It is true, our Max turned two years old last weekend. I think it is always a little tough for a parent to see their kids grow up, but I am claiming this one as extra tough since Max is our baby. We are leaving behind mile stones such as bottles and binkies (well almost) and moving towards things like potty training and big boy beds. It is the end of an era for Dan and I, but the beginning of so many fun adventures with our big boys. What can I say about Max? We love his hair, we love his laugh and we love his spirit. Really, we love the whole little package. If you know Max well, you will know that though he isn't a boy of many words yet, he is a boy who knows how to get his point across. During our family camping trip a couple of weeks ago, Max said his first word (other than the all important Mama :) He said "KEYS!" That is a word that suits our guy very well and didn't come as too big of a surprise. Other words Max uses.....WoooooooW!....Oooowww!....Vroom Vroom and the new and very lovable "Peeeeeze" otherwise known as please. In true little boy style, Max has his "HI YAH!!!" verbiage down perfectly and he uses that to play fight with brother and it also came in handy when he was hitting the pinata at his birthday party. Max is a big user of the sounds "Uh Huh" and "Uh Uh" as that is how he confirms what he wants and doesn't want. It is too cute to hear him say those sounds because he uses very different tones depending on if it is something he is excited about or something he doesn't want to do. Finally, I have to mention "YAH!" This word isn't used for yes, as in agreement, it is used as in YES! I am so excited. For example I will say, "Max it is time for breakfast" and he will will say "YAH!!!"
Speaking of breakfast, it is Max's favorite meal of the day. He loves cereal and will easily eat two bowls each morning and then he is more than happy to help Mama eat mine as well. Max adores his big brother and will pretty much mimic anything Chase does. They are just hitting a stage where Max wants to play with anything Chase touches. It seems to have started a lot of upheaval between the two brothers, but they both seem pretty quick to forgive and go on their way. Max is very lucky to have such a big hearted older brother who tends to let Max have his way a lot of the time, but, that is not always the case and when pinching and hitting arise, I tell the boys they need to apologize to each other and to my delight they always stop and hug and comfort each other (see the last picture in this post). I know that won't always be the case, but lets hope it starts the foundation for lots of brotherly love and respect as they grow up.
Max has a love of music. He will come and get me and drag me down the hall and into Chase's room, he puts the Cars CD into the player and we wait with anticipation for the first rocking song to come on. We both start by nodding our heads while smiling at each other and then we really go for it. Max watches me for every move and we shake our fists above our heads, throw bunches in the air, twirl around, clap our hands and snap our fingers, which is only the more cute because Max just rubs his little fingers together like they are snapping up a storm. He also likes to play our piano, strum brothers guitar and drum on pretty much anything.
Max has a special place in his heart for his Daddy. Dan can't sit down for more than a few minutes without Max racing over to "pummel" with him. They wrestle and laugh and roll around and giggle and all this always ends up with Max taking Daddy for a ride around the house. There are also a lot of "HI YAHs!!" thrown in there for good measure.
We have been so blessed to have one of the sweetest, cutest, funniest little boys in the whole wide world! We love you to the moon Max James!
The boys loved the ferry ride over to Bainbridge, but we didn't spot any animals this time.
The crab were plentiful this year. We caught our limit right
away and had the rest of the day to play.
The kids had so much fun exploring the beach.
The banana slug below looks small, but he was actually longer than my hand.
On Saturday we made the required trip to the Olympic Game Farm. There is never a dull moment and we had so much fun watching the family react to the close encounters with the animals. Max had fun sharing the bread he was supposed to be feeding the bears.
We played cards, goofed around and just had fun.
On the way home we stopped in at Remlinger Farms. Remlinger is such a fun place
for kiddos. The boys had a blast riding the train and Max especially liked the canoe ride.
I am on vacation this week, so we took the opportunity to have all the cousins get together for a pool party! They jumped in the pool at about 10:00 am and seriously swam all day long! They had a ball and it was hilarious to listen to the games they played. I must have heard the phrase, "and pretend we....." at least 100 times. We were all so proud of Chase and how much his confidence has grown in the water. He kept his life jacket on all day and was completely independent. He even jumped in on his own which was so exciting. Max was there playing with us too, but he was camera shy and didn't decide to get into the water until the end of the day :)
Nothing says summer, like freckles and Kool Aide mustaches!
Following tradition, we spent another gorgeous 4th of July weekend at the River House this year. We had so much fun playing with our family, relaxing and boating with our good friends. Chase loved the boat and he especially loved the 'big boys' who knew how to do really cool things like wake board and surf. Max kept himself busy playing in the water and sand and we all enjoyed soaking in the sunshine.
Chase & Ali were too cute showing their American spirt.
Even though it is July, that river water was so cold. Please notice how brave Dan was wading all the way out to the boat!
And last but not least, we enjoyed an awesome firework show from the comfort of our own backyard. The kiddos kicked the show off with some sparklers and even Max woke up just in time to see the show. This was the first time he is old enough to notice the fireworks and he didn't let us down. He pointed and said, "WooooW!" many times : )
On June 26th Dan and I were honored to become the God Parents of Miss Hannah Dean. It means so much to us that our friends would ask us to have such a special relationship with their daughter. I am thrilled to be a part of Hannah's life and to be able to watch her grow up and find her way in the world.