Tapping Into the Force

Sam loves loves LOVES wearing his Darth Vader costume.  I don't think it will make it to Halloween in five weeks since he has it on so often!  But despite the tears, runs and dirt spots, I'll never say no when he asks to put it on.  I took a picture of him the other day and of course he was ultra-serious ('cause that's how D.V. rolls!).

 

And as always, there's Little Brother, involved whenever and wherever his favorite big brother is!  He would *not* let me take a picture of Sam without him!  So here's another one of Max when I'm actually trying to focus on him, not when he's sneaking in...

Super cute, right?  And then I asked Sam if I could take one of super-smiley Darth, but this was the response I got:

They sure are rotten!  Gotta go and squeeze 'em now.  Love them!

Monster Truck Madness!

Sam, Max and I decided to check out the County Fair yesterday since the weather was cooler than usual (but definitely NOT cool!!).  I had seen online that they offer monster truck rides on Wednesday and Thursday and thought my biggest boy would flip for that!  And he really was in awe over how big they are!!  Much bigger up close in real life than in his books.

This huge one was at the entrance . . . can you see the excitement??!!

We hopped on a wagon pulled by a tractor and rode all the way up the hill to the back of the fair where all the stuff for kids was set up.  I think Sam would've been happy riding that all day too!  We got off and started walking through the different barn areas and I giggled every time I saw a cow being walked around.  Sam asked me what was so funny but I don't know . . . something about seeing huge mooing cows being led around in public on ropes tugged by youngsters in overalls and bandannas was just too comical.  SO not a farm girl I guess.  But speaking of not being familiar with farms, Sam pretty much lost interest by the fourth or fifth cow.  So I gave him the camera and told him to take pictures of anything he thought was interesting (just to keep him interested):

random bench

a girl showing off her dog's agility skills

his favorite of all the millions of chickens we passed by

And my favorite picture, the one he HAD to take of the giant pile of cow poop in the road.  

He seriously said, "Wow!!  Look at the size of that poop!"  Kills me.

But the John Deere exhibit was, by far, Sam's favorite part.  Tons and tons of these green machines all lined up inviting kids to hop on and farm.

Way WAY too busy to smile.

I don't know what this used to be but they could climb up, drive it, then slide down the slide in the back ...awesome!

Meanwhile, the Maxter and I tried to find shade wherever possible while big brother ran around.

Too hot to smile.

 

 

 

 We found some kiddy activites set up to play in (giant checkers which were certainly meant more for stacking towers, and giant basketball).  Not too interesting, but worth stretching out in the shade!

Not sure why this is sideways.

Chasing after the gigantic ball.

 Sam got Spiderman tattooed on his hand by some crazy uber-christians who tried telling him the story of Noah but he kept interrupting with his own unrelated thoughts.

After lunch we walked all the way back to the car, passing the entrance for the monster truck rides (which I realized Sam couldn't have done anyway because I'm sure preggos and one-year-olds aren't allowed) and headed home for extra long naps in extra cooled rooms.  It was tiring but definitely a fun time.  Next time, Daddy must come too, no excuses!!  I need to go back soon just to try a deep-fried oreo (which I totally regret not doing yesterday!!).

And here's another picture of Cuteness #2 who was banging the window and door and shouting crazy giggly baby talk at me when I had the nerve to run out to grab something from the car last night.

Pay no attention to the mommy in the corner multi-tasking!! 

1st Birthday!

My Maxy-Pie turns one whole year old today and I have such a mix of emotions bubbling up in my heart!  Maybe every mom feels this way on her children's birthdays?  I'm so thrilled to watch him grow so quickly and learn new things so fast but at the same time, I received a "Your Toddler: Week 1" email in my inbox today and I'm SOOO not ready for him to be anything other than a tiny baby!

I've been thinking about the 14th non-stop for a few days now.  Again, maybe every mom does this?  I kinda need to just write these memories down since everything about that day, the days leading up to it, and this entire past year make me smile.  And I don't want to forget any of it!  Prepare yourselves . . . this is sure to be long-winded and more-than-slightly weepy!!  (Totally understand if you want to skip the boring mommy-logue and just check out the pictures!)

Max was born early Wednesday morning.  The previous few weeks I had been driving myself and everyone else crazy with nesting and preparing the house for his arrival as well as those old enough to judge how grody the bathrooms and dustboards were (read: the mothers!!).  I asked Dave to replace the chain thingy that attaches to the toilet handle so that it flushed without running all day, and before I knew it, that 5-minute project turned into a gaping hole in the floor where the toilet once stood.  Um, the weekend before giving birth and family coming and I was stressed that everyone would need to share a bucket!  Luckily, Sam pitched in and helped and I didn't have to kill the hubs (or call a plumber).

Things under control and with two more weeks until my due date, I calmly reassured the hubs that no, his dad didn't need to come down yet as there was no chance of going into labor *quite* yet.  But Sunday night, after a day of what I thought was just extremely annoying gas pains, I totally freaked out and asked him to call his dad back and ask if maybe he *could* come down after all??  And being the awesome grandpa that he is, he was here by Monday afternoon.  I had meatloaf and oatmeal cookies ready for him as an early thank you!!  Tuesday afternoon Dave and I were at the hospital, fully expecting Max to make his debut (no contractions that I could feel, but I'll spare you the details of why we needed to go). On the way there, we decided on his middle name together.

While waiting for an l/d room to be examined (they were COMPLETELY full due to the full moon and it being the 13th?) we totally snuck some burgers and chips from the cafeteria since we were both starving!  So naughty, but lesson learned from having Sam on an empty tummy!!  After a quick exam and listen to the little guy's heartbeat, we were sent home with directions to call my doctor when contractions were 3-5 minutes apart.

That night I was feeling really uncomfortable and went to lie down after dinner.  With contractions 10 minutes apart, I went to soak in the tub, watching the crazy lightening from huge storm we were having outside.  This was at midnight.  At 12:30 when I started timing again they were suddenly only three minutes apart.  Dave and I called the doctor, let Grandpa know we were leaving and raced to the hospital downtown (as fast as possible with all those speed cameras along the way!)

We were checked in, strapped to the monitor and had lots of good numbing agents flowing through my body by 3:00 (you'd never know I had been bawling like a baby from the horrible IV insertions from this picture, right??!).  

I remember the nurse dimming the lights and telling us to get some rest but 45 minutes late I was telling her we were ready!  Three pushes and 30 minutes later, he was here.

And perfect.

All 6 pounds 14 ounces of amazing tiny-ness.

Five days early, just like his big brother.  Dave couldn't stop taking pictures of him.

I couldn't stop snuggling him.  I don't think a mother ever gets used to how little and wonderfully squishy a newborn is.

 

So much wonder in those big milky blue eyes.

Hi Dad.

Big brother meets little brother at last.  (Even then, Max only preferred to nurse lying on the bed next to me.)

Max slept during their first introduction.

But Sam was quite intrigued.

Grandpa and Max.

Then it occurred to me that Sam was much more intrigued with how the buttons moved the bed around!

So peaceful and adorable.

My boys.

My family.

And now you're a whole year old.  How is it possible that time can pass so quickly?  I hope you know we love you brighter than the sun shines and fuller than the fullest moon.  You're growing into a smart, snuggly, and terrifically funny little guy who can't get enough of his brother's attention.  My Max Henry.

The Zoo!

Sam, Max and I carpooled with Ramita and Eric from next door to go to the zoo this morning.  The weather was perfect . . . overcast and slightly chilly and the boys were so excited to get there!  I think Sam and Eric had more fun running around together than actually looking at the animals, but as long as fun was had, who cares!!

Checkin' out Big Papa Lion with his "little" cubs.

SOOO excited about the Amazon exhibit . . . pointing to his favorite ginormous fish.

More fish.

The whole tank of interesting fish and he's pointing out the tiniest white snail on the window . . . see it?

Ramita agreeing to give Sam a ride on the bear . . . and Eric then thinking it's a pretty sweet idea too!

Perfect timing!!  An actual orangutan on the "O-Xing!!"  This guy was posing (and peeing) for us.

 Although the Amazon exhibit was Sam's favorite (lots of freshwater stingray, HUGE fish, snakes, and real tarantulas for him to drool over) I loved seeing the orangutans over our heads.  One of them actually stopped to pose for pictures and let out what must have been 50 gallons of pee!!  Good thing he was over the gardens and not directly over our heads!!  Here's a video (can you tell I was excited about it??!)

It got VERY crowded so we left before lunch and the boys and I met Daddy at his office.  Sam LOVES going to his office and has been begging me all week to take him.

Stapling and staple-removing stuff.

It's a VERY serious job.

No interest in the ball . . . straight for the cables and cords EVERY time.

Daddy *thinks* he's being slick by standing in front of the cords after removing the boy 16 times.

So lucky I'm a cutie-pie!!

All this fun followed by a nice looooong nap (for everyone!!).  Can't wait to get on the plane and see the Granny's, Gramps' and Aunt Heather next week!!  :)

Who Needs Coffee?

When I get to wake up and greet the day with these cute little monkeys?  Sam, in taking on his new role as best big brother ever, has decided that when he wakes up, he needs to keep his baby brother entertained and happy.  Such a good boy.

 

Otherwise, poor Mr. Maxy-Pie would have to entertain himself solely by chewing the crib rails and/or squealing at his older brother while at the same time banging various body parts into the slats. 
 

Look closely . . . can you see the amount of *stuff* piled up in this crib?!!  I can promise you it wasn't in there while they were both sleeping!!
 

Sam likes to give his brother Big Panda, Dinosaur, Little Panda, Giraffe Pillow, and just about *every* book in his book box.  See that red bump on his forehead?  Probably from pre-stuff head-bumping!!  

It's so sweet to see how much Sam loves his little brother, especially since Max *adores* him!  And when I catch him doing something thoughtful for him it fills me with ooey-gooey heart-melting love so intensely that I just want to bite his toes off!