Pencil Cozy

For Christmas Maya's Grandma got her a sewing machine and already Maya has put it to good use. Last night she sewed me this lovely "pencil cozy." To think there was once a time when my pencils sat unprotected on my desk and then when I'd go to use one (if I could even find one) it would be all cold. Now that I have this snazy pencil cozy I always know where to find a nice warm pencil when I need one. I'd say this sewing machine has paid for itself already.

Maya as a Southpark Character

Colored Sand Artwork

Gizzy Disguised as a Gift

Grandpa and The Girls

In Wisconsin for Christmas

For Christmas we spent a couple days in Wisconsin where Maya got the opportunity to drive the four wheeler in the snow. Her knack for driving improved to such and extent that we even went on the ice and practiced doing doughnuts.

Oatmeal Cookies

The other night Maya and I made a batch of oatmeal cookies and I don't know what we did right but they really turned out fantastic. I regaled Maya with tales of my youth when her uncle Cory and I would make oatmeal cookie dough and then stay up all night eating the dough while watching a Dr. Who marathon on PBS. Ah, now that was living.

Christmas Vacation

Maya has the next two weeks off for Christmas vacation and now we have to find some way to fill her days. I'm thinking she can hone her babysitting skills by watching Annah for me. We'll see how it goes. Today she was braving the cold by playing outside and making a snow fort.

With Mom & Annah

On to Her Next Profession

Maya finished her stint at Barnes and Noble and is now going to be choosing her next Mini Course which she think is going to be working at a bank. This will be a nice opportunity to get a behind to scenes look at how our tax dollars are being squandered.

Annah & the Stuffed Dog

At the end of every month Maya's class holds an auction where the kids can bid on an assortment of different items with "cash" they've earned in class for achieving certain tasks. Maya bid on and won this little stuffed dog for Annah and judging from the grin on her face I think Annah really likes it.

Cold Walk

It was really cold tonight but that didn't stop Maya and I from going for a walk to the bookstore. Maya needed to get a gift certificate for a secret Santa present so we trudged through the freshly fallen snow to pick one up. It wasn't that bad on the way there because the wind was at our back but the return trip was another matter - we had the wind right it in our faces. Maya's solution was to walk home backwards.

With her Sister

Playing on Club Penguin

Maya is playing games on Club Penguin and Annah is clapping her on.

Working at Barnes and Noble again

Second week of working at B&N and this week it was working at the register. Annah and I tagged along for a little bit of the orientation and it was pretty interesting. The kids were asking if they were eligible for the employee discounts, but unfortunately there are no discounts for the trainees.


Maya getting trained in on the register.

Reading

Maya has been - oh how can I say this?... Not been actively pursuing her AR reading assignments in school. AR (Accelerated Reader) books are just everyday kids books of which they need to read 25 by the end of the school year. When we had our parent teacher conference a month and half ago she had a great report from the teacher with the one exception that she needed to start reading more books to be on track to accomplish her goal of 25. Well since that meeting she has not exactly been devouring the books, in fact she has read - oh how can I say?... Very very very few. So I figured I could either convince her to get on the ball by using either a carrot or a stick. My experience has taught me that Maya usually gets stuff done if she has a schedule and a little enticement offered upon completion. This week she is set to finish a 400 page book and then she has several Judy Blume books on deck. If she gets her first book done this week we are having a Daddy Daughter Day on Saturday. If this doesn't work then I'm afraid we're going to have to start considering the stick.

Another Photo Shoot

We persisted in our efforts to get a decent picture for the Christmas card again tonight and it was not in vain. A valuable lesson in life is that if try, try and try again eventually you will reach a point where you can comfortably say, "Oh, the hell with it this is good enough." - and be done with it. After taking about fifty pictures like the one below we finally got one where Annah held still for a fraction of second, and although she wasn't smiling her screaming a least suggested a sense of excitement. Zaheeda should be getting the cards out in the next few days and we hope you like it.

Trying for a Christmas Photo

We were trying to get a photo for the Christmas card but only 50% of the children were being cooperative and willing to sit still for a picture resulting in about seventy five different pictures that look like this. We may end up taking a picture of Maya and go about the process of drawing in Annah with colored pencils.

On the Job

As part of a program at her school called Mini Courses the kids in Maya’s class get to try their hand at different careers and professions. Maya chose to work at Barnes and Noble and today was her first day on the job. She got a tour of the store and is learning the ins and outs of the book business. Next Thursday she’ll be back at work only then she’ll be working behind the register. So if you are in the Highland area and are looking for a book, stop by and she’ll be more than happy to help you.

Tormenting Her Sister

Playing Violin

Entertaining the Thanksgiving crowd.

Grandma and the Girls