Tonight I’ll Take What I Can Get

So tonight we had the Cuellar family over for dinner. When our families get together there are more kids than adults (although Summer might argue that point). Heather and Jimmy have four kids; Summer, who is 13 and a full on teenager, Ryan, who is ten and totally into video games, Camden, who is two and until recently been quite mischievous, and Kyden, who is one and still very mischievous (but in his defense gives the best hugs ever).

Tonight I want to talk about Camden. Camden has always disliked me…or feared me…or something. For his first year of life he would scream wildly if I got within three feet of him. We’ve made a little progress, but I still think he would prefer if I were not around. So I wasn’t too surprised tonight when they arrived and Camden refused to give me five, leaving me holding my hand out like a moron (traumatic memories of elementary school came rushing back…at least he didn’t point and laugh). I came in to check my email while the whole group went out front to shoot some pictures. When I got out there Amy was trying to get some shots of Summer and Ryan together. Camden was perched next to them (but not in Amy’s picture), so I sat down right next to him and began shooting away. I was shooting with a Sigma 30mm f1.4, so for these shots I was basically sitting right next to him. Not only did he not run he really interacted with me, laughing at me and being playful in general. This may not seem like much, but we have a history. I thoroughly enjoyed our couple of minutes on the curb together, and look forward to a future where we might be able to ride in the same car, or maybe even watch an entire movie together. Seriously, Camden is a great kid with a great little personality and I do look forward to getting to know him even more.

This first shot has Summer and Ryan in the background, and Maya in the far background. You can hardly see Maya, she looks like a little rainbow blob (she picked out her own clothes tonight).





Later when they were leaving I went for the goodbye hug, only to be denied, but hey, tonight I’ll take what I can get.

Maya's Birthday Extravaganza

Last Saturday was Maya's fourth birthday party. It was quite an extravaganza. She chose pizza from CiCi's and a Dora the Explorer theme. Amy made her cake as always, and we had a piñata filled with treats. All in all it was great birthday fun. I juggled hosting duties and photography duties so the shots aren't great (it was a mad house), but there are some pretty decent snap shots in here. On to the pictures.

Look at the birthday girl. She's all decked out!



Amy helped Maya open her presents, which means she made sure Maya was aware of who gave her the gifts she so voraciously tore into.




Maya loves dress up dresses and princess attire. She received two princess night gowns and was quite proud of both.






Emma had fun watching Maya. I think she knew she would get to enjoy the new stuff as well.



Ryan and Luke took a break from playing the Wii to join the festivities.



Camden and Kyden also added alot to the party...alot of volume. I think the boys had a good time.





Rob, Robert, Alison, Noriel, and Josie also made the party more fun.






Amy took a picture of my sisters and I. Sorry Caitlan, you've been replaced.



Amy puts the finishing touches on the cake. She's such a great mom!



These last three show Maya blowing out her candles. She turned four in style!

My Little Papaya

No matter how old Maya is she will always be my little Maya papaya. It is incredible how different she is from Emma. Everything she does is full of her little personality. Maya brings pure joy into my life.

You should know that cleaning or picking up after herself is not Maya’s strongest quality. She can literally get distracted while walking across the room to put one thing away. The other day I asked her to pick up all the things that belonged on her bed and put them there. This consisted of one small pillow and two small blankets. This task was completed in a record fifteen minutes with her asking me at least three times “What was my job again?” Emma once said, “God didn’t make Maya to clean, only to play.”

Maya has a very active imagination. I have been privileged enough to attend multiple “weddings” this year. These usually consist of her dressed up as a princess marching down our living room rug (which is red…I’ve determined she thinks it is her red carpet) and then dancing a special dance with her two-foot tall Diego doll. Maya also loves her dollhouse and can spend hours making up her own world in her room. The detail that she puts into her arrangement of the dollhouse is amazing. I have a project that Maya made in pre-school that is now on display in my office. It is entitled “The Burning Bush” and is a green piece of construction paper with twigs and red and orange paper glued to it. Each twig is carefully and artistically placed in the right spot. That picture always brings a smile to my face.

Also, Maya is one of the most giving people I have ever met. She will literally give you anything if she thinks it will make you happy. She is always willing to share with her sister, and always wants to make sure her sister gets whatever she does. What kid does that? If Emma is upset, Maya will offer her most prized possession to try to make it better. Her attitude inspires me.



This is a picture I took of Maya at her birthday party.



Whether she’s making a joke and laughing hysterically at herself or simply walking across the room in her newest favorite princess dress, she makes my cares melt away.