Secret Charm

Santa must have thought Maya was a good little girl this year.  He filled Maya's stocking with fun stuff and one of the best presents ever!  Santa gave Maya a Tinkerbell MP3 player filled with her favorite music.  What a swell guy that Santa is!  He knew exactly what she needed and what mommy and daddy needed.  Maya loves listening to her music and we love the peace and quiet! 

Maya wouldn't even smile for the camera as she was too busy listening to her music.  I need to also mention that she is wearing her new dress from Aunt Kerry, Uncle Melvin, and cousins Melissa and Leslee.  She loves it as she won't wear anything but dresses these days.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours

 

Maya is ready...

to exercise!  Since Dave and I missed our am workout (aka we couldn't get out of bed this morning) we all exercised as a family tonight.  Check out Maya's outfit!  Apparently the 80's are back! 

Side note: here is a close up of Maya's face.   All her scratches are healing which is good.  Maya hasn't complained about her face so they must not hurt.

Weekend and Sledding Mishap

We had a wonderful weekend as a family.  Our weekend included a small gathering of friends on Friday.  We enjoyed some wine, holiday desserts, and some adult conversation.  Our guest had the opportunity to discuss sponsorship at Kolfe Orphanage in Ethiopia.  They also had a chance to view some artwork by JStudio.  I highly recommended checking out the artwork as it is so beautiful, colorful, and the proceeds go to Kolfe.  Did I mention that she has many different ones to choose from and various sizes???? 

Saturday consisted of Maya's final day at gymnastics for this session.  We have decided not to enroll her in the next one simply due to Makenna coming home.  Maya loves it so we will enroll her again once she turns 3. 

Here Maya receives her participation ribbon.

After gymnastics we headed over to the sled hill to meet up with our adoption group.  Maya had a blast going down the hill with daddy despite her saying she didn't want to go.  I of course wasn't going to go as I am afraid of heights and going fast.  Well...daddy thought it was okay for Maya to go down the hill with her friend Noah. 



I have to tell ya - they had fun!  Dave was at the bottom of the hill waiting for them and they just giggled and laugh the entire way down.  Unfortunately the fun ended in a bit of an accident.  They hit a bumpy spot, fell off, and Noah landed on Maya.  Poor Maya got smacked down on the hard snow.  She has the battle wounds to prove it.  Doesn't she look sad?  It took awhile for her to calm down and to stop crying.

 
Later Maya perked up a bit and was in a fairly good mood.
 

The photos really don't do justice on how it really looks.  Today actually looks much worse.  Hopefully it heals fast!  Like someone said, this will not be the first time she gets some scratches and bruises.  The rest of the weekend consisted of family time, church, and quality time with friends.  Maya said today is Friday not Sunday.  I wish she was right!

Another Sleepless Night

It seems I can't stop thinking about my family, Makenna, and Ethiopia. I have so many things running through my head. Apparently I have so much running through my head that I can't seem to get a good night sleep. In 3 weeks, we will be traveling to Ethiopia to meet our daughter Makenna. So many emotions are running through me right now. Of course I am beyond excited. I am excited to kiss, hold, and mother Makenna. I am excited to touch her, to gaze into her big brown eyes, and to give her gentle kisses all over her little body. I am excited to visit the birth place of my two children, Ethiopia.

This trip is already so much different than our first. This time we know (or sort of know) what to expect. I know what I want to pack, I know what I need to do to prevent sickness, I know what to expect as far as food, facilities, and rough roads. Dave and I are no experts but at least we have an idea of what to expect. It helps but it doesn't cease my nerves. This trip is not only to meet our daughter and to bond with the other adoptive families. This trip is also to full-fill some other passions such as visiting the young men at Kolfe Orphanage.

I can't stop thinking about the trip. I am so excited about it all but also very anxious, scared, and nervous. This trip is going to change me and that scares me. I'm not exactly sure how it will change me yet but it will. The last one did.

Santa Claus

On Sunday afternoon, we braved the frigid cold weather and headed out to visit Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus with our good friends Kimberly, Greg, and Abygail.  From our surprise, Maya ran right up to Santa and sat on his lap!  It sure helped that her friend Abygail had no fear what so ever.  Both girls sat and talked to Santa.  I think it helped that a sucker was waiting in the wings :)  After visiting Santa and receiving their sucker, the girls got to decorate a cookie with Mrs. Santa Claus.  Who knew that could be such a hit!  Regardless of the weather, we all had a great time.

Makenna's Room

We have made some progress in the last 2 weeks.  Makenna's room is close to completion thanks to Dave hanging the window treatments, the crib made, and some positioning of furniture.  I am now trying to figure out what I want to do with the walls.  Any cute decoration ideas?  Maya loves the room and feels very comfortable in it.  She even managed to make a maze out of the bumper and had loads of fun with make believe and book reading. 

I found this adorable crib bedding at TJ Maxx and am in LOVE with it.  I also scored some good deals at Ikea (love this store).  Now I just need to come up with some ideas for the walls.

We have also been busy trying to purchase some necessities for our trip such as formula and diapers.  I forgot how expensive everything is!  Thankfully kids are worth every penny (most of the time - ha!).

 

Now we are off to tackle more of our to-do list.  I am feeling more confident we will be ready for our trip.  Since Maya joined our family, I realize not everything can be done ASAP and that is okay.  Everything will work out in the end.  Right?