October Birthdays!

I completely skipped over September so I could post these October Birthday pages tonight.  Just skipping around a little from here to there... I guess that fits my personality pretty well.  :)

On the Saturday before Maya's birthday, all of us girls plus her friend, Sabrina, went to the Pumpkin Patch to celebrate her birthday.  Then we did a banner craft after that at home and played some more.

Then on Randy's real birthday, the day before Maya's birthday, we all celebrated with cake and company!  Alice and Carolyn were here to join us.  Then on the next day, Maya's real birthday, she brought cupcakes to school and spent some time with Grandpa and Grandma to celebrate with them.

Maya has been dreaming and wishing for a lap harp from Hearthsongs for a very long time.  Last year after her birthday, she saved enough money to buy it and I tried twice to order it but it was never available.  She finally got it for her birthday this year and she was one happy girl!  The sound is beautiful and it came with tuning instructions and song cards too!

Maya thought it was the funnest birthday celebration ever... something that she says every year. :)

Now, back to September...

Be "Maya" Valentine!

These are the Valentines Cards that Maya and I came up with for her classmates and teacher this year.  When we did a google search for Valentine clip art, we came across this little owl creature and just had to use him!  We recognized the vintage charm of him and we're pretty sure that we have seen an origional owl card back on the farm in a place mat that Grandma Jean made of Valentines cards recieved by her kids (Randy and siblings) in school back in the 70/80's.  Are we right Grandpa Larry?  He just looked SO familiar!

So, after cutting, sewing, stapling and stuffing; we loved the finished product. 

And... it was high time I had some "Maya time"!  It was most enjoyable for both of us. :)

Just this tonight as I try and get caught up on January too...
Goodnight,
Alison

Seven Days of Thankfulness: Day Five

I know I've said this before but, we have several Mommy's living in this house. And a couple of Daddy's too! I really DO appreciate all the HELP. It's just another thing I'm Thankful for!

Although Lita may not always be so thankful, she generally is pretty tolerant...
Seeing these pictures reminded me of this post from back in February of 2010. How much more fun to have a real, live baby to take care of and dress. And a bit more lively, and frustrating at times too!

What are you thankful for today?

Alison

40 & 7

Yes, the kids made sure we had 40 candles on that cake! And seven candles on a cupcake is quite a lot too!
Happy Birthday Randy and Maya!

Randy's 40th Birthday was last Friday and Maya's 7th Birthday was last Saturday. Of course, Randy already got his birthday present a few weeks ago. You can read about it here. Maya got her birthday present on Saturday (new bike) but we waited until Sunday to have the party for both of them because of a packed-full weekend. Thanks Grandpa and Grandma for the party at your house. It made it extra special!

So our families cycle of birthday's is done for the year now. This next year will be different for us. Instead of Colter starting out the birthday cycle in July, it will be Lita's birthday that gets us rolling in February. Can you believe my kids are already looking forward to Valentine's Day 2012? Me?...not so much... (sniff, sniff)

Goodnight for now,
Alison

2 Weeks Old!

Maya Moments

I caught these pictures of Maya one day when she went out skiing after kindergarten. I have no idea why she decided to try and go over the fence but I had to run and get the camera and record the moment. Finally she gave up and went around the fence just a few feet away. I love how she's in her own little world... discovering... learning... thinking...



Hope all are having a great week!

Kindergarten Christmas Concert!

We got to go to Maya's Christmas Concert on Tuesday afternoon. Since it was in the afternoon only Grandma and I and Kyla (she was able to get out of her classes for a little while) got to go to it but I was able to video parts of the concert to share with Daddy, Colter and Grandpa.

Here are some pictures from the concert...


They sang Jingle Bells, Must Be Santa, and Tapping Little Elves. Click on my playlist on the left to hear a cute rendition of the "Must Be Santa" song.






I wish I could have shared all the videos on here but it would have taken to long. So here is just one of Maya doing a special little part. It's just 33 seconds long. I just can't watch these kindergartners enough. They are hilarious to watch. If you just pick one out and watch them through the video, it is so cute and funny. Hope you enjoy...

Jumping Jacks and Silly Bands: Maya Turns 6!

Once upon a time, a little girl named Maya turned 6...

And they all lived happily ever after. The End.

A Cluck Cluck Here and a Cluck Cluck There

You can't really bring mother hens into a school classroom for show and tell, so recently I took these pictures of the kids so they could bring in a picture of themselves holding their chickens to show the kids in their class. They also brought in a few colorful hard-boiled eggs too. The kids and the teachers alike think it's a pretty cool show and tell...
Speaking of Mother Hens... Scurry on over to The Prairie Hen Speaks Her Mind and take a look at another of my favorite blogs. Raimie is having a super giveaway and it ends tomorrow!!! Now that's something to cluck cluck about!

P.S. Don't you hate it when you get whipped in the face by a chicken wing?


Me Too!

Memory Lane Monday: Sweet Little Smile

Since I did this memory post of Kyla at 9 months and this memory post of Colter at 9 months, I thought I would do one of Maya at 9 months old.

When I look at this sweet little picture taken in July of 2005, I can hardly believe she has started kindergarten this fall and will soon turn 6 years old. But she still has that same smile and giggle... if you know her, you know what I mean! ;)

What's around the next corner on Memory Lane?
See you next Monday!

Grab my button and take your own walk down memory lane every Monday!
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Don't forget to leave me a comment so I can walk along with you...

A Little "Slip-Up"

We were at a wedding a couple weekends ago and the bride and groom left by train. While we were waiting for the train to come, I noticed this poor little girl wandering around picking up stuff along the tracks...
She looked so dirty and disheveled, I kept wondering who this poor little girls mother was...
To let their child wander around in such an unkept way... hhmmmph, what a shame...

I really wonder what her mother was doing that day to not even be paying attention to her daughter.

She was probably busy taking pictures or something...

I hope I'm never guilty of such a disgrace,


P.S. This little "slip-up" of her slip down problem is being looked into and will hopefully be fixed before her next public appearance.

Firemen & Policemen & Photographers, Oh My!

Colter class went on a field trip last Friday to a Fire Station, a Police Station, and a Photography Studio. Maya and I got to go along. Colter really watched out for his little sister. We learned a lot of cool stuff! Here is a slideshow of the morning...

Here are 3 things we learned...

At the Fire Station: If you wear a helmet when riding your bike, it protects your head so if you get in an accident, your head can help the rest of your body heal.

At the Police Station: Policeman don't fire a warning shot or shoot someone in the the leg or arm to stop them. When they shoot they take care of the problem. (I think we know what that means...) And they only shoot when their life or the life of someone else is in danger.

At the Photography Studio: There is great entertainment value in watching people get their picture taken(see pictures in slideshow above)

We appreciate those who serve our community and our local businesses!

Holding Promise

Sitting on the swing hearing the birds chirp, the frogs that just came to life. The spring air holding promise of renewing life. Closing my eyes for a moment, allowing the vibrations of every new bud...to fill my senses. The spanish moss giving shade from the setting sun. The longer I sit the more I see, the more I hear, the more I feel. All from the swing on the front porch.
~Ashira Goddard

Maya and I went on a drive yesterday. We enjoyed a picnic, exploring and taking some pictures. Spring is coming to the mountain-slowly but surely. It's definitely holding promise. We're looking forward to going back up this weekend for Kenny and Lichen's wedding. For all those who are headed up the canyon this weekend, ENJOY those mountain views...

A Message From Maya

May Day kind of snuck up on us this year. This morning Maya wanted to do a basket SO bad. Finally we settled for this instead. A little door hanger with a May Day message and flower basket.

Happy May Day To All!
(and Maya)

P.S. Take a trip to Nebraska and visit my friend Raimie this weekend. She has a new blog site and a great givaway! Click here!