Beach Babe

Note: bold indicates words I've heard Mara repeat or say on her own accord. Keep in mind they may not always be strewn together, but her vocabulary is growing! And there are plenty that I haven't incorporated, have forgotten, or just haven't spoken to her yet to repeat. (She can repeat almost any 2 syllable word).

In preparation for our beach trip, Mommy picked up an awesome hat. What makes it so awesome? See for yourself! Mainly, it isn't BLUE.

 Mommy, it's giving me hat hair! I could use a brush.

 That's okay. I'm cute anyway! Look at my teeth! Brushing them makes me so happy! I love my tooth paste and ask for more all the time. Say cheese!

 We enjoy taking the dogs for a walk in the sun.

 Arson is big and Endo is a good girl.

We took our car to the beach. Daddy packed it really well, Mommy read me lots of books and I juggled binkies the whole time. I sat in my big girl car seat. It was a long drive, but we sang songs and Mommy made happy and silly faces (a few sad faces when I was sad). We went with Uncle Ian, Aunt Derica (Durka), Uncle Hunt (or Uncle Dustin), and Aunt Kirby. Aunt Kirby had a funny name but nobody else laughs at it, so I changed it to Aunt PeePee. Everyone laughed with me then!

I got to know Uncle Ian and Aunt Derica's dog really well. Maggie is my new best friend. I said her name over and over and over our whole trip, and I took her for a walk around the house with her leash, and I could pet her because she was more my height. I asked for her first thing in the morning, I worried about her when we went to the beach and saw the ocean, I asked to go bye bye so we could check on her. Sometimes the grown ups call her Mags so I did sometimes, too. I made sure to put on my hat, my bathing suit, my shoes (no socks, just sandals), and my sunscreen before we went to the beach each time! Here I am, walking to the beach, without my shirt.

 Come on you guys!

 I'm thinking about all the fun things I'm going to do when I get to the beach.

 Sometimes I get distracted by other dogs, bikes, cars, boats, trucks, or babies. The grown ups really should stop and check out the scenery more often.

 In case you're wondering, I still have my dimples! Thank you, Daddy!

 I don't have my sunglasses on in these pictures, but Mommy thought I looked like a punk baby with my backwards hat and my sunglasses. What can I say, I have awesome style!

 This sand stuff got everywhere! It got in my diaper, my mouth, my ears, eyes, and everywhere else you can imagine.

Maybe that's because I put it there... but that's beside the point!

We built a sand castle every day! I didn't like shells on my sand castle so I threw them away (like trash). I loved sitting in the hot tide pools and splashing in the water. We also saw a helicopter fly overhead, and a plane! I saw seagulls, and pelicans, and fish, a crab, and several bugs. Daddy and Uncle Ian brought me a sand dollar. It took me awhile to get used to the waves, but towards the end of our visit, I let Mommy or Daddy hold me up in the water. I did get a nice tan, even though I helped Mommy slather sunscreen EVERYWHERE! We made such a mess!

I stayed up late most of the evenings and convinced the grown ups to put on Shrek or other TV channels (we didn't bring Elmo). I drank lots of milk, sat (sit) in my booster seat, danced to music on the patio of the Provision Company, and tickled all my family and friends. I slept with my baby doll, snuggled in my blanket, and was just GO GO the whole time. We ate dinner at Captain Pete's and I spent most of the time going in and out the front door to walk on the ramp by the dock outside, wave HI to people, and eat 3 lemon wedges and 1 lime wedge. I tried the bar food nuts and didn't die, so I don't seem to be allergic!

I gave Mommy huge hugs in the morning and leaned around her to give her a fishy face smooch on her lips. When I hug, I cling and make an "MMMMMMMM" sound as I squeeze. This is Mommy's favorite picture:

We did have a small incident involving my head and a fan. It was unintentional and I am okay, so no worries! My watermelon of a noggin won, but check out my battle scar!

 

I was sad to say bye bye to the beach. Every circle I saw I knew was going to become a happy face. When Mommy rolled the pizza dough into a circle, I screamed HAPPY and she drew a happy face with pizza sauce. We drew smiley faces in the sand, and I tried to draw them as well, but wasn't happy with the results and wiped them away. I also ate a LOT of pizza dough... and still a piece of pizza.

When can we go back? I MISS MAGGIE! 

 

Mommy didn't get a picture here of my new bathing suit, but she will soon! I was excited to return to school and see my friends. I love my frog and flower pajamas. Mommy and Daddy make sure I say please and thank you and I can put on a buckle which I practice using my booster seat. I admire Mommy's necklace and earrings, and like to wear a plastic bracelet. Every day, I help Daddy get the mail from the mailbox and let the dogs outside to go pee pee and poopy. I love to give them cookies. My parents and Uncle Ian think that I asked "Where are you?" when I didn't see Maggie. It came out "Wayahou" so close enough, right? I was so brave and climbed the beach house stairs all by myself and liked being helped up and down the dock ramp. I played in the kiddie pool and used buckets and shovels to splash! If I don't like where someone is sitting, I will push their leg or under their leg and tell them to get up. Aunt Derica took my seat while I was running around at Pete's and I made sure she got up and gave it back! (Mommy gave her a new seat and told me I had to be nice.) I ate pancakes almost every day and am a syrup addict. I will dip just my fingers or fork into the syrup and suck on them. Yes, they get sticky and yucky, but it's worth it!

(Well - that's about all I can think of to put for now. Bed time for me! Love you guys - Chrissy)

19 Months and Counting

I barely recognize Mara in photos from only a few months ago! She continues to change right before our eyes. Today, she put on her shoes by herself!!! Granted, they were her velcro sandals, but she put the correct feet into the open sandals and put the velcro down on them. We were amazed, and SO proud! She is talking more and more and repeats almost everything you say! She said Cheerio today, and other words that I've now forgotten.

Little Mo had a busy week! Aunt Kelly and Uncle Sean came to visit.

Aunt Kelly has all of the pictures from our adventures to the Farmer's Market and Putt Putt. But we had fun at home as well! We played Musical Binkies...

She was tickled with wolf puppet, and Mara pretended she was a dog complete with lots of "WOOF WOOF's"

Uncle Sean showed her the most important skill in life.

And Mommy got tons of snuggles.

Although, really, Mommy was just in the way of the TV.

I have never seen Mara so happy or hear her giggle as much as she did while we had visitors. I think she likes entertaining.

We did venture outside for a few minutes to take some shots.

 And Mara loved giving her Aunt Kelly tons of kisses. But I only caught the stare.

 Check out the gams on this chick.

 After Aunt Kelly and Uncle Sean left, it drove Mara to drink...

Just kidding. That's her moving a cooler around at Aunt Claire's/Uncle Travis' house after we dropped off Aunt Kelly and Uncle Sean at the airport.

Well, that's it for now, folks. We'll be back!

Happy July!

June came and went so quickly.

Mara is growing by the minute, it seems.

Yesterday, I was dosing off on the sofa while she was watching a movie (about Elmo), and she smacked me on the back and said "areyouokay" in one mumbled sentence. I was flabbergasted awake at that point... having my daughter ask me if I was okay! I mean, we tend to ask her that a lot, but it came as a shocker to hear it from her lips! She's adding new words every day.

She is quite good at this puzzle and enjoys holding the pieces by the small red knobs (as shown above). She also tends to do this...

During our extended weekend at home (due to the July 4th holiday), Mara asked to go to school every single day. She would walk to the door, hit it, and sign "school." I had to explain that we weren't missing school, but that she couldn't go back until xx number of days. That usually satisfied her. The same can't be said for when we tell her "not right now" when she asks for a walk (as I'm dragging myself into the kitchen in my jammies, or when it's mega-hot outside), or when we say no to TV.

We did participate in the Stiz's annual slip and bleed (I'm SO sore). I tried to take Mara down a small portion of the slide, but she cried and cried and I think the sprinkler was in her face (not that she complains during waterplay at daycare when she sprays herself in the face).

And about 5 days ago, she learned to say Mommy and Daddy instead of Mama and Dada. We are beyond thrilled! Although, she does tend to annunciate the MEEE at the end... but who cares! Here ya go: