Ben and the 'tar

Ben loves guitars (or as he calls them, 'tars.) Here is the little music man....

And here we go again...

Baby Tackett #3

Expected arrival date: September 18, 2012

New York City

My mom and I took Maya to New York City for two days in April.

 We took the train up and back.

 We stayed in Time Square on the 35th floor. Maya loved looking out the window and watching all the people. She was very puzzled by why all those people were still outside when it was bedtime!

 We took Samantha (my doll when I was little) to tea at the American Girl Cafe.

 We had fun exploring watching all the people in Times Square.

 After tea and a long day, we had "dinner" at the concierge lounge at our hotel. We had access to the lounge thanks to the points my dad acquired. Thanks, Dad! I know how much you would have loved the idea of Mom and I in NYC with Maya.

 Maya got to pick out a gift (or two) at the American Girl Cafe, and she selected a baby carrier, which was perfect for taking Sleeping Baby out to see the sights.

 We explored Central Park.

 And we made it to Central Park Zoo on a beautiful April morning.

 Maya also got to try her first Magnolia cupcake. She liked it.

We went to see the Lion King on Broadway on our last night in the city. Maya absolutely loved it; I'm so happy that my love of musicals has passed on to her. The three of us had a fantastic trip - thanks for coming with us, Mom!

Grandma Great

We went out to Bakersfield for almost a week in February to celebrate Maya and Ben's great grandma's life. We will miss Grandma Great very much, but we are happy she was able to meet and spend time with her great grandchildren.

In spite of the reason behind our trip, we had a great time in California. Maya and Lola picked right up where they left off from Thanksgiving, and Ben enjoyed his first trip to Bakersfield since he was 5 weeks old! 

 We spent a long morning at Murray Family Farms, outside of Bakersfield, with Benji, Amy, and Lola. There was a petting zoo, where the kids enjoyed getting up close and personal with the animals (me - not so much). There was also a giant moonbounce. Amy and I watched as the kids and Larkin and Benji jumped, ran, and had races. We weren't sure who had more fun - the kids or the dads.

All in all, it was a great trip. We had a wonderful time catching up with friends and family and sharing wonderful memories of Grandma Great!

Flower Shop

Maya is absolutely loving preschool. This session's theme is grocery store. Each center is some aspect of the grocery store (florist, deli, bakery, checkout), and the kids take turns being the customers, cashiers, and florists/bakers/etc. Here is Maya in action... the blond woman is her teacher, Ms. Amling, and the other woman is her principal, Dr. Docal.

Maya's Concert

Powell had an assembly today, and Maya was part of 5 (!) numbers. The cafeteria was hotter than heck, the kids were yelling more than singing, and Ben was screaming once Santa made his appearance - yet Larkin and I loved every minute of it!

Maya is sitting on the stage on the right of the video, next to Leydi and Jose (in a red plaid sweatshirt.)

Sorry, Santa.

Apparently Ben wasn't as big of fan of Santa as he was last year!