Pigtails and Naps!

Sarah's hair is finally long enough to do a ponytail or pigtails. She will actually keep the rubber bands in (unlike the bows that I try to get her to wear).

She also has been taking little catnaps on the way home from Glamma's & Bon Papa's after a busy day. She'll fall asleep in the car and then I will hold her until she wakes up. I love cuddling with her because she is usually too busy to cuddle with Mama or Daddy.

During her afternoon naps, she has recently tried everything to delay going down. She will need a diaper change, then wants to read a book and then must have a drink of water. So this means her afternoon nap now is a little later. Each day is completely different than the day before.

We had a very nice dinner tonight at Hollyhock Hill (one of Sarah's favorite places to eat) with GG & GG Pop. Sarah ate so much tonight--cottage cheese (with her own spoon), beets, crackers, green beans, corn, mashed potatoes, biscuits, and of course chicken. She was too busy to make it to ice cream since she needed to check out the fountains and got a kick out of throwing pennies in the fountain.

I came across a couple neat websites:
http://www.houzz.com/ (great for home ideas)

http://www.paperspring.com/ (fun stationery and cards)

Mackinac Island Newspaper

I forgot to put the link to the article in which our family appeared in the Town Crier. We were shocked to get such a large photo and so much about our family!! Thank you Mrs. Doud.

We're on page 17.
Click here to read the our story.

Here is the text from the article:
Happy birthday to Aaron
Cislak, who celebrated his second
birthday on Mackinac Island
Wednesday, July 7. Aaron is the
nephew of Mary Cislak Tresize
of Indianapolis, Indiana, whose
family has been spending a week
in the summer on Mackinac
Island since 1985. This Fourth of
July, Mary and her husband,
Andy, along with their 15-
month-old daughter, Sarah
Margaret, joined her parents,
Gregory and Catherine Cislak,
and her brother, Cliff, his wife,
Anna, and their son, Aaron, of
Washington, D.C., on the Island.
They spend half their time at
Hotel Iroquois and the other half
at Grand Hotel. Mary’s aunt and
uncle, Jody and Dick Wert, also
share the same passion for the
Island.

New Photos

I thought we would get the 16 month photos/videos up before she turns 17 months.
Here they are!
16 month photos, click here

Almost 17 months

Please forgive us for not posting new pictures sooner. It has been a very busy month of July since we returned from vacation. We love the warm weather and can get out and do so many things. Most recently, we have taken advantage of the many splash parks in Indianapolis/Carmel. Sarah LOVES the splash park and loves getting all wet and sprayed by the water. I don't have any photos since I have to keep a close eye on Sarah because she goes from one thing to the next very quickly. We had a nice time with Mrs. Hall (mommy's friend Stephanie) at West Park in Carmel. Sarah explored the playground and then would cool off in the splash park area then back to the playground. She is our little explorer.

Over the past couple weeks, she has done such a good job eating off her plate and using a fork and spoon. She climbs up on the sofa and our rocker chairs very easily to "relax" for a few minutes. Sarah loves playing at the library and starts clapping when we turn down the street for the library (she also does this when we turn onto Glamma & Bon Papa's street). At the park, she enjoys going down the slides and climbing with Mom & Dad's help.

We had a wonderful time seeing Aunt Carol, and cousins Adrian & Preston before they head off to school. Sarah loved splashing around the pool and then the trip to Chipotle. We also had a wonderful family dinner at Hollyhock Hill, both are some of Sarah's favorite restaurants! I had to keep "borrowing" food from the other end of the table FOR SARAH :) She got to visit the fountains with Aunt Carol and named one of the benches by the fountain "Mama" and the other bench "dada." It was a special treat for Mama since I got to enjoy my dessert with coffee!! Thank you Aunt Carol!!

At the library yesterday, we went to a baby sign language class.

Fun with the Hobsons

We had a great time seeing our friends Sean & Amanda and meeting their daughter, Malea, who is one day older than Sarah. It was a hot day at the zoo but the girls had fun. Sarah did not want to leave the zoo and loved looking at the animals. Sarah kept calling the llamas "mama." That evening, the Hobsons came over for dinner and Malea and Sarah warmed up well to each other and played nicely together. We wish they didn't leave so far away in Vincennes, IN. Hope to see you all soon. Sean joked that Malea & Sarah are going to be roommates at Ohio State!
Here are some photos from our day.

Check out our vacation blog

We're back from a relaxing and wonderful family vacation to Mackinac Island. To check out our photos, visit our vacation blog at http://wishyouwerehereinmackinac.blogspot.com. Mackinac was so much fun for the whole family and we're so grateful to have the time all together.

Today, we're heading off to the zoo for our first visit to the Indianapolis Zoo with Sarah and our friends the Hobsons. Their daughter is exactly one day older than Sarah so it will be fun to get the girls together. Have a great HOT Indiana summer day!!

15 Month Check-Up

Sarah Margaret's visit to the doctor for her 15 month check-up went very well. She is still in the 75th percentile for height (2'8") and 25th percentile for weight (21.5 lbs.). She had four vaccinations and was very brave for the shots. By the time we left the office, she was smiling and waving to the nurses. The next day, she was a little sleepy. In the morning, she laid next to Andy on the couch with a blanket on her watching the morning news. She has never sat on the sofa for more than a few seconds so we knew that she was a little sore from the shots.
Her new favorites (in addition to swimming) include sitting on the bottom step of our stairs, Bitty Baby (who must go everywhere and even sleep with Sarah), and clam chowder & chilled strawberry soup. The other night, Sarah would not fall asleep until Bitty was placed next to her in her crib.
Click here to view the new photos & videos.

Another favorite activity of Sarah's is singing into her play microphone and dancing to Disney songs. For Sarah's birthday, she received a little play microphone. She hadn't noticed it until recently but now loves talking/singing into the mic. We might have to sign her up for voice lessons soon. There is a video of her singing ability in her 15 month album. Also on YouTube, she'll bounce along to "Under the Sea" and "I Can't Wait to Be King."

Enjoy these hot & humid Indiana summer days!!