One Year Home

It's crazy hard to believe that one year ago today we were arriving home with Maya K!!!! It has been an amazing year. A hard year. A memorable year. A year of beginnings. A year of changes. A year of adventure. A year of getting to know our little girl.

Here are some of her current favorite things (as I believe them to be).

Favorite Foods: hot dogs, brats, hamburgers, strawberries, corn, chicken, pizza (but doesn't like the sauce), black olives, pepperoni, beef jerky, ice cream, chocolate, yogurt with m&m's, BACON, rice & beans

Favorite TV: Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Wild Kratts, Clifford, Word Girl, Curious George

Favorite Books: The Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Three Little Pigs, Snow White

Favorite Colors: pink, white

Favorite Things to Do: run, color, cut with scissors, watch TV, play with her babies, jump on the trampoline, play on the Ipad at the library, library story time, read books

Things She Wants To Do: play in the snow again, camping, fishing

Dislikes: sauce, sitting still, sleeping, applesauce

Let's see how these compare with what SHE says are her favorite things!!!! (Keep in mind that she often answers questions with things that she can currently see. This is especially evident in the "favorite tv" section of this interview!!!)

FB Friday

September 23, 2013 ~ Happy Gotcha Day, Maya K!!!! (This picture was taken just moments after she ran around the building and jumped into my arms!!! I "think" she was supposed to be waiting inside for us to come get her!!!)

I thought I had today's plans well under control. A slower start to the morning (we are out late on Sunday nights with our college kids), muffins for breakfast, school, craft time, lunch, quiet time, trip to the store for a balloon, outside time, and out for dinner to celebrate "Gotcha Day". Well...............I forgot that it's supposed to be my day to grocery shop :-(. I'm not exactly sure how to work a trip to three stores into my schedule!!!

This is the first video we took of Maya Kisanet Joy Maxwell after we had picked her up and taken her back to the guesthouse we were staying in. She is such a silly little girl!!!

It is so crazy to look through the photos from our Embassy trip (a year ago!!) and see how much our little girl has grown and changed. I also see/understand so many more emotions on her face. Some of her expressions that look so happy are the same look she makes when she is feeling BIG emotions and doesn't know how to express them :-(. Many of the pictures make me feel a little sad now as I see the confusion and sadness in her smile.

September 24, 2013 ~ Maya K prayed that everyone in the whole world has nice dreams tonight. So, YOU have been prayed for by my daughter tonight :-).

Wow!!! A walk down memory lane found me this picture. We look like babies!!!

September 25, 2013 ~ Does patience come in a bottle format??? Oh yeah!!! It's called Mt. Dew!!! And I don't have any today :-(.

Tonight is Maya K's first night of AWANA!! And it's Crazy Hat Night :-). She's "creating" right now!! Stay tuned!!!

Maya K is making her crazy hat for AWANA tonight. I am making spaghetti.
Because of the first, I am having trouble with the second.
Any thoughts as to WHY this is a problem?!?!

September 26, 2013 ~ Boring. Irritating. Imagination. Important. Frustrating. These are all "new" words in Maya K's vocabulary. Sometimes they are used in context. Most of the time they are not.

We had a VERY successful first trip to Toys 'R Us this morning and Maya K is now a very happy little girl!! She has loved Daniel Tiger for quite a while now and they recently released a line of toys :-). She spent her money on the "Transformation Treehouse", so if you have given her money in this year that she has been home, YOU are a part of this happiness!!! Thank you!!!!

I'm giddy excited over a book I found at the book sale tonight!!! I have tried for YEARS to remember a specific line/poem from a book I remember reading to my brother when he was little. But I could never remember more than the first part. I have asked people, google searched, etc. and never found it. Well, I FOUND THE BOOK TONIGHT!!! In case you are wondering, the book is "The Train to Timbuctoo"!!!!

September 27, 2013 ~ Dishes. Need I say more.

A year ago today, we were spending our last day in Ethiopia. This was the last time Maya Kisanet ate her favorite food, injera, in her home country :-(. It's a little sad for me to watch, but I am so thankful I thought to record it. In case you have ever wondered what injera is and how to eat it, enjoy!!!

Maya K: "Mommy, look!!! I'm a God-Mary!!!"
Me: (laughing) "I think you mean a fairy godmother!!!!"

Funny Quotes

Maya K: "Mommy, may I not sleep tonight?"
Me: "No, Maya K. You still have to go to bed and sleep just like you do every night."
Maya K: "But I know that people have LOTS more fun when they don't sleep!!!"

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While watching "Kung Fu Panda".........
Maya K: "He's a really good fighter!!!"
Me: "Yes, he is. But should you ever fight like that, Maya K?"
Maya K: "No!!! Because I am not even a pretend person!!!"

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Maya K: "The bunny!!! Remember the bunny???? That's the one I'm talking about. The bunny.........the bunny.......bugs!!!!"
(She was talking about Bugs Bunny!!!!!)

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Me: "I love being your mommy!!!"
Maya K: "Me too. I love being your kid!!! That's why I can get you some water when you have a headache and be your little kid."

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There were five strawberries at lunchtime. So I asked Maya K how many we each could have. She very quickly came to the conclusion that we each could have two and I needed to cut the last one and we could share it.
Me: "That was a very good answer, Maya K. You just did some MATH!!!!"
Maya K: "May I tell you what 'maff' is?"
(We work on saying "math" correctly.)
Me: "Yes, you may. What do you think 'math' is?"
Maya K: "Math is when someone has a good idea like cutting the strawberry. A good idea with numbers is called 'math'."

FB Friday

September 14, 2013 ~ "Mommy, it's like this side of me (touches the left side of her chest) wants to obey and be good and this other side of me (touches the right side of her chest) just wants to keep sinning." ~ Maya K. "For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do." ~ Galatians 5:17

September 15, 2013 ~ To go to church or not :-(. My throat started hurting late last night and Maya K was up for over an hour in the night and is still sleeping. I think we're going to wait and see what time she finally wakes up!!!

I don't feel good :-(.

Me: "I'm going to pop some popcorn for dinner tonight while we watch Little House on the Prairie."
Maya K: (HORRIFIED expression on her face) ".........no??? You are just tricking me, right, Mommy?????"
Me: "No. Since I don't feel good and don't feel like making dinner I thought we would just have popcorn for a special dinner treat."
Maya K: "(still horrified) ".......You wouldn't really do that, right, Mommy?"
Me: "Well, I was going to. Do you want something different for dinner?"
Maya K: "Yes. I thought I could just have some leftovers. Please, Mommy?!?!?"
Me: "Well, maybe I'll just have some popcorn for dinner then."
Maya K: (shaking her finger in my face) "NO!!!!! You need to eat some healthy food!!!!!"

September 16, 2013 ~ I have a cold. I need to buy food. I don't want to leave the house. Oh well. I'm an adult. I'm a mommy who wants/needs to feed her daughter better food than whatever I can find in the cupboards. I'll go shopping. I guess.

Progress is a wonderful thing!!! After being home for almost a year, we are making progress in the food department!!! In the past month, Maya K now likes green bean casserole, soup (!!!), and the new one tonight is Bbq sloppy joes!!!! We have been consistently having her try a small amount of anything that is new to her (or that she didn't like the last time) and then telling her that she HAS to eat the small amount we give her but if she really doesn't like it we'll give her something else (normally something that is only an "okay" food for her). She is learning to like things!!!!

September 17, 2013 ~ Stay tuned!!! Maya K finally got a "yes" answer to the prayer she has been praying for many weeks. She got to play in the rain!!!! Video is loading to YouTube right now.

September 18, 2013 ~ I'm such a "mean" mommy!!! I made Maya K do school today (she's not feeling well). But, she is done and now it's time to cuddle up on the sofa with a movie :-).

Lunch today is chicken noodle soup, crackers, and hot chocolate. Yummy!!!

Her fever has been climbing today and is up to 101.7*. I know that isn't too crazy high, but she has only had a fever once since coming home a year ago and that was 99.5*ish one time after her shots. My first instinct is to not give her anything for the fever but let the fever run its course because it is a sign of the body fighting something. But it sure is hard to see her so droopy and not feeling well :-(.

September 19, 2013 ~ Maya K's fever left in the night and she is fever free this morning and as active and full of question as ever!!!!!

Let's try a schedule change today. Normally, we do school in the morning and then run any needed errands in the afternoon. But the forecast is calling for rain, so we are going to run our errands this morning and do school (hopefully) this afternoon. Here's hoping!!!!

September 20, 2013 ~ Maya K and I get to take a mini day-trip to visit Erin and her family!!! Lots of FUN is expected to be had!!!!

FB Friday

September 7, 2013 ~ "I'm super, snooper, duper, luper, SOOOOOOOOOO tired tonight!!!!" ~ Maya K

September 8, 2013 ~ I'm not sure what is going on with Maya K today. She slept hard all night (even slept in about 15 minutes later than normal) and has been EXHAUSTED all morning!!! She even almost fell asleep on my lap during the singing at church. She has not been her normal energetic self. She went down easily and quickly for her Sunday afternoon nap and I am hoping that she sleeps longer than normal!!!

September 9, 2013 ~ I'm having one of "those" mornings. The kitchen looks like it threw up over the weekend, the bathrooms need to be cleaned, I haven't finished making the menu for September, I need to make a grocery shopping trip to two stores, breakfast needs to be made, homeschooling needs to be done, laundry is waiting to be put away, and on the list goes. I'm not really "feeling" like doing any of it :-(. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." :-)

If you see Maya K and I at the store today, please just ignore the fact that she is wearing a hat because I haven't done her hair today!!!!

I'm so mean. Dinner tonight is something that Maya K DOES NOT like (green bean casserole) so I'm letting her choose between the casserole (after she eats a little of it) and a ham and cheese sandwich (another meal that is NOT her favorite). Poor girl :-(. Life is HARD!!!!

Maya K has a tiny  hangnail and I have chosen to NOT put a band-aid on it. She just wrapped a large piece of toilet paper around her finger and taped it :-).

September 11, 2013 ~ Hmmmmmmmmmmmm...............To do school or to have a lazy day with movies and popcorn???? (We were going to go to the zoo today, but the weather is telling us "no".) I think that we are going to have a lazy day. We have already done 17 days of school, so I don't feel too bad :-).

Melkem Addis Amet ~ Happy Ethiopian New Year 2006!!!!

We're watching "Pippi Longstocking."

September 13, 2013 ~ I just found Maya K upstairs cleaning the bathroom!!! She had swept the floor and was wiping down the back of the toilet with a wet piece of TOILET PAPER!!! She told me that she wanted to surprise me :-). I suggested that she use a washcloth and that I did NOT want her to wash INSIDE the toilet!!! "This was just for your treat, Mommy. Not every time, but maybe I do it again next time for your second treat. Maybe four days and then I do it again. Just for your treat."

I've started the process of going through the containers of clothes that were given to us last year when Maya K came home and  pulling out the fall/winter clothes that she has grown into. It's going to take a few days to get everything sorted!!! And then I can see what "gaps" need to be filled in.

FB Friday

August 31, 2013 ~ One of Maya K's current FAVORITE things to do (along with her FAVORITE word - "favorite") is to cut with her scissors. Today she is cutting up pipe cleaners.

Maya K got to ask a million and one questions at the veterinary clinic today (for our cat's apt.). How many of you think I should be able to count this as a school field trip???? :-)

September 2, 2013 ~ Context: Maya K has a "cow clock" that has a dancing cow that lights up at 7 a.m. This lets her know when she can get out of bed. We were up late last night and Maya K was still sleeping at 7:30 a.m. She woke up around 7:40ish and came downstairs right away (normally she stays in her room for a while playing while she wakes up). She was VERY sleepy and confused!!!! "Mommy, why did the cow wake up so FAST?!?! I was still tired!!!!" ~ Maya K

Our morning was spent taking everything out of our garage, cleaning the garage, sorting/tossing some of the things that had been in our garage, and then putting everything back in the garage. I'm GLAD it's all DONE!!!!

September 4, 2013 ~ I am desiring chocolate and Mt. Dew right now. Just sayin'. In case anyone cares.

We got to spend some time with some adoptive friends at the park on Monday :-). Carmen and I became friends early in our adoption journey and it was fun to get to introduce our kids to each other!!! They got along well right from the beginning and had fun playing together!!!

I just threw away my very first Barbie :-(. The head broke off many years ago, but I had kept the body because I would use it as a store mannequin. But it was discolored and very sticky and it was time for her to go :-(. We have chosen to not buy Barbies for Maya K, but I brought in the container of my old Barbies and let Maya K and K play with them today :-).

September 6, 2013 ~ It's gonna be a busy day!!! School this morning, hopefully a quick trip to WalMart before lunch, early afternoon attorney apt (to start the readoption process), home to get a couple chores done and eat dinner, and then Nathan and I get to go out for a movie date tonight!!!

Some days I just feel amazed!!!

September 17, 2012

August 21, 2013

I've got all of Maya K's important documents in my purse. You'd better believe that I'm going to be hanging on to my purse like my life depends on it this afternoon!!!!

Have I mentioned how little Maya K and I have been apart since she came home? Yes. I know. I have mentioned it several times. You are all probably tired of reading this AGAIN. I am going to the State Ladies' Retreat tomorrow and I have to leave before Maya K will be awake. This is the first time in over 11 months that Maya K will wake up and I will not be right there with her. She was feeling a little emotional about it tonight :-(. I'm feeling a little emotional about it tonight :-(. Please pray that she will wake up feeling okay about me being gone and that she and Nathan will have a good morning together. I chose to not go to the retreat today and be gone overnight because we haven't done THAT on yet either!!! One of these days I will be brave enough to leave her for a night. One day.

FB Friday

August 24, 2013 ~ Nathan left for the Men's Retreat yesterday afternoon and I sort of stopped doing anything productive. Maya K and I went to my sister-in-law's house for pizza and a movie, came home and put Maya K to bed, and I read a book. Got up this morning, got ready for the day, went shopping, came home and ate lunch, then watched 30 minutes of TV with Maya K, then read a book during her quiet time. I've been trying to make up for lost time ever since. Dishes are now done, two loads of laundry done and put away (more in the machines), dishwasher emptied, and ran some errands. Maybe he won't need to know that I did nothing last night or until 2:30 p.m. today :-).

August 26, 2013 ~ "Sometimes I can't remember the bad snake's name so I just call him a bully. Because that is what he does. He is bad and wants people to do bad things. That is why I call him a bully." ~ Your morning doctrine lesson has been brought to you by Miss Maya Kisanet Joy Maxwell :-)

August 27, 2013 ~ Here is the conversation I had when I went into Maya K's bedroom this morning.
Maya K: "Yikes!!!"
Me: "What???"
Maya K: "Yikes!!! Mommy, what does 'yikes' mean?"
Me: (don't even have time to answer)
Maya K: "Like a person sits on a pinecone and says 'Yikes!!!!'"
Me: "Did you see that happen somewhere? In a book, on the TV?"
Maya K: "No. I know this just because I am a smart girl."

School was a little "rough" this morning. Maya K did A LOT of jumping jacks and running up and down the stairs. Then she would be able to THINK for a few minutes and then her brain shut off again and it was back to the running and jumping jacks!!! But we got through it!!!!

We were stopped in Aldi's by a lady who words there as she commented on how much Maya K has GROWN. Her second comment was, "She still doesn't stop talking, does she?" Nope!!!! I don't expect the words to EVER dry up!!!!! :-)

August 28, 2013 ~ "Keep coloring, you silly Daddy!!!" (repeat 20x over 15 minutes) ~ Maya K

Maya K: "I wish I could have a baby when I get bigger."
Me: "Well, maybe you WILL have a baby when you grow up. But what do you need to do before you have a baby?"
Maya K: "Learn how to obey."
(I was thinking something along the lines of "get married first" but learning how to obey is also a valid answer!!!)

August 30, 2013 ~ Second week of school = Done; CPI form submitted = Done; New books checked out from the library = Done; Maya K settled in the living room with her lunch, watching Daniel Tiger, and reading a book all at the same time = Done. It's been a good morning :-).

First Week of School

Our first full week of kindergarten went very well!!!! Maya K is having fun (except for a grumpy moment on Thursday when she told me, "School isn't very much fun!!!") and she is doing a GREAT job!!!!

We have been starting our school day at 9:30 a.m. She normally wakes up at 7 a.m. and then plays in her room until 7:45/8:00. Then she comes downstairs and brings our cat in from the garage and feeds him. We eat breakfast and then she goes back upstairs to make the beds and get dressed. Normally it is around 9:00ish before all this is done and she can have a few minutes of play time before school starts.

Bible - We each get to choose one or two Bible songs to sing and then we read a story from her Bible story book. On Mondays, I am planning to read through her papers from Sunday School and finish anything that she wasn't able to get done in class. Then we end with us each talking about something we can thank God for or ask Him for, and then we pray together.

Phonics - I really like the A Beka phonics curriculum, so that is what I chose to use this year. Maya K already knows most of the letters names and sounds, but we are starting with the vowels and learning the name, sound, and a picture that starts with that letter sound. We have had some fun learning a few poems about the letters "Ii" and "Uu" as well as some hands-on activities. Worksheets are also involved :-).

Handwriting - Maya K has been interested in writing letters for the past few months, so she is really enjoying handwriting!!!! She holds her pencil BEAUTIFULLY and wants me to draw a smile next to the letters that she does well. I do!!! She also really loves our "Writing House" song. You'll have to ask her to sing it for you if/when you see her :-).

Numbers - We are working on number recognition (1-5 so far) and that is something that has not been easy for Maya K to pick up on informally since she came home. But after putting some time in each day she is doing very well. We are also working on counting to 20 (she does great) and things like patterning, object placement (i.e. top, middle, bottom; before, after). Worksheets are involved some days.

Phonics Review - We review the letters we have been working on and often play a fun game.

Readiness Skills - This isn't every day, but some days we have a paper that involves coloring, cutting, gluing, drawing, tracing, etc.

As the school year progresses and Maya K learns to read, we will have more "seatwork" and a reading group time :-).

We have been getting done with her schoolwork around 11 a.m. this week. I have been pleased with how well Maya K has been focusing on what I am asking her to do and I know that our bond is growing stronger with each minute we spend together!!!!!!

I am very grateful for the opportunity to teach my daughter this school year!!!!!

FB Friday

August 19, 2013 ~ Maya K and I are talking about the Millennial Kingdom at breakfast this morning. Oh my goodness!!! This little girl is going to make me pull out my theology books from Bible college to answer her questions soon!!!

August 20, 2013 ~ Maya K got to eat her first s'more tonight!!! She liked it!!!

August 21, 2013 ~ Dinner had better be VERY good for how long it took me to cut up the tiny pieces of apple!!! We're trying a new crock pot recipe today - Bacon Wrapped Apple Chicken :-).

I did something "new" with Maya K's hair today. It only took about 30-40 minutes and I think it's cute :-). Now we just have to see how well it "lasts"!!! (Three flat twists across the front from ear to ear to make a "headband" and two pony "puffs" in the back.)

August 22, 2013 ~ Handwriting time!!!

"You are the greatest, Mommy!!! Because you do lots of things others don't. Like playdough, and hot dogs, and brats, and sometime let us watch Clifford, and everything!!! Not everyone do those things. You are the best mommy EVER!!!" ~ Maya K. I guess I know the way to her heart. Playdough, hot dogs, brats, and Clifford!!!! :-)

August 23, 2013 ~ She was awake and calling us at 4:30 because of a bad dream. Called again at 5 because she couldn't find her baby. Still wide awake at 6 when Nathan got up. Fell asleep somewhere between 6-7. She is still sleeping and you'd better believe I am NOT going to be waking her up. One of the advantages of homeschooling this year!!!!

We got to enjoy pizza and a movie with our Aunt Heidi and cousins tonight :-). The movie was Shirley Temple's "Heidi" and the story was just a little too personal for my little girl. Poor thing was in tears as Heidi was crying for her grandfather!!!! :-(

FB Friday

August 10, 2013 ~ Have you ever had one of those days where you feel like life's biggest failure in every possible way but especially as a mommy? That was my morning :-(. Nathan has tried to counteract this feeling by putting me to bed for a 3 hour nap, making the pizza crust dough blue, and then buying me a Mt. Dew slushy and chocolate when I woke up :-).

At this very moment, one year ago, we were on a plane to Ethiopia to meet our little girl for the very first time. My heart was sooooooo very excited and also VERY scared!!!! Our "Meetcha Day" anniversary is TOMORROW!!!!

August 11, 2013 ~ One year ago today.......We finally met our little girl!!!!!

Nathan gave her two Sprees. Heaven help us!!!!

We celebrated our "Meetcha Day" by watching the video of those very first moments together with Maya K before she went to bed. She wanted to watch more and more!!!!

August 14, 2013 ~ One year ago today, we sat in an Ethiopia judge's "courtroom" and heard her tell us that Kisanet Nathan Maxwell was now and forever officially our DAUGHTER!!!!

"Less talking, more eating.......less clapping, more eating......less silly, more eating.......less singing, more eating.......less talking, more eating......less faces, more eating......less laughing, more eating." This is what I am listening to at lunch today. The GIRLS are telling each other these things NON-STOP while they are "eating."

August 16, 2013 ~ We start school today!!!! Maya K is running around saying, "I am super, super excited to......eat the mushroom!!!!" (We bought some large portabella mushrooms and THAT is what she is excited about the day!!!).

First day of school = DONE!!! It only took an hour today :-).

Our first day of school dinner is DRUMSTICKS!!! Maya K has been asking for chicken on the bone for a while now. Anyone who knows me well knows that I can't stand eating meat off a bone. Can. Not. Do. It. I love my daughter. We are having drumsticks = chicken on a bone. She gave me a HUGE hug when I told her what we are having for dinner tonight :-).