The dog days of winter

Old man winter is here with a vengeance, and keeping us primarily inside the house. Even running errands is a chore. So we've been occupying our days with making tents with a blanket and two chairs, reading books, baking, painting Dora pictures, and play-doh. All fun and worthwhile projects, but we are looking forward to when you don't have to run to get into the store or library. Here are a few photos of Mira lately. The first is of her and her teddy bear Splash. Splash has an interesting history: he used to be a beaver coat that belonged to Mira's great-grandmother. Henny treasured this coat for years and after she passed away, her son (Mira's grandpa) had the coat made into a few teddy bears to give to his grandchildren. He's a special bear that sits high on a shelf and is only taken down once in a while.



This is of Mira and I having a picnic lunch on the floor of the family room. Mira really enjoyed the change of venue for lunch that day, as well as the treat of Doritos!



And this is Chris and Mira bonding on the floor. She brought over her special blanket that Aunt Kelly made, that she takes everywhere and sleeps with every night, and shared it with Daddy.



Hope you are all well and staying warm. Just another week or so and the cold snap breaks!
Love, Michelle

The mind of a 2-year-old

Mira and I were running errands and were at a stoplight. Next to us was a plumbing van with a man bringing a couple of cardboard boxes into a house.

Mira: "Mommy, what's he have in those boxes?"
Me: "I think it's something for their bathtub."
Mira, in a hopeful voice: "Is it rubber duckies?"

So cute to see what a child might think of!

She loves me, she really loves me!

"Mommy?"
"What, Mira?"
"Know what?"
"What?"
"I love you."

Moments like these are so precious! It's so fun to see Mira verbalizing things now. Before it was hugs and kisses, now it's "I love you"s. It's really special to be a mom.

Elmo makes music!

Chris and I took Mira to the Target Center yesterday to see "Elmo Makes Music." It was a really great show and Mira just loved seeing all the Sesame Street characters come to life. She even got a pat on the head from the Count! That made this 2 year old's day! Below are a few photos from the show, including about $3,000 worth of Elmo balloons (they were $8 each, can you believe it?). It was a fun family day out.
Hope you are all well.
Michelle

Mira's "dark" period

I bought Mira some paints and let her try them out today. She was only using the black paint and I said, "Mira, why don't you use the other colors?" She said, "I just want to use the black." I think she's entering her dark goth period. Here is her lovely creation!

Big plans

"I'm going to be a big sister. Then I'm going to help Auntie Kelly, then I'm going to work!"

Ahhh. Mira and her big plans!

Mira names the baby

Every once in a while, I ask Mira what she wants to name the baby when she arrives. Her two current favorites:

Silly Sally or Aja (a-zsh-a)

I know Silly Sally is from her book by the same name (Silly Sally went to town, walking backwards upside-down.) I have no idea where Aja comes from, or even where Mira learned to pronounce it with a French-sounding "zsh" sound in the middle.

We'll see if her choices change in the coming months.

The days fly by

Well, the Christmas season is over and we are heading into the long-ish days of January, February, and March. Thought I'd share a few pictures of what's going on in the house to keep us all occupied.

Here's Mira helping me bake cupcakes. She really has an interest in cooking and likes to help me stir things into the batter. Plus, dipping her finger in occassionally is a big plus for her! (She's just like me!)



Here's Mira wearing the Home Depot apron Dad got her awhile ago. It finally fits her! I remember when she got it, it was so big and it didn't seem like it would ever fit. How the time flies!



We subscribe to Parenting Magazine and receive the Sesame Street Magazine with it each month. Mira really looks forward to getting it! On this particular day, I gave it to her and she went right over to her rocking chair to pore over every page. It's nice that she likes to read as much as I do. Thursday has been "library day" ever since she was just a few months old. I just got Mira her very own library card. We'll test that out this week.



Hope you are all well and enjoying the days of winter.
Michelle

She knows what we need

Chris, Mira, and I were at a restaurant for dinner last night. The waitress came by and asked us what we wanted to drink. Before we could answer, Mira piped up with, "Mommy wants tea, Daddy wants water, and I want chocolate milk!" To our surprise, she was right! I guess she's heard us order our beverages so many times that she knows what we usually drink in restaurants! Needless to say, the waitress was impressed.

Michelle

Meet our little one

Just a couple photos of our impending arrival! She looks just like me, doesn't she?

Love, Michelle

A full-body profile:



A close-up profile:



A close-up of her face:

It's a . . .

Girl! Chris and I just got back from the ultrasound and it looks like it's going to be another girl! We are really excited about the baby on the way (and we even have all the clothes now!). Of course, it's never definite until the baby is born, but we'll go on this assumption for now and maybe have a BIG surprise if she's born a boy!

Oh, and based on the size of the baby, they moved my due date up 3 1/2 weeks from May 30 to May 7! We are still shocked about this and can't quite figure out how that happened, but that's the new date they are giving us. So I'm a month further along than I thought I was! It's kind of nice to shave a month off the pregnancy just like that.

So, name suggestions are welcome. Anyone know of a family name that's floating out there? I discovered Emelia (Great Grandma Sarah Hanson's middle name) and am very hot on that name. Nothing too weird or too common.

Love to you,
Michelle

Mira tells a joke

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Silly corn head.
Silly corn head who?
Silly corn head Mommy!

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Silly tomato head.
Silly tomato head who?
Silly tomato head Daddy!

Knock, knock.
Who's there?
Silly broccoli head.
Silly broccoli head who?
Silly broccoli head Mira!

And so goes our jokester. On and on and on. New vegetables, sometimes fruits, always "Silly _______ head." And every time is just as funny as the last! It's so fun to see Mira testing her vocabulary, putting together new jokes, trying to make Mommy and Daddy laugh each time. What a joy to be around!

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas this year, as we do every year. This year, it seemed a little different. More magical. I saw Christmas through the eyes of a two-year-old child, and it really showed me the excitement that Christmas can bring to a young life. Mira really got into the spirit this year, helping me create window crafts, counting down the days on her Advent calendar, moving the snowman as each day progressed, "helping" me wrap presents. She even found a toy in her Christmas stocking which I had filled a couple of weeks early. When I told her that Santa had so many houses to stop at and that he sometimes needs to come early, she accepted the story and didn't touch the stocking again. It paid off. She got a few Dora toys and some hair accessories, which she insisted on wearing all at once! It's been a wonderful month and I'm sad to see the season end. Here are a few photos of our Christmas. She had a great time at all the houses we went to. I think seeing Santa two times (!) was her favorite.
Love, Michelle

Congratulations, Justin and Mandy!

I want to offer a warm welcome to Mandy for joining our family this past weekend! We are so proud to have her in the family and for Justin to have chosen such a wonderful woman. It was such a fabulous wedding and everyone had a really great time. There were lots of happy tears and dancing at the wedding and reception. Mira got to live out her "lifelong" dream of being a princess for a day when she was a flowergirl with Chesney and Abby. She still talks about getting to walk down the aisle. Here are a few pictures of the big day.

'Tis the season

We've been having a nice relaxing December so far. All the excitement of the month is this weekend with the wedding, and next weekend with Christmas. We are really looking forward to seeing everyone again. Mira has been so helpful with "helping" me wrap the presents . . . so I topped her with a bow! This weekend is the time she gets to dress like a princess in Justin and Mandy's wedding. From the princess dress to the new shoes, she's very excited to walk down the aisle. Not sure she knows what an aisle is, but she talks about walking down it all the time. I think she's ready. See most of you this weekend!
Michelle

Bedtime Prayer

Mira and I have a prayer that we say at bedtime:

God bless all those that I love.
God bless all those that love me.
God bless all those that love those that I love.
And all those that love those that love me.

May you all have prayers that comfort you.

We love December

Here is a photo of Mira that almost made the Christmas card. She had a lot of fun taking the pictures, the lure of Santa coming always on her mind. She can hardly wait for Christmas to come . . . in fact, she didn't quite get there. She did open a present under the tree. Just a small one that was actually for Aunt Kelly! (Sorry, Kelly!) Fear not, Mira helped me rewrap it and we had a little conversation about how all the presents weren't for her, but that Santa was surely going to bring her some nice gifts to celebrate her patience this month. Imagine how long a month feels to a child! I do admire Mira's honesty, though. I came home from work and Chris asked Mira if she had something to tell me. She sheepishly admitted she opened a present from under the tree. I told her I really appreciated her honesty and that it was very nice that she told me, then she helped me rewrap it so she could see how much work is involved in wrapping a present. I think she understands now.

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. May you be safe while Christmas shopping! (So glad I'm done!)
Love, Michelle

Feed a giraffe? Sure!

Chris, Mira, and I are in Miami this week for a little vacation. Chris has a work trip, and Mira and I often tag along to his November Miami trip. The hotels are great, the food is great, and it's a nice time of year to get away. Mira was great on the plane and watched a couple Dora DVDs to pass the time. Today we went to the Miami Zoo and showed Mira the worlds animals. We saw giraffes, elephants, camels, zebra, lions, tigers, and bears (oh my!), as well as many birds and reptiles. They had this awesome exhibit called "The Scoop on Poop!" We learned ALOT more about dung than we ever thought possible, but it was interesting. See the photos of Mira and Chris below "on the toilet." Notice they didn't get me on it for a photo op! Mira had the chance to feed a giraffe some lettuce. That was her day's highlight! Tomorrow is a nice slow relaxing beach/pool day, then Chris has a couple of days of work ahead of him. Monday is a free day, maybe an aquarium, or maybe more beach time. We'll be home Tuesday night. Love to you all!
Michelle

Patty cake, patty cake, bake your man!

Mira is only 2 weeks away from being officially 2 1/2 years old. I love this age! It's my favorite so far (I keep saying that about every age). She's just so bright and outgoing. It's fun to see her interact socially with people. I've taught her how to make friends, so when we go to the park and she sees a child she doesn't know, she'll go over to them and say, "Hi. I'm Mira. What's your name?" Often times the child is shy and won't answer. But she keeps trying. If we go to Target, she says hi to everyone, then gets offended if they don't say hi back. She'll say, "Mommy, she didn't say hi to me!" It's hard to explain that some people are shy or maybe just didn't hear her. She keeps on trying until they say hi back. Persistent should be her middle name!

Mira is really getting into songs lately. Her favorite is the Barney theme song, which I used to hate, but she's so cute singing it, I have a new perspective! And "Patty Cake" is another that she loves to sing, although the words "Patty cake, patty cake, bake your man" make me laugh every time! She also tried soup for the first time. I was impressed with how well she handled a spoon with something as runny as soup!


She's started to do chores a little bit and loves the few silver coins we give her for helping a little extra. She is in charge of helping Mommy and Daddy put her toys away before bed, and she needs to put her clothes in the laundry basket after her bath and when we change her outfit. She also helps put the dishes away. She's up to tupperware and spoons so far. Mira looks really proud of herself when she helps around the house. I think it gives her a nice sense of accomplishment, as well as responsibility.


And here's a fun one of Mira on the potty chair. She's taken to bringing her Barbie wish list toy book in the bathroom with her while she waits. Too cute!


Tomorrow we tackle the task of putting up the Christmas tree. Mira's really excited about it and helped me make snowmen (complete with cotton balls) and snowflakes for the front windows. We put up the wreath last night on the front door and Mira keeps wanting to go outside and look at it. The spirit of the holidays are in the air!

We hope you are all well. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we'll see you all at Christmas. Chris, Mira, and I are heading to Miami for a week on Wednesday. Pray for safe travels.
Love, MIchelle

Happy Halloween!

This year, Mira went as a cat for Halloween. She really enjoyed dressing up and going out trick or treating. We live in a great neighborhood where we know many of the neighbors, so we were able to see lots of our friends and get lots of treats for Mira. She really got into the "trick or treat" part of the evening. After we got home, she loved answering the door and handing out candy to the trick or treaters. At first she gave them handfuls, but then I told her we needed to give one piece to each kid because we were running out. We did end up dipping into Mira's candy, but she had way more than any two year old will ever need. I'm happy to have the candy out of the house! Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween night.