When we weren't down at the lake, we were playing outside in the yard, in Miriam's little pool, visiting the local county fair, or even helping Grandpa work in the garden or on his projects. Miriam loved to play outside in her little pool, scooping water between different containers and squirting water all over the grass. She also loved spending time in her folding chair, eating popsicles, or running around the front yard, helping Grandpa plant grapes and raspberries. She mastered the stairs and was going up and down them without holding onto anything. Every morning she and Grandma went outside and said good morning to the lake, the trees, and even the chipmunks that got bold enough to come up on the patio. Miriam's eyes got very sharp and she was able to spot "Chippie" in the bushes and trees almost every day.
When we visited the fair, Miriam got a chance to sit in a Bobcat and a tractor. (When I told Mario she's gotten to sit in a Bobcat, he said "What? I've never even gotten to sit in a Bobcat!" HA.) We also walked through the animal barns and looked at the animals. Grandpa enthusiastically carried Miriam through the animal barns, where she spent most of her time with her hands covering her ears saying "Its too loud!". They even went into a pen with baby pigs, but we couldn't get Miriam to pet any of the animals. The thing I enjoyed the most about the fair, of course, was the food. I love the cheese curds (Miriam doesn't surprisingly!) and the little fried donuts, and I wish I could get cheese curds regularly out here!
Here are some pictures of our outside time at the lake:
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| Spraying water taken from her pool |
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| Ice cream cone in her folding chair! |
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| Playing croquet in the front yard |
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| My parents' house |
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| Miriam, pulling a wagon (it was mine when I was a child) |
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| All dressed up in a dress and her "restaurant shoes" to go to dinner |
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| "Look! I planted these raspberry bushes!" |
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| Yummy popsicle! |
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| Walking with Grandma and Grandpa at the fair |
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| Miriam in a Bobcat |
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| Miriam "driving" a tractor! |
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| Miri looking at the baby pigs |
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| Happy girl at the fair! |
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| Watering her raspberry plants |
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| Headed up the stairs! |
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| Hammock time! |
On rainy, cloudy days or days when we were feeling a bit under the weather, we spent time inside. Miriam had a lot of toys inside, including blocks, coloring books and puzzles. The things she loved to do the most inside, however, were wash dishes (and she always states "No knife Miriam!"), help bake cookies and hep do laundry. She's a great helper around the house! While she was helping Grandma do those inside things, I was often on the couch reading a good book. I appreciate the down time I was able to have while my mom and dad spent some quality time with Miriam!
Here are some pictures of our time around the house:
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| Miriam taking some quiet time with the iPad after a long day |
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| Reading stories inside before bed |
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| All bundled up to head out on a rainy day! |
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| Mixing up Grandpa's morning pancake mix |
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| Enjoying a morning donut ("with frosting!") |
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| Washing dishes |
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| Trying on some new sunglasses |
