Happy 1st Birthday!!!

After a year full of fun that seemed to fly by, Mia's first birthday arrived on August 6 and, to mark the milestone, we had a weekend of parties!  On Saturday, we celebrated with pizza and cake at our condo.  Of course, Mia had no idea that it was her birthday, but she soon figured out that she loves cake and had a fun time opening her new toys!  On Sunday, we followed up with a fun party at Grampie's house, which included the legendary 6-foot sub from Bob's Italian Food Store in Medford - I am confident no one left that party hungry!  By Sunday, Mia was a champion cake-eater (though still a little uncertain about listening to us sing the "Happy Birthday" song), and she was so happy to see family and play with the wonderful toys she received. It was the perfect ending to a perfect year - we can't wait to see what the next year brings!

We love Green Harbor!

We just returned from Mia's second and longest visit to the cottage at Green Harbor, and it was a fantastic week for all of us!  We were lucky to have warm and sunny weather for the entire week, especially since Mia can't get enough of the beach!  She had a blast playing in the sand and "swimming" and "surfing" in the water.  She was also thrilled to discover the wooden bead maze at the cottage so she could show off her new skill of standing up while playing.  We were also lucky to have Jan, Grammy, Auntie Theresa, Auntie Tanya and Uncle Frank come to visit while we were there to join in on the fun!

Island Fun!

To kick off summer, we took a family trip to Martha's Vineyard last week, which was Mia's first summer vacation!  Mia had a great time visiting the gingerbread houses, going to the beach, shopping and sightseeing around the island, though her favorite part seemed to be making friends - she would smile and make cute faces at everyone around us wherever we went. Overall, we had a great time with our tiny traveler!

Somebunny Special!

Easter is always a wonderful time to celebrate, but this year it was even more special since it was Mia's first Easter!  After a long winter, one of our first warm spring days arrived along with the Easter Bunny, who left baskets for Mia at every stop along our route of visiting family and friends!  Of course, Mia loved opening the baskets, but, most of all, we had so much fun spending time with grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins! 

Little Lucky Charm

Since babies and St. Patrick's Day are both great reasons to celebrate, we had a lot of fun on March 17th this year!  Preparations for Mia's first St. Patrick's Day literally began a year ago when a friend bought her a shamrock outfit while on a trip to Ireland (which of course made a great photo opportunity!)  In the spirit of the day, Mia enjoyed oatmeal and pureed carrots (this was also because they happen to be two of the five foods that she eats) and she loved the Irish-themed Vermont Teddy Bear she received from Grandma and Grandpa! We feel truly lucky today - as the Irish say, Slainte! 

Bonjour Sophie!

I am dedicating this post to one of Mia's favorite toys - Sophie la Girafe.  In a household that loves all things French, Mia has found her own favorite in Sophie, a French teething toy - she is a cute and simple little animal toy and Mia loves her!  Supposedly, Sophie has stood the test of time (she was invented in 1961) because the toy stimulates each of a baby's senses - whatever the reason, Mia thinks she is the greatest.  Recently, we also gave Mia a new bathtub version of Sophie (a petite version of the original Sophie, wearing a life preserver), which was just as big of a hit with her.  Here are a few pictures of Mia enjoying some playtime with her two Sophies :)

Snow Bunny

We just got back from Mia's first family vacation - a fun trip to North Conway, NH, with Grammy, Poppy, Auntie Theresa, Uncle Joseph, Auntie Tanya & Uncle Frank. There was a ton of snow on the ground and we all had a great time hanging out together at the chalet, snowshoeing, eating, shopping and of course tubing at Mt. Cranmore! Mia loved spending time with everyone and even had a fun time hanging out at the ski lodge at the mountain!