Makena's Schedule

Two weeks into 2010, and we are already scheduled to the end of June! Makena is doing great in her gymnastics class and loves going each week. She doesn't always show her enthusiasm when her awesome instructor wants to help her with something, but overall she does a great job. The strides that she has made in her class from the very first time she went are amazing. We are constantly in awe of her progress. Soccer will start toward the end of this month and Charlie is convinced that Makena is going to rock their world! She LOVES to kick a ball around the house and we are proud to say that she can kick it with both feet. In general, Makena loves any organized activity (although she doesn't always decide to cooperate) and I know that she will love soccer. And before you say anything...it is Soccer Tots. They don't make the kids play a game; they teach them about running through cones and racing across the field and kicking the ball...you know, kid stuff! I committed to Makena that we would go to story time every week also. She is getting more accustomed to sitting through a book now (at least when she sees other kids doing that), and our library does an absolutely fantastic job at making story time interesting for everyone. We just joined a playgroup as well and look forward to hanging out with Makena's new buddies on Thursdays. Our children's museum has a great program for toddlers on Mondays, and we tried it out for the first time this week. They had to stop the activities a few times so that I could get Makena OFF the parachute, but all in all, it was a great time. We plan on going each week to help Makena continue to grow as a book lover and it's great to hang with other kids. That's our five days a week! Story time, activity hour, play group, gymnastics, and soccer! One lesson I have learned (sometimes the hard way), is that one big activity a day is enough for her. However, if we just hang around the house (even when we have lots of playtime) she doesn't sleep as well and starts to show her temperamental side. While Makena is still too young to really play with other kids, she definitely likes to be around them and does parallel play...especially if it is a little boy! She will just follow them around...haha! She's starting young.

Happy 2010!

I realize that we have not posted anything since September...we've been busy being a family! The last few months flew by and Makena is growing like a weed! She is learning new things every day and we are happy to report that she passed her last hearing test! Yay for Kena! Her improved hearing has made all of the difference in the world with her understanding and verbal abilities. She is saying a LOT of words now, some other folks can understand, others we only know because they get said so many times a day. She's grown about five inches in the last six months and is in need of a haircut! We are using the Chinese New Year tradition of getting your haircut right before the holiday for her first time! Not sure exactly where we will go, but my stylist is great and would be super accommodating. There just aren't any cute kid things there!

Holidays that have passed...
Halloween was incredible. It sure adds a new dimension to the holidays with a little one! Makena was a Vikings cheerleader for her main costume, but we went as an "Iron Chef Family" to our family party! Makena was too cute in her chef hat and apron...she wielded those spoons around the Tower house like she owned the place...and she almost ate all of their fruit kabobs!




Thanksgiving was relaxing. We spent much of the weekend at home, catching up and enjoying each other's company, as Charlie's travel schedule was a bit crazy. Our good friend, Phillip, had us over for Makena's first American Thanksgiving dinner! Makena and I had made the Williams-Sonoma sweet potato casserole to take, and it ended up being one of her favorite foods (possibly of all time). She entertained all of the guests and didn't throw too much food on the floor during dinner! Black Friday found us at Target and all of the other crazy places...we'll do that again - so much fun!

Christmas was simply incredible. We had NO plans. It was just the three (okay, five...we had a lot of fun with Boo and Scout) of us and we took our time, all the while trying to establish some new Brown family traditions. We went to church on Christmas Eve and only stayed for the music, as is our usual habit (Makena gets noisy...and it makes Charlie nervous). We had a nice dinner and then Makena got to open one present before we got Santa's cookies and cider ready! Christmas morning we opened our gifts, one by one, and Makena enjoyed each thing before she moved on to the next. Her favorite gift? The Learning Tower that we got her (and gave to her over Thanksgiving...why let it sit when she could enjoy it?). It is the greatest invention, and I bet that she spends a good two or three hours in it each day! Still! We rounded out the day with a trip to a dear friend's house for a wonderful Italian Christmas dinner! It was delectable...thank you Karen and Russ!













We are enjoying 2010 so far and look forward to growing as parents while Makena grows into a beautiful little girl!