Surprise visitor

As I type, I have received a visit from a surprise guest who was put in bed two hours ago...

Off to bed we go!

SNOW....in October?

On Saturday it snowed. 

We didn't get nearly the amount of snow that some places saw, but still!  Snow in October, really?  Despite the fact that the snow came early it was pretty when it was falling.  I am predicting lots of snow this year and lots of snow days!!!





Winding October Down...

It's Halloween-the last day of October.  These months are flying!  As a child my father told me that time would move faster as I got older.  He definitely knew what he was talking about!

Trick-or-Treating with Nya was definitely a success!  We went to Bowie Town Center and it was absolutely perfect for her!  It started at 5 PM.  By 6, Nya was tired and admitted that she was ready to go! 

Nya picked out this dragon costume from TJMaxx.  Great deal for $20!

Scary dragon...

On our way out the door...Nya helped me carve the pumpkins today.  Next year I am definitely buying one of those pumpkin carving kits!

Our first store was Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  At first Nya was afraid to ask the masked man for candy.

Nya told me that this was the best Halloween ever (not that she clearly remembers any of the other years)!

Checkin' out her goodies...

Nya was determined to fill up her basket.  By the time it was filled a little more than halfway she was ready to leave.  It was a long day for her!

Nya wanted to help light the candles.  That wasn't happening so I let her hold the lighter.  It has a safety lock so she wasn't able to ignite the flame.

I can't believe that this is the fourth year that my baby has celebrated Halloween!  Each year is more fun because she is growing up and able to experience it more.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!

Christmas is in the Air...

I can't believe how fast the holidays are approaching.  I love this time of year.  The Christmas season is my favorite.  I enjoy it even more now that I can feel the excitement through Nya.  Here are Nya's pictures with Santa from the last two years.  I can't believe that I sat on Santa's lap the first year!

A Nya Nugget

Some mornings are easy getting out the house and some...well, not so easy.  Yesterday was one of those mornings.  Nya fought me every step of the way.  She didn't want to get up.  She didn't want to get dressed.  She whined about brushing her teeth.  She cried because I wouldn't let her have chocolate milk.  In the car she whined about the traffic.  On and on and on....By the time we got to her school, I was so relieved!  Well, I kissed her goodbye and told her that I loved her.  As I was leaving, she said, "I love you, Mama.  Drive carefully!"  Awwwwww...warm my heart.  The drama is worth it in the end.

“Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.” ....William Cullen Bryant

I think that fall may be my favorite time of the year.  It's not too hot...not too cold...and not so many buzzing insects!  Those who know me know that I cannot stand the buzzing of flies and bees in my ears during the summer months.  Fall provides some relief from that.  I know it's silly.

We were so lucky to have a 3 day weekend!  There was no school on Friday for Nya or myself.  We decided to spend the weekend with Lauren and we really enjoyed our time together!

Saturday morning we went to Larriland Farm.  It was great!  We picked more pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, rode the hayride, and picked a bunch of apples from the orchard!  It was a perfect fall day and included popcorn, apple cider, and apple fritters!

Aunt Lauren had fun on the hayride too!

Nya was happy to see Pooh on the hayride trail.

Bedtime silliness...

"But Mom, I'm not tired..."

 

Posing for the camera prolongs the bedtime process...

On Sunday night Kwesi got a cozy fire going for all of us...the best...zzzzzzzzzzzz...what a great way to end the weekend.



Pepper and Chuchu love autumn, too!

How cute is Nya's teeny tiny apple from the orchard?





Loved ones...

I was really saddened about the news that the body of little William McQuain was found today:  http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-20121985-504083.html.
I have been following this story and was holding out hope for the slim chances that he would be found alive.  As a mother and a teacher, I am sickened when I hear about people murdering innocent children.  It's just despicable.  Women-we must always be careful about who we allow into our children's lives.  They count on us to keep them as safe as possible.  May this little boy and his mother rest in peace together...

This event makes me take the time to reflect on the importance of family and loved ones.  It's OK to let our loved ones know how much they mean to us.  It's OK to hold them tight and keep them close.  Life is short and we need to enjoy every moment that we have with one another.

To my babygirl, Nya-I love you so much.  I am in love with you!  You are my best girl.

To my hubby, Kwesi-Thank you for being by my side.  We have had our good times and tough times.  Love you, Stinks!  I can't believe this day took place six and a half years ago!

To my mom and dad-I love you both so much!  Thank you for always being there for me.  Thank you for showing me what it means to build a strong family.  What a blessing that you are getting ready to celebrate 40 years of marriage!

Sis-You are the best sister and best friend a girl could ever ask for!  Love you!

Much love to the rest of our extended Hutcherson, Boyd, and Walker family and friends.  Love you all!!!

And I can't forget about our baby girl, Chuchu.  She is doing so great!  2 weeks after surgery and she is amazing!

Be sure to hold someone you love close tonight.  Tell them you love them every day.  Love you!

Dance Class!

My sweet sister came to see Nya at her dance class today.  We were so happy to see her!  Nya was surprised.  We love you, Lauren!

Lauren was impressed with how well all of the little girls listen to the dance instructor (even Nya listens well).  I can't wait for the spring recital.

It's The Weekend!

Yay!  The weekend has finally arrived!  The weeks have been flying by but this week felt particularly long and I only worked four days.  Nya was sick on Monday so I took her to the doctor's.  She was wheezing but received a breathing treatment and is doing much better now.  Thank goodness!

Yesterday I received an email from the Anderson Cooper show.  They gave me three tickets to a taping of the show in NYC on 11/4.  Exciting!  The hubby and sis are going with me.  It should be fun.  We are trying to arrange our travel plans now.  Thanks to Mom and Pops for offering to look after Nya.  She will love the time with Grammie and PapPap.

I learned something interesting today.  You have heard of wine in a box before, right?  I personally can't stand it.  The interesting thing is that there are also mixed drinks in a box.  Crazy!  Kwesi and I love our mojitos and he went to buy some mix this evening.  He came back with a Mojito in a Box by Cruzan...

It was OK.  Not great and we agreed that we probably would not purchase it again, but it was something different to try. 

Tomorrow Kwesi is going fishing for the first time in months.

 I hope he enjoys his time and I have to figure out what me and the little one will get into...


Oh and did any of you hear about the ghetto fight at the Walmart near where we used to live in Baltimore:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44828381/ns/us_news-life/#.TpC4z0-Ewcx

Another thing that confirmed why we got the hell out of there last spring!

A Nya Nugget

I am always telling people that my baby girl Nya is one piece of work.  She often says things that really catch me off guard.  I am usually pretty startled or even mad at first, but when I think about these episodes later, they usually make me giggle.  Yesterday, for example, we were driving in the car on our way to school/work.  We usually listen to the classical music station WETA, 90.9, because I enjoy knowing that I can keep one thing calm in the morning and that's the music.  Well we were riding along quietly and then I began to feel guilty that we weren't having a conversation.  So I tried to start one up.  Me:  Hey Naybird!  What are you thinking about?  What do you see this morning?  Nya:  Mom-Why are you talking to me?  I'm trying to BELAX (relax)! 

aaaaahhhhh...My Nya Nugget of the day...

A Beautiful, Productive, Stay-at-Home Kind of Day...

Today is another beautiful day in Maryland!  We are so thankful.  I am feeling much better today.  Nya is about the same but you wouldn't know she was sick considering her activity level.  Busy as ever!  I am taking advantage of today to get us ready for the week.  I woke up early to make Nya a tutu.  For a first attempt, I don't think it turned out half bad!  She loves it.

  I am definitely going to make more in the future.  It is quick and fun to do!
















With all the apples we picked out yesterday, I made an apple crisp.

I am really enjoying this blogging thing.  It makes me want to invest in a better camera so that I can take better pics.  Any suggestions for cameras I should consider?

A Beautiful Saturday in October

Yesterday’s weather was amazing! I mean truly amazing and best of all, it was Saturday! Nya and I are both trying to fight off our colds, but yesterday was too beautiful to waste the day in the house. The first place we went was to the pumpkin patch at Queen Anne Farm (http://queenannefarm.com) in Mitchellville. It was really quaint.

Not as big as Clark’s Elioak Farm (http://clarklandfarm.com) in Howard County, but still very cute. They offer hayrides around the pumpkin patch for just $1.50. Since daddy wasn’t with us, we opted not to take the hayride since that is something that we like to do with him. Nya had a great time picking out our pumpkins. She chose three and did a great job of helping me lift them into the wagon.

After we picked our pumpkins, we checked out their selection of apples-only $0.59/pound! Nya couldn’t wait to try one. Today I plan to make a batch of apple crisp and we should have enough apples left over for lunches this week.

After we left the pumpkin patch, we headed over to the new Dutch Market Village in Upper Marlboro. It was packed as they always are. They offer the usual selection of fresh meats, fresh produce, candies, nuts, baked goods, amazing pretzels, and furniture. Since it was so busy and my Nay-bird was a little cranky, we only purchased a pound of mini-carrots. Nya was so excited to have her favorite vegetable. She couldn’t wait to open them up in the car. Boy, they were really sweet, too.

  
At this point, I wasn’t sure whether or not we should head over to Montpelier farm (http://montpelierfarms.com) in Upper Marlboro. It looks like a really cool place. They charge $10 for adults, $8 for kids and are free for those 2 and under. The admission price includes lots of different activities such as the hayride, corn maze, kids corral and more. Activities such as the moon bounce are an additional fee. I opted to forgo this farm for the day and hope we can get there before Halloween.

My girl and I continued on with our errands at a few stores. I am planning to make her a tutu within the next week and when I do, pics will be posted. It looks really easy from what I have read online. So we went to Hancock Fabrics where we purchased some tulle, elastic, and sewing scissors. Nya helped me pick the tulle colors. She chose red and yellow. I think it will turn out nice.

Once we finished up at the fabric store, we visited the Halloween store. Nya is at an age where Halloween is definitely a little scary for her. She could not stop staring at the Freddy Krueger character. I must admit that he gave me the creeps as well.

Finally, we finished up our day at the new BJ’s. Nya was happy because they offered the carts with the car attachments for kids.

I was hoping to crash last night. I slept well for a while, but Nya woke me up with her coughing around 3:30 and I haven’t been able to go back to sleep since….