First Birthday Festivities!

Maya got lots of great pressies for her birthday. Mommy and Daddy got her a couple fun board books. Grandma T and Grumpa got her some cute little ruffle-butt chonies! They also got her a cool collage of a bunch of pictures of Maya from her first year. I still need to get a frame for it.




Nana and Papa sent a package with three outfits in it. I cut the tape and let Maya open up the package. She had fun playing peek-a-boo with her new clothes! I am in LOVE with the little cupcake hoodie.




For her birthday, Maya and I went this morning and had our portrait done again by Dan Peebles. The guy is RAD. He's done Zsa-zsa Gabor and David Carradine's portrait. His style is intense scenes with occasional flashes of nudity. We definitely kept our clothes on. Still, the guy is amazing. I should have a couple of the best ones in the next couple days, after he does his editing. The best part is, it was FREE! He actually called me asking if we could come in. He's beefing up his portfolio, and wanted to do some experimental photographs with black and white. I wore black with polka-dots, and Maya wore her little skeleton outfit. I'm looking forward to seeing the results!

Next, we went home for lunch and a nap. When Maya woke up, we went to a local toy store called Up in the Air Toys. It was their 20th birthday, so they had cake, a jumpy castle, and a real live unicorn! How could we not go? We didn't get great pictures, but it was actually a lot of fun. That toy store is really cool, too.



Next, we headed to the zoo. It was Maya's first time going to the zoo. We would have gone sooner, but ever since Maya has been old enough to actually appreciate the animals and understand what she's seeing, it's been freezing cold outside. Well, we bundled up and had a great time! Most of the animals were over it. It was late in the afternoon, they'd long since eaten, and it was chilly out. The plant-life was all winter-y, but there was this really neat tree with fuzzy pods on its branches. We had fun petting them.


Flamingos!


The chimpanzees were out in full force, though. The baby even came up and tried to steal a Nutri-Grain bar from some lady. Too bad there was glass between them. It was really cute!




The most surprising even at the zoo was that the rhinos were actually doing something. They usually just stand there and aren't interesting at all. Today they were rolling around in the mud, and scratching their sides on the rock right under us. It was really neat.




When we sat down to rest for a minute, Maya found a nice pile of leaves to play in. It's sad, but I think that was her favorite part of the zoo.




We came home and chilled out for a while before dinner. Maya got a birthday face bath from Peanut. Gross. Maya thinks it's just a riot. Strange child. She must've gotten it from her Dad's side of the family!



After dinner, it was time for cake. I told myself I was going to personally bake the most amazing Pat the Bunny cake. It was going to be glorious! Unfortunately, I wasn't feeling it, and ended up getting her a little piece of cake at Whole Foods. Hey, at least it was quasi-healthy, right?

Maya was so sweet! At first she just picked at the berries on top, but then once she got a little frosting on her fingers she dug right in. She never really made that much mess, and only got a little in her hair. She also liked sharing her good cake with her Mama. When she'd had enough she let us know that she was "all done!" What a little sweetie!

Happy First Birthday, Maya!

Today my sweet little baby girl, Maya, turned one-year-old. It's strange because while it seems like it couldn't possibly be an entire year, it also feels like we've had her forever! I wish I knew her stats, but she hasn't had her one-year appointment at the pediatrician yet. But, here are a few things I've learned about Maya over the last year.

- Maya is a hugger. She is always ready to get a hug, and always has hugs and kisses for other people when she thinks they might need one. And, not just for her mom. She hugs the other kids when they are hurt or sad, too!

- Maya likes things the way she likes things, and if they aren't how she likes then she might make yucky noises at you. Not that making yucky noises changes anything, but she likes to let you know if she's not happy, anyways. Little stinker! She also can make some pretty unattractive faces. I like when she crinkles her nose, purses her lips, and grunts.

- If you ask Maya for a kiss, she'll pucker her lips and blow in your mouth. She also gives pretty great raspberries.

- If it's bedtime, and Maya has her blanket, bottle, and bear (the three B's), she will lay quietly and go right to sleep. If she's not tired, she'll kick gently on her crib toy until she nods off. I am so grateful, because she was not a great sleeper when she was littler.

- Maya is more than willing to share food or toys, but doesn't like it if the thing she's playing with is yoinked out of her hand. There were biting incidents with Sofia until I got fed up and bit her back. There hasn't been any biting since then. I don't think she realized how much that hurt!

- Maya likes to have her foot out of her high chair while she's eating. However, lately she's preferred the big kids table. She can even get in and out of the big kids chair by herself.

- If Maya is cruising around, she always makes sure she holding something. She is scared to death of walking on her own. If she ever loses her balance even for a moment, she cries even if she didn't fall or hurt herself. Sometimes we can trick her into letting go, and she holds herself up standing really steadily. I think she could walk if I could just get her to be brave enough! You can do it, Maya! Little chicken.

- Maya's favorite veggie is peas. Just like her Mama!

- Maya looks like a hippo when she grins. Her two top teeth have a big, goofy gap, and a hippo comes to mind when she flashes her cheezy smile.

- I don't mean to toot my own kid's horn, but Maya is definitely ahead of the curve in the brains department. She figures things out very quickly, and I think she's the smartest kid of all the kids I watch. Don't tell the other parents I said that!

- Everywhere we go, I always expect at least one person to comment on what pretty, red hair she has. I don't mind, though, because it is quite pretty!


We love you so much, Maya! We are so lucky to have you in our lives. Like I always tell everyone, we totally won the baby lottery. You are so smart, have the silliest personality, are so beautiful, and are such a sweet snuggler! We couldn't have asked for a more awesome kid. Happy birthday, muffin!

New Shoes and The Cuteness

I have these really cute May Jane Pediped shoes that Maya pretty much always wears. Unfortunately, she knows how to undo the vel-cro, so they come off at the most inopportune times. She did have some really cute tennis shoes, but we lost one, and I cannot for the life of me find it. I know it's in this house somewhere!

Well, I finally gave up. I decided I just needed to get her some new shoes. So, I went to my regular haunts (Target, Savers, Other Mother's) to try and find some cute tennis shoes, but to no avail. What is the deal with girls shoes? All the tennies have Disney Princesses or Dora some other AWFUL cartoon printed on the sides. That, or they are covered in glitter and sequins. What the heck? The shoes in the boys departments were all way too boyish, though. I gave up, and we went to the mall. I knew I'd seen some cute shoes at Journey's for Kids. I didn't care that I'd have to spend more than $12 on her shoes (yes, I'm a cheapskate), as long as I didn't have to cringe every time I put them on her feet. Well, boy am I glad we did! I ended up getting her some gray Chuck Taylor's exactly like the ones I have had for about 5 years (I just keep buying the same shoes because I love them)! Now, I'm pumped because not only does Maya look totally cute in them, but they match everything, the next kid can wear them regardless of whether it's a boy or girl, and we are twinsies! How stinking cute are these?!



And, did you notice that Maya is sitting at the big kids table now?! I thought I'd have to buy her a high chair with a tray, but she climbs up to the table and likes having snacks there. Woo-hoo! She's a little stinker, though. She'll sit in a big chair, but refuses to even try walking. What a poop!

Here are some pictures of her playing with her Daddy that I thought were pretty cute, too.

Ciera is 12!

I've been lazy and haven't updated in a week or two. My bad. Ciera turned twelve on February 10th! We had a little party here last weekend, and she invited a girlfriend to spend the night. We also went to the movies the next day. She got two posters, a couple teenie bopper magazines, a new outfit, and a Ken doll that looks like her heart throb, Justin Bieber! Here she is opening her presents.



Also, I got her a really nice ring with an amethyst in it, as per our family 12th birthday tradition. I let her pick it out from a fancy shmancy place in Nob Hill. She got a little pair of earrings to match, too. She was pretty excited to have some real jewelry! I am a nerd, and didn't take pictures of it, but trust me when I say it's really pretty! I didn't influence her at all, and she picked the one I would have picked out. I was pretty stoked!

Profiles: Pete, Maya, Laurie

Raspberries!

Scherenschnitte

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I've developed an unhealthy obsession with all types of crafty goodness. One of those things is called scherenschnitte. It's the art of papercutting. It sounds kinda whatever until you see some of the amazing things other people have made! That being said, I did some blog-hopping, and accumulated a collection of pictures of papercuts people did, and stencils they have shared. Hope you enjoy!
















Love! I'm going to be doing profiles of Maya and myself (Pete too, if he cooperates!), and might do a scene if I get the time.

The Cuteness