Sprung!

The peach trees have decided: it’s spring.

Molly’s been spending a lot of time outside, in part because of the great weather and in part because the girl next door got a hamster.

I found out after Molly and mom got back from a visit. Molly ran up to give me a hug, and offered, helpfully, “When you squeeze hamsters, they poop.” 😀

Molly wants to go play with the girl next door almost all the time now. And she cries when it’s time to leave. Things eased up a little when the girl got a new waterslide — and we bought the “old” one for a song — but it turns out, slides and hamsters notwithstanding, they just like to play together. The other girl’s 4 or so, and I think they’re communicating pretty well.

Here’s Molly getting dressed to go over and visit. She knows exactly how cute she is. 🙂

I was going to offer a few videos of Molly working on her reading with mom, but frankly this one of her “reading” by herself is a lot more fun.

 

…And finally, here she is after a lot of reading, and frankly just before we all konk out for bed. 😀

“Bam! Crash! or Bonk!!”

Sometimes Molly’s “Milestone” kind of moments ease into being. For example, at some time over the past few weeks she’s become really competent in eating cereal and milk with a spoon. No spills, hardly. 🙂

And, for another, she’s gotten pretty good at making shish kebabs without poking herself. Eating them, not as much. But she likes to make them. 🙂

But yesterday she showed some sudden big-kid stuff that pretty much blew me away. Yesterday she went to her first gymnastics class.

And took to it like a fish to water.

It’s for 2-1/2 to 3 year-olds, but since there was only her and one little boy signed up, they’re going to join with the 3-year-old class next time. Not sure how that’s going to go for the little boy, he wasn’t too into things; but for Molly, I expect it’ll be great. Yesterday, with the boy pretty much demurring, it was a one-on-one private class for Molly.

She loved this.

 

After the first little dance, the older instructor left; Molly ran from station to station — “I want to try THIS one!!” — getting help on the basics, and getting into everything. Clearly the instructor was impressed, and having a good time with Molly.

Molly was taking lessons quite well — listening to the instructor, which was something I wasn’t sure she’d go for. But she made me SO proud.

 

Here’s her first go on the bar; she ran over to it, terribly excited.

 

By the time our 45 minutes was up, Molly had mastered grabbing hold, swinging her legs up and flipping off — she’d land on her hands and knees, and go “Wow!!” 😀

Bonus video: Molly’s not only learned how to say a new word, but I think she’s really internalized what it means. Here she’s decided to quiz the scarecrow. 🙂