Easter, Birthdays, and Grandparents

Alright, enough of poop being the top post. We have been very busy bees, with Max's birthday, Easter, and visits to and from Grandparents. Fair warning: serious backlog of photos in this post! For some reason, I don't think I'll hear any complaining...

Max's school was closed for Good Friday, so Max and I went to Mason to visit Grandma and Grandpa for Easter (Papa had to work on Saturday, so he didn't get to go). After a string of really nice days, it was overcast, cold, and cloudy for our visit. :( But, we still got in an egg hunt!

A serious hunting face.

Max found lots of eggs!

We played in the sandbox that Grandpa built for Max. And, of course we rode on the tractor. When Grandpa decided the tractor needed a rest, Max played on the tractor and with Grandpa's "glubs."

"If I could just get this key turned..."

"I wonder when Grandpa will take me for another ride?"

There were also adventures with Grandma & Grandpa's neighbors, Mark and Sandy, and their dog, Cinco the Chihuahua. Cinco and Max entertained each other by fighting over who got to sit in the little chair! We came back to Austin on Easter Sunday, and Max's birthday was the following Monday. For his birthday, he took cookies to school and we made pizza for dinner!

Clint and Max share milk and a cookie.

We were supposed to have a big party for Max's birthday the next weekend, but it got rained out. But Mimzy and Pappy still came to visit, and brought with them Auntdrea, Aunt Ree, and Cousin Bella! Max got a cool alphabet floor puzzle, rubber fireman boots, new books, and clothes. But more importantly, he got to see and play with everyone, especially Bella. Bella and Max had so much fun together at our house and the park!

The kids play in Max's bed.

Rockstar Max

Rockstar Bella

Auntdrea and Bella on the slide.

Max shows Aunt Ree his teeth.

Walking home from the park.

Then, after all that fun, Grandma and Granpa came to visit, and delivered Max his very own sandbox for the backyard! This has quickly become one of Max's favorite things, and promise of playing in the sandbox in the evening has managed to keep him out of trouble for an entire week at school. Behold, the mighty pwer of sand.

Poop-a-palooza

Yesterday, instead of taking a nap, Max decided he was going to have his own little festival in his room. He must have been inspired by SXSW going on in Austin right now. Max decided to call his festival Poop-A-Palooza and, instead of featuring new music, it featured poop. And a steam cleaner.

I won't go into all the gory details...OK, who am I kidding? You didn't have to smell it or clean it, but you will get to hear about it. Max was supposed to be taking a nap-something he'd been revolting against for a good 2 hours. I had gone outside to work in the yard, and Clint had followed me out for a moment. When we came back in, we were both trying to figure out who had stepped in poo... I kicked my shoes off in the tile kitchen, and decided to go check on Max, who was being awfully quiet...Had he gone to sleep?

That was when I discovered that no, he had not gone to sleep. In fact, he had decided to dig through his trash can and remove several poopy diapers that he had strewn all over his room. The carnage required the removal and washing of all bed linens (including a pillow), the steam-cleaning of carpets, and the washing of almost every other surface. And two washings of the child. You could say it wasn't a big hit.

On to something cuter... Max fell asleep reading a book, back before he decided naps were for chumps:

Overheard

A few funny things Max has said recently:

At church on Sunday night, I was changing Max's diaper and he was whining because he had a bit of a diaper rash. I asked him if his bottom hurt, and he mustered his most pathetic voice and said "Yes, Mama. Kiss it."

We keep a hat that Grandpa gave Max in the car for entertainment during drives. On Monday morning, I put the hat on Max's head, closed his door and sat down in the driver's seat. I turned to look at him and he beamed at me and told me "I look cool, Mama."

Last night, I got a catalog in the mail and was looking at it on the couch. I set it down and walked into the other room and Max jumped up and started to flip through the pages, talking to himself. Clint overheard him exclaim "It's so expensive!" Hrm. Wonder where he got that from?!

Busy Bee

Max has been keeping us very busy, lately, and by the time it is all finished, we are utterly exhausted! He speaks more and more every day, and is really loving puzzles, books, and being outside. Max loves to sit in the front seat of the car and tell me "I drive, Mama!" He also likes to "go fast." One night, I was leaving the house for a run and Max told me "Go fast, Mama!" Here are some pictures of what we've been up to, lately:

Clint, Max, and the neighbor cat, Annie, sitting on the front porch.

Max loves to 'help' by sweeping or vacuuming.

He also loves to play with our shoes. Here, he is shuffling around in mine.

Max will no longer let me help him eat. He looks like this a lot more after meals, now; especially if they involve a spoon.

Max wearing his "scarf" aka, the belt to Papa's robe.

Max and Papa cuddle on the couch before bed.

"Say CHEESE"

Yes Sir, That's My Baby

We aren't sure where he learned it, but Max's catch phrase the last few days has been 'yessir.' His answer to any yes/no question and everyone is 'yessir.' I never thought I'd say it, but the formality of it kinda creeps me out a bit...

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.