Spontaneous Easter and dogsitting

Dear Maya,

Mommy usually loves planning and preparing for holidays and birthdays, so it was surprising how little I'd done for Easter--no decorations, no meal plan, nothing. We only managed to color Easter eggs the night before and even then it was rushed. Imagine my surprise when we had one of the most lovely Easters ever!

The morning started off leisurely with family snuggles and Easter books. Then we had some dance time and sang some songs together until it was a reasonable hour to go downstairs and see what the big bunny brought. You loved hunting for the plastic eggs filled with almonds, dried cranberries and hair clips. Your cute little felt froggy Easter basket had a toy dinosaur, a Slinky, a headband, a toy rake, and a magnifying glass that we took outside to examine flowers and pine cones for a while. The weather was gorgeous!

 

Next we did yard work, then you napped, giving mommy a chance to cut daddy's hair. When you woke up it was time for Auntie Rhi's yummy Kahlua-glazed ham dinner! Afterwards you played games with Rhi and Uncle Matt and then snuggled and watched a movie with mommy until bedtime. What an awesome day!

The other event that's been on our agenda the last week has been dogsitting. We went to a friend's house a few times a day to walk and feed her two dogs. You took great pride in holding their leashes, encouraging them along and even making the younger, sprier dog follow you as you climbed up on big rocks. So cute!

Well, mommy hasn't been sleeping well so it's good night for me now. Love you!

Big bunny, little bunny

Dear Maya,

As the parent of a toddler, mommy should really know by now not to brag too much about anything. The last few posts I had nothing but good things to say about you, your behavior, and your moods. This week has been full of crying jags, illogical tantrums and disobedience. Lesson learned. Back to the roller coaster it is.

We still had some fun moments this week, though, so mommy will let the photos do the talking...

• Trip to see the Easter Bunny (so surprised you sat on his lap!) and Nanny and Poppy:

• Playing with your buddies Wyatt, Emma and Natalie and a real bunny rabbit:  

• Playing 'ring-around-the-rosie' and going out for ice cream after the bunny went home:

Well, mommy is downright exhausted. Good night, my adorable little handful!

Happy birthday, King Baba!

Dear Maya,

The honeymoon continues! Today you were an especially good girl and we want to shout it from the rooftops! First you helped mommy do laundry by folding the dish towels and you weren't half bad at it. Then mommy had some work to do and you gave me the time and space to do it. You awoke from your nap much earlier than expected and, after a potty break, mommy asked you to go have some quiet time in your room. For about an hour and twenty minutes you read books to yourself with the door closed. Holy moly!

Maybe some of your calmness is because the last two days you've had a good amount of physical activity. On Monday we walked to a park and you had a great time playing, so thankful for the nicer weather. Then yesterday you met some new friends, 2 daughters of a friend of mommy's, and played with them at an indoor playground with tons of bouncy houses and other toys. It's been nice to get you out and about and let you use some of your boundless energy!

Over the weekend we celebrated daddy's birthday. Since he's usually our dedicated pizza-maker, we gave him a break and ordered some take-out pizza. Mommy also made him a pizza-like carrot cake. You made an awesome birthday card with your ever-improving writing skills and worked with mommy to make him a gift--3 TP roll dolls (King Baba, Queen Mama and Princess Maya) and a castle. They turned out so cute! You also gave him your dollar store gifts of popcorn, a pizza cutter, and a car-washing sponge.

 

Well, mommy needs some shuteye for sure. Love you!

"Few minutes fire--what???"

Dear Maya,

You've continued to surprise us with your leaps and bounds this week. Mommy has been running around like a headless chicken rearranging our furniture and belongings in preparation for the new baby. You've been taking my nesting in stride and starting to show us you're ready to be the big sister. You're still not very good at sharing toys with your cousin Grace, but you're slowly learning to be more gentle with her. By the time your little sister arrives I'm sure you'll be even more ready to step into your big girl shoes.

You are still entertaining yourself with books and quiet activities here and there throughout the day which is just wonderful. Some days you clean up after yourself really well and other days not as much, but it's still an improvement. You're really excited that your room is reorganized and you have a big bed now, so maybe you'll have even more incentive to keep things neat. We're all happy that we can climb into your bed with you to read bedtime stories instead of sitting in the rocking chair. I see longer books in our future!
 

Speaking of words, last week when we were on Skype with your grandparents in Japan, you were showing them flash cards and 'teaching' them some English. It was so sweet. You've also had us in stitches with some of your 'Maya-isms' such as "few-minutes-fire" instead of the word "humidifier." Too funny!

And finally, the event you'd been awaiting for the last few weeks--your buddy Wyatt's birthday party was last Sunday. It was at an indoor playground and although it took you a little while to warm up to the place, soon you were jumping around in the bouncy house, weaving through the giant ball pit and climbing everywhere with the best of them. When it was time for birthday cake, you were thrilled to see all the toy dinosaurs on the cupcakes and to sing "Happy Birthday" to your best boy.

 

Oh, and in addition to our actual gifts, you added several of your own special touches. The owl craft you had been working on was attached to the top, the picture you made with puffy stickers was in the envelope, and you even got to practice writing Wyatt's name on the outside of the envelope. You were so proud!

 

Well, mommy promised you we'd get out and enjoy our new-found warm weather again tomorrow so it's time for me to get some shuteye. Love you!