Winter Open House - Dance Recital

Maya and Brianna are in a ballet class together. They love going to dance class! They had their winter recital a couple of weeks ago and did so well. It was so sweet to watch them dance together. 

I have a feeling we will be attending these kind of recitals for years to come! And I'm all for it!! 

Weekend in Estes Park

December 16 - 18 we got to spend in Estes Park with Papa. We had a nice time! It was a fun getaway from the hustle and bustle of the holidays. 

The first morning we were there we went on a walk around a lake. Mary's Lake I think it was called. It was super cold so we were all bundled up to the nines! (Does that even make sense?) My dad and Ryan took the girls ahead of me while I fed Dallin the car. Ryan took some super cute pictures on their walk/hike! These girls love their Papa with their whole selves.

Eventually I caught up to them with my marshmallow baby. 

We brought in our church activity bag and had also brought board games and books to have activities to do while we were in the cabin. Maya and Brianna spent a lot of time coloring. I was surprised! Not once did they complain about being bored, and they spent hardly any time at all having screen time the entire weekend.

For lunch we went to Antonio's Pizza. So. That food is ah-mahz-ing. We will certainly frequent that place every time we go to Estes Park now. 

We spent a couple of hours walking around the shops. I am grateful for the invention of warm clothing. There was not any whining due to being cold, even though the air certainly had a bite to it. Dallin slept most of the time and by the end my back was sore from wearing him in all of our puffy clothing. After this picture was taken we went to see the movie Ferdinand, and afterwards went to Rock Inn for dinner. Also very good!

This is the cute cabin we stayed in. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an upstairs, living area, and full kitchen.

Sunday morning the resort offers a waffle breakfast. Brianna, Papa, and I went. Maya wasn't feeling well (she and Brianna were both a little sick that weekend but did pretty well, considering) so Ryan stayed at the cabin with her and Dallin.

More time coloring!

We made mini gingerbread houses as part of our Sunday activities. I had requested that we spend most of the day at the cabin because Dallin was needing a bit more of normal schedule to be happy. We had fun filling our day with down-time.

Papa and Brianna went for a walk.

And Papa spent a little time helping Maya learn how to read!

Finished products. :)

Monday morning we got packed up and headed out around 10:30 AM. The girls had school that day so we were unable to stay longer. We had a nice time and I hope we can do it again some time! Thank you for taking us, Dad! We love you and love making memories with you!

Maya turned 5!

On December 9th little Maya turned 5 years old! She was SO excited. As well she should be; she had only been talking about it since the day after she turned 4.

This year we had a simple family party and went out to dinner to Grimaldi's during her birthday week. We do love their pizza.

We like to do presents the morning of their birthday so that the birthday kid gets all day to play with their new stuff. When Maya woke up, she quickly checked to see if her presents had arrived, and then got dressed for the day.

She was happy with all of her gifts from Mom and Dad, especially the new bike! She has gotten good at riding her balance bike and had been asking for a big girl bike for a while. Once spring hits and we have more consistently warm days, Daddy will teach her how to ride it without the training wheels.

Thankfully this year was abnormally warm for mid-December, so after a little time playing with the Lite Brite the girls went on a bike ride with Ryan while I made her birthday cake.

After lunch time, Papa and Nana came over to spend some time with the birthday girl. They got her the mermaid Barbie she had requested months ago (before Dallin was even born) and had not forgotten about. She was very excited!

This year her birthday cake was a chocolate, white, pink, and purple cake. Lots of yummy frosting and sprinkles on top! It looked like something from a fantasy.

Birthday shenanigans!

That evening after dinner (homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches - two of Maya's favorite foods) we went to the Gardens at Spring Creek to see the Christmas light display they have. We were joined by our friends, the Parkers, who have a little girl named Emma that Maya and Brianna are both good friends with.

After the lights we came home and had birthday cake. It was fun to cut into and see all of the different colors. I bought sparkler candles, which is why Maya looks a smidgen frightened.

Maya is growing up to be a wonderful person. She is kind, thoughtful, and a good friend. She enjoys meeting new people and gets excited whenever she makes a new friend at the park. She wants to be one of the big kids. She is an incredible artist! She can spend hours drawing and coloring. She enjoys her ballet class and also preschool. She is a fast learner. Her favorite color is still pink, her favorite food is sandwiches, her favorite toy is a Zoomer Show Pony (she got for Christmas), and her favorite animal is a unicorn.

On the morning of her birthday Ryan took her to Silver Grill for breakfast. While he was there he asked her a few questions:

1. How old are you? 5 (hand up in the air waving)

2. What is your favorite...

Color: Pink

Food: PBJ Sandwich

Thing to do at school: Play outside

Book: Pinkalicious

Friend: Aliya from school

Meal: Pizza and soup

3. What gets you excited? Christmas

4. Best day? Going to the pool

5. Favorite Book of Mormon story? Nephi's courage - getting the plates and building a boat

6. What do you want to be when you grow up? A Cowgirl

7. What do cow girls do? Ride horses and that's all

8. What would be a bad day? Not having fun

9. Favorite vacation? Going to San Diego; petting dolphins at Sea World and driving a car at Legoland

10. What do you think of Brianna? She likes playing with her

11. What is the best thing about Brianna? Getting to be silly with her

12. What do you think of Dallin? He's cute

13. What is the best thing about Dallin? His smiles!

We love you, Maya! Happy birthday sweet girl!