MEME! ORRRR!

These are two Simon's most recently acquired words, his versions of "beans" and "corn".

Thanks to Grandpa Steve, Simon has spent the majority of the past week playing in his new sensory bins--one filled with soybeans, and one with feed corn. For several days it was the first thing he asked to do in the morning, and every time we came home from being out, and after eating every meal or snack. The novelty has worn off a little in the past few days, but it remains his current favorite activity--thanks Grandpa!

Simon has also enjoyed another new play item: his own little kitchen! We just recently pulled out the Party Kitchen:

This was originally Aunt Karlie's, who received it from her parents when she was just a toddler. So, coming from circa 1988, it is dated in some ways...most of the "new-fangled" toy kitchens on the market now have buttons to push that make noises, or light up, and microwaves are pretty standard these days too--all features the Party Kitchen lacks. But this just goes to show that classics never die, and all the bells and whistles aren't necessary: Simon loves it. It has a sink, a cupboard/dishwasher (two doors open like a cupboard, but above them there's a sticker with 'buttons' labeled as if it were a dishwasher), stovetop, oven, coffee pot, telephone, and fold out table. We have some dishes for it (also Karlie's hand-me-downs), but no cookware or food (yet). But Simon doesn't seem to mind or notice, as his pretend play isn't really that advanced yet. He likes to take the coffee pot and "pour" it, to pretend to drink from the cups, and to put the dishes in and out of the cupboard--most often, he likes to put them all in the soybeans or corn! And he will take the phone and hold it up to his ear, as he does his toy cellphone.

The only real problem we've encountered so far with our party kitchen is the same problem Simon has experienced with the toy kitchen at his ECFE class: he loves playing in water and washing dishes with us SO much, that twice now he has been reduced to tears when we "won't" (can't) actually turn on the faucet for him! But that is not the kitchen's fault, of course...thanks for the hand-me-down Aunt Karlie, and long live the Party Kitchen!