Singin' in the rain

Last night we had a nice rain fall (along with much cooler weather!)  We went out on our porch for a while to let Mila run outside but not get wet.  Well...she got to the back where it isn't covered and got wet.  I thought it would freak her out but she LOVED it and thought it was hilarious!  When I brought her back around to the front of the house, she climbed down the front stairs and started running down the sidewalk...in the RAIN!  She was patting the top of her head as the rain fell!  We let her have her fun, because that's what being a kid is all about right?  Then we did the responsible adult thing and brought her inside for a warm bath!

Rain drops falling on my head...

And she's off...

There she goes!

Daddy to the rescue!

Hot fun in the summer time...

With the weather being SO hot, we've been spending a lot of time inside.  We've been doing a lot of exploring in the house and I've been busy cleaning up the trail of "things" Mila likes to drag out of cabinets, drawers, closets, well...you get the idea.

This week I got the chance to keep my sister's boys during the day.  Mila LOVED having the boys over to play and I think they enjoyed her too!

Evan playing dress up with Mila's bows! 

GREAT blackmail picture later!!

She LOVES to brush her teeth!

Cheese!

And she's off!

I really feel like I can classify Mila as an official WALKER!  She has decided this is a more efficient way of traveling and has given up crawling for the most part!  It is so strange to see her toddling around the house.  What a big girl!

15 Months

At the beginning of the month Mila had her 15 month checkup.  She FINALLY hit the 20 pound mark so we could turn her carseat around.  Mila LOVES facing forward like a big girl and I love not having to look into a mirror to see her! 

Stats:
Height - 29 3/4 inches  25-50%tile
Weight - 20 pounds  10-25%tile (the Dr was satisfied this time with her weight b/c it increased)  Yeah!
Head - 18 1/2 inches  75-90%tile

Mila is still taking her time with this walking business.  She can do it, however she chooses not to....good thing she is still very easy to carry!  She is starting to use her spoon and fork more and more at dinner time and she is able to identify her nose and eyes.  She is changing so much and really turning from baby to toddler!  We got her a pool and a swing last week (finally) and she loves both!  The other night when Jeremy was hanging her swing she actually decided to climb into her pool, clothes and all!  She thought that was pretty funny!! 

What a big girl!!  Hopefully meal time will be a little cleaner!

She LOVES to color!

And eat the markers...good thing they are non-toxic!

Grandma and Grandpa Lohnes came over to help drywall the garage last weekend and Mila had a lot of fun "driving" the mower with Grandma Camille!

What a week!

This week has been quite the week for milestones in the Vogel house!  On Thursday Grandma Betty, my mom, Aunt Debbie, and Tina all came over for a visit to see the new house.  We were all just hanging out in the living room chatting and all of a sudden mom notices Mila just standing tall for what seemed like forever!  She had been standing for a while but she had always used the couch or something to stand up, this time she stood up all on her own.  Of course we were all cheering for her and she started to "dance" with her arms and clap for herself.  She was SO proud!!  That night when Jeremy got home from work I told him we had a new trick to show him.  I took her out of her high chair and she stood up AND took about 5 steps to him!  WOW!  Where did that come from!  That was an even better trick than I had thought!  We again cheered for her and she was so excited.  We've been practicing and she is doing very well.  She will be an official walker before we know it!

Over the past several months every night before her bath I set Mila on her potty that she got for her birthday back in March.  She usually just plays with her toys but I really just wanted to get her used to it so when potty training time comes it doesn't freak her out.  Last night she stood up when it was time to get into the bath and she made tinkles!!!!!  We cheered and cheered and Daddy came running upstairs to see what all the noise was about.  YEAH!  I know we are a loooong way from giving up on diapers, but hey, it's the first step!!

She loves to "dance"

Does she see me clean too much??

Four generations!

We're HOME!

Our family is finally all settled into our new home and we are in love!  We were very fortunate to have a TON of help from all our families during the move and made things go a lot faster than I was expecting.  Jeremy took a few days off work to do a few odds and ends things and we are now back into our old routine.  Yesterday our new "neighbors" stopped by with a plate of cookies.  Funny thing, they are building right now and don't even live next door yet....I think we are going to be very blessed with good neighbors!

Mila has adjusted amazingly well and we feel very fortunate for that!  She's slept great since moving day and hasn't turned back!  She is also getting all four molars in right now, which has been off and on challenging...made more difficult with the massive shortages of infant pain medicine.  Our biggest challenge right now is climbing.  Between the couch, ottomans, rocker, and anything else enticing, we can't keep her down!  She may not have any desire to walk yet but she sure can climb! 

This morning Mila discovered the tupperware cabinet (strategically placed) while making breakfast.  I think she likes it!!

Look at my mess!

Good thing those drawers are sturdy!

Busy, but always time for play!

Things have been busy around here lately. Packing, waiting on contracts, packing, scheduling inspections, packing, having inspections, packing, installing a radon mitigation unit, packing...well, you get the picture. Mila is having a BLAST with all the boxes and opening drawers that she wasn't allowed to earlier because the drawer locks have all been removed. She is really a great help throwing things into boxes but she also enjoys unpacking! I actually caught her the other day pulling some scarves through the handle hole in a box! She thought it was pretty funny and had a great time playing with the scarf once it was out!

In a few more days Mila will be 14 months! I'm having a hard time wrapping myself around the fact that she is growing so fast and changing so much! Her personality is shining thru more and more every day! She is a very loveable child and enjoys the quiet time and cuddling. Every morning and after each nap she gives us great big hugs, which I believe is the best thing in the whole world! The feeling of your child wrapping their arms around you and giving a little squeeze makes up for all the crying and temper tantrums! Speaking of temper...it is also coming out and showing itself! She is starting to become more frustrated about things that she wants to do but isn't quit big enough to accomplish, like getting onto the couch. The dog is taking the brunt of this frustration, as she likes to use him as a stepping stool. Good thing he's tolerant!

Mila helping unpack...

Ohhh...pretty scarves!

Mila's new "CHEESE" face...I love it!