Bog, Adios, Ciao and Goodbye Friends!

Alright ladies and gentlemen... as you all know it has been over 2 months since my last update. I have found keeping up with the blog, going back to work, taking on a second job (I've started my own business and partnered up with Creative Memories - a scrapbooking and photo organization company) and not being home with Maja every day has made keeping up with the blog difficult. So it is with mixed feelings that I am updating the blog for the last time tonight (wow... I almost feel like crying as I type that). I'll leave the website up and running for you to look at until the end of October at which time I'm going to delete it. I love and appreciate that all of you have followed Maja's Misadventures over the past two years and even my pregnancy the 10 months before that. So thank you for reading, for looking, for commenting and most of all for caring. It has been a slice! :)

So you may all be wondering what in the world have we been up to for the summer (I can't believe it's almost the end of September already - where does the time go?!?). Well, I've gone through the almost 1,000 photos that have been taken since I last updated (I know, I know...) and have come up with 20 of my favourites. Here they are each with a little snippet of what they're about...

Maja, Christine & Dash have continued to have the odd playdate here and there - although definitely not as frequently as they were when Steph & I were on mat-leave together. Don't you hate how work gets in the way of life?!? Here is a shot of Maja all dressed up at one of those playdates. Maja went into one of the bedrooms and came out like this. Steph repeatedly tried to convince me that those were actually Dash's toys, not hers and Bens, but I don't know that I buy that! :)
Here's a cute shot of Maja & Christine (aka Super Girl) reaching out to each other through the window as we left from that playdate...
On the days that I'm working from home, Maja and I will often sit out on the front steps waiting for Marvin to come home from work. Here's a shot of Maja with her Little People family (aka her "flamly" as she calls them) waiting on the front steps for Marvin...
Maja on her Blackberry (aka egg timer) one Saturday morning - almost looks like she's just discovered that she's double booked herself again...
Marvin & I had tickets to TFC again this year and were finally able to coincide nice weather, an afternoon game and a non-cranky Maja and were able to go to a game as a family. Here's a shot one of the other fans took of us (I'd like to pretend that Maja was actually whistling, but really she's just chomping on her fingers again)...
We have also spent many a Saturday morning / afternoon down along the lake front visiting Teta Linda this summer. Here's a shot of Maja taking a picture of Teta Linda with her camera (aka her sunglasses)...

Maja has also developed a keen interest in gardening, so long as it's while resting on Marvin's back while he does all the work...
Almost a month ago now, Maja turned the bid ol' ripe age of 2! I can't believe how long ago, and how not so long ago at the same time, it was that she was born. She has turned into quite the young lady and I can't picture my life without her. This year, instead of having the big to-do that we did last year, we opted for just having family over for dinner on her actual birthday. Here's a shot of Maja modelling the lovely jewellery that Auntie, Uncle Mike, Will, Graham, Peter and Anna gave her (I swear I saw an actual transformation in her attitude as soon as she was all dressed up - she's definitely got a bit of diva in her)...
After Maja's birthday, Marvin, Maja & I headed up to Wasaga Beach for a week (we were lucky enough to borrow a friend's cottage) and had a great time! While we were up there, Bakica came up for a visit. Here's a shot of Maja & Bakica hanging out on the beach building a sand castle together one afternoon...
Because the weather wasn't the greatest, we took advantage of whatever sun we could get, even if it meant getting to the beach first thing in the morning (which is actually a very peaceful time of day). Here's a shot of Maja & Pedro going for a stroll in the undisturbed sand along the shore...
A great shot of Marvin eating Maja's neck for a snack one afternoon...

Another one of the days we were up at the cottage, Grandma & Grandpa came by too. Here's a nice shot of Maja giving Grandma a clean bill of health thanks to the great doctor's set that Pete, Liz, Mark and Sophia got her for her birthday...
A shot of Grandpa & Maja having a heart-to-heart along the beach that same afternoon...
I love this next shot. As you all know, Maja has many friends but her bestest friend ever and her very first best friend is the great little bunny Teta Linda got her from Ikea, Pedro. Well, these days Maja has been bringing Pedro along with her everywhere she goes (I love listening to them "chat" when they don't know I'm listening - even if it is one-sided). Anyhow, while we were up at the cottage we spotted a gift shop called Pedro's! Who knew a bunny had such good business sense?!? Well, all we had to do was show Maja that Pedro had his own store and for the rest of the week anytime she saw the store she got all excited. Here she is running to Pedro's store with Pedro tightly clutched in her hand over come with excitement...
When we got home, we had a few more birthday gifts to open up. Here's a shot of Maja opening up the uber-cool Puma shoes that Teta Linda bought for her (that's a look of complete excitement, not fear by the way)...
I know I've said this many times before, but this next picture has to be one of my absolute favourite ones of Maja. She was just hanging out in the kitchen wearing her "cowboy Jimmy" hat that Auntie gave her for her birthday when I asked her to turn around and smile for me - love it...

One afternoon while Grandma was over, I heard a lot of laughing coming from downstairs - what a great sound that is. I later found out that this is why (that's a red Playdoh nose). She cracks me up this kid and your timing is impeccable Grandma...
After the Playdoh session was over, Maja snuck upstairs and hid from Grandma & I. As we walked into the living room, here's what we found - Maja hiding in a box...
Here's a shot of our Roman-Maja modelling the latest in post-bathtime fashion and sporting a nice up-do a la Grandma - there were at least 9 clips in her hair here and she loved it...
The months of August and September are full of birthdays for us. Because I haven't updated the blog in so long I've missed a lot of them. So I'm going to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy Belated Birthday... Happy Belated Birthday David (August 12th), Liam (August 16th), Maja, Maja G and Grandma (August 23rd), Stewart, Marina & Anna (September 6th), Auntie (September 12th), Emily (September 13th) and Grandpa (September 16th). I'd also like to wish an early Happy Birthday to a couple of people... Happy Early Birthday Sara (September 24th), Peter (September 27th) and Christine (October 8th). In addition to birthdays, there were some anniversaries too... so Happy Belated Anniversary to Auntie & Uncle Mike (August 24th - 12 years) and Grandma & Grandpa (39 years - September 6th) and a Happy Early Anniversary to Steph & Ben (September 26th - 10 years)! Phew... see what I mean?!? I'm sorry if I missed anyone!

As it turns out, Maja wasn't able to see Grandpa on his actual birthday so we headed out there last Thursday to take him out for some ice cream. Here's a cute shot of Maja walking up Grandpa's front steps about to ring the door bell and wish him a Happy Birthday complete with birthday hat, pretend ice cream and little Grandpa in tow...
Well folks... that's all the photos I have for you. :( Again, thank you all so much for following along and watching our beautiful little baby turn into the wonderful little girl that she is today. I hope you all had as much fun watching as I did telling. And of course, what would the end of Maja's blog be without a special message from Miss Maja herself (in the first video she's saying "I hope you had fun")...