3.4 yrs: Astronauts, hiking, and Thanksgiving

This month we settled back into life in Boulder and Colorado.

The museum of nature and science is a favorite place of mine - especially the space area! I like dressing up as a NASA Commander and piloting the ship. There are also all kinds of fun things to do in the discovery zone, like play with lights and move balls around by spinning wheels.

We went to Red Rocks with grandpa and went hiking with him in the flatirons. We visited grandma at her new memory care center.

I actually tried to ski at Brainard Lake - Appa and Amma were holding my hands though since the skis are slippery! Pretty quickly, Appa took me on his back. Truth be told it was a little chilly up there, even with my snow suit on. The mountains were beautiful though.

Over Thanksgiving break, Nicole came up and we played for a few days! She made playdough. We even hung out with Suzy one day and went to the Aquarium downtown Denver. On Thanksgiving itself, we had a good party at Eryn and Steve's house with lots of family. And I hung out with friends (including Kwayedza) at an alternative Thanksgiving party at Nii Armah's house the day after. 

Thank you God for good health, time to play, and family to love.

3.3 yrs: India!, Zurich, and a farm

This month we all had a big adventure - traveling to India! We primarily went for Thambi's mottai (head shaving) and so he could meet family. This was actually my fourth trip to India (first for my mottai, then two other times with Appa).

On the way to India we stopped in Zurich, Switzerland for a few days. This helped us get used to different time zones, have fun in and around the city (especially on all the fun trams), and even see snow leopards (in the zoo). I was sleeping for the fondue and the boat rides though, so I missed those.

In Mumbai, we took a fun boat ride in the harbor and I got to climb the stairs to the top. The wind was especially nice given that it was quite warm. For future reference, using Uber for rides was extremely convenient - Appa just looked them up on his phone and we were off!

Around Pune, the hills (and Appa) showed us interesting and literally cool caves way up on a hillside, crabs walking sideways (& one too baked by the sun!), one snail, butterflies, beautiful flowers, and very green hillsides. Though there were no waterfalls as the monsoon has just ended.

A trip to Shivaji's fort up on a hill showed us a beautiful view (there were also high cliffs in the olden days that were used to thwart enemies or punish wrong doers). Anna Paritosh and I had a lot of fun running around. For future reference on driving in India - the bus always has right of way no matter how crazy his actions (he is big, he wins). Unfortunately our fender hadn't quite learned that lesson (this was a little startling, though Amma was surprisingly relaxed about thambi and I with some freedom in the back seat.)

I really enjoyed a visit to Appa's friends' organic farm outside of Chennai. They had a huge well, banana trees, papaya trees, rice growing, a tool to open coconuts, interesting things to eat, a home they had mostly built themselves, and plenty of open space to play in. We also visited their friend next door (who was still working on his house).

Overnight train was how we traveled from Chennai to Madurai - awesome, non? I was pretty excited and played with kids the bunk over, but eventually had to calm down and slept with Appa on the bunk while Thambi slept with Amma.

My cousin in Madurai had a lot of fun toys to play with: toys that actually pump water, cricket bats (I would also point out when others were playing cricket as we were driving around), bubbles to pop (did you know that bubbles that last much longer in the humid air?), scooters with angular momentum propulsion, and many more. They also had a swing just like the one at Ayyamma's house (which is my favorite!). Plus auntie made my favorite cookies.

We had the chance to visit Kotaikanal up in the mountains. The drive up was beautiful and a little crazy (picture the road to Hana on Maui, but now go up a mountain as well, and then add Indian drivers and the usual mix of buses, cars, and motorbikes). There was a huge waterfall on the way up, the temperatures were 'cool', I went on my first paddle boat trip, got scared by a cow, saw many monkeys, ate freshly roasted corn, 'rode' (or was pushed) on a bike, and even had some local chocolate. Luckily I slept on the way down (while Amma observed our crazy fast driver passing as many people as he could, avoiding the occasional cow on the road when needed).

I thought I would mention the story behind the flute. One time we were out shopping, and periappa Sam bought me a little wooden flute. This turned out to be quite useful because I went off down one aisle by myself and amma and periappa Sam and cousin Mirun found me by my playing the flute. Thereafter, Sam would ask me - where is my flute? And I would tell him 'In the room!' (as I had left it in the room).

The main event (Thambi's mottai and celebration) went quite well. We look alike when you compare us at the same age - check out my photos from my mottai two years ago. I was glad I didn't need to get my head shaved though.

Travel was hard sometimes though. There were times when I missed home (and would let Amma and Appa know that 'I want to go home'). I would act out a bit if tired or hungry. My 'tackle hugs' of thambi weren't always well received. And sometimes Appa and Amma would resort to biscuits, chocolate, or new lightning McQueen sandals for bribes. But we all made it through.

We finished the trip back in Chennai (after another overnight train). I got to visit crocodiles and alligators and even the ocean. There was a LOT of swinging on Ayyamma's swing in her house. And we visited with more of Appa's friends.

Finally, a few of my new or frequent phrases this month are: 'Shoooot!' 'Tam tam' (as I hit a ball with a bat - or at least pretend to). 'Turn left!' 'Green means Go!' ... and "Appa -- mottai! Thambi -- mottai! Kavi? No mottai!" (Check out Thambi's blog for a picture of his freshly-shaven look).

Thank you God for family, trains, scooters, bananas, headphones, running shoes, and brothers.

3.25 yrs: Lake Michigan, many likes, and boats

We kicked the month off with an airplane ride (one of my favorite things) to Michigan to visit Appa's friends from school. I had fun meeting some new people, hanging out with some friends I had met before, eating yummy food, and getting my face painted (first time). The best part was hiking along Lake Michigan with its clear blue waters, warming up to the idea that you could go in it, throwing rocks into the water, and playing (and climbing and hiking) on the nearby sand dunes. I also enjoyed reading maps and trying to figure out where we were hiking.

I like trees. Don likes trees. Barbara likes trees. Corbin likes trees. Isla likes trees. ... Batman likes trees! (you might hear me opine about something along these lines any given day) Or it might be I like hummus! or I like chairs. And one of the cute things I say (per Amma) is No please. Oh and my new word this month is eclipse, for the Blood Moon eclipse that was near the end of the month - it was beautiful and amazing!

Grandpa took me out on a boat in a big big lake (Dillon) up in the mountains one weekend and I had a blast. The weather was perfect, the sky blue, and the wind wasn't too strong. I even got to drive the boat! Plus Grandpa started showing me some knots for the rope, and then we did some pretend fishing with the line.

I really figured out the pedals on my tricycle this month and my cruising on the balance bike increased substantially. Amma even has to run to keep up with me on our way to the McGregor's in the morning.

The McGregor's house is as fun as ever, especially the last week because there were a lot of trucks right out front putting in new pipes in the street!

I started a dance class with my friends Isla and Ara too - it took a while for some of us to warm up, but we stuck together in solidarity until everyone was ready to join the group. We do all kinds of fun world dances.

We are all off to India for most of October - I am so excited!

Thank you God for boats, bicycles, grandparents, fishing, sand, friends, my Thambi, and jumping.

3.2 yrs: Biking, Pike's peak (AND a train), and climbing

I am learning to love the freedom of riding a bike! It is my first one, so it is actually a 'balance' bike (Strider), so it doesn't have pedals. This month things finally clicked for me (I have actually been pushing it around the living room for a year or so) - anyway, now I get it! It was one fine summer evening in North Boulder park where I sat down on the seat and cruised. Now I can't get enough of it. I like to ride it to school pretty much every day. Though coming home I sometimes get tired after picking up Thambi (and Amma carries it the rest of the way home). If I am having a rough morning, Amma just mentions the bike, and I head to the door, grab my helmet, put on my shoes, and sometimes even grab my backpack. Every day I get a little faster, or figure out how to go over bigger bumps in the sidewalk, or figure out how to cruise and go around a corner. It is just awesome. And I started to figure out how to use pedals on my tricycle too! Some more time perfecting these two skills and eventually I can combine them.

At the beginning of the month we all went down to Colorado Springs for a fun triumvirate: hiking around the stunning Garden of the Gods (and getting to crawl through a crack in the rocks), exploring the literally cool (55F) Cave of the Winds with its small chambers and neat stalactites, and the highlight: taking the cog railway waaay up to the tippy top of Pike's Peak (my first 14er!). Rachel and family joined us, and we all had a great time.

As I previewed last month, Nastja (from Germany) visited again for a week after her tour of the west coast. The only downside was that I wanted to get on an airplane when we picked her up and dropped her off at the airport. We had fun around Boulder, checked out ducks in the ponds, enjoyed Meadow Music at Chautauqua, ate yummy food that Ayyamma made, ventured up into the mountains around Brainard Lake, and finished off the week with a trip to the zoo with Grandpa.

A few other highlights from this month include climbing trees at Don and Barbara's house (not too high just yet, but I love it), climbing the ladder at home with my saw to 'trim' the tree, commenting on all of the cranes! and trucks! that are helping build buildings and roads around Boulder, celebrating Grandpa's birthday with Amma and Thambi and Grandma, and going hiking up in the mountains.

Thank you God for cog railways, caves, trees, saws, bicycles, and sunglasses.
 

3.1 years: Tetons, Rockies, and Georgetown

On my birthday proper I was actually up in the Tetons in Wyoming! (I was there for my first birthday as well). We were there for a wedding celebration of Amma's coworker; I enjoyed the music and parties. We also had a great trip taking the Jackson Hole tram to the top of a cool mountain. We saw some para-gliders taking off from the top (and saw them land at the bottom too). Plus there was yummy ice cream on the Fourth of July and other kids with which to play.

For birthday presents, my favorite was a baseball mitt, bat, and a few balls! Appa, Amma, Thambi and I also took the bus to Denver for my first Baseball game (Rockies!). I brought my mitt and watched some of the game, though my favorite part was seeing people swing and hit balls in the batting cages. I received a lot of other neat things as well, including a basketball, a cool book on trains, a rocket that you operate with water (and it shoots waaay up in the sky), magnets, other books, legos, and of course some trains and cars.

Playing with Thambi is lots of fun. We play at home, on the slide in our room, on a pretend train, on Mopy my big stuffed dog, or with big legos. I like to make him laugh.

My first au pair Nastja visited from Germany. It was great to see her again - I hadn't seen her since I was 15 months old, and even that was a short visit in Frankfurt (she took care of me from 3 months to 7 months). She was here for one week in July and we got to do a lot of fun things together. The first of which was to go on the Georgetown train, a favorite of mine! (I think she enjoyed the beautiful scenery in the mountains, the fun train trip, as well the mac-n-cheese for lunch.) She comes back for one week in August too.

We had a big birthday party for me and Thambi. Everyone was there. We celebrated in Martin Park with the playground right there. Appa, Ayyamma, and Chittappa cooked food for us. And Saori made cakes for me and Thambi. There were water guns to play with, and I only lost one balloon. Pretty awesome.

Check out the photo below with my helmet and spacepack on - I am all ready for takeoff! We visited the Museum of Nature and Science and I liked the space section a lot. My rocket that I mentioned earlier contributes to this fun exploration, as does Don when he tells us about space.

Thank you God for baseball, trams, friends, trains, Amma, Appa, and Thambi.

3 years! Vocations, camping, and crayfish

I tried out a few different callings this month. For example: handyman or builder. I like to take apart a new airplane I received and try to put it back together. Or build men or animals with my new legos. They are building a house near to Don and Barbara's house - I love watching it go up and it inspires me. I put a screwdriver in my pocket, grab a saw, and complete my ensemble with work goggles. In a similar vein, I also enjoy tree trimming (and climbing ladders to get to the trees).

Another combination I tried out was chef and waiter. I try to be creative with foods (cracker? cracker and cheese? cookie? dosai?) and warn the eater if it might be too hot. One evening when we were camping, I kept Appa and Amma up for quite a while going back to the car (kitchen) for the food and delivering the air food to their hands.

I might just be a Star Wars fighter though, because I enjoy sparring.

As I previewed above, we went camping twice this month. Tents are just awesome. We also went with other families so I could play a bunch. Some people brought fun things like bubbles to play with. And then there was hiking near a cool river, petting llamas, getting sprayed from a lovely waterfall, enjoying fires and even more the Smores. We even saw a real live moose (though it was a little far away)!

Don showed me how to catch a crayfish from the stream (Bear Creek). You can use nets and get them from the area near the bridge (near the playground). It is important to watch out for their little snappers though!

A few other highlights from this month included getting to drive a big huge truck and sit in a helicopter at "Touch a truck" day, racing little boats with Grandpa on his stream, playing with Thambi at home, and wearing my backpack to school.

My 3-year stats were as follows: 30.5 lbs (30%) and just over 3 feet tall (36.75").

Thank you God for goggles, light sabers, backpacks, tents, friends, trucks, boats, and brothers.

2.9 yrs: Numbers, Ayyamma, and BASEBALL

I pretty much know my numbers. You might hear me spontaneously erupt into 6-7-8-9-10! Though on the rare occasion five may come after two. I like to try and teach these to Thambi, but especially like showing him the names for nose, eyes, ears, and mouth.

Ayyamma is back in town, which is great. Especially because it means I get to eat dosai! Yum yum yum. And lots of mambalam (mango)! And other good things like samba and various chutneys. She also looks after me sometimes on Fridays, which I like.

I really love where I spend my weekdays - at Don and Barbara McGregor's. I like to tell Don about all of my ideas. We go hunting for worms if it is wet out (one day we counted over 100 worms just on the way to Don and Barbara's!), and then we go fishing with them (and even eat the fish!). Sometimes we get out fun things like capes and masks and I can play pretend Batman. We sing a lot of songs too, including of course our ABCs, which as a group we sung back to all of the parents when the 5-year olds in our group 'graduated' as they are off to kindergarten next year. I will continue on, but now there are starting to be younger kids there for the summer. At Don and Barbara's I made this cool handprint in cement for Amma for Mother's Day. Amma likes it a bunch.

My language skills developed a lot this month. As did my ability to say cute things like "aaawww" when looking at baby cows. I can ask Amma if she will roll the window down when we are driving. Some of my favorite words and things are cranes, cement truck (or mixer), and tractor. And other new words this month include oil well and sprinkler, which I learned on our drive out east to the Wild Animal Sanctuary (this was a pretty cool place where we saw lots of lions, tigers, black bears, grizzly bears, and more). 

One of the things I am partial to is baseball! It started maybe a month and a half ago when I saw some baseball on the TV at a restaurant. At home I asked for a mitten, and Amma found some really big mountaineering gloves that work pretty well as a glove. I do this cute thing where I get in an athletic stance and then slap my hand into the mitt, getting ready for the ball to come. I complete my ensemble with long socks that have stripes on them, shiny blue pants with stripes on the sides (thanks Uncle Chris!), and my hat. Sometimes I will even 'ask' to sleep in my pants, or even wear them a second day in a row. I love throwing the ball. Oh and one night we saw a t-ball game at the nearby park which was fascinating, but I mostly liked it because I got to try on a helmet, borrow a real glove, and throw the ball with Amma.

Of course there were a few fun times with trains too. The first was a small loop train ride at the zoo, and while there we enjoyed seeing the usual suspects of giraffes, monkeys, elephants, and more. Oh and there was this girl in a baseball uniform that I decided it made sense to follow for a while (since she had good taste in activities). The second train experience was heading up to the model train museum in Greeley. There was this tiny steam engine that went through tunnels and over bridges and by cities. It was quite cool. And there were even real live trains outside that we saw twice (technically three times) - they were carrying long wind turbine blades that were beautiful, and so long they even spanned two cars.

We rounded out the month with a Ferris wheel ride along the Boulder Creek (my first), dancing to salsa music and eating Ghanaian food at Nii Armah's, and enjoying Indian cuisine with friends.

Thank you God for bears, capes, baseball, and family.

April: Baby goats, thambi, and a duck race

It is springtime. Or so says the calendar. Amma says that so much rain isn't very usual. Anyway, springtime means little things appear everywhere. Little flowers, little cows. And baby goats, baby goats! We got to go to a goat farm and see a bunch of really cute little baby goats (3 weeks old and even two that were 1 week old). They were hopping around a bunch, trying to climb things. There was even this little race with kids (the goat kind) and kids (the human kind); however someone ran into me, which wasn't that fun. Maybe I'll try again next year though.

I have more and more fun hanging out with little Thambi too. We had a lovely Easter where we got dressed up for church (actually I even got to have two cool outfits that day, including one with a little hat), Thambi was baptized, we had a nice brunch at Amma's house, and then went to great Aunt Eryn's for a big family party. The highlight of that party was getting to search for a bunch of Easter eggs! (Though Amma learned not to buy play doh yet for me...)

Were you wondering what I did related to trains this month? I got to go to the train museum in Golden with Grandpa (and amma and thambi)! It is such a cool place. We of course watched the little trains race around the track a bunch, but my favorite was exploring the red caboose near the roundhouse. No one else was in there (and it was even a little dusty), so we got to go all around it and even climb way up high and look out the windows. Nearby I got to explore something else that looked like a crane and even got my hands goopy. Grandpa also showed me how to turn a bunch of brake wheels and we looked at a bunch of couplings.

Recently I've been interested in Batman. And I got a pretty cool play Batman who is actually not so little; it probably stands around two feet high. He has this cool cape and can fly around places like my room or the back yard. Occasionally I take him to sleep with me, but that spot is usually held tightly by Moosie.

Finally, since the creek was running strong, we raced little plastic ducks in the river! This was really fun - basically Isla, Nima, and I threw our ducks in the river upstream and the moms (mostly Shannon and Mariko) caught them downstream, though sometimes they got caught in little eddies (I think the moms involved decided that the whole thing was a lot of fun and a little dangerous).

Thank you God for springtime, for little flowers, little brothers, and for water.

2.75 yrs: Trains, mittens, and flashlights

The big thing this month was that we all took a train ride throug the mountains to Winter Park - we even made the front page of the Denver Post (see the middle photo below)! We went through 28 tunnels, including the Moffat tunnel at the end. I got to try on my friend Emily's helmet (even if it was pink), play in an old train playground, warm up at the fire (even if it was already pretty warm), and go on a short gondola ride a few times. Appa and I went tubing too, which was a bunch of fun (and included time on a magic carpet ride).

I believe I perfected sliding down the big curly slide at the park - I cruise down this thing forward, head first (like superman), or can flip mid-slide. I am practicing for self-arrest flips on snow someday.

Encouraging words are good. So I like to use them, such as: Faster Amma! (when we are driving) Good job Amma! (for example when she dries off with a towel) Thank you Amma. (this one comes in handy most days, and can be used for anything from getting me water or food to handing me Moosie before our walk to the McGregor's.) I am also getting better at my numbers and working on my letters.

In case you are ever in need of them, socks work mighty well as mittens. Now Thambi's socks are a pretty good size for this, but my socks work fine as well. The only trick is getting the second one on, and sometimes Amma helps with this one (and the phrase above "Thank you Amma" comes in handy yet again). I guess this trick is another good one to store for the mountains (in case you loose your actual mittens).

We went on a hike up Mount Sanitas on a beautiful spring day, and my friend Mila (and her dad) came with us too. I made it about two-thirds of the way up hiking on my own, then Appa graciously carried me in the backpack to the summit. Amma learned that it is a good idea to bring apples in addition to bars on a hike.

Thambi continues to be fun, though not quite yet as resilient and I would wish for. Someday I bet he will be pretty tough, but for now if he falls over he cries, so Amma holds him or tries to show me how to hug him and be gentle at the same time.

I hung out with Grandpa, Grandma, and uncle Chris one day. I got to help out Grandpa with a little project at home, and he brought me a flashlight (that was amma's back when she went to camp in middle school). This is pretty awesome, but somehow I see it strangely dissapearing in the near future.

Thank you God for Thambi, for big slides, for friends, for Appa and Amma, and, of course, for trains.

Have you ever...shot the sun?

Have you ever tried putting a carrot on your nose? You should. That's how the snowmen do it.

Have you ever tried jumping off a rock? You should. That's how you have fun on hikes (like when we went all the way to Royal Arch). Though I must admit that it is best to be holding onto your appa's hand (or that of another trusted friend) so you don't fall flat on your face or loose your balance.

Have you ever been so high up in the air that you just couldn't believe it? You should try it. The roads and cars and trucks and houses and rivers are really tiny. It is almost like you are on a rocket! I got to sit next to the window on an airplane when Appa and I went to Atlanta to visit some friends for a weekend. I also was the guest of honor there and had fun.

Have you ever listened to the music in your head or the singing of Kristin or Amma and couldn't help but dance? You should try letting loose. It took me a while to warm up to African singing and dancing with Nii Armah, but Amma and I had a lot of fun with the moms and babes (Tuu wah, tuu wah, mambana tuu wah tuu wah. Awah awah awah a tu, awah a tu).

Have you ever shot the sun? Grandpa has (and Amma too). Grandpa showed me his sextants including the one he used to sail to Hawaii! Maybe some day we will get to shoot the sun.

Have you ever felt so comfortable in the snow you decided to make it your home? With my McGregor's friends we built a cool snow fort that even had a tunnel entrance. As a bonus, you could jump off the wall. We also had fun sledding - I even carried my sled up the big hill at the high school!

Have you ever taken a toy away from a baby? Okay maybe this is one you shouldn't try. I am being helped to figure out that you should try to avoid this, but if you do take one you should give another one in return. And happily most of the time I bring new toys to Thambi Mano. He is also fun to spin in his little Exersaucer, to sit with in his crib listening to music, and to hug.

Have you ever climbed up a log? You can pretend that it is a horse and it becomes even more fun.

Have you ever seen a baby gorilla tease its parents or uncle? I got to see one do this at the mountainside zoo (in Colorado Springs) and it is quite fun. There were also elephants (yanni yanni yanni!) eating. Oh and a whole lot of giraffes, plus tigers and lions who were roaring. And ... a huge Moose! My moosie still comes with me daily for my nap and I sleep at night with him (along with a new addition - my little Buzz Lightyear spaceman).

Have you ever climbed up a rock? It is pretty fun to do, but you should be careful because it can be slippery sometimes. We visited pretty rocks (Garden of the Gods) and I got to hike around and climb some rocks.

Have you ever encouraged your Appa to "Sit here!" or your Amma to "Sing!"? I guess making your wishes known is generally a good thing. Most of the time the requests are honored, though not always (which I suppose is a good thing for me in the long run, but at the time can be quite frustrating if I really want that piece of cake, for example).

Have you ever had a playdate with your friend? I recommend them highly. I had fun hanging out with King Bailey (see the picture below). And in case you didn't know, I am the Muffin Man.

Thank you God for red rocks, for the spirit of trying new things, for singing and dancing, and for Thambi, Appa, and Amma.

P.S. Don't try to eat a candle. They don't taste very good.

January: Rockets, blanket forts, and snow

The first half of the month I was still in India. Appa and I had all sorts of fun visiting family and friends in Chennai, Madurai, and Bangalore. We did a reverse triangle trip from the way we went on my first trip to India (back in October 2013). In Ayyamma's house there is even a swing inside! Plus it is big so I got to swing on it with my cousin Shukthika as I mentioned last time (check out the video). There were plenty of three of my favorite things on this trip: airplanes, trains, and fruit.

 

When we returned, Amma was really happy to see us. At the airport, I was so happy to see Thambi that after we went through customs and I saw Amma carrying Thambi I yelled "Thambi!", ran toward them with open arms, and crashed into them to give them a big hug (Amma still smiles remembering it).

As a family, we all got dressed up to go into the snow, drove into the mountains (to Brainard Lake), and went hiking in the snow. Actually I was going to try my new skis! I watched a video with some people skiing in it and was excited. I put them on in the parking lot, but it was super icy there, so Appa and Amma held my hands (/pulled me) as we went to the snow, but the conditions weren't quite right for me to try it out (instead I had Appa carry me on his back). We will try it out another time.

When I was gone, Amma says I grew some: physically (I'm kind of in between sizes right now) and in my language (I am very good at repeating new things). One of my favorite recent phrases is "dump it!" Like dump the blueberries and raspberries on my plate! Or dump the goldfish in the bowl. I can tell some good stories with this phrase too - like when the trash truck comes and stops and picks up the trash bin and lifts it up and then... (ready?)... it dumps it! Friday mornings are fun. Another few words I like recently are steam and engine, as in the steam that comes out of a engine on a train! Oh and I like to think that there are a bunch of rockets (sounds like rocket-ball) in the sky (though they might just be airplanes).

I like to read before bed under a blanket fort (using the big green blanket). Amma says it gets hot, but it is fun. I like to try and ride Mopy (my big stuffed dog). And I love to wear my safety glasses. When I have them on upside down, I say "Oh noooo, Flip it!"

I like to eat big scoops of peanut butter. And get it from the jar myself. I like to put raspberries on my fingers and then eat them.

I like to wear my hat backward. I like to sleep with Moosie, and he accompanies me daily to the McGregor's. There I continue to have a bunch of fun playing, singing, running, throwing, drawing, experimenting, hiking, listening, scooping, laughing, constructing, dancing, observing, climbing, and imagining. Stick together, big guys help little guys, be kind.

Thank you God for raspberries, trash trucks, and playtime.

December: Hugs, a gingerbread house, and India! (2.5 yrs)

I am a hugger. Amma loves this. I like to hug Appa and Amma and Thambi. And my friends at the McGregor's. Oh and Moosie! Moosie is a new addition to my days and nights (my first 'lovie' that I am attaching to - though Moosie took an extended trip in LA on the way to India, so it is fortunate that Amma found a replacement Moosie at Grandma's house). Anyway, hugs are nice to show love and excitement, share warmth, show that you're sorry and ask for forgiveness. All around great things.

I am also a tiger. Or at least I like acting like one: growling, tilting my head, and walking slowly toward Amma, picking up my knees. This works especially well when I wear my new pajamas that have tiger stripes. Tigers are adventurous and love to play.

I am a runner. I enjoy running in circles around the room (this goes well with the Mulberry bush song as I mentioned last time), or running from tree to tree when walking home from the McGregor's.

Some of my fun new sayings this month were: Cool, Yeahhh!!!!, and "Quiet!"(this last one is funny for Amma because when she is saying something or singing a song that I don't like, I just tell her 'quiet').

December was the season of Advent, culminating in Christmas, though we actually celebrated a little early since Appa and I were in India on Christmas day. We had a beautiful Christmas tree that I liked a lot - it had many shiny balls and sailboats to spin (and break, oops!). We went to church and it was decorated with a million (or so) white lights and everyone was singing good songs.

Amma and I made a gingerbread house over a few days. I love making the dough, where you get to knead, poke, roll, punch, stretch, and roll it (just like making the dough in my book Pizza Party!). I liked eating the gingerbread men cookies we made alongside the house, and of course after we finished decorating the house there was leftover candy!

Me, Amma, and Thambi Mano

I watched a few Christmas-themed movies: Mickey Mouse Christmas and Curious George's Christmas. And when we gathered with grandpa and grandma and opened presents, I got some fun things. Of course the book with Thomas the Train stories (nine of them!) was a hit, the boats for the bath were great fun, and I now have a Lego bear! Also I got some cross-country skis - right away I was trying them in the living room and I look forward to trying them outside in January.

I have fun playing with Thambi (and I am pretty sure that when he is walking we will have even more fun together). Now I bring him a toy if he is crying, get him dizzy in his new exersaucer, and lie next to him when he is on his play mat.

Time at the McGregors continues to enrich me. We spend time discussing time itself, planets, and rotation. We do a lot of singing, eat good (and new) food, play in the snow (building forts and jumping on ice), make music with water glasses, play tennis (at least experiment with racquets), grow little plants (I also like to read the book "The Seed" at home a lot), and create stop motion with strobe lights. We even all wear red hats when it is cold.

I'm getting into the zone where I may not need my afternoon nap. Translation: bedtime is still pretty tough. Amma and Appa were letting things be though since I had a 12-hour time-zone transition ahead of me.

Me on the plane heading to India

Finally, my big adventure this month was that I traveled to India! This was my third trip. Since Thambi is still so little, he and Amma stayed home in Colorado and I went to India with Appa. We went from Chennai to Madurai to Bangalore and met with family and friends. I loved swinging on Ayyamma's swing in her home, especially with Shukthika my cousin. And of course I loved the trains everywhere! I get back to Colorado in early January.

Ayyamma and me in India