A Trip to Austin aka Eating My Way into a Food Coma

I needed to go to Austin for work and since I had family that were going to be in town visiting my cousin, I decided that Max and Peter needed to come too!

Max was a great traveler on the way down (see his cute crossed feet?)

We went straight to Michelle's house so we could spend a little time with my Aunt Leanne and Uncle Clay since they would be leaving the next day when Peter and I had to work.  Max was super shy and only wanted Peter to hold him the entire time we were there.  That worried me a little bit because I was going to be leaving Max over there the next day while Peter and I had to work.  I was hoping he would have started to warm up, but no.

I was really glad I got to spend time with Clay and Leanne.  I sure love them!

We got to the hotel room late but Max still wanted to check out this new place.

What's in here?

In the morning, I nervously dropped Max off at Michelle's with her and Ashlee (I knew he'd be well taken care of, I just worried that he'd cry a ton or not take a nap or not show off his cute, fun personality and basically be a pain to take care of.)

For work, I went around with the local supervisor in the area collecting information about areas that were considered "cool" and also making purchases so they could learn about the POS system for each location.  So we were trying to buy something small from every place.  It was a really fun project for my team to do!  We were working an area that had a lot of food trucks and fun little stores.  It ended up being quite cold until later in the afternoon and I didn't bring a jacket - brrrr...

We saw this sign in a store...pretty fitting for me.  :)

Our first purchases - we split a sub sandwich, a shwarma (didn't like it), and some gumbo.  We were going for warm food and trying to warm up.  We also got some cupcakes and a water.

Here's the row of food trucks we were visiting at this location.  We got there right as they were opening.   By the time we left, this place was packed!

Next group of purchases - soda, pot stickers, and sweet potato fries

I sent Peter a picture of my lunch so he sent me a picture of his.  I win.

We continued working our way down the street (we were starting to get loaded down with bags from all the purchases)... and then hit another food truck area.  This was some sort of pizza - it was really yummy.

More food trucks

When we wrapped up, I went back to the hotel room to share the food leftovers with Peter.  There was no way I could eat everything and was sooo stuffed.  I had basically been eating my way through Austin.  Additional things pictured that I haven't mentioned yet - a sausage dog, a cactus planted in an armadillo, an amazing turkey sandwich (mouth waters just thinking about it), candy sticks, finger puppet, brownie, more water (we did lots of water because in some places it was the cheapest thing), and a canvas protector bag for a pair of shoes.  It was a crazy haul!  And the fun thing was this was WORK!  It's nice to get a fun project every once in a while.

When Peter and I were done working Michelle, Ashlee, and their families and MAX! met us at the hotel to go swimming.  Max had survived the day and even had a little fun playing with all those girls.  Unfortunately the hotel didn't heat the indoor pool (CRAZY!).  The kids braved the cold water for a few minutes but eventually couldn't take it. 

For dinner, we all went to - - - -yup, another food truck park.  You would think the thought of another food truck would make me sick at this point but NOPE.  The food trucks are all so very unique and I found that most of them had really good food.  So, I was looking forward to trying some more!  We went to one that served street tacos for dinner and then went to another one for dessert.

Waiting for dessert

The place we got dessert

It was really cold so we were grateful for a fire to stand around while we waited.

Ta-da!  Our dessert.  You can't tell, but there is a doughnut under all those toppings and it's HUGE.  It was a really yummy dessert but was super rich and so big I think I only had like a 1/4 of mine.  I enjoyed the one with chocolate and strawberries.  Peter's had chocolate, whip cream, and heath bar.

After getting the doughnuts, we took them back to Michelle's and enjoyed some good visiting for the rest of the night.

The next morning we headed back over.  The sun was shining right in Max's eyes so he must have shut them to keep it out and ended up falling asleep.  Don't you just want to kiss those soft baby eyelashes, chubby cheeks, and sweet lips?

Max enjoyed playing with this car while we enjoyed being outside in the sun!

Konrad, Kimber, Richard, Kenna, and Alli

NERTS!  Ash and I have been playing this together for over 20 years (holy cow, that makes me sound and feel old).  It really made me feel old because one of Ashlee's kids could now play with us - Sam!  Even Michelle played which made this a ton of fun.

Max would NOT stay in the wagon so we ended up handing him an iphone to play with.  He loved it and forgot about the outside world.

We walked to the park.  Max enjoyed doing his own thing on the playground.

I loved being able to spend time with my cousins and their families.  I was really pleased that the timing could work out with me needed to be in town for work.

My Kid is So Smart!

It's what all parents say, right?

I'm not just saying this though, he really is!  Max says a ton of words!  I wondered how many words an 18 month old should say.  So I googled it and apparently it should be around 12.  So while I was laying in bed one morning, I started counting how many words Max can say.  I got up to 75!!!

Good job, smarty pants Max!

In addition to that, I have been writing his name on paper and also typing it for him on the iphone/ipad.  Then I will say the letters.  He now knows the letters M, A, and X.  He points out the letter "M" in books all the time and most of the time he points out A and X as well.

Also I gave up the little baby toothbrush you wear on your thumb and we have gone with a big kid style toothbrush.  He hates it but I hated getting bit with the old baby toothbrush so he's just going to have to like it.

18 months old!

First, A few pics from the days leading up to Max's big day...turning 18 months old!

More fun with play dough

This is my side yard.  The spot in the middle that's all green?  Yeah, that's not grass.  It's weeds.  We have had lots of problems with weeds in our new lawn.  I don't know if that's normal with new laws but it's the norm around my neighborhood.  The lot next to us is still open which just makes the weed problem worse.  If it's a sunny day and I have any free time, I LOVE to weed.  I am working hard to get them all from my lawn in the front and backyard but it's a major task.  The bag is filled with all the weeds I had pulled so far. 

I want to have a weed free lawn and take a lot of pride in the state of my lawn when driving around my neighborhood and seeing that my lawn is one of the most weed free lawns out there.  I can spend hours out there at a time and usually only stop when my hands are raw, my back hurts, or Peter's ready for me to be done. 

I find weeding extremely rewarding because you have immediate result to enjoy after your hard work.  I remember growing up when my dad would pay me 5 cents a weed to go into the backyard and pulls some weeds.   I wish someone would give me that deal now!

Max didn't want to take a nap but I got him to fall asleep next to me.  Pure happiness for this Momma!

Here's a few videos to catch up on some of the things he's doing lately.

Video - Have I mentioned how cute I think it is when Max calls his daddy, "Peter"?  It's usually when he wants something.

Video - I let Max enjoy a little bit of heaven.  Homemade raspberry jam on white bread.  He has had a slice of white bread maybe 3 times in his life.  He LOVED the jam.  I thought the way he was enjoying it was pretty funny.

Video - Max can now blow kisses.

Bath time

CUUUUUUUUTE!!!  His big smile with my favorite dimple on display.

This is the day he turned 1 1/2.

Dumping everything out.  Joy.

Max loves bubble time during his gym class.

Unfortunately he's not always happy and I seem to be getting this face more often.  I can tell he's whining at this moment just by looking at that expression. Oh well, I guess that comes with the territory when you have an 18 month old!!!

This bush by my door has starting blooming with these vibrant pink flowers.  I love it and it makes me yearn for spring to get here!!

Here's a recap of Max at 18 months:

What a fun little boy. He's happy, playful, curious, sweet, shy, with a little bit of feisty thrown in.

He sleeps until somewhere between 6:30 and 7 am. Lately he's been waking up with either a wet diaper that's leaked or a dirty diaper that's leaked. No fun! So we will be moving up to the next size of diapers as soon as Amazon delivers them. When he wakes up he usually stays in his bed for awhile tossing and drifting back to sleep and then walking up and talking and then drifting back to sleep... once he's up for good then he stands up the pack-n-play, holding on to his blanket (the brown one Aja knit for him) and calls out for Peter or I. Yes, he's still in a pack-n-play. We still haven't made the switch to his crib. I just don't like the idea of him being so far away from me. I want to be able to hear him stir in the night and be able to immediately check on him. I want to wake up to his sweet babbling. I want to be able to walk 5 steps at night and put my hand on his back to feel his breathing. He's a sweet sleeper and typically is on his belly with his bum in the air and one arm wrapped around his brown blanket, his blue blanket, or both.

Max really likes to have things wrapped around the back of his neck and hanging down the front of him, like a Doctor would do with a stethoscope - for example a scarf. He really likes to do it with headphones from Peter's ipad but typically when I catch him doing that with those, I take them away. I worry about them getting wrapped all the way around his neck and choking him. A few times I have caught him sleeping with his blanket wrapped around the back of his neck while he is sleeping on his belly. It makes me nervous so I will remove it if I see him sleeping like that.

In the morning Max is addicted to the iPad. He wants to play with it immediately when we get him out of bed. He gets so excited over it. I wish he wasn't so attached to it but allow it because it keeps him busy and out of trouble while we get ready in the morning. He's amazing with the iPad and knows how to get to games he likes to play, his Baby Einstein Farm video, listen to music, etc. Most of the time he hops from one thing to another without staying on anything too long.

A typical snack before going to Brittany's would be some dry Quaker Oatmeal Squares and some Organic Whole Milk in a sippy cup.

He has just started sleeping in the pack-n-play at Brittany's rather than the swing. That means that he usually won't take a second nap nor is his first nap as long as it's been previously, but it's good to get him out of the swing. So now his naps last 1 1/2 - 2 hrs in the morning at around 10 or 10:30. If Britt's lucky enough to get him to take an afternoon nap, that one usually is a shorter nap like 30 minutes.

Max loves going to Brittany's. He loves Landen and Hayden so much, and Brittany too. He plays well with them but we are now needing to work on sharing. If he doesn't get what he wants his usual reaction is to start screaming - not a loud high-pitched scream but more of a grunt scream.

Max's favorite foods - plain yogurt, bananas, applesauce, wheat bread, pizza, scrambled eggs, Quaker Oatmeal Squares Cereal, Carrot/Apple Fiddlesticks. He is pretty much going to eat these whenever offered. He drinks only milk or water, we don't give him juice (I think juice isn't a good source of nutrition and typically too much sugar and calories.) Other foods that he will eat sometimes - tilapia with quinoa and broccoli, spaghetti, sweet potatoes, strawberries, apples, pickles, bean burrito, chicken, turkey, rice, hamburger, oatmeal. He doesn't like vegetables. If it's green he isn't going to touch it. He's really pretty picky and just because he ate something yesterday doesn't mean he will eat it today. That is super frustrating. I would like him to eat more protein and vegetables and less starches and fruits. I will keep trying and hopefully one day he will be open to eating things that he hasn't been lately.

Max is so short that he is still in his infant carrier car seat. Although I think it's time to move him up to a bigger (rear-facing still) car seat.

He LOVES to read books both on his own and have them read to him. Lately he loves "Animal Serenade" (A Kindermusik book that has both spoken word and songs), "Snuggle Puppy" (Valentine's present from mom - also is both words and singing), "123 Numbers", and Dr. Seuss's ABC book. These are staples at bedtime and it's common for Max to request them to be read multiple times each.

He isn't too interested in toys lately. He does like to play with his shape sorter, blocks, and his slide. He's getting good at the Melissa and Doug early puzzles (putting the specific shape where it goes) and has finally mastered how to rotate a piece until it fits. He likes playing with things that aren't traditional "toys" - like remotes or bottles in the bathroom, etc.

He can identify the letters "M" "A" and "X".

He's a boy...which means I have to keep his hands busy holding a toy during diaper changes or his hands are immediately reaching for his penis. This can be a really bad thing depending on the level of dirty diaper. He knows (and can say) his head, hair, ears, eyes, nose (eyes and nose are his favorite -he's always pointing them out on himself, us, pictures, toys, etc), cheeks, chin, mouth, teeth, tongue, chest, fingers, toes, belly, bellybutton, penis, knees, feet, hands, and elbow.

He loves being outside so I am looking forward to the weather being consistently warm so he can spend more time outside.

He is such a daddy's boy. He loves to be by daddy, sit by daddy, cuddle with daddy, follow daddy, have daddy read to him, etc. He gives me good hugs though. I will kneel down, throw my arms open, ask for a hug and he will run full-out in my arms and give me a hug.

He is a great listener and follows directions most of the time. He is polite and says please and thank you frequently. I try to let him help with tasks around the house whenever I can whether it's letting him push the wet clothes into the dryer when doing laundry, throwing diapers/tissues/etc away in the garbage, picking up his toys, wiping up spills on the floor, etc. He's a great kid!!!

He's gotten picky in the car with what music he wants to listen to. He now has started to scream if a song comes on he doesn't want to listen to so I have been working with him to say "change" instead of screaming. So we'll be listening to his Kindermusik C.D. and a new song will come on and I will quickly hear "change" from the backseat.

I am loving this age because he's so much fun to play with. He talks a lot and while you can't understand all of it, you can understand a bunch and so I feel like it's easy to communicate with him. He is really well behaved and listens. He has his moments where the attitude comes out but most of the time even that's cute. You'll ask him if he wants something and he'll go "nope" and shake his head. He picks up new words and skills every day it seems! I just cherish this boy and am so grateful to have him in our lives. I love him so much that there are times after he's gone to bed that I miss him and just want to go wake him back up again so I can spend more time with him.

I love my 18 month old Maxwell Charles!

Valentines Day 2013

Happy Valentines Day!!!  It was a pretty low-key holiday for us.  We are taking it easy on holidays because we want to go on a nice vacation for our upcoming 10 yr anniversary.

For Valentine's Day, I picked up a special dinner for Peter made up of many of his favorite foods...

Lettuce Wraps, Wonton Soup, and Fried Rice from Pei Wei

Heart-shaped Pizza and a dessert pizza from Papa Johns

Max enjoyed the iPad

For Valentine's Day I gave Max a new booked called "Snuggle Puppy"

Beating Dad up with the book

Reading nursery rhymes with Dad

Pat-a-cake

I'm a little teapot

Round and round the garden...went the teddy bear...one step...two steps...tickle you under there!

I am so blessed to have two such fantastic boys as my valentines.  There is a lot of love in our home.  My little family has exceeded my expectations. 

February fun

February, while being pretty brown, usually has some nice days for getting out and enjoying the sun.

We went to the park with Britt's family.



Video - Playing with Dad at the park.  Funny how Peter can't walk when dizzy but Max has no problem.  

Hayden climbed up there by himself.  Sheesh - boys are scary!  What am I going to do when Max is old enough to do this?!

We celebrated Hayden and Landen's Birthday!

Max enjoying the birthday brownie.

Presents!

Max played a little bit with the play dough.

I got a haircut!  It's been over a year (yikes) since I'd gotten my hair done.

I love it when he's happy.

Look at those cheeks.  Chunky monkey.

Max did NOT want to take a picture with Momma.

Doing the stairs by himself at his gym class.

Riding the zipline.  I didn't think he'd do this since he is such a chicken but he actually did it - twice!

These type of pictures are showing up more and more on my phone.  If I hand it over to him to appease him, even though I have a password on it, he can still take pictures.

He really likes playing in the swing after he wakes up when I'm there.

Look how long his legs are  - maybe he's growing!  This is how he sleeps at Brittany's.

And this is how he sleeps at home - in his sleep sack, with his two blankies.