Happy Halloween!

Mia went trick-or-treating with the neighborhood kids. She had so much fun going door to door, especially since she got to walk with the big kids. We're afraid we might have a future politician or vacuum saleswoman on our hands.

Quack Quack Quack

Mia is a duck this year for Halloween.  Hopefully we'll get more pictures up soon.

Bye-Bye Anna

Mia got a chance to hang out with her friend Anna one last time before Anna moved to Boston.




It really seemed like the girls knew what was happening as Mia kept saying "Bye-Bye" and they hugged and gave each other kisses. It was very sweet. We wish Todd, Kate, and Anna best of luck and can't wait to see them again!

Pumpking Picking

We had a great time picking out pumpkins this year.
She had a bit more fun playing in the patch than picking out a pumpkin.
In the end, she decided that the best pumpkin seat made the best pumpkin to take home.

Pictures from Nina and Taid's

Mia had a great time playing in the beautiful fall weather at her Nina and Taid's house.

Apple Picking

We traveled up to a farm in Maryland to go apple picking with the Keatings. Mia had a great time both watching the farm animals and picking (or rather eating) the apples.

Hanging out in the Neighborhood

Here are some photos Dad took from a morning walk around the neighborhood and up to the playground.

It started off playing with Daddy through the storm door.

Then a walk up to the school fields.
Mia is saying "touchdown" here and holding her hands up like goal posts.

And finally, we reached the playground.

Dinner and a Play Date

We spent Saturday evening at Sienna's house to see some of Mia's friends (and their parents, too). Sadly, Mom and Dad forgot to bring the camera so you'll have to go over to Sienna's blog to see the cute pictures.

A big thank you to Sienna's mom and dad for a wonderful evening. Mia had a blast with all of Sienna's toys (a friend's toys are always better than your own) and Mom and Dad had a great time with all the parents.

A Saturday in Old Town

We spent a beautiful Saturday morning in Old Town Alexandria. Mia visited the Old Presbyterian Meeting House (founded 1172) and had a great time playing on the front steps before we headed to the Farmer's Market.

15 Month Stats

Yes, it was already time for another regular check-up (and more shots) for Mia. Here's what we found out:

Height - 30 1/2" (up 2 ") - 50th percentile
Weight - 20 lbs 12 oz (up 2 lbs) - 25th percentile
Attitude - Mia does not like to be poked and prodded and is happy to tell the doctor so.

Mia showed off her verbal skills by telling the doctor "Done, Done, Done" when she was checking Mia's tummy and legs. Clearly, Mia thought she could influence the doctor's actions. At least the doctor has a good sense of humor and got a kick out of it.

Mia also got a few vaccines and her flu shot. She was not pleased, especially as she was getting stuck right at nap time so she was extra moody.

All around, a happy healthy child.

Meeting Another Cousin

Mia does have more second cousins than most small children can handle, but today was a special treat as Mia got to meet cousin John Stephens (from Nina's side of the family). This was her first chance to meet anyone from this group of family members and she had a great time with John. We hope it isn't too long before Mia gets to meet Uncle Rick, Aunt Mary, and Cousin Christa.

Girlfriends

Mia and Anna have been friends since they were just a few weeks old. Now they are big toddlers who can play together and even relax together.

We had a lovely dinner at Anna's parents' home and the girls had a great time playing together. Sadly, Anna will be moving to the Boston area soon. Mia will be the only one left of their little trio in the area, though this will give us one more reason to visit Boston.

P.S. If you're wondering about Mia's pet tree frog, try feeding it by clicking inside the green background to release a fly.

Happy Babies All Around!

We have two wonderful updates to make. Tuesday was a very exciting day.

First, baby cousin Ellie (Aunt Kate and Uncle Matt's daughter, born June 7th) had a successful surgery on Tuesday to repair a hole in her heart. She is doing well and the nurses have already found out how feisty she is. She refuses to nap anytime she hears her mom and dad's voices. Think good thoughts for a speedy recovery.

Second, we welcomed into the world yesterday baby Sarah and congratulate her parents, Cousins Elizabeth and Christian. The whole family is doing well. Mia is thrilled to have another baby girl cousin around, though it will be a bit before they get to play together.

Forts

Mia and Adleigh got a chance to spend some time together after their dads helped Erin Moodie and her parents pack up the U-Haul trailer. (Erin has a 1 yr stint teaching in Ohio State's classics department.) Mia particularly liked Adleigh's idea of making the sideboard into their own little fort.
She was also particularly interested in the dog "purse" Adleigh had brought along.

A lot has changed since they met almost 1 year ago when Adleigh still lived in the Bay Area and came to help take care of Mia in San Francisco.

Watching a Tree Grow

One year ago, Rob planted an American Elm in our front yard. The plan is to take a picture of Mia with the tree every year to show how big the two of them grow. In the year 1 picture, Mia's just trying to hold her head up. You can easily see how this has changed below.

Here is Year 2:

Communication Explosion

Mia has had a communication explosion recently. She is learning words lightning fast and picking up signs almost as quickly. She really loves using words and signs because she completely gets that we know what she is trying to say so much better when she uses them.

We were recently asked how many words Mia can say now. We had no idea, but spent a few days adding them up. The total is a little over 20 spoken English words and 8 signs. She also does a bunch of sounds; vroom-vroom, blub-blub, etc. The lists are below. Some we don't always understand and I'm sure there are ones she's trying to say that we have yet to get, but this seems to be pretty comprehensive for today.

Spoken Words:
Baby, Ball, Uh Oh, Turtle, Up, Down, Mama, Dada, Dog, No, Yeah, Cheese, Fish, Nina (the name she uses for Rob's mom), Milk, Bottle (for any type of bottle, especially water bottles, or sippy cup), Shoes, Book, More, School, Truck, Bye-bye, Hat

Signs:
More, Hat, Milk, Eat, Bath, Bye, Come, Baby

Note: We've done some back-dated posts. Sorry for the delay. Make sure to scan back to early August to see any updates.

Backyard Pool Time

It has been a little too hot most days to use Mia's pool at our house (or we've headed over to the big pool that Mom and Dad can use). Today was a perfect day for Mia to have some fun in her pool. Her favorite thing seems to be getting in and out instead of just playing in the pool.

A trip to the zoo

Since Mom and Dad took Friday off to make Labor Day weekend, a very long weekend and dad wanted to do some house projects that weren't great for having Mia at home, Mia and Mom went to the zoo. The problem was that the rain that was supposed to pass by lunch time, hung out right on top of us until we were leaving. Thankfully, our friends Pam and Genevieve were as crazy as we were and kept us company in the downpours.

Mia has a great time and wasn't phased by the rain at all. It did limit the picture taking so we only have this one from inside Amazonia. Mia loved that there were no cages or walls. You just walked through the jungle surrounded by the animals.

Welcome Kiera Elizabeth

We want to welcome Kiera Elizabeth into the world and congratulate our friends Christine and Alex. All are doing well and we can't wait to meet Keira.

Impromptu Playdate

Our neighbor Abby stopped by for a little play date this evening. Abby is 13 mo older than Mia, but they still have a great time hanging out.