odds & ends

..we went to an mbira potluck at our friends Josh & Sabrina's house last week. I'm including a few photos of Nile & Aloka playing. It was a really fun night, I have really enjoyed getting to know a bit more about the mbira through Sabrina. It's really beautiful instrument and the sound of several of them playing simultaneously in one room is really magical. I've also got some fun videos from that night but for the moment i can't get them off of my camera.

While we were down in Washington for the wedding we picked up a "Learning Tower" for Nile. It's an amazing toy / device that allows the child to be at counter-level with you while you're cooking or doing dishes. He is completely in love with it & calls it "my house". Every time he sees me heading to the kitchen he rushes up into it & says "Mamma! Nile help cooooking!". Lately he's been peeling lots of garlic (his favorite thing to do. strange, i know), and also "washing" dishes, which basically means playing with water in the sink. Having him in the tower sure beats having to cook dinner with him on my hip, which is what i was doing until recently because he is so inquisitive and wants to be involved in EVERYTHING. I bought the Learning Tower at: www.joujoubaby.com, a great online toy store if anyone is interested.

Nile will be turning two later this month. So, I'm busy trying to plan a fun birthday party for him. Any tips or ideas for a fun second b'day party would be much appreciated...

On a sad note, I'm including a photo of our beloved three-legged pug, Biggie who passed away this week. We really miss him.