Happy Birthday, Dear Maya - with love, Daddy and Lisa

Good evening Karen, Russ, Rachel & precious Maya,

Today we were blessed with gorgeous weather and the free spirit of a beautiful little girl that placed a smile on many people's faces.
Karen & Russ, we missed you today - I would have loved to have you meet my parents along with my brother, sister in law and the cutest nephew ever, Colin. There were many dynamics today and it was comforting to see everyone mingling and getting to know each other. Maya I am sure was overwhelmed with the amount of people there that she was not familiar with. I am glad Rachel came to give Maya that comfort and security she needed with so many "new people".
Thank you Rachel.
Maya and Colin had a splendid time playing with the "big huge bubble making machine", the multicolored parachute, the camping tent, coloring project with markers and the velvet paper. They each colored a circus theme and dinosaurs. Their artwork came out beautiful. Two talented children we have indeed.
Anyways, enjoy the pictures.
Take care! Ken and I will be there on Thursday.
Love,
Lisa

Click Here Visit Maya's Birthday With Daddy Photo Album

Starting Monday With A Smile

When it was Great Grampy's birthday, Maya wanted to make him a strawberry cake with "all good cream."And so we did.

When it was Great Grammy's birthday, Maya wanted to make her a Sponge Bob cake.
And so we did.

This week it will be my birthday.
Maya told her Mommy that she wants to buy me green olives - enough to share.

Yum.

Giving

Thursday is Great Grandmother's birthday. "What kind of cake do you think Great Grammy would like?"
Maya's answer was quick and sure "a Sponge Bob cake!"
Maya is obsessed with Sponge Bob. She calls everyone Sponge Bob. We have to call her Sponge Bob. If we call her Maya, she corrects us. She is Sponge Bob.
We don't know why or where this passion for Sponge Bob developed. She's never seen the TV show. Leaving aside the question of quality children's programming, she's never seen it because she's too young, it's not appropriate for a two year old.
She's in love with the Sponge Bob image.

Our project for today - a Sponge Bob cake for Great Grandmother's birthday.
We walked to the corner store in a misting rain, looking for puddles and rocks to bring home along the way. We chose a cake mix and frosting and some candies that I hoped would somehow transform themselves into Sponge Bob facial features.
We baked the cake. Measuring and mixing and stirring and spilling - the cake was in the oven.
Waiting...
waiting...
waiting...
then waiting some more while the baked cake cooled.

It was time to create Sponge Bob. We tinted the frosting just the right shade of yellow and argued a bit about not picking fingers full of cake from the dish.
The frosting was on and we pronounced it good.
Next came candy eyes and more frosting tinting for the blue centers (Sponge Bob has blue eyes and Maya has an eye for detail) Licorice was bent in the fashion of a Sponge Bob nose and mouth.

I stepped back and watched for Maya's response. We could have gone to the supermarket and bought a Sponge Bob perfectly portrayed in cake. Was that what we should have done? Is she happy with her cake?

"We did it! We made Sponge Bob! We need a candle to blow."
Tired and proud, Maya helped to cover the cake with plastic wrap and watched me put it into the cupboard to bring to Great Grammy tomorrow.
She did not ask for a piece of cake.
Her cake is a gift for Great Grammy.
She will bring it to her house tomorrow.
Then we will eat the cake.