Dancing and Sledding

I know this blog already has a bunch of videos of Maya dancing, but I think this one is especially adorable. Hyder was playing blues music for her on his guitar and she loved it! In fact, she danced so much that she rocked her high chair from side to side: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT9nNAnxf14.

Today we took advantage of the good weather and the immense amounts of snow to go sledding on a big hill nearby. Maya seemed to have an ok time, but we didn't see as many smiles as the last time we went sledding. Apparently she was quite tired because she fell asleep in the car on the way to lunch afterward. Anyway, the rest of us had a good time!

And here's a video of the sledding: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hBhYyHN7XFE.

Brrr That's Cold

Well, it's definitely winter here in New England. Lately it's either ridiculously cold, or snowing. I've posted photos of the snow, so here are some photos of us braving the cold:

Apologies for the poor picture quality; all I had was my BlackBerry. Anyway, the blanket that Maya got from her Ajji is coming in handy - I wrapped her up so tight that all I could see were her eyes! And the second picture shows the thermometer in my car dashboard at ZERO DEGREES. As you all can imagine, getting out of bed in the mornings has been especially difficult. 

In happier news, Maya has decided she can sleep without her binky, and she has decided to drink milk from a sippy cup. My baby is growing up!

Happy Birthday to Mama!

My birthday was a few days ago and I enjoyed a number of presents and celebrations. First, on the day of my birthday, we were treated to another snowstorm in the Northeast. It was my day off so I was hoping to just stay home, but we had to go to a couple doctor's appointments for Maya. Fortunately, the roads were pretty empty so we were able to stay safe. Second, Maya made me a present in her diaper - it was really delightful. ;-)

The celebrations continued through the weekend - Saturday night we dropped Maya off with her canine buddy Jack and her human buddy Aunt Helene. Hyder and I enjoyed some delicious tapas and dessert at a Spanish restaurant called Solea, then we watched a movie (The Black Swan). Somehow, this is the only picture I have from that night:

On Sunday we went out to brunch with our neighbors Marilyn and Ken. As usual, Maya enjoyed herself with all the attention:

 

And to finish off the night, Maya treated me to some poop in the tub! Really, my birthday weekend would not have been complete without that. ;-)

Random Eating and Music-Making

It seems like more teeth for Maya = more fun eating for Maya, as pictured below:

 

I'm just glad she's eating the food that I make for the adults - making more than one meal per night would be tiring! 

In other news, she is still thoroughly enjoying her musical instruments - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeL_u0V7ftg. Thanks to Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Ken for the wonderful gift!

Football with Friends

Well, the sad news is that the Patriots' season is over after their loss to the Jets last night. But at least we got to watch the game with good friends, both human and canine. And of course, the food and drinks were delicious - we can always count on eating well at Helene's!

Maya did celebrate the few Patriots touchdowns in the game:

Meanwhile, Caroline was focused on keeping the dogs from blocking the television or wagging their tails into our drinks:

Dan and Helene were hoping their matching Welker jerseys would bring some luck to the Patriots:

But it was not meant to be. At least Ava and Odin got some quality time together:

And Jack did his best to hoard dog toys:

As they say, there's always next year! Maya ended the night with a mournful performance on Helene's piano: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1-TCHba-cs. I'm not sure yet if that's real musical talent!

Fun in the Snow!

We had a full weekend, including lots of fun with good friends. Saturday we went to visit our friends the Johnsons on their farm - I thoroughly enjoyed staying up late and catching up with Jessica. I can't believe we've known each other for over 15 years! On the other end of the spectrum, Maya got to meet a new friend, Ben. They played together well in the evening: 

And played together again the next morning, when we all went sledding:

Here's a video of Ben pushing Maya, in her sled, down the hill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEPxBzfUG1U. 

Of course, she loved it - she was all smiles after each run down the hill:

Ben seemed to be enjoying himself too:

After sledding we ate a delicious late breakfast, courtesy of Matthew. Maya took a nap, then got changed into her football outfit to get ready for the Patriots game:

It was a great visit and I am so glad we could spend time with Benjamin, Jessica, Matthew, and Zoie.

Goofing Off with Friends

Last night a few of the guys in our circle of friends got together for a guys' night out, leaving us moms to fend for ourselves with our kids. So, I invited a few of the girls over for a girls' night in at our house. The kids enjoyed goofing off together and dismantling parts of the living room:

I think Zach and Lilia had a good time, and I was glad that Rachel and Sharona made it up our street in their cars without any mishaps! There is still quite a bit of snow and ice on the roads, so driving everywhere takes a bit longer than usual...