Presents!

Dada and I were up kinda late last night (I mean, Santa was up late...) assembling Max's new train table. When he came out of his room this morning, he headed toward me sitting in the living room, and then did a double take at the table and immediately changed course! He and Dada have already changed the layout of the tracks a couple of times this morning. Looking forward to having his tracks up off of the floor in his room!
Oh - it is a little hard to see in this picture, but notice that there are almost no ornaments on the lower half of the tree! Max helped me put some of the ornaments up, but every time he took one off of the tree I put it up where he couldn't reach it - slowly but surely all of the ones he put on the tree migrated upward. We'll try again next year to keep little fingers off of the tree! (Just in time for Charlie to start grabbing at it) ;P

Look at that expression of concentration on his face! What a cutie.

Christmas Eve

We spent a lovely evening at Grandma and Grandpa M's house

(or as Max calls them, Grandma and Grandma)
for Christmas Eve. This picture is toward the end of the gift opening. The kids really made a haul off of Grandma & Grandma! It was a lot of fun watching Max open presents and play with all of his new toys. Next year Charlie will get in on the action!

Dada thought it was hilarious to put the discarded bows on Max's back because Max didn't know they were there and when he realized there was something there, he couldn't reach them! I just think he is adorable in his little dress shirt and sweater vest.

True Friends

We went to the annual party Saturday night of a group of friends that Dada grew up with, and now the youngest generation is becoming another group of friends - Here is Max with Frank watching a movie during the party. They had a great time playing together the whole evening.

Another shot of Max and Frank, with Frank's grandpa David all watching the movie together. Watching Frosty the Snowman is serious stuff!

Charlie-girl at 4 months

Charlie had her 4 month checkup yesterday and has been declared 'a very healthy little girl' by the pediatrician. Here are her stats:
Weight 14 lbs 5 oz - 75th percentile
Height 25-3/4" - 95th percentile
Head 42.4 cm - 90th percentile

After having such huge measurements at 2 months, she is now much more in line with how big Max was at this age. She is also now figuring out that she has hands, blowing raspberries, and talking and squealing more and more. Such joyful sounds! She and Max are also discovering each other more each day. Max is spending more time talking to Charlie, and Charlie thinks that Max is pretty fascinating and watches him any time he is within her view. I'm sure lots of laughter is just around the corner between the two of them.

Speaking of laughter, Charlie had her first laugh a couple of days ago! What an exciting thing to hear. I'll try my best to get a video of it to post. Until next time...

More of Charlie Smiling

Got lucky yesterday with a couple of good shots of Charlie smiling and laughing. They are off-center because I still have to hold the camera away from my face and hope it is pointed in the right direction!
Charlie's big smiles are huge open mouth smiles, and I have seen pictures of myself at that age with the same smile so she comes by it honestly.
Here is the cute girl:

I Can Read!

The morning of Thanksgiving day 2006 has Dada picking up the house so that Mama can stay in the kitchen all day (happily). Just after picking up the boys' room, we find him in there 'reading' a book in his little rocking chair. What a good boy! Say, do they make footy pajamas in Mama's size?!?

Messy Art

Max had his very first 'messy art' class this past week. This picture shows Max and the other children playing with playdough while waiting for the project table to be readied. The project this week was to paint a turkey using the outline of their hands and embellish with feathers, sequins, googly eyes and other fun items. Unfortunately I have no pictures of the project process because I was too busy trying to keep Max from alternating between stealing the other kids paint brushes and painting the other kids!

More and more...

Every time we rediscover either pictures or videos of Max from his first year, we find more and more that Charlie really does look like Max! Case in point:


This is Max at 7 months. Isn't that hilarious?!

Charlie Smiles!

This past weekend the kids and I went down to my parents house for the weekend, and were able to help their cousin Brad celebrate his 7th birthday!

Brad decided to have a bowling party for his birthday. Here are Max along with 6 of his cousins and 3 friends at the bowling alley. Note that both Max and his cousin Benny had to be held back until the picture was taken!

Another cool thing that happened was Charlie discovering that it is OK to hang out in her bouncy seat and had quite a few smiles for Mama! It is very difficult to get a picture of her smile because they disappear so quickly and she doesn't want to smile for the camera, so I have to hold it away from my face, get her to smile, and hope I have the camera pointed in the right direction! This is the best I could get over the weekend. Looking more and more like her brother, eh?

Costumes

I have been meaning to get these pictures up for two weeks now! Well, here they are (finally).Somehow I didn't manage to get a picture of Max's entire costume, but here he is as a train engineer. The rest of it was a Thomas the train ("Thomas the tank engine" as Max would say) that went around his midsection with suspender style straps. Boy, he sure doesn't look too thrilled to have his picture taken!

Charlie got to wear the Winnie the Pooh costume that Max wore two years ago. I just love the little ears on the hood!

Which one is which?

One of these pictures is Max, and one is Charlie. Can you tell which is which?

Punkins!

Our playgroup went to the pumpkin patch out in North Plains yesterday morning. Max and Wolfie had fun following each other around the field, each taking turns tripping over the vines and getting muddy. Fun!

Luckily, Charlie fell asleep pretty quickly in the front pack so that I could concentrate on following Max around the field and finding pumpkins for the kids. Max didn't want to pose for this picture - he wanted to keep running!

This punkin Mama!

I was a little worried about how I could possibly carry a baby in the front pack, hold a 2yo's hand and carry punkin's back from the field... but Max sat very well in a wheelbarrow with the punkin's and even my purse! Thank heaven for wheelbarrows! (Who would have ever thought I would utter those words?!?)

Silly kids!

Here are a few random pictures of the kids:
Charlie is having a quiet moment sitting in the high chair.

Max has carried his lovey, Wallace (the dog), around with him for about a year and a half. A recent addition to Wallace is George (the monkey). Wallace is still #1, but George goes around with Max most of the time too and is now a requirement at nap and bedtime!

Max has a lot of fun stealing our shoes and clomping around the house. Here he is in Dada's house shoes, with the requisite George, Wallace, and sippy cup.

Boys Will Be Boys

We've been trying to get outside as much as possible, but with the wet PNW autumn starting, the yard is beginning to have some muddy areas (where, when it was dry, were simply dust bowls before). The other day I was out in the yard with the kids working on calming a crying Charlie and looked up to see Max climbing the stairs to the back door in this condition. Needless to say, there are not enough baby wipes in the house to get the mud off, so as soon as I could get Charlie asleep it was bath time! Luckily Max is just as happy playing in bath water as he is in puddles and mud holes!

Well-Baby

Charlie had her 2 month checkup this morning, and everything has checked out just fine:
weight 12lb 1.5oz - 95th percentile
length 23-3/4 inches - Off the chart!
Head 15-3/4 inches - 97th percentile

We are already switching her to size 2 diapers because of her chubby little thighs.
So, she's big, but at least she's proportionate!

Here is a video of the kids the other day:

Note that Charlie isn't screaming!

2 is Much Harder Than 1...

I know it has been a very long time since my last post. It is difficult to get new photos of the kids (especially Charlie) when the newest addition to the family (namely, Charlie) won't let me put her down without a scream-fest! She very much prefers to be held, and if she is at all tired and cranky, held while standing and doing that bouncing-swaying move that mom's know really well. No sitting on the job allowed!

So, here are a few pictures I have managed to get in the past couple of weeks:

Max had a playdate with his friend Mary Kate last week. Isn't she just the cutest? It looks like she is posing for one of those most adorable baby calendars!

Here is Charlie in one of here quiet moments on the changing table. The screaming began right after I took the photo!

I managed to prop Charlie up next to Max on the couch. Charlie is winding up for a scream, but Max is bravely saying 'Cheese!' Doesn't Max look like such a big boy compared to his new sister?

Family Addition

I managed to get a picture of Dada with the kids. Max is obviously Dada's boy - he can't tear his eyes away from the laptop! Poor Dada - he's looking pretty tired, isn't he?

Here is our little angel. I forgot how much newborns sleep - and how often they wake up!

Charlie's stats at birth:
8 lb 14 oz
21" long
14 1/2" head

Stats at her 2 week checkup:
9 lb 6 oz
21 1/2" long
14 3/4" head
The pediatrician's comment: "Well, you have obviously been successful with the breastfeeding!"

For more pictures, check out our flickr site:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/meierworld/sets/72157594237055837/

Max's birthday party!

We had a party for Max's 2nd birthday this afternoon - yes, just one day before going in to deliver baby girl - so that Max would be able to have a day all to himself.
Here he is, about to enjoy his birthday cupcake:

Max is saying, "Cheese!!" One last photo of the pregnant lady before hatching the baby:

All of the kids enjoyed Max's new play kitchen and accessories... no matter where the birthday boy was at the moment!

A Child of the 21st Century

These pictures were taken at home, but Dada discovered that we could go out as a family for dinner, and when Max is done eating (and at home would typically get down and go play while we finish our meal) we get him set up to watch a cartoon and can have a peaceful meal out together! Yes, it is cheating, but otherwise the closest thing we would have to a meal out is takeout.

How cute is this kid with his huge headphones and pudgy little hands?!?

Too hot!

We have had some unusually warm weather here in the rose city for the past few days. Typically, even if the temperature does go up, it isn't too bad because it is only slightly humid, if at all. Well, over the weekend it felt downright muggy, like we were in the midwest (or east, or south; pretty much anywhere but here!). We Oregonians just aren't used to that and tend to wilt pretty easily.

That having been said, we pretty much stayed in the house today to try to stay out of the heat. We don't have central air conditioning, but it does stay 10-15 degrees cooler in the house than outside. Max was too warm with clothes on, so he ran around the house in just a diaper.

When it is hot, and you have gotten a bit bored of Mama's entertainment, what's the most fun thing to do?

Why, swiffer the floor, of course!!

Gaga's birthday

This year for Max's Grandma's birthday, she decided she wanted us to all go to OMSI together. She and Max (and all of the rest of us, of course) had a wonderful time. Max kept running from station to station and had so much fun! He loved throwing the legos back into the bin in the center of the table,

and stacking up these pieces as high as he could reach,

and most of all, loved playing in the water! We kept wondering when he would wind down so that we could leave, but he never did. Dada ended up putting Max up on his shoulders so that we could get him out of there. I'm sure Max would happily go back every day if he could!!

After a hot day playing in the pool...

There is NOTHING like...Riding on your toy car in your birthday suit!

Party on, Wayne!

We had a little gathering yesterday so that folks could see the new digs, and ended up spending the whole time in the back yard! Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying the warm weather.Naked little boy #1 is Tabor, Naked little boy #2 is Wolfie, Swim diaper little boy is my nephew Benny, and then there is Max in his too cute shirt. The pool was a big hit!

Evan joins Tabor and Wolfie at the pool.

Tabor shows his wild side.

Punker

I was havin' so much fun playing in the bath, I didn't care what Mama did to my hair!

Hello world - Here I come!

Look at what my Dada got for me!

I haven't quite figured out the pedals yet, but I love going for rides!

Hooray for sunshine!

Max has been going a little stir-crazy lately, which is easily fixed by spending some time outside - either in our backyard or the local park. But this past week the weather has been a bit iffy so it was a big relief to finally have some real sunshine this afternoon!

Here Max is doing his best Dada impression, digging a hole with his very own shovel. Of course that means that dirt gets sprinkled all over everything near him... tarp, recycle bins, toys, Mama's feet, etc. But he was having so much fun!

After digging holes for a while, he went for a few laps around the yard with his little shopping cart. He is getting pretty good at navigating all of the hills and depressions in our unlandscaped yard. Maybe next year we will have the time to work on smoothing out the grass?!?

I'm back... sort of

Oh, my... it has been a LONG time since I last posted!! I had no idea how much the combination of all of the goings on we've had in our lives in the past couple of months would overwhelm me ... moving, trying to find particular items in the boxes in the basement, chasing Max around (while 6-7 months pregnant!) oh, and I am also making 5 bridesmaid dresses right now. Anyway, here are some new pictures I have taken in the past couple of weeks. Enjoy!

Max really has a thing for buttons of all kinds, and here his cousin Shelby is playing on a handheld game unit, which Max found endlessly fascinating. Actually, Shelby was really patient with him until he turned it off and she lost all of her points! Sorry, Shelby.

I have been having a harder and harder time getting Max to sit/lie still while I change his clothes. Some days I catch him as he runs by and remove one clothing item at a time, and then try to get his diaper changed, and then have to catch him again to get clean clothes on him. He has a great time running around in just a diaper, as you can see!

Max appears to be enjoying his fathers clothing choices as much as I am at this moment, doesn't he? ;)
BTW, this was taken in our new kitchen. I love the new cabinets and slate floor, not to mention the oh so handy wall magnets and utensil hooks.