We spent this past weekend at Camp Shehaqua, a family camp at Hickory Run State Park in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. We arrived on Friday afternoon and left on Sunday afternoon, so it was a fun three days and two nights spent with friends and their families in the great outdoors!
Our little cabin for the weekend.
Arriving at Camp Shehaqua
Mio relaxing in the hammock by the dining hall.
Mirei and I squeezed in too. It was so comfy!
Both nights, there was a campfire and s’mores after dinner. Here’s Mio on the first night by the campfire.
Hanging out by the campfire.
Roasting marshmallows.
Mio and I enjoying our s’mores! She loved them.
6 month old Mirei and 10 month old Avonlea.
Avonlea, 2 month old Alanna, and Mirei! So many baby girls!
Morning activity the next day for the “Twinkles” group (which was 3 – 5 year olds)
Mio had a good time participating in the activities with Dan.
Meanwhile, Mirei and I were in the “Milky Way” group for babies under two. Mirei got to make some new baby friends!
Mirei with her friends:
The campground had a really clean and well-maintained pool! Mio had a great time swimming in it in the afternoon.
Mirei got to take a dip, too!
With our sweet girls in the pool.
The dodgeball tournament in the evening of the second day.
Lots of outdoor fun!
Mio and Seiji watching their Daddies play dodgeball from the sidelines.
The girls with Daddy after the game.
Mirei sitting up in the field
Dojoon was so sweet and doting with Mirei!
Mirei getting lots of attention!
Seiji playing with Mirei
A bunch of the boys hugging Mirei. She was getting bombarded with affection!
Mio climbing a tree for the first time. She had such a good time at the camp!
While I’m not a very outdoorsy person and camping usually is a challenge for me, it was nice to unplug and get away with other families and friends, and spend time in nature together. The kids definitely enjoyed it, and we’re looking forward to going again in the future!
Happy half birthday to our dear Mirei! You’re six months old today, and this past year has really flown by. You’ve grown so much since you came into our lives as a little pink bundle of joy back in January, and we’re in wonder at how much you can do now.
(I’ll be taking photos of Mirei sitting in my white desk chair and wearing her monthly onesie every month until she’s one year old.)
Stats: While we have yet to get some exact measurements until we go to the doctor for your wellness exam next week, we’re pretty sure you are well over 19 lbs… perhaps even nearing 20 lbs! You feel so heavy and we’re already feeling like we can’t hold you for too long at a time because you are so hefty. In the past week, your two front bottom teeth have emerged — your first teeth! Your hair which had a bald strip in the back is completely grown back in now.
Things You’re Doing Now: You’re on the move! In the past couple weeks, you’ve learned to wiggle and scoot your way around, pseudo-crawling your way around the room. When you spot something you want to touch, you determinedly start lunging towards it and speedily scoot your way towards your prize! We can’t leave you on high surfaces like the bed or you’ll definitely roll and scoot your way off of them. You’re constantly rolling around and moving in your sleep, traveling from one end of the crib to the other several times during the night. We find cooing happily in your crib when you wake up in the morning and from your naps, and are generally a very happy baby, full of smiles, squeals, and laughs! Because your first teeth have come in, nursing you can be painful at times, and you are eager to put anything you can into your mouth due to the teething. You’re very eager to start solids, constantly staring and reaching for the food we’re eating in front of you. We plan to officially introduce you to the world of solids next week! We couldn’t be happier with how healthy and smoothly you have been growing, and we look forward to what the coming months and years with you will bring!
Mirei is definitely on the move! She’s showing the beginning stages of crawling and is scooting around the room whenever we put her down! We didn’t really expect her to start crawling so soon, so we’re sort of in a panic. Baby girl is growing up so fast…
Here’s a video of her from last week, making her way around Mio’s room.
We enrolled Mio in her first ballet class this summer, since she has been showing a lot of interest in the idea of ballerinas and dance. The class is Tiny Tutu’s Level I for 3 year olds, and it meets once a week for eight weeks for a total of eight classes that run from the beginning of July to the end of August. Mio loves dressing up in her leotard, tutu, tights, and ballet slippers and going to class to spin and dance with her classmates! Ballet class is also something I’d always looked forward to enrolling my daughters in, as I loved going to ballet class as a little girl myself. I feel like it’s one of the fun highlights and milestones you can enjoy as mother to a daughter.
Sitting with the other students at week 2 of ballet class.
She seems to really enjoy ballet class so far, and always talks about it at home, asking “Can I go to ballet class?” constantly. We’re so happy that she’s having fun with it!
Because it’s summer break, I’ve been trying to find ways to keep Mio busy and entertained while she doesn’t have preschool. I decided to enroll her in a few classes, one of which is “Preschool Gymnastics” or basically beginner gymnastics for toddlers 3-5 years old. It’s four classes that meet once a week during the month of July, and while Mio is one of the youngest students and doesn’t always follow the instructor’s directions, she seems to be having fun with it! Here are some photos and videos from her classes.
