It’s been almost 2 months since I’ve written to you – I’ve thought about it many, many times. Let’s see what some of the highlights of the past 2 months have been:
* Our fun family weekend with Megan, Jake, Julianna, and Gabby
* First day of Kindergarten
* Raspberry picking at Jo Ann’s (and flowers and tomatoes and peppers and…)
* Your special playdate at the Cinema
* Our family trip to Letchworth State Park…
* Kate’s baby shower with Delilah
Pictures and more coming soon…
So a couple weeks ago (7/25 – 8/1), we had a wonderful week with the Luehmann family at Ironwood Springs Christian Ranch. You, Mad, Dan and I flew from Rochester NY to Rochester MN on Sunday, and Uncle Mark was there to pick us up. After a short drive to the ranch, we got to see EVERYONE else – Elisabeth, Hakon, Amy, Oma, Opa, Gabriela, Moises, Niklas and Bianca… the only person missing from the group was Daddy JIm who joined us the next day.
We had SUCH a fantastic time – riding horses, collaborating our way through crazy challenge courses that made us laugh, swimming a lot, using sling shots and playing archery, sliding down zip lines (you weren’t quite ready for this yet), 3 meals a day as a family with songs for grace, campfires with skits, camp songs and s’mores, and SO MUCH FUN FAMILY TIME.
Daniel wrestled with Moises in the pool. He didn’t win, but he didn’t seem to mind that much.
You and Elisabeth made the world’s longest chain of pipecleaner rings.
Grown-ups sat up late in the night talking.
Oma and Amy compensated every bump, bruise and tear with handfulls of M&M’s.
Board games, tattoos and arts & crafts including the painting of pet rocks.
Grown ups played sand volleyball, which made your Mama very, very happy.
We had a whole family “game” of softball.
Lots of pictures, of course!
Hakon, Moises and Daniel did “guy things” like basketball and football while the rest of us swam.
Amy, Oma, Opa and Bianca took many hikes with you, Niklas and Elisabeth out to hold one of many baby bunnies, pet a lama or baby sheep, see the dear and the peacock at the mini-farm.
You were pretty much STUCK to Auntie Amy, Elisabeth or Oma the whole week. I saw you every once in a while ;), but you were much more interested in adventuring out away from me. It was so fun to watch you so joyful and adventuresome!
Here are some fun pictures to remember the event:
Bi & Mark’s family arrived first:
‘Thanks Mom!! YOU’RE the BEST!!!”
“Can I have a fruit Mento – I’ll be really, really good for the rest of the day!”
I don’t bemember what happened.
Mama, can I pick a flower?
these are just a few of the heart-warming Maya-isms in our worlds at this time… you are SUCH a joy to be with!
Last week was definitely weird… You went to a new camp with new teachers and new friends in a new building with new things to do, and I was in Chicago at my conference the whole week… It was strange not being able to picture where you are or what you are doing.
I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that I am kind of what-they-like-to-call a helicopter Mom – one who likes to hover. : ) not really – but I do like to be involved and know where you are and what you’re doing. I do like to really know your friends and teachers… On your first day of your new camp, I called the camp director from Chicago and asked her to spy on you specifically and make sure you were doing okay – not surprisingly, she reported that you were having a BALL on the playground with the other kids… my heart smiled..
Anyway – it sounds like you had a FANTASTIC time. Kate picked you up every single day so you had that consistency in your week – she said you were fantastically happy and well behaved every day. She said you liked your new teachers and you were waving goodbye in the parking lot to your new friends. Kate was sweet enough to send me pictures of your adventures together… Here are some of them…
Strawberry Picking
You and I are both so very grateful for Kate – her kindness, her playfulness, her love, her attention to details, her consistency… She rocks!! How much more blessed could we possibly be!!
So many of your baby language is gone – but “bemember” is one sweet word that lives on. So is “useum” (instead of museum). So so sweet.
I took this picture of you today, and you look SO grown up to me.
It’s the first day of what we call “Barbie Camp.”
You are so articulate, creative and insightful. Tonight after camp, you decided to design and build your own shower. You filled a plastic target bag full of water, and asked me to hang it from the tree. We poked a couple holes in the bottom – and viola – a shower!! Very impressive.
You LOVE to make up stories – and they are quite involved – often starring a little girl. : )
Our favorite thing to do each night this summer has been to “Stoop Squat” – that’s where we eat watermelon or popsicles or cherries while we sit on our one step in the front of the house to watch the sun set and wave to neighbors walking by. It’s so fun b/c we have literally watched our flowers bloom between our stoop squats before bed and those at breakfast time. What a wonderful and amazing time – watching miracles together.
Pill bugs & flowers – “These are a few of your fav-or-ite things”
One of my favorite pictures of you
Tonight in bed (we still snuggle in together every night until you fall asleep), you said 2 things that were especially sweet:
1. “Mama? It’s really uncomfortable when you’re not here.”
and after much chatting and arm flying and re-positioining, you said…
2. “Mama? I am really sorry.” “For what Baby?” “For all the bad things I did today.” And you were so very sincere… it totally melted my heart.
I’m tired… but I wanted to tell you HI and a little about why I’m treasuring you tonight…
Love, your Mama
Here is the last and final update from our fun adventures in Seattle.
Highlights from today
* Elisabeth birthday celebration (a little late) oh and Amy’s too
* Chuck E Cheese “where a kid can be a kid” and so can Amy (with Starbucks of course) – at opening time (9am) – we were the only ones there
* Cool Christian thrift shop
* Jumping on big trampoline place!
* Lunch at Red Robin
* Building “bears” – actually building a scuba-diving flamingo who shares her fins with a recently constructed bunny
* More water time outside
* Yummy summer dinner outside
* A “4-hour” bath (you and Lizzy really think it was 4 hours, so hopefully no one will tell you differently)
You and Lizzy are now giggling like crazy before bed. What a wonderful, wonderful week! Thank you so much Amy, Elisabeth and Hakon! Oh and Shyanne and Sam!!
Welcome to Seattle Day 3 – My favorite day FOR SURE
What a DAY!!! Summer finally arrived in Seattle WA, and all the natives were grateful!! So were we!!
Highlights?
* Yummy breakfast with veggietales (Auntie Amy treated you like princesses!)
* A trip to University of Washington for me and a trip to the Children’s Museum for Amy & Girls (sorry, camera battery died for this part)
* Lunch in the spinning (not my favorite part) restaurant (quite enjoyable) at the top of the space needle (way cool!)
* Carnival rides and a hay maze at the foot of the Needle
* THE COOLEST public fountain EVER with amazing warm sun to bathe in!! Steel drum music coordinated with the water jets. You and Lizzy had a BLAST – ran around in the fountain for a VERY long time!!
* LOTS of giggles from the back seat the whole way home (during rush hour)
* Dinner outside that ended with ice cream and bouncy house
* Very tired everyone.
We are so blessed! We are all so grateful for the wonderful day!
Highlights –
* Another Starbucks run – seriously – you are climbing up the slide the wrong way with a starbucks coffee cup in one hand – what is that?!?
* Tree climbing (a DEFINITE hit with you!!) and swinging
* Bike riding, skating, driving a car for your first time, and cheerleading by you, Lizzy and me
* A trip to Microsoft campus – Auntie Amy records a video and we play in “Lake Bill” with the fishies (dabbling our toes and somehow getting drenched)
* A conference phone call with Oma & Opa and another chat with Uncle Mark
* Getting our toes painted and a bit of shopping
* A Strande fashion show – announcer Miss Elisa and YOU were the model (I kept expecting the pig to come around the corner dressed up 😉 )
* Hot tub and baths
Amy and I looked at each other all day commenting on how blessed we are to have such wonderful kids!! You and Lizzy are playing together so beautifully! Tonight you asked to sleep in the same room.
Getting there….
On our flight to Seattle, the pilot and co-pilot on our JET BLUE flight (I LOVE Jet Blue) welcomed Maya and me into their cockpit – had us sit down in the driver’s seat – and the co-pilot, who is also an amateur photographer, took great pride in framing these shots.
We started our first morning of our trip with a pajama trip to Starbucks (how wonderfully cliché) – and even Lizzie and Maya got little hot cocoa’s.
The day was fun and packed with Toy Story 3, lots of play, Lizzie & Maya’s magic tricks, time with Arthur, Natalie, Jennifer and Everitt (who we haven’t seen for 5 years!!) – who, by the way all loved the iPad, and lots of fun hanging out!! I SOOO enjoyed getting to know Natalie – and getting reconnected with the whole family – Jennifer & Everitt are such GREAT young people!!
Amy, Hakon and I ended the day relaxing in the hot tub…
What a special time!
Enjoy the picts!
i just wrote a lot for the first time from my iPad for your blog and lost it – let’s try a short post to see if this works…
It DID work – I think the first time I must have forgotten to hit SAVE. Bummer.
All I really said was this new toy of mine is SOOOO sweet. It is the perfect size for me to create interesting things, read documents online (my phone was far too small for that), do email faster and easier than my laptop. This things has tools on it that make my life easier – and the resolution is SOOOO sweet that it is even fun to look at the weather forecast. I loaded it with games and books for you, dan and mad – you all love it! (Like me)
I fall asleep to the sound of a camp fire and crickets made my one app. Totally cracks me up.
And I downloaded the COOLEST ASL translator app today that will help you and me as we continue to work on learning sign language (you have been really interested in that lately).
So Fun!! I cannot even imagine what will be designed and created by the time you grow up. I am so unbelievably grateful that I get to be with you for the long haul!! What amazing adventures you will have!!
I love you Beautiful!
Your Mama