Poke-a-dot

Mia's latest thing is pointing to all the polka dots on her clothes. She just stares them down, pointing at a bunch of them one at a time making cute little noises with each one she touches; that is until she is distracted by something else, like a toy. But, she always returns to poking those dots and it lasts all day! She is adorable.

Reading with Daddy

Mia loves to read! She can't get enough of books. She will sit with a book, flipping thru the pages while she babbles at it. I love all the noises she makes. She gets so excited over the pictures and she just lights up when her favorites are pulled out for reading. Neil read her "Duck at the Door" tonight, a book about a duck staying with a lady and a bunch of her animals thru the winter. I love listening to Neil read to her - he makes all kinds of noises and uses different voices for all of the characters. Mia loves the story and when Neil was done reading, I could swear that she was trying to make quacking sounds, just like Daddy. Can you say adorable? I can - MIA!

Poor sick baby

Milo and Bosley always know when either Neil or I aren't feeling well. They like to cuddle up with us, give us kisses and keep us company. Neil was feeling sick for a few days and this is what I saw every time I came into the family room. Poor sick baby. Sweet boys.

Celebrating eleven

My baby boy is 11. I cannot believe how fast time goes by. Andrew was able to come up for a visit with my parents over his birthday (thankful for those Teacher Development Days that I never appreciated until now). It was wonderful having him here and being able to celebrate his eleventh birthday in person, rather than over the phone or thru the mail. It had been a few years since I have been able to do it. He got more loving than gifts, but really; what more could an 11 year old want than a ton of kisses from Mom, a watch and a game for his Nintendo DS? It's a given that most boys his age would be embarrassed to the point of wanting to die at such a statement, but Andrew has a 300 mile excuse. I love you, Andrew. You will always be my baby. :)

Night sounds quiet

I'm thinking of how quiet my house is right now. The night sounds that filled every room only a few short weeks ago have gone. Summer giving in to fall. Now all I hear are the sounds that the dogs make in their sleep. Mia is asleep in her crib, Neil has retired for the night and I'm left to myself. It seems that all the trouble I could get into was thinking about this silence. Sad, I know. Still, here I am.

There is nothing profound that I have to say, no words of wisdom to pass on or life lessons to relieve to the one person who reads my posts. It's just nice to find oneself here; stopping and taking in the quiet. After all, it comes to us so rarely in our busy lives.

Nature Walk

There's nothing like a nature walk in the brisk fall air. Mia loved her first nature adventure and Neil & I enjoyed watching her every move. She looked down at the path we were walking on most of the way; guess she is used to looking at the floor. However, on the way back to the car, she looked up at the changing leaves and let out a high-pitched "Ooooo". She was so excited to see everything that wasn't on the walk patch. Bright colored leaves, trees and birds flying about - she loved it! She had no idea what she was missing; all she had to do was look up. Pretty amazing.