FB Friday

February 2, 2013 ~ Nate and I got to go on a date tonight to my school's Heart of Fire Banquet!! What a blessing to have my sister, Debbi, watch Maya K for us!! We came home to find out that Maya K acted like a normal 5 year old with a babysitter :-). We have a few things to talk with her about tomorrow morning, but all in all she did very well!!

February 4, 2013 ~ We're on our way for round #2 of Maya K's immunizations. Prayers please!!

In the last month, Maya K has grown one inch and lost 1/2 pound. I haven't been imagining that her pants are getting shorter and looser!! That makes a total of 3 inches taller and 3 pounds gained since she came home four months ago!!

Something that makes me smile ~ watching my daughter put together a 25 piece puzzle on her own!! She couldn't even come CLOSE to doing that even 2 months ago!! She is not only growing physically, but she is learning by leaps and bounds!!

February 6, 2013 ~ Our cashier at WalMart yesterday was from the Sudan. Here is what she said ~ "Hi, Baby (waving at Maya K)!! She from Africa, yes? Where? (I answered "Ethiopia".) AHHHHHAHAHAHA!!! Yes!! I know it!! I know it!! Etiopia is the most beautifulest people anywhere!! They are the beautifulest and I KNOW she be from Etiopia!! Your husband from Etiopia or is she adopted?" Our conversation continued, but I wanted to share this little gem that made me smile!! :-)

Maya K is singing an "I love you" song to the chocolate in her pancakes this morning :-).

February 7, 2013 ~ It's amazing what just two hours out of the house (with my hubby with me!!) can do to lift my spirits!!! Thanks to my sister, Kristi, for watching Maya K for us this evening!!

February 8, 2013 ~ Maya K is eating a jelly-filled doughnut this morning.
Maya K: "What this?" (pointing to the jelly)
Me: "That is called jelly."
Maya K: "NO, NO jelly!! Yucky!!"
Me: "Don't you like it?"
Maya K: "This (pointing to jelly) yummy. Not 'jelly fish!!!'"
Me: (trying not to laugh) "You're right, Honey. It's not a jelly FISH. Just jelly." :-)

My little puzzler!!

Wordless Wednesday

FB Friday

January 28, 2013 ~ When your daughter wakes up with some serious adoption related issues going on, what should you do?? Well, we're making chocolate chip cookies!! Mother/Daughter bonding time today!!

January 29, 2013 ~ Wish it wasn't supposed to be raining today :-(. I'm taking Maya K to the zoo for story time (her first time at our zoo) and was hoping to be able to also see some of the animals. I'm praying the rain away for a short time!!

She's eating her first poptart (not the best choice of breakfast, but we're having a treat today!!). "Yummy. I love this." :-)

Funny moment from our morning at the zoo - Maya K's insistence that we needed to first cut, then eat, the flamingos :-).

How are we ever going to raise a girl who isn't conceited when everywhere we go people are gushing about how cute and adorable she is?? SHE CAN UNDERSTAND YOU!! She already loves to look at herself in the mirror!! Please don't take this wrong :-). I tell Maya K that she is beautiful all the time, but it's getting hard when random people at story time and in the stores are telling her. She then walks around with a huge smile on her face saying "Maya K cute"!!

January 30, 2013 ~ My daughter just requested to listen to the song "Baby, it's Cold Outside"!! Lol

I have successfully fed my daughter breakfast, waited her out for the 20+ minutes it took her to finish drinking her water, washed and dried the dishes, given Maya K a bath, washed Maya K's sheets and remade her bed, started a regular load of laundry, and finally was able to "slip away" from my daughter in order to take a shower. I think it's lunchtime :-).

January 31, 2013 ~ Just remembered that I have special music at church in a few weeks!! Probably better get started practicing. It's been a little hard to get any piano time these past four months. Someone always wants to play on the piano WITH me!! :-)

Just to show that she doesn't smile ALL the time!!

February 1, 2013 ~ Maya K loves mushrooms like I do. Maya K loves black olive like Nate does. How did we luck out this well?!?!

Maya K Reading to Daddy

FB Friday

January 19, 2013 ~ We pushed and made it to York, Nebraska tonight (same hotel, same room we stayed in a week ago). We've got about 4 hours left tomorrow (we think) and then we'll be HOME!! Maya K is VERY excited to be "come HOME" tomorrow!!

January 20, 2013 ~ We are safely home and the car is unpacked!! Coming home is a GREAT feeling!!!

Maya K has been complaining of her teeth hurting the last couple of days. Silly me; I started checking her bottom two teeth to see if one of them was loose. They aren't. Well.........I just checked her TOP teeth and one of them seems to be barely loose. I guess maybe she's going to lose a top tooth first?!?!

January 21, 2013 ~ My stylin' daughter!!!

New Project = filling six small containers with "quiet time activities" for Maya K. I've got the containers and am ready to start filling!! I've already got several ideas, but I would LOVE some more suggestions of things (I love all the ideas I get when I ask questions like this on FB) to put in them.

January 22, 2013 ~ "Run, Run, Fast as you can, You can't catch me, I'm Maya K." - Can you guess what her favorite book is right now???

The Maxwell house is now the "Maxwell Academy" ;-). I've started doing some "schoolwork" with Maya K!! The plan is to do 15 minutes of "school" each day and slowly increase the amount of time. That way she is ready to officially start Kindergarten next school year. The teacher in me has awakened!!

Wish us luck!! Maya K has her first dental apt. scheduled for tomorrow!! (I called today to set up an apt. assuming that it would be a few weeks out. Nope. Tomorrow morning.)

January 23, 2013 ~ We're back from the dentist and Maya K did an AMAZING job!! They brushed her teeth, polished her teeth, took x-rays of ALL her teeth, fluoride treated her teeth, AND she has NO CAVITIES!!! Praise the Lord!!

(Picture taken on January 16 at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado)

Maya K: "Maya K sad"
Me: "Why are you sad?"
Maya K: "Maya K hungry. Maya K sad."
This was said as I put the chicken poppyseed casserole and corn away. This was also said after she had two LARGE helpings of both casserole and corn. Someone has a hard time stopping eating when it is something that she loves :-).

January 24, 2013 ~ Whoever invented the words "what" and "why" has a very special place in my heart. I use the word "special" loosely.

Our life isn't going to go back to "normal" until Maya K's tooth comes out. And it is just BARELY wiggly!! "Maya K teeth come out today?" "No, not today. You're still going to have to wait for awhile." 10 minutes later. "Maya K teeth come out today?" AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Maya K: "What lunch, Mommy?" (translated: "What's for dinner?")
Me: "Hamburger Helper."
Maya K: "What hamburger helper?"
Me: "It's noodles with cow meat."
Maya K: "Yummy. I love cow meat."

January 25, 2013 ~ This is what happens when you have an adorable daughter. You find something on Craigslist, arrange to meet someone to purchase said item, they see your blog on the bottom of your e-mail, and when you meet them they bring your child a gift. A LARGE teddy bear gift!! When you get home, your adorable daughter dresses the LARGE teddy bear in one of her daddy's old t-shirts and begins pretending that she is mommy and the bear is daddy!!

Princess Video

FB Friday

January 12, 2013 ~ We made it safely to Colorado Springs and are happy to be out of the car!! Maya K did an AMAZING job, but was one very tired and overwhelmed little girl tonight!! We get to go to Nathan's home church in the morning and introduce everyone to our little girl!!

January 14, 2013 ~ I'm enjoying the blessing of being at grandma's house today :-). Grandma Maxwell has been "on duty" this morning and I got to sleep in!! Maya K is loving the time with her grandma!!

January 15, 2013 ~ Making the pizza dough with Grandma Maxwell :-).

January 16, 2013 ~ We had fun today!!!

January 17, 2013 ~ My daughter just pointed to me and said, "You, Mommy, You pretty." Awwwww!!!!!! That's the way to start a morning!!!!

Maya K is outside with her Grandpa Carter playing in the dirt and LOVING it!! She is filthy from head to toe (tomorrow was supposed to be bath day, but I think it might get moved up to tonight!!) and having a BALL!!!

FB Friday

January 6, 2013 ~ My daughter changed her socks tonight when she put her pajamas on. When I asked her why she had changed her socks, she told me it was because the first pair didn't match her jammies. Dear me!!!

January 7, 2013 ~ Melkam Gena!! Merry Christmas in Ethiopia!!

Our 3-month post-placement social worker visit is DONE!! We have an amazing social worker and the visit was FUN!! (Although Maya K got VERY hyper and didn't exactly behave as well as normal. She did definitely show off her stamina and language skills!!)

January 8, 2013 ~ We just came inside from playing for over an hour in the snow. We needed that time outside in the fresh air!!

January 9, 2013 ~ I started burning a new candle today. A dangerous candle. One that I'm second-guessing my decision to have bought. Definitely second-guessing my decision to actually BURN the thing. It's called "Whoopie Pie". Guess who is having MAJOR chocolate cravings today?!?!

My new KitchenAid mixer is HERE!!! Now I just want to "play" with it!! (Instead of doing all the things that I NEED to do this afternoon!!)

January 10, 2013 ~ We leave tomorrow on Maya K's first trip since she came home. I told her about our trip yesterday and we've been talking about it ever since. Do you have any idea how many fears we are having to address to calm her?!?! Her life has consisted of trips that equal either being LEFT by someone of having to LEAVE someone permanently behind. Believe me, we won't be leaving her side this trip!!

Have I ever mentioned that I am a horribly stressed out person when I need to pack?? Always have been. That doesn't seem to have changed now that we've added a third person to pack for. In fact, it might have actually gotten worse. Maybe. Definitely.

What do YOU do when you are stressed out about packing for a trip? Me? I vacuum out the trunk of my car!!!

January 11, 2013 ~ We are planning to leave at 2 p.m. today and the morning is not going well. Why did she have to pick TODAY to have us work on obedience?!?! I would have been much happier to work on this yesterday or the day before!! (I know that the uncertainty about the trip is affecting her behavior, but she still has to obey!! There are certain things we just cannot ignore.) Prayers would be appreciated!!

We are safely in York, Nebraska. Maya K did VERY well riding in the car (and she enjoyed watching Curious George on the DVD player!!) and is in good spirits tonight. I got to crawl under a bathroom stall door for the first time, Maya K now knows what a motel is, she got to drink some orange soda in the car (we're pretty confident that she had it in ET, but we haven't given her any since she came home), and she is very happy that we brought her pillow with us!! Hopefully she'll sleep well tonight and then we have a LONG (probably 8-9 hours) drive tomorrow.

Maya K fell asleep FAST tonight!! I'm feeling very thankful and grateful for the way the Lord has blessed the first part of our trip!!

Wordless Wednesday

FB Friday

December 30, 2012 ~ My loving hubby wants to buy me a stand mixer for my birthday!! Isn't he GREAT?!?! (I've been using a hand mixer ever since we got married!!) I've heard that KitchenAid mixers are the best, but what are some of YOUR opinions??

January 1, 2013 ~ We just got home from Build-a-Bear Workshop where Maya K stuffed her teddy bear that she got for Christmas from her Uncle Tim and Aunt Mandie. She LOVES it and has name it "Anna".

The Christmas clean-up is "almost" done :-). The tree is bare, the Christmas containers are all back in the garage (except one) and the table is covered with Christmas items that I need to take pictures of and try to sell. Maybe I'll have the motivation to take the pictures and post them tonight; or maybe I won't :-).

January 3, 2013 ~ I've mentioned Maya K's protectiveness of me, right?? Here is an example that happened at the store today.
A random person bumped into me in the store.
Me: "Excuse me."
Maya K: (angry look on her face) "Mommy, NO excuse me!! He (pointing to the man) naughty. He no good!!!! NO, my mommy!!!"
I had to keep holding her hand and pulling her in the direction we were going because I think she was going to go give the man a piece of her mind!!!

Maya K has a small sinus infection :-(. In better news, she has grown 2 inches and gained 3.5 pounds in the past three months!!! She is now 41" tall and 38.5 lbs.

We went to the library this afternoon as as we were on our way home.....
Maya K: (big sigh) "Come home!!"
Mommy: "I like coming home, Maya K."
Maya K: "Me too."

January 4, 2013 ~ After locking my keys in the car on a shopping trip to Aldis this morning and having to call Nathan to leave work to come unlock my car, I have decided to that I am going to spend Maya K's quiet time by doing absolutely NOTHING and watching a movie. While drinking the Mt. Dew I picked up on my way home after the key incident. Happy Bday to me!!!