Playdough Mouth

Christmas Eve

Maya got lots of nice clothes and a ripstick!!!

School Band Concert

Yesterday Annah and I went to see Maya and the Horace Mann School Band play at a lunchtime concert in the gym. Maya has really been doing a fine job on her sax and sounded really good. Here's some video of the performances:

Maya and Woody

While at The Mall with Maya tonight we checked out the newly redesigned Lego Land. Too bad Annah wasn't with us because she would have been pretty excited with this Lego Woody!

Snow Days

Maya was off from school both Monday and Tuesday this week due to all the snow we had over the weekend. Today she was back at school although the roads are still a bit treacherous - there is so much snow and simply no place to put it all.

The weather

Blizzard conditions couldn't stop the girls from going outside and playing. They didn't stay out long though, after a few minutes Annah's eye lashes were white with snow and she was ready to come in.

Evening Walk

Took the girls out for a walk tonight so we could get some fresh air and give Zaheeda little "kid free" time. We found a big pile of snow on which the girls could climb. After playing around a little they started throwing chunks of snow at me. Annah is really starting to get back into this whole winter thing.

In the snow

After Thanksgiving

We were in Wisconsin for the Thanksgiving holiday. The girls ran around the house and played with Jasper, he would take one of their socks and then the chase was on.

Nun

After her shower Maya was in the living room pretending she was a nun.

Kohl's

Maya needed jeans so we went to Kohl's last night and did a little shopping.

First Snow

We had our first snow of the year and just like that it seems like winter. Annah couldn't wait to go outside but Maya has been sick and wasn't real keen on going out in the snow. Eventually Maya relented and took her sister out to play - what a good big sister she is.

Good Report

Conferences went really well last night. Maya is doing and excellent job!!!! She's scoring very well on all her tests and is a joy to have in the class.

Parent Teacher Conference

Seems like school just started and already we are off to conferences. Hopefully Maya is doing well.

At the Boo Bash

Here is picture from last week at the Horace Mann Boo Bash

Election Day

Katha Dance

Friday Maya's class headed down the street to Saint Catherine University to see a performance of Sundari Aur Nag (which is and Indian retelling of Beauty and the Beast). Maya described it as weird, and that "it sounded like that music Mom listens to."

Jury Duty

Zaheeda has been away at jury duty all week which has meant that her normal duties have fallen to the rest of us - this is why I've yet to update the site this week. Hopefully things will be back to normal here in the next couple days.

Library Downtown

We were downtown this morning at the Central Library for one of their Saturday Live kids programs. This weekend it was circus people doing circus tricks which we thought Annah would enjoy but her attention lasted only about 20 minutes or so and then she wanted to play in the kids section.

Maya was happy to be back for the Saturday Live programs. Sure she is getting older but she still loves these little kid things. Her favorite of all time was when we went to see the "Bat Lady," this woman who had all these bats - she had bat skulls, live bats in cages, little bats in her pockets. It's nice the library can provide these programs for kids - it make for a nice learning opportunity as well as a way for local eccentric oddballs like the Bat Lady to make a little money on the side.

Ax-Man Surplus

The girls and I headed over to Ax-Man Surplus this afternoon to see of we could find a little velcro clip for Zaheeda to carry her cel phone. Annah found the store to be almost too much - we thought she would collapse from over stimulation... So much miscellaneous clutter!!!!

Sandwich

Sharing a sandwich with Annah on the way to violin lessons.

Old Pic Monday

Pumpkins

The girls took to carving their pumpkins tonight. Even Annah wasn't afraid to get her hands dirty.

Homework

Maya is so studious she started working on her homework in the car on the way to violin lessons. One little nugget of advise I could offer is that she would look a lot smarter if she didn't make that fish mouth face when she writes... Just a suggestion.

Old Pic Monday

First Lego League Pics

Maya took some pictures at Lego League tonight:

Car in parts


Parts as car


Computer to control car


and for some reason Damyan.....

Exploring Her Scandavian Roots

I was at a book sale in Mankato last week and found it kind of funny that most of the books I bought were by Scandinavian authors. This book by Theodore Jorgenson, a former professor at St. Olaf, about the great Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen was previously owned by some woman named Judith Carlson back in the 1950's... Makes you want to kick back with a nice plate of lutefisk and read the day away.

Old Pic Monday

More Practicing

This year for school band Maya has dropped the trumpet and taken up the sax. She hasn't had any lessons yet but if her honking around the house is any indication, I think she might be pretty good.



Who knows, if she keeps at it she could be the next Bleeding Gums Murphy!

Practicing

Maya's been doing a pretty good job of practicing this year. Since she's started taking lessons at Lydia's house she feels much more relaxed and her playing has improved. We don't know why this is but what why question success.

Old Pic Monday

Jim's Apple Farm

This afternoon we headed down to Jordan, MN to visit Jim's Apple Farm, which is this apple/candy shop/bakery/pumpkin/misc. store off Highway 169. The girls got some candy and treats and we had a really nice day. Being that we picked a bunch of apples in Wisconsin last weekend we passed on the apples - although they did look delicious.