22 June 2012

For Your Viewing Pleasure

I'm not as good about taking videos of the cute little things Max does
because...well, I'm not sure that he'll want to sit down and watch all that random footage
when he gets older. Plus it's kind of hard to capture the really good stuff on tape.

But I have gotten lucky a few times, and thought I'd share these little gems with you!

For your viewing pleasure:





Enjoy! ;D

19 June 2012

Twice As Nice

This Sunday, June 17th was a very special day in our house.
Not only was it Father's Day but Clay's birthday too!
 
We thoroughly enjoyed celebrating our main man!
It was twice as nice as celebrating just one holiday. ;)
  Max and I are so very thankful for Clay.
He is a wonderful father and husband - better than we could ever hope for.
We don't know what we would do without him!

Happy Birthday and Happy Father's Day, Clay!

16 June 2012

Weekly Wows

You have heard me mention before that they are doing construction on our street. 
Eventually we will have new sidewalks, curbs, driveway approaches, and a solid concrete street - hooray! But until then, this is what we're dealing with:
(No, we do not live in a rural area - although it looks like it!)
This photo was taken a few days after they added stabilizer to the dirt road and packed it down, 
so it is actually drivable. Last week it was a huge sandy mess and we often wondered 
if we'd get stuck just pulling out of the driveway! (Several of our neighbors did.)

This past Monday we started a two-week Mommy-n-Me swim class, 
and Max has really taken to the water! He's still not as sure about getting his face wet, but he really loves splashing, singing songs, and climbing up the stairs to get out of the pool on his own.
Jaxon and Graham are in the class too, so it's quite a lot of fun to share this experience with friends. :)

Clay and I have finally joined the Downton Abbey fan club! 
 [image via]
A few weekends ago we couldn't decide on a Redbox rental when Clay discovered Season One on DVD. I think we watched all seven episodes that weekend. ;) Who knew that PBS was more than just documentaries? We can't wait until Season Two arrives at Redbox!

We're also sort of hooked on Love in the Wild. Does anyone else watch this show?
We watched the first season last summer, and were excited to see it was back again this year -  although they've made some changes to make it more "interesting" (read: create drama because apparently last season was too boring). So we are mostly staying tuned to see what crazy tricks the producers have up their sleeves.

I have been trying to reduce the amount of refined sugar that I eat,
which means looking for healthier ways to satisfy my sweet tooth.
I have discovered peanut butter dates - the perfect treat that tastes way more indulgent than it is!
Two or three of these little babies and I'm good to go. ;) 
Any other suggestions for naturally sweet snacks?

Last night my sister got engaged,
and we got to be there for the proposal!
SO so excited for the Mr. and Mrs.-to-be!

'Tis the season for birthday parties! We got to help our friend Charley celebrate
her first birthday today with a little hawaiian flair.

All those cute little babies in swimsuits - it was almost too much cuteness to handle!

I feel like I've been running circles around myself these past few weeks -
wow! life is crazy right now, to say the least, and it's probably not going to slow down.
But fingers crossed my time management improves and you'll find more updates on the bloggity! ;)

15 June 2012

Twelve Months - Or ONE YEAR!

It is hard to believe that Max has been part of our family for one whole year now!
In some ways it seems like he's always been here,
and in others like it was just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital.
(P.S. We're just as scared now as we were then!)

What an amazing little bundle of sunshine God gave to us on June 13, 2011. ;)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Apparently Max had enough picture-taking
and was ready to get down and play!

Max's one year appointment yesterday morning revealed a healthy baby boy
growing right on schedule!

Little man weighed in at 23 pounds even and measured at 31.25 inches!
Fun fact: our little overachiever is 99th percentile in head circumference. ;) 
(Wonder where he gets that big noggin?)
Max did great getting blood drawn and four shots. What a champ!

Max is still sleeping about 11 hours at night, though naptimes as of late have taken a hit.
The morning nap is usually about an hour and the afternoon nap is closer to 1.5 hours.
I'm not sure if it's a developmental thing or due to the constant construction on our street 
or because we've stopped using the WubbaNub (or all three!),
but we're hanging onto two naps as long as we can.

Little man is still wearing mostly 12 month or 12-18 month clothes.
He got his first pair of shoes this month, size 5W. (Love those chubby little feet!)

Max is a great eater and so far has not refused anything.
He has added fish, turkey, pizza, pineapple, watermelon, asparagus, corn, cherries and cake (!) to his repertoire. And he may or may not have had a taste of ice cream too. ;)

Max now has nine teeth - his top right first molar (sorry, I don't know the technical name)
has decided to join the club! There is still quite a bit of drool these days,
so we're anticipating the arrival of more toothy friends. ;)

In gearing up for the switch to cow's milk, little man has switched from a bottle to sippys exclusively.
I guess it's the first-time parent in me, but I was (am?) apprehensive about that transition.
He has taken to them like a breeze - and he gulps down that whole milk too. ;)

Max has finally decided to venture out on his own two feet!
While the most steps he has taken is about ten (in pursuit of his cousin Jaxon, of course!), 
he is getting more comfortable in an upright position 
and is practicing this walking business quite a lot.

No new signs to report - Max is mostly just signing "more" if I prompt him for anything else.
He also has learned to give high-fives and will put his arms up in the air
when I say, "How big is Max? So big!"
Sometimes when we ask him what sound an animal makes,
he will attempt - though it mostly sounds like a cute little baby noise. :)

Little man is definitely getting more mischievous.
He is now tall enough to reach items close to the edge of the dining table (ie: his plate).
He also likes to play in the toilet when Mama forgets to close the bathroom door
and to pull Mama and Daddy's books off the bookshelf.
Many times I've watched him stick a ball or toy underneath the furniture
and then look to me to get it for him - ha!

Max loves to laugh and does so very freely now.
It's funny to hear him chuckle every now and then
and wonder exactly what it was that tickled his funny bone.
He especially thinks it's funny when we put things on our head!

Max is learning to give hugs and kisses, 
which are the sweetest, slobberiest, most precious things in the world!

It is the most fun (and most exhausting!) thing to watch Max explore his world.
The first year has been fun, and we can't wait for what the second has in store!

We love you, Maxwell James!

13 June 2012

Book of the Month: May

Several weeks ago I finished The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
...so this post is a little tardy, but it's not like I've been planning
a birthday party for a special someone. ;)


This novel is based on the story of Dinah from the Bible, the only daughter of Jacob
and sister to twelve crazy brothers. She is only mentioned once in the Bible - in Genesis 34.
It is a very short passage (go check it out!), but it caught this author's attention
and was the inspiration for her book.

Diamant is a very gifted writer and it was easy
to get caught up in this embellished Bible story.
I would often catch myself thinking, "I can't believe that really happened!"...
and then I'd have to remind myself that it probably didn't happen exactly that way.
 And there were several things about the book that gave me pause
but again, it is a novel and not fact so I tried not to get hung up on it.
Author's liberty, I guess. :)

The Red Tent gave me a very different perspective on the culture during that time
and some of the people I think of as "heroes" of the Bible.
It was a good reminder that we are all flawed
and that God can and will use us anyway.

It's Party Time!

This past Saturday we celebrated Max's first birthday
with a festive backyard bash.
Lots of family and friends were on hand 
to help celebrate this momentous occasion!








 What a treasure to celebrate our baby boy
surrounded by people who mean so much to our family!
We are truly blessed. :)

01 June 2012

Photo A Day: May

Here's how the May Photo Challenge turned out:


 
 






 
 

I hope you can join the fun for June!