Mia's Top Ten

1

Hiking machine:

 

This outcroping is Mia's self-designated "climbing rock."  She scrambles up this thing in seconds and gives Mom heart palpitations as she deftly nagivates her way back down.   It's higher than it looks in this photo! 

 

2

Although Mom owns and uses very little make-up (a years-old tube of mascara and a few lipsticks), Mia locates and applies with every chance she gets!  I am running out of hiding places.

 

 

Here is the product of one expert application that I found behind a locked bathroom door.  I was not the only one impressed with her smudge-free skills.  While lecturing her on "We don't lock mommy out," and "We ask before we use mommy's things,"  Mia was busy admiring beautiful self in the mirror...and saying so!

 

3

Garden helper:

5

Mia met a couple two-wheeled milestones this month!

It is not an easy task when we live on a gravel road...each attempt had to be off-site,

but we discovered immediate success and a new energy outlet!



We were especially excited when we took Mia on a family bike-ride around the lake just days after her two-wheel debut.  She rode 9 miles and cried at the end.  She didn't want to stop!  Her wheels are maybe 8" in diameter, and she maintained pace with the rest of us-- 

her little legs doing hundreds of rotations per minute!

 

6

Look at the new sandbox toy Mia discovered (!)-- Dad's Argentinian machete.  Mom fail. 

 7

Mia is crazy about the bridal veil (and dress) in Gma K's dress-up box.  I don't think I've seen her wearing a normal outfit while visiting for the last six months.

 



She has been trying to duplicate the veil effect at home...

 

8

Children's museum with friend, Aaliyah:

 

9

Some more firsts...

First successful TJ's shopping run with the "little cart."  All the other times have been disasterous.  She is taste testing some Machengo cheese. 

First time speaking in Primary.  I have never seen her so still and quiet as when waiting for her turn!

 

This one is a second.  Second innovative attempt to access the trampoline (first time here).  She made a special trip around the yard to collect rocks and swap each one out for a new one when it didn't elevate her to the desired height.

 

10

Always anxious to experiment with a new hairstyle!  She is partial to the "Cousin It" look for Gma R.

 

10.25

 

10.5

I wish I could flaunt my wardrobe with this level of confidence.  Mia has a very particular style.  It has codes and faux-pas, but I haven't figured out the pattern just yet.  I have decided that when we don't have to make a public appearance, she can have free reign. 

I'm learning to be choosy about my battles, and the clothing issue is one I can live without. 

 

10.75

Gma R took Mia on a very exclusive three-day trip to a mountain lake last week.  As much as Mom was anticipating the break and the fabulous experience she knew Mia would have, it was a torturous three days.  Since she and Grandma didn't have cell service most of the time, Mom had lots of no-contact time to conjure up some pretty tragic scenarios--  bear attacks, drownings, slips down a crevasse. Not surprisingly, however, Mia arrived home safe & sound and full of stories to relate,

and not having missed us one bit!

 

Uncle Mike, who is an expert fisherman, gave Mia her premier fishing experience.

She relayed the iconic fisher's tale full of vague trophy sizes.

 

Uncle John hiked Mia for four hours to the top of this mountain.

He reports that she was determined to reach the summit when presented

with the opportunity to go back.  We are proud!

Mia & June Top 10

1

This activity provides hours of entertainment for these girls.  June is mostly the guinea pig for Mia's experiments; she gets to brave steep hills and fancy trampoline routines in this wagon.

2

It's a happy moment when the paper towels and toilet paper runs out simultaneously.

The girls call the empty rolls, "doot-doot-doos," because of the trumpet sound they seem to evoke.

3

4

Since Mom spends most of her day in front of the sink (we don't have a dishwasher), the girls, therefore, think it must be an incredibly interesting task because they always want to participate!

                                           

5

Working hard with Dad:

                      

 6

Dress up:

7

8

Our favorite destination:

9

Sundays:

10

Mia isn't the only diva in our backseat!

Pascal Week, 2013

Remember Easter?  It happened nearly two months ago, but I am going to document it anyway.

Easter egg dyeing with our first attempt at using natural dyes.  It was a mess, and our counter is indefinitely stained with turmeric-yellow...

...but the colors were gorgeous.  It was gratifying to feed my family the eggs during the subsequent week without  Red #40 staining my hands and causing carcinogen-releasing nightmares 

#deathbyeggdye (this is my first attempt at a hash tag).

Springtime bounty:

I will take this moment to reveal a most un-motherly quirkiness I have.

I am really uncomfortable talking about the Easter Bunny, Toothfairy, and even Santa Claus with my kids as anything more than "the legend of _____" or "some people think it's fun to pretend that..."

Most people think I am a giant party pooper, but when I discovered that Santa was not a reality at the tender age of five, it broke my heart...not because the magic of Christmas was affected, but because my mom had gone to such extents to fabricate the story for my sake.  I felt foolish.

I don't want to give my girls reason to question the validity of what I teach them.

But, I promise they are not deprived of the exciting traditions or imagination.  

I just don't exhaust a lot of effort convincing them that a giant bunny hid their treats around the yard, and try to focus instead on why we hide plastic eggs with candy...why did the tradition begin and 

what does it symbolize?  

I'm sure they feel enlightened.

Chilly hunt at Gma R's:

Chilly hunt at Gma K's (Mia's hair was transitioning from pouf to braids that weeknd, so we hid it):

M Day

Today I am celebrating the love, sacrifice, and influence of these women on my behalf 

(and on behalf of my husband and children).  

                                        

And, of course, Mothers' Day is particularly tender because of these two miracles.  Along with the the depth of gratitude I feel for the privilege of being their mother comes the eternal appreciation I have for their beloved birth-mothers, Asia & Su, who granted it to me.

                                       

AZ or Bust!

Desperately needing some sunshine and a change from long, routine days, we took advantage of David's spring break to traverse the entirely of the west coast (almost).  Wanting to make every gas dollar worth the expenditure  we crammed in visits with just about all of our favorite people along the way.  

Four of my dearest college friends live within an hour of each other. I felt so lucky to see them all in one place along with their babies, bumps (two expecting), and bruises (Summer still graciously came despite the fresh injuries she was donning from her traumatic pedestrian + car contact the week before).  These ladies have each been highly influential in my life.  I love them!

After visiting with David's beloved mission president & wife from his time in Argentina (why didn't we get a photo?) we got to spend the evening with favorite family at Temple Square.

Hours later and 30 degrees warmer, we were in St. George reuniting with Sessions family:

River & Mia

Babes and moms with alternative subjects of interest: 

And finally a day and night later, we had arrived at our sunny destination.  Our industrious Dad appointed car-washing duties as our first activity.

The morning runs were GLORIOUS, especially since we could leave sleeping babes with G Gma.

The vegetation so different from our usual stomping grounds, that I spent a lot of our adventures just taking in the landscape and identifying plants.  Despite the harsh appearance of the local bio-life, each plant is so interesting and since we were there right in the middle of blooming season, the smells were lovely (orange and cactus blossom...YUM!).  David felt differently because he would often return he would return home with battle wounds from unfriendly cacti.

Even Mia remembered G Gma's kumquat trees from our last visit and introduced June to the bounty: 

  

We spent most of our time in the pool!  Don't we look awesome?

While Mia was a swimmer supreme, June would have her fill shortly after entering the water.  She's never been into her baths, so no big surprise that swimming isn't her thing.  Luckily, G G Heinz was always ready to rescue her with a fluffy towel!

 We had a daily dose of duck-feeding and were privileged to witness spring-time rivalry with lots of commentary from Dad the Biology student.

When we got sick of running, swimming, and ducking, we'd visit a local park.  Much to her chagrin, Mom, (as well as Dad & June) caught a stomach bug right in the middle of our trip (ugh!) and was still recovering in this photo.  The swing didn't help.

Mia felt that she deserved to snuggle next to an obliging G Gpa every evening while he read or watched the news.  June, who is naturally more apprehensive, took a few days to warm up.

We were so pleased to see our cousin Eli & his mom two times on each end of our trip!  

Eli festively planned an egg hunt for Mia:

On the way back we took a hike around Zion National Park.  Dad encouraged Mia to cram into every  crevice we encountered along the way.  

My Aunt Mona was gracious enough to let us take a break at her house during our long-haul each direction.  She has a sweet poodle who Mia has deemed as "my friend Sammy."

Unfortunately, during our last touch-down at Mona's house and just hours after reflecting on the safe and uneventful nature of our trip, our car was burglarized while we were sleeping.  Actually, we had invited theft by leaving our car door unlocked with all of the goods inside...In addition to feeling really pooped that night,  we over-estimated our good fortune.  So our Easter morning surprise involved a police report and Mom desperately avoiding despair over the newly purchased and newly gone electronics 

(IPad & MacBook laden with electronic textbooks and assignments for each of us).  

Then, in an effort to find refuge at Gma Harmon's house for Easter Sunday, Mom took a wrong turn and we ended up closer to the opposite side of the state.  Thanks to some tricky navigation and some really rural backroads in really rural Idaho, we found her in the company of more wonderful family and a delicious Easter meal (and only added two pointless hours to our 22 hour trip...woohoo!).  

 June tried to convince us that she could just stay with Fluffy, G & G Harmon's fluffy cat, while the rest of us made the trek home.  We decided that such an arrangement wouldn't do, and finally had to strap a really mad baby into her car seat for one final stretch.  

Ultimate consensus:

Because we got to spend time with so many of the people we love (and get a good helping of Vitamin D) 

the trip was more than worth the set-backs and the countless hours in the car.