Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Christmas in California
We had a great trip to California to see the Eisenberg side of the family. This picture shows all six grandchildren, plus 3 parents. Others not pictured are Daniel, Sarah, Louis, David, Oma (Helene) and Opa (Robert). Eve and Ella were giddy around their cousins, just like they were in Pennsylvania over Thanksgiving. Eve has been taking her pretend play to a new level of sophistication. She especially likes to be the parent figure. A funny example: she created a scenario where she was the mommy and Oma was the baby, and when Oma said something, she scolded Oma, "No, babies can't talk!" Eve clearly likes to be in charge most of the time, although she also enjoys playing the baby role at times (undoubtedly as a result of seeing the attention Ella often gets). Meanwhile, Ella is still on the cusp of walking--she has taken a couple shuffle steps, and she can stand for 30+ seconds. Ella has also started saying more distinct things, especially "Ma-ma-ma-ma," which is usually in the context of wanting Mommy and/or food, "Da-dee" (can reject the null hypothesis that this is uncorrelated with the presence of Daddy at p=0.08), and "ba-ba-ba" (cannot reject the null hypothesis that this is completely random).
Sunday, December 11, 2011
stars align
On December 10, 2011, Ella and Eve smiled and looked at the camera at the same time. The earth shook and the moon twinkled. Haley's comet felt a twinge of jealousy.
rewind a couple months
A few pictures from back in October and November...the first two are at the Toledo Zoo, where we will be returning many times.
Friday, December 9, 2011
visit to Tulls' house
Over Thanksgiving we visited Rebecca, Travis, Samuel, Luke, and Gwen in Somerset, PA. The 5.5 hour drive went well both ways, although Ella made her displeasure known a few times. Somerset is a beautiful rural location in the foothills of Western Pennsylvania, and Rebecca and crew were wonderful hosts. Probably the best part of the trip was seeing Eve so engaged in play with her older cousins (Samuel is 5, Luke is approaching 4.) They did a lot of pretend play, especially related to swimming pools and food preparation (though not necessarily in combination?). Samuel was especially attentive and patient with Eve, and was even willing to let Eve lead the show at times. This bodes well for our trip to California in a couple weeks, when Eve will be able to play with more cousins. Below is a picture Rebecca took of Eve with Samuel and Luke.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
another update from school teacher
from another of Eve's teachers today:
Hello all!
This morning Lali Bee, George and Eve did some great dramatic play together! It was the first time we've seen the three of them playing exclusively together, and so focused on a story of their own design. They creatively made use of our wooden boat/stepping toy as a dinner table, and all sat down together. Lali Bee was the mommy, Eve was the daddy and George was the baby. George was happily playing his part but if anyone said out-loud that he was the baby, he was quick to remind them "I'm not a real baby!" Lali Bee set the table for Eve and George and told them "okay, time for dinner!" Then she did some work around the house with her screwdriver, occasionally checking back to make sure they had what they needed. Eve looked very intently at the food and began holding it very close to her mouth, soon deciding maybe she should go have some real snack!
This went on for about 15 minutes without any teacher direction- the three of them smiling and having a great time together. It is very exciting to see them cooperating as a group, even though they have not worked closely together in the past. Their abilities to create new stories independently of a teacher's influence, and sustain the play independently, are really expanding as we experiment with new materials and develop new friendships.
Have a great day!
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
note from teacher
Every now and then Eve's teachers send us a note about her activities at school. Here is the latest example:
Dear Daniel and Martha,
Eve was very intent exploring the beans and measuring tools yesterday. She used the scoops, spoons, cups and bowls of different sizes. During her investigation it was necessary for her to negotiate for materials and take turns using all the items. Not an easy task when you are 2 ½ (almost 3!). She commented on the sounds the beans made when they hit the bottoms of the different bowls and poured and scooped with abandon.
I took a few pictures of her and I wanted to point out the last one. It is a little blurry but it reveals Eve’s creative use of the materials. She scooped beans into the beaker, put the beaker into the bowl and then balanced the measuring scoop on the top. This was her own idea that was inspired during the play. She smiled and was quite satisfied with her creation. This event lasted less than one minute and she continued on with her discovery.
Enjoy the photos!
Jennifer
Monday, October 31, 2011
Trick or Treat!
new cousin Gwen
The cousins keep on coming...on October 30th, Gwenyth (Gwen) Anna Tull was born to Rebecca and Travis. Now the cousin count stands at 10 total (including our two), with 6 boys (Elijah, Samuel, Luke, Eli, Aaron, Zachary) and 4 girls (Eve, Ella, Camille, Gwen). Congratulations to Rebecca, Travis, Samuel, Luke, and Gwen!
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
school field trip to Farmer's Market
A nice feature of Eve's school is that the teachers post pictures and updates to a website that parents can view.
Monday, September 26, 2011
high on life
Ella had a good time visiting Martha's family in Arkansas a couple weeks ago. Thanks to Oma Bailey for these pictures.
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