The Chatterjees

Pretty please with a cherry on top!

2009-12-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

"May I watch TV?"
"Did you say please?"
"Pleeeeeeeeease!"
"Pretty please with a cherry on top?"
"Cherries don't grow on TVs, you silly. Cherries grow on ice creams."

On getting old...

2009-11-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

Maya and I were having a conversation about what 'old' and 'older' mean. I explained that the longer it is since you were born, the older you are.

Maya: "I don't want to get older"
Me: "Why not? What do you think happens when you get older?"
Maya: "I don't know - what does happen when you get older?"
Daddy interjects "You get wiser!"
Me: "That's right - you learn more and more things and it's fun to learn new things"

Maya: "I think I'll just learn one thing and then I won't get older"

Monster burgers weren't a huge hit

2009-11-02T19:07:00.000-08:00

We had a whole Halloween weekend menu planned. Maya chose the food herself and was very excited to make and eat it all. Baked eyeballs... hot dog mummies... a black lagoon and more! Pictures of everything will follow :)

Tonight, we had monster burgers. Maya was messing around with hers and not really eating it. S asked her why she wasn't eating her food.

"I AM eating it. I'm just not very impressed with it."

Oh dear!

This child cracks me up!

2009-10-23T12:02:00.000-07:00

We were getting lunch sorted and Maya started eating some of her little bunny crackers. I said "Hey! Don't start eating them yet, Missy!" and she replied "I was just holding them in my mouth because there wasn't enough room in my hands. I only have two hands."

Yesterday, I was in the middle of making dinner, Maya was sitting at the table drinking some milk through a straw.

Talking to it.

So I ask her why she's talking to a straw.

"Well, you see, some straws have wings and some straws don't. This one is growing its wings so it can be like its Mama."

"Okaaaaaay. But why are you talking to a straw?"

"I'm not talking to a straw. That's silly.

*phew*

"It's talking to me."

She's too clever for her own good :D

What a cutie!

2009-10-22T09:44:00.001-07:00

Theme of the week: Bubbles!

2009-10-21T23:34:00.000-07:00

Maya and I discovered the wonder of bubbles last week - bubble bombs with baking soda and vinegar (only 1 of the 3 actually exploded but never mind!), bubble art using food colouring in the bubble mixture and, of course, lots and lots of bubble blowing! We tried different mixtures and blowers and found that the very best bubbles come from a mix of 3 parts Johnson's baby shampoo to 1 part water with a bit of glycerin thrown in for good measure, blown through a paper cone. The bubbles were so strong that Maya could even catch and hold them, and they were absolutely huge!

Took Maya to the movies

2009-10-18T17:37:00.000-07:00

Maya and I went to the movies today! We had originally thought of going to see "Where the Wild Things Are", but after A and I read the reviews, we realized it wasn't really appropriate for Maya yet. So we decided to go to "Cloudy with a chance of meatballs".

It went really well, although Maya did fall out in the parking lot and scrape her knee a little. We had popcorn and she was a good little girl, sharing her popcorn with me, whispering in hushed tones to not disturb others and in general being overall adorable. So much so that at some point during the movie, the lady next to her offered her some chocolate and whispered to me "I've never seen a little girl so well behaved" :) Maya does me proud, if I may say so myself.

At the end of the movie, Maya said to me "These were different wild things, daddy". Ooops. I guess we forgot to update her that we were going to a dfferent movie!

Slightly later than promised

2009-10-14T18:26:00.000-07:00

But here nonetheless!

Games...

2009-10-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Maya was shaking the bars on Elise's baby gym and I asked her what she was doing (why do parents always ask questions to which they know the answer, anyway?).

"I'm playing a game"
"Oh, what's the game called?"
"It's called 'Pin The Tail'"
"It's not called 'Annoy Elise As Much As You Can", then?"
"No; that's a different game, but I have that one too. Maybe I'll play it tomorrow."

Theme of the week: Transport!

2009-10-11T23:09:00.000-07:00

Quite a timely choice for our TOTW, being as how we bought a new car today!! Pictures of that to come tomorrow (hopefully...). We had a lot of fun this week - I hope that comes across in the pictures :)

Maya and Elise also loved opening their parcel :D

Welcome to a new feature!

2009-10-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be nice to post a weekly 'round-up' of all the things we've enjoyed doing during the week. Nothing special, just a peek into our daily activities :)

This week: pressed flower pictures, jelly bean sorting and counting (and eating!) and sunflower seed harvesting...

I swear I didn't teach her this!

2009-10-02T16:39:00.000-07:00

But still, never a truer word was spoken...

Conversation overhead while Maya was playing with a toy carriage and some small toy dogs.
"This is the Mummy doggie and she's going to drive because the Daddy doggie doesn't drive properly, so Mummy doggie needs to drive the car so it drives properly."

Ah, the wisdom of youth!

Elise

2009-09-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Hopscotch... and Elise

2009-09-26T17:50:00.000-07:00

I just love the facial expressions as she throws her leg round in her take on hopping :D

Elise loves Lottie Ladybird - thank you, Granny!

She's giving us lots of big grins, and copying us when we poke our tongues out at her...

She doesn't much like tummy time, but she tolerates it for a few minutes if she's in a particularly good mood ;)

School update!

2009-09-25T12:19:00.000-07:00

Maya is thoroughly enjoying school so far. They seem to have a very varied curriculum and she's doing lots of art, singing songs, playing in the playground, touching snails and generally having a fun time! I'll have to take some pictures of the things she's brought home so everyone can see what she's getting up to :)

In the meantime, here are a couple of other pictures which made me wonder how on Earth she managed to get so grown up all of a sudden! More of Elise to come later :)

My baby's growing up!

2009-09-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

Today is Maya's first day at pre-school! She's been so excited about it :)

Here are some pics of her going - I'll come back and update to let you all know how she enjoyed it :)

We bought new clothes yesterday which she insisted on wearing, despite the fact that it's really not long sleeve weather yet. The ponytails came out much better, if I do say so myself!

In the car, on the way to school:

Posing by the school entrance!

Getting settled in:

And this was as I was leaving. Shouldn't she look at least a little sad to see me go??

Hats!

2009-09-22T13:33:00.000-07:00

I wanted to get some updated pictures of Elise yesterday but she was a bit on the grumpy side. Maya was well and truly up for it, though, so we did some posing with hats. Maya is really good at modelling - she thoroughly enjoys having her pictures taken and came up with all her own poses. Here's what I made with them!

No cake for you!

2009-09-18T18:13:00.000-07:00

"I'm not talking to you, Mummy" (after being reminded of one of the house rules)
*Stalks off to her bedroom*
"MUMMY!!!!! COME AND SEE ME NOT TALKING TO YOU!"
We'd made a cake earlier in the day, so I thought this was the perfect bribe...
"Little girls who don't talk to their Mummies don't get any cake."
"I am talking to you, Mummy! See - I was just joking!"

Ten minutes later I was on the phone to Michele...

"Mummy are you not talking to me?"
I pout my lips and shake my head
"Well, you're not a talky girl, are you? I guess there won't be any cake for you then!"

Water droplet macros

2009-09-17T10:45:00.000-07:00

I really love these! I'm going to complete a series of six with a lemon and a kiwi (slices of) and then do some kind of montage for the kitchen.

Good fairy or naughty fairy?

2009-09-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

You decide!

Bath Time!

2009-09-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

Who doesn't love bath time?? Elise certainly does and Maya loves helping out. The trouble is, she wants to do too much and doesn't really understand why we can't let her. We do usually find things that she can do, though. Since these were taken, we've started putting Elise's tub into the big bath so that the two girls can have their baths together. Maya likes that even more!

This one's for you, Mum!

2009-09-12T15:15:00.001-07:00

I doubt whether anyone else will get this, but I know Mum will ;)

Maya has several small toy bins on the bottom shelf of her bookshelves. They're receptacles for all the little bits and pieces - the finger puppets, plastic animals, card games etc. which would otherwise clutter up the house. She'd been playing with the contents of the bins this morning and they were scattered all over her floor.

I needed to go to the garage to put some laundry in and I asked Maya to put everything back in the bins while I was out there. When I came back in, she was sitting on the floor, picking up her toys one by one, shining a torch onto them and then putting them in the bins.

I asked her what she was doing and she said "I'm making sure my toys are OK before I put them away."

I guess there's more to genetics than you might at first think :D

Is there a hairdresser in the house?

2009-09-11T13:24:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of practising for when she goes to school, here's what I came up with...

Oh dear.

What it's like having an older sister to bounce cows on your head...

2009-09-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

The expression says it all ;)

More to come!

Nice mail, Mummy!

2009-07-23T16:45:00.000-07:00

I opened the front door to get the post from the box.
Maya asked me where I was going...

Me: "Nowhere, sweetheart - I'm just checking the mail."

I grabbed the flyers/junk mail/fodder for the recycle bin and closed the door again.

Maya: "Nice mail, Mummy!"

I didn't respond, as I was flicking through on the off chance that there was something worth reading in there.

Maya: "What do you say, Mummy? What do you say when someone gives you a compliment?"

Tree Hugging!

2009-07-19T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today we decided to go on an outing to Big Basin, which is a beautiful National Park full of Redwoods. Last time S and I went there, Maya was but a gleam in the eye. We both remembered a pleasant hike through the forest and up to some amazing views of the Pacific. Well, we didn't make it quite that far this time - Maya's legs are still little, but she's a bit heavy for carrying all the way in 90+ degree heat!

First things first - let's give the trees some love! Maya could hardly wait to finish her lunchtime sandwich so that she could go hug a tree.

The highlight for Maya was definitely finding an area of fallen trees and playing house in the roots and hollow trunks.

I vote that next time we go, we do it in somewhat cooler weather ;)

Burger King is the BEST!

2009-07-10T17:54:00.000-07:00

I mentioned to Maya that we might think about convincing S to take us out for dinner. I asked her where she thought she'd like to go.

"Burger King!"
"Really? Is Burger King the best place you can think of to go out for dinner?"
"Yes! They have cheeeeeeeeeeezburgers at Burger King."
"Cheeseburgers, eh?"
"Yes! And fries too! And they have apple juice! Burger King has EVERYTHING!"

Oh me, oh my. And I've tried so hard to instil some sense of refinement...

Daddy, where's your hair?

2009-06-06T14:17:00.000-07:00

S was bemoaning his ever-increasing bald spot in front of Maya. He told her to touch it...

"There's no hair there, Daddy!"
"I know - I don't want to lose my hair"
"Then why do you keep putting it in my bath?"

Photo Shoot!

2009-06-04T10:40:00.001-07:00

It occurred to me the other day that I've actually never done a 'studio' style photo shoot with Maya. I asked her if she wanted to dress up like a princess and have some pictures taken and she agreed wholeheartedly. I think we got some cute shots!

Ano Nuevo and strawberry picking

2009-06-04T10:11:00.001-07:00

The day after my birthday was Memorial Day so S had an extra day off, which we put to great use! We drove to Ano Nuevo to see the Elephant Seals, not realising that we would have to walk 3 miles to see them! Maya coped admirably well - she spent some of the time on Mummy or Daddy's shoulders but did the majority of the 3 miles on her own two feet. She did need a lot of encouragement towards the end though - "I think I've walked a lot and I think I'm very tired now..."

The long walk was well worth it, though! The scenery is lovely and it was very cool to see the seals.

On the way back to the car, Maya got into the long grass and pretended to be a monkey!

And then we went strawberry picking! Another new experience for Maya and one which she thoroughly enjoyed. The strawberries were completely delicious, very cheap AND organic! I just wish the farm were close enough for us to go there every week to get more. We could have wished for it to be a bit warmer and less windy, but you can't have everything!

Sweet Treats

2009-06-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Maya loves helping in the kitchen. When I start making dinner, she brings her chair to stand on and immediately asks what she can do. I usually manage to find something that she can handle - mixing things, pouring things, putting veg in the pan... she especially likes breaking eggs, though I usually have to dig around a fair bit to remove the bits of shell ;)

We had a baking day and made lots of sweeties which we wrapped up in little bags to send to family. Maya's favourite part was definitely the sprinkles! She also loved wearing her apron and hat and refused to take them off until Daddy came home from work so he could see them too.

Showing off her owie, which she got when she reached up and put her finger right on the hob. Ouch! Our baking day ended with a bowl of iced water in front of a DVD and a whole lot of crying.

The end results:

Bread!

2009-05-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

I have become a bread-making maniac, I tell you!

The first loaf (well, ok, the second - the first was a complete failure because I hadn't fixed the kneading blade in properly. Doh!)

Looks almost good enough to eat, hmmm?

If you thought THAT was good, wait til you see my focaccia...

But as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. Or, as *some* say, the proof is in the pudding ;)

So let's ask Maya what she thinks of it...

Let the flavours diffuse. Chew slowly. Savour every bite.

What's the verdict?

That good? Wow!

Granny's visit!

2009-05-18T23:04:00.000-07:00

We did lots of fun things while Granny was here!

We went to the beach and, once Maya decided that she would pluck up the courage to run around a bit, she really did have a lovely time flying the kite, kicking the ball and splashing in the water's edge.

We had plenty of fun at home too! Maya got a Hopscotch game for her birthday and is really into jumping her way down it. She's still not terribly good at jumping but at least she's having fun!

The weather was warm enough to use the pool!

And Maya's been learning to ride her brand new bike.

But the highlight for everyone was probably the trip to Discovery Kingdom - Maya's special birthday treat. The animal shows were really good and Maya was pretty much mesmerised by everything!

And last but not least, the Easter Bunny paid a visit and hid some eggs in the garden while we were out for brunch!

Maya's Birthday

2009-05-18T22:37:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's extremely late and yes, it's out of sequence. I know you'll all forgive me ;)

Maya had a lovely birthday! While she didn't have a party (she really doesn't know enough children to make it worthwhile... hopefully next year she'll have some proper friends!), we made the day special with things that she particularly enjoys, as well as having several outings on the days surrounding her birthday itself. Obviously Granny was visiting as well, which made it extra special for Maya.

She had a special birthday breakfast of Beignets with jam

Opened all her presents

Including a wonderful fruit arrangement sent by Finley!

Went out for a lunchtime picnic at Hellyer Lake

And got dressed up and went out for dinner at her favourite restaurant - Red Lobster!

Finished off with a really cool piggy cake (if I do say so myself!)

Gooooooooaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-05-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

We signed Maya up for football classes a few weeks ago and so far she's loving every minute! What she lacks in skill she makes up for in enthusiasm and she's very good at listening to the coaches and following instructions. Here's a glimpse into one of her classes!

Learning to dribble...

Some good balance and ball control!

Building a cone tower

Playing "Red Light, Green Light"

Cheering on the other children

And a little goal scoring!

These conversations crack me up!

2009-05-08T16:27:00.000-07:00

We've been playing in the pool today, since it's lovely and warm. We had to come out for a potty break and, when we returned, Maya sat on a chair by the side of the pool.

Me: "Are you not getting back in the pool?"
Maya: "No, I don't think so. I'm a little bit tired so I'm going to wait a few days until I've finished sitting on the chair. Are you going to be ok, playing with toys and things?"

The other day, I asked Maya what she wanted to play. Her response: "Let's play hoovering. The floor's dirty." Thanks, Maya - way to make Mummy feel good!

A couple of 'bedtime' funnies!

2009-03-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Playing for time...

"I don't want to go to bed, Mummy"
"It's bed time, Maya. Night night, poppet"
"One more cuddle and kiss?"
"Ok - just one more. Night night, now"
"Look Mummy - I'm going to sleep like this!" *turning and lying the wrong way round on the bed*
"Ok, sweetheart" *walking towards the door*
"But look, Mummy - I'm going to sleep like this!" *draping self half-in, half-out of bed*
"Ok, sweetheart" *continue walking towards door*
"But look, Mummy - I'm going to sleep like THIS!!!" *sitting on floor and leaning against bed*
"Ok. Night night, now" *leaving room*
"Oh, ok Mummy - I don't want to sleep like that" *getting back into bed and lying properly*
"Goodnight, Maya"
"Night night, Mummy"

How bedtime works...

Daddy: "I'm very tired"
Maya: "Ok, Daddy. Go lie down on the bed and cry and I'll bring you some toys."

Friends Forever

2009-03-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

Maya and I were colouring together when she suddenly asked:
"Mummy, are you my friend?"
"Of course I am, sweetheart. I'll always be your friend."
At which point she leaned over, gave me a hug and a kiss and then promptly went back to her colouring.

It's moments like this....

Not much news, so have a few pics!

2009-03-07T22:31:00.000-08:00

Just a few from the park today...

Ok, more than a few.

A lot, really.

Is anyone complaining?

"I'm not whining!"

2009-03-02T17:05:00.000-08:00

Maya has been in trouble a fair bit recently for whining. It's been a struggle to get her to think first and whine second, as her default is to start whining and crying as soon as she begins to feel frustrated about something.

She asked me if I wanted to play Shopping List, so I replied that I would but that she needed to get it set up first and then I would come and play with her. When I walked back into the room, she was sitting with all the Shopping List pieces scattered around her, drumming her heels on the floor and making a fizzing sound through her clenched teeth.

As soon as she saw me, she adamantly stated:

"I'm not whining! I'm saying FZZZZZZZZZZZT!"

At least she's found a vent for her frustrations that doesn't set my teeth on edge :D

And this one I had to share...

2009-02-27T14:39:00.000-08:00

Because Maya has finally decided to be a normal child and enjoy having bubbles in her bath! WOOT!

Mustn't leave Jungle out...

2009-02-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

He's darkened a lot on his nose and back as he's grown older. He's still the same affectionate bunny but he does have a few 'problems' which we are hoping will be resolved by a trip to the vet and a little snip-snip ;)

Still as cute as ever!

This is his favourite place to sleep (well, actually his second favourite after underneath Maya's bed)- on the bottom shelf of the computer desk. Interesting choice!

We went to Virginia!

2009-02-27T14:08:00.000-08:00

At the end of January, Maya and I flew off to Virginia to spend a few days with my friend Michele and her daughter Finley (who happens to be Maya's "baby exchange partner" - they send each other gifts every few months throughout the year). Whilst we were there we also managed to get together with the delectable April (I know she reads this blog so I had to say that) and her sons, Cameron and Azer. Shannon and Noah dropped in for a surprise visit and we went to Amanda's baby shower then subsequently spent the evening with her, Ryan and their daughter Ava. A very busy few days!

I'll be sharing more pictures soon, but I still haven't found the time to go through them all and sort them out. Here's just one to keep you going ;) April wanted to take some pictures of the girls wearing 'princessy' dresses for her website, and I took the opportunity to get in there with the camera too!

Trip to Storybook Land

2009-02-27T13:58:00.001-08:00

Daddy went away for the weekend on a mid-program retreat, so I decided that Maya and I should do something fun :) I found a place in Oakland which sounded rather cute - Children's Fairyland!

We had a lovely time - there was plenty to see, including a Teddy Bear's Picnic puppet show and lots of storybook-related things to explore. Maya thoroughly enjoyed herself :)

Maya's balloons!

2009-02-27T13:53:00.001-08:00

I'll start with this one, and a cute story to go with it :)

Maya and I caught a virus after going on 5 different planes in the space of 5 days. I guess it was to be expected but it was a pretty nasty cold combined with a chest infection that took a long time to decide to clear up, so we were both feeling rather under the weather for a couple of weeks.

Granny sent some balloons to cheer Maya up:

Maya was thrilled with her balloons and, after I told her that Granny had sent them to make her feel better, she took to going around offering them to us and saying "Here - hold my balloons. They make you feel better!"

Lots of updating to do!

2009-02-27T13:47:00.000-08:00

Finding the time to do just about anything is getting more and more difficult since Maya has decided to give up her naps. I've allowed this blog to get very behind - hopefully I'll be able to catch up today!

These aren't going to be in any kind of chronological order, for which I apologise ;)

At least I have an excuse!

2009-01-08T18:53:00.001-08:00

Sorry I haven't been updating but, of course, we were in the UK for a while over Christmas and New Year. We've been back a week and are just about recovered from jetlag.

Just a few pictures from the garden yesterday - enjoy!

A walk in the park

2008-11-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

Maya has discovered a love for (after overcoming a slight fear of) climbing trees. To be fair, it's more 'getting lifted into' rather than climbing but who's complaining?

Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving all!

A plug

2008-11-21T14:24:00.000-08:00

It suddenly occurred to me this morning that I haven't mentioned Jungle's original 'Mummy' (of the human ilk, not the bunny ;) )

If you're ever in the market for a rabbit (and, let's face it, who wouldn't be after seeing this face?)

then I can definitely recommend Jungle's breeder, Rosanne. You can visit her website or email her at rabbits4you@rocketmail.com

Go oooonnnnnn! You know you want a bunny :D

O Christmas Pee!

2008-11-19T20:22:00.000-08:00

Firstly, let me make it quite clear that the originality and wit inherent in the title of this post is not mine. Thanks, Corinne!!

I bought some fabrics and props today for doing Christmas photos - I have a couple of shoots at the weekend that I need them for. I was really pleased with my purchases and wanted to try them out so I set up a little studio in the living room and had Maya model for me. She wasn't terribly up for it - she didn't have a nap today and was a bit grouchy so she was deliberately messing me around; running towards the camera; looking the other way and laughing and generally doing her best to annoy me.

However, the last laugh will be on her... in about 14 years time, when she starts bringing home boyfriends. Because I will totally show them this photograph...

I really need to take more photos!

2008-11-18T15:22:00.000-08:00

I have been a bit lax on the picture front recently and for that I apologise. I will try to do better in future ;)

News from this end... well, not much really. Maya did her first poop in her potty on Sunday - a major cause for celebration! I wasn't here to see it because I was at a shoot. I'm not sure whether to be disappointed or grateful but I'm leaning more towards the grateful end.

Just a couple of recent pictures - I'll try to have more up by the end of the week!

I did a photo shoot for Autumn's family last week and Maya came along too. She was watching the 'big kids' playing, with a rather forlorn "When will I grow up?" look on her face.

Maya turned her Fairy Boot into a rabbit restaurant, which was a big hit with both her and Jungle!

The lengths this bunny will go to for a grape... like falling over backwards.

Opposites

2008-11-13T19:26:00.000-08:00

We were playing a game of opposites yesterday. It's the first time I've really introduced the concept and Maya surprised me in how quickly she picked up on it. She was able to correctly identify the opposites of things like day, in, up, happy, on etc. etc. then S asked her "What's the opposite of smile?" I thought she would have no idea whatsoever because frown is not a word that I believe she knows. She thought for a little while and then suddenly came out with "Owie". I was pretty impressed - that's some fairly good deductive reasoning right there!

The story of Princess Maya

2008-11-12T08:11:00.000-08:00

"Princess Maya walk forest. Three chairs, first sit big chair... too big! Sit miggle chair... too big! Sit ickle chair... perfect! Three porrrrridge! First, big porridge, too big, sec miggle porridge, too cold, take ickle porridge - perfect! Do gobble gobble gobble. Three beds. First big bed - too big! Sec miggle bed - too big! Sit ickle bed - perfect! Have nap. Snoooore.Three bears come home. Daddy bear sit big chair, Mummy bear sit miggle chair, baby bear sit baby chair. Porridge boken. Kying - waaaaah, sit my chair! Baby bear kying. Porridge berry saaaad. Watch three beds. Daddy bear sit big bed, Mummy bear sit miggle bed, baby bear sit baby bed. Princess Maya wake UP! Three bears saw Princess Maya walk to forest!"

Potty Training x2

2008-11-11T11:19:00.001-08:00

Who'd have thought that the rabbit would be a million times easier to train than the human?

S bought a litter tray for Jungle on Sunday. Since he came into the house this morning, we have not had a single accident - he has been using the litter tray the whole time.

Maya, on the other hand... well, it's still a work in progress.

More about the new guy!

2008-11-06T15:01:00.000-08:00

Jungle is settling in well - he quickly became used to his new surroundings and has shown himself to be a very friendly, affectionate little bunny. He loves to give bunny kisses - he'll lick whichever part of you is handy, from your toes to your nose! Apparently in bunny language, mutual grooming like this is a sign that he's accepted us as his family. He likes us! He really likes us!

He's also discovered a fondness for grapes. Well... I say fondness. It's really more of a rabid fanaticism: this rabbit will do anything for a grape, including but not limited to pulling himself up my trouser leg if he suspects I am holding one in my hand. I have discovered, however, that bunnies can actually become addicted to grapes - I kid you not. Sorry, Jungle, but it's 2 a day and no more. I shall not be complicit in enabling your addiction ;)

A new addition to the family!

2008-11-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

And I seriously defy anyone to find a cuter dude than this! Maya is besotted and, if we're being honest, so are Saugata and I! He's simply adorable and very calm and gentle. Maya kept running off to find more toys to show him and he wasn't phased by her thrusting them in his face.

Without further ado, allow me to introduce 'Jungle' :)

Maya's Hallowe'en

2008-11-01T16:29:00.000-07:00

Started with a garden photoshoot - after all, what mother could resist as cute a witch as this one?!

Here she is getting ready to go trick or treating. She was a little shy so all her "chick or cheat!" practising didn't really pay off - she had to be prompted and then whispered it so quietly that no-one could hear her, but she enjoyed herself and that's the main thing!

Arriving home and already starting in on the chocolate!

"Can I eat ALL this before bedtime?"

Pumpkin Carving

2008-11-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

The lid comes off...

Maya spends the evening trying to get her hands on any sharp object she can see...

And because I'm the only person who knows how to use the camera, it ends up looking like I had nothing at all to do with the finished masterpieces. Awesome!

The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-27T18:22:00.001-07:00

We went to the Pumpkin Patch today and Maya had a ball! First, we paid $4 to enter a small area with lots of Dora cut-outs and some marigolds. If Maya had been just 6 months older, it would have cost $8. Somewhat of a rip-off, methinks (though, to be fair, the lady at the ticket counter did warn me, but Maya likes Dora so what can you do?)

She then went for a ride on the up and down horses - this one was definitely a hit!

She enjoyed the hayride too!

Next came the Storybook Path and Bootsie the Bee - both simple paths through a corn field, but with some nice little displays along the way.

And finally we got to pick out some pumpkins to take home.

"This is the one I want - I'll put it in the wheelbarrow, Mummy!"

"Ok, so it's a tad heavy. Maybe you could help a girl out?"

"I'll just push the wheelbarrow then, shall I? Ummm.... actually, this is a tad heavy too. I think I'll leave that one to you as well, if you don't mind."

"How about I just sit IN the wheelbarrow and you can push me? Great stuff - glad I could help, Mummy"

Now all we have to do is carve the blessed things!

Also, another plug for Cath's Daisybows - Maya's wearing my favourite one in the pictures :)

The simple pleasures...

2008-10-27T18:15:00.000-07:00

Never grow old. Like blowing the seeds from a dandelion clock...

Even Mummy Dinosaur had a turn!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

2008-10-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

Firstly, I must comment on the difficulties inherent in getting a 2yr old to keep something as "a surprise".

Maya and I went off shopping for Daddy's presents and cake yesterday and I kept reminding her that it was a surprise for Daddy, for his birthday. Obviously this did sink in... somewhat.

We collected Daddy from the train station in the evening and no sooner was he in the car than Maya was telling him "Happy Birthday" and waffling on about surprises and candles. She did also tell him about the trousers I had bought for his gift. Luckily, Daddy is not quite so clued in on Maya-speak as Mummy is, and failed to pick up on any of her not-so-subtle hints. Equally luckily, Maya has a tendency to follow up the word 'surprise' with "piece of toast!" (she somehow managed to learn that at Granny's house) so that kind of threw Daddy off the scent, I think. Maybe he was just pretending to be clueless ;)

Here she is singing Happy Birthday to Daddy this evening. Enjoy!

Chick or Cheat!

2008-10-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Maya's Hallowe'en costume arrived today (big thank you to Granny!!) and she tried it on after she woke up from her nap. Not only does it fit perfectly but boy, does it ever look adorable! She was a little reluctant to put the hat on but with the help of a mirror, her 'Who Said Boo?' book ("Look, Maya - those witches wear hats. You have to wear a hat to be a proper witch") and dire admonitions about how she wouldn't get sweeties on Hallowe'en unless she wore a hat (isn't bribery a wonderful thing?), she finally capitulated.

One pumpkin basket and one kitchen door later, there we were practising how to Trick or Treat. The Maya way...

"Knock knock who's there??"
"Gosh, I wonder who this can be... " *open kitchen door* "... Goodness me, it's a witch!"
"Chick or Cheat! Give seepies please!" (seepies = sweeties. You probably have to be 2 to understand that one).

I'm working on getting her to understand that it's rude to actually ask for the sweeties in advance. I'm also working on getting her to take the costume off...

Website now live!

2008-10-16T20:43:00.000-07:00

Finally announcing the launch of Snapdragon Photos!

You've been tagged!

2008-10-14T21:29:00.000-07:00

6th Folder Tag. At least, that's what April calls it. Supposedly, if you get tagged, you have to go to your Pictures folder, open the 6th folder and post the 6th picture from that folder. There's no telling what you have to do if you don't have 6 folders...

I'm rather disappointed that it's not something more interesting, but at the same time I'm rather glad that it's not something more embarrassing ;)

And now I have to tag 5 other people to do the same thing. I hereby tag April C,Nikki,Michelle,Cynthia and Erika. Ha! Now I'll find out who reads my blog :D

Daisybows

2008-10-14T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've never been a huge fan of bows and ribbons on babies. However, Maya can certainly no longer be classed as a baby so the time has arrived for me to start girlifying her. To that end, I bought some hair adornments from a friend of mine - check out her Etsy store; she has some seriously beautiful bows and clips. They're priced reasonably, well made and very, very cute.

It's taken a while, but Maya is finally starting to get into the hang of actually leaving them in her hair for long enough to have a few photos taken!

On a side note... I seriously need to do something about this girl's hair. I'm amazed she can actually see through that fringe!

"Nanny bought it!"

2008-10-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

We were in the car heading to the swings (I know; we should have walked. We were lazy today. I sent a mental apology to the environment along with a promise to shiver for at least two days this winter to make up for it) when Maya piped up "Nanny BOUGHT it!" What did "Nanny" (it's Maya's mispronunciation of Granny. Maya can get away with it because she's cute, but I wouldn't think of trying it yourself if I were you) buy? The car seat, of course, silly.

This is her newest craze. She needs to know who bought absolutely everything that she comes across. The vast majority of the things she comes across are toys - she is 2, after all - and most of them were gifts, so it gives me a warm sense of accomplishment to know that I'm raising a nice, grateful child who will always appreciate the things that others do for her. In my dreams, I know, but it's nice while it lasts. On the other hand, it can become a little irritating: "Thamma bought it!" "No, actually Mummy did. It's just a wooden spoon - they don't make wonderful Christmas gifts." And so on, ad infinitum.

Consider a trip to the bathroom, where we have to discuss the origins of the rug, the toilet paper, the soap and the towel before we can even begin to think about doing what nature intended. She hasn't yet thought to query the identity of the kind person who gifted us the porcelain throne, for some reason.

Maya 'exercising'

2008-10-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

I swear, this is the most adorable age ever! I know each period during a child's life has its own sweet moments, but it just seems like everything she does at the moment is completely, sickeningly, diabetes-inducing downright gorgeous. Or maybe I'm just biased.

Dadu, Thamma, Maya and I were all out in the garden. Thamma started doing a few stretching exercises and Maya immediately began to copy her. The result was a very cute set of photographs!

Here are a few more from the same session. It's great having someone else on hand to get Maya smiling!

My first post

2008-10-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Ok, not a very original title, I'll admit, but I'm stumped as to how else to start this off. I've resisted blogging for so long that I can't quite believe I've finally bowed to the pressure. It remains to be seen how long I'll keep it up for, of course...

Maya and I went into the garden this morning to play sandcastles. The weather was nice and sunny which led me to consider the fact that her paddling pool, which had lain dormant during our two months absence, was in desperate need of a clean. It was too close to lunchtime to do anything about it then, so I promised her that I would clean it out and she could put her swimming costume on after her nap and go for a paddle.

In my excitement (ok, not excitement - after all, I was contemplating a major cleaning job. Maybe stupidity would be a better word.) I forgot rule number one of parenting: never promise what you can't deliver. During the afternoon the winds picked up and it became too chilly for Maya to have her promised swim. We did get the hose out and clean the pool anyway, though, so she didn't seem to mind!

Mummy... where's the water? She obviously couldn't connect the tap at the other end of the garden with the water coming out of the hose, so she kept dipping the hose into my bucket to make water come out of it.

So I turned it on and the inevitable happened...

And then the pouts...

"Maya berry berry wet"

"And Maya berry berry cold"

One quick change of clothes later and the smiles came out again. Along with the Dora shoes, which didn't please me quite as much ;)

And the last photo of the day, which needs a little explanation. One of the Dora shoes having fallen off, Maya insisted that she could put it back on herself. Placing the shoe on the step next to her, she attempted to pull her foot over and put IT into her shoe. The logic of a 2yr old never ceases to amaze me :)

Oh, and in case you've been wondering what that is in her hand, it's a fireman. If you have (or have ever had) a 2yr old, there's probably no need for further explanation ;)