Christmas in Ames

Finally I've sifted thru the photos I took in Ames and they are all, except for a few here and there, photos of babies.
HIZZAH it's Christmas ol' chums.
two days apart.
Two hours to get ready every morning. It works as Shauna is pointing out in this photo. (That's why there are no photos of me, cause it's like two minutes of getting ready)

Riley and Max

She totally pushed Maisie off the piano bench with her feet. Sully and his Daddy
Grandma Jo and Ella
The Mustache That Saved Christmas, I saw it on Hallmark, I lived it in Ames.


Riley has an uncomfortable smile. I love it.

Chris and Kim
Aaron and his baby boo

Christmas in Ames. Went by like a blur, and all I really remember is holding babies, chasing my baby, holding a baby and watching a baby, looking at babies, babies, babies babies...I missed a lot of photographic moments *opening presents* because I was so busy with my baby and all these other babies.
Can you blame me, I mean come on, there's this one who slept most of the time. Making him incredibly nice to snuggle with.
Then there's this one, who spends a lot of time awake and sometime yelling but always incredibly alert like he's writing his memoirs already or something.
Or it's gas. Either way it's cute.

And then there's this one. *sigh*

I know what you're thinking. And I asked, they just refuse to give her away. Seriously, I know my baby is cute, but this is the cutest, sweetest little baby I have ever had the pleasure of wanting to steal. And eat. Look at her, she wants Maya's cookie so bad...It took A LOT of strength not to steal them both. I regret my decision everyday. LOOK AT HER!! She's a doll. And Sully is zen baby here.

And I cannot forget this guy, who is the best kid ever.

Except when he conspires with this one......And they won't let this one...

(yeah, they won't let Kyle play with them..so cruel. He cried, A LOT)
follow them around like the rock stars they are. Like it really bothered her. She still talks about them and if she sees little girls in the grocery store, "Maisie??" And little boys, "Max???" They are like her freakin' heroes man.

Max really wanted me to take a picture of this, but I kept tricking him into talking so I could get those GQ poses earlier. So I'll end with



A SCARY GHOST FACE!!!!!!!

Kismas!!

Maya has loved Christmas this year. She talked about it for a month. She's still talking about Santa. She loved her tree. It was "bootiful" as she says. Unfortunately she had a fever of 103 for three days during Christmas. Grandma Paula still let us come over for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we spent at home opening presents and having Christmas croissants.

(On Christmas Eve that sneaky Santa came and put the Christmas tree on the coffee table, and all the presents underneath. In the morning after a fitfull night of sleeping and doses of children's tylenol Maya awoke and looked out in the living room. "Christmas, Santa, around" she said. She loved it.

She got all the Gabba Gabba's and a Gabba dvd so that mommy and daddy no longer have to watch Halloween Gabba Gabba (Maya still sings it). She talks to her Gabba's. "Fufa, nananaundastuff?" Actually, I think she interrogates them because everything she says is a question to them. (At supper at Hot Harry's tonight she was talking to Cookie Monster he was standing behind me, I totally didn't see him there! I think he wanted her cookie.)

That afternoon we all took a three hour nap together. And then went back over to Grandma Paula's for the evening. Oh Man (Maya says that now...thanks Swiper) I still have to upload Christmas in Ames from the weekend before!!

December??

I keep writing "November" at work, I blame having been sick for two weeks with a sinus infection/cold/ear infection. It stole two weeks leaving me so close to Christmas I feel a little freaked out. AHHHH!

Now Maya and Dadda have the cold. I hopehopehope it stays just a cold, because next weekend we go to Ames for our family Christmas there.

Here are some photos from Thanksgiving. Maya sooo loved seeing her cousin Lili. They got along great and I wish they could see each other more often, unfortunately Nashville is a ten hour drive. Unfortunately I also didn't take any photos of them, just a lot of video.

She loves the Christmas tree! Maya and painting!! She demands painting, and then she demands bubble time. She climbs, she hangs, she digs in my plants. She's into being naughty. Naughty usually means she's bored, or tired. Or both. "Maya please stop taking ornaments off the tree." She picks one, throws it and then goes, "bablahblbhbhbhbhbbaaa" with her tongue. Silly, stubborn, smart and sassy.

And loud.

Just like her momma.

Only cuter.

The Night of One Happy Kitty

Maya ready to go at Aunt B's house.Maya and "bucket" deciding where to go- and making it hard for mommy to talk good photos (she never stops moving!)
This is the only good one I got of her tail.
Maya and her lolly.




She had been wearing her kitty ears for weeks, carrying around bucket for weeks (still wears the ears, still carries the bucket), and so of course she was excited to walk up to strangers houses, knock on the door and give them candy! Yes, she gave them candy. But they always gave it back. Not knowing what candy is (except for the occasional m&m), Maya played with it (in and out of bucket, sorting, etc.) for days until...

A couple days later, daddy gave her part of a kit kat. The next morning she walks up to me holding two reese's cups and a kit kat and says, "Open..candy...open...chocolate?"

Beautiful

"Punkins"

Maya loveslovesloves pumpkins!! Everywhere we go she says, "Ohh, punkins!" So I asked her, "what are we going to do when there are no more pumpkins?" Needless to say she was covered in dirt after this pumpkin patch experience. But she loved it. She loved the wagon the most.

>
She also started to speak three word sentences that freak me out because they're so clear. "Momma going potty." "I running fast."

Babies aren't supposed to talk yet! I keep running into other year and halfers and they are quiet and don't talk but this little girl goes up to kids and says "HI!" And starts yelling, "Baby Elmo Gabba Gabba?!!" Which I think means, "Hey baby, do you watch Elmo or Gabba Gabba?"

And she's always yelling!!! "ELMO MOMMY DADDY ELMO!!" Hurts my ears.

Another one is "Fix it?" When I say "It's broken." Maya thinks everything can and will be fixed. "Maya your crayon is broken." "Fix?"

Changing faster than the leaves

Maya has really sprouted verbally and sleeping..ly this week. She's going to sleep on her own, and telling us..well, telling us everything. "Elmo, Elmo, Elmo" or "Be Bwird, Be Bwird". All of this while running back and forth around the apartment yelling for joy. She yells and yells when she's happy.

I don't mind it, cause she does it when I come home.

"MOMMIIEEE