Once again...

So it seems I have left this blog un-updated too long, once again. We are so busy chasing Max these days that I rarely have a moment to sit down here and collect my thoughts. Here are a few of things that we have been up to, recently:

Max has taken to announcing himself as "Naked Boy!" whenever we start to change his clothes or diaper, or takes his clothes off for bath time. He curls his little arms up at his chest with his elbows sticking out, twists from side to side and says loudly "Naked Boy!" It is hilarious. This is just one of the constant stream of funny and amazing things that is constantly coming out of his mouth. Sometimes Clint and I wish he would just STOP talking for 5 minutes just so we can have some peace and quiet! But then I remind myself that someday he will be a teenager and I will be complaining that he NEVER talks to me anymore... (I hope that doesn't turn out to be true!)

We have moved, again, for the last time for at least a year and a half, we promise. If you need our new address, let me know and I'll send it to you. Max seems to have gotten used to moving; the transition went much more smoothly this time. He is also used to having his own room, so I think that helped a lot. Max loves the new house. There are several cats that live next door that he loves to watch, chase, and pet if he can get his hands on them!

That's all for now, as Max has finished his breakfast and is off getting into trouble. It is hard to have boxes! Full of stuff! around that you aren't supposed to get into... I will post a picture, later, of Max after breakfast-he refused to let me help him eat his oatmeal this morning.

And so potty training begins...

This weekend, Max announced to Clint and I that he wanted to go poop in the toilet. After trying to balance himself on the big toilet, we went out and bought him a little seat for the toilet so he can sit on the big potty by himself. Over the weekend, he would tell us when 'He had poop' (meaning he needs to go to the bathroom, not that he has a dirty diaper). He sat on the toilet a couple of times, but nothing happened.

But tonight, after dinner, Max said he had to go...and he did! Clint took him to the bathroom, and he used the toilet for the first time! I'm so proud of him, and so excited that he's interested in trying the toilet.

The latest and greatest

First of all...Max wants to wish his cousin, Bella, a very happy first birthday! We love you, Bella!

I was reminded in my post about Max's sayings that I left out a very important phrase that Max says... When we went to visit Mimzy and Pappy for Thanksgiving, the girls got to go see Twilight while Pappy and Uncle Adam watched the kiddos (Papa was unexpectedly occupied with helping Uncle Kevin). During the 3 hours we were gone, Max had two blowout diapers. During the second blowout, Pappy taught Max to say "Have Mercy!" The funniest part is that he says it with perfect emphasis, and in the proper context (unless he is prompted to say it.) Most recently, he has added a "pappy" on the end of it, so the phrase is "Have mercy, Pappy!"

Yesterday, we took Max and Papa to the barber shop and Max got his first barber shop haircut. Max did great! He was a little upset, but he warmed up pretty quickly, and he sat mostly still until the barber started tickling him while trying to clean up the hair on his neck.

This morning, Max has been re-named 'crash.' He fell in our bedroom, banging his head on a chest of drawers, in his bedroom, breaking the wagon to his new tractor, in the living room, after which he walked straight into a chair, and again, in the office/guest bedroom, banging his head on the corner of guest bed. This is after coming home both Thursday and Friday with bumps on his head...

And finally, some pictures from Christmas:

puzzles!

blocks!

tractor!

I'll Hold You

This morning, I was trying to get Max out the door-on time, for once-when he stopped, turned around, and wrapped his little arms around both of my legs. When it's cold outside, he doesn't like to walk, he wants me to carry him. But this morning, as he was clutching at my legs, he looked up at me and said "I hold you?" What he was asking for was for me to hold him, but the sentiment was so sweet I couldn't resist, despite an armful of his lunch, my lunch, purse, and coffee.

Max's Sayings

I know I seem to say this every time I write, now, but Max has picked it up another notch in the speaking department. Here are a few little stories about what Max is saying right now:

I'll Get You
We went to my parents' house for Christmas, and Max got to spend lots of time wandering around with Grandma, Grandpa, Mama, and Papa outside. At one point, Max took off running and so Grandma started chasing him, saying "I'll get you!" Well, Max started repeating it, of course, as he was running. And now, he'll start running away and say "I'll get you!"

Concern for Papa
When Papa is walking away, or doing something that Max doesn't understand he'll look at me with his little brow furrowed and ask "Papa going?" or "Papa doing?"

Papa's Cup
We are very concerned these days with what belongs to who. Max saw a picture of Miller High Life the other day and points to it saying "Papa's cup." Ahem.

Yay! Applesauce!
Max loves applesauce. If you ask him what he wants to eat, it's guaranteed to be on the short list. As we were walking into Target on Saturday afternoon, somehow the subject of applesauce came up, and Max started saying very loudly "Yay! Applesauce!" over and over. Clint and I were almost dying laughing.

Ashey, Ashey
Apparently, Max has learned Ring Around the Rosie at school. Yesterday, out of nowhere, he started singing "Ashey, ashey, all Fall DOWN!" in the car. Extra loud emphasis on the 'all fall down.' Other favorite songs include "ABCD," (the alphabet song) "Twinkle, Twinkle," (...little star) and "Elmo," (Elmo's Song, of course).

An Update, Finally

Word to your mother. (note: he did this on his own as I was taking pictures because he put the hat on himself)

Ok, so 'A bit' turned out to be a little longer than anticipated, but here I am! We are all doing well and getting adjusted to living in a new place, with a new person, and with Chaco, Max's favorite dog ever (and she is pretty darn great). But I was begged to update the blog by Mimzy so that she "will have some link with reality." Here you go, Mimzy; we'd hate for you to start swimming toward the deep end...

Where to start? We began moving in right after Thansgiving, and it's been hectic. Max now has a big boy bed, and he is just loving the freedom to get up and roam after bedtime. It has really turned both bedtime and naptime into a battle. I'll take any advice anyone has on keeping a kid in their bed, because bedtime has now melted down into a sometimes 2-hour process that is not-so-slowly chipping away at my sanity. Last night, after he got out of bed for about the 5th time, I asked him if he wanted to sit in the corner, the supposed worse alternative to staying in bed, and he said 'yeah!' So much for that idea...

Max's vocabulary continues to grow, and he is talking all the time. He is the youngest kid in his class, now, and most of the other kids speak well and often. He is really picking up their speech, which is mostly great. Except when he comes home and starts telling me to 'go away,' his new favorite phrase. One morning, he was laying in bed with us, and he wormed his way into my spot in MY PILLOW and then told me to go away... But he is also saying 'I love you,' and 'I'm sorry,' and so much more. Recently, with the colder weather, I have heard 'it's cold outside!' frequently. And he is repeating just about everything, now, which is bad news for Papa, to whom I've bestowed the honor of speaking to Max's teacher the day we get the call about what Max said at school today!

Alright, on to pictures, now that we have found the cable to the camera AND recharged the battery!

'Auntdrea' reads to her favorite niece and nephew during Thanksgiving.

Future trouble.

Watching Elmo with Aunt Ree and Bella.

Uncle Kevin helped us move, and Max loved playing with his 'sunnies' and hat.

Why you should never leave your undergarments on the floor.

Max and Papa exploring the Asian market down the street.

Fooling around before bed. The camera died before we could get a good one with all 3 of us in it.

Merry Christmas to you all!

Back in a bit

Hello all! We've been away for Thanksgiving and are now in the process of moving. Currently, our computer is not even at the new place, so I don't know when I'll update again (borrowing one, now). But we'll have some cute pictures from Thanksgiving with the Claytons (including plenty of trouble with cousin Bella), and more of Max's antics, soon!