The Hotdog

This evening Lily, Mia and I hit Costco...Daddy was working late. After shopping, I had a slice of pizza and Mia opted for a GINORMOUS 'big sister' hotdog. I'm glad I had my cell phone...needed pictures of this.

Conversation with her hotdog:

Mia: Wow! You're a BIIIIIG hotdog. Don't worry, hotdog, I'll eat you all up.

Happy Birthday Nana!

We all (Pawpaw, Unca Joe, Auntie M, cousin Gwen, Daryl, Mia Lily and I) got together out in Dripping Springs to celebrate our favorite Nana's birthday. It was Lily's first time out there...an hour drive each way is a daunting thought when you have a newborn and preschooler...but with some planning and alignment of planets, we made it...and it was soooo worth it. Nana was beyond happy :) Pawpaw fixed up some yummy brisket, sausage and fixins. Then came the cake! To say that the girls were beyond happy would be a HUGE understatement...we all sang and they helped their Nana blow out her candles. After cake, Joe and his crew had to hit the trail, but we stayed behind for a fun afternoon in the pool. No pictures of pool fun...I was lounging, but I did manage a shot of Pawpaw and Lily getting some snuggle time in. Mia was like Dori from Finding Nemo...'just keep swimming..' She swam and swam and swam. After swimming, we were all exhausted and ready to head home, but not before Nana got her snuggle time in with her Mia and Lily :)

Happy Birthday Nana!

Miss M

Since school is out, Mia's at home every day. It's wonderful, but with the new baby, getting the new house ready and trying to purge and organize in the old house...she hasn't been getting the attention she's used to at school. So, I hired a mother's helper for the summer...Miss M. She's my dear friend Stephanie's 16 year old daughter, and since she has two little brothers at home, she's FABULOUS with Mia. Basically, they play all morning. Do their nails, play with lip gloss and eye shadows...paint, play dough, read books, blow bubbles...all things fun.

Every night, Mia asks if Miss M will be here the next day. I wish! Only three mornings a week :) Mia is forever calling Miss M her best friend.

Conversation while coloring:

Mia: Miss M?
Miss M: yes, Mia
Mia: I love you
Miss M: I love you, too, Mia

Painting....Blindfolded?!?!

Super Fab O'Mama Sara opened up her mother's home (no kids in it...well, only the nurslings that came along) for a Mama's Night In of painting. Some opted to be blindfolded. HILARIOUS...but a LOT of fabulous art was produced! Others sat around and drank and chatted a little while searching for their muse. Wee nurslings Caleb and Shepard were incredibly adorable and were lovingly passed around so their mama's could take a much deserved break. I personally think this should be a monthly event...hint. hint. :)

What's up?

Well, Lily is a month and a half old! Time flies when you're trying to figure out all the changes a new baby brings. She had a week there of pain and spitting up...colic? reflux? We've narrowed it down to lactose intolerance...maybe. She proudly holds her head up and is all smiles. She coos a LOT and is pretty mellow. She'll cry in the car if we are NOT moving and is sometimes comforted by hiphop...but never anything else. She sometimes takes a paci...that's nice.

Mia is almost an adult, or so it seems. Daryl and I frequently talk about how mature she is, but we need to remember that she's only 3.5 yrs old. She's a little little little kid. Smart, kind, funny, empathetic..well unless she's ripping out a paci from a sleeping baby sister's mouth....which makes Lily scream as Mia sits there. Content. Paci in mouth and sucking it like that Simpson baby...can't remember and don't care.

WE BOUGHT A HOUSE!!!! How cool is that?!?!? It's in a super fab neighborhood and it's pretty much perfect for us. We don't have to move in till the end of July, so we have a while to get things in order. Painting. is done....the living room used to be PEACH! Flooring will be done next weekend...or so Daryl promises. It's been fun picking out colors and stuff...watching it go from house to our home. Finally done renting white walled apts and houses....we've got lots of color going on!

Along with these pics that Mia took with my p&s, I'll leave you with a Mia-ism:

Mama: ohhh Mia, love your owl jammies (wayyyy too small..they're over a year old)

Mia: Thanks. They're new. I got them in Africa.

Friends

Amidst all this Baby Lily stuff, Mia has been hanging out and having a ball with some of her friends. One evening last month, we ended up at Dr. Harry's office after dinner with his family...Courtney, Izzy & Emmy. Well, Izzy thought it would be a fun idea to pull out all the receipt tape and basically paper her daddy's office...the other two girls concurred. LOVE where Izzy is mummifying Mia...much to Mia's delight!

Last week, Stephanie and her kiddos R & C came over for some playtime. While the mamas chatted, R showed Mia what his video game was all about...she was impressed! C, however, was more interested in making silly faces for the camera! I love how they ended up on the landing...their own personal space.

pucker up, butter cup

Mia is determined in taking the leap from 'baby girl' to 'big girl' to the next level.....lipstick! She picked out a very glittery pink makeup box and a pack of flavored lip balms, oh and throw in a pack of Hello Kitty band aids in for good measure. She has no idea who Hello Kitty is. 'a cat...with a pink bow'...she actually called her 'Hollow' Kitty for a while...so cute. We have a band aid rule: no blood..no band aid. Well, she bumped her leg pretty hard, and she had such a hopeful little face, so she got a band aid :) Daryl & I can't believe how much our lil girl is growing up and so FAST! Other than slathering her lips with her lipstick, she's busy twisting them till they're all the way out, but has a hard time getting them back in...so, I've been doing that quite a bit. I'm so glad I have such a fun girl to do such girly things with...Lily will join us in her own time, until then, it's Mama and her Big Girl.