Monday we went with our friends from church to the Cincinnati Zoo. It has been fun to take Dima to the zoo this year because he actually pays attention to the animals now. He started making his oh-so-cute-it-is-a-kitty-or-stuffed-animal-that-I-want-to-pet noise when he saw the bears. He probably would have tried to get to them if I was not holding him up so he could see.

They have a really nice children's area that has recently been redone. A great playground where the kids could run while we stopped to rest and eat. Next to the playground are farm animals including a petting area where the kids can go inside the fence and pet small goats and sheep. Dima loved this!!! He kept running from one animal to the next petting them and hugging them and trying to kiss them. (Mommy of course stopped him from kissing!) They even had sinks for the kids to wash their hands that looked like water troughs. So cute!

Last night, we joined our friends for the last concert in the park in Blue Ash. It was all Big Band music. It was great music and fun to watch the older people dancing. I kept trying to imagine what they looked like when they were young and dating or newly married. Dima and Anna liked the music too! Dima was mesmerized by the instruments.

Today I made homemade blue playdoh. I want to try to introduce Dima to different crafts and art stuff. He of course spent the first part of this experience trying to eat it until he finally figured out that it was fun to squish and poke. He hasn't quite got the molding part down but I had fun making different things with it.

Blue is the only color that Dima will say. Sometimes if you ask him to bring his blue car he will bring the right one. I am not sure if he really knows what blue is or if he just has the right car memorized.

Anna had a little milestone yesterday. She has learned how to get herself into a sitting position from a laying position all on her own. She does it all the time now. Sometimes of course even when she is supposed to be going to sleep. It is fun though to watch her roll around and then push herself up all on her own.