My lil fish

What better way to spend a HOT Texas summer? Swimming of course! Mikayla decided it was time for a change of pace, so when she finished her school year she dropped Gymnastics for a while and has switched over to swim lessons. She is still trying to decide if she is going to try out for swim team or dive team in the fall. I vote for swim since the thought of all the various possible dive injuries makes me just a lil petrified!!! But that being said, I would be willing to bet that is the route she would go! She has really seemed to slim down with all the swimming, and is desparately trying to talk Daddy into putting a pool in her very own backyard!





Leading the pack of swimmers in her class, she is in the pink and silver swim cap
It is hard to get good pictures from the upstairs area, but I keep trying!

This is the cutest thing nothing but lil faces staring up at their coach for instructions, to bad I can't get a clear picture of it!

Quite a swim for a lil monkey!

My new life!

Now my sole purpose in life has been reduced to getting food un-stuck from between the roof of her mouth and the appliance!

The dentist warned her of the hazzards of doughy material, but Mikayla cannot live without her PB & J!!! So now Mommy gets to share in the enjoyment of the really GROSS side of a PB & J sandwich!!!

Mikayla gets a torture device!

I had to take Mikayla to the dentist since she was telling me her "new teeth" were hurting her. Diagnosis the little girl with the biggest mouth around, actually has a very small mouth!!! No more room for her bigger better teeth to grow into! So it was decided that it is time for her to start her ortho treatments beginning with a palletal expander. This is a metal appliance across the top of her mouth that is attached to her teeth. Three times a week I have to go in there and turn the key which in turns cranks the appliance wider forcing her jaw to expand and widen. At this point we have now had it on for three weeks, I can already see a difference in the way her teeth are now growing in straighter since there is actually room for them! The down side is it actually affects her speech! My little angel's sweet voice and pronounciation is gone!!! It is pretty hard to talk with a big metal thing in your tongues way. The dentist promised her speech will be back to normal when the appliance is removed in about 9 months!!!

She has been such a trooper with all of this, the first noght was bad since her mouth was sore from all the activity and placement of the appliance, then the next night we had to turn the key for the first time, there were tears and a MAJOR guilt trip on "how could you hurt your little princess like that". Those were her actual words! But since then it is no big deal!

BIG announcement!!! Mikayla has officially grown up!!! She quit sucking her thumb and twirling her hair a couple months ago!!! SO sad to see the cuteness of her de-stressing herself with her thumb and her hair, since that was a sure sign if she was tired or if something was bothering her...The thumb would make it's way to her mouth and automatically her other hand would make its way up to her lil piggy tails. Every night after she was asleep I would have to go in and untangle her hand from her hair! I wonder how she puts herself to sleep now???

Mikayla and one of her many collections!

I think just about anyone with a little girl has been exposed to these cute little animal toys. Mikayla is no exception, she loves these lil animals, and loves to get her daddy in there playing with her animals too!

Nothing better on a Saturday morning than teaching your little pets their Spanish abc's!

Waterslide fun with the cousins

Dakota had abandoned the slide before I got the camera out!

Nothing beats new dot dot paint!

Other than a Daddy who will sit there and watch quietly as you create your next masterpiece, see his big ole shoe sneaking into the picture?

Making Easter eggs

Mommy's favorite holiday is Easter (maybe since I was born on Easter, me and the Easter bunny have a special bond!) This was our first Easter to not dye eggs with our cousins since they were at their Daddy's. But not to fear, Mikay just rolled up her sleeves and dyed all those eggs all by herself!

Hoedown Throwndown Mikay style!

We were cracking up when she started dancing along! She has only seen clips of the video on Disney channel then she saw the Hannah Montana movie on Monday...She has somehow pretty much memorized the dance! Ignore the princess dress she was getting ready for a tea party with Daddy when I finished adding the song to her ipod, so she had to try it out!

Look what I built!

These dolls are almost to the point of needing their own room! So we had to do something to contain all their accesories so nothing would get lost. Solution...Look what I built!!! Yes it was a kit thing, but I built it all by myself, and before Mike got home so I would not get lectured on how much I spent on doll storage!!! But it looks so cute in her room and Mikay loves it!


Mia, Julie, Princess Black Horse, Amanda and Chrissa all look happy enough in their new home!

Bitty Baby can't be up there, apparently she is afraid of heights now, and she might fall off, so poor Bitty has to stay in her crib! At least she is finally playing with dolls!

A special thank you webisode from Mikayla to her Grandparents and Amy!

She understands the concept of adoption, and that most adopted children do not get to know and love their Birth families the way that she gets to. I hope you guys know how much each of you do mean to her! A child cannot have to many people loving her, so Mike and I are very appreciative for the role each of you choose to play in her life!

Mikay wanted to make a webisode of her with Amanda and Princess Black Pony to say a special thanks to all of you especially!

How I spent my Birthday Money

Well how I spent half of it anyways...The other half went into my college money.

We went to the American Girl store and she had to buy this horse, her full name this week is Princess Black Pony....I don't know where she came up with the name!!!

How to play with Amanda and Princess Black Pony...Simple facts you need to know!

Birthday Princess

Mikayla's party at Emler Swim School. Freezing cold outside, Only in Texas do you have to go swimming to WARM up at the end of March!

One happy group of swimmers!

Life doesn't get much better than this cupcakes, ice cream and a bunch of friends!

A cute bunch of happy kiddos

enjoying her musical card, about to open her new American Girl Doll, now named Amanda. Thank you Grandma and Papa Bear.

Mikayla has a special guest on her webisode

Auntie Brenda was such a good sport, humoring Mikayla through several video clip sessions. Sorry Brenda we had to post at least one of them!

Kayla's latest Video Blog and out-takes

She loves making these little videos! She calls them her Mikayla Medford.com webisodes!!!

She thinks I deleted this as I was instructed to! But how could I when it is so cute!

S

The summer themed blog.

Picnic at the park with Auntie Brenda!

We went to the park by Auntie Brenda's house and met up with Miss Kim and her 2 boys Ethan and Baby James for a fun picnic, and an afternoon of playing!

Ethan on the plasma car

Kayla posing as always

Sidewalk chalk

And of course there was swinging!!!

Mikayla's Springbreak make-over and Laundry day!

We went to the Beauty School, she loved getting her hair washed and curled then her piggies painted and light make-up. Then she went to Papa Bear and Grandma Tish's house for a dinner date and a practice session of golf.

Painting those lil piggies!

Make-up a big no-no, except for special occasions, so she loved it!

She loved posing after her make-over. Look at all those curls!



Surprisingly she loved the trip to the laundromat the next day to wash the comforters! She wants the big washers for her house!

EEEEK!!! With all the other festivities of the day, on our way out this evening she is in the back seat and I hear "Mommy I think I just lost my tooth!" Sure enough my little pumpkin is short another tooth, it is the little one that was beside her adult tooth on the left side of the picture! She better start growing some of these teeth back in a little faster! If you are able to view her self-directed lost tooth video, it is cute, and she wanted her cousins to see it!

Let the Birthday festivities begin!

Grandma Tish, Amy, and Mikayla in Dallas at the American Girl store. For an afternoon of birthday shopping for Mikayla's two precious dolls Mia and Julie

In the Bistro area of the store for a Birthday lunch date. The dolls are in their highchairs with their own little lunch menus.

She was so surprised about the cake. She told me later she thought it was for someone else, but was so excited that it was just for her! Of course right off she noticed that the polka dots matched her new bedroom (strictly coincidence)!!!

Look she can still blow out all the candles in one breath!

Cowgirl Kayla trying out her lasso-ing skills, she loves the cowgirl outfit for both the doll and herself! Maybe the doll will get the outfit...but since I just finished all her spring and summer clothes shopping (and as usual way overbought) poor little Mikayla will not be matching her doll in this outfit!!!

Birthday Shopping trip and lunch at the American Girl store. Today we went to lunch and shopping with Grandma Tish and Amy. First we enjoyed a yummy lunch with a Birthday cake afterwards, then went shopping so Mikayla could show everyone what her dolls "needed". She had a blast, and loved being the center of attention with three doting adults! That's my girl!!!

Everybody left with a full tummy and shopping bag and an empty wallet as always!

Wrestling with Uncle Poopy (Bob)

Uncle Poopy better enjoy his numbered days of letting her win...She is gaining on him, and it won't be long until I think she will win fair and square!!! Watch out Bob, you might get hurt!!!