(Myah LOVES ice "ceam" - thanks for the awesome picture-Katie Max Olsen)
We are having a wonderful (and very busy summer). We have been blessed to spend so much time with family and friends. This summer has been more adventurous for our little toddler. She is down to one nap and is independent enough to eat by herself, climb up the play set and go down the slide at the park, go swimming in the lake, make a few little friends, and talk to our friends and family.
As I mentioned, we have been pretty busy. Our summer started with some great trips up to the cabin, where we spent time with my family in early July and then Josh's family later in July. Myah definitely enjoyed spending time with everyone, but it was an extra special treat to spend time with her cousins from North Carolina. All 7 of the cousins (3 from MN, 3 from NC, and Myah) spent time together for 2 weeks while they were in town. Pictured below at G&G Retkas on a HOT! day in July (it was 100 without humidity)!
In July Myah also attended a wedding for a good family friend of ours. It is crazy to see how much she is really coming alive and how much her little personality comes out everyday. On the evening of this wedding. Myah HIT the dance floor, proceeded to get a circle of adults to surround her, and then started break dancing. Okay, so she was actually trying out some yoga poses - downward facing dog, slide plank (but to average wedding attendee is looked like she was break dancing). We got a huge kick out of it! Pictured below before the reception with a little white umbrella.
So, you might be thinking to yourself... yoga? Where did Myah learn yoga? Well, Josh and I have started working out a little differently this spring/summer. One of our new routines is yoga. So, I'm guessing that Myah is either learning it from us or her daycare lady(who does yoga everyday). I must say, adding yoga, calorie counting, weight lifting, and training for a half marathon has really been a great thing for my hubby. If you haven't seen him lately, he looks AMAZING! Josh has been on a 9 month weight loss and wellness journey and is looking and feeling wonderful. He is so determined and I am so proud of him. I realized that I don't have any good pictures of him with his new look, but I will add a family photo that gives you an idea! Here it is!
We've had some great adventures this summer, but, I must say that one of my favorite places to visit each summer is the North Shore. The 2nd weekend of August, my parents, my brother, his wife, and us headed up to Superior Shores and stayed at The Burlington Bay. It was awesome! We had a great view of the lake and wonderful accommodations. The only that could have gone better? Not much, but, maybe next year we'll try to get a family photo by Gooseberry at a time other than nap time (see cranky toddler below). In fact, we liked it so much, Josh, Myah, and I have plans to head back to Superior Shores in October to see the fall colors in their glory! :)
So, as you can see, our little peanut is growing up so fast. She is learning new words and phrases every day and it just blows me away. This morning she said to her doll "Baby, wanna go to the park?...."okay, baby to park!" and looked at me.... that little turkey! :) Besides playing with her baby, so also is starting to enjoy watching Elmo. And, unless he's on, she'll say "TV off".
She is also making new little friends with kids in the neighborhood and our friends' kids. In fact, she will getting a few new friends at daycare next week. This should be interesting because she's been 1 of 3 little girls (the only one outside of the family) at this daycare for quite sometime.
She is also going through a little pushing staging and is having trouble sharing. While this is so common for kids her age, I really struggle with it. I feel so terrible when she pushes another child when the other kid was expecting a hug. So, we're working through it the best we can. One day at a time, I guess :)
As far as Josh and me. We're doing great, too. As I mentioned above, Josh is doing awesome with his weight loss and wellness. He is having a great summer outdoors playing golf, running, and hanging with friends and family. And, I'm feeling good and enjoying the summer, as well. I am going to start taking a few photography classes this fall and am looking forward to figuring out how to take some more creative photos with our camera. I am also really looking forward to my 10 year college reunion in October! I have friends flying in from both coasts to celebrate, so it should be a great time and a stroll down Cobberville Lane!
And of course, the pooch. Addie is enjoying the summer. She's spent a lot of time withe her "bestie", Roxy, the puppy down the street. They go to the park and romp around a few days a week. She also has been running with Josh, but can no longer make it on his longer runs. Poor poocher!
Hope all is well with you, friends and family! Reach out if you have a minute, we'd love to hear from you!
The Retkas
