Max helps in the kitchen

Max did his first cooking tonight. He helped me crush pita chips to make bread crumbs. He took his crushing serious for about 2 minutes. He has spirit my little Max.

Following Directions

Max is stubborn; and I have no idea where in the world that gene came from. Anyhow...  Sometimes I worry becuase it doesn't feel like he listens to me in the day to day things such as eating his meals without throwing things on the floor, not hitting me or his sister, and the little things that happen everyday. But every once in a while, recently, he is letting me know that when it counts, when we are in new surroundings, or safety situations, he looks to me for direction and actually listens.

Today at Wiggles and Worship, Max wondered off over to the side. I knew he was heading to investigate the piano. No one was there. He was intrigues. One of the teachers had offered him to play it a few weeks ago and he was too shy. I think he's ready now. But since it was the middle of service and pastor Terri was trying to teach the kids, I wasn't intending to let him start banging. He inched his way closer and I was watching. Slowly he approached, and ever so slightly he looked over for my feedback and hopeful approval before taking that last step to where he could strike a key. I shook my head and firmly said no.

I was so proud when he walked away! He does listen to me.

Long weekend naps

This definitely fits into my confessions category...

Most children take a two hour nap. Somehow I have managed to convince our children that four hour naps are the norm when they are at home. Sometimes I do feel guilty about the amount of time I confine them to their beds on the weekends when we should be spending time with them. But, they are happy. They do sleep. And, honestly, I enjoy the opportunity to get chorse and errands done. The good news is that it usually means mornings and evenings are focused around them. I don't draf them on errands very often.

I suspect Ellie will try to give these up soon. Sometimes it takes her nearly the first two hours to fall asleep. But, while they last, I will embrace them. It gives me a chance to do things like this - write my blog. So that one day, when they are all grown up and gone, I can remember the life with them as children. This is the life I have always wanted and I do enjoy!

It's almost time to wake them now and get on with a lovely Sunday evening at home - dinner, playing, baths, books, and back to sleep :-). Here's hoping that lots of sleep is good for the little ones!

Chocolate

My little man still doesn't get much chocolate. His stomach doesn't really handle it very well, so I do limit it. Last night around 7, as dinner was ending, I gave him 1 chocolate sandwich cookie and one little one ounce piece of chocolate. He love it! Fast forward to 9:45pm and Max, who normally falls asleep quickly, is upstairs in his crib talking to himself and laughing! I wonder why...

Smartie Pants

Ellie is really growing up. I was looking through old pictures from when Max was born and I can really see how young Ellie was 19 months ago. It's funny though, becuase I don't really notice it on a day to day basis that often. However, after lunch today she made me take note. She got the new complex blocks out that Grampa bought at Christmas and decided she was going to make some figures from the pictures on the front of the container. She did an amazing job of recreating these things from the little images. From the photo below you can see that she and I are both very proud of her accomplishment!

Opps, it's not really Snow

The first thing I showed each of the kids this morning was the "snow" we had on the ground. Max thought it was an exciting new word and thing. Ellie was excited to finally have some "snow" to play in.
Unfortunately it was more ice then snow. But, after making such a big deal about it both kids were deteremined to get outside and play in it. So we bundled the family up and headed out. I expected it would be a five minute thing, but turns out we kept busy for nearly an hour out there. We didn't have boots for Max, so I put him in some black hand me down shoes that were a bit big on him. I thought for sure he'd slip all over the place. Although the driveway and the grass was covered in a sheet of ice, he did really well. It was a bit dissapointing for Ellie becuase we couldn't sled, or build a snowman and it was hard to use Daddy's shovel too. But she was also a good sport. We came up with several interesting things to do - swinging, playing kickball, smashing through the crisp ice tops, trying to help Daddy and even trying to play with the bikes a bit on the circle. Max's bike where I push him like a stroller was a lot of fun; Ellie's little peddle bike didn't go very far and was a source of frustration. However, all in all, it was a nice adventure compared to what I was expecting.

Here are a few photos from the morning. The first one I'd call "Daddy's Watchers that wannabe Helpers."

Tyler Turns Seven

I believe that this third phase of my life started when Tyler was born nearly seven years ago. I'm not sure what this phase should be called, but I think of it as a refocus on family. It's hard to believe it's only been seven years, becuase I can not remember life without nieces, my nephew and my children. I sure loved my college years and the years that followed where I traveld, partied and was free. Living in NYC and experiences life in Europe were fantastic experiences that I still miss and would welcome again. But this third phase of life as I've decided to call it feels like what life was meant to be. I always wanted kids. I always tried to adopt other people's to be an auntie. Now, i'm living it and (in most moments) really enjoying the amazement of watching the next generation grow, worrying about how things are different for them, and looking towards their futures with excitement wondering who they will be when they grow up and what impact they will have on the world. Tyler's birth was the event in life that made me think about coming home for the first time.

Last night we celebrated Tyler's seventh birthday at a local bounce place. They kids love this place. It was a small group, but it was perfect. I love this photo of all the kids, lined up in order of birth (ironically done on their own). Max couldn't be bothered to sit with them becuase he was playing with the balloon. It's hard to believe another one will be added to the clan in August. It is exciting though!

Tyler is a sweet boy. He looks after his sisters and cousins so well. He's also quite a boy with lots of energy and interests. And, I believe it's safe to say that his best friend is Granddaddy. And, I believe that relationship is mutual. I think Tyler is Granddaddy's best friend. I am thankful they enjoy each other so much. Funny with all the kids running around last night, Tyler could easily be found playing air hockey with his granddaddy. Granddaddy asked for this picture of his boys on Tyler's throne for the night. Tyler was more then willing to share. He always is!

Everyone had a great night! Happy Birthday Tyler Vernon!

My new housekeeper

Gramma got Max an apron this week. He tried it out this evening. He got into character by enjoying his most favorite machine in the world. Va-Va

Ellie and Mommy let Max in on our little Sunday morning ritual today

I think it's official now, what was once the Mommy and Ellie Sunday morning trip to Starbucks has now grown to include Max. This morning the three of us sat down to enjoy breakfast. No strollers, no baby food, just 3 waters, a latte and 3 breakfast treats. It felt good. I think there will be a lot of fun times like this I'll have with my kids as they grow. I'm not anxious to have them grow up, but when we hit these milestones I do try to appreciate them!

Wiggles and Worship!

We've been trying out a church service meant for the kids since I started taking Max with me to church (post his morning naps period). Max just can not sit still in church and I have given up the fight. So usually Ellie will go to Sunday school while Max and I put around the town for an hour. Then the three of us having been enjoying this 20-30 minute service with lots of songs where the kids can move around and the pastor tries to teach the sermon in very basic terms.

Unfortunately the sermon is still usually well beyond Max's comprehension. However, today, it was right on target. Today was about the animals got has given us and how he wants us to love and take care of them. The guest teacher runs the preschool there and knows how to keep kids attention. She had a bag full of animals and as she pulled them out the kids were to say the sounds they make. Max stood there anticipating the reveal of each animal. He dutifully got into making the sounds and participating. I was really proud to see him enjoying this. It was as if he was also proud of himself in the opportunity to participate in what everyone else was paying attention too. It was a great service!

After the service the kids get a chance to have a snack and play together. Here's Max with a Duck that he could barely life up! Isn't he such a cutie :-). Mommy is biased.

We have a new babysitter finally!

For nearly 3 years, Lexi was our only babysitter outside the family. She did a great job with the kids. When she went off to college this fall we had a really hard time finding someone else to replace her. David and I hadn't been out on a date since August. We missed it. A few weeks ago I found out that Colleen might be interested in doing a little babysitting, so I quickly took her up on this. Saturday night was the first time we tried this. The kids, especially Max, have been a bit under the weather. I was worried there was going to be a cry fest as we left. However, turns out, it was fine! No tears! They were eating dinner and we said good bye with some kisses and walked out. I loved the fact that Colleen took right over and they were comfortable with us leaving! We were gone until about 11 - nearly 6 hours. We had a nice dinner, coffee, a movie and even ran a few errands together. We got home and found Robert and Colleen on the couch watching TV with two kids sound asleep. Apparently they had anice evening. Ellie did try to prolong going to sleep, as we knew that she would. I also heard that Max was a bit skeptical when Colleen sat down to rock him before putting him in the bed. She said he was basically looking like he thought, she's doing exactly the right thing, but how does she know what to do? SO cute! We are so happy it all went well. This is a big thing for us and we hope that we can do this on a monthly basis now. We will see.

Max says his name

Tonight at bath time Max was holding the toy mirror up and admiring his face. I said, "That's Max in there. Can you say Max?" He repeats perfectly - Max! I smile and get all excited and he lets out a little self satified smile. We did this a few times. Then I even tried having him say Maximillion. He did a great job with that very long name. He got all the syllables and it sounded great to me! He even said it to Daddy! I don't know what it is, but the first time I hear my children say their own names, I just love the sound. I could record it and play it over and over.

Poor little Max seems to have croup tonight. I hope he gets a good night sleep.

Who will Max look like when he grows up?

Here's how the story was told to me by David tonight at dinner:

David, "Apparently Ellie knows some information I don't know."
Julie, "What's that?"
David, "We were discussing who Max will look like when he grows up. I asked will he look like Mommy and Ellie answered No. I asked will he look like me and Ellie answered no. So I asked who do you think he'll look like then. Ellie responds with 'Sammy's Daddy'." (Sammy is a friend from daycare)
Julie - laughing.... laughing... and more laughing. So much laughing that the kids join in laughing oblivious to why I am so amused at this story.

Puppet Show

I collected all the pupets into the basement yesterday. Today I thought I'd introduce Ellie to the idea of the puppet show. Her and I went behind the couch and Daddy was the audience. We started out with me inviting her to have the cow join the cat on the stage. So, she puts the puppet on and the cow and Ellie's head pop into site for Daddy! It was cute. Then we suggested she shouldn't be seen, she couldn't quite figure out how to make that happen. It was cute. She did play along for about five minutes. It was a good first run.

A tough night for Max (and Mommy and Daddy)

Last night Max had one of his most sleepless nights coupled with us really not knowing what was wrong with him. It was a really long night. I am so torn when this happens. I feel bad for him and I know I need to comfort him. I am also so tired and watching the hours left before I am supposed to start off to work pass away. It's one of the hardest things about being a Mom to me. We did visit the doctor's this morning becuase I was convinced his ears were hurting again and this was the excuse. Nope, ears are perfect! It may have been his stomach as the doctor said his bowels were overactive. We have taken Lactose out of his diet today and are hoping this helps him feel better. I sure hope we got some sleep tonight. I love my buddy and love cuddling him, but 10 times in one night is too much for me to handle.

Grafitti

Why does it bother me that Ellie wrote my name and hers so well? Becuase I found it on the side of the new cabinets David put up in the living room for us this year. Yes, right on the side of the shiney white walls! That girl knows better too. I'm not sure why she did it. When I told her the consequences were that she would lose all her art supplies for at least a week - pens, penciles, crayons, paints, all of it. Her response, "But Mommy, I wrote it in pen."

Kisses

Max has been generous with his kisses today. He was giving them to Benjamin Bear earlier this afternoon. This was the first time I saw him kissing something on his own without me suggesting it. I found that very cute and comforting to see that he's learned that way of expressing care for something.

This evening David carried him in to say good night to Ellie and when she leaned in to give him a hug, he laid a big ol' kiss right on her little lips. She was so excited that he kissed her. She let out a squeal of laughter. This impressed Max and when he realized what he'd done to elicit this excitement from Ellie, he started saying "a-gin, a-gin, a-gin" as David walked him back to his room to go to sleep.

Such a cute ending to the day for all of us!

Ellie-isms

Ellie in quite the linguist for her age, and always has been. This is why when she misuses a word or makes up her own way of saying it, I absolutely love it. I'm going to try to keep track of some in this blog:

12-2011 - Lip Boss. Lip bloss is the shiney smooth stuff Ellie puts on her lips which she got for her birthday. I believe this ones my fault becuase sometimes I called it Lip Gloss and other times Lip Balm. This resulted in the words Lip Boss.

12-25-2011 - Tick-A-Tacks. Tick-a-tacks are the little orange minty candies Santa left Ellie in her stocking.

A playdate with Owen at Ms Sarah's

Today was the big day. Ellie was so excited that I think it took her about 3 hours to fall asleep last night. (Not kidding. When I took her to the bathroom at 10:30 she had not yet gone to sleep. She said to me, "Mommy, I'm so excited to see Owen tomorrow.")

We arrived at Ms. Sarah's ontime, by miracle of Ellie actually eating fast. When Owen got there I tried to encourage Ellie to go meet him, but she couldn't do it. Instead, she ran and hid under the table. She spent about 5 minutes there until Ms. Sarah chased her out. Owen was also feeling a little overwhelmed too. Ms. Sarah had ended up with a full house today by unlucky chance really.

Max and I left after a while. Sarah was taking all the kids outside to run around and play tag. She told me that they had a good time and that Ellie did eventually speak to Owen. When Max and I returned to pick Ellie up, Owen and his dad were leaving. Ellie told me she had a great time playing with Owen and "I got to play with him the whole time Mommy!" So, I would call the day a great success. But now come the questions of "When will I see him again Mommy?"

And so it goes

Ms. Sarah has been trying to get a playdate set up for Erin, Ellie and Owen for a while now. I didn't want to let Ellie know about it unless it was really going to happen. I got a text from Sarah today that tomorrow at 9am is the day. David and I decided to relay the message/invitation to Ellie. The smile on her face grew very big. She was so excited. She thought a couple minutes and the first thing she said was, "Mommy, I want to wear this pretty dress tomorrow." I said okay. Then she said, "And I want to keep my legs bare like they are now." This is where we drew the line. You'd think the girl was going on a date or something. I'm worried what it'll be like at 16 years old. She's so excited and really does love Owen! I'm happy for her and hoping tomorrow goes well.

Squeal Master

Max has this horrendous squeal which I believe he inherited from his Aunt Katie. He's been using this squeal more and more recently becuase he gets so much reaction to it. Anytime Ellie takes something from him, he squeals. When he saw Ellie eating blueberries after he'd had many, he squealed. If he sees something he wants, he squeals. I hope this phase passes quickly.

Jesus Loves You

This morning after breakfast we skipped church becuase we have been running very late over the holiday. Instead, Ellie is sitting at the kitchen table painting. We have the Christian radio station on in the background. After a song ends Ellie looks up from her painting to her Daddy who's sitting there having his coffee and reading the news on his phone. She says, "Daddy, God loves you more then anyone." Then she went back to her painting. I was so proud!