IT'S A.......

Girl!

We went to the doctor yesterday for our "unofficial" ultrasound. We took a cheating peek at our baby and of course it was being shy. The little turkey was all balled up, and wouldn't even show us her face. The only view we were getting of her was her back and back of her head. She'd trick us by acting like she was going to roll over so that we could see the side of her head and her arms waving all over-but she never fully turned for us.

My wonderful doctor kept looking for us and we could finally see what we were looking for-Girl parts! Our doctor was really sure-but told us that there could still be a slight chance that it could be a boy, that maybe the "boy parts" were hiding since she was so curled up. She told us she didn't think she was wrong, but I get to go for another ultrasound on the 13th. This one is with the hospital, they do all sorts of checking and measuring-so we get to check again.

I am still in shock-I really thought we would have another boy. Max was really ticked! When Charlie turned to him and said, "that means your going to have a sister." Max said, "I can't want it!" He was pretty set on having a baby brother, whom he had already named Baby Mason. (I don't know where he got that name from.) I think after a day of getting used to the thought of a girl he might be starting to warm up to the idea.

Santa is Coming!

This Christmas season has been so much fun at our house. Max is excited beyond belief. He cannot wait for Santa to hit our house! Our home has been filled with Max's versions of Christmas songs; while he knows a few "real" songs he has also made up some of his own. My personal favorite is "Max loves Santa." He has the Santa thing all figured out this year and I can't even begin to tell you how much fun it is.

Max has had the opportunity to see Santa Clause twice this year. Our first encounter went great! Max ran up to Santa, sat on his lap and then started asking Santa tons and tons of questions-he asked about his reindeer, the elves, his sleigh, etc. I had to physically remove Max from Santa so that other kids could get their turn with the big guy.

Our next visit to Santa was my favorite and it is one that I hope I never forget. Two Saturday's ago was our ward Christmas party and when Santa showed up Max flipped. Let me first begin by telling you that while we were all waiting for dear old Santa we were all singing Christmas carols. The chorister was asking for suggestions as to what to sing. That is when Max stood on his chair and yelled as loud as he could "Rudolph!" Among all the other shouting he wasn't heard so he kept saying it. We sang a short carol and when the chorister asked again a lady that was sitting with us said, "Max has one." Everyone turned around to see Max standing on his chair with a big grin on his face and he says, "Max has one." The chorister asked what it was and he yelled "Rudolph!" as loud as he could! The entire song of Rudolph Max couldn't stop singing and smiling.

After a few more Christmas songs Santa Clause walked through the door-Max looked at me and I knew he wanted to go see him so I nodded. Little did I know that the usual slow poke Max is actually a highly trained sprinter. Max took off chasing Santa down. I believe Max would have caught up to him before he hit the stage but too many people kept cutting him off. (It is at this point that I really wished I had brought my video camera-I don't ever want to forget his reaction.) I had to take off to catch him before he mauled Santa, but by the time I reached the stairs for the stage I saw Michelle Banks' face. She was smiling and pointing to the top of the stage, "He's already up there!" Apparently Max doesn't know about "cutting"-there were a few kids already in line by the time he got there but he didn't care, he pushed his way through. Luckily my Uncle Ray was at the top ushering kids to and from Santa and caught him before he kicked the first kid off Santa's lap. He waited in line very impatiently and when his turn came he was in complete awe of the big jolly man. He told Santa that he wants a computer for Christmas. Is he Charlie's kid or what?! haha! After he was done and climbed down off the stage he realized that his time with Santa was over and started crying. "I need Santa, I want to see him again." I tried to explain that all the other kids need a turn with him-but he really didn't care-he watched all the other kids go through the line and then suckered my Aunt Cresta into taking him up again.

Most of you have heard about his Santa hat...he wears it constantly-he pretends he is Santa. He'll say "Ho, ho, ho, Merry Christmas." and then he'll tell you to sit on his lap then ask you what you want for Christmas.

We are definitely having a Merry Christmas at our home and are hoping that all of you are too. Have a great Christmas!

Husband Tag

1. Where did you meet your husband? We met in college, over his fall break. He was attending UW and I was in Powell. We had a mutual friend we were both going to the movie with, we ended up chatting through the entire movie.

2. How long did you date? We dated from the fall of 2001 to the summer of 2003-we were married in August of 2003.

3. How long have you been married? 5 years

4. What does he do that surprises you? He is Super Dad-he is Max's hero. I never thought I'd see him do the things he does or play the games he plays, just to please Max. Sometimes it's too funny!

5. What is your favorite feature of his? His rosy cheeks-don't tell him!

6. What is his best quality? He is a very hard worker, very motivated

7. Does he have a nick name for you? I am embarrassed to admit this but it used to be "babycakes" which has now been taken over by "mom"

8. What is his favorite food? His Mamma's cookin', next is Mexican at El Tapatio

9. What is his favorite sport? Whatever sport season it currently is.

10. When and where was your first kiss? I can't remember...how sad is that?!

11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple? Watch movies-at home

12. Do you have children? Yes

13. Does he have hidden talents? Yes-but he likes to keep them "hidden"

14. How old is he? 26

15. Who said I love you first? He did

16. His favorite music? Almost anything-unless it's something I want to listen to!

17. What do you admire most about him? He works hard to take care of his family-his family is his most important possession

18. What is his favorite color? I don't think he has one

19. Will he read this? no

20. Who do you tag? Tina, Kim and Madison

Our Secret

We're having a baby!

By now I am sure, most of you have found out that we are expecting a new addition to our family. My family is absolutely no good at keeping secrets-especially when they are excited!

After coming home from church on Sunday I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror- I decided I better let the cat out of the bag. I didn't want people to think I ate the entire turkey all by myself over Thanksgiving! Not that I am huge-yet, but it seemed a bump showed up over night.

This little one took a while to get here, I guess it was another lesson for me; God's Will is far greater than Jamie's! We are so thrilled, and Max can't wait. He is already calling "it" his "baby brother." I am only 14 weeks along-not due until June 2nd. (Feels so far away!) December 30th we get to do an ultrasound to see what gender our little one will be, I can't wait!

For those of you who kept pestering us about when we were going to have another one -Sorry we held out on you for so long-we had a few issues we were worried about. Everything seems to be great now. The doc gave the baby two thumbs up!

So now you all know-we can't wait!

Warning

Okay, I really needed to push that nasty kidney stone post down but nothing eventful has been going on in our home.


After reading Madison's blog I realized I should have let everyone know that a vacuum salesmen was out and about. Luckily for me many years ago I was able to witness this sales approach first hand. They gave my mom a wow and dazzle show many years ago and it has never left my memory.


The other day I had put Max down for a nap and decided that it was the perfect time to give Buzz a bath. Now when I give our dog a bath it tends to get pretty messy, so I had taken my sweatshirt off leaving only my very lovely but favorite tank top-the "white trash" kind-in its place. Let me tell you, I was looking great-other than me the only other being that ever sees me in this incredible get-up is my dog. Just after I had gotten Buzz covered with shampoo the door bell rang. I really didn't want to answer it-but our TV was on and it is clearly visible from the front door. I didn't want to offend any one-have them think I was avoiding them or something-so I tried to see who it was. From where I was standing it looked like one of Charlie's co-workers. I figured Charlie sent him over while he was in the neighborhood to borrow another tool or something. I thought that I had better answer it-or deal with a cranky husband later.

After "convincing" Buzz that he is okay and to STAY in the sink, I answer the door. This kid shoves a box of baking soda in my face and asks "Do you use baking soda?" I answer, "Yes, I do" and as he tries to hand it to me I finish by saying "but I don't want yours." At that moment I hear my dog jump from the sink and he rounds the corner to where I am standing-bubbles and all. I grab his towel and wrap him up-so I am standing in the door with a wet, soapy dog-now I am all wet and this kid proceeds to question me. I tell him over and over that "obviously I am very busy right now and it is not a good time." He tells me, "I have just ONE MORE QUESTION for you, my boss has it in the car." I am pretty sure that I gave him a real nasty look that he clearly did not pick up on (that's a guy for you) at that point he turned and ran to his van. He came back up my steps carrying a vacuum.

I lost it! I tried to be as nice as I could while being completely annoyed. I know that everyone has to make a living-but most people use common sense, if someone doesn't want what your selling-LEAVE THEM ALONE! As I see what the box is I proceed to tell him, "My mom has a Kirby and she loves it-but I can't afford it. Thanks." I started to close the door and he steps in a little farther, "This will only take a few minutes of your time." My reply-"As you can see," looking down at my stinking dog, "I don't have a few minutes to spare right now" and I closed the door.

After he left I was a little aggravated but I got over it after venting to my mom. It wasn't until after I had read Madison's blog that I realized his "few minutes of your time" wasn't necessarily the case-it was a two hour demonstration! Like my soapy dog and I could sit through that.

I am sorry I didn't warn anyone sooner. Like I said before, the vacuum they are selling is great-expensive but great. I just didn't get the sales approach, he may need a little training the in common courtesy department.

Charlie's kidney stone....

This blog post is mostly for Charlie's curious family...they have been wanting more information about Charlie's kidney stones. After two emergency room runs over a span of a few weeks, Charlie finally passed a ginormous kidney stone.

Poor guy-Charlie is not one for Doctors or hospitals, he thinks that he will get better all on his own. That's why the day Charlie came home 20 minutes after he left for work, pale as a ghost requesting a chauffeur to the emergency room-I panicked. We arrived at the ER at about 6:15 am and weren't able to leave until 8:30ish. One shot later and he was out cold for the rest of the day. He was able to go about a week with bearable pain. One Sunday he woke up fighting the pain and the second Max and I got home from church we took another trip to the ER. One quick shot later and we were home and Charlie snoozed the rest of the day. Max thought taking his dad to the ER was great fun, he hasn't stopped playing doctor. Charlie seemed fine for what seemed like a couple of weeks and the day before Halloween he came home from work carrying a paper cup. He ended up passing this giant kidney stone at work-nice! Anyway...we hope that is the end of the story. He has been feeling a little ache in his side again, so cross your fingers!


I know that Donna (Charlie's Mom), Grandma and Grandpa-and other family members really wanted to see the picture my weird husband took of his kidney stone so here it is. To anyone else I am sorry.

Halloween...it's a little late

Okay I am a little late on the Halloween post, but there is a good reason. Over the weekend I got my finger caught in a pair of dog nail clippers and it actually cut the tip of my finger pad off. Not only do I feel like an idiot, but it hurts so bad I can't use my finger. It feels a little better today so I thought I would let you all know how much Max loved Halloween!

Every morning starting a week before Halloween Max would ask, "Trick-or-treat, today?" We had to keep reminding him that it wasn't time yet. Then the day of he asked the same question, "Trick-or-treat, today?" When Charlie answered "yes," Max's excited reply was "Let's go!" Then we had to explain that you can't go trick-or-treating until after you take a nap. That wasn't the greatest explanation we could of given. He was way too excited to settle down for a nap...it wasn't from our lack of trying either. We did everything we could think of to get him to sleep, every time he even got close to sleep he'd say, "don't leave without me." What kind of Mom does he think I am? When have I ever left him out of something fun? Do I really come across as a person that loves Halloween so much I just can't wait to get out there?

Anyway...he had a great night! He loved it all, he even got up on Saturday and asked if we could do it again. This year he really got into the pumpkin carving too, he even designed his own pumpkin face.

I Blame Myself

I really have no one to blame but myself for what happened at lunch yesterday.

As Max and I were eating he accidentally spilled his milk. It didn't look like he had spilled much; I think most of it went between his bib and his shirt. I got up to get a towel and while in the kitchen I heard him mumble something about taking his bib off. As I rounded the corner I saw that he had gotten his bib off to inspect the damage done to his shirt. He had started to wipe the milk off his shirt and in the process I hear my 2-year-old say, "You gotta be freakin' kiddin' me!"

Yes, I admit it-this is a phrase I use often. I am not proud of it-especially now that I know my son has picked it up and knows exactly how to use it. I, however, did not say it when he spilled his milk. :)

Adorable

My very good friend Tina Stinson is not only a mother, wife and nurse she is also the World's GREATEST photographer! (she never stops moving!) My son does not like to get his picture taken at all and is usually very uncooperative. But every time I take him to Tina I get the cutest pictures back. She just sent me the proofs of Max's sitting and they are absolutely adorable. I don't know how I am going to narrow these down. Thank you Tina! I love them.

If any of you are interested in contacting Tina, I have added her photography site link on my blog. Click the link for Itty-Bitty Portraits. She is in Billings but every once in a while schedules pictures in Cowley or Lovell.

Waking up

Max slept until 8:30 yesterday morning! I decided that it would be in my best interest to get him up. He is usually up and going by 7:00, so I was a little worried that he was going to throw his day off schedule and then be a grump for the whole day.

I went into his room and climbed into bed with him. He didn't even move, so I started to give him some annoying "mommy kisses" and he rolled over and went right back to sleep! I started scratching his back and he finally turned his head and opened his eyes to look at me. I smiled and said, "Good Morning." His reply (in a whining voice) was, "Is it morning already?" What 2 year old greets the day like that? He is such a goofball, he gets more and more like his dad everyday.

Apparently, I am a whiner

As Max and I were walking to the car after church on Sunday we had a conversation that went like this:

Me: "Hurry Max, it is so cold out. I am freezing!"

Max: nothing

Me: "Let's get into the car...it is way too cold out."

Max: As he is climbing into the car, "You're a big whiner Mom."

Me: "What?" (thinking...where did he hear a phrase like this?!)

Max: "You're a big whiner, Mom."

Me: (laughing) "Um, okay...sorry."

Where in the world did this come from? How do kids pick things up so quick? He is getting bigger and bolder everyday!

Boys and Sports!

Everyone that knows my son, knows that he is absolutely obsessed with golf. He loves playing golf, reading golf magazines and watching the Golf Channel- all day long! No cartoons for him! He now has found a love for more than golf.


Max has been able to watch his Aunt "Bug" (Lauren) play volleyball and he thinks that she is the greatest volleyball player in the world. He is so proud of her and can't wait until her next game. He sits and cheers as loud as he can. He will actually give the Golf Channel a break if Lauren's game is replaying on the Rocky Mountain channel.

(Lauren is embarrassed by this pic, she just finished her game and is "sweaty.")

He loves her games so much and behaves so well that we decided to take him to a football game. I still can't tell if this was good or bad-in the long run. He loved the football game! He saw Kyle (Peterson) on the sideline and he was so excited. He kept saying, "There's Kyle, he my cousin-I love him. He a football player." After he oohed and awed over Kyle, Austin Leonhardt came out to get a drink. We pointed him out to Max and he freaked. "Wow! He is BIG!" We told him that Austin is his cousin too and he couldn't believe it. "Austin my cousin, he's a BIG football player." Now all Max wants to do is pretend that he is Austin and Kyle or that he is playing football with Austin and Kyle.

His now favorite phrases are:

"I want to be tall."

"I want to be a tall football player."

"Will you watch me when I am tall?" So ask "What will you do when you are tall?" He always says, "Play football like Austin."

...Poor Austin, we have seen him at a few of Lauren's volleyball games and Max just can't get enough! My son the stalker!

I don't have the heart to break it to him-but he was born to the wrong family if he is hoping to get tall!

Tagged!

A little about me...


(Thanks Michelle! I love posting about myself, haha..ugh)

What are the last 3 things you purchased?
*A Spider-Man "action figure"
*Groceries
*A Haircut

What are the last 3 songs you downloaded?
*Pirates of the Caribbean soundtrack...for Max
*Spider-Man theme song...also for Max
*Yo-Ho A Pirates Life for Me...Max

What are 3 places you visited in the last year?
*Colorado
*Cooke City (Cabin)
*BILLINGS!!

What are your 3 favorite movies....
*Too many to pick from, I like them all

What are your 3 favorite possessions?
*My Family
*My Home
*photos

What are your 3 wishes?
*That my kids will be 1. honest- good, 2. happy and 3. healthy!

What are 3 things you haven't done yet?
*Gotten a driveway or sidewalk!
*Traveled to historic wonders
*Finished my family

What are your 3 favorite dishes?
*Chicken Alfredo
*Spaghetti
* Porcupine meatballs

What are 3 things that freak you out?
*Dirty house
*Bad things happening to my family
*My son growing too fast!

Name 3 things you are good at?
*Being Max's Momma
*Taking care of my family
*drawing golf clubs with Max

Name 3 things you are currently coveting
*My Parent's fence
*finding shoes that fit
*My sister's cute clothes

Bloggers I tag
*Janessa
*Tina
*Shana

Play Date!

Max and Hudson were able to spend some time together yesterday. They had so much fun, they were being so silly! Here are some pictures of the fun things they did together.

Max and Buzz...lounging around before Hudson came
Max and Hudson would wreck their cars into each other and then get out and then "fix" them. Watch out JC Auto, you might have some competition!
Max pretending to be Buzz Lightyear...nice helmet

Max and Hudson found the Barbies I keep for my nieces

I think they liked playing with them the best. They called them "The Girls"

The two cowboys on their trusty steeds watching Toy Story

The boys had a great time together, but when all was said and done they were ready for naps. When Cari came to get Hudson, I was rocking the boys and they were both half asleep. What a great day!

Giggles

Last night as we were eating dinner Max was being a goofball as usual, so I thought I would try out a "Knock-knock" joke on him.

Me: "When I say 'knock-knock,' you need to say 'who's there.' Okay?"

Max: "Okay"

Me: "Knock-Knock."

Max: "Open the door."

Me: (between giggles) "No, when I say 'knock-knock' you say 'who's there.' Get it?"

Max: "Okay."

Me: "Knock-knock."

Max: "It's open door."

Me: "Knock-knock."

Max: (pretending to open a door) "Come in Mama, the door open."


I don't think he is quiet ready for the joke just yet...but we were sure having a good laugh!

More giggles:

Sunday mornings our family has "snuggle time." Max climbs in bed with us and we watch cartoons until it is time to start getting ready for church. This last Sunday we were having "snuggle time" when Buzz started crying at the foot of our bed. Max climbed down to play with Buzz-or so we thought. The next thing we hear is "Teamwork Buzz!" We looked over and Max was trying to get Buzz to help him stack up pillows. I believe his goal was to help Buzz climb onto the bed with us. Charlie and I had the giggles all day!

Beautiful Max

I got out of the shower this morning to hear; "Max is beautiful mama." I turned to see this:

Yes, he got my mascara out and beautified himself. You can't believe how difficult this stuff is to get off once it dries!

It wasn't just on his face-it was on his hands and his pajamas. I haven't found any traces of mascara on my floors or furniture yet.... I am keeping my fingers crossed that I never do.

Family Vacation Continued

Phase Three...

We left Grand Junction and took the beautiful -but scary(dark and rainy)- four hour drive through the mountain into Denver. We were headed to my Aunt Susan's house and a trip to the Zoo! We had a great time staying with my Aunt Susan and visiting my cousins. For those of you who don't know-I have tons of relatives in the Denver area. Max loved seeing my cousin's little boy, Alex. They had a blast together-especially at the zoo.

Max and Daddy looking at the new baby giraffe, it weighed 150 pounds at birth!

Max was able to touch a giraffe pelt

Max and his cousin Alex

Riding the train through the zoo

Max loved the bears, the Polar Bears were blowing bubbles in the water and he thought it was hilarious.

The Grizzly Bears were eating....for some reason Max thought they were eating "birthday cake." It looks like a bone to me!

Max really liked the elephants and the lions, I think it is because they were easier to see than most animals.

We ate dinner one night at the Aquarium...this was so fun!

Max loves sharks-he thought this place was great!