Thanksgiving/Christmas

We celebrated the first half of Christmas extra early this year since we wouldn't be able to make another visit before then. Maya helped with passing out the gifts but wasn't that into opening them, which was ok since Jacob was standing by to assist anyone in need. As an added bonus to all the presents she received, Maya got to play with Aubrie and Jacob's toys. Aubrie was fine with Maya running around with her brand new doll but as soon as Jacob's car was out of the box, he was convinced Maya was out to keep it as her own. In Jacob's defence, Maya really was trying to get her hands on it.

Back To Tennessee

This year we went to Tennessee for Thanksgiving so we could see what could be learned from an 11 hour car ride with a toddler. As it happens, I can get car sick from watching movies in the backseat, it's not a great idea to take pictures while driving, curly fries qualify as vegetables, there's no point in bringing a bunch of dvd's since she'll only want to watch the same one over and over and over, and a screaming toddler can help shave 2 hours off your driving time.

Visiting family even if we have to drag her kicking and screaming.

Amazing Self Discipline

My awesome tower that my difficult to impress child ignored until the moment I tried to put her down for a nap.

Orange Is Her Color

I finally got a picture of her trying to join the books at the library.

Doesn't Do Bathrooms

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Best Seat In The House

Maybe it's something everybody does, I don't know, but Maya has a new found love of tiny places. Her favorite place to sit is between the wall and the end table right on top of the base of the speaker stand. She will squeeze in there with her sippy cup and talk to herself and laugh. She's had several different places where she will go to be by herself but this is the first spot she seemed to have "created". There's her birthday chair where she will enjoy an evening book or the rug in the kitchen where she can have her own spot to cook and, of course, the spot by the front door where she can play with her toys and not have to deal with us watching her. Last week at the library I caught her trying to cram herself into the bookshelf. I really regret being too slow with my camera phone.

This new spot just reminds me of when I was little and would create my own little spots around the house and the farm. Morgan's is the most well known, it's hard not to notice an eight year old spread out on the floor with a sheet covering him and the air vent so that it creates this giant bubble. That guy has a very strange obsession with air.

Boo

So, Jason and I were so excited about Halloween this year! This being the first year Maya could actually participate although she would have no clue as to what was going on. When we got outside she just started wandering around until we would aim her in the direction of someone handing out candy and at the last minute something else would grab her attention and away she would go. Everyone seemed to think her lack of attention made her even more adorable and happily poured candy into the bucket I was carrying for her. Don't they realize that tonight Jason and I will be sitting in the living room fighting over the Snickers? Maya isn't going to see a single tootsie roll. They're choking hazards and bad for your teeth. My teeth are all broken in and used to all the sugar. You see, I'm doing her a favor.

Our Weekend

Traveling with a child is a breeze as long as you lower your expectations until you can accept that at no point will you be anywhere close to comfortable. Maya kept wanting to share her toys with the closest person on the plane, and by "share" I mean she was doing her best to give the poor people a concussion with her phone. Flying with a child in your lap is great if you think about it, free airfare for them and you don't have to deal with a car seat. Of course your personal space is now their personal space and that amount of space makes a match box look like a palace.


We had a fun, yet short, weekend in Indiana. Maya finally got to meet the Haley branch of the family tree and seemed to get along really well with her cousins. I'm sorry it took so long to get her up there to meet everyone, but we finally made it!