Grandpa Chris came to visit for Christmas!

Grandpa Chris came to visit me for Christmas and we had a great time hanging out together. We had a lot of new toys to play with, movies to watch, good weather to play in the park and yesterday we celebrated his birthday. I got to eat tator tot hotdish for the first time yesterday and everyone was excited that I liked it.

Paging Dr. Schroder

Max recently came down with a case of bronchiolitis, and after the past few cough-filled nights, I decided to bring my stethoscope home from work to have a listen. As soon as I put it on Max thought it was "my turn" and had to have a listen for himself. He listened to his heart, his lungs, his tummy, and then lots of other things around the house, including Dad's knee, it was pretty cute!

What a day we had!

As you can see, I had lots of fun today going to the pumpkin patch with Jaja and Tammy, Jaja's neighbor.

I was pleasantly surprised when Jaja starting loading the pumpkins in Bob's pickup and I knew we were bringing the pumpkins home with us. I helped wash the pumpkins and we decorated the kitchen counter. We even used my dad's old Halloween cat & spiders.

The only time I let Jaja sit down today is when she drove me to the pumpkin patch. I could tell I really wore her out today when she made a big mistake late this afternoon.

Bob, Jaja and I met dad at Wight's nursery to look at a tree. I was sitting in the drivers seat of Bob's truck and Jaja wanted to sit down too. She thought she was unlocking the passengers side door but instead locked both doors and the key was in the ignition. Bob, Jaja and dad seemed to be very very upset. Bob was pacing around and even called a tow truck to come and get me out.

I thought we were playing a game and so I just smiled and laughed at them through the window. My dad was getting pretty nervous and he kept pointing to the door lock. I was actually very clever and got the hint from dad to play with the door lock. After hitting the lock button several times, I finally hit the unlock button!!!

Bob thought that this was a bad omen and we shouldn't buy the tree tonight. He was just glad he didn't have to pay the tow truck driver.

September Updates

Well, it's been a while since we've let everyone know what Max has been up to! His biggest milestone has been starting school! He is enrolled at the Goddard School 2 days per week and so far things are going pretty well. He still doesn't like it when I drop him of in the mornings, but he's getting lots more exposure to other kids and that's definitely a good thing! He's also learning some sign language and Spanish!

Otherwise September has been jammed packed. We spent Labor Day weekend in eastern Washington with some friends, unfortunately it was a bit cold, but Max had a great time playing in the sand and throwing rocks into the river, I don't really think he ever gets cold because he is constantly moving!

Last weekend Jeremy and I had an adult day and went to the first Seahawks game and then out on a boat ride and out to dinner. Max got to go play at auntie Jennie's house for most of the day, then grandpa Nick watched him for the evening. Max really enjoyed playing with his cousin's Hot Wheels and old tractors!

This coming weekend we are taking a trip down to the Mariner's game on Friday night against the Yankee's, then camping on Saturday night for the Alki BBQ competition! Hopefully after that, some rest!

Max's day in the treehouse

I had a busy day yesterday enjoying the last days of August in my treehouse at Jaja's place. As you can see, I was exhausted by the end of the day.

Whistler Weekend

Max ventured north of the border this weekend with us to Whistler for the Canadian National BBQ Competition. We had a great time going in to the Village for great food, and hanging around the hotel while Dad worked his magic on the grill!
Max also had a buddy to play with, the Bjella's brought 9 month old John up and the boys got to go to the pool together, and stay up WAY past their bedtimes!
Dad ended up earning first place for his chili and 2nd place for his chicken out of 39 teams, but Max's favorite had to be the pulled pork, he had thirds!

Here is a picture of Max and Dad with his ribbon!
Can't wait till next year!

Weekend in Leavenworth

We just got home from a fun-filled weekend in Leavenworth! We stayed in a beautiful log cabin on the river with uncle Adam, Jo, Michaela, and Jo's neices and nephew, Brielle, Jordan, and Shawn. Max had a great time playing with the big kids, and liked relaxing with Michaela. And there was a nice sandy area for him to play with his beach toys. He was a big boy while Jeremy and I floated down the river a few times, and he was quite the entertainer when he danced to the live Bavarian music in town!

4th of July Festivities

Max had a fantastic Fourth of July out at Bunna and Hayley's house. This is where we celebrated last year also, but Max really didn't get to appreciate the scenery as well last year, he was asleep pretty much the entire time. This year was a different story! After only a 45 minute nap we went out to the Meas household and went out on the boat first. Max was initially a bit unsure of the life jacket, he sort of looked like a turtle trying to stick his neck out, but he got used to it, mostly thanks to Ashton and Hayden entertaining him. He actually ended up really enjoying the boat, even standing in the middle dancing at times. What he didn't like was when Mom or Dad went in the water, possibly because we were attempting wake surfing for the first time and wiped out quite a bit. Oh well, fun times anyway. After the first round of boating Max played with Hayden in the playroom, he really liked all of Hayden's trains and cars! Then we BBQ'd some steak, while watching the fireworks from land. Max held on pretty tight when the louder ones went off, but he really liked watching. We then went out for round 2 on the boat at about 10:30, and Max fell asleep pretty much instantly. Such a night owl :-)

15 months already!

Max had his 15 month birthday today! He had a very fun day, indeed. After staying up far too late the night before, Max slept in, then had some watermelon (his new obsession) for breakfast, and then we met Hayley and her kids at Green Lake for some fun in the wading pool. Max introduced himself to many people while we were there, and he had a great time cooling off in the water. After Green Lake and his nap, we met Grandma for some snacks in Mill Creek, then back home to play with Dad and go on a nice, long walk.

For a 15 month update, Max has been slowly increasing his vocabulary. He is of course saying his mama, dada, hello, no-no etc, but his new words include "bird, car, truck, fishsticks, broom" and he is in the very early stages of ABCs. He is loving being outside at all times, watering our plants, playing at the beach or park, or sweeping out the garage, as long as he is outside he is a happy camper! He is also so clever as to have figured out how to work our "safety" latches that we have placed in our kitchen cupboards to keep him out of the cleaning supplies. About a week after installation, he has figured out how to simultaneously push the latch down and open the door, and now another favorite activity is to pour liquid dishsoap on the floor!
Updated pictures are coming asap...I promise Grandma!

McKinley Springs BBQ!

This past weekend Max was a big helper for the BBQ competition at McKinley Springs Winery. We took an RV over and Max was a very good boy on the 4 hour drive. When we got there he had a great time running around and playing in the vineyards. He also enjoyed some yummy watermelon that turned his entire tummy bright pink from the juice! I think his favorite parts of the weekend were playing with the ice in the cooler, trying to pick up the blow torch, and running around in the winemaker's building. All in all a great weekend was had by all. Pretty soon Max is going to have a little Beerbque playmate as well, Ryan and Lindsay are welcoming little Rose any time now!

Loving the sun!

We've had some beautiful weather around here and Max has been venturing out to some nearby parks to burn some energy. Here are some pictures from our trips to the Kirkland waterfront and Golden Garden's over this past weekend. Max loves running around and playing in the sand!

Max's New Sink

Who would have thought that a sink could be so much fun? Well, two weeks ago we were over at Jackson Webb's second birthday party and his grandma had gotten him a play sink that runs water that is about Max's height. All of the kids absolutely loved this sink, particularly filling up cups of water and drenching themselves and each other. Max just had to have one, and unfortunately when we first ventured out to get one everyone was sold out, apparently this sink is a very hot commodity. Thank goodness Toys R Us received a new shipment, and now Max has his very own sink out on the back deck. His new favorite thing to do with the sink is to fill up a large pitcher of water and then dump it out on the deck. I don't really get it but as long as he's enjoying himself, we're happy!
However, today he filled up a cup of water inside with the fridge spout and proceeded to dump the cup of water all over the kitchen floor...I have to help him understand the difference between inside and outside...soon :-)

Max's First Vacation by Air

We just got home from a wonderful trip down to Nevada for some much needed R&R. Max did great on his first plane ride, he fell asleep during take-off and woke up during our final descent, it was too good to be true...The trip home was another story. We boarded our plane after it was 30 minutes late, then ended up sitting on the plane which was about 85 degrees for an hour and a half while they worked on a "warning light" that came on when we pushed away from the terminal. After this horrible wait we were told that our plane was not safe to fly to Seattle and we then de-boarded and had to get on a new plane and finally fly home (safely, thank goodness). During this entire debacle Max was awake and a total wild child, everyone within a 10 foot radius on the plane knew Max, some even held him, and fortunately all but one was very nice to us.
So in between those polar opposite events we enjoyed lots of sunshine and 90 degree weather, long walks, playing at the pool, and Jeremy and I got to enjoy a fun night away in Vegas just the two of us.

Lesson learned from this trip...take the first flight out in the morning, no delays that way :-)

Happy Birthday Great-Grandma Taylor!

Max wanted to wish his great-grandma a very Happy Birthday! He hopes she feels better soon and is anxiously awaiting our upcoming visit!

Over Great-Grandma's birthday weekend Max had an adventure to Whidbey Island to visit Sarah's beach house. He had a great time playing in the sand. Below are some pictures of Max waiting patiently in the ferry line, and playing with Daddy and his new buddy Brian.

Nature Walk

Max and Grandma went for a nature walk today. We had a great time collecting pine cones and looking at the snakes. He met a little girl who gave him a flower. He was pretty charmed, maybe more so with her dog. He took a little header and got a scrape on this head, just in time for his one year pictures. He barely wimpered and went on running down the path. We had a very fun time.

A visit from the Easter Bunny!

Max had a very busy first Easter. We went to church at 9am, then had brunch at our house. Max ate more than I have ever seen him eat...he has a thing for scalloped potatoes, apparently. From the Easter Bunnies he received a Mariners baseball hat and tickets to go to a game with Mom and Dad, and also a life vest, and garden tools that are just his size. He also has just begun to color, so Grandma gave him some crayons and a coloring book as well. After everyone left we had a nice 2 hour family nap, then off to a nursery for flowers.
The only downside of the day was that Max did not get to enjoy the yummy egg dish that Grandpa Nick made, no more eggs or peanuts for Max following Thursday's visit to the allergist :-(

It's BBQ Season!

BBQ season is finally upon us! This weekend we competed at Pike Place Market and had a great time. Out of 29 teams we placed 5th overall, pretty good! Max had so much fun people watching at the market and from the hotel window. He is also having fun with his new favorite activities, clapping, and saying "touchdown" and raising both of his arms. While he is a bit off with the sports season, we figure he'll have it perfected by the time football actually rolls around. Right now "touchdown" sounds a bit like "toosh-doo" but we're getting there :-)

Happy Birthday Max!

Today Max celebrated his first birthday! We started the day with both grandma's. First, we got Max's first haircut. He got to sit in a Blue Angels toy jet and he did great! Then, we went out to lunch at the Purple Cafe where Max accidentally broke a plate (oops!), then went to Woodland Park Zoo. It was pretty crummy weather but we braved the elements and Max had fun. He especially liked the Gorillas and Orangutans. Then we came home and Max had a nice nap in grandma's arms, then the family came over for some BBQ that Daddy made. Max said "hot" for the first time, and also learned what great fun clapping can be. Every time Max clapped everyone else would cheer him on and he loved it! He also enjoyed his birthday cake, so much that he had chocolate cake smothered in his hair! Happy Birthday buddy!

Earning his keep!

We have finally had a few sunny days around here so we've been able get outside for some yard work. Max loves to help out, he picked up a shovel right away and started digging. Unfortunately, the shovel he started out with was about 2 feet taller than him. Once he found one that was more his size he did great, until he did an accidental somersault into a flower bed after leaning too far forward. The somersault didn't scare him off though, the next day he was outside digging again, and directing Dad on where the new plants should go!

Oink, Oink

Tonight Max was laughing so hard he snorted. Nichole and I starting laughing hysterically and Max liked the attention. Before we knew it, Max was showing off. Check out his newest talent...we're not so sure we want this one to stick :)

Baptism Day...Finally!

At just over 11 months old Max was finally baptized this morning. We went to the 9am service (and yes, today was Daylight Savings) at OSLC and the whole family came to watch. Max hardly flinched during the ceremony. After church we all went over to Jaja and Bob's house for a scrumptious brunch to celebrate!

A visit from Grandpa Schroder

Grandpa Schroder is visiting from Minnesota this week. Max is really enjoying spending time with him and getting some great play-time in. He likes chasing Grandpa around the ottoman, and also giving some great high-fives, his newest skill!

Max's Buddies

Gavin, Sophie, and Jacob came over today for a visit, while the mom's had a nice chance to catch up. Sophie had a great time with the rocking horse that Adam and Jo got for Max, and I have to say that Max's deck of cards, and bug catcher where a hit with the boys! Everyone is getting so big and grown up, I can't believe it! Next visit we may have to get together a little earlier, nap time for all came up pretty quick.

Happy Belated New Year!

We admitedly have been doing an awful job this month of updating the blog, so here's a recap...
First, Max is now walking!!! He took his first steps on New Year's Eve, one day before his 9 month birthday, and now he is walking all the way across the living room and into the kitchen, we're talking like 15 steps at a time! His new favorite place is the tupperware cabinet, where he likes to remove everything and play drums.
We also have been having family dinner together, with Max alongside us at the table in his highchair, we give him a teething biscuit or a piece of toast and he is happy.
He's eating "3rd" foods now, so he's getting meats, soups, and things with a thicker texture. He also has SEVEN teeth, 2 of them came in on the same day, needless to say we were pretty much overdosing him with orajel...poor guy! But those chompers are coming in handy with his toast.

Here is Max taking one of his first steps (1/10/2009).

I shopped till I dropped!!

Jaja is very excited. She is having a small party during the inauguration tomorrow with her Ugandan friends. She totally wore me out today shopping for the event. I shopped till I dropped. These pictures were at our last stop of the day.