Update on Max - 18 Months Old

We've been busy lately with getting Sophie ready for school, having some landscaping (drainage) done, and various other things.  Our backyard has some drainage issues during the rainy season which for anyone who has lived in the Pacific Northwest knows that the rainy season lasts most of the year.  However we don't get much rain in the summer and we had the yard leveled and they put in new sod, which makes the rest of our dead grass look horrible. I'd say it's an epic fail, although it better help the drainage or I'm going to have a serious hissy fit.

I can't believe Max is already 18 moths old.  It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital and welcomed him into our crazy family.  He's changed so much, he's walking, climbing, talking a little bit (although probably not as much as he should be) and he just started running.  The running is hysterical, he looks like he's going to fall on his face and then he fall on his face because he hasn't mastered it yet.

Max started this fun new thing where he glares at me periodically throughout the day.  Whenever I tell him no or don't give him milk fast enough he lowers his brows and scowls.  It's cute on an 18 month old, but not so much a 15 year old, so that will be fun in about 13 years.

 This is his other expression, the one he normally wears.  He is one happy little boy most of the time and he has the sweetest smile.  He's starting to be a little shy around new people.  He's also a great little snuggler and loves to cuddle with me before his nap.

 I'm saving this photo for when he brings his first girlfriend home.  He's looks great in pink.

The Playroom

I just had shelves installed in the playroom. It's by no means done, but it's a lot closer. This is the view looking into the playroom from the hallway. The boards we used were originally Dave's Dad and they look great.
Here's looking at the shelves. The kids table was a Christmas present from my parents. The lowest shelf is at 2 feet. It's tall enough to be used as a table surface for the kids.

Here's the little kitchen that Santa brought Sophie when she was two and her easel.

Another view of the kitchen and the toys along that wall.

Here's the couch. I'd like to put some sort of shelving to the right of the couch where the wire shelves are now. I'd like something with a little more storage. I've been looking at craigslist for the perfect piece.
Sophie showing off her baby waffles. I love her little squinty eye thing she does when I tell her to smile.
Max reading in the tent in the playroom. His hair is getting long... and curly.

New Routine

We're slowly getting into the swing of things at our new home. Finding a new routine, new friends, and new activities has been a rough transition for Sophie and for me. We did take a quick break to hop on down to California to visit Dave's parents and check out Sea World. I'd like to draw everyone's attention to Dave's mustache. He's been telling me he loves it and is planning on keeping it. I told him he could plan on sleeping on the couch if that's his final decision.

Sophie kept trying to pull the starfish out of the water for a closer look. She didn't get the whole breathe underwater concept.

Max loves to play outside. He actually tells me "outside" when he's ready to go. We try to walk to the mailbox when the weather's nice.

Seriously the mustache is killing me.

Easter

We had quite an Easter this year. We had some new friends over for an egg hunt and Easter dinner. It was loads of fun.

Max's Easter basket

Sophie's Easter basket

My sweet friends from Hawaii made this Peter Rabbit banner for Max's baby shower and I thought it was perfect with my Easter decorations.

I have to tilt the dining room table crossways in the room to be able to fit both leaves and all 8 chairs.

Max's first Easter egg. I totally set this photo up. Setting the egg down, calling Max over, pointing to the egg. Begging him to pick it up.

Sophie didn't need any direction. This girl has candy radar and she was going to get as many eggs as possible.

Happy Easter!

Max's First Birthday Party

Max's First Birthday Party didn't quite go as planned this year. The kids and I all got sick a couple days before the party, so after much discussion, I canceled the party. However, since we had all the stuff, we set it up and had a family party instead.

Here are the favors... gold paper crowns, swedish fish, magnets of Max, and there were also little sailboats for the kids.


Max enjoying the sun on my parent's lanai.
Max hitting Dave in the head. I'm sure Dave deserved it.
Our happy family!
The cupcakes my fabulous sister made.
Max in his birthday crown.
Sophie torturing Max. She wasn't pulling his hair, she was just lightly running her fingers through it, and you'd have thought she was stabbing him. He was totally freaking out.
Max and his crown cake. Also courtesy of my sister.
Turns out he's not a fan of cake. Must take after his dad, because everyone knows how much I love cake.
I can't believe Max is already one. He is talking, he says book, ball, Mama, outside. He walks everywhere. He's such a fun and happy boy.

The Shortest Vacation Ever!

Our beach cottage on Kauai. Super cute and really comfortable! The view from the beach right outside our cottage at Barking Sands. That's the forbidden island of Niihau in the distance (I think).

Max crawling around on the beach. The surf was pretty big, so it was definitely not a swimming beach, plus the currents are supposedly pretty hazardous.

Me and Max on the beach!

Max and I just had the shortest vacation ever. Dave had a short underway period that would end with him on Kauai for about four days. So we decided that I would fly over from Oahu and meet him (we were arriving on Kauai on different modes of transportation). My parents would watch Sophie while I was gone and it was decided that Max was still too young to be without me for several days, so he would come with me.

I found out shortly after I arrived in Kauai (in fact I was still at the airport) that Dave wouldn't arrive on the same day I did. I would hopefully be able to meet up with him on the following day. Around 7pm the night I arrived I found out that Dave was on his way back to Oahu and so I would have to check out of the beach cottage, return the rental car and try to get on the first flight back to Oahu. All by myself, with Max (oxymoron I know).

Dave was home several hours before I was. I was lucky to get on an earlier flight out of Kauai and while we didn't get to have our mini vacation, it was really nice to see him again.

So it was short and crazy (less than 24 hours on island), but Max and I had a great time just the two of us.

The New Year - 2011

Here's some photos of our New Year's Eve festivities at my parent's house. Sorry they're a little out of order. I'm working on Dave's laptop and having technical difficulties. Oh the little joys of moving.

Sophie and Max - New Year's Day

Sophie and Dave with Sophie's first sparkler

Sophie protecting her hearing during one of Pop's firework displays.
Max's first sparkler. My dad, Lulu the dog, and me.

Max and Dave checking out the sparkler

Max and Dave on New Year's Eve 2010.

All in all we had a pretty fabulous 2010. We welcomed Max into the family, Sophie adjusted to being a big sister, and Dave found out he was going to a fantastic new job.

We already knew that 2011 would bring many exciting changes for our family. Dave will start back on sea tour this spring which means he won't be home as much as he has been the past two years. Don't worry we're getting a fancy new security system so the kids and I will feel safe.

We are buying a new home (very exciting) in our new city! Washington State here we come (do you think they're ready for us)? We're so happy to be going back to the Pacific Northwest. We really enjoyed living there several years ago and can't wait to see how things have changed.

Sophie is changing into a stubborn and hard headed little girl as opposed to the stubborn and hard headed toddler she's been. Her language is improving by leaps and bounds. She knows some of her letters by sight and we've been working on teaching her to write her name. She will start preschool next fall and has been begging me to go to ballet class.

Max is growing and will I'm sure be walking within the next couple months and talking soon after. He's already saying Mama and ball. His weight has steadied out at 23 pounds (pretty close to Sophie's weight) and he can really get around by crawling and cruising around on furniture. He's turned out to be just as laid back, happy, and easy going as I thought he would be (as long as he isn't teething and is well fed).

And I, well, I'm the glue that's holding it all together. Running a house, raising kids, being a wife, best job in the world if you can get it. I'm really looking forward to making new friends and reconnecting with some old ones when we move.

So if you're in our neck of the woods we have a guest room that's available and ready for company after March, although I'm not promising that I won't comandeer it as a craft room at some point.

Happy New Year!