Thursday, May 5, 2016

December is here!

Not quite a milk mustache...but a whipped-cream-on-top-of-egg nog mustache :)

Woah - - putting up the Christmas tree at the beginning of December?  I must be on the ball this year.

Emmalyn put up a few ornaments... and took down a bunch...and put up a few...and took down a bunch...

Maxwell helped out almost the whole time.  It was funny having him help this year instead of just stressful.

Maxwell calls this our "fake Christmas tree".  He's very specific.  Ha!


Putting the star on the top

Emmalyn playing at the little playground at the mall with Brittany during the day

Waiting for his flu shot

Video - (Even if you don't normally watch my videos, you should watch this one!) Max is initially happy about getting his flu shot... until he connects the dots and realizes it will be like the *4* shots he had to get during his 4 year check up.  I think he's still traumatized from that.

He did a good job, whimpered and cried just a little but got over it very quickly!

I had an end of the year meeting for work in Cincinnati.  We had our celebration at the MLB park.  It was very cool.


They welcomed us up on the jumbotron

"Oscar" the airhead came to visit us during the meeting.  This is me and Michelle.

Nana arrived to my house while I was traveling home.   The kids were very excited to see her!


Eating ice cream with nana


Another day, playing in the sun at the park

Silly kids

Nana taught a painting class in the neighborhood.  We did these really cute trees.  She's such a great teacher!

Emmalyn is talking more and more..  she now says, "Um, I don't know" and then one night this week I told her goodnight and she responded with "Goodnight, Momma".

It's funny because she LOVES the little Christmas animated musical toys (looks like a stuffed penguin, for example).  They scared Max, even up until last year.

She can find the app on the iPad that has the animals sounds (the first app we ever got Maxwell).

Emmalyn lately has not been going to sleep often during her second nap.  She will just lay there for awhile and eventually call for us without falling asleep.  She has started sleeping with the purple puppy dog that Grandpa and Nana gave to her when they were here last.  Sleeping with the puppy dog only started because she threw a fit one night when I made her stop watching videos of puppies with daddy on his phone.  And now she will grab him at night to cuddle with him.

She still has that little rash on her face around her mouth.  I have tried washing it frequently and putting lotion on it, I've tried Vaseline, lavender, etc.  So many things and nothing has cleared it up for good.  I still think it's from all her drool and I sure hope it doesn't stick around util she fully stop drooling.


When I started to say "good night, sleep tight, don't let the bedbugs bite..." as part of our routine Max told me to say it at night because it gives him a headache.

He is so sweet and so smart but still not very social.  We were at our friends Andrea and Jeff's home this week and their daughter Sadie (age 6) was so frustrated because Maxwell wouldn't play with her.  I have be trying to get him more time with kids other than just his cousins.

Maxwell can count to 100!

Monday, May 2, 2016

Thanksgiving 2015

Usually we go to Utah for Thanksgiving.  It was nice to be home this year and enjoy a nice long break at home!

I got to go to Maxwell's Thanksgiving party at school

They had a full feast

Maxwell and his friend, J.K.

After school, Maxwell helped me shop for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Thanksgiving morning, these two were hanging out in my bed while Maxwell read to his sister.


He loves doing workbooks (and since he can read, he does really well independently)

Video - Maxwell's Thanksgiving song

All cute for the holiday

Playing with her dollhouse

Now doing a puzzle




A little croquet before the big meal


This weed has grown up by our dead tree.  I'm not sure what it is but it added some green/purple berries so I left it alone.  :)

Because you HAVE to have something to snack on while dinner is cooking

Dinner and our awesome turkey chef (look how gorgeous the turkey is!)

A little wii for the boys

The characters they picked cracked me up

The place mat Maxwell made at school - I loved it! (look at all those hand prints!  Getting his hand in the paints has not been a big deal this year)

Aren't these two the cutest?  It's great they get along so well since they spend so much time together during the day.

All the kids

Maxwell was very excited for his pumpkin pie!

The next day we made more whip cream and this little pumpkin got a beater

Hiding out in the TV stand.  So super cute...until that one time when she pulled the door shut on her fingers and then it was painfully sad.  :(

Emmalyn with her blocks and Max with his legos


Video - Maxwell is LOVING playing his Dance Central Spotlight.  He's fun to watch.  

We had our friends Melissa, Clint, Owen, and Avery over for a special "decorate your own" pancake breakfast.  The kids used sprinkles, frosting, whip cream, fruit...etc.  They had a blast.

Black frosting...never a good idea



Caught Emmalyn playing by herself in Max's room and wearing his hat

This girl LOVES to dip her food.  She will ask "dip?"  Very different from Maxwell who isn't a big dipper.

Using up the leftover turkey for homemade turkey taquitos and cranberry salsa

The kids got a lot of game time thanks to gloomy weather


Not always a bundle of joy

Joe made the best guacamole ever!


Cousin time

And even more screen time...  It's been a nice, lazy weekend.

I'm not sure if Emmalyn is right or left handed anymore uses both.
Max asks me every day about when he is going to get his glasses.  I'm glad he's so excited.
Max has been very sensitive lately and cries so easily if doesn't get his way
Emmalyn has said "um" a few times when we ask her a question and she's thinking about it. :)
She asked peter "why?" today.
She doesn't like having her head in the water anymore which is a bummer when I'm trying to wash her hair.  It used to be so easy!