Last Saturday, we went out to get some Chinese food and Mio started running around with the two kids of the restaurant owner. She’s usually pretty shy and reserved when she sees other children, but the little girl (apparently 3 years old) was so friendly and kept coming up to Mio and giving her hugs that Mio warmed right up to her and soon they were running back and forth across the store. It was really cute to watch! 🙂
…and here’s the helpful advice I got from my fortune cookie there. ♥
Last Sunday as a busy day for us! For lunch, we drove over to Bowie, Maryland to visit our friends Will & Clair and their adorable one year old son Joseph! We had a great time at their lovely home, making homemade pizza for lunch and letting our little ones get to know each other…
Later that evening, we went to Gymboree Play & Music in Burke to celebrate our friends’ son Danny turning two! Mio and Danny had met a few months ago when we went to Frying Pan Farm Park. This was our first time going to a party at Gymboree, but it was a lot of fun and we can see why it’s so popular!
After an hour of fun-filled playtime, it was time to eat!
I’m catching up on posting pictures! These are from a little while ago, when Mio wanted to put rollers in her hair just like her grandmother. Mio already has curly hair, but we obliged and she spent all morning walking around in the curlers. We couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures!
Today, Mio awoke from her nap just in time to see the flurry of snowflakes outside. She noticed them outside the window immediately and spent several minutes simply gazing out at them. I captured the moment of wonder on my phone, shown above. Hope everyone is staying warm this weekend!
Mio is so independent these days! She wants to do everything we grownups are doing, and on her own. She also gets pointers from her favorite Japanese show, Shimajiro, which teaches little kids how to do practical things (like dressing themselves, going to the bathroom, washing your hands) as well as safety (like looking both ways and holding hands with a parent when walking in a parking lot) and manners (being quiet at the doctor’s office, sharing toys with other kids and learning how to ask to borrow things, keeping promises) — often through songs, and in ways that will make these lessons appealing to kids. Mio is so focused when she watches Shimajiro and I can tell she’s really absorbing what they teach!
Just this week, she started trying to dress herself, without me even saying anything!
So she still has a ways to go before perfecting the art of dressing oneself, but she’s got the determination and will! :)Â She also begs for floss whenever she sees any of us using any, and goes to sliding the floss in her teeth. Between how much she likes to brush her teeth and learning to floss so early, she is really on top of keeping her pearly whites in tip-top shape!
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All these signs of independence really tickle me! It’s bittersweet, of course, but I’m so proud of Mio for taking the initiative to become more self-reliant. Plus, it makes for some pretty adorable pictures! 😉