9 Months

I can't believe he is already 9 months old. James is home for the holidays and was able to go with me to Max's well baby check up. Current stats are 18 lbs 8 oz, 29 inches. He is so long that he is wearing 12 months clothes.

As always we discussed his cafe spots; he is getting more of them and the ones he had seem to be getting a bit darker. The pediatrician is great to never push it aside as something we already talked about. He said that right now we are just in a holding pattern as we can expect that nothing will manifest for years. The part I don't deal well with is not knowing what will manifest if and when it does manifest. It is very ambiguous and I want to know exactly what to look for and what to expect. But as the pediatrician is very positive and assures me that I should not be concerned I will do my best to follow his advice.

* Notes: Only PC shot, left leg. No bruising. A littly whiny.

Max Laughs

Max and his Animals

Max refused to be changed on the changing table anymore, so I decided to use it for all of his stuffed animals.

He loves to play with them and after waking up from his nap he will choose one of the animals to carry around with him (one in addition to his puppy dog which goes everywhere with him.) His second favorite is the little bear Aunt Cami gave him.

BundleMe

This is my new favorite thing! I noticed Kimber using one for Hyrum and I thought it was so handy. Much to my surprise and elation I received one in the mail from Kimber. I LOVE it so much. It is so much better than anything we were doing and came just in time for the cold weather. And Max doesn't fight his car seat so much anymore. Maybe because it is so cozy and snuggly.

Thank you so much Kimber!

Boys & Video Games

X Files Rant

So, I am a big X-Files fan. It is not for everyone but I dig the show. I totally have a crush on Fox Mulder. Don't worry, James knows. They used to play it every night from 11 until 2:00 and I would stay up with my roommate Mara watching it. We would get so sucked in and just couldn't stop watching. Well I got James hooked and we watched the entire series together. (I even like Doggett.)

Tonight James and I watched the movie and to my horror it SUCKED! I was so bored, disappointed and I want my two hours back. I need to go watch some of the fun, good X-Files and forget that I ever watched that. Seriously, after that many years they couldn't come up with better than that. BLAH!

Neighbor Gifts

I made up some little gifts for the neighbor's. Just little bowls with a bag containing an orange, a lemon, a few cinnamon sticks, a tsp of cloves and the instructions. Slice the orange and lemon into a bowl, add the cinnamon sticks and cloves and pour boiling water over it. I made it first to see how it works and it smells lovely!

The day was beautiful so I put Max in the stroller and walked them around the neighborhood. It was a nice walk and nice to give something. As it is something that has been on my mind; it is also nice to have it accomplished.

Reading

With his Mom and Dad...

...it is no big surprise that he loves books.

Here I am trying to sneak in a little reading.

And here we are reading Goodnight Moon for bedtime.

Puppy Dog Ears

He never liked the pacifier.

He doesn't suck his thumb.

What he does is suck on the ears of his Puppy Dog.

What a cutie!

Quiet Book

Jessica made Max a Quiet Book which is sooo great!

Here is just one of the many fabulous pages...

Thanks Jessica!

The Cat

Anybody want a cat? I am annoyed, irritated, frustrated, and feel bad about the way I treat him. I would have gotten rid of him long ago but for my husband. He thinks he is protecting me from something that I will regret later. And when we first came home from the hospital with Max that made sense. When Max was a month old it still made sense. When he was two months old I decided I needed to give it a little more time. Now that Max is 7 months old, my feelings are not changing, in fact the feelings of intense dislike are intensifying. And some of those negative feelings are spreading to the husband who just won’t let me get rid of the dumb cat.

The cat was mine. James married into the cat and is allergic to him. You would think he would jump all over the chance to get rid of him. But NO! Every time I talk about it he says I shouldn’t do it. And I just don’t feel like I can make the decision to do it myself without having his agreement. James says he is part of the family. But no member of the family should be treated this way. We don’t abuse him or anything, but most of the time we just want him to go away and stop bugging us. I feel bad. And having him around is a constant nagging reminder of it. At least if he weren’t here I wouldn’t have to feel bad about it all.

I raised the cat since he was 6 weeks old, this has always been his home. We had a certain relationship and I changed, not the cat. He doesn’t do anything differently, but I feel differently. And I can’t seem to get it back. Those feelings of affection for him. I feel bad that I treat him differently and feel that it is unfair for him to be in this hostile atmosphere when he didn’t do anything. I don’t want to put him to sleep or anything…I would like to find him a good home, I just don’t want him here anymore. And yet, James insists that I will regret it and that there are reasons for keeping him, such as Max will like playing with him…but the cat didn't grow up with kids and we have to watch him carefully because he has already tried to bite Max.

When driving in yesterday and seeing the cat I actually had the thought that I wished he would just get hit by a car. That is a HORRIBLE thing to think and I immediately repented of that. I wouldn’t want that. But it did make me realize how intensely I feel about him not being here anymore. John, I wish you could take him. I know you would love that. And I hope you don’t think less of me because I don’t want him anymore. Just one of the ways being a mom has changed me. I wish I could reconnect with the affectionate relationship I had with the cat, but it does not seem to be happening.

I remember that he was so comforting to me when I was pregnant. And Max would kick so much when the cat was lying near my stomach. I miss that, but can't seem to feel it anymore. Basically I decided that something had to be done, one way or the other. I may never be able to have the same affectionate bond with the cat, but I should at least be able to treat him with compassion rather than animosity. And if I just can't, then it is time to get rid of him.

So began the cat experiment. I reopened his cat door and that seemed to work for a while. The independence seemed to suit him and I wasn't always having to let him in or out. I worked at giving him some attention, petting him, letting him sleep on my bed again. And that seemed to be working. I was enjoying having him around again. Until I went into the living room and almost sat Max down on top of a dead mouse. Instantly all of my good feeling towards him vanished. I realize that it is his cat nature to do these things. And although it always annoyed me, I dealt with it before. But I don't want to just deal with it. I want it to be good or gone. So, back to the question...anybody want a cat?

John's Cards

While laying in bed one night I suddenly had the idea to make John a deck of cards using family pictures. He had just sent out an email asking for pictures to take with him when he deployed and I thought it would be a fun way to give him lots of family pictures. It only took me nine months to finish. Sorry for the long wait John.

My first step was to find a cool deck of Marine cards. This deck was perfect. I also gave John a regular deck which has all of the ranks on the cards.


Here are pictures of the final finished project.

Over several months I collected pictures from emails, Picassa Albums and Blogs. After collecting and sifting through them I cropped, edited and finally printed them.

While Erika was at my house she was a huge help! It was her idea to put the red on black and black on red and she helped me cut and paste all of the center pieces.

With that done I was able to cut and place all of the pictures, and finally laminate and cut the cards.

It was a quite the undertaking and so much fun! John says he loves it. I only wish I could have given it to him in person to see if the big tough Marine cried. I would have liked it if he cried.

Book Group

I had a great time at Book Group...and I didn't even read the book. It was a small group; only four of us. I am usually the odd man out because everyone else knows each other very well and I don't really get to know them. So with the small group I got to know the others a bit better.

We also talked about the book a bit more than we usually do. I really enjoyed the tidbits they picked out to talk about and it made me want to read the book.

I am on a new kick...Audiobooks. It's so great! I can't find time to read a book, but I can get so much done and enjoy a book all at the same time.

Mittens

I have looked and looked for some winter mittens for Max and just couldn't find what I wanted. So, I asked my sister-in-law to make Max a pair. She is extremely talented and she whipped up a pair in no time. They are so cute and soft and fit perfectly. Thanks Lauren!

Shots

Two weeks in a row I forget Max's appointment for shots. I finally got him in for his next shot. I really need to stay on top of these things.

* Notes: DTAP right leg. No bruising, woke up several times crying, cranky and jumpy. Also, woke up gagging on something.

Shopping & What Not To Wear

Last weekend Kimber and Mom came to Utah for a birthday getaway. We decided to spend Saturday shopping and to prepare ourselves we watched several episodes of TLC's "What Not To Wear." A show that takes someone who is desperately in need of help in the fashion area and gives them $5000 to spend on a new wardrobe...with the stipulations that the stylists, Stacy & Clinton get to tell them everything that is wrong with their clothes, throw away everything in their current wardrobe and give them rules to shop by. They can be kind be harsh, but are really trying to get the point across that what the person is doing is not flattering. And the rules are meant to help flatter whatever body shape you currently have, not one you wish, hope or plan to have.

Anyway, after brushing up on our rules for how to dress, we headed out for our own shopping excursion. Since no one gave us $5000 to spend we were excited to see that Mervyns was having a going out of business sale with everything 30% to 70% off. After lunch at Rumbies to refuel we went to Dress Barn. Despite the name they really do have great clothes and also always have clearance racks. We all managed to find some great peices.

I have made fun of the woman on the show who are so emotional and have such a hard time with the shopping. But I can understand a little more...it was fun but also frustrating and emotional. Frustrating to try on thing after thing after thing and not find something, but then so fun when something fit and looked great. I have really been hating everything that I wear and everything I feel about my appearance is negativity. And I am tired of that. So, time to change. I got rid of the worst things in my closet and now have a few great things in my closet. And the rest of the clothes are somewhere in between. But for the times when I want to look my best and feel really cute I now have a great outfit.

It was a fun and exhausting day. Thanks Mom & Kimber!

IT'S DONE

The project that I have been working on for John is finally finished, packaged and mailed!

James said to me, "Didn't you start this before Max was born?" I did.

Once upon a time, nine months ago, a little girl, I mean, a large pregnant women, was unable to sleep (shocker) and while staring at the ceiling (oh, wait, I couldn't lay on my back), while starting at the wall of my bedroom, I suddenly had a great idea for a gift for John. Today I finally finished it!

It's coming at ya John! Hope you like it.

* Pictures and details to come after he has received it.

Max's Pillow

I went in to check on Max and found him using his dog for a pillow.

Bathtime

Halloween

Each year I do a bit more decorating, nothing like Kata, but just something fun and festive. I think Halloween is different when you have kids. Not that we have much planned this year, but we have already talked about future years of fun with Max.





I decided that I wanted our kitchen table to be more than a place to put things. We never eat there, but plan to have family dinners around the kitchen table when Max is a bit older. So I thought I would have fun with it and use it as part of the decorations for the holidays.

Last year we turned off all the lights and hung out in the basement. I don't mind when the little kids I know from the neighborhood come over, but there were so many kids that I had never even seen before, kids that I thought were too old, and selfish little buggers who look disgusted if you only give them one measly piece of candy. And most of them didn't even say Thank You! Anyway...I was wishing that the parents of the kids I knew would call me and say, "My kids are coming over now." Then I could open the door for them, ooh and ahh over their costumes and enjoy the experience. I decided that I liked this idea so much that I called my friends from the ward and told them that although we wouldn't be handing out candy, if they would call me before their kids came that I would be waiting for them. That made it so much fun! I got to chat with them and look at their cute costumes and spoil them with as much candy as I wanted because I didn't have to save it. And they were talkative and appreciative.

James decided that we needed It's The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, to watch for Halloween. So, we had just a few trick-or-treaters and watched the silly show. James wants it to be our Halloween tradition. The episode came in a set with the Thanksgiving and Christmas episodes as well so it looks like Charlie Brown has become part of our holiday traditions.


I hope you all had a great, fun-filled Halloween!

Miserable

Max was sick this last weekend. Croup, cough, not sleeping. He was so miserable and it was so hard to watch. Saturday we went to the pediatrician and they gave him a dose of something or other, which he threw up as we were walking out, and they had to give to him again. Three nights in a row he and I ended up outside on the porch swing, at around 2:00 am, letting the cold air help him breath. He was waking up almost every hour, sometimes just needing to sit up for a few minutes and cough the flem out of his throat. Sometimes the only way he would sleep at all was laying on my chest while I was sitting up. He would hold his breath for so long that I would wait anxiously for him to breath.

He had such a hard time sleeping flat and was waking up so many times in the night that we put him back in the bassinet to sleep. We were able to slant it so that he wasn't laying flat and put it next to the bed so I wasn't having to get up every time he cried out. When the difference in his size caught my attention I took a picture. He was so tiny and now...

...he barely fits in it.

He is doing much better, sleeping through the night again, but still coughing. Now James has it.

A Story of Wind & Peanut Brittle

One of my favorite books when I was young was Stand in the Wind by Jean Little. It is the story of two very different young girls who are stuck together for the summer. The adventurous tom-boy Martha is upset to be stuck with the mousy afraid-of-everything Kit. As Martha drags Kit on adventure after adventure she helps her conquer her fears and stand up for herself.

During a wild wind storm Martha drags Kit outside to face the wind, peanut brittle in hand, and tells her, "You'll never love it if you let it shove you around." As Kit faces the wind, singing and eating peanut brittle she gains confidence and realized that she isn't really afraid.

I have always loved the wind. I love storms, the lighting, thunder, but most of all, the wind. I also love peanut brittle. But I loved this story for its lessons on fear and friendship. I don't remember when I told James about this story; he has know for a long time that I love to stand in the wind and whenever there is wind there is talk of peanut brittle. He found the picture of the little girl in the wind and I loved it. And right now, I need the reminder that I will never love life if I let it shove me around.

Just Me And My Frog

I have meant to post about the "frog" since picking up the book a few weeks ago. Kimber's post, The Tale of Two Frogs, explained a bit about it and she told us what her frogs are. John also wrote about his frog and asked everyone to tell about their frog. So here is my frog story.

While waiting in Kinkos, the silly title of the book, "Eat That Frog," by Brian Tracy caught my eye. The author started out by saying that there never will be enough time to do all the things we have to do. He says, "get over the notion that you somehow can get it all done...you can't." My reaction..."OH CRAP! Really? That can't be true...BUT!?!"

Enter the frog. Based on a quote by Mark Twain..."if the first thing you do each morning is eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst things that is going to happen to you all day long. And if you have too eat a frog, you shouldn't look at it for too long."

So, your "frog" is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate. Interestingly enough, it is typically also the one task that can have the greatest positive impact on your life at that moment.

This will sound familiar but here goes...

FROG#1
Exercise, exercise, exercise. Do I really have to say anything else here? Probably not, but I will anyway. It isn't just wanting to change the way my body looks, but also knowing all the bla bla bla about how it will make you feel better and have more energy, etc., etc., etc. Don't mind my sarcasm...it is all pointed right at myself.

FROG#2
Work. The frog can be just getting any of the work done. But a lot of my job is not time sensitive so it not so important when I get it done. I go through spurts of productivity and those things get done when they get done. So the real frog is always that one thing that I really need to accomplish which always seems to coincide with the one thing that I really don't want to do. Last week it was the quarterly taxes. This week it is the insurance audit that I have to prepare for.

I have been in the habit of putting off those big tasks to clear my desks of the simpler, easier tasks thinking, "I can just get this out of the way really quick." The book brought that to my attention but might have faded if I hadn't told Kimber about it. It quickly became a way for us to identify our frogs and tackle them head on.

So, I echo John in saying..."What is your frog?"
And add my own question..."How do you eat it?"

.

A Boy and his Pets

The cat...

Which is only still with us get his Dad won't let me get rid of him.
(sigh)

His stuffed dog. Which he loves!

If his Dad has anything to do with it...he will have a real dog.
(SIGH!)

He loves looking out the window.

Random Things of the Day

* I took all of our coins to the bank and made a deposit. Erika helped me roll a ton of coins while she was here and I was able to use the banks coin counter for all of the pennies (Thank heavens!) Final Tally: $293.76. Ironic...I wouldn't leave $300 just laying around the house, but just didn't realize how the coins can add up.

* I skipped music class because I am totally sick and have very little voice.

* James was Mr. Mom today so I could get caught up on all the "stuff." He took care of Max all day and sat with him in the car while I ran errands. He said women look at him suspiciously when they see a man is in the back of a car with the baby. Wonder what is up with that.

* I did the quarterly taxes. Although never as big a chore as I think, I still have a twinge of dread when tax time rolls around.

* To help me get things organized I went back to my childhood and took a lesson from Kimber. I took everything and put it in the center of the room. Then left it all day. :) I did finally get to it though and what a relief to have things put away. Thanks Kimber!

* A success tip that I am implementing to help keep things organized is to "Never touch a piece of paper twice." Meaning that I deal with things immediately rather than picking up the paper (or email, mail, phone call, fax, invoice, etc.) and then putting it back down to deal with later. Of course there are times when this is impossible, but for the most part it is a good strategy.

* The weather has warmed up enough that we took a nice long walk. Our little Max can be such a wild, squirmy thing and nothing chills him out like a walk.

* Dinner was Kimber's Applebee's Club Sandwich. This is one of James' favorite meals and so easy to make.

My Poor Husband

He stays home because he is sick...(we are all sick)...and I emotionally throw up all over him. I cry, I whine, I reject all his attempts to fix it. He doesn't get defensive, he continues to throw out ideas and suggestions, he hugs me and tells me it will all be okay. Which does make me feel a little better except that I am not content with that...I want to know how it is going to be okay. The details, preferably in a spreadsheet with dates. He doesn't work that way.

I don't know how to get everything done. I don't know how to stay on top of it. If I only do the high priority things then the other things never get done...and they need to get done...they just aren't as pressing so they are always last on the list.

I'm worried about my job. It is not very stable at the moment. So, after all the freaking out is over I find another option. Which includes me cutting out more time...time to take a class, update my resume, send out letters...all in the hopes that it will be in place before I actually no longer have my current job. Which will hopefully not happen, but is pretty likely.

I haven't even managed to have a shower yet. My throat is killing me and I am living on cough drops. And I am a goofball...because....

I have a husband who does dishes, laundry, vacuums, changes poopy diapers, never gets defensive, and on occasion stays home from work just so I can get caught up. I have a little boy who is healthy, who sleeps through the night and has a smile that makes my soul smile. I have a nice house with every luxury imaginable. I have a job which has allowed me to stay at home with my little boy. And I am healthy.

So, about this day, I guess I would just say, "Hope you know...I had a hard time." - From one of the conference talks.

Under the Coffee Table

Max was rolling around on the floor one morning and rolled himself under the coffee table. He was playing so well that I left him there.

He played happily for 45 minutes, longer than he usually likes to do anything. He can see out the big window and put his feet on the bottom of the table. And he has only bonked his head on the leg once.

This morning, I put him under the table on purpose.

I can Can too...

13 Bottles...only 1 didn't seal

A Week With Erika

Erika stayed with us for the last week. She was immensely helpful and it was also a nice vacation for her. She devoured books, reading at last count about 1300 pages.

And somehow still managed to be so helpful. She helped me with some of the details of an ongoing project for John (sorry, no details until it has arrived in John's manly Marine hands.) She also helped me roll $180 in coins, while watching, "What Not To Wear." She watched Max many times while I was working or on the phone. And I was able to run errands so quickly as she stayed with Max in the car or watched him at home. She was a bit taken back by my active little guy. Her little brother Hyrum is much more calm and will sit or lay still. Max is always moving. But she was so great with him and he adores her.

I learned something about Erika this week...she loves muffins. I stocked us with several different kinds and she made muffins every day. At one point, while I was twirling in my office chair, whining about not wanting to do anything, she said, "Do you need me to make you some muffins." It was a good laugh and a good snack.

I was so grateful for her help and her company. Love you JoGirl!

The Box of Clothes Moment

Erika is staying with me and needed some clothes to wear. So I did something I have been avoiding. I pulled out my boxes of clothes-I-hope-to-get-back-into-someday. It was a hard moment. I have been avoiding it for good reason...I have a TON of cute clothes that I can't fit into at all. Will I ever again?

Looking at them was like looking at a different person...a different me. I did once upon a time wear these clothes. I looked cute in them. I had favorites. I still have favorites and when I looked at them it seemed that I should just be able to slip them on. But I know better than to go there. Looking at them is bad enough; there was no way I was going to try them on. I kept my composure as I helped Erika find shirts and pants, then left quickly before she could see me get emotional over a bunch of clothes.

Then, I called Kimber to cry on her shoulder for a moment. She presented an interesting question; it is not just a question of..."Will I ever fit into these clothes?" There is also the question of..."Do these clothes still fit me?" I am a different person now. Do the styles, colors, patterns, prints, etc. reflect the person that I am now? Are they too young, too cutsie, too whatever to really ever fit the me that I am now? And how much of the girl I was is still here? If (no, I should say WHEN) I fit back into those clothes, will these clothes fit me?

Jessica's Baby Shower

Kata called me last week to tell me that Jessica was going to be in Idaho this weekend and we decided she needed a baby shower. Although it was short notice, it was very fun to put together and even more fun to attend. At first I was a bit nervous because I don't know any of Jess's family and I hadn't been to the house where we were having the shower. Mostly I just don't like the unknown when I am in charge. But it worked out great.

I had a bunch of stuff to take into the house so took Max in first and sat him by the door in his car seat. Jessica's brother Jared immediately got him out of the car seat and started to play with him. I thought Max would cry but he took to Jared right off.

I didn't actually hold Max for the next two hours as Jessica's siblings took turns holding and playing with him. He was hesitant with Grandma and Grandpa but sure liked her family. And it did make things easier for me. Wish I could have them around all the time!

Jared stuck around playing with Max and Hyrum for most of the shower.

It seemed just a bit awkward at first, as it always is with people who don't know each other. But once everyone got into playing Baby Bunko we loosened up and had a great time. I think every first time Mom should have a baby shower and I was glad that we could do one for Jess. As we were leaving we hung out for a few moments looking at Jessica's quilts. She is amazing! So talented! I am thinking of hiring her to make me a quiet book and a quilt.

After the shower we hung out at Mom's for a couple of hours. I felt like I was coming down with something and was so tired. I tried to take a nap but Max wasn't having it. Kimber and I got talking and somehow Erika ended up coming home with me for the week. It wasn't planned so she didn't have any of her stuff but we will manage. She definitely helped keep me awake on the way home and I can certainly use her help. I have a nanny for a week!

Four

The number of times Max woke up crying in the night because he had rolled onto his tummy.

Why Do We Buy Them Toys?

Something Only A Mother Would Get Excited About...

The little man made up for three days of no poop in one diaper. I threw away the pajamas...they were more poop than pajamas anyway.

Mom, Cami & Broadcast

Mom came to stay Friday night. Cami came on Saturday. Although everyone had different reasons for being there and different things to accomplish, we had a good lunch at Zupas, some fun TV time, and some fun chatting.

We also went to the RS Broadcast. Although it was enjoyable, especially Uctdorf, nothing really jumped out at me or touched me deeply. Cami on the other hand took pages of notes and Mom I think heard something she needed to hear to help her with her calling.

Shots & NF (Cafe au lait)

Max had two shots on Friday. Although he only cried briefly, he has been quite cranky for the last two days. (Might also have something to do with the no pooping.)
*Notes: HIB & PCV. Reactions: Cried briefly, no bruising, very cranky.

When Max was born he had a little brown spot on his leg. Many more of these spots; called Cafe au lait spots, have appeared over the last few months. He has what is called NF. Because symptoms vary so much there is really no way to know what to expect. Although the information seems scary, the pediatrician has asked me not to worry. It may never affect Max at all and if it ever does, we will handle it then.

Neurofibromatosis (NF) is a genetic neurological disorder that affects cell growth in nerve tissue. NF produces tumors of the skin, internal organs, and nerves that may become cancerous (malignant). It also can affect bones, causing severe pain and debilitation and may result in learning disabilities, behavioral dysfunction, and hearing and vision loss.

Book Group

The book was City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau. It was a fun quick read about a city with no sunlight, just electricity. And they are running out of everything; electricity, light bulbs and supplies. It was interesting to see the different ways that people handeled their situation, whether they were helpful, hopeful, selfish, or ignored it hoping it would go away.

I picked it up from the library the morning of book group and read it every free second that I had. Then from 6:00 on I ignored everything else and read as fast as I could. I finished at 8:30 (book group started at 8:00) and ran over. It is always a late night event and people show up whenever so it didn't matter that I was late, and I didn't want the ending to be spoiled. We had fun discussing the book and stayed until 11:00 talking about all kinds of girly things. I had a good time!

*Just a warning: It looks like the movie deviates greatly from the book.

My Cool Husband

The trip to Rexburg was great and fun, but it also meant a lot of catching up to do. As I was venting to James about all of the many things I needed to do the next day and how overwhelmed I felt, he quickly told me that he was staying home the next day. It was so great to have a day with him home to take Max when I needed to get work done and to go on errands with me. He also went to Music Together class with us. It was fun to watch him and Max singing and dancing. I am so lucky!

Rexburg

I left Sunday for a spontaneous visit to Kimber. While chatting about something else Sunday morning it just kind of came about and James was very encouraging, so I went. The trip down was very uneventful with a quick stop in Arimo to see Mom & Dad.

It was so cold at Mom's that she pulled out some of her little boy clothes and found Max this little sweater that says, "Love Stinks."

It was a really low-key trip just hanging out with Kimber, chatting, eating peaches, not having anything I had to do. We took the little boys out one morning to feed the ducks.

Max was fascinated by the ducks as well as the water.

This is me after just having been bitten by a duck.

It was quite chilly. I actually had to borrow a hoodie because I forgot to take any kind of jacket.

Kimber and I made a quick trip into Maurices and I found a flattering pair of jeans. Then Bunko. It was a full house with 17 woman. We had some dinner and much chatting and then played Bunko. It was tons of fun and I can see why Kimber looks forward to it. Some of the woman get crazy!

After a very calm morning I left for home. Max slept all the way to Arimo but had a hard time the rest of the way home. He cried for about an hour of the trip home. It was hard. I am looking forward to someone inventing a new car that will allow the baby to ride in the front seat where they can see the mama. Most of the time Max just wants to see someone there. And the rest of the time he has just dropped his toy, but it is so difficult (and dangerous) to reach back and get it for him.

It was a fun spontanous trip. Thanks Kimber!!

6 Months

I can't believe he is already 6 months old.

Money, Money, Money

He is growing out of things so fast. Even his chairs. I know I'm not supposed to put him on the counter, but it is so convenient while I am cooking.

The young woman were coming by to collect for Pennies by the Inch.

"I gotta get it!"

"A little help Mom?"