Cousin Ryder

We went to New Braunfels for Thanksgiving (longer post forthcoming), and Scarlett had an absolute blast playing with all of her cousins.  But her cousin Ryder (3 1/2) found a special place in her heart.  She followed him everywhere for hours on end and hugged him repeatedly (and the funny thing is, Scarlett is not a hugger, but for some reason, Ryder brought out the hidden hugger in her).  And just when you thought she couldn't possibly have anymore hugs left in her, she would hug him again.  And again.  The poor guy could not get away, and he had to be exhausted by the end of the day on account of being on the receiving end of all those hugs.  So sweet.

Hopscotch

Here's Scarlett having a quick go at the permanent hopscotch board on the sidewalk at Bishop and 8th before shakes at Hunky's.

Cowgirl Scarlett

Here are a few shots of Cowgirl Scarlett rocking her NEW! PINK! COWGIRL BOOTS!  This could have gone one of two ways:  she would hate them and refuse to wear them, or she would think they were the greatest things ever.  She was hilarious the first time she put them on.  If anyone has ever put shoes or socks on a dog (just admit it, I know you're out there), her reaction was similar.  She struck an awkward, frozen pose, then shuffled sideways a bit, and then walked by lifting her legs high up in the air like she was marching.  She finally got the hang of it, and now she doesn't want to take them off.  In fact, she wore them again today to another birthday party!

Cowboy Max's First Birthday!

Our sweet baby boy turned one year old today.  What a difference a year makes ...

November 17, 2011

November 17, 2012

Max had a big day -- another birthday party in the morning, Chick Fil A for lunch, quick nap, then his cowboy-themed birthday party in the afternoon.  He was blessed to share his party with lots of family and friends, including friends of the furry and feathered variety.  We had a petting zoo with baby chickens, goats, bunnies, ducks, a pig, and even an alpaca (!).  (This is the same alpaca that Scarlett was so enamored with last month at the Kessler Pumpkin Patch and that nibbled on her hair -- and that crazy creature did it again!  We decided he must keep mistaking her long blond hair for hay.)  And we can't forget Dandy the pony that the kids got to ride up and down the driveway.

Here is Max taking some tentative first tastes of his smash cake.

Scarlett decided to help him out.  (Truth be told, Scarlett freaked out when we gave the mini cake to Max.  Apparently, she had decided earlier that it was HER cake.  And Max was EATING.  HER.  CAKE.  Oh, the horror!)

And this was all despite the fact that we had an enormous -- and absolutely amazing -- cake for the rest of us to eat.  Is this a cool cake, or what?!

The remnants.  Good job, Cowboy Max!

It was a beautiful day, a great party, and so much fun to celebrate our precious boy.  We love you, Max!

(We had a photographer there to take pictures so I wouldn't have to worry about it the whole time, and I will share those when I get them in a few weeks.)

Max is Eleven Months Old! (October 17, 2012)

Max is almost one year old -- hard to believe!  Let's see ... what is Max up to these days?

• He gives high fives and fist bumps.  
• He shakes his head for "no" and gives a huge grin for "yes."
• He likes to feed you, and holds out grubby little bits of gummed up fruit, chicken, or whatever it is that he's eating.  And he really wants to place it in your mouth and watch you eat it.  And you do, even though it's a bit gross.  Because it's adorable.  
• He likes to feed Winnie those same bits of gummed up food, which he drops onto the floor.  This is less adorable.  Winnie, however, thinks this is the greatest thing ever and largely makes up for the fact that her house has been invaded by two alien creatures.  
• Speaking of alien creatures, Max likes to point and touch index fingers with you ET-style.
• He claps when he hears people clapping on t.v.  
• He loves to dance to music.
• He likes to play with Scarlett's kitchen and her baby stroller.  (Max is probably getting his own baby stroller for his birthday for the sake of family harmony, although I suspect he'll still go after Scarlett's.  Why?  Because he can.  That high pitch, blood-curdling scream you just heard in the distance?  That was Scarlett, and Max was "messing with her baby stroller!#!##!!!")
• He cruises on furniture.  
• He draws on the chalkboard (when he's not busy eating the chalk) and even uses the eraser.
• He drinks from a cup with a lid and straw rather than a sippy cup (probably because that's what he sees Big Sister do).  
• He is constantly making a break for Winnie's room to try and squeeze himself through the world's tiniest doggy door (which is actually a cat door, but don't tell Winnie) or to eat her food or splash around in her water.  
• He likes to make a mad dash for the stairs, and has ended up halfway up them on more than one occasion much to my horror. 
• He loves remote controls, cords, and the dishwasher (or rather, the sharp and breakable items that can be found in the dishwasher).  
• He loves to play outside and chew on sticks, rocks, and leaves.  
• He likes to brush his teeth (all six of them, although the six that he has are actually surprisingly big).  
• He's added a few words to his repertoire (which previously consisted of only Mama):  banana, Wiener (as in Winnie), and duck.  In fairness, he's only said each of these once.  BUT, there were witnesses each time, so it's not just my crazy imagination.

And here is sweet Maxwell in all of his eleven-month-old glory.

Look at those chubby thighs.

This is typical Nosey Rosy Max in action, craning his neck to check out who knows what -- Winnie, a squirrel, a leaf, the sound of a lawnmower in the distance.

So handsome.

Chilling with the leaves.

Happy boy.

Greetings from the Land of Oz!

Here are some shots of the whole Wizard of Oz gang on Halloween evening -- the Wicked Witch of the West, the Lion, the Tin Man, and Dorothy.

We hadn't even gotten started yet and the sweet Lion was already yawning ...

Toto gets in on the action.  She looks thrilled, doesn't she?  (And by "thrilled" I mean "frozen in terror.")

Here's Scarlett, Max, and the Harry Potter kiddos over at the Jones's house getting ready to trick or treat:  Boyd as Draco Malfoy (hard to see, but he's holding a little wand and is mid-spell-casting); Harper as Luna Lovegood; Blythe as Rita Skeeter; and Campbell as Mad Eye Moody. Rounding out the Harry Potter cast (but not photographed) were Moaning Myrtle, Hagrid, and Bellatrix Lastrange, played by Lee, Ali, and Mamito.

Scarlett LOVED trick or treating.  I was actually a bit surprised, since some decorations and costumes had bothered her a bit in the weeks leading up to Halloween.  I figured we'd go to one or two houses and call it a day, but she made it all the way around Canterbury Court and probably hit up 15-20 houses.  She even marched right up to the "spooky" houses complete with fog, scary music, and weird looking people and decor, with no prodding from me.  I kept thinking she'd get tired and asking her if she was ready to head back, and she'd say, "No!  I need more candy!"