Love this picture of Betty and Maya

This picture was taken at the EKC Mehaber event in Minneapolis, MN. Maya absolutely adores Betty (and we do too!)

Gathering

Our friend Betty had us over last night as well as others to meet her mother.  Betty's mother is visiting for the summer from Ethiopia.  Although I don't speak Amharic, I absolutely loved Betty's mother.  She is incredible sweet and loving.  Maya loved her too (as well as the terrific play ground set in the back yard).  Thank you Betty for a great time!

Betty and her mother show us how to do the traditional Ethiopian dance.  A few of us gave it a try too. 
 
Maya and her new friend Wren play soccer and they are good!

Us with Betty's mother

Mehaber and Minnesota Zoo

This past weekend we took a trip to Minneapolis to attend this year's EKC Mehaber (picnic). We left a day early so we could enjoy some family time which involved shopping (okay, maybe that was for me) and the Minnesota Zoo. Maya had a great time seeing all the animals including the Africa exhibit where we saw giraffes and zebras. Maya also saw a tiger, a bear, and the dolphins. After the zoo, we met up with Trish and Doug and their adorable daughters Lexi and Olivia. We traveled with them to Ethiopia almost 2 years ago.

Here Maya is ready to hit the zoo with her hat and sunglasses

Maya got close and personal with the bear

I was busy reading an informational sign when the tiger walked right past me. The only thing separating us was the piece of glass. Amazing.

The Mehaber was an all day affair on Saturday. Activities included the Merkato (market place with all sorts of neat things pertaining to Ethiopia), dance performances, kids activities, lunch, and meeting/visiting with other families. We were lucky to meet fellow bloggers and other friends we have met throughout the adoption process. We had so much fun and Maya did really well considering she had no nap.

Here is a picture of Maya and her friend Lexi. They had so much fun playing with each other. Too bad we live so far away.

Group shot of Trish, Doug, Lexi, Olivia, and us.

Family Photos - love this one.


We can't wait for next year's Mehaber. Hopefully more of our travel group can make it as it is a great time to reunite and keep the Ethiopia tradition alive. At our good-bye ceremony in Ethiopia, we were asked to raise our child as an Ethiopian American. Dave and I made a commitment that we will do exactly that as Maya should be proud of where she came from and who she is. She may love McDonald's and Dora but hopefully she will also love Ethiopia. I know we do.

New Style

I learned a new style at the 2009 EKC Mehaber event.  It is a 2 strand twist which is very easy to do once you know the basics.  I decided to try it on Maya tonight.  This style is actually very quick but I'm not sure how well it will hold.  I have a feeling it will need to be touched up in the morning as Maya's hair is really soft and loose.  I do love the style so hopefully it holds okay.

Father’s Day Frosty Weekend

Take the dad in your life out for a frosty at Wendy’s this weekend and $.50 will be donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA). 

Also, make a father’s day card at www.frostycard.com and $.25 is donated. Happy Father’s Day to everyone!

Saturday, June 20 – Sunday, June 21 (Father’s Day Weekend), Bring the Family to Wendy’s for a Frosty and Together We Can Help Foster Children Find Loving Homes
This Father’s Day treat dad to a Frosty at Wendy’s and $.50 for every Frosty sold will be donated to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (DTFA). The DTFA is dedicated to finding permanent, loving homes for 150,000 children waiting in Foster Care.
There are two other ways you can support this cause. Create a unique Father’s Day card on this site and $.25 will be donated to the DTFA. You can also buy a Frosty Pinup for $1 at your local Wendy’s to be hung on the wall. 100% of Frosty Pinup Sales will benefit the DTFA.
So…
Give Dad a treat he’ll love, spend some time with the family and help children in North America’s foster care system this Father’s Day!
Father’s Day fun and giving back – that’s what Wendy’s Father’s Day Frosty Weekend is all about.
Happy Father’s Day!

Favorite Things

It appears Maya has acquired some favorites. 

Such as her favorite shoes: 

Her favorite doll, Barbara: 

Her favorite book, "Choco" 
 
Her favorite show(s), Dora & Diego
 
Her favorite song, "Human" 

Yes - it is the song from The Killers - she loves singing along to it and requests it to be played every time we get into the car. 

Sunday

I realize I am a day behind but I felt these pictures were still worth sharing. Yesterday we had beautiful weather and we took advantage of it. We decided to stay home and enjoy our outdoor space. Maya had so much fun. She played with bubbles, rode her bike, played with the neighbor kids, and played in her swimming pool. Maya also got to swing for the first time on her new playground set which Dave is building. I realized last night that we hadn't left the house all day. What a fun day we had!

Maya had a blast going down the slide. First the baby would go down and then Maya would go down. This was repeated over and over again.

Here is Maya on her new playground set. It is still being put together and needs to be painted but Maya loves it already.

Random

We had an unusual week. On Tuesday I got a call from daycare telling me Maya bit her tongue pretty bad. Apparently it wouldn't stop bleeding. I called ask-a-nurse who told me to take her to the ER to have it looked at. So I raced to daycare and found one calm little girl sitting on a chair with her teacher on another chair holding a wash cloth to her tongue. I have to admit, it was bad or at least it looked bad. Dave and I took her to the ER to find out that it will heal on its own. Well that is great news but why did ask-a-nurse tell me to take her to the ER???? Well here is a picture of her tongue later that day. You can see, it really isn't so bad in this picture but trust me - it was nasty earlier.

Yesterday we headed out of town to the lake for the first time this summer. Unfortunately our weather hasn't been the greatest but yesterday was beautiful. We joined some friends on a boat ride which Maya loved. On our way to the lake, Maya had to wear her sunglasses. This kid really makes me laugh.

Here is Maya playing soccer with Daddy at the lake


Maya is loving her summer hat - she loved it so much that she couldn't stand still long enough for me to snap a picture. Maya is a very active little girl.

Today is another beautiful day outside. Summer is finally here and its about time!

Need your help

It appears Maya's hair products are causing me to have an allergic reaction on my face.  I have seen the dermatologist a few times now and have quit using all my hair products, face lotion and make-up.  Unfortunately I am still breaking out in a rash all over my face.  The only time my rash has cleared up in the past 2 months is when I had Maya's hair professionally braided.  I absolutely love Maya's hair products as her hair has never been so beautiful but...we can't use them anymore.  Here is what I am currently using on Maya's hair:

The brand is Deva Curl and Circle of Friends for the detangler.  So here is my question - does anyone have any hair product suggestions for us to try?  We are leaning towards trying Carol's Daughter or Curly Q.  Has anyone tried these and do you like them?  I would greatly appreciate any suggestions anyone has.  Thanks!

Weekend

We spent our weekend inside due to the icky cold weather.  It felt more like fall then it did summer.  We had fun snuggling under blankets, watching some cartoons, and playing with puzzles.  We even managed to get some cleaning, laundry, and cooking done.  I guess you could say we made the most of the cold weather.  Hopefully the warm and sunny weather is around the corner.

Maya and Sebastian hanging out before bedtime

Maya is getting better as smiling for the camera which mommy really appreciates :)

Maya and Daddy snuggling

Maya and the dogs

Maya is very interested in puzzles these days. 

What I love about being a mom

• Hugs and Kisses - Maya loves to give kisses/hugs. She loves to kiss each cheek, each eye, the forehead, chin, nose, head, etc. She also loves to receive kisses and hugs. You can't leave without giving her a kiss and a hug. She'll take as many as you give.
• Hearing the words "Mommy". I love it when she wakes up in the morning and calls out for me. She always needs to see both of us right away which I love.
• Listening to her sing. Just the other day she sang me a new song that she most likely learned at school. I couldn't make it all the words but it didn't matter. Her sweet voice did me in.
• Maya's laughter - words can describe it. We sometimes just sit and laugh about nothing at all. Daddy thinks we are crazy but I don't care :)
• Being greeted at the door when I get home from work. Maya will come running yelling "mommy, mommy" and give me a big hug. Of course this doesn't happen if Daddy lets her watch one of her shows so I've learned that I come #2 after TV but I'll take it.
• Those 3 words - I love you. Melts my heart each time I hear those words coming from Maya. It reminds me how incredibly lucky I am to be her mommy.

Maya

Last night I took some awesome photos of Maya and she even cooperated!  Have I stated how much I love this kid?  I love her so much and would do anything for her.  She is my baby and I'm so lucky to be her momma.  Look at these pictures - she melts my heart.

Pool Pictures from Memorial Day Weekend

I finally have some pictures from the hotel pool thanks to Maya's Aunt Cherrie. As you can see from the photos, Maya had a blast and LOVED the water slide. I know I have said this before but we have a little fish on our hands. Who knows maybe she will be a swimmer or a diver one day. Wouldn't that be great?




***BTW - I saved these pictures from Shutterfly hence the white background