Happy Halloween! Maya was a giraffe this year. I have to admit I wanted to find the lion costume, because Maya has such a great "Roarrrrr" and it kind of fits her personality but they didn't have it in her size. John taught her a Giraffe sound, however, (I know - I had no idea what that would be before he suggested it...) - a smacking the lips and moving around the jaw sign as if it is eating leaves. Maya caught on quick. We spent the evening in Rockridge with her friends, Reed, Edmund and Kai and their parents. Maya loved running down the sidewalk seeing all the homes decorated and watching all the other kids in costume in the neighborhood. She also got into handing out the candy to the many trick - or - treaters that frequented our friend's home there. At what age do you give a kid a bag to collect candy? Maybe that'll start next year - eek, I don't want her eating all that sugar! I'm considering dressing her in the giraffe tomorrow too so we get a bit more mileage out of the costume. She didn't seem to mind wearing it this evening!
Last weekend, John's folks - John and Ann were in town, and Maya had a blast re-bonding with them and her aunt Sarah who she hadn't seen in a while too. We made it back up to the farm in Tilden and in typical Gearen fashion, we spent plenty of time on the tennis courts, had some lovely meals together and even got a chance to take a dip in their hotel pool, which Maya of course loved.
Maya is full of energy these days and a ton of fun. You'll see in the pictures that she's started brushing her teeth. She is not interested in her kiddie tooth brush anymore - she only goes for the adult one. Not a problem with us. Oh, and she's gotten very adept at feeding herself with a spoon. It's getting less and less messy every day. New sounds and words all the time too. Basically, she's growing up fast.
Maya has such a zeal for life and knows exactly what she wants - we need to figure out continue to encourage and cultivate that wonderful part of who she is, while also helping to create some clear boundaries.
Okay, off to bed. Here is the link to
some pictures from the last several weeks.
Today we took Maya to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. I had heard from friends that we had to check it out, and it exceeded our expectations! What a find! It is set in old army barracks at Fort Baker right by the Golden Gate Bridge near Sausalito with gorgeous views all around. 
Much of the museum is outside and there was a great "tot" area with a play stream with play fish and frogs among many other things. Maya especially loved playing splashing the water on her face and chasing after the birds (see the video in the link below) We also had fun with the hula hoops. John and I enjoyed a lovely walk up to Sausalito and back while Maya took her afternoon nap. On our way home, we picked up Cheeseboard pizza - a terrific day all around! You can check out the pictures from the day and a few from this past week here.
