Quite busy lately...

Rock n Roll baby. Arctic Monkeys T.  One of M's favorite band's, second of course to Pharrell

First Easter egg hunt @ Country Club.   She wasn't too interested in the egg hunting, but more interested in the balloons and wandering onto the golfing green...curious as always.

A bout of sickness meant a lot of cuddles...

Easter weekend naps.  I call this the "sleeping beauties" shot.

Easter bunny outfit.  We went for pancakes as Brandy's and daddy took Miriam to the park.  I hosted a wedding shower for a good friend who is getting married in June.

Not only have Jason and I been traveling, but I am in the midst of a big project at work that takes me to campus about once a week.  Miriam usually goes with me.  On this day, we stopped to check out the trees on our walk from the parking garage.  Miriam noticed sticks on the ground and said "uh oh...fix!"  She proceeded to pick up the sticks and try to put them back on the tree...my little tree hugger.  Miriam is very independent and usually likes to walk rather than use her stroller or a shopping cart.  I generally oblige her, but for her safety (and my sanity) we use her backpack buddy Charlie.  He has a "tail" that's a leash so I can keep one hand on her at all times.  Thankfully she LOVES Charlie!

Weather is getting warmer, which means walks every morning.  This day we went to the "duck park".  Disclaimer: this is an EMPTY coffee cup she's sipping on.  I've learned to get an extra coffee cup and fill it with water...she loves it.

Another walk, this time in our all time favorite, Buffalo Park.  She usually lets me walk her in the BOB for about 1.5 miles and then likes to walk the last quarter mile.

Dubuque, IA for Wedding #1

Greenville, SC for Richard & Lauren's wedding shower. It was a surprise for Richard that I was going, but he ended up surprising me at the airport after showing up at my parent's hotel!

Jason and Miriam had 2 weekends of Daddy-Daughter dates.  They went for a ride on Thomas the Tank Engine, ate ice cream, & played in the park!

At 21.5 months, Miriam is mostly a very happy, loving, silly, curious, serious little love.  She is VERY chatty and says a lot of "pees" (please) and "fank you" (thank you) now.  When she's thinking what to eat she says "mmmm how 'bout banan (banana)?" If you suggest an alternative she'll say "mmmm no" or "mmmm o-k".  Maddie is #1 in her book always.  She says "hi Naddie" anytime she comes in the room, and if she can't find her she says "where's naddie? Naddie! Naddie!" When she finds her she says "Der she is!"  She love to call everyone silly (silly mama, silly dada, silly Naddie, silly baby...) and laughs, laughs, laughs all the time.  In this picture above she was sporting 5 hair bows (one just wasn't enough) and gave me a big "CHEEEEEESE" when I asked to take her picture.  
Love that face:)

Blueberry Face

I took Miriam in to work during NAU's spring break.  It's so quiet and empty during break, so we took over my building's classroom.  I worked on my laptop and had a few meetings, and Miriam got to watch George and Thomas on the big screen, write on the white boards, and eat snacks.  She also (luckily!) napped in her BOB for an hour or so.

Hands down the best part of the day was when I was working away on a document, and Miriam was watching Thomas and eating her favorite snack, freeze dried blueberries.  I should have been suspicious when she was so quiet, but when she was finished she came to show me her face and I almost died laughing. Her face and hands were SOLID BLUE.  I'm not even sure how this happened. We had to go show everyone else in the office her good work, and I still giggle when I see these pictures.  Some of them are blurry, but I had to put them all in here so you could get the full image of Miriam walking her rounds past my co-workers cubicles, totally oblivious to her beautiful mess.  To be as confident and free-spirited as a toddler...life would be so joyful!

"Baba & Gruyere"

That is what Miriam calls Grandpa & Grandma after a visit from my parents a couple of weeks ago. She connects names with people more solidly now, and says them without prompting. She also transferred the name "Baba" to her other Grandpa, Jason's dad.

Miriam enjoyed solo spoiling time with my parents, and Jason and I got to spend the day enjoying our 6th Anniversary as just a pair.  It was so refreshing.  Here are my pics (in order of the day):

Stop #1: Coffee at a new coffee shop down the road, Cedar House

Stop #2: Sedona hike

Stop #3: Beers & snacks @ Tinderbox Annex

Stop #4: More beers @ Pay-n-Take

Stop #5: Dinner @ Criollo

During their visit, we went downtown, out for lunches, took walks, and cooked meals and drank wine at home.  Because our Anniversary and my Birthday are only 3 days apart, we also got to celebrate my birthday with my parents, which is always a nice treat when you live so far apart.  My mom and dad treated me to one of my favorites: chocolate tofu cheesecake with whipped cream and raspberries, very decadent indeed.

Shopping is exhausting

It's been a little calm before the storm of travel picks up again.  We have been working around the house, planning for our trips, and enjoying the spring weather.

Elmo needed bum cream.  M also likes to change her "baby", and put her in clean diapers.

A fun Friday out with mt best girl.

My favorite picture as of late.  Miriam "Ginsberg" Hemmer.

NAU Hawaiian Club Luau.  Miriam was fascinated by the dancers.  She danced, clapped, and tried to follow the performers on stage for the finale.  In true Miriam form, she ended up on stage for their photos.

Baby Selfie

Life Lately

I've finally got Miriam to SMILE when I take pictures...in this one she even said "cheese" while I took it!

We have been so busy, although I'm not sure what we've accomplished.  Between projects at home, projects at work, Miriam entering the terrible two's a smidge early (holy tantrums, batman), and travel, we have been going, going, going.  Throw a few colds and a couple molars in there and that was February!

We are working on updating our bathroom and redecorating our bedroom.  Eventually we want to retile the bathroom, and I have a pipe dream to add wood beams to the ceiling, but for now it's a cosmetic face lift.  My parents come next week and dad will help Jason finish framing the mirror.  I'll post pictures when it's done.  For now, there are lots of these visits...

Our spring / summer of travel has begun!  Last weekend I went to a bachelorette party in Las Vegas, and we have 3 weddings, 2 showers, and 1 bachelor party all before July 4, not to mention Jason's frequent work travel.  Also, mid-February we went to Phoenix to buy clothes for the wedding, hit up IKEA, and take M swimming.  Do you think I could get Miriam in an IKEA ad?

We also took Miriam to a train park with some friends who live in Phoenix.  She LOVED it!  "Choo-choo!"  She even got to ride her first train.  She was so serious while riding the train that the guy in front of us said she looked like she wasn't having fun.  We explained she's just like that, cautious and quite serious.  But, when the train stopped she said "More, More!"  Thomas the Tank Engine is still a favorite friend (along with James, Percy, Harold, Emily, and Gordon...she can say them all now!).  Her other favorite is still George and "Hat" (aka the man with the yellow hat).

She's still showing signs of a silly sense of humor too like her mom and dad.  laughing at "Choo Choo".

We had Valentine's Day.  Here is Miriam hard at work coloring her Valentine's box... (note the face here).

Being silly...

Miriam decided a black crayon mustache was the best accessory for the day.  I love this face.  Kills me.

Blueberries are still one of her favorite foods.  I stock up on the freeze dried blueberries at Sprouts Grocery, her favorite.  I think there are 8 bags in the garage right now.  Her other favorite foods right now are macaroni and cheese, smoothies, and raisins, and cheerios.

Hugging her baby.  Miriam shows such a natural empathy and care.  She likes to push baby in the baby stroller, pat her back, and feed her cheerios.

She *has* to put on her own shoes.  Mary Jane's are her favorite.  Note her feet in the picture below.

Wearing her squeaky shoes. One of the first gifts we received for M. 

"Wheeeee!"

Reading is still one of her favorite activities.  In her reading "nook" in the living room.

Well, I think that about sums up our life lately!

Deep Un-Freeze

While the rest of the country is buried in snow, ice, and a "Polar Vortex" of cold, we have been dry, sunny, and unseasonably warm!  I'm certainly not complaining, but it has made for a very different winter around here.  Our ground is brown rather than covered in its usual mounds of white, and we have been out walking every day, playing in the park, and I don't think my winter coats have left the closet since mid-December.

Saturday mornings I've been going to an 8:00 am yoga class and then I pick Jason and Miriam up for a big brunch @ Brandy's.  This weekend, Miriam decorated daddy's jacket with stickers.

Two weekends ago, day of AFC Championship. Apparently Jason really likes this sweatshirt / vest combo.

M officially turned 18 months old and she is still a long, lean, fighting machine.  Her hair is taking on a mind of its own.  I'm learning to manage the mane...

She LOVES climbing.  Slides, chairs, tables, piles of laundry, her stroller...the list goes on.  If its there, Miriam will attempt to climb it.  Keeps me on my toes.

This one is my favorite: climbed *into* the book basket and proceeded to read in there for 20 minutes.

The girl likes to talk.  Everyday she has a new word, and she's stringing together 2-3 words to make short questions (and commands!).  "More George, Ok?", "Oh, Boy!", "Pretty", "Bird...cheep cheep!"  Every time she sees a car, truck, bus, she says "Beep Beep" and can point out her eyes, nose, mouth, teeth, hair, ears, belly.  Just the other day she started chasing Maddie around the house yelling "Maddie (Na-E), No, No No!" at anything the cat did.  I could go on, but I will stop myself.  It's just so fun to see what new words or phrases she comes up with.

Photo shoot with Maddie.  She is such a silly girl!

Happy "Winter" 2014!