Daddy's Ongoing Birthday Celebration

Daddy's Ongoing Birthday Celebration

Happy Birthday Mike!

Mia is really enjoying our newly landscaped yard. Yesterday was Mike's birthday. We had a great time, celebrating with lots of family and friends. Mia had fun playing outside in her playhouse with her Mamaw and Papaw and her yard ornament "dolls", Mia and Cara. Yes, she carries them around like babies.

Family and friend time

My silly girl...

Last night we took Mia to the Bats game with Margo, Grant and Macee. She was really good and she rode the carousel and ate her way through the ballpark fare. On our way home she decided she was no longer Mia. She was Granny. She had stayed the night with Mom and Bruce the night before and I guess she decided to channel Mom for the evening. She wouldn't answer to Mia and repeatedly reminded us she was Granny. She wouldn't call me Mommy, only Dawn. When it came time to rock her before bed she told me I had to sit in her lap, because she was the Granny. It was so funny!

Today we met Mom, Bruce, Missy, SP, Cara and Ramsey at Butler State Park to celebrate Mike and Bruce's birthdays. The girls had a blast at the park. They love playing together. We knew at some point they would be past nap time and a meltdown would ensue. Mia led the way, breaking down because she wanted Cara's camera. We packed up and headed home shortly thereafter. But it was a fun day.

Right now Mia is with Mamaw and Papaw, Uncle Charlie and Uncle Chris. She sure is loved and has so much fun with her family and friends! Here are a couple photos Charlie took of Mia the last time he was here. She is such a girly girl!

Random

• The other night I told Mia a bedtime story about her and Cara playing in the woods. They saw a beautiful butterfly and started chasing it. As they chased it, it changed colors, from pink to purple to blue to green to yellow. Then, all of a sudden, the butterfly changed into a dragon and he told the girls to jump on his back. He flew them up into the clouds and they flew over the houses of all their family and friends. After their ride, the dragon dropped them off under a huge pink tree, where they had lunch and took a nap. Now, every night she wants to hear more about Mia and Cara and the dragon.
• In her new room at school they are going more in-depth with their letters, shapes, colors and numbers. For example, this week is the letter C, the crescent, the color blue and counting from 1-20. We get assignments each night that are very helpful in reinforcing the lessons they do each day.
• They are also learning sign language, and the sign for the week goes along with their theme. This week's theme is where we live, so they learned the sign for house. Last week they signed mommy. They are sending home a parents' guide so we can learn the sign and help make sure she's doing it correctly.
• They have optional dance classes at school now for her age and older. We have signed her up for tap and ballet, which will be held for a half hour each Monday. She'll have a recital at their Christmas pageant in December. Sooooo can't wait for that!
• Mia's phrases of the moment are "yes you can" and "I don't care". For example, when Mike asked if he could hold her she replied, "Yes you can." When I told Mia it was time to put away her toys she replied, "I don't care."
• Mia looooooves to dress up! Each morning while I'm getting ready for work she pulls out her pink sparkly purse and puts on her heels, sunglasses, "makeup", bracelet, and hair bows. Once she's dressed she'll pull out her cell phone and walk around pretending she's heading to work. It is so funny!
• After dress-up, the toy she plays with most is her doll house. She loves to play with Mommy, Daddy and Baby, and often sleeps with the three of them.
• She's really getting into games, but most are for age 3 and up. I think by Christmas she'll really be ready for board games.

Imagination at work

Mia's imagination has really started taking off. She loves to pretend now. Yesterday she came out and felt my head, told me I felt hot and she needed to take me to the doctor. She took my hand in hers and said, "Come on Mommy. We need to go to the doctor." She took me to her toy room and had me lay on the floor. She used her fairy wand to take my temperature under my arm, then when she determined I had a fever, she put a puzzle piece on my forehead. A little later she took it off and asked me if I felt better. I said I did, so she "poured" me some "tea" and told me to drink it. I ended up going to the store last night to get her a doctor kit to help in her newfound profession.

Later, when Mike and I were both in the living room, she pulled out her rocking chair to face us and told us it was circle time. She opened her book, which wasn't a story but was a baby book of first words. She opened it to the picture of a scooter and started "reading", "Once upon a time there was one scooter..." When she was finished with the story we all sang songs. She is a great teacher!

At nap time we cuddled up together in my bed to watch the Little Mermaid. At one point she pulled the covers up over our heads and told me we were in the ocean like Ariel. She thought that was funny, and I did too. She's very clever and I'm in heaven watching her creativity take form.

Silly girl

Here is Mia this morning, heading to the Farmer's Market with Daddy and Mamaw. In the second pic she was posing, showing off her new rhinestone-studded Pumas Daddy got her, and saying "cheese". The bottom pic was from last week, when she was pretending she was a baby and asked me to cover her up because she was cold. Apparently she believes babies wear lipstick. ;-)