Happy Anniversary honey!

Maya's blog post...

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Maya thought it would be fun to play on the computer and write her own blog post.  I'm sure you all can read it, right?  Ha ha.  Dave managed to capture it on video as well.  Too cute!

Tough Job

I have heard Oprah say numerous times that mothers have the hardest job.  I have to say, mothers and fathers have the hardest job.  I truly never believed it until I became a parent.  I love being a mother and I love being Maya's mother.  Most days I feel like the luckiest person in the world.  Maya is sweet, charming, smart, funny, and so lovable.  And then there are moments that she is just the opposite.  Maya's biggest struggle these days is napping and bedtime.   She refuses to go to sleep without a battle.  We have established a routine and followed Jo Frost's advise but Maya refuses to fall asleep.  Instead she gets out of bed, talks or sings to herself, plays with her feet, or whatever she can do to stay awake.  She is obviously tired based on her yawns, rubbing her eyes, and snuggling with her blanket.  I love you Maya but PLEASE go to sleep. 

Here is a picture of Maya from the other night - she is clearly tired but decided to battle it out.  I won.

Maya Reading Daddy a Book

One of my goals as a parent is to get Maya to read to me vs. the other way around :) As you will see in this video, I am well on my way!

$250,000 Raised to bring clean water to communities in Ethiopia!

On 12 February 2009, 200+ international cities hosted a Twestival (Twitter + festival) to bring Twitter communities together to raise money for charity: water.  We participated in the event here in Fargo and wanted to give you an update on the drills that are now being drilled!

The Twestival raised $250,000+ and brought worldwide public awareness to the global water crisis. On 11 April charity: water drilled the first Twestival well, here are some videos of the progress.

To see videos of Days 1-3 visit http://www.charitywater.org/twestival/

She makes me laugh

It is rare to get a photo of Maya smiling for the camera.  She is just too busy these days.  Tonight I got a good one of her. 
 
I also got a picture of Maya wearing her purple flip flops with her pink socks.  It makes me laugh.

Ethiopia’s Secret Holy Land

Too often the focus of Ethiopia is focused on poverty, HIV and orphans. These are all very relevant topics and should be top of mind for all of us to continue to call for care of those less fortunate.  But Ethiopia is also a special place, a Holy Land that for most, is unknown to them. It is time to learn!

The History Channel has done an amazing five part production presenting the religious heritage of Ethiopia. Here are the links for you to learn and enjoy.

History Channel - Ethiopia Secret Holy Land 1 of 5
History Channel - Ethiopia Secret Holy Land 2 of 5
History Channel - Ethiopia Secret Holy Land 3 of 5
History Channel - Ethiopia Secret Holy Land 4 of 5
History Channel - Ethiopia Secret Holy Land 5 of 5

Another hair post

On Sunday we asked Maya if she would like to play outside or get her hair done.  What did she  pick?  Her hair!  Maya watched 2 Mickey Mouse shows and 1/2 a Winnie the Pooh show while I worked on her hair.  I wanted to try something new and try using beads.  Well...I did something new but decided against the beads as it would have double the time and I thought an hour was long enough.  It turned out cute but it isn't holding as well.  I think I need to do each braid smaller and tighter.  I guess I need to keep practicing.

Easter Day

Here are some pictures from yesterday - Maya really had fun looking through her Easter basket and eating her candy.  She especially loved the bubble gum.  We thought she would swallow it right way but she didn't.  Instead she chewed it for a good hour before Dave took it away.  Hope all of you had a wonderful Easter!

Easter and fresh air...

Maya received an Easter basket from her Aunt Tori and her Grandma Linda.  Boy is Maya one lucky little girl!  Thank you Linda and Tori for thinking of Maya.

Here is Maya with her Easter basket from her Aunt Tori


Maya loved opening her Easter basket from Grandma Linda.  She got very excited about the "chocolate suckers"

This morning we had fun dying Easter eggs.  To be honest, this was the first time I had dyed them and I had no clue what I was doing.  Like Dave said, "Maya doesn't care that you don't know what to do".  And he was right!  Maya had fun regardless.
 

Maya was very proud of her eggs (and right after this picture, she dropped the egg on the floor).

This afternoon after our naps (yes, we both took a nap), we headed outside for some fresh air.  We took a long walk around our neighborhood with our dogs and then played outside for awhile.  Maya tried to ride her bike and her Barbie car but she needed some help.  Hopefully she will understand the concept of pedaling and steering. 

I am so blessed to be her father

I had the opportunity to lead Maya through some of her gymnastics exercises and Theresa captured them on video. Even though classes have been over for weeks she still asks to go to gymnastics with Abygail (her friend who turns 2 today!)

I love you kiddo… Dad

"We are going to prepare for the worst" – Flood Fight Round Two - *UPDATE*

A quick update – the NWS lowered the crest prediction this afternoon to 38-40 feet. As often as they change their prediction and for as often as they are wrong we are going to have to just wait and see what happens…

Original post:

After a relaxing weekend all thoughts and prayers are on the upcoming 2nd crest of the Red River, which is expected to happen next week. We personally are hoping that all this extra work is for nothing and the crest is much lower than currently being predicted.

The city of Fargo announced today that "We are going to prepare for the worst" and build all the dikes in the city to 44 feet. This is based on the NWS prediction that the river will have a 90% chance of cresting at 40.4 (the all time height was March 28 ago at 40.82 and a 75% chance of going higher than 41 feet.

So the sandbagging operations are beginning again this Thursday and starting Saturday we will start watching the river rise again. This means that for many homes, including ours, the long forgotten items from our basement will continue to be stored in our above ground living areas… :)

Dress up time

Maya's Aunt Judy and Uncle Isaac gave her some fabulous dress-up clothes. In my opinion, she kind of looked like an older lady with her tight curls and big earrings on her way to church. The visual makes me laugh. Maya had a blast playing with her new stuff. Thank you Judy and Isaac for the awesome gift!



P.S. Do you notice a certain dog in both pictures? Yep, that is our Toby wanting in on the action :)

Gotta love them

Nicole's blog post reminded me of a funny Maya story. We are currently in the potty training stage. Maya is more than happy to sit on the toilet, flush the toilet, and wash her hands but refuses to actually "go" in the toilet. I thought she may be motivated by earning a sticker every time she successfully went in the toilet. So one day I said "Maya, if you go potty mommy will give you a sticker". Maya replies with "no sticker, money". Unfortunately that didn't work so hot either but it sure made me laugh. I may have to try the M&M trick like Nicole. Thanks Nicole for the idea!

My Favorite Style

I fought through exhaustion last Friday night and styled Maya's hair.  My sister had to hold her down and my nephew Jack had to entertain her.  Unfortunately my sister doesn't have any Winnie the Pooh shows (which normally distracts Maya).  Regardless, I got a really cute style accomplished and it stayed in for a
week.  I just LOVE the new hair products I bought.  Maya's hair is so much softer, curls are more defined, and the style stays nicer longer.

McDonald's

Seriously, what is the secret ingredient that makes all kids fall in love with this place?  Check out this grin.  Maya just loves the cheeseburger happy meal.