Ben, Mia, and I joined Lolli and Pop on a trip to Slovenia and Venice, Italy. It was truly an amazing trip on so many accounts. Family time, delicious food, hiking with beautiful scenery and views, and watching the trip unfold through Mia's eyes. Each day we hiked, she was game to hop in the backpack. She enjoyed the breaks every few miles, but was right back in for the rest of the adventure. She had her first ice cream. She was a trooper while adjusting to the time change. I had mentally prepared myself for the challenges that may come up with traveling with a toddler, but honestly, Mia was a fun little adventurer to have along! Slovenia is a beautiful country and I would love to make it back some day! We spent a few days in Venice toward the tail end of our trip. Very cool city and I am glad we saw it. Admittedly, it felt a little overwhelming coming from so many days of hiking in nature with very few people. Glad that Lolli wanted her birthday trip to be the adventure that it was! We enjoyed every minute! 

Amelia is in full on busy toddler mode! So many things to do when she isn't napping or sleeping! 

- Went to Mayo clinic for her Ear Tube check-up...everything looks good and she passed her hearing test. She was adorable waving to everyone in the waiting room and carrying her Carebear. She and mom had a sleepover at a hotel in Rochester to make the morning appointment go a little smoother. 
- Enjoys painting at school. Her teachers were impressed that she actually kept the paint on the page and not all over the chair. 
- Loves going out in her rain boots...rain or shine really :) Just loves the boots and she can now put them on herself.
- Prefers carrying the chuckit for Nala and then will hand it to us for us to throw the ball.
- Eating most meals with silverware, but will occasionally go off script and dig a handful of food out with her hand
- Reading and carrying books around continues to be a favorite. 
- Boating weather brings new lessons to be learned...wearing a lifejacket whenever we are on the dock or the boat, keeping our feet on the seat when looking over the side of the boat, not going to the back of the boat when in motion :) She loves the boat. LOVES running around on the seats and waving to other boaters. 
- Dances and bounces to music when it plays
- Not big on the TV viewing, but she does love watching African safari videos on YouTube :)
- Still a great sleeper...12 hours a night, 3 hours of naps during the day
- Has fun feeding/caring for her stuffed animals...mostly Wanda the Wolf or Lucky the Unicorn. 
- Accessorizing is this girl's thing...will turn anything into a bracelet
- Says her version of "dad", "mom", "shoes", "boots", "Beanie" (Nala)
- Signs "please", "more", "help", "book", "sleep", "diaper change", "poop"
- Can point to all body parts
- Uses a stool to wash hands and we now have a toilet in the bathroom...only "Lucky the Unicorn" has tried it :)
- We are officially bottle free!!!
- Starting to run more than walk
- Lots of bumps and bruises due to exploring and daring maneuvers :)