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March 11, 2013 ~ I'm looking for suggestions of the best home remedies/food to eat to help with growing pains. Maya K doesn't complain about her legs hurting but I can tell by the way she wiggles and moves often that her legs are aching (I think she's grown ANOTHER inch in the last month!!!) What can I do to help her not hurt???

March 12, 2013 ~ Here is an example of how the hours of questions go in our house. I did answer each and every one of these questions :-).

The Topic: Carrots
May I have carrot, please?
Why you do that? (I'm peeling the carrot.)
Why dirty?
Why grow in ground?
Why pull it up?
Why clean inside?
Why God do that?
Why we eat carrots?
Why carrots orange?
Why carrots hard?
Why bite carrots?
Why cold?
Why wet?
Why I like carrots?

The topic then moved on to why we call forks and spoons "silverware". Another list of questions. This goes on ALL DAY!! EVERY DAY!!

March 13, 2013 ~ I am introducing Maya K and her friend "K" to Bugs Bunny this morning :-). They are both sitting on the sofa with silly grins on their faces!!

March 14, 2013 ~ Someone should be tired tonight. We played at the park for over an hour this afternoon, went for an after-dinner walk/run, she rode her bike in the garage for a short while, and now she is dancing in the garage while holding my old umbrella :-).

FB Friday

March 2, 2013 ~ This is what is happening at our house this evening!!

Maya K just ate 2 corn dogs, 2 mini-ears of corn, a piece of chicken, and 6 large baby carrots. I think she is going through a continual growth spurt!!!

March 3, 2013 ~ Maya K got to eat at her first "real" restaurant (in the USA, that is) today - Hickory Park. She did FABULOUS (although she was very tired)!!!

March 4, 2013 ~ Cleaning out my cupboards, closets, etc. is fairly easy for me. I like sorting/organizing and getting rid of things. The hard part is when I look at the piles of things I don't want to keep. What do I do with them? Do I clean them, take pictures of them, post them, and try to sell them online, or do I just box everything up at take it to Goodwill or Hope Ministries. What to do, what to do??!!

March 5, 2013 ~ What do YOU do when your child asks for something to be done/added to their food and won't listen to you when you tell them they won't like it?? Me?? I do what she asked and then tell her she has to sit at the table until she has eaten it.

March 6, 2013 ~ The two girls are sneaking around the house, whispering, and telling me to not look. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmm. I just asked what they were doing and was told "don't ask." I asked if they were being good and Maya K said "Good. Nice. Share. Obey. Have fun." I'm enjoying their friendship!!

March 8, 2013 ~ Nathan sent me to the library for an hour one evening last week. I was sooooooo excited to have a whole hour to sit and READ!!! I grabbed a new book (bought it at a used book store a LONG time ago, along with the other two books in the series and just haven't had time to read them yet) and headed out. A couple chapters into the book and I was still confused about what in the world was going on and struggling to follow the plot. I checked to make sure that the author was who I thought he was, because he is normally a very good writer. That's when I realized that I had grabbed book #3 in the series instead of book #1!!! The end of this long story is that I went ahead and finished reading book #3 (since I had already invested an hour into it; I'm a fast reader so I was about a fourth of the way done with it already) and started book #1 today. Everything is starting to make a lot more sense!!!!

FB Friday

February 24, 2013 ~ My morning conundrum ~ Whether or not to wake up the sleeping girl when she was up until 11 last night??? We want to make it to church on time, but we also want her to get the sleep she needs!!!

That was interesting. I just ate a spoonful of honey and cinnamon mixed together. Supposedly it will help my cold go away sooner??? I was willing to try it :-).

February 25, 2013 ~ We just framed a picture of Nathan and I with Maya K's birth dad to hang in her bedroom. She is happy!!

February 26, 2013 ~ I guess that I should have done my grocery shopping yesterday instead of waiting until today :-(. I don't really want to go out in the snow!!

My ET beauty has not yet eaten snow (we told her NO!!!). So, I just put a container outside to see if we can "catch" some clean snow to make snow ice cream today!!!

February 28, 2013 ~ We've been home with Maya K for FIVE months as of today!!!

Maya K: "Oh no!! Where the bacon?"
Me: "We didn't make any bacon tonight."
Maya K: (sad look) "But I like bacon!!"

March 1, 2013 ~ Someone, who shall remain nameless, is GRUMPY today. This anonymous person was given the special privilege of sleeping for 40 minutes AND of looking at books in a quiet room for an additional half hour. This person has continued to maintain a downcast expression on their beautiful face. A second person involved in this story needs to go to the store to buy some food. What would YOU do?!?!

I have been sent to my room and told to stay there until 7 p.m. I was allowed to take my computer and book. I was then brought a cup of raspberry hot chocolate. Somebody loves me!!!

FB Friday

February 18, 2013 ~ I have a decently long "to do" list for Maya K's quiet time today. But all I really want to do is make chocolate chip cookies and watch a movie. What to do, what to do??

Me: "Guess what is on the grass, Maya K?? It snowed a little!!"
Maya K: (looking outside) "Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!! NO!!!! No thank you, snow. Maya K want swimming time."
I seriously agree with my daughter!!!!

Those silly little articles are very hard to use when learning English!! :-)

February 19, 2013 ~ I'm starting childcare today for a 6-year old little girl. I would appreciate prayers that Maya K (and the other little girl) would adjust well to spending time together!!! I'm excited that Maya K is getting a three-day-a-week playmate!!

The first day with our new friends went VERY well!! Maya K is learning that sometimes she has to wait her turn to talk :-).

February 20, 2013 ~ That was a special level of grumpiness this morning that just earned someone an afternoon nap. (And no, I'm not talking about myself!!) :-)

February 21,2013 ~ Maya K was running about two hours short on sleep for the week (from Sunday-Wednesday morning); hence the hour and a quarter nap she took yesterday afternoon. Today, after having the nap yesterday and a "normal" night of sleep, she was a different girl. Happy, compliant, loving, cheerful, and oh-so-sweet!! It's amazing what a small shortage of sleep can do to a child!!!

FB Friday

February 11, 2013 ~ Maya K has started getting a little money of her own (mostly what she has found on the ground, or that grandparents have given her) and I am having her put it in her "bank" (it's an alligator!!) to keep it safe. We started talking today about what she might want to buy with her money when the bank is FULL of money. She first decided that she wanted to buy a WHOLE LOT of food, and then she changed that decision to a night light to put in the bathroom (we have a recent fear of the dark and we already have a night light in her bedroom AND in the hallway; apparently she also wants one in the bathroom). She doesn't yet understand that she will be allowed to use HER money to buy things that SHE wants to play with!!

We made it for 25 minutes outside at the park before I was frozen and we had to leave. I think Maya K would have stayed for longer, but I just couldn't handle the cold. Please remind me which one of us just moved to Iowa from Ethiopia??

It's still cold, but we managed another 30 minutes outside this afternoon kicking around a soccer ball. I'm soooooooooooooooo looking forward to summer!!

February 12, 2013 ~ "I'm soooo tired!! I'm soooo sleepy!! I'm sleepy, Baby, because no blanket. Why no blanket? Silly blanket!! Why, why, why, why?? Because, because, because!!" This is Maya K's song that she is singing to herself while doing a puzzle on the kitchen floor. This is also being sung after she woke up from 12 HOURS of sleep!!! And, just for the record, she DOES have a blanket. And she was still sleeping UNDER that blanket when I got up this morning :-).

Me: "Maya K, what is love?"
Maya K: "Me, you, daddy."
L.O.V.E.

February 13, 2013 ~ We spent an hour at the park today. Maya K didn't swing, go down the slides, or climb on the equipment the ENTIRE time!! Instead, she collected rocks, sticks, and leaves. She made a circle out of the rocks, put a pile of sticks inside, and collected different sizes/shapes of wood chips and rocks to be food (banana, cheese, mushrooms, olives, carrots) and cooked me a yummy meal. Then she gathered snow to pile on the fire. Then she taught me to sing the "ABC song" and tried to climb the trees :-). As we were leaving, she suddenly exclaimed "Mommy!! I forgot swings!! I'm sorry!!" I quickly told her that it was completely okay that she didn't swing today; she can swing next time :-).

February 14, 2013 ~ Happy Valentine's Day!! AND it's also the 6-month anniversary of the ET judge declaring that Maya K was officially a Maxwell!!

The quietest Maya K has been all day = right now. She is sitting on the sofa popping bubble wrap :-).

Happy Valentine's Day 2013

Wordless Wednesday - Silliness

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?!?!