Max Says...

Max: Daddy, wrestle me!

Daddy wrestles/plays rough for a few minutes while Max squeals and laughs with delight...

Max: Breathless and stoic. Thank you, Daddy. Walks away calmly.


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Mommy dresses Max in pajamas with penguins...

Max: Whoa! I have penguins on my butt!

Life Lately

Trying on Daddy's new sneakers!

.... and his hoodie!

Baby hawk

Trying out his new step stool from Grandpa and Amma!

This kid is ready for summer! It may be cold and dreary, but Max has his beach hat and Mommy's sandals on.

Seriously... he's ready for summer. Here's a photo from a different day... beach hat and playing with "moon sand".  :-)

Max can almost pedal his tricycle, but still has a little trouble reaching the pedals well enough to push down. Solution? Embrace your inner redneck and tape his feet to the pedals! (Unfortunately this solution did not work...ha!)

http://youtu.be/ILJ_O9qdIzg





http://youtu.be/ydwPG-uCreY




http://youtu.be/w-E6Pl04bhE





http://youtu.be/mB1XKy--eSU

Max Says...

Looking in the back yard...

Max: There's a squirrel! I want him.

Mommy: You do? What will you name him?

Max: Paula.

Singing and Riding a Fish

Sorry these are filmed from a weird angle! Max usually stops "performing" the moment he notices the camera. Ben was able to catch some sweet songs while Max pretended to put Lucy (the little dog in my lap) to sleep; and then put me to sleep a few minutes later!



http://youtu.be/tY0vFODa_b0




http://youtu.be/_8qv_t6fraA


(I'm laying down in the next two videos because Max is rubbing my back and pretending to put me to bed.)



http://youtu.be/YUu2bsmFcDc



http://youtu.be/8eC4SoMJDpI


At Ben and Peggy's house there is a pillow that looks like a fish. One day while I was changing Max's messy clothes he grabbed it and took off running while "riding" the fish! hahaha I barely grabbed the camera in time so these photos are pretty blurry (but still a funny memory!).

... and this has nothing to do with Max... just wanted to share a beautiful Hiawassee sunrise. :-)

Christmas!

Christmas sure was fun this year! It was the first year he really "got" what was going on, and was excited about all the festivities!

On Christmas Eve we went to a children's service and then out to dinner.  The church did a great job catering to kids... lots of music, quick pace (I think the whole thing lasted 35 minutes), and the minister read a children's version of the Christmas story, and passed out copies afterward. Instead of lighting candles when we sang "Silent Night" at the end of the service, they gave glow sticks to all the kids! Great idea.

Once we got home, we changed Max in to his Christmas pajamas and started to try to get him excited about Santa's impending visit! We'd baked cookies earlier that day and Max put a few on a plate for Santa, and decided the reindeer would like an apple (versus a carrot).

Time to check out the tree one last time!

Family photo! (Excuse Mommy's crazy eyes... haha)

After Max was in bed we had a blast filling his stocking, putting gifts from our New England relatives under the tree, and setting up for Jesus' breakfast birthday party. We decided that being a parent on Christmas is almost as fun as being a kid on Christmas!

Pretty sunrise on Christmas morning!

On Christmas morning we got up early and got ourselves ready before greeting Max. We heard him starting to stir and crept in his room in the dark. As we hugged "good morning" and he started waking up more fully, we explained something special had happened! He had big eyes wanting to see evidence of Santa's visit; and also asked if Jesus was at our house after we told him it was Jesus' birthday. haha

(At the beginning of this video we think he is saying "Uh-oh!" because the stockings were on the floor and no longer hanging from the mantle.)

Excited that Santa left a school bus in his stocking!

Time for the party! Max LOVES birthday parties, and thought he'd get a kick out of having a birthday party for Jesus. Fun times!

"Cheeeeeese!"

We took down all the Christmas decorations one evening after Max went to bed. When he got up the next day and saw that everything was gone he seemed genuinely sad! All day he kept asking about very specific decorations, and even asks where Santa is a few times a day.

It's so sweet that he enjoyed Christmas so much, and we're excited to see how much he remembers when we celebrate Christmas 2015!

Fun Photos and Max Says....

Daddy: Max, where are you going to live when you grow up?

Max: I live in my car.

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Daddy: What will your job be when you grow up?

Max: I be a dentist like Hermey! (As in Hermey the Elf from the "Rudolph" movie)

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Upon getting dressed to go to Christmas Sunday at church...

Max: Wow! I wear my fancy sweatshirt!

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Apparently we have a little model on our hands, showing off his "fancy sweatshirt"...

The casual glace with hands on his hips look....

Laughing and looking off in the distance with hands in his pockets look....

... and CHEEEEEESE!!!

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Look! Mommy and Daddy are wearing something other than jeans and a sweatshirt.  :-)

I was cooking and heard Max rummaging through the craft drawer. There was the sound of crinkling plastic, then I heard him start walking around and singing. When he rounded the corner I saw he'd made a new "hat".  :-)

Max decided that Daddy's sweatpants needed a little something extra...

Max's First Movie!

Max watched his first movie! Last Friday we changed Max in to his pajamas after dinner, hooked the laptop up to the television, and snuggled up on the couch to watch the Rankin and Bass version of "Rudolph". We made him a special snack (toddler "trail mix"... cereal, craisins, chocolate chips, mini-marshmallows, etc.) which was just as exciting as the movie.

Eating the "smash-smellows" was his favorite part (and he stole Mommy's once his were all gone!).

Let the magic begin!

http://youtu.be/HGysFT1aQM0