Sophie in charge and Mia growing up

Oh these two! With Lydia in school full time it's a different dynamic at home. We've had lots of adventures together. Playing in the rain and jumping in puddles at Ellison Park was one of my favorites. And in the middle of all the fun reality hits and we have to take care of business. Which is what we did to try to address this rash that Mia has had on her face, around her mouth for weeks now. Maybe even months. I finally remembered to talk to Dr. Stanley about it at our last visit. He recommended hydrocortisone. So we picked some up at the pharmacy and started applying it that night. She was a champ about it. She'd let me rub it right up close to her lips, and she'd even point to places on her face that I'd neglected. And it didn't take long for her to want to return the favor. Oh the little dear! I'd put the medicine away and come back with some lotion I'd just pumped onto my finger. She'd take it off my finger and rub it all over my face. I usually walked away with nice white streaks, but I loved bonding with her this way. And now her rash is gone and she probably doesn't remember having to have medicine put on it anymore at all.

She cracks me up. She's so fun and mischievous and hilarious and learning so much all the time! I don't know that I did a good job catching up on some of my Mia favorites on her birthday post, so I'll just a mention of few quickly. She's been a chatterbox since 18 months. Goldie and Bear were some of her first words and she'd cry out for them in the night. The little toys that she got for Christmas were just the right size to carry one in each hand. So cute to hear her little voice and her concern when Goldie or Bear (especially Bear) went "missing" which seemed to happen all too often. Some of her first words (besides Goldie and Bear) were: Mom, Dad, Tophe, Blanky, Bird, Ball, Monkey, Jammies, Puppy, Duck, Frog, Mommy, Cold, Nose, Mine, Abby, Good, Bowl. She had a few favorite books that she'd request I read to her over and over again. One was Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. She'd point to Grumpy and say "Daddy!" I'm not sure if it was because Grumpy dressed in red like Jon often does or for some other reason, but she'd also point to Cinderella scrubbing the floors in the Cinderella book and say, "Mommy!" Not sure why here either. Is it my choice of clothing?? The fact that I can occasionally be found on my hands and knees cleaning our floors or do I actually look like her?? No idea. Which is a cute expression that Mia has been known to say when asked where her shoes or her blanket or her toys are. No idea! I love it so much! Cutest little expression from the cutest little voice on the cutest little girl. And she's obsessed with Little Miss Scary. Naptime (which she's given up) and bedtime weren't complete unless we read Little Miss Scary. And more recent favorites include No David! by David Shannon and Too Many Frogs. Her vocabulary grows daily and we love her. She's sleeping in Sophie's bed and despite that being a difficult change, we're all getting more sleep at night since we decided to try it.

But back to these two. Another fun adventure came the following day, August 4th, when I was outside mowing the lawn and Lydia was at school. But before the yard work Sophie and Mia and I got to join Lydia for a mini fieldtrip on Gentile when a ton of bikers came for the Tour of Utah. What a cool experience! It was fun hanging with Lyds in that setting and seeing her interact with her class. The teachers passed out little American flags to all the kids so they could wave them when the bikers raced by and Soph and Mia got to keep theirs. It didn't take long especially once the bikers got up close, but it was fun to be a part of it with Lydia even if it was brief.

And then we went home and got back to real life. Soph and Mia joined me outside for a little while, but soon decided that being outside with the obnoxious lawn mower was not nearly as fun as being inside without it. Once I'd finished and headed back inside I discovered a very quiet house. Things were a little too quiet. Quiet enough that I was concerned and decided to go searching for my ladies. I found them snuggled up in Sophie's bed "napping".

They had helped themselves to some snacks. Lots of graham crackers. Lots and lots. I nearly stepped on one hiding on their rug later that night. But more importantly, they even created this fabulous treat all by themselves. Chocolate blueberries. Mmmmmmm..... How could anyone resist??! They put them in a heart shaped tin and put it back in the fridge for later. So they could share with everyone. Aren't they sweet? My favorite part of all of this though was listening to Soph praying later that day. In essence she thanked Heavenly Father that she and Mia were able to take such good care of themselves while "Mom was away." All the heart eyes. All of them. Even as roll my eyes. ;) These little darlings certainly keep me on my toes!!