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.

We've moved

We moved into the new house this past Saturday, and are still dealing with cleaning, unpacking, and trying to get all of the appliances plugged in and working. The actual moving of the belongings is such a small portion of the entire move! (Although we REALLY appreciate everyone that showed up to help with the moving) All of the packing, sorting, labelling, etc. that goes on before a single thing gets moved, and now all of the unpacking... it seems to go on forever.

Max is doing very well, considering. He is a trooper with change and is still sleeping and eating well, and just a bit clingy otherwise. But as we clear out space for him to run and he gets used to it here he is getting much better and continues to be the happy bright little boy he has always been.

As soon as I find my camera (I know it's around here somewhere) I will upload some more pictures. Until then, get outside and enjoy the weather here in the Rose City!

Summer Fun!

Well, summer isn't quite here yet, but we've had some gorgeous weather here starting on Sunday. It was warm enough that Max really really wanted to play in some water in the backyard. His Dada hooked up the spritzer and Max had a blast. He was soaking wet and a bit cold by the time he was done, but nothing a little warm water in the bathtub couldn't fix!

Max figured out pretty quickly that it was fun to get some water to accumulate in a bowl and then throw it around - usually on Mama and Dada!
(BTW, aren't those shorts and sandals too cute? I could just eat him up!)

Boys are silly!

Dada bought a bicycle helmet for Max recently. No, he doesn't have a bike yet, but Dada did find a trailer for behind his bike for Max to ride in. Thus the helmet. One day while I was out, Dada put the helmet on Max and let him run around the house like that as long as Max would keep it on. Crazy boys!

Max has decided that one of his favorite places to sit and hang out is in one of his toy baskets. We have found him in there a number of times, and finally got a picture of it. What a cutie!

The 'New' old floors

The original wood floors in the new house have been refinished, and they look great! Here is a shot of the boys sitting enjoying a snack on them.

There are, however, some disadvantages to refinishing old floors vs. replacing them...

Here is a burn in the shape of an iron that was uncovered in one of the bedrooms.
Oh well. There has to be some character in a 96 year old house, right?

Max's Favorite Condiment

Max has re-discovered the joys of.... Ketchup.He absolutely loves it. We think he may just eat anything that is dipped in its wonderful red stickiness.

He doesn't even mind when Dada puts a spot of it on his forehead!!

Mama's weekend away

This past weekend my mom and I travelled to our Alma Mater, Cottey College, in Missouri for the annual alumni weekend. Mom went with me 3 years ago to my 10th reunion (boy am I feeling old!) so I promised her I would go with her this year to her 40th reunion. My Dad travelled with us too, but he stayed up in the KC area to visit family over the weekend. It was a great weekend - so much laughing, catching up, and great food (yes, we ate on campus the entire weekend. Private colleges have wonderful menus!). My Cottey roommate still lives in Missouri and was able to come down on Saturday. It was wonderful to see her and catch up. My mom's Cottey roommate and her daughter, also a Cottey grad, were also able to come down on Saturday so the 5 of us hung out all afternoon and had a great time! It was really nice to be back on campus and see how things have changed, and that all of the great things that I loved about it haven't changed a bit. My Cottey roommate, Kim, and I
(I'm starting to look a little pregnant, aren't I?)

My Mom and I posing with one of the many wonderful statues on campus.

Can't wait to go back in 2 years! Go class of '93!

Mama's Helper

Max really likes all of the boxes and bins we have in the house right now. Yesterday he was 'helping' me pack. He won't fit into that lid for much longer!

Trip to the Zoo!

What beautiful weather we had on Monday! We decided to go to the zoo for our regular Monday playgroup, forgetting that it was the first day of spring break for the Portland public schools! It is pretty safe to say that it was a zoo at the zoo. The boys all had a great time. Of course, their favorite part of the trip was being able to run around in the grass with the other kids!Here is Max with Josh

And here is Max with Henry

The 'New' house on Albina

Here are the latest pictures of our 'new' house - I usually say 'new' in quotes because it was built in 1913! The painting is all done, and the floors will be refinished next week.Hopefully this is the last picture that will ever be taken of this Scrabble board painted on the dining room floor! It never ceases to amaze me the strange things other people will do to their houses.

This is the view from the living room, through the dining room where the boys are, and believe it or not, on the other side of the 1/2 wall in front of Dada will be the kitchen. Right now the kitchen is completely empty, but soon there will be a new tile floor, new cabinets, and new appliances. Hooray! I am the most excited about the new kitchen (in regards to the new house, anyway).