Maya is 6!

Our bubbly blondie turned 6 on December 9th. She is such a wonderful person and a joy to have in our home. She is loving kindergarten and learning how to do math and read. Her teacher tells us she is very bright and advanced for her age. She still loves to draw and color and enjoys improving her artistic skills. She is a great buddy to both Brianna and Dallin, but also has moments when she prefers to be alone. She is my favorite six year old in the whole world!

This year for her birthday we did a celebration with family. Her birthday landed on a Sunday (which is the same day of the week on which she was born; one time around the calendar!) and we let her open one gift from us before church. She got a Baby Alive Doll, which she named Winnie. She loves pretending to be a mommy: feeding her, changing her, giving her pretend baths, and putting her to bed. She says, "Being a mommy is such hard work!" Yes it is! You can see here that Ryan was really enjoying this experience, haha!

That evening we were joined by Papa, Nana, and Holly. We started off the festivities by decorating gingerbread houses and eating appetizers that Maya had requested for her party, namely sliced French baguette with cranberry cinnamon goat cheese on it. Yummmmm.

Precision is key when applying rooftop accents.

They all turned out very cute!

After we finished our gingerbread houses we sat down for a delicious dinner. Maya requested Coconut Caramel Chicken, and I served it with green beans, blackberries, and rolls. After dinner it was time for gifts!

Finally, cake and ice cream. This year she asked for a banana cake. I found a recipe for a layer banana cake (essentially banana bread) with browned butter cream cheese frosting. It was a hit! Of course the colorful flame candles added just the perfect magical essence.

After cake it was time for bed, and I think everyone had a great night's sleep.

Happy birthday, little Maya!

November Nostalgia

I loved this hair do on Maya. It's a half-up braid bun and it looks so elegant.

Dallin, in true boy form, loves trains and airplanes. Whenever he hears a train on the nearby tracks he says, "Da-da!" (for choo-choo) and runs to the window to see it. 

Four mini topsy-tail ponies into one big pony. 

Dinnertime often has me a little crazy with Dallin always under my feet and wanting me. He has become accustomed with some of our cabinets and has a bit of a routine. Sometimes it leaves a mess, but at least he's not bawling and trying to hold on to my legs the whole time. 

We had our first big snow of the season! The forecast had predicted less than an inch of snow and we ended up with closer to 5. The girls played outside for a long time enjoying the white stuff.

Micro-ponies into braids and then piggies. :)

And a butterfly - I was pretty happy with how this one turned out. It's easier than it looks!

The week before Thanksgiving Maya's school had a family turkey lunch day. Given her options, she decided she wanted Daddy to come. I was glad they got to spend that time together!

Brianna had a really short wish list for her Christmas presents so we went to Target one afternoon and perused the toys a little to beef it up. 

Upside down French braid into a messy bun.

We attended our third annual tree lighting and Santa coming to the mall. 

Waiting in line to see Santa.

The girls were very cute with Santa. Maya asked for a Stallion Skye horse toy and Brianna asked for a giraffe and zebra. She panicked as we were leaving because she realized she forgot to specify that they were the giraffe and zebra Enchantimals dolls. I laughed, but told her we could write him a letter to clarify that we do not actually want a giraffe and zebra delivered to our house. 

Dallin was all, "nuh-uh!"

My musical little man!

The girls got betta fish! Brianna's is a male and is named Scales.

Maya's is a female and is named Lilah. So far they are good little fish.

We went to the Browning's house for Thanksgiving. Dallin fell in love with Brielle's rabbit, Pepper. He called him a bear and followed him all over the place when he was out of his cage.

We spent a short amount of time at a park one early evening. It was really cold and Crystal and I threw in the towel after about 15 minutes.

Cousins are the best!

The kids played Disney Apples to Apples together. It was fun to watch them!

The day after Thanksgiving gingerbread houses were made. Brielle and Brianna teamed up and Maya and Aislynn teamed up.

Brielle is 12 now and loves to take care of Dallin! It was nice that I could rely on her to watch him on Friday afternoon so the adults could get some Christmas shopping done on Black Friday.

Braids and twist - simple and pretty!

Baby girl on the inside is now at 25 weeks (as of tomorrow) and all appears well. Now on to December!