Vendor

There are lots of vendors wandering around with things for sale, but this guy has a particularly impressive load.

Banana Tree

This is a common sight around here. Did you know that each stalk can produce only 1 bunch of bananas before it dies?

Mama and Me

I think Abbie looks a lot like me. What do you think?

Me at 3 months

Abbie at 3 months

Me at 6 months

Abbie at 5 months

I love how the poses are so similar in these last two pictures! I didn't even pose Abbie that way on purpose; it wasn't until I was looking through her pictures that I remembered seeing a similar one of me.

Since I last wrote, my language classes have been going much better! The main reason for this change is that Abigail is now firmly on a regular 4-hour eating schedule, which means that she can stay home and get her afternoon nap instead of going with me to class. Woohoo! She is a much happier baby when she gets her sleep, and I am a much happier mama when I have some concentrated study time. 

Toby had some trouble when I first started going to class. He wasn't used to being away from me so frequently. I really wouldn't have picked up on his feelings except that his favorite book for several weeks was "Llama Llama Misses Mama." Jonathan said he had to read that book several times in a row one afternoon! He's gotten used to the routine now and sometimes likes to pretend that he's going off to school.

All set for class, just like Mama

He's got my school bag, my sandals, and my umbrella. I love it that he already knows outings here must include an umbrella in case of rain. (His mis-matched outfit? I have no idea. Maybe he picked out his clothes that day.)

He still loves to arrange things in creative and interesting shapes. One afternoon we discovered him happily creating this piece of artwork. Yes, he really did arrange those letters all by himself! I have no idea what made him think of that.

So proud of his artwork!

Our next-door neighbors have a little boy in elementary school. He loves to play with Toby, and Toby thinks this little guy is the coolest! The boys go back and forth to each other's houses, and R watches out for Toby as most older kids do with the younger ones. Toby thinks it's great fun to watch R play and sing with his drum.

 Abbie is a little sweetheart. She's full of smiles and giggles. She adores her papa and older brother and has a hard time concentrating on eating if they are doing fun things nearby. She has started to notice music and gets a big grin on her face when I sing to her. She's also a very wiggly baby! I have a hard time changing her diaper because she twists and turns so much.

Thank you, Dr. Suess!

The past few weeks have been rough for me. I've been taking language classes several afternoons a week, but it hasn't been working out for me to leave Abbie at home while I'm in class. (I've been working on tweaking her schedule to make sure that she won't get hungry while I'm gone, so hopefully I'll be able to leave her home soon.) As you might imagine, a 5-month-old baby does not make it easier to concentrate in class, especially since Abigail is a social butterfly and very skilled already at getting people's attention. :-)

As it turned out, Jonathan and I finished up our units at the same time even though we're in different classes. Since we get a few days off after a test, it was really exciting to think that we might have time to take the kids to a nearby zoo or work on some projects that we don't usually have time for. Alas, Jonathan and I both got sick the very first day of our mini-vacation (also the only day we could go to the zoo). What a bummer! I'm so glad that we could spend our day resting instead of trying to study though.

In other news, I have acquired a baby sling the local women use. Abbie and I both like it, but I haven't figured out how to put it on by myself.

That thumb makes a great toy!

Toby loves his "Dr. Seuss' ABC's" book. One of his favorite pages is the "P" page, which says, "Papa's in the pail." Since we call Jonathan "Papa," Toby thinks that is so fun! One day he randomly decided it was his turn to get in the pail.

Toby's in the pail!

Abbie wasn't sure what to think of that idea.

Family Picture

This is our family in May 2011. Toby is 2 years old, and Abbie is 5 months old. We took this picture at a beautiful little park just about 10 minutes walk from our house.