Christmas

Is almost here and I am loving it!  The tree is up, the wreath is hung, the gifts are bought, and my new holiday dishes are in the cupboards.  I have a feeling this Christmas is going to be one of the best!  (can you tell I love Christmas?)

What Maya is thankful for:

In no particular order...

1. pancakes
2. cupcakes
3. waffles

Yep - that is what Maya is thankful for when she was asked.  I am so grateful to have such a daughter who appreciates others such as her mommy and daddy. Okay, she is only 2 so I will let this slide this year.

We did have a nice and crazy Thanksgiving with my side of the family.  We hosted and everything turned out great thanks to chef Dave!

Maya and her cousin Olivia who is 3 had a blast playing with each other and playing with each and every toy in the family room (oh my!).

I am personally thankful for many things.  I am thankful for my Grandma Clara who was able to travel far to be here

for my Maya

for my nieces and nephews
 
for silly girls in adorable matching pajamas from Aunt Tori
 
and for playful girls with newly painted finger nails during spa night!
 
and most of all I am thankful for my family. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

So Behind

Where do the days go and why is it impossible to accomplish everything?  Let's get everyone caught up since the last time I posted.

Last Friday Maya's daycare hosted their annual Thanksgiving lunch which meant all the parents were able to take part.  I loved having lunch with Maya in her environment and the food was delicious!

This past weekend we attending the last game of the season for our college football team.  Once we got past the "I'll do anything to get out of sitting for this game such as yelling I got to go poop", Maya did great and enjoyed the game.  Of course it would have been even better if our team would have won.

Also over the weekend Maya got a new doll.  We decided to purchase this doll because Maya can comb and style her hair.  Maya loves babies but she LOVES this doll.  When she wakes up or comes home from being gone, she immediately goes to check on her doll which she name "Ana".  I believe she named it after her friend Ana who is also from Ethiopia - how cute is that?  I just love watching Maya be creative and playing make believe. 

Last but not least - Maya and Dave enjoyed the annual Parade of Lights.  This parade is full of floats with lots and lots of "beautiful" lights (as Maya would say).  Apparently Santa even made a visit which scored high on Maya's list.  I am also thankful for Santa as he told Maya to wear her gloves which is something we battle each and every time we leave the house.  From what I am told, they had fun and had fun hanging out with friends. Below is Maya with her friend Wren.  Those girls are too cute together.

Maya even scored a ride on Evan's shoulders...

Mini Photo Session

We were trying to figure out our camera settings tonight and therefore took many pictures of Maya.  I thought I would share.

A Weekend for Me!

This past weekend I got to spend some quality time with my sister Tori and my mother Julie at an artistic retreat 5 hours away from home.  I have never been to something like this and never thought I ever would.  This retreat is for those that love to scrapbook or do any other creative passion.  I don't scrapbook or quilt or make cards, etc.  I do however love to make digital photo books and felt this was a perfect opportunity for me to get some of my projects completed.  Not only did I spend quality time with my family and complete some projects, I also met some very sweet and kind women from all over the state.  I also ate some of the best food ever and even got some relaxation in.  I think I might need to make this an annual thing (smile).  It did feel good to have a weekend for me but I did miss Maya and Dave terribly.

Here is a picture of my sister Tori and myself on day 2 of the retreat.  We took advantage of being away and stayed in our sweats all day.  It was great!

Play-Doh

Maya and I had fun playing with play-doh the other night.  Maya is a huge fan of it and will play with it as often as she can.  It is fun to watch her creativity come to life.

African American Hair Workshop

After 2+ months of partnering and collaborating with the owners of Calypso Hair, the hair workshop finally took place this past Saturday afternoon. Around 15 families joined us, with a few of them even coming from as far away as 3 hours to learn more about African American hair and specifically about their child or children's hair. The expert staff at Calypso Hair talked about relaxers, hair products, simple hair styles, and of course the art of braiding. Families were able to ask questions and even practice their new skills. Most of all, families were able to network with others and meet new families. What a great afternoon/evening and thank you to all the families who came and to the staff at Calypso Hair!

Here Ruthie discusses and demonstrates how to braid

Owners John and Dayo along with the salon manager, Melanie

The salon was full of curious parents and their beautiful children

Here is me trying to braid - Ruthie kept telling me "no" because I was braiding incorrectly and not holding the hair correctly. I was happy to learn the proper way but I have lots of practice to do!

Here is Maya with two of her favorite boys - Owen and Abram.

After the workshop most families headed to the Pizza Ranch for some great food and more socializing. The kids had a blast. It is amazing how quickly they form friendships.

Here is my attempt for a group photo of some of the kids.

Thank you again to all the families who participated and to Calypso Hair for making a dream into a reality!

Fall Photos

Here are some amateur photos I took of Maya yesterday.  Thank goodness for digital cameras as I must have taken a few dozen pictures.  Maya is great at smiling for you but not so great at looking at the camera.  Regardless I think I got some good ones and who really cares if I had to take 30+ pictures for a few good ones, right?

Happy Birthday Dave!

 
..................................We love you!.......................................

Our Conversations

One night this week while out to dinner:
Maya "Where is daddy going?" Me "Daddy is going to pay for our dinner. We must pay for our food as our food is not free". Maya "What are you talking about?"

Last night during dinner:
Maya "Mommy, would you stop talking to daddy?". Me "Maya, daddy and I are having a conversation." Maya "Daddy, would you stop talking to mommy."

Today while spending time together in the family room:
Me "I don't feel too good Maya." Maya "I'll give you a hug and then you will feel better".

Aren't kids the best?

Weather can't stop us!

Who says you can't go down a slide even if the weather is cold and rainy?  Maya sure can and she did exactly that the other day.  We are forced to be creative as the snow and very cold temperatures are unfortunately around the corner.  Here is Maya having fun in our not so finished basement but finished enough for a cool toy and exercise room!

Tried something new...

Well I had a vision for Maya's hair but it didn't turn out exactly how I planned.  It ended up being cute as I just love her hair pulled back.  I had fun playing and Maya did great.  It helped that Dora was on TV.  Hopefully the hair workshop this Saturday night will give me some very good hair style ideas!