Max is One!

Dear Max,

We recently celebrated your first birthday.  It's hard to believe that your first year has passed so fast!  Watching you grow and change has been such a joy this past year.  Below are pictures of you on the day you were born and on your first birthday. 

The day your were born.

Your first birthday - sporting your  "1" shirt
(from Gorno Couture).

We spent the special occasion with our family and neighbors (who are like family) and had a nice gathering in our backyard.  You had a great day playing in the yard and exploring your new gifts, but you were not so much a fan of everyone singing happy birthday to you...sorry, buddy.

You really seemed to enjoy the cake though and knew just what to do!

While you sampled some cake, the rest of us enjoyed some ice cream sundae themed cupcakes!

I really enjoyed making the cake and cupcakes even though it got a little stressful getting everything finished before party time.  Your dad thought we should just order a cake and cupcakes, but that would be too easy.  Besides, Mommie Meade (your great-great-grandmother) always made my birthday cakes and it's one of my most cherished memories...I'm hoping you and your brothers will always remember this too.  You did finally throw in the towel on your cake...

Here are a few facts about you at one year old:

• You have four teeth and can stand all by yourself.  
• Crawling is still your preferred method of transportation, but you can move from one place to another quickly!  
• You love watching Parker and Carter and your laughter only encourages their mischievous shenanigans.
• You love music and dance whenever you hear a beat.
• At naptime and bedtime you go to sleep all my yourself.  (Glad we finally got this right the third time around!)
• Your favorite snack is goldfish.
• You are such a sweet and loving little boy and I love everything about you...your hugs, your smiles, your giggle, your cute little toes, your eyes (and they way they close when you're really happy)...and the list goes on and on.

Happy first birthday, Max!  We love you and look forward to seeing what this next year has in store for you.  I'm sure it's going to be an adventure!

Max's First Haircut

Today was a milestone for Max...his first haircut.  He was fabulous! Seriously.  No tears (at least not from him), no squirming...nothing but smiles.  Parker and Carter went first while Max watched them sitting in the chair.  He seemed to know exactly what to do when it was his turn. 

Before

Looking so big!

During

Sitting so still!

All smiles!

After

Thanks Ms. Crista!  You did a fabulous job!

Soccer Saturdays

There is no other place I would rather spend my Saturday mornings than at the soccer field.  Where else can you buy giant pixy stixs and airheads at 8:30 in the morning?  Just kidding...We love cheering for the boys on game day!  It rained a lot overnight Friday and right up until game time on Saturday.  We all know that soccer + rain = a great time (at least for the boys)! Here are a few photos of them in action.

Carter does a great job keeping the ball under control.

Carter taking a hit (from a teammate)...ouch!

Carter passing the ball to Sophia.

Carter moving the ball up the field.

Good game, good game!

Parker and two of his teammates from school.

He is such a cutie!

Look at him go!

Good effort!

We've really enjoyed our season of Upward!

February Flashback

Feeding our feathered friends is always something that our boys enjoy.  During the summer, they love to wake up, grab a few slices of bread, and sit on the front porch while tossing small pieces onto the sidewalk.  It's always a few minutes of peace and quiet during our busy day.  In the winter, they always make sure the bird feeder is filled with seed and sit patiently at the window with binoculars.  Sometimes they like to make the birds a "gourmet" treat.  Here are a few photos...

A little help from dad.

Carter covering the ice cream
cones with peanut butter...

...and taking a bite for himself!

All the necessary supplies.

Parker successfully placing his cone in the tree.

Only 14 more school days until our morning bird feeding tradition resumes, but who's counting?

February - April Recap

Life has been very busy that past few months. It seems our little family has constantly been on the go lately...work, school, soccer, and weekend getaways have consumed most of our time. I think all of us would agree that the weekend getaways have been our favorite activities.  We haven't had much down time, but two of the three boys are napping on this rainy, Saturday afternoon so I thought I'd share some photos.  Here are some of the highlights from the past few months:

Legofest

Lego Ninjago

Lightning McQueen

The boys and Batman

Parker & The Hulk

We also met my cousin Laura and her sweet family in Indianapolis for a few days over our spring break.  This was a mystery trip for our kiddos.  They didn't know where we were headed or what we would be doing when we arrived at our destination.  Our two families pulled into the hotel parking lot within 2 minutes of each other...kind of crazy considering we were each driving 4-5 hours from opposite directions with kiddos in tow.  Parker was so surprised when their car pulled up next to ours.  He said, "Hey! That's Jack, Clare, & Lily.  What are they doing here?"  Fabulous surprise!

Here are a few photos from our afternoon at the Indy Children's Museum...

We explored the dinosphere!  The kids loved
digging for fossils.

We went scuba diving on a coral reef!

We gazed at the Fireworks of Glass display while laying
on a revolving platform.

The view from the platform.

We also checked out Bumblebee.

Bumblebee

 
...and our day at the zoo!

The kids checking out the sea otters.

How do we get to the roller coaster?

We were mooned by the giraffe!
Carter thought this was hilarious.

Ray & Carter watching the elephants play in the water.

Max was such a trooper!
I'd travel anywhere with him...seriously!

The entire crew.

We stayed until they made us leave!

The zoo was fun, but I'm pretty sure all the kids liked swimming at the hotel more than anything!

We can't wait until our next getaway.  I wonder where our travels will take us?  In the mean time, the sun is now out and the kiddos are awake so we're heading outside to play!

2012 Bucket List

Every year I make a New Year's resolution and every year I break my resolution...usually within the first week.  I've actually had the same one for the past three years - to send birthday cards to each of my family members on their birthday.  To be fair, I come from a very large family and I'm doomed from the start because three birthdays fall within the first week of January.  This year, I decided not to make a resolution.  After all, resolutions are made to be broken.  However, a bucket list sounds promising!  Something I can check off after I've accomplished the task.  Oh yes, I think I can do this!  Without further ado, my 2012 bucket list

• Learn to sew, crochet, and cook.  I am embarrassed to say that I cannot do any of these things.  I can't even sew a button.  Meme did teach me a bit of crocheting when I was younger.  I don't remember any of it, but I think it would be fun to give it another try.  My husband added the last one to the list and not one I'm thrilled about trying to accomplish because I really dislike cooking.  Baking I can do!  Cupcakes, cakes...not a problem.  A meal...that's a problem, but I have nowhere to go but up.

• Frame all of our beautiful portraits from Julie Thacker.  Yes, all of them!  I do have a few matted and framed, but many of them are still in the box she packaged them in before giving them to me.  

• Date night at least once a month.  This shouldn't be too difficult, right?  We've already had a date night this month - that makes us 1/12 of the way there!

• Blog more frequently.  (This also shouldn't be difficult since I only average one blog a month.)

• Become proficient with Photoshop.  I'm actually very excited about this one!  

• Play more.  Stress less.  No explanation needed.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Happy Birthday, Carter!

Our family celebrated Carter's fourth birthday this past week. Can you believe it? Time goes so fast when you're having fun! Here's a look back at the week we welcomed him into our family!

Carter

Parker, Carter, and I at the hospital

Carter (4 days old) and Parker

Carter has grown into the sweetest little boy with the most AMAZING manners. I love how he greets me at the door each day after work and says, "I missed you today, Mommy!"  He is a bit shy when he meets new people or when he is in a new situation, but when he's home he is a bundle of energy!  He loves playing with Transformers, board games, and reading books.

Here are a few questions that I asked him on his birthday along with his replies.
1.  What is your favorite color?  Purple
2.  What is your favorite toy?  Bumblebee, Optimus Prime, and the Transformer Firehouse
3.  What is your favorite fruit?  Stawberries
4.  What is your favorite t.v. show?  Olivia
5.  What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  Meme's Chicken Salad and Lunchables
6.  What is your favorite outfit?  Parker's Optimus Prime Costume
7.  What is your favorite game?  Pop the Pig
8.  What is your favorite snack?  Popcorn
9.  What is your favorite animal?  Horses like at the farm
10. What is your favorite song?  The one on my guitar upstairs (It's a Paper Jamz that plays Heaven Let Your Light Shine Down)
11.  What is your favorite book?  Curious George
12.  Who is your best friend?  Sophia
13.  What is your favorite cereal?  Lucky Charms
14.  What is your favorite thing to do outside? Jump in a flatable (translation:  Inflatable)
15.  What is your favorite drink?  Chocolate Milk
16.  What is your favorite holiday?  Christmas
17.  What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  My big puppy dog
18.  What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  Pancakes, sausage, eggs, syrup, and chocolate milk (And yes, he usually eats all that for breakfast)
19.  What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  I'm not going to eat dinner tonight (Typical Carter response)
20.  What do you want to be when you grow up?  A Dad (How sweet is that?!?)

Happy birthday, little guy!  You brighten my life with your smile and laugh!