San Diego Zoo

We spent New Years Eve day at the San Diego Zoo with Tom and the kids.  It was a blast and the kids had so much fun.

Jacob was a doll - he was so excited about all the different animals.... until nap time, that is. 

Adjoa loves spending time with her cousins, especially Brandon.  Over Thanksgiving, they had a love/hate relationship that can only happen between a 4 year old and a 5 year old.  She was, of course, thrilled that she would get to see Brandon again.

Here's some shots at the zoo.  I took them with my blackberry, so the quality isn't the best.

Oh well.

 Riding a hippo with Jacob and Madison.  Brave kids!

 Getting a seal's eye view of the tourists.  Maddie, Tom, Seal, Adjoa, Jacob, Robert.

 Caterpillar and Butterfly.  Pretty accurate, don't you think?

The petting zoo was a big hit.  Adjoa is determined to have a goat.

 Practicing her animal husbandry skills.  The goat seems to be faring quite well.

 Adjoa, Jacob, and Maddie feeding the goat. 

I love this picture! Jacob got a kick out the how the goats eat.  He thought it was sooooo funny.

Family Pictures, Depot Style

We had our family pictures taken a couple weeks ago, but I had to keep it on the down-low because they were presents for family.

I went with a retro-train station theme.  Not intentionally or anything.  It just turned out that I liked the location and our outfits had a retro twist.  Not so much with Robert.  I probably couldn't get him to wear a hat or a skinny tie if I had even bothered to ask.  But hey, gray and white is timeless enough to blend.  Plus, you don't want it too styled or you start to become one of THOSE families.  And I'm crazy enough.

Here's a few of the pics.  Adjoa was, of course, simply adorable to totally photogenic.

Thanks Cathy!

Early Christmas

We are doing Christmas early this year, since we will be in San Diego until after New Years.  I was not about to load up a bunch of presents so Santa could come on Christmas Day.  I explained to Adjoa that we would be gone for Christmas.

A: "Oh NO! How will Santa know where we are?"
M: "Well.  Mommy is really smart.  I told Santa we would be gone, and do you know what? He's just going to come early to our house!"

We had some friends who were very concerned about Christmas coming early.  Well, the mother was concerned.  She didn't want Adjoa to tell her kids that Santa already came and have her kids freak out.  So I told Adjoa that this was a special arrangement and that Santa was coming early.  Adjoa's too young to really understand that it's not Christmas day, so the explanation was more for the benefit of other people.  And in case Adjoa said she already had Christmas, I didn't want any problems with other kids or their parents.

Anyway, we planned on having Christmas a couple days before we have to leave for San Diego so she has some time to play with her awesome haul.

It's sort of a Barbie Christmas this year.  Which was fun for me.  I must admit, I've missed Barbie.  Chambra and I used to play Barbies for hours, I swear.  It's pretty much the main thing I remember about childhood.  So maybe Adjoa's Christmas is a way for me to share something I loved when I was a kid, or maybe it's an excuse for me to play with Barbies again.  Probably, it's a little of both.

 Adjoa's Christmas pile.  I totally love the dollhouse.  It was from my dad and it's the bee's knees.  It's wooden, has great colors, and is perfect for super-cool Barbie.  Adjoa is in love with it and wanted to take it to San Diego.  Sorry, girl.  That's exactly why we are doing Christmas early.

 Perfect picture to capture the early morning excitement of Christmas.  You KNOW you should still be in bed, and you're uber tired, but IT'S CHRISTMAS!

Get ready for the cheese.  This is the best Christmas present I could ask for.  Adjoa's smile melts me every time.  She is beautiful, sweet, kind, and always tries her best.  She's totally awesome. And I feel perfectly fine bragging about her because I was not at all responsible for any of it!  She's just a doll and it had nothing to do with me.  My job is to try to help her stay that way!

Merry Christmas!

Adjoa's First Tithing

We had tithing settlement today, and it was Adjoa's first time paying tithing.  She has a little bank and has been saving  her money all year.

She puts her tithing in one bank, her savings in another bank, and spending money in a third bank.

Adjoa was so excited to count out her money.  I helped her fill out her tithing slip and she loaded up the envelope with all her coins.

When we visited with the bishop, he asked if she knew what would happen to her money.  She said, "They will build a temple with my money!"

So cute.

Christmas Program

Adjoa's  Christmas Program was today.  I missed the program last year, so I was super excited for this one.  Of course, it was adorable.  Santa came for a visit, and Adjoa asked for a "fluffy unicorn."  That should be easy enough for Santa.

What do you want for Christmas, little girl?  "Um.  I want a fluffy hunicorn."

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Adjoa drew this picture of Rudolph.  Rudolph is trying to find Santa's lost shoe.  In case you were wondering, Rudolph DID find Santa's lost shoe.  So no worries there.

I Lost My Mommy

Every night I tuck Adjoa into bed, then go about my evening business: folding laundry, doing dishes, checking email, you know.  After I get ready for bed, I usually peek in and tuck her in again and kiss her goodnight.

So the other night I was tucking her in and kissing her goodnight and she sits stright up in bed.  She looks around and says "Mommy! Mommy!"

Me:  I'm right here, Adjoa.
Adjoa: Where's my mommy?
Me:  I'm right here, sweetheart.

Adjoa lifts up her pillow, looks under it, and says, "Oh no!  I lost my mommy!"

At this point I realize she's still totally asleep, even though she's sitting up, moving around, and talking.  She lays back down and I tuck her in, laughing to myself because if I were lost, I'm sure I'd be hidden under Adjoa's pillow.

Adjoa. Self Potrait of a 4 Year Old.

Adjoa has been talking about eating healthy the last month at school.  She has learned about the food groups, and which foods are healthy for your body.

She drew this picture of herself when she eats healthy food.  I love the blonde hair!