Updates and Whatnot - Halloween through Christmas 2009

So, it's been roughly 9 months since I last posted here.... nine months of our 3rd Halloween, Thanksgiving, andChristmas, a new year, Valentine's Day, Easter, Spring and, of course Max's third birthday. In addition, Max has moved up into a new classroom at school, become *mostly* potty trained, and continued to develop his very social and precocious personality.

For Halloween, Max decided that he wanted to be Woody, from Toy Story. He still loves stories - movies and books both. We went to Savers (my favorite thrift store) and managed to find a toddler Disney brand Woody shirt. To that we added a black vest, cowboy hat, and a sheriff's

badge, and then the boots and jeans we already owned. The final touch was Papa's bandana and voila, Woody! We went to two Halloween parties with lots of kids and successfully wore him out! Unfortunately, my camera barely had a charge, and I only got about 3 pictures before it died. Here he is, all decked out:

For Thanksgiving last year, we were at my folks'. We spent Thanksgiving day with their friends, Mark and Sandee where Max got to pet a deer, play with Cinco the chihuahua, ride on the four-wheeler, and play with the older girls (quickly becoming one of his favorite things). Max and I went with Grandma to the Mason craft fair, and Max got to sit on Santa's lap.

For Christmas, we were at Mimzy & Pappy's with the whole gang. Max got to go to Mimzy's earlier in the week, and then Clint and I joined them for the weekend. Max and Bella had adorable footsie pajamas for Christmas morning and had the best time together. Max got lots of cool tools, and a really exciting dress-up set with all sorts of costumes - a frog, a pirate, a fireman, a baseball player, and more! We got to visit with Mimi and Gramps, too, who gave Max his favorite Thomas the Train blanket that he sleeps with every night. It was one of the best Christmases we've had, and so fun to see the kids enjoy their family and each other.

It has gotten late, already... more updating tomorrow!

I'm baaaack....

Alright, alright... I'm officially blogging again. It's been almost a year, and so, so much has happened. I will try to hit on the highlights tomorrow.

Mostly, I have a terrible memory. I realized the other day that I couldn't remember my baby (ahem, BIG three year old) boy's first word. So, I came back here tonight to dig through and find it. There is not a specific post dedicated to it, but it appears to have been "mama" or "papa." Regardless, I realized that there is so much that I will forget shortly, and I need to write it down. Since I Definitely don't have time to scrap book, it looks like I will be blogging, again.

But right now, bedtime. So that I can get up and think at work tomorrow.

Pretty Accuarate, for a Cookie

Clint stayed home with Max on Friday, because he came home early on Thursday with a fever (and no other symptoms of illness). Because he was feeling or acting ill, they had a pretty darn fun day together. I, on the other hand, had a hell-atious Friday, and was not in the mood to go home and work some more in the way of feeding my family. So, we went to our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Kim Phung. At the end of the meal, they serve fortune cookies.

Some people are pretty particular about their fortune cookie methodology, believing in the endless wisdom of the Fortune Cookie Writer and the Fate that brings them their message. That aint me. However, this time, they were pretty dead on. For all of us.

For Clint, our fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants, express-whatever-emotion-you-feel, constantly-changing-and-evolving Papa: "Be patient. Good things come to those who wait."

For Me, the every-activity-must-be-scheduled, every-possible-contingency-planned-for, and-for-no-reason-whatsoever-will-we-even-consider-deviating-from-said-schedule-and/or-plan Mama: "now is the best time for you to be spontaneous, Serendipity."

And for our spit-fire of a two year old who thinks he is King-of-the-World son (whose future might be just a bit too wide open to predict right now): "You are fiery and adventurous."

Ahem. Well, then...

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.

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!

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.

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!

Trying to Keep Up

(editor's note: I began writing this post while sick at home on Wednesday, until my keyboard batteries died. Just now finishing on Friday)

Life is moving at lightening speed over here, and most of the time I just feel like I am trying to keep up. I am home sick, today, so I thought I'd take a chance to write a bit (since I can't seem to sleep anymore, right now). Max was home sick with Papa on Monday, and me, yesterday. I was 'Grouchy Mama' because I didn't feel good and, despite his fever, he was wired & inspired (as Grandpa would say). Needless to say, he went to school today.

Max is talking up a storm, starting to string words into sentences and continuing to mimic Clint and I and pull new words (seemingly) out of thin air. With the frequency that I hear the cry "hun-ny" (hungry) around here, you'd think the kid was starving to death, though one look at him will quickly ease your fears. He is still obsessed with our cell phones, even telling me over the weekend "I WANT PHONE" when I would not give him mine. It is very cute to watch him take the phone and say "Hel-lo. Hello, Papa." Sometimes I even let him call Papa to hear him say it! He knows Elmo and constantly wants to watch Elmo's Song on Youtube. He even sings along, and the cuteness of it makes the 15th time almost bearable.

Max still loves books and reading. He gets new books all the time from his grandparents. A few favorites, right now, include Go, DoG, Go! (which he 'reads' as Go Max!), Ten Friendly Fish (a counting book Mimzy gave him), and some hide-and-seek animal books that he knows almost all the animals in. It is still just mind-boggling to watch his face as I read to him and see him just get it. Words and ideas click and it is indescribable to watch them take hold.

Being a mom only gets more and more fun, and I am so honored that this kid is mine. Even on the worst of days, or in the most awful of moods, he can put a smile on my face. Whether it's the little things, like the smell of his head, or bigger ones, like when he comes to me for comfort, sometimes my heart swells so much I truly think it might burst mid-beat. In the middle of stressful times, he reminds me what it's all about.

Overdue

Max's newest past-time, coloring.

So, I just downloaded 107 pictures from almost 3 weeks ago, when we went to Mason, Halloween, and Max coloring at the house... We had a great time out in Mason, visiting Grandma and Grandpa. Max loved being outside in the country, and especially sitting on Grandpa's 'tractor' (it's really a riding lawnmower, but we won't tell Grandpa, ok?). One afternoon, Max spent half an hour sitting on the tractor, pushing every button, pulling every lever and desperately doing everything he could to make the tractor 'go, please.' Nothing worked, so when Grandpa walked out, Max took one look at him, stuck his hand out and said 'keys?' Then he and Papa went for a ride on the tractor.

Max loves to be outside. He 'climbed' this tree.
He spent lots of time right here.
Forget beer. This is what coozies are for.

For Halloween, Max was a bee. He was not very into Halloween. He still isn't really sure what it's all about, and I think he was a little disoriented by all his friends in costumes. His costume was also pretty warm, and it was a warm night. After walking to houses for about 30 minutes, he looked up and signed "all done." He'd had enough, and was ready to go home, so we did.

Max, the bee.

Our friends from church, ready to trick-or-treat!