Cousins Part 1 (the Butterfly Gardens and Museum)

Aunt Ashley, cousin Matthew, and cousin Audrey came for a visit in July. Miri had a big month, she started sitting on her own, clapping, giving kisses, and saying Mama. She seemed to just decide that she was ready to sit alone all of a sudden, she did it one day, and by the next day she could sit alone for 20 minutes with no problem.

We had friends over for an Iron Chief competition between Dustin and I (I won) and Miri decided she couldn't live without Mama. She was crying if anyone else held her and said Mama for the first time that night. It got clearer and clearer as the days passed that she meant it when she said Mama, and it became easier to understand. A few days before the first saying of Mama, Miri gave Daddy a big, open mouthed kiss. He didn't mind the drool.

Miri had a lot of fun with her cousins. We went to the Natural History Museum one day and visited the shark jaws (since Matthew is into sharks) and the butterfly rainforest. Audrey was crazy about the butterflies, which she calls badubadubs for some reason (very cute). Miri liked the butterflies, but was most interested in the fish in the pond.