Wrapping Up An Awesome Summer

It's been too long since my last post so I'm making up for it by giving you 3 videos of Miri to watch. I also believe there is a slideshow here that I never posted about... so check it out!

Lots has happened since my last post. Miri continues to grow, mature and learn at an amazing rate. So far she's following in her Aunt Smelly's footsteps and, at 18 months old, doesn't walk around without at least holding on to one finger. It isn't going to last for long though, as for about a week now, she has been standing up on her own. She even took a few steps last weekend!

Probably one of the biggest advancements is that Miri now uses the word "No". Lucky us. :) It's actually fairly cute the way she says it, even when she's quite serious. She has also drastically expanded her vocabulary and seems like she's at least learning a new word every day! She's very good at mimicking any word you say too. Oh... and her first sentence is "I SEE YOU!".

Her strong little personality is really shining through now and she'll clearly let you know what she wants and doesn't want. She will only feed herself at dinner time now and is also very good with the spoon. I'm surprised at how little of a mess there is when she finishes. (She rarely lets us feed her now.) Miri will pick out which book she wants to read, what to wear and what song to sing, while singing along with parts of some songs. She loves to laugh and play in interactive ways with us and prefers to be interactive with us rather than spending much time playing on her own.

Miri is a lot of fun right now and we're just soaking it up. We'll try to get more pictures out soon.

Here are the video's:

VIDEO 1
This is a video of Miri sinking a shot (basketball) while swimming in the pool.

VIDEO 2
This is a video of Miri bowling a strike while we were visiting Arkansas.

VIDEO 3
This is a video of Miri walking on the sidewalk in front of our house (with a pushtoy).

Summer of Fun!

Summer is finally here! Despite the heat and humidity we still go outside to enjoy the sun and summer activities. Naturally we don't go out of the house without smearing on a good layer of sunscreen, and because of that, Miri now takes many more baths at night to wash it off. I think the extra baths are what Miri likes most about summer.

She also loves her trips to her favourite park that's just a few blocks away. If she isn't swinging high on the swing set, then you'll find her bouncing away on the four seat spring-mounted "sea saw". She'll point to what she wants to do and say "ah deux! ah deux!". And if you ask her if she'd like to do a certain ride she'll shake her head yes or no. Her vocabulary and understanding is growing big now and she's even trying to say some words at times!

Mimi and Popop visited recently and had lots of fun with Miri. Miri loved having them around to play with. Some of the pictures here are of the visit, and the rest are of Summer Fun!

Purple Rain (teuz.blog-city.com)

Purple Rain (teuz.blog-city.com)

There's a new biker in the family! I wonder how it's going for Aunt Smelly The Biker Chick. Miri will be happy now that you can join her while she tears up the floor on her car. :)

Slumber Party with Grandma

Recently Grandma flew up from Florida for a visit and to watch Miri for a couple of nights while Stef and I went to her college reunion. Oberlin was fantastic and we had the best trip. I had a great time touring the campus and hanging out with some of Stef's great friends. Stefie's college experience definitly beats the pants off of mine.

Meanwhile, back in DC Miri and Grandma were having the best time. Their three days couldn't have been any more fun for Miri... or Grandma for that matter. Click here to see some pictures of their time together and of other springtime activities.

Shenandoah Family Vacation

On Thursday May 5th we drove down to a resort just outside of Shenandoah National Park for a 2 night stay that Stefie had won in a draw. The only catch was that we had to do one of those 90 minute timeshare tour and sales pitch but Stef expertly kept them from going over their allotted time and that made it fairly painless. Miri had no problems sleeping in a strange crib in a strange room and there were so many things to do that we ended up staying at Massanutten for an extra night and came back on Sunday May 8th.



We got to try all kinds of things and even introduced Miri to a full sized basketball court. She loved it! Maybe she will provide the definitive answer to that age old question: "Can Canadians play basketball?". Then again, if she can, it could just be that she got those basketball genes from her mother's American side. Miri even loved to watch her Mommy and I having a little competition. I won't mention the results, but if you find out, please remember who it is that is 100% American.



Miri also enjoyed our hike on a trail in Shenandoah and loved being in the backpack carrier even more than our last hike... at least untill we hit some rocks on a steeper slope. I guess she was a little nervous for her mount's abilities to navegate anything that isn't flat. Can't blame her as I'd feel that way riding a horse on tricky terrain but I'm always extra careful with my footing while carrying Little Bear on my back so I think she'll gain confidence over time.



Later that day we picked up some charcoal, turkey dogs and munchies for a little BBQ in a park at the base of the mountain. It was lots of fun, filled our tummies and Miri got to do some swinging on the playground. We finished off the day with a swim in the pool (Miri got to wear her new bikini -- very cute!) then went back to the hotel for the night. We drove back home refreshed and happy with the whole trip. We can't wait for our next family trip!

Next up -- Grandma takes care of Miri for a couple of nights while Stef and I visit her alma matter (Oberlin) for a reunion. That's going to be fun, and a big test for Miri too. We'll see how she does.

Hiking the Appalachian Trail

This last Saturday was fun as we decided on a whim to hop in the car and take I66 to where it crosses the Appalachian Trail to go for a short hike. This was Miri's first time in the backpack carrier on a real hiking trail and for the most part she enjoyed it! It was a little uncomfortable for her at first because I had managed to get one of her legs trapped under her butt in the harness. Luckily, 10 minutes into the hike her mommy noticed that she only had one leg hanging down and after stopping for a quick adjustment, we resumed our hiking in full comfort with both legs in view. :)

The weather was fantastic and there wasn't a cloud to be seen. We put up the carrier's sun shade and it was perfect. It kept the sun off of Miri while still giving her a great view without feeling closed in.
She'd only get upset when I'd lean too far forward/back, had sudden
movements or when I crossed a raging river... er... little stream.

We all had a great time and are looking forward to a summer of mini hikes.

CLICK HERE to see more springtime pictures of Miri.

Miri's Birthday Pictures (finally...)

I know it's been a while but I finally have some of Miri's birthday pictures up. It was a big day for her, especially when she received her new car! :)

She was already familiar with this model as she rides them at her daycare so she was ecstatic to get this one for home. Now she drives around every day, at home or at daycare. (And she's a great driver too!)

CLICK HERE to see more pictures from her birthday-weekend.

Happy 1st Birthday Miri!

Today is my daughter's first birthday. She's the best! Happy Birthday Little Bear!

First Post!

Just messin' around with this. Might try to integrate this with http://kronk.net . Don't know where this will go or if it will go at all :)