Ahh, Summer

Somehow I thought I'd have more time to blog once school was out. Apparently that's not the case. Mira and I recently completed our first solo trip to Grandma and Grandpa Behrens' house. I was nervous about how Mira would do in the car without someone in the back seat to entertain her, but she rode like a champ. We had a great time in Wisconsin and were able to stay almost an entire week. Grandma made chocolate chip cookies for Mira. Mira picked out the chocolate and promptly disposed of (read: flung ) the rest. By the end of the week, however, she was eating them whole. We also went to my local favorite, Frosty's (Frozen Custard), and Mira had her first taste of a twist cone. Look at the longing in those eyes. Grandpa and Mira spent lots of time playing and watching the birds together. I don't know what magic he was working, be she was completely content to sit and watch with him. At one point, she even sat still to watch a fly. I can assure you she's not been still once since returning home!
Judging by the looks of it, Mira is perfectly content to sit and observe with anyone but Mommy. Grandma bought her a new baby while we were there, and she (and her perfectly unattached but mandatorily present hat) went everywhere. Hat on. Hat off. Hat on. Hat off.

Mira is talking up a storm. From time to time, we'll catch a word that sounds like a real word. For instance, well ask if she wants something, and she'll say "yeah". But for the most part, it's just gibberish. She carries on full conversations in her own little language though. It's downright charming if you ask me, and I'm completely unbiased. My favorite new discovery, however, is the realization that Mira understands what we're talking about. I'm sure this should have been obvious to me, but somehow it took me by surprise. Yesterday we were watching a You Tube video (I know, I know, but it's literally the only way she will allow me to cut her finger nails), and I commented on the animal's toenails. She immediately pointed to her own toenails. I guarantee you we've never talked about toenails before. How does she know this stuff?! She's also started to follow directions, which comes in handy. I can hand her something and say "Give it to Daddy", and she'll walk it right over to Ryan. One day while we were at Grandma and Grandpa's, my mom said, "Go tell Grandpa to come and eat". I kid you not, she walked directly into the tv room and started jabbering away at him (Grandpa). She was pretty emphatic, and he came right away, so she clearly got her point across.

We are adjusting to summer life without work and daycare and are trying to stay busy. Mira does go to daycare on Wednesdays in an effort to keep her connected with Dina, the kids, and the routine though. It's a beautiful thing. I just woke up from my first nap in over a year. We've got some play dates scheduled and are hoping to get to the beach soon. If anyone's free and feels like playing, give us a call.