Third year recap and...

Dear Maya,

Pinterest is filled with adorable ideas for family traditions, one of which is interviewing children every year on or around their birthdays and recording the changing answers for posterity. Mommy attempted this with you for the first time today and it did not go quite as well as I'd hoped. Here's how it started:

     Mommy: How old are you?
     Maya: 2
     Mommy: 2?
     Maya: Yeah.
     Mommy: How old are you?
     Maya: 2, mama. I want the flashlight. Please.
     Mommy (handing you the flashlight): How old are you?
     Maya: 3

And then:
     Mommy: What's your favorite color?
     Maya: I want black. (You were coloring and wanted a black marker)

And finally:
     Mommy: What's your favorite snack?
     Maya: I cutting scissors! (In a 'Stop pestering me--I'm busy crafting!' tone of voice)

So, until your next birthday when you are hopefully less averse to being asked questions, mommy is going to answer a bunch of questions for you.

• Favorite toy:   Legos
• Favorite game:   hide and seek with Matt and Rhi (when 'seeking' you count to 'twenty-ten,' er, 30)
• Favorite thing to do inside:   arts and crafts, especially play-doh, painting, drawing and cutting paper
• Favorite thing to do outside:   pick up sticks or play in the snow, depending on the weather
• Favorite place to go:   the park or the library, depending on the weather
• Favorite book:   Chicka Chicka Boom Boom has just made a comeback
• Favorite TV show:   Curious George
• Favorite movie:   Aristocats or Merry Madagascar
• Favorite song:   Happy Birthday (you like to insert every name you can think of in one verse)
• Favorite animal:   the octopus is still popular around here, along with frogs, monkeys and sheep
• Favorite breakfast:   dry cereal eaten with chopsticks!
• Favorite lunch:   quesadillas
• Favorite dinner:   pizza or sushi
• Favorite fruit:   pears
• Favorite vegetable:   carrots
• Favorite drink:   hot cocoa
• Best friend:   Wy-Wy
• Biggest fear:   going down the drain
• When you grow up you want to be a:   doctor!
• Things you take to bed:   2 red blankets, your sheep lovey, and other stuffed animals that may include Kermit, your big sheep, your other green frog, your red octopus, your monkey puppets, etc., etc.

Since that was a long bit of writing without any pictures, mommy has also put together a collection of photos from the last year that haven't been shared on the blog before:

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

And now for a special message from you to all your blog followers:

You're going to be a big sister! Initially you didn't seem too excited, but since then you've changed your mind. Now you often hug mommy's belly and say you love the baby. It's so sweet and given how you are with your cousin Grace, we're certain you will be a wonderful big sister. When we went for an ultrasound earlier this week you watched the screen and said the baby was in water, which is funny because you sound like you're saying "mommy has a baby in the bay" instead of "belly." I guess you're right either way!

Well, mommy's headed to bed now. Love you!