A test and 3 days in a Hotel

Vince was recently sent up to Montgomery for work and Mya and I had the opportunity to go with him. It was a nice weekend. Quiet and just the 3 of us. Vince would go to class and Mya and I would explore the city, which we would end up back at the hotel because Montgomery has absolutely nothing to do! Almost literally nothing.

The first night we decided to go to the mall that we saw when we were driving around. It was pretty spacious for how little it looked on the outside. There was a carousel inside and we wanted Mya to ride it. Oh boy did she love it! She was all smiles and every time that they went around, she would look for me and smile even bigger when she found me. She loved riding the "Horsies" and didn't want to leave. Needless to say that, she threw a big fit.
The next night we tried to go swimming in the outdoor pool. Which, I might add, had a TON of bugs. Gross! Vince would clean a little spot of where we would be swimming before we got in. Not even 5 min after we got in, it started raining. Not fair! So we went to the indoor jacuzzi and tried waiting it out. Didn't work, but at least Mya got her fill of water. Before too long she was getting in her towel and saying "Come on, Mommy, Daddy" Back to the hotel room we went.

The last day there was possibly the most fun. Vince went off to take his test and me and Mya decided to visit the zoo. She absolutely positively loved the zoo! She was so amazed at all the different animals and always saying "woah!" and "cool!" Her favorite was the black bear. She was pressed up against the glass and growling at the bear and saying "Hi bear!"

After we were done with the zoo we went back to the hotel to pick up Vince from his test. We wished that there were something more to do in the city, but unfortunately there wasn't, so we had no choice but to head back to Daphne. It was a nice trip to get away, and spend time alone as a family.

Labor Day

So on Monday we decided, regardless of the traffic, we would go to the beach. Oh it was so worth it! The traffic wasn't bad either. Mya was happy and kept saying "beach, Mommy" In the morning I had asked her "Mya, want to go to the beach today?" To which she responded "yeah!" That is the first time that she has ever answered my question with a yes. Simply made my day!

We were all excited as we drove up to the beach (they still aren't charging for parking) Getting our sunscreen on as fast as we could, yes I wore sunscreen! We almost ran to our spot, we were super excited! The water felt so cool and refreshing. Mya wanted to be down in the water with the waves. She kept telling me "Down, Mom, down!" The waves were really big and powerful, more so than we've ever seen them be. They were so big that when one would come, I would have to hold Mya up as far as I could and jump at the same time. More often than not I would get taken out and Mya would laugh. I had to act like I was 12 and say "Just you wait until you're older, I'm going to dunk you so many times!" The best part of it was when Mya would see the wave coming and say "OH NO! Oh, NO! It's a big one! Here it comes!" That is the most she has ever talked that you could understand every word she said.

When we got too tired fighting the waves, we would go up on shore and play in the sand. Mya wanted to bury Vince, so she got buckets of sand and put them on his belly. I had to help and buried his arms. :)  If we got to hot we would head back into the water. It would go like that for a few hours, but never tiring of it.
The day wore on and we grew hungry. If only we had an umbrella, beach chairs, and snacks to stay longer. It was a wonderful day to get away from work and the world, to enjoy being together as family. It's my favorite and wish it could happen more.

I don't have any pictures from this trip because I had a memory lapse and forgot my camera. I was mad, because I didn't discover that until we drove up to the beach. :( But at least you get a nice story!

Love From a Child

Don't you hate those day when everything upsets you and you have no idea why? Today I am experiencing one of those dreadful days.

As I was sweeping the floor, Mya comes running through the house right through the pile of dirt, hair, and other crap, spreading it everywhere! Making me start all over again. It took everything I had not to yell at her. I stood in the middle of the room with my eyes closed, breathing deeply and counting in my head. As I calmed down, I sat Mya down and explained to her that she needed to be careful and watch where she was going. A little while later she was running to the kitchen, she stopped and scooted around the edge of the newly constructed pile, and as soon as she cleared it, she took off running again. She then came back from the kitchen and wrapped her arms around my legs and said "Mommy needs hug" and then she looked up at me and said "awww" and then took off running.

It's funny how little things like just melt your heart and make you feel warm inside. I had tears brimming in my eyes and almost started bawling. After she released me and ran off to her room, I gave up on cleaning and decided to take the time to type what happened. The love from a child is pure and most definitely immeasurable. Thank you, Mya, for making my day brighter.

HaPpY BiRtHdAy MyA!!

Another birthday has come and gone, it seems like yesterday we were bringing Mya home from the hospital. It's strange how time passes us by so fast. As most of you know, Mya turned 2 on the 27th. We had a little birthday party for her on Saturday with her friend, Faith, from church. 

The two little girls were so cute together! I had a smile on my face the whole time. We first started out with finger paints. If you have little ones and need an activity, I suggest the finger paints. The girls loved them and it wasn't a big deal if they got it on themselves. (it's wash off paints) 

After finger paints, we let the girls go off and play in Mya's room while I cleaned up and got the next activity ready. It was so cute, Mya took Faiths hand and said "come on" and ran to her room holding her hand! 

Our next activity was decorating cookies. Yum! It was also another successful activity, and delicious too! Mya just ate the frosting though :)

We decided to open presents after cookie decorating. Mya got a Cinderella barbie from Mom and Dad and a little box of ABC books from Faith and her Mom.

When the cookies were decorated and eaten, the girls went off to play again. They wanted to spin in their pretty dresses and skirts. It was so adorable that I had to get a little video of them!

                                             

Saturday was a wonderful day, and we made some new friends here in Alabama. Mya loves having a friend and I love having her interact with children her age! (I also have to say that I love having a friend too hehe) It was a long day, but well worth the effort! To see Mya smile and happy like that, I would do anything for it! 

Time For School

Instead of summer, Mya and I are going to school. It doesn't take very much time out of the day and is so much fun! I'm trying to teach Mya her ABC's and numbers and shapes. She does pretty darn good with shapes and her alphabet, but the real challenge is numbers. She's certainly trying and doing a great job! 

We first start with some ABC flash cards. We're already up to the letter D! I'm teaching her upper case and lower case, so it's taking a little longer, but it's good for her. She calls them big A and little a, and so on. 

We then move on to numbers and then shapes. She loves shapes.

After putting the shapes in the correct spot, I have put the shapes in a line and ask her to pick the square or circle...

When we're all done with shapes, I let her do some writing. It's her favorite part of school! She loves to draw and try to write her ABCs. 

And that is our school day! She loves and is so smart! :) Yes, I know her hair looks awful, but we just got down swimming and out of the bath!

My Little Gymnast

The other day Mya decided to try a somersault! It was the cutest thing and I just had to get the camera out and record it! Just the other day, Vince and I were driving and I spotted a gymnastic school close to our house. If we're here for a couple of years, then I'm going to enroll Mya when she turns 4! 

Alright, to the video!!

Fun At Home

The coloring books were colored out, the books all read, movies all watched, stickers no longer sticking. It had been a fun day, filled with lots of activities, but Mya and I were about to have our greatest adventure yet! We pulled out the blankets, got some puzzles and snacks and made, for the first time here, a FORT!!! Yes, I said fort! After working to prepare our fort, Mya and I dove right in and had the time of our lives! 

We played puzzle and ate snacks, and just whispered secrets and giggled. Mya was full of lots of secrets! She would whisper and whisper. She thinks it's funny! Ha! She's so cute! I think I say that every post, but oh well, she is! We didn't do much in that fort, but we sure had the best time.