First Bike Ride

Mia had her first bike ride in Hilton Head. We rented bikes with the baby seats on the back and rode around the neighborhood and to the beach every day. She loved it. We'd say, "Mia, do you want to go ride the bicycle?" and she'd go to the front door. I was a little worried about it at first, but our neighborhood in HH was nice and flat and there weren't a lot of cars. The thing she didn't like was the helmet, which looked totally hilarious on her. It was too big and would fall down in her face. So, by the end of the week, we let her ride around without it (gasp!). I'm thinking of getting a bike to ride around here. I want the granny kind with the wide handle bars - like the one in these pictures. But, I need gears. Any suggestions? I know nothing about bikes.

Starfish Snatcher

Our cousins, Kate & Mackenzie, found a starfish and sand dollar on the beach one day. The starfish sort of became their little pet for a few hours; they made sure it had water and would hold it and pet it and we all took pictures of it. Mia, of course, wanted in on the fun, so Kate (pictured above with Mia), let her touch it. Then, in a flash, Mia grabbed it out of Kate's hand and threw it on the ground. In the process, the starfish lost a leg. The girls started screaming - it was complete chaos for a few minutes as we yelled and laughed over the horrible (but funny) situation. We ended up and put it back in the ocean so it could work on growing a new leg. A little later, Mackenzie was like, "I miss our little starfish." Poor thing. Note to self: Never let a toddler play with a live creature - at least this toddler.

Hilton Head

We're back from a fabulous family vacation at Hilton Head, which is my new favorite beach. It's very pretty and quaint there, but there's lots to do. We stayed in an amazing house with many cousins around to entertain Mia. And, Mia experienced many "firsts," so it was a special vacation for us - first time swimming in the ocean, first bike ride, first 11-hour car trip :) I took lots of pictures, so my next few posts will be about our trip. Stay tuned...

Beach Bound

We're off to Hilton Head on Saturday for a week. Can't wait - I know Mia will love the beach and ocean and I'm so excited to take her there. We'll be sure to share some pics when we return. Have a good week!

Water Baby

I've mentioned a few times how Mia loves the big mushroom waterfall at our pool. I finally got some pictures (thanks, Aunt Sarah). In the first one, she's standing under the mushroom with nana. The second is nana passing her through the waterfall to daddy. And, in the third picture, you can see the mushroom in the background to give you an idea of how much water pours down. She loves it and takes off running for it as soon as we put her in the pool (it's really shallow there). She threw a little tantrum the other day when we had to get out of the big pool (with the mushroom) for adult swim and go into the baby pool. One lady said, "awww- she wants to go back to the mushroom!."

Happy Birthday, Daddy...And America

Andrew's birthday is on the 4th of July, so we're usually at the lake celebrating with family. This year, our celebration started a day late. Poor Mia caught a virus that caused her to have a fever of 102-103 for three days, her worst day (and last, thank goodness) being the 4th. She pepped up long enough for me to put her in her July 4th outfit mimi gave her and snap a few pictures of her playing outside. The one picture is her trying to catch bubbles in her mouth :) Luckily, she woke up Saturday fever free, so we were able to make it to the lake for one night. We took her to see one of our favorite bands, The Worx, play (Richmond gang - we missed you). She liked them, but not as much as she liked picking up and throwing the rocks on the ground. She did dance, though. And, we got a point and a wave from the lead singer (which Andrew does not believe, but it's completely true)!

Mia's Motrin

It wouldn't be right blogging about Mia's life without mentioning her Motrin. Yes, as in the medicine. Mia carries around a Motrin bottle with her all the time. I'm not exaggerating. She takes it to the pool, Kindermusik, Nana's house, the lake - and even sleeps with it. It's quite embarrassing - everyone comments on it. This lady at the pool last week was like, "oh, that's the little girl who carries the Motrin everywhere." What's funnier is her little friend Davis, who is 19-months-old, will find her bottle on the floor somewhere, and will bring it to her. He knows it's Mia's. I'm not sure when this started - or even how she got it in the first place. I remember rocking her to sleep a few months ago, and she had "the bottle" in her hand. I took it from her and put it on top of her dresser, and she threw a little (big) fit. I guess I gave in and let her have it - and that was the beginning of this addiction. But, it fits perfectly in her tiny hands - that's why she likes it. I'm on the search for another bottle of the same size so she's not carrying around drugs all the time. If you double-click on the picture, you can see it in her left hand. And, in the right is the little dropper thing - she likes that, too. All I can say is "thank goodness for child-proof caps!"