Our 'Kickoff to Summer' Weekend

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend.  The weather was gorgeous and HOT and we were able to have a relaxing yet fun filled weekend. 

On Saturday we hung outside at home for most of the morning and afternoon.  The kids played in the bounce house, the kiddie pool, and play set while Dave and I did some landscaping and other projects. 

Mia's favorite thing to do with the bounce house is exit and slide down the slide.

When I asked Carter what he was doing he replied - "I'm fixing Mia's 4-wheeler, there's something loose and it's not riding good."  Spoken like a true mechanic.

The first toe dip is always shocking.

It's more fun to play around the pool than in the pool.

Then Saturday late afternoon we headed to Grandpa and Grandma J.'s boat.  We hung out on the boat for a bit while the kids had fun exploring the cabin and deck.  Since we couldn't stay long enough to go out for a sail we took the kids for a nice walk around the marina and waterfront area and we even stopped to check out the local submarine.

Carter's favorite part, steering the big wheel.

Hanging out with Grandpa.

A quick squeeze from both Grandpa and Grandma.

Walking along the waterfront.

Checking out the submarine guns.  Carter asked, "can I shoot it, just once, pleeeeeease."

Mia is checking out Dave and Carter up on the sub deck.

Aboard the U.S.S. Drum (this was a kid's play version of the real sub along the waterfront).  It was very fitting to check out the real sub and give thanks for their efforts on this Memorial Day weekend.

Sunday we headed to Uncle Mark's house for a BBQ and splash fest in his huge blow up pool.  The kids spent almost the entire time in Mark's pool and were incredibly water logged by the end of the day.  We even brought our dogs, who haven't been in the car except for vet visits, in about 2 years.  They were excited to say the least.  With Josh's puppy, our two dogs, Mark's two dogs and a few neighbors' dogs wandering over to check things out, there were a lot of animals.  There were also quite a few kids, Carter and Mia really enjoyed playing with Max, Kathy's son, and Scott's two girls, Brynn and Ingrid.  Brynn (who is 9 years old) absolutely loves Mia and is the best little babysitter.  She was glued to Mia all day and Mia loved playing with her.

From left to right:  Carter, Brynn, Max, Mia, and Ingrid

Carter braving the big water slide.

Max

We put Mia at the half way mark on the slide and gently let her go down, she LOVED it.

Taking a break from the pool action.

Carter learned to ride Max's scooter, which he then gave to Carter since he has two!

Monday was lower key and we were all glad to have a nice restful day.  We didn't go anywhere and it was raining for most of the day so we stayed inside and did a lot of playing in the playroom and just relaxing. 

Happy Memorial Day everyone!

Walking and Talking

Mia finally started fully walking at 13.5 months.  She hardly ever crawls anymore and she even tries to run if she's really excited.  We also had our first real skinned knee outside yesterday and it hardly fazed her.  She's a tough little cookie.

She's also saying a lot more words lately and even better, she's understanding our words when we talk to her.  If we're in the bath tub and I ask if she wants to get out, she will put her leg over the side and try to get out.  If we are playing in the play room and I ask if she's hungry for lunch, she'll walk right over to her high chair.  If I tell her we're going bye-bye, she'll start waving to anyone in sight, including the dogs if we're at home.  It's fun to watch how much more interactive she's become.

Here is a list of words she can say pretty clearly at 14 months:
Mama
Dada

Doggy (daw-y)

Carter (either Ta-teh or sometimes Ca-ta)

Cracker (crkrrrr, there's really no vowels yet but she definitely lets us know when she wants one)

Uh-oh

All-gone (ah-gah)

Juice (jccccc, another word with zero vowels)

Baby

Ba-ba (aka sippy cup)

Book (booh)

Bye-bye (buh-buh)

Mmmmmmm (which she says after she eats ANYTHING!)

Who wore it better?

                                    Ellen                                      

VS.

Mia

Obviously Mia is the hands down winner in cuteness and everything else, so we don't need you to actually vote. Yes, that's me in the kitty outfit in the top picture, at about age 1? I'm guessing, and neither of my parents seem to recall the exact age. Lee looks about 3 1/2 so that seems about right. As you can plainly see, Mia has me beat in the adorableness department and she wears the outfit much better (since it can't even fit over my huge thighs). I tried to get a picture of Carter sitting next to her looking sideways but that was a disaster and neither of them would sit still long enough to get a good shot.

Mia, this just confirms what we already know, you are the most adorable baby girl ever (not that I was any competition).