Nothing Doing...

Well, I don't have much to share today. We've been going about our business as usual, without anything particularly interesting going on. Maya has been a happy camper, and is very excited to spend a whole weekend with Grammy and Grampy this weekend, while Kevin and I engage in Dave and Jessica's wedding weekend activities. I'll keep you posted on Maya's current antics!

"This Costco magazine is fascinating, Mommy!"

"Take my picture, Daddy!"

"Mommy took me to the mall on our way home from Connecticut last weekend, to play with the cars and trucks!"

"There were puppies at the local pet store last week. Mommy and Daddy took me to look at the French Bulldogs. Can we get one?"

"Just catching up on my reading."

Happy Babe.

Maya is having a good week. She's been a very happy baby, and is enjoying her playtime very much. We are heading home to CT for the weekend, to celebrate Yom Kippur. We decided that the Jewish community in Hanover is pretty much non-existant, so we are hoping to bring Maya to a family service back in Southbury on Monday. We're leaving tomorrow. See you when we get back!

Silly Monkey

So, this is our other costume option. I really like it, but I can't find one of the feet, and the feet make it so much cuter! Hmph. We'll see. Maya is really enjoying dressing up. We usually do it at around 5, so that when Kevin gets home, he is greeted by a monkey or a horsey. He really loves coming up the stairs and seeing Maya waiting at the gate, all dressed up. The nice thing about New Hampshire at Halloween, is that it'll be cool outside, so Maya can wear a warmer costume. Last year, her choices were minimal, because it was so hot on Halloween. I remember as a child, I would have to wear a winter coat over my costume, thus ruining the whole effect. I hated that! This year, I'm excited, because Maya will be so much more comfy.
"Mommy, these are pajamas. Where is my costume?"

"Dress me up!"

"Cute, huh?"

"Whoa. That's a major close-up."

"I love being a monkey."

Maya's Second Rosh!

No silly, not Maya's second head (rosh means head in Hebrew, in case you didn't know)- Maya's second Rosh HaShanah! We celebrated on Friday night, with a lovely meal of lentil soup, corn on the cob, challah, and apples with honey. Not a particularly traditional meal, but yummy nontheless. As I previously mentioned, Maya had a cold, so she wasn't in tip top shape, but she enjoyed it anyway. We went to the Dartmouth Hillel on Saturday, which, unfortunately, was quite disappointing. There are no synagogues here within an hour of our house, so we were hoping for a little Jewish community here... Alas, the community is very small, mostly students, and no children at all. Boo. Maya didn't mind. She ran around the Hanover Inn like a crazy girl.

"My first apples and honey! It was okay, but I definitely made the 'sour lemon face.'"

"We ate a giant round challah, and Mommy actually peeled the apples, just for me!"

"All I needed was this yamulke and my corn, and I was all set!"

"Mom, can I have some Tylenol for my head cold?"

"No,seriously - I need my Tylenol."

"Like my outfit for services?"

"Mommy's lentil soup is all over my face."

Leaving Maya Home Alone

"Someone" taught Maya this adorable imitation of a little Macauley Culkin... By the way - Maya has been sick for the past few days, with a lovely little head cold. Please excuse her pale face and drooley shirt. This was the sickest day for her over the weekend. She was a trooper, though!

Maya's White Mountain Retreat

In honor of Rosh HaShanah, we decide to take a post-synagogue (or Hillel, which is the Hanover equivalent of synagogue) trip to the White Mountains, up North in New Hampshhire. We were specifically en route to the Kancamagus Highway, which is a 34 mile stretch of "highway" that winds all over the White Mountain National Forest. There are tons of places to stop and hike, walk, take photos, or picnic. We had a great time walking up and down the steam, and hiking up to the Sabbaday Waterfall. Maya totally enjoyed the hiking, especially in the backpack that Moshe and Christie lent us, since Eve is still too small for it. It was very chilly up North - particularly in the mountains. We weren't quite prepared for it, but we made it work. Even though it was a great trip, we agree that we need to go back when the leaves are changing. It'll be even more beautiful then, and we'll be sure to dress more warmly. Anyone wanna come join us?

"This is my family."

"We stopped at a scenic overlook, to eat chips and look at the mountains."

"Daddy put me in this backpack, so we could take a hike together."

"Don't I look tall?"

"Mommy loved the scenery, but I just loved the chips."

"C'mon guys! Time to go! I have the keys and my chip, so let's hit the road again."

"We walked up and down this pretty stream. Daddy did some good maneuvering around the big rocks."

"Daddy took this goofy picture while Mommy and I were making faces at each other."

It's ONLY Mid-September...

...and we're already looking forward to Halloween! Last night, Maya greeted Daddy at the gate, in her Halloween costume, option one. The other costume is a monkey. I think she'll probably wear both, just to two different things. This one is so cute, it was hard to take it off of her. When she saw the costume again this morning, she really wanted to put it on again. Apparently, she likes to play dress up. Who knew?

"Mommy, can I put on the costume again? I think it's in this bin."

"I'm a pony!"

"Neigh."

"Like my tail?"


"This is not a costume. It's just the regular me."

Daddy Daughter Day

We went back to Connecticut (again) this weekend, for a bridal shower in New York City. Christie and I had decided to drive to the shower together, and we intended to leave both of our little girls with their Daddies, at Moshe and Christie's house. We got to their house at about 11, and Christie and I headed out to Jessica's shower about 30 minutes later. The boys were on their own until 5:30, when we got back. They had a great time together - it was pretty cute. Anyway, Maya really liked Eve. She gave her lots of kisses on the head, and patted her belly. She also tried to teach Eve where her eyes are, by sticking her fingers in Eve's eyes and saying, "Eyyyyeeeee." I don't think Eve was into it, but she's a pretty laid back girl, so she got over it. Anyway, Daddy Daughter Day was a whopping success. Oh, and Christie and I had a great time at the shower, especially since we had some freedom from our girls, so it was a double success!

"Hello, sweet baby! Can I pat you on the belly?"

"Eve, let me show your your eyes."

"I know it's time for a tubby, but if I could just run around in my favorite outfit first..."

"Mickey is as big as me, but he doesn't weight quite as much."

"Come on, Mick. Sit on my lap and I'll read you a story, okay?"

Daddy Time!

This past weekend, Kevin took Maya to the Montshire Museum for some playtime in the water. I was out of town, so Kevin got to snap some photos of Maya with the good camera. I know they are very similar to our other Montshire pics (especially since Maya just happens to be in the same bathing suit), but I still think they are adorable. You might notice an abundance of barrettes in Maya's hair. Well, apparently, my little sweetie thinks that anytime she finds are barrette lying around the house (and trust me, it happens all the time), it absolutely must go in her hair immediately. Otherwise, she gets a little snippy about it. So, as you can imagine, we have been going out with 2 - 7 barrettes in Maya's hair at all times. Oh well. I think it's kind of cute, don't you?

"I'm just thinking about what part of the Montshire is the most fun..."

"Some people like to play in the water, and others like to taste the water."

"This is the best!"

"Daddy, want to come and play with me?"

"I'm wet! I'm wet!"

"I hope my barrettes stay in..."

"This might be our last time at the water exhibit this year - it's getting cold..."

"After the Montshire, we went to visit Amelia and Jonathan at their new house. They have a sweet doggie. You know me - I love doggies!"

"At the sculpture park, I found the perfect chair for a little girl."

Three Day Weekend!

It is so rare for us to get a three day weekend that we can actually spend with Kevin. Usually, he has to work at least one of the days, but this weekend was so nice. On Saturday, I went to Connecticut for my friend Jaime's baby shower. Kevin played with Maya all day. They went to the Montshire Museum and a festival in Woodstock. Then, on Sunday, we drove to Nashua to meet Nora and Adam, and Debbie and Dan for lunch, in honor of Debbie's 23rd birthday. It was so much fun! Yesterday we laid low, and did errands, cleaning, and playing at home. We made a quick visit to Quechee Gorge and Woodstock, just for a little outing, but mostly, we just hung out. It was a very relaxing weekend, and I hope to have many more of those in our New Hampshire future!

"Mommy, let me down so I can jump into the gorge."

"Daddy, if I'm sweet, will you let me dive into the gorge? Mommy was a party pooper about it and wouldn't put me down."

"I am trying to eat my carrots and apples with a fork, but it's only working out so-so."

"I'll get it someday."

"At the mall, Auntie Nora helped me go up and down the slide."

"These are my new wheels! I've been practicing getting in and out of this thing nonstop since Daddy put it together!"

"Like my Dartmouth sweatshirt? Maybe someone will mistake me for a college kid..."