Santa Dress

I thought it was funny that Maylee got two "Santa dresses" from her grandmas.  She was so cute in both of them.  To bribe her to wear the Santa hat with the dress, I told her I would also take a picture of her with the fireman hat from Ty's birthday party, which is what she really wanted to wear with the dress.

Winter Festival

My dad's store has large windows right in front of the town's parade route for their Winter Festival.  This has become an annual store party tradition with friends and family.  The last time Kev and I attended was during the party at the new store which fell on our U of I winter graduation.  This was Maylee's first appearance at the store party.  She had a great time with cousins, seeing all the lights, and watching the parade and firework show.

Maylee and cousin Lily

(Maylee knows L for Lily)

 Cousins Aiden and Kole watching the firework show with Maylee...

Cousins! Great-Grandma Doris with all her great-grandchildren except Natalie. 

(The two smaller boys on the step behind Grandma belong to my mom's cousins, but they are in the same age range and our large family gatherings include all.  To us, cousins are cousins.)

 Playing Ring Around the Rosie with Ammie, Big Ammie, and Lily...

 Some pictures of the lights at the town's park. 

Maylee liked the tree and train so I took pictures of them.

 On the drive to Ammie's house after the party, Maylee needed a wipe for her hands.

Shortly after, she said, "Mama, I'm Santa. Ho, ho, ho!"

Big Ammie and her dog, Yankee, also stayed at Ammie's house.

 Investigating all of Ammie's decorations...

 Peek-a-boo!

 Cinder and Yankee playing...

 I think she thought Ammie and Papa's moving deer were real because she would talk to them!



Christmas Tree Hunting 2011

It seems we are always busy on the weekends, which leaves after school one day to go get a Christmas tree.  It never fails to be dark when we finally find our tree, but this has turned into our tradition.

 Elk tracks...

(There was also some elk poop in the road which she told lots of people about.)

 Sledding on the banks...

 Full moon in the background.

 Eatting snow...so happy!

School Christmas Concert

Maylee had to join us for our elementary school's Christmas concert because I had to be there for my class and Kev was our acting principal at the time.  Maylee loves going to "Mama's school" and somehow she knows it is kindergarten even though we haven't taught her that.  She will ask, "I go to kindergarten too?"  So, when we told her that she had to put on a pretty dress to go see the kids at school, she was very excited!

Prior to the concert...

Maylee joined right in and loved hanging out with the kids. 

The kids loved giving her lots of attention and read her books.

(To protect student identity, I altered these first two photos)

During the Concert...

I had a little chair next to mine, but Maylee spent most of the time standing up and trying to copy the hand movements the students were doing in the songs.  She was fun to watch and see how much she enjoyed it!

After the concert...playing with her friend Owen from Carol's house.

 Pretending to eat food...

 Good friends!

Christmas Lights

I was working on making sure the strands were working great, untangled, and ready for Kev to hang when he returned for more.  Maylee loved "helping" untangle and handing them to her dad when he came to the door.

Ladybug Girl

Maylee loves the children's book character Ladybug Girl.  Recently, a student at school gave Maylee a handy-me-down ladybug costume.  When we were reading a Ladybug Girl book, Maylee thought she needed to go put on her costume and ladybug rain boots to become Ladybug Girl!  So then I got out all her Ladybug Girl books and had her pose with them.

Fall Leaves Fun

Maylee had a grand time in Ammie's leaf pile.  I captured these pictures will trying to figure out my new camera. 

Maylee also was better about riding Mama's old tricycle.

It helped that her legs were a little longer since this summer.



Maylee with Ammie and Papa in front of their new house.

They have been in it for a year now.

Day After Thanksgiving

For the first year ever, I was allowed to join my mom and her sister Connie on their sister shopping day for Black Friday sales.  Mom and I started in Lewiston to pick me up some new skis and then Connie and I joined us to shop all over Coeur d' Alene.  I bought another camera because I was tired of waiting on the old one and felt like I was missing Maylee moments.  Kev has also always wanted his own to take with him hunting and on fires so we had previously talked about needing two.

Maylee had a busy day too.  Here are pictures of her after she built a fort in Ammie's living room.

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

This year we spent Thanksgiving in Moscow.  Most nights that we stay in Moscow, cousins Emma and Sarah come to Ammie's house for a sleepover...Maylee's favorite!  The girls entertain Maylee really well.  Great-Grandma Linda gave Maylee a dinosaur puzzle that she liked doing with her cousins on Thanksgiving morning.  Maylee also like watching the dancing and the big balloons in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Big Ammie (my grandma), Aunt Karen, Uncle Sam, Cousin Jay and his wife Kelley and their kids joined us at Ammie & Papa's.  Maylee loved having Lilly there!

 Trying pumpkin pie...Maylee loved it!  When Uncle Sam sat in the recliner to eat his pumpkin pie with Cool Whip, both Maylee and Lilly were sticking their fingers in his pie and eating more!

Maylee and Lilly

Great Grandma Doris (Big Ammie) with great-grandchildren Maylee, Lilly, and Cole