Saturday, July 13, 2013

Beginning of April

April is here!  I love springtime in Dallas.  Things are getting busy at work.  I am missing lunches with Max at Brittany's due to meetings.  That makes me really sad.  I am grateful though that I was able to do it for this long. It sure made my days go by faster, me miss Max a little less, and feel a little less guilty for choosing to work (even though I know that it's the right choice for me and my family, it's still hard to leave Max).

Sorry, Max.  You're too little for that big bike!


Happy kid that doesn't stay still for long.  Most pictures I take of Max are blurry.  I have to take like 10 before I get one that works.


This is his "blankie" for Brittany's

Faster than a speeding bullet...


Movie - Max and Landen love running across the room from the TV stand to the couch.  This is a common game.  They tend to be territorial and fight over who stands where.  I think it's really cute how in the video, Landen mimics Maxwell and stands with his hands behind his back.

Good morning cuddles with Daddy!

Notice the wound on his head?  Yeah, wounds happen more frequently now.  He is becoming more daring which means he sometimes gets hurt despite my best efforts.

Movie - I enjoy getting out and enjoying the weather by going on walks.  We brought Max's scooter on the walk along with the stroller because we figured he wouldn't last the entire walk on the scooter.  It takes work to ride his bike like this!  I think it's pretty cute how he pulls the handlebar right up to his belly.


Movie - We had to stop our walk to enjoy the puddles.  Max loves to splash.

I found this cross stitch when I was going through some boxes.  This was made for me by my favorite AUSTRIAN nanny, Monika.  I believe it was sometime around 1989?  Anyway, I still have it.  She made one for each of us kids.  I love that I have been able to reconnect with her through Facebook.  I was able to visit her in Germany when Kimberly was stationed there.  I really would like to take Max and Peter over there to meet her.


Wanting to climb on the table

Momma and Max!

Don't you just love that look of pure joy on his face? (or the double chins - which is what Peter noticed)

Pretty Cool Cousins

He's enjoying playing with cars


Here is an update on Max as of April 3rd -

  • He is more cuddly and affectionate now than he has been in the past.  When you hold him, he will put his head on your shoulder.  When he gets a sippy cup with milk in it, he wants you to pick him up and hold him in your arms, laying down, like a baby. He will come up and hug your leg.  He will walk with me and hold one or two of my hands sometimes. If either Peter or I are sitting on the floor, he will come up to us and either sit in our lap, lay next to us, or if we are laying on our stomachs he will sit right under our face so he can be close.
  • He gives kisses and cheek smooshes.
  • Whoever is reading to him at night will be the one he will cuddle with.
  • He is starting to say "love you".
  • He gives hugs to Landen and Hayden, it's super sweet.
  • He is really good at his Melissa and Doug vehicle and animal puzzles.
  • He is always up to watch a movie or TV and asks frequently (we don't give in frequently). His favorite movie is Tangled.
  • He enjoys playing with his blocks, reading books, and being outside.
  • We have started giving him his liquid vitamins in his morning milk because his teeth were starting to get a grayish tint.  That can come from either the antibiotics he was on for his ear infection or from vitamins that have iron (which he takes).  So we followed his pediatrician's advice and diluted it in his milk.  We also rubbed his teeth with a baking soda and water paste a few times.  It worked awesomely but it was nasty so we had to hold him down and force him to let us do it.  :(  I was glad that the gray teeth weren't permanent!
Another update as of April 8th - 
  • He has been FEISTY over the past week.  I don't know what is going on with him!  He has scratched my arm and my neck.  He has hit and pinched me.  He BIT me today!  Each time I have told him that it's not okay and made him tell me he's sorry, which he does.  I think we are going to have to figure out either "time outs" or how we want to discipline.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Easter 2013

Happy Easter!

Easter breakfast

Max got a variety of things in his eggs - Pretzels, Swedish Fish jelly eggs, marshmallow bunnies

Max's Easter basket

The eggs were hidden during Max's morning nap

When he woke up, Max went on his egg hunt.  For the first few he stopped to open them up and see (eat) what was inside

Notice the opened eggs and candy strewn about?  They never made it to the basket.

Once we got him to carry the basket he did a better job of putting the eggs in the it.



Movie - Max got the hang of it.

That's a lot of eggs!


Nap time - we got him to sleep in his crib in his room!!!!!! (Bum in the air, head in the corner)

I made another batch of the robin's nests and Easter baskets. 

We gave this plate to our next door neighbors.  They were so sweet and brought Max an Easter basket filled with things appropriate for him.  We are so blessed to have such kind and great neighbors.

Movie - Max "riding" his bike

Family dinner

Ham with a brown sugar/mustard glaze, deviled eggs, rolls, asparagus, and funeral potatoes (which were a FAIL!  grrrr...they sounded so good)

Max LOVED the ham!

Family pic - Joe, Hayden, Landen, and Britt

Family pic

Daddy kisses

Hey dad - don't kiss me!

Happy family.  It is awesome to be a family!

We found a visitor in our yard - - A BUNNY!!!!
This is the first bunny we've seen in our yard.  I thought it must be a good lucky sign that we saw the bunny on Easter.

Bunny hanging out by the grill

Hayden tried to touch him and he ran off

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Easter Egg Hunts!

Easter is coming and I was in the spirit this year!

I made these little Easter basket treats

Max had another follow up Dr. visit for his ear infections.  It was a successful visit!  No more ear infections!


Max getting musical at Brittany's

We played outside while Joe's dad and sister let the Easter Bunny in to hide some eggs.



Max was being quite silly.

Once he found one egg, Max was only concerned with what was inside that egg.  He didn't want to keep looking for more eggs.

He loved what he found inside the egg. 
It was so nice of Joe's family to involve Max in this early Easter Egg hunt!  They really embraced him while they were here like one of their own.

The neighborhood view - still a work in progress.




On March 30th we went to a neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.  I found 3 Easter baskets for Max that I liked.  1 for Easter day for the Easter Bunny to fill up and then the other baskets were for the outside egg hunt but I couldn't decide which one I liked more so I got both of them.  Max wanted to bring them both to the hunt.

Max and his 2 baskets.

Playing.  There was a big turnout from the neighborhood!

Picking up his first egg.  Of course he had to stop and open it up before doing anything else. (He ended up using the pirate basket and we shared the other basket with another child.  It was perfect.)


He eventually stopped trying to open each egg and instead started looking for eggs.

Found one!



Daddy was a great helper so Momma could take pictures.
Enjoying pizza at the party.


He was happy about his eggs.