The year kicked off with a bang for all three of us. After hosting 10 toddlers for a Christmas cookie party, a special surprise building visit from Santa, a week off for the holidays spent in East Hampton and at home, and a quiet New Year's eve spent mostly cooking in preparation for a fun New Year's day brunch we hosted for friends, things actually got busy (ha!) with work, school and activities.
Maya started attending nursery school 3 days a week (instead of the 2 she did in the fall) - in large part because she loves it and the weather has been so miserably cold and wintery that she was far more engaged with her friends, music and yoga class (that's right folks - 2 year olds do yoga, her downward dog is actually really good) and art projects than she was at home cycling through Disney movies that it felt like the right thing to do. Plus it gives me a day alone to run errands :) Never a bad thing.
She also started ballet for 2's at the Long Island City School of Ballet - which is just adorable. Two of our neighbors also attend and the girls get to play with lots of props - wands to put magic on their feet (so that they'll do magic ballet steps) and get to strut their stuff around the room.
She was a disaster the first class (lots of lying on the floor with her eyes closed), much better the second time although a little shy during her solos and apparently very cooperative and motivated for her third class (today, dad went, mom had to work). It definitely requires that they perk up their listening skills to follow all the directions given - no small feat, and a great confidence builder when they realize they can do it. It's been fun to watch her progression in just a few weeks.
We've contemplating doing and easy ski trip with her to a local mountain, but realized it would be a challenge when we trekked her through the snow to do some sledding at the Gantry state park near our apartment and she wasn't too thrilled - until she figured out the sledding part, that was fun! Might need to wait till next year, although Brian is itching to take her.
Brian's been busy at work but pleased with his year's performance and looking forward to projects on the horizon. I continue to work part-time and from home which has been a great arrangement. We're gearing up to go to Disney World for 5 days in March which we are really looking forward to. Maya will surely be on princess heaven - overload and it should be a lot of fun. My parents in true retired fashion are spending 2 months in Uruguay, the warmest months of the year there and rounding off their travels with a trip to Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.
Now if we could only get NY to thaw - but by the looks of it another Northeaster is just around the corner. Stay warm folks!
