Our Little Birthday Girl.

I really cannot believe that Maya is ONE!!! I'm so proud of her first year of life. We had a great party for her yesterday. Many of her little friends joined us at Coldstone Creamery for ice cream, cake, and playtime. I think a fun time was had by all! These photos are a little jumbled (timewise), but you'll get the idea. I'll let Maya narrate the party!

"Mommy took this picture before the party started. Christina and Ed and Charlie were there a couple of minutes early to play!"

"Mom, you know I don't wear hats. What are you thinking??"

"Fine, I'll wear this hat, but I'm only doing it for Daddy, okay?"

"Alex loves ice cream. He even got to make his own cup!"

"There were 2 cakes at my party. One was a big cookies and cream cake, and the other cake was just for me! It had pink icing and vanilla cake. Yum. I ate it all myself!"

"Nash made his own strawberry ice cream creation!"

"Mommy and I shared some raspberry sorbet. Mmmmm. This was before the cake."

"Here's Daddy, making his coffee ice cream with chocolate shavings and a giant mountain of Reeces PB Cups. He loved it."

"Mindy, Rich, and Corey were there too, but Corey is too little for ice cream. Poor guy."

"Daddy, what is this thing you're blowing at me? It's ridiculous!"

"This is my big cookies and cream cake. Everyone was already so full from making ice cream, we still have almost the whole thing in the freezer!"

"I'll start by sticking my fingers in it. That's how I usually eat."

"When they put the cake in front of me, I started eating it with my fingers, just like a lady. Soon, I decided to just dive in with my mouth. Yum. Frosting is delicious. For real."

"This is so good. Jealous?"


"Nash, that looks like food coma. Am I right?"

"Yummy."

"See? I'm one, so I can feed myself."

"Mommy, how do I look?"

"Kiss me, I taste delicious!"


"Okay, I think I'm done here."

"Oh no! My poor cake!"

"Nash gave me a birthday hug on the way out. We're so cute, don't you think?"

"Here it is from another angle, in case you were interested."

"We opened presents when we got home. My friends are so nice. I'm sad to be moving. Maybe I'll drive back to visit, in the car that Alex, Josh, and Risa gave me! Can I, Mommy? Please?!"

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

So, apparently this week is Dr. Seuss's birthday. Who knew?!? This morning, Maya and I went a birthday party for him, at our district early childhood center. I must say, they do a great job with the events there. They had about 8 stations (or centers, as we teachers like to call them!), where children from birth-3 could play. There were sensory activities (playing with cornstarch and water, which makes fake "mud"), make your own cookie creation, make flowers out of pipe cleaners and tissue paper, plant a flower in a cup, and many others. Maya is a little young for those activities, so she played with the other teeny babes on the floor, where they had a "Scrambled Eggs" center. There were plastic eggs full of beans (for shaking), as well as giant spoons and bowls. Maya loved it, and spent over a half hour playing with the eggs. I have to admit, we've never read any Dr. Seuss to Maya. Honestly, I was never a huge fan, mostly because the books never made sense to me. I realize that this is the point, and that they are "fantasy" books, but I guess I'm not really into that. I'll have to read some to Maya, and see if she likes it. What do you think is a good Dr. Seuss book for a 1 year old? Let me know if you have any ideas!

"Come on, Mommy! We have to get ready to go to the birthday party! You know I'm a party animal!"

"Look at my egg!"

"I played so nicely with new friends this morning. We met a little girl named Tessa. I think we're going to see her again next time."

"Mom, can we get some of these at home?"

"This thing makes music when I shake it!"

"Now, if only I could get the egg out of the bowl with this spoon..."

"Like my hat?"

"How about from this angle?"

Happy Beth Day!

Today is our friend Beth's birthday. Beth works in the research department where
Kevin used to work, and she has become a really good friend over the past few years. Maya and I decided that we would take a trip to the hospital to bring a cake for Beth to share with the research office. We had a great time. Beth was very surprised, and Maya really enjoyed herself. Sylvia, who is pregnant with a little girl herself, held Maya on her lap the whole time, feeding her raisins and giving her some lovin'. Maya, despite the fact that she was initially a little confused and cranky about being somewhere unfamiliar, had a blast. Forget the cake - she likes any event that involves eating and endless amounts of raisins.
"Happy birthday, Beth!"

"This is Linney."

"Sylvia and I are making eyes at each other. I know she has a baby girl in there - a new friend for me!"
"Mommy and Beth are buds, but Beth likes me better."

"When we got home, I found the pens under Daddy's desk. Mommy doesn't like me playing with pens though. Instead she wants me to play with toys. Go figure."