Maya's Walking!

Maya is finally walking! Josh and I always debate about when you can declare that a child is truly walking... is it when they are taking just a few steps at a time or when they are walking 100% of the time? She took her first steps at 11 months and has been taking anywhere for 3-8 steps at a time consistently since then. But just in the last week or so, she has started to use walking as her main mode of transportation! She walked from the kitchen to the office the other day and walks regularly as her way of getting from one place to another. I knew it was coming a few weeks ago when she started bending down to pick stuff up and then could stand back up unassisted. That takes a lot of balance! So I'm proud to say my baby is walking! Yeah! It was a long time coming!

So to capture this big moment, I pulled my camera out this morning and followed her around for 10 minutes and this is what I got! I just love a toddler's walk... arms to the side for balance, legs spread wide, and of course the proud smile on her face!


I put my camera on the "sports" mode so it would take a few pictures in a row hoping to capture her forward motion....






Taking a well-deserved break!


Eating a waffle and walking at the same time. Of course she's already multi-tasking!








Trying to finish up that waffle!

Puppy Love

The other day Maryn asked if I could take some pictures of her and Puppy together :) How could I resist?! She tells everyone (even people she's just met) that she has a puppy at home. Most people think she means a real puppy until I clarify that it's stuffed. I'm not surprised that most people think he's real given her level of excitement and passion when she talks about him :) True puppy love!

Sister Story

I was just cleaning off the desk and found one of Makenna's many "stories". She is constantly writing and she has stories, lists and just pages of writing lying everywhere around the house (including all of her "secret" spots all over our house ;) Anyway, I just came upon one of my favorites. This is what it says (kindergarten spelling included)...

"Maryn is meen She mesis up evreetheg. And she mesis up my plans But shes my frend becas? She plas with me and nice to! Shes my best sister!"

She even wrote "keeping" at the bottom of the first page because she knows I'll throw it out otherwise!! Yes, she has figured me out ;)

The book is illustrated throughout with pictures of two little girls :) I don't think she could have written a more truthful story about the relationship between sisters. I just love it and I'm "keeping" it forever :)



They are so blessed... no matter where life leads them, they will always have their sisters! Built in best friends :)


(Pics from when they just turned 4 and 2)

Mommy Knows Everything!

The following is a discussion we had in the car on the way to school one morning recently -

Maryn: "I'm in charge!"
Me: "No, I'm the mommy so I'm in charge. Someday when you're a mommy then you will be in charge."
Makenna: "I can't wait to be a mommy! Then I can be in charge and I'll know EVERYTHING!" :)

Now I must follow this up by admitting that I've somehow got my 5 year old completely fooled into believing that I know everything... all with a little help from her teacher! Mrs. Agnew emails us every day and tells us what the kids did in school that day. Thus I always have all kinds of good info and things to talk to her about. So many times she'll just look at me funny and ask "How'd you know that?!" And I always shrug my shoulders, smile and say "Moms know everything!" Guess I really have her convinced ;)

We started up our 3rd session of music class last week. Maryn and Maya thoroughly enjoy it and I love that it is an activity that we can all participate in together. It was a lot of the same moms and kids that we've been seeing all year but Miss Paula was trying to figure out all of the new kiddo's names. She would ask their names and write them out on a name tag, with most of the kids being shy and not wanting to talk. Then teasing Maryn, Miss Paula looks at her (of course Maryn is perched right next to her as always ;) and asks "Now who are you again?! I think I forgot your name?" Without missing a beat Maryn says "M-A-R-Y-N! Maryn!" Had to make sure she spelled it right on her name tag! Then she even spelled Maya's name for her :)

And Miss Maya has found a new love... kittens! Specifically the kitty from the movie "Barbie and the Three Musketeers". We rented that movie for Makenna and Maryn last weekend and Maya would squeal with delight or shriek "itty!!!" any time she would happen to see the cat on the TV screen! Too cute!

And the story of bathtub revenge :) Maryn has been peeing in the bathtub lately. She did it a few times with Makenna and absolutely grossed her older sister out (thus why Makenna now takes a shower by herself). Even after Josh and I talked to her about it on several occasions, she did it a few more times bathing with Maya. I think we finally put the kibosh on it, but then one night a few weeks ago in the middle of bath time all of the sudden there are two long strands of poop floating in the tub! Maya had pooped in the tub and Maryn was in there with her!!! I just had to chuckle after all the times Maryn had peed on everyone else. Maya didn't even seem to have a clue as to what she had done. I'm just amazed that in three children this is the first kid to poop in the tub! Never a dull moment at our house!

Makenna's School Musical

Yesterday was Makenna's school musical "How Does Your Garden Grow?" Makenna was chosen to be Flower #1 and she had the second most lines in the entire play! The lines (along with 5 songs) all had to be memorized. I was a little overwhelmed about how a kindergartner would do this, but she took her script up to her room and came back 5 minutes later with all of her lines memorized! I think she might have a hidden talent here! She thoroughly loved practicing her lines and singing the songs and doing all the actions for us.

Josh and I were a nervous wreck the few days leading up to her big performance, but she didn't even flinch. She was too excited to even think about being nervous! She came home the day of their school performance (they did it for the entire student body) and all she said was "You should have seen how big the audience was?!" Oh and that Mr. Ludwig (the principal) messed up a few of his lines ;) The night of the big show Makenna did wonderfully. She was the first student to speak in the play and she set the bar high. She spoke clearly and articulated well enough that you could hear and understand her! She did so well! Maryn sat in the front row with me and Josh totally enamored by her big sister and all that she was doing! After one of Makenna's scenes, Maryn very quietly under her breath (not intending for anyone to hear) says "Makenna's so cool!" I had tears in my eyes. The whole moment was just too precious for this mommy!

After the play as I was driving home with Makenna she tells me "I want to do that again! That was fun!" Then proceeds to tell me how she wants to learn a new play now and perform that one for everyone and was wondering if she would get a speaking part in the 1st grade play! Oh I think we might have a little actress on our hands!

Josh and I are so proud of Makenna! Not because she aced all of her lines and had wonderful stage presence (we would have thought she was awesome even if she would have forgotten a line!), but because she did it with such passion and enthusiasm. She practiced so hard and is able to put joy in everything she does. She is a very mature, fun little girl and I just love being around her! We love you Makenna! Congratulations on a wonderful performance!


Being a flower in this play meant that mommy had to get creative and make a flower costume! To say the least, I was overwhelmed. I am not artistic at all. I don't even like to do crafts. After a lot of contemplating and hours of hard work, we came up with a costume that our little flower loved! As long as she liked it, that's all I cared about!


I think I just might have a little bit of my dad's artistic side after all :) But just a little!


Makenna onstage right before the first song began!


Makenna and Caroline doing some of their lines! I was terrified of taking pictures of her when she was up at the microphone out of fear I might mess her up from my flash. Therefore I don't have very many pictures of her up on stage. I really wanted one when she was up there the first time with no one behind her, but mama's nerves were a little too iffy to be taking pictures at that moment!


Makenna and the other flowers!


Makenna with her good friend Caroline (the scarecrow)


Trying to blend in with our flowers in the front yard.


Maryn was so proud of Makenna! Gotta love this shot!

Ooooooo Ooooooo Ooooooo

I have talked about Maya's famous "ooooooo ooooooo ooooooo" on this blog many times. By pure luck alone, I was able to capture this on camera!!! Gotta love it! I was actually getting the camera out to take a picture of her because she was such a mess and just happened to catch a "ooooooo oooooooo ooooooo" moment!



Our smiley, messy girl! This is what she looks like after any type of Italian food. It is her absolute favorite. Notice that her plate is clean but she managed to smear a good portion of it on herself!

Spring Has Sprung

One of the things our family enjoys most about spring is anticipating the arrival of our tulips! Makenna helped Josh plant them a few years ago and thus has taken great interest in them. The girls are constantly checking on their progress and there is great joy in our house when the flowers finally bloom! I'm happy to say the tulips are in full bloom right now! Beautiful!

Let's Talk About Maya

I look at these darling pictures and can hardly believe how big my baby is getting! Wow how time flies! She is turning into a toddler right before my very eyes! It's such a blessing and exactly what I want for her, but it's so hard for this mama to let go of the baby stage :( Here is a little catch-up about what our little Maya is up to at this very active age!

Maya continues to be a smiley kid :) We get comments on her "smileyness" all the time! She loves going to music class with Maryn and me and typically will smile her whole way through it! She also has turned into quite the outdoors kid (just like her Daddy!). She will stand at the back door and do her famous and intense "Oooooo oooooo ooooooo oooooooo" until one of us takes her out back to swing!

Maya has a few new favorite foods this past week. She finally decided that she LOVES black beans (perfect example of if you feed a kid a certain food enough times they will eventually cave and try it!). She also has a renewed interest in bananas. If she can see up to our fruit bowl from the floor or from her highchair, she will point and do the her "oooooo oooooo ooooooo" (which ironically sounds a lot like a monkey!) until we give her a banana. In the past she tolerated bananas. She'd eat a little and mash the rest on the seat of her highchair or throw it on the ground. Now she inhales them before I even have a chance to turn and look! And of course thanks to Easter and all of it's lovely candy, she has become a huge fan of M&M minis! I made the horrible mistake of giving her just one and now she wants them any time she sees any candy. Oh boy. But I have to admit the colorful M&M drool while she's eating them is awfully cute.

And another part of her eating that has changed... I weaned her from nursing at 13 months and 1 week. Maya is my first child that did not stop breastfeeding on her own. Both Makenna and Maryn weaned themselves between 9 and 10 months old. Maya loved nursing and it was our special time together. My goal was to get her through cold and flu season and I accomplished that goal so I am happy with that. She has adjusted extremely well and never really even bawked at being offered milk instead of nursing. As sad as I am to see this stage of my baby's life pass, I am thrilled to finally have my body back to myself!

Walking and talking... The walking is coming along slowly. Some would probably consider her a walker, but at our house we've never considered our kids "walkers" until they were using walking as their preferred method of transportation. She stands unassisted for long periods of time and is even able to stand from a sitting position without holding on to anything. She takes anywhere from 3-8 steps in a row more times than I can count on a daily basis. But with that said, she just won't take off. It will happen, it's just a confidence thing at this point.

But her talking is another matter. She is growing by leaps and bounds in this area. She frequently repeats words and with clarity that is shocking for Josh and me. She says things at the most random times. One night we were having pizza for dinner and Josh yelled "pizza" to which he got the most perfect echo of "pizza" from Maya. Then when we were taking pictures for Easter she followed our instructions and belted out a perfect "cheese"! And yet one of the most amazing parts of her talking, she is already singing parts of the ABC song and can mimic the sounds of counting "1-2-3...". I don't think I would have believed the ABCs if Josh and Makenna wouldn't have heard it as well... and then she repeated it continuously for all of us for the following 5 minutes! So fun!

At Maya's 12 month check-up she weighed in at 21 lbs (42%) and was 31+ inches long (96%). Josh and I continue to be baffled by these extremely tall girls we are raising!! And so much for her being our "big" kid... that onetime 9 lb 3 oz newborn continues to drop in the weight percentages and is getting skinnier by the day (despite eating more than an adult at some meals!). The doctor isn't concerned about her drop in percentages (yet) since it has been a very gradual decline. We'll see where she's at at her 15 month check-up. I'm convinced she's going to be built just like Makenna (tall and lean). The other thing we found out at her appointment is that she is anemic. I actually brought up to the doctor that I was concerned about her iron levels because I didn't feel she was eating enough foods with iron in them (I offer them, she just won't eat them). The doctor did a finger prick on her (which I guess is now standard at a 12 month check??) and sure enough, her iron was low. The doctor gave me the option of a prescription for iron (which she said is horrible and most kids don't take it well) or trying it via diet for a month and then re-check it. Since I tend to always go the most natural way possible, we opted for working on her diet for a month. So far things are going very well and we're figuring out some new items that she likes that are high in iron. I'm going to take her back in about a week to re-check her levels. The only other note of interest from her appointment is that I talked to the doctor about being concerned that Maya hasn't clapped yet. Very weird... this is something that is almost always done by this age. The doctor asked a variety of questions about other things kids do with their hands (ie. pick up cheerios, move toys from hand to hand, etc) all of which Maya can do with ease and has done for a long time. I've tried teaching her to clap and encourage her to regularly, but still no luck. The doctor wasn't overly concerned at the time, but told me she wants to keep an eye on it. I'm guessing it's just a personality thing and she sees no reason for it yet :)

I am enjoying seeing her personality develop right before my eyes. She is such a happy, sweet little girl who is just as strong-willed as her big sister Maryn (if not more so... oh help me!!). She is also my snuggler who will still fall asleep snuggling in my arms in the rocking chair. Oh I could take a million of those moments. She is my first little one to do that beyond a few months old so I take all the snuggles I can get :)


Enjoying a snack of Cheerios


"Yes, it's okay, you can think I'm the cutest thing around! My mom and dad do too!"


Chilling on the deck with Daddy after work!