Four & Fearless

Today our little miss Maya turned FOUR! As much as I'm looking forward to life with a fun and vibrant 4 year old in the house, I'm also going to miss the days of my spunky little three year old. How does the time pass so quickly??? How nice it would be to put it in a bottle and hold on to it forever. Anyway, now that I'm done with my pitty-party ~ here's a glimpse into her big day...

First birthday phone call of the day from Nana Judy

Maya's new four~year~old scary face while showing off the

Fancy Nancy puzzle that her sister gave her

Bicycle shopping

Her new blue beauty

first ride on her big girl bike

Swingin by the beach

Riding the zipline with daddy alongside

No Fear

The coolest gift wrapped present ever, compliments of our neighbors

Perfect way to end the day

Last night when Maya went to sleep for the last time as a three year old she had this conversation with her sister:

M: can I sleep with you tonight sister?

B: not tonight Maya, but you can sleep with me tomorrow night.

M: but I can't tomorrow night

B: why not?

M: I will be too big...I'll be four tomorrow

Then she made her first decision this morning as a four year old that she will no longer be afraid of anything....including spiders and witches. Also, she declared today that she won't be shedding any more tears because "big girls" don't cry, which really did work for the entire day today ~ not even a single pout.

After our outing at the park Maya proceeded to tell me that I have her baby sister in my tummy (not an unusual presumption of Maya's) and she goes on to ask how babies are made etc, etc. So we when we tell her that both a mommy and a daddy are needed to make a baby and that something magical happens between them, she decides that if we are going to make one...she wants to watch.

There's not a day that goes by when I'm not grinning ear-to-ear from her little ideas about life, but today was especially comical with all of her excitement about her birthday and being a big girl. We had such a fun time celebrating Maya today I don't know how a party could compare, but the invites have been sent and the fun shall go on.

Happy Birthday little lovebug!!!

First "refashion"

I've been checking out the men's dress shirt remakes over at MADE and thought I'd give the idea a try. As I haven't created a piece of clothing in quite a while, I was pretty intimidated by the project...but really excited about the result. Maya liked the dress and even wore it the whole day (which is huge for her because it seems that EVERYTHING makes her uncomfortable). When it comes to clothes and Maya, all items must fit in an exact fashion or the neighbors will be calling the coppers due to all the screaming that projects from her tiny body. Seriously, the girl is fanatical about what type of socks she wears. Back to the dress. I bought an X-large men's linen shirt at the thrift store, added some elastic, some of my own fabric for the waistband/pocket/headband and produced this sweet little number.

I'm in love with the idea of creating something new from used clothing or material and can't wait to find my next refashioning project.

Next time, I'll get the before picture too.

Fun on the farm

Today the little miss went on a field trip with her preschool to The Painted Pony Farm where the kids had a blast holding chicks, making ice cream, feeding the farm animals and milking the goat. The farm is an absolutely beautiful place and you can just feel the love that has been put into it. What a dream to raise a family there as this couple has done with their kids. The only question I left with was ~ who enjoyed it more...the children or the parents?

Thank you Farmer Pam for the wonderful day!!!

A note to mom(s)

Wish we could be with you to celebrate how much you mean to our family, but since we're here and your there, just know that always.....

we are so grateful for your love.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Tea time

As I had posted a few days ago, I have not gone out of my way to really get to know our neighbors outside of a wave or 3 sentence conversations. Yesterday I changed that routine and had a very impromptu tea for the ladies that live near me. It was a nice way to break the ice and get to know a little more about everyone. I invited women who are all a bit older than me which I enjoyed and it was nice to hear their input on parenting and life.

It was a great start to new relationships!

My next big plan for our street...a neighborhood potluck

Little rocker

As I passed Maya's bedroom this morning, I noticed something a little different blasting out from under the door. It was the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Daddy's music. As I stopped to investigate how this ended up in my little darling's room~this is what I encountered....

A girl after his own heart.

I see a mosh pit in her future.

Wildfires in May???

This is no bueno. Really. The smoke is blowing far and wide from the Jesusita fire in SB and I am just sitting and praying for the safety of the firefighters and all of those that are kicked out of that most comfortable place they call home tonight.

Summer's feeling like it's already here so tonight it was chicken salad sandwiches for dinner. Not my best creation, but it sure felt good to have a light meal on a hot day.

What's your favorite summer dish?

Mother's Day...hmmmmmm

My friend over at Ambrosia Girl created these little beauties for all those dad's who could use a little help this Mother's Day. The girl's got serious talent and I love all the options she gives, especially the last two. I slipped mine in between the folded boxer shorts to try and be slick. At least it gives him a few ideas, right?

And although Mother's day is certainly NOT about gifts (especially store bought ones), I happened upon this little piece while web browsing today and couldn't resist posting it...

Love this necklace on etsy by birthdesigns

oh, and this cold drink dispenser at Crate&Barrel made with recycled glass just makes me daydream of summer barbecues with friends...

Now that I've gotten those little desires off my chest, I have only one thing left to say. There is absolutely nothing on earth that could brighten my day more than the two beautiful jewels that I wake to each and every morning. Truly the BEST gifts ever.

The unexpected weekend

The cold fairy came by our house on friday and sprinkled her cold germs on me for the weekend reminding me once again that life does not always go according to my plans. She decided that I needed some extra rest from my daily doings and so it was...
Needless to say I stayed home and slept took little miss M to a photo session that I had signed up for a while ago and decided to do a "shoot" of my own when we got home....how could I resist?

Although I didn't sleep my entire days away, naptime was in full effect this weekend and I have to admit ~ it felt good lie down next to my little one and let go of all the "want to do this and need to do that" just to rest my body and mind. Feeling too yucko to do any of that stuff anyway made me acknowledge that it's just stuff....it will always be there and taking a little time for myself won't hurt anyone or anything.

Saturday I was going NOwhere, not even to my beloved farmer's market. But that afternoon I got a little artsy with Maya and we made some butterflies for her room. It was such a fun and easy project, I'm inspired to get out those art supplies more for some creative time.

We finished off our weekend sharing homegrown lettuce with our neighbors, playing with the girls at the harbor, soaking up the gorgeous weather and ending with our usual sunday dinner serving a barbecued steak salad with fresh sourdough bread and lemon bars plus rhubarb pie for dessert. Yummmm! It was a full table with Matt's parents, g-gran Irene and Bri's bff. I LOVE sunday dinners.

The weekend certainly didn't unfold as I expected, but brought some great surprises in leau of my agenda. Just another reminder that I AM NOT IN CHARGE as much as I like to think I am.

neighborly love

A couple of weeks ago we shared a few Meyer Lemons from our tree with a friendly neighbor. By the next day she arrived at our door with a fresh lemon pie which was deeeeelish! We don't talk to all of our neighbors enough and this little exchange reminded me of the importance in community interaction. I tend to get wrapped up in my own little world a little too often without taking the time to visit with the people that are right outside our door. Next week on the agenda: invite the neighbors over for tea.

May you enjoy the gifts that you receive this weekend.

xoxo