October

We spent the first two weeks of October recovering from Maya's tonsillectomy. We tried to stay close to home because I just could not imagine her getting sick on top of a throat stripped of it's tonsils. The flu, swine and others, have been running rampant around here. She was out of school for a week and I think we may have left the house once. Fisher was thrilled to have us here with him all week.

She spent (and is still spending) lots of time drawing and coloring. Here is a family portrait by Maya.


And here is her holiday drawing with a bat, bunny, her name and "ear microphones", hee hee.


We busted out the ol lava lamp for Maya. After being home for a while we were really searching for entertainment.


Finally feeling nearly 100% we were able to get outside and enjoy some of the beautiful fall days. Playing and working!




Then came Halloween! Maya's very most favorite of all holidays! Our first Halloween activity was a pumpkin hunt at church. To bad it was rained out but they still got to pick a pumpkin and paint it and they did get outside to "hunt" their treat bags.


Next was our local library Halloween party. She had a great time with all of the games and crafts and of course, the candy. The only thing that freaked her out was "feeling the creepy fings(things)".





This is Maya with her friend Amy. Amy does the Books n' More story time at the library. Maya loves Amy. She does a great job with stories and activities for the preschoolers.

Next was the Halloween party and parade at school. I love to go into Maya's class just to watch the kids interact. They were even more fun in their costumes.

Then yesterday we carved our pumpkin. It was a beautiful day. It was 80 degrees and, for the most part, sunny.




Tonight finally brought an end to the Halloween festivities. Instead of having trick or treat on one of the past two beautiful nights, we get tonight. Cold and damp. So, we went to 4 houses and then came back home. I think Maya had as much fun giving out treats as getting them.


Our beautiful princess Belle!

September

Oh, I am so far behind! Now that those words are out of the way I am going to try to catch up.
Let me see if I can remember all the way back to the beginning of September. It seems like forever ago. As I look at these pics with green trees and grass and us wearing summery clothes it just doesn't seem possible that it was just two short months ago.
We started September with a new adventure...preschool! Maya went right in the first day and hardly looked back. Not a tear shed...at least by her.

She is in class with one of her BFFs, Klaire. What a couple of cuties these girls were on their first day of school! (as if they aren't every other day, ha!) Klaire's momma and I really have enjoyed the girls being able to be in class together. We especially enjoy the time that we get to spend together while they are there! Nothing like a little Momma time at the gym and shopping. According to someone behind us on the treadmill, our hands move quicker than our feet.

We went to see Grandma and Grandpa in Tennessee. That is always a great trip so we decided to extend it a little this time. It was a much more relaxed trip by adding on a couple of days. Maya was able to see her great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Here she is waiting for everyone to arrive. Once everyone was there I guess I forgot how to use my camera.

As an added and so, so welcomed bonus the Lazars came to Tennessee to visit too! Every time we get together with them the girls take right off where they left off. As if they've never been apart.

Then we came home and Maya got sick. Maybe freezing in the pool had something to do with it. Thank goodness it was a quick sickness because she was scheduled to get her tonsils about a week later. This girl loves her nebulizer and will ask to "do a dragon" when she's sick and not breathing well. She knows what works.

The tonsils are gone and this is why. Those things were nearly touching back there. We have always had problems with Maya eating. She would only take tiny bites, one kernel of corn, one noodle, one piece of cereal etc. I had to cut everything into little pieces. It wasn't just her being picky. She simply wouldn't eat if it wasn't something small or soft. The girl weighed 26.5 lbs on the day of her surgery. She is almost 37 in. tall. Then came the obstructive sleep apnea. Do you know how scary it is to listen to your child suffocating while she sleeps? It was particularly bad in her car seat. The two weeks before her surgery were very, very bad.
She did great with the surgery. It was outpatient and she came right home and ate 2 cans of chicken noodle soup, never required anything more for pain than Tylen0l and recovered like a champ. We don't even hear her breathing now and she's taking big, mouthful bites.


She's been on a big drawing spree again lately. She has gotten really good at coloring and staying in the lines and has been particularly creative and imaginative. Here she is posing with her unicorn.

Check out more drawings in October.

August

August is always bitter-sweet to me. It is the last truly summer month and we love some summer around here.
Teresa and Molly stopped back by on their way home. We were so happy that we got to spend a little extra time with them. It was an extra special treat for both girls when Molly got to join Maya in dance class. Little girls in tutus has to be one of he cutest things ever.

Luckily they came on laundry day and Maya was able to share one of her favorite princess nightgowns with Molly. These two gowns have sure had a work out this summer.


Maya loves her new princess dress from Molly!


We got Maya this little tree swing a few weeks ago and it has been amazing watching her figure out how to hold on and how to get off of the swing when she's finished. She is doing great!

We took Maya on her first camping trip. We had a blast. She loved it and asks to go again every couple of days. We went up to Spruce Knob Lake campground. It is one of our long time favorites and we were as pleased as always. Spruce knob is the highest point in WV and it is beautiful!

This was our home away from home for the weekend.

As is always the case, the food was great. Everything always tastes better when it's cooked over (or in) the campfire.


The view from the top of Spruce Knob. Mountains everywhere! It is awesome up there.



"Enough with the pictures!"


I'm pretty sure sparklers are illegal in a National Forest.


Ahhhh mornings around the campfire with a princess nightgown on.


We had to stop to play in the creek when we came down off of the mountain. It was a super fun weekend. Maya was a real trooper for her first time camping. She's such an adaptable little girl. I never doubted that she would have a great time.


August brought the final piece of our adoption paperwork. Maya's WV birth certificate!

July

OK, I've tried and tried to move these pictures around. Aside from starting over, I'm not sure what else to do. I can't seem to rearrange and of course, I didn't upload them in order because I've never had a problem moving them around after loading them. So, in an effort to get this July post up before the end of August I'm leaving them the way they are. Sorry for the complete disorganization. I'll do better next time.
After finding and eating all the raspberries, Maya had to love on Fisher since he didn't get to eat any raspberries. I guess she was feeling sorry for him.

We were so happy that Teresa and Molly (and Korinne) came to visit for a couple of days. Maya still asks when Molly is coming back to her house.


The girls were eager to help make french toast for breakfast.


They enjoyed a little snuggle under Molly's soft butterfly blanket.


Maya started telling me how to spell her name about a month ago. Then about a week later she wrote it on the driveway with chalk, completely unprompted, and totally on her own. Needless to say, I was amazed. Now she practices every chance she gets. We are so proud of our big girl!

We managed to pull off a surprise birthday party for my Mom. She was truly surprised and loved every minute of it. Here she is with her great grand kids and Maya who is a "great" grand kid but just a granddaughter. And don't forget Buddy the dog.

These next 4 pics were taken when Maya and I went to check on our grapes and found raspberries as well!

A delicious bite!

This is what I found when I looked in to the grapes. Few green grapes and many raspberries.



This is the grape pile. We have cut these grapes back several times and then never do anything else with them. We would like to build a little arbor but have many, many more things on our list of things to do that are more important. The grapes don't usually amount to much anyway. It seems like they are green then they are gone. I think the critters get to enjoy them more than we do.

We made it to the Kanawha State Forest for a picnic and playing in the creek.


We had a great time in Pigeon Forge at the Cirque de Chine's Adopted Chinese Children Reunion. They had lots of traditional Chinese games and activities. Most of them were a little too old for Maya to participate in but she still had a blast. The show was good and the food was EXCELLENT!!

Posing with Dad in Tennessee.

This is the original name on the driveway. I am still astounded. I was messing around in the yard and Maya says, "Mommy! I wrote my name!" She sure did.

June

We have thoroughly enjoyed our June. I hate to see it go. I wish the summer months would slow down.
We started the month off in North Carolina...Ahhhh Sunset Beach!! We spent Friday visiting Mike's college room mate. On the way down this VW Squareback blew past us. Of course I had to grab my camera because this is identical to my very first car. I haven't seen one on the road around here for years. I loved that car. Even if we did have to scrape the ice off of the inside of the windshield in the winter, while driving.

The hotel we stayed in on Friday had a great park behind it. Maya surprised us when she just took off on her tricycle, peddling and steering like a pro. We have a small flat concrete parking pad that Maya had been trying to ride her trike on but wasn't having much success. Everywhere else around us is grass or gravel and hilly. Not the greatest for learning to ride a tricycle. After riding around in places where there's lots of flat open space she has become a champion tricycle rider.


We had a great time at the beach this year. Maya loved spending time with Chloe and Caitlin. It's so nice to go on vacation.

We have spent a lot of time in the pool. If it were up to Maya we'd be in there all day everyday.

And I've been spending a lot of time in my laundry room! Every quilt, towel, rug etc. has been washed. Not to mention several loads of clothes. I love my new toys!

This was one of Maya's gifts to her daddy for father's day. I can't remember where I saw this idea. It was in some magazine but I can't remember which one. It sure did turn out cute though.


A birthday party with a jumpy house! I could hardly get her to come out even for cake.

She did come out for a group shot in the Spiderman masks.


Maya attended her first VBS last week. She had a blast! We don't go to church so this was all pretty new to Maya. She loved learning the songs. And she did a great job when they did the program for the church. She was in heaven the day they brought animals that they could feed and pet. It was hard to get her away from these bunnies.


The theme of the VBS was Rome. It was a lot of fun for the kids and everyone that participated. This was the 3 & 4 year old class playing a game. There were so many kids there.

Looking beautiful for her singing debut on Sunday morning.


So Maya's month goes out on a not so happy note. She had to have blood drawn today in an attempt to find out why she has hives. She had a back full of scratch tests on Friday. She has been a trooper through it all. As soon as we got back to the car after having her blood drawn she asked what kind of band aid that was. I told her it was just a white one and then I made a smiley face on it. She laughed when she looked at it and then immediately put on the pity face. "I need to show my Daddy", she said in the most pouty voice ever so gently touching the band aid. So Daddy, this one's for you.

May

May was mostly cool and wet. We had some sunny days too and it is certainly getting green with all of the rain we've had.
This was my third Mother's day. I love being a mother! I love my girl!

The azaleas were particularly full and beautiful this year. But it only took one good rain to knock all of the blooms off. But they sure were nice while they lasted.


Maya has gotten a lot of use out of her Ariel umbrella and the kitty rain boots that her cousin Lilli gave her. She loves those boots!


Still loves Little Critter. New favorites are Olivia and Arthur. We spend a lot of time at the library.


Also still loves to paint. When she gets to paint at her easel she says she is painting a Jackson Pollock paintin'.


She finished up her gymnastics class. These were the only 4 girls left by the end of the class that started in October. They had such a great time and it was so much fun watching all of these little girls grow up.


Memorial Day


The sewing bug bit. Monnie's flowers were a perfect backdrop for Maya in her Momma-made outfit.
This was the longest Maya's hair had been in a while. I thought I might let it grow for the summer so she could have some pony tails. These were the only pony tails she got. It's short again now and looks so much better. The tails are super cute but they will not stay in her silky mane.

April

April was full of fun, friends and family. Oh, and don't forget BIRTHDAYS!!

We started the month in a cabin in the woods (by the window a little man stood...la la) with our great friends the Lazars. We were so happy that they made the trip to WV and that we got to get together with them again so soon after spending our 2 year family day anniversary just a few weeks ago.
It was quite a few days with my truck thermometer reading 80 degrees when we got there on Saturday. Then leaving on Monday with at least 3 inches of snow on the ground. I did not take even one pic of the girls in the snow. I am SO over the cold!! And as I type this tonight, I am even more SO over the rain that has nearly washed us away this week.
Both little and big people alike had a great time. We celebrated birthdays one day and Easter then next. Ella and Maya had cupcakes that they made and tiaras to wear for their birthday party. Then they had Easter bonnets and baskets to hunt eggs. They spent a little time in the hot tub with Evan. And they ran and played and stirred and ran and played some more. The stirring was all Maya's idea as she has some crazy obsession with stirring. We put some of Maya's panties on Ella and she's been potty training ever since. What are friends for?!
The boys, including Fisher took a little hike out to Long Point to get a great view of the New River Gorge and the bridge. Laura and I never left the cabin. We enjoyed a relaxing time just being together.
We are so thankful for the friendships that we likely would have never made if not for the blessing of our girls. Cosmic alignment, the hand of God, fate, luck...call it what you will. It's truly amazing how much happiness these little girls can bring into your life and not just with their presence but with everything the whole process encompasses.

Maya got some new cute birdy bedding. I don't know who loves it more. She and I both are wild about it.


Then we went to see the Easter bunny. Oh what fun! Maya was thrilled as evidenced by the enormous grin on her face. Show her a big ol' furry bunny or some random giant circus character and she's all smiles but if it has a human face (think Santa) forget it.

Then the bunny came to see Maya. Once again, the girl was ecstatic.


I thought I'd try some sponge curlers for a fancy Easter do for Maya. She sat very still and let me put the curlers in. She never tried to take them out while her hair was drying. And she was excited when it was time to take them out.

It looked really cute after I fixed it! But this picture was before I fixed it. She wouldn't hardly let me take a pic after I took the curlers out. I laughed while I was taking them down and Dad was taking pics. I laughed because it was so cute and so curly. But I hurt her feelings and I felt like a dog! She HATED it. She almost cried and so did I. She didn't want to go to my sisters. She didn't want pictures. She didn't want us to look at her. It was awful! She said "Fix it mommy. Make it back to Maya's hair! I don't want to go to Aunt Robin's!"


So after taking the flat iron to it and much explanation as to why I laughed and many apologies she was ready to go have Easter dinner with the family. I had to call and warn everyone not to mention her hair. It was still pretty fluffy but not curly and that was ok with Maya. I should have known better. Our girl is super sensitive but puts up a strong front. Sometimes I forget how fragile she truly is.


All was well once we got there and she got to play with her Brycie.


One of her latest face drawings. She asked for a pic of it as her Aunt Judy and Racheal looked on.


Here's the conversation:
me: "Let's put on your earth day shirt."
Maya: "Today's my birthday?!"
me: "No, not today. But it will be soon. Today is earth day not your birthday."
Maya: "Mom! Those are rhyming words!"
Smarty pants.


I almost missed the spring wild flower pics at our neighbors this year. It's been a wet and cold spring. While we were walking by her house one day Maya said she wanted her picture in Monnie's flowers. So we went right home and got the camera.




This is one of the last ones I took. Her expressions says it all. Enough mom. I just want to smell the flowers now.

Then we finished off the month with a birthday trip to the Outer Banks. We had a great time and great weather.

3! Yes, 3. My sweet tiny baby is still sweet but she has become such a big girl. Wow! Does anyone know how to slow down time?


Happy Birthday, angel! So. Much. Love.!