See the roots and a playdate with Azalea

Check out our peas and green beans! If you click on the picture, you can see the roots too. This was our centerpiece for the past month, and we loved to watch how fast it grew. All of our little peat pots of lentils, corn, pinto beans, etc. were growing so fast the roots were coming out the bottoms, so we donated them to Grandma's and Tio Timo's gardens, where they are growing well. Look at my magenta rhododendrons in the background- I am going to miss my garden so much!!!

We had a fun playdate with our friend Azalea, whose mom was my college roommate and travel buddy when we studied abroad in Spain together. What is funny is that Maya and Azalea are both the youngest, and generally the "boss" of their siblings, usually getting whatever toy they want. So putting them together- they both grabbed onto the baby crib with fierce looks in the eyes and would not release their grip even as they screamed for help. They were not used to such stubborn competition! Both Stacie and I just let them try to figure it out. It's hard because Maya will just grab a toy from Vivi or Tonito, and they know they are not supposed to hit or hurt her, so they usually just move onto something else. There has to be a balance or she will be in for a rude awakening in preschool:). On the flip side, having older siblings is amazing for her speech, her imagination, her knowledge... The way she plays and makes the animals and princesses talk is not like a 21 month old. Oh this is the best- the other day I hear her singing in the family room. She is holding the little mermaid princess on a tower of the castle, and has all of the other princesses in a semicircle "audience." Then she starts singing "aaah-aaah-aaah, aaah-aaah-aaah" (from the Little Mermaid, when she is giving her voice to Ursula). So she keeps singing all day and makes the other princess hug and kiss the Little Mermaid. Then at dinner, I was trying to get her to do it, so I started first, and she yelled at me: "I do dit! Don't do dit mommy! I do dit!" She proceeds to reprimand anyone who tries to sing the Little Mermaid song (including Tonito and Vivi). She's smiling and laughing as she scolds us, but she is pretty serious!