7.26.2009

Weiner-Whack

Max is on a serious movie kick and usually asks to watch a movie at least once a day (often first thing in the morning). So, we've seen the Lion King once or twice around here, recently (and by "once or twice" I mean "enough times to have the script dedicated to memory"). For this reason, Clint was singing the intro to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" yesterday afternoon. He was wandering around the kitchen singing "A weema-wep, a weema-wep..." when Max piped up with his own interpretation of the lyrics. Only Max's version was ever-so-slightly more inappropriate. Max's version of the lyrics sing "A weiner-whack, a weiner-whack..." Aren't boys fun? I can already envision the calls I will one day recieve from his teachers.

7.08.2009

Um..yeah. So, it's July.

Right. And I haven't posted here since May. What can I say? We've been busy...

I got laid off in early May, so I spent a little time resting and a lot of time job-hunting. Luckily, I found a job in just about 3 weeks, and I love it. It's perfect for me, and the company is great. But we have been busy, and tired! At the same time, our hard drive crashed, and we lost many, many pictures... Back up your hard drives, people! We haven't tried to recover, yet, so we don't know what (if anything) we might still have.

This summer, we have had lots of new and exciting stuff. Max moved up to the Orange room, which is the 2 year old classroom at school. He moved up with quite a few of his friends, and also gets to be with some slightly older friends. It's all very exciting. In his new class, he is potty training (very exciting for Mom), and swimming twice a week (very exciting for Max).

We have been swimming out at a lovely (and, more importantly, cool) swimming hole called Krause Springs, where we also went for our very first camping trip. It was awful for Clint and I (loud, obnoxious neighbors and the twin air mattress instead of the queen), but Max had a good time. Next time, we will go on a less busy night, but probably not until, oh, October, when the highs are only in the 90s.

Max went to visit Grandma and Grandpa at the end of May, but he only stayed for a few days. He got to take lots of rides on the tractor, play in the pool, and see the cows, but he missed his Mama, and came home early. I was happy to have him home! Last month, Max went to visit Mimzy and Pappy and stayed for the week. He was busy, playing with cousin Bella, going to the beach for the first time, going to his first Astros game, and so much more. He didn't want to come home...but I was pretty sad without him!

Max is making such fun strides in his thinking and play. He is really starting to play much more imaginatively. He is also really in to movies, right now. He asks to watch a movie just about everyday. During the very, very hot weekend afternoons we have been having recently, I have been happy to indulge him!

He is also definitely going through his terrible twos. He can be obstinate, bossy, refuse to listen, and throw tantrums at the drop of a hat. All compounded when he is tired (which is almost every night after school). But he can be oh-so-sweet...at moments.

Every year for the Fourth of July, there is a fun parade at school that Max finally got to participate in this year. We don't have a bike, yet, for him to ride, so he got to borrow his Uncle Bill's (a friend of Clint's) skateboard. Max was in heaven, as he thinks Uncle Bill is super cool, and loves the skateboard. I think his teachers were less-than-thrilled, but he managed to come home all in one piece.

Alright, enough words for one night. Coming soon... pictures!

5.02.2009

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.

3.16.2009

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:

3.10.2009

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?!

3.07.2009

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"

2.17.2009

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...