few small requests regarding the change; 1-Jenna does not become an owl and not sleep at night, 2-Jenna does not figure out how to get out of her bed or better yet that she CAN get out of her bed on her own, and 3-Jenna enjoys her bed for years to come!

Jenna and her "key bank!"

Jenna and Daddy have a very predictable bedtime routine.  One of Jenna's most favorite parts is doing her "key bank."  What is that you might ask?  Her "key bank" aka a "piggy bank" has been a wonderful chance for Daddy to teach Jenna all of the coins names and help her learn their different characteristics to allow her to recognize them.  

Check out the video clip-Mommy maybe the teacher by trade, but Daddy can clearly hold his own!!

Maya CRAWLING for the first time!!!!

It is less than graceful and not a race across the room by any stretch of the imagination, but our little Maya Blake is learning to CRAWL!

Keep your eyes out for the few moments of greatness!  She's getting there and wants to be on her belly ALL the time now!

GO MAYA GO!

Jenna Counting and Singing ABC's

Jenna has a love of and ear for music.  She hears songs a few times and commits them to memory.  When you don't make a big fuss about it, or catch her when she doesn't know, you can get a priceless piece of her talents.

Jenna's counting has progressed from 1-5 to now 1-15ish-missing a few numbers between 6 and 9 most times, but hey?!

May Candids

What precious little ladies!

7 Months Old!

Maya has reached 7 months old now and is a totally different person!  She is rolling ALL over the place and now trying to crawl!  Maya is determined to get places, by rolling, by squirming, by any attempts possible.  

Meal times are now quite different too; we are offering Maya 3 meals of solid foods a day and she is LOVING it!  Maya also enjoys eating "real" bananas.  She clearly wants to eat more grown-up foods than we are giving her-slowly we are beginning to try new foods.  Top choices are pears, apples and either combined with blueberries.  Maya does not like certain foods and when she doesn't like them, it is pretty tough to get her to eat them!  Our easy going little lady has her preferences.  :)  

An addition to eating solids would be Maya newfound love of SPITTING!  Usually with a mouthful of food.  She smiles afterwards, knows it is funny and adorable and really likes when Jenna mimics her!  

Maya also has found her voice--she loves to say "BE BE BE BE!" and "BA BA BA BA!"  (Jenna thinks she is calling her name!)  :)

Needless to say, we are so eager to see what the world has in store for Maya!