Backyard Pics

Anyone who has spent some time with Maya knows she's constantly begging to go outside. Now that she's old enough to listen to some instruction (e.g., "Stay on the patio" ... if you have a dog, you get it...), we've been spending some of our afternoons out there. Not a ton of time since it's hot here, but enough to enjoy to sunshine. Here are some photos from one of our afternoons:

Merry Christmas!

Maya's computer finally arrived. She LOVES it. She gets irritated if I touch it to try to get things set up for her...

Sanem Graduates!

The blog is, I know, for personal stuff. But, in addition to being my student, Sanem is also my friend, so, voila... personal! Here are some photos from her graduation (her parents came all the way from Turkey!):

New camera

We got a new camera yesterday... If you're lucky, the novelty won't wear off too soon, and you'll get tons of great photos like these:

If you haven't seen it...

You have to check out this post on my dad's blog...

Maya's Birthday Weekend

This past weekend was not only mother's day, but it was also Maya's first birthday! We had a celebration-packed weekend with actual events on the big day and a party on mother's day (because I had to work Saturday afternoon). Saturday morning, we opened a few gifts from aunts, cousins, grandma, and Arthur. Here's Maya exploring the singing shape sorter Arthur had sent:

Then we were off to swim lessons. I'm pretty sure Maya had the best time yet; she loved the pool noodles... Dad tagged along to take some photos:



Saturday evening, we went to dinner with family, and then went to catch a boat ride to see the bats. Unfortunately a summer rainstorm thwarted the bat boat trip, so we headed home (soaked). We'll have to try that another day...

Sunday (mother's day) we all slept in a little (past 7!!). Then we got gussied up for the party. For GG:

We opened a few more presents before everyone started to arrive for the party. Grandma and Grandpa West brought a ride-on truck; after a minor mishap of missing parts, we got a fully assembled version, much to Maya's delight.

Here are Maya's cakes. The one in front was a free cake from the grocery store just for Maya:

Maya was a bit overwhelmed by the birthday singing:

But when it was cake time, she was all over it. I can't be expected to choose a single cake photo; and in any case, the progression is important. Note the dogs lurking periodically in the background.










Maya had some more great gifts (including a pair of converse all stars and some cowboy boots). But then, as all first birthdays must have a mishap, Maya walked square into the armrest of a chair:

Not that it deterred her from a little backyard exploring:


Oh, and Addie LOVES the bunny/duck:

Chicago

Last weekend, Maya and I took a trip to Chicago for Maya's cousin's first birthday party. We flew up to Chicago with my sister who was a great help on the flights. Maya really enjoyed herself; I think it was especially helpful that her older cousins doted on her. Here she is playing with her older cousin:

And the birthday girl in her rocking chair:

And the two together. This one's posed:

And this one is playing with a great birthday gift from grandma and grandpa: