Where to begin?

Where to begin... If only I had time to update more regularly I wouldn't have a plethora of photos and happenings about which to write and be left with the temptation to procrastinate. I hate to think about blogging as a chore, since I truly enjoy recording our memories. But in a sense I guess I am trying to make our everyday experiences more memorable. It is nice to have something to look back on and read about and remember so fondly, even something that at any given moment would seem ordinary. My boys are growing and changing so fast and in every day there are so many things that I don't want to forget... Even sometimes the things that I find a little tiring or a little burdensome at the moment--I just think about how fleeting these times are and suddenly they aren't so bad. For instance, I know I have complained a little about Sam not sleeping in his crib. Well, guess what? He sleeps in his crib now and I no longer get to cuddle and snuggle him all night long. And it literally happened over night. I wasn't even trying, and all of a sudden he is sleeping in his crib--all by himself, rarely even making a peep until 12 hours later. Score! Right? I don't think I was ready, but obviously he was. Unfortunately, this only happens during the night: he still refuses to sleep in his crib for naps. He will honestly only nap snuggled up to my boobs. Or in the carseat in the moving car. I have tried to get him to cry it out--several times. But after more than an hour my heart is too broken to continue and I give in before he does. It's definitely inconvenient and I don't know what to do. But, I keep reminding myself that it is temporary. Pretty soon he will not want to be snuggling and cuddling with me like that in the middle of the day at all, then I will be pining for this time right now.

A little development news: I took Sam in for his 9 month (holy cow!) checkup last week and we received some bad news. He still has a bilateral ear infection. I had taken him in a couple of weeks prior because I knew something was wrong, and they spotted the infection and put him on an antibiotic. Well, it didn't work. The doctor says they have been seeing numerous cases of resistant strains and the only thing that works is tubes in their ears. So, we will try one more round of antibiotics and go from there. The poor little guy. This is his fourth round of antibiotics in his 9 months of life (all during the last 5 months). Aside from that, everything is going great. He weighs 19 lbs 11 oz, and is 28 inches long. He has just sprouted his bottom two teeth (finally)! And, he is pulling up onto everything and crawling around so efficiently (and quickly).

Max had the opportunity once again to visit a horse farm for one of our play group activities. I don't even need to elaborate other than to say he had a blast. He wore his cute little cowboy hat and boots that cousin Brooks gave him and he was so stinkin adorable.

Here he is playing with a cat. This kid loves cats.

And he got to give the horses treats of carrots and apples, a task that he enjoyed so much that he got a little agitated when the snacks were all gone and he had nothing more to offer his equine friends.

Then, he got to ride a pony. Twice. This was the first time he had ridden such a small looking horse and he really liked it. He would have stayed on all day had he been able. Even with the helmet.

Another one of Max's pastimes is trying on my shoes. Or my lipstick and mascara. I typically try to keep the latter away from him out of fear that he will make a horrendous mess. But, I don't see any harm in letting him try on my shoes.

Hmmm. Which of these should I wear?

They go great with his "Run DMC" shirt, don't you think? (For my family who have no idea who Run DMC is: they were a famous hip-hop group during the 1980s--definitely Paul's influence here.) So I know that after that explanation my brother Jake is thinking that those shoes definitely go with a t-shirt whose logo depicts a hip-hop band. Just remember, Jake, that in the above pictures he is wearing a cowboy hat and boots. I am just trying to ensure that my kid is very well-rounded :)

But isn't he so stinking cute? I just love this amazing little guy. He is growing so much and getting smarter every day, and he is such a good boy. Most of the time. A while ago I asked my mom a question about our behavior (my siblings and I) back in the day when we were around Max's age. It was shortly after the Mother's Day from hell when it seemed like I wanted to be anywhere but with my extra crabby, whiney kids. I said something to her like: "Don't they know it's Mother's Day? Can't they just be really good or even kind of good on my day? Was I like this? Did I put you thru this?" And mom's response went something like: "No, you guys were so good and so sweet. You were good all the time." I thought she had to be lying, but she was serious. She said that while it was true we probably acted out and frustrated her from time to time, that, "You just really don't remember those things--all I remember is how much I loved it and how wonderful you each were." Wow. Those were really enlightening words. I needed to hear those then and I reflect back on them often. Max really is a good boy. In fact, while I may be a little biased, he is definitely better behaved and smarter than any other little kid, and he is really polite and considerate. He is an awesome kid. And while I definitely find myself yelling at him once in a while (or twice in a while--if not more), it is never anything major that would stand out in my mind for longer than a day. I know that I will always think back on these years with tears in my eyes because I am enjoying and loving them so much.

I have mentioned before how Max does not like to smile or hold still for the camera. I beg and plead and I get pictures like this:

But every once in a while if I am really lucky and really quick I can get pictures like this:

So Sammy has become a rather proficient crawler and wants to get and go everywhere (I can't even get him to sit still for pictures anymore). He can even scale the various obstacles and toys in his path when he really wants to get somewhere. Typically he wants to be anywhere Max is, and he will follow his older brother around as quickly as he can go on all fours. The other day we were in the playroom and he decided to crawl under the rocking horse. He looked so cute sitting under there that I couldn't resist a photo (or three or four).

During the month of May we PA Blanes got to enjoy the company of both the VT Blanes and the NY Blanes. It is nice to have family around! Mimi, Joey and Koa (the VT Blanes) came first. Of course, Max loved cuddling up to Mimi...

And Max and Sammy enjoyed playing with Koa

And Max still asks if he can talk to Joey on the phone, he misses her so!

We decided to take the boys to a kid-oriented amusement park in Lancaster called Dutch Wonderland. It had all kinds of fun little rides just for the kids.

Here is Max and daddy going on the sky ride.

This bulldozer ride was pretty lame (at least in terms of excitment), but Max loved the fact that he was sitting inside a bulldozer so he had to ride this one again and again and again.

But this one was fun--and we even got a little splash

This particular ride was the first and best in my opinion. The boys sat on it all by themselves (there was some random adult in the middle) and the thing darted up and down. I sense a little apprehension in this first picture--His face has that what did I just get myself into kind of look. But, Koa is sitting next to him--all will be okay.

But as the ride got going, his face erupted into a huge, delighted smile

and he and koa had to ride this ride like four more times. Fortunately, the park was dead the day we went and they didn't have to ever wait in line, they just had to go thru the motions. Koa and Max couldn't quite understand why they had to keep getting off, just to walk all the way back around and get back on. Confusing, I know.

Probably one of Max's most enjoyable moments of the outing was his introduction to...

fluffy, ooey-gooey stuff.

Yumity-yummy stuff. Max was like a junkie. He couldn't eat the cotton candy fast enough; he didn't say a word to anyone until that thing was gone.

Did you know that in the mid 18th-century before machines, cotton candy was an expensive splurge not widely available to the common population? Weird.

Honestly, any time Max looks at all of the pictures I took from their day at the amusement park, the only thing he talks about is how he wants more cotton candy.

Oh, the sticky little clings of dyed sugar on his chin. Don't ya wanna just kiss them off?

As he gazes at his treat, I think Max is pondering deeply about whether the humidity could be measured by how quickly the spun sugar shrivels into a coarse mess when it absorbs moisture. Hmmm...

It was a pretty muggy day, after all my genius boy (who has just transformed into a sticky, tired, sugared-up two-year-old who didn't get a nap today).

At the end of the day, we all decided that it was well spent and entirely worth it. I have to say that this was officially the first amusement park visit for me that didn't include a lot of thrill-inducing rides. I must be getting old...

The following week, we were graced with the presence of the NY Blanes. Of course you knew you would be making it into the book, right Uncle Muck and Auntie D? That's what Max affectionately calls Marc (Paul's brother) and Deleah, and the book is a hard-bound adaption of my blog. As Marc stated, I am a historian (I blame it on my mormon roots). He also pointed out, when he was browsing thru my book, that future generations are going to look in amazement at the simple life we live and the weird looking toys that Max has in so many pictures. That is bizarre to think about since I think our life is anything but simple, but when one really thinks about it, he is probably right.

Paul spent a lot of the time slaving over a hot grill. He made us some amazing grilled vegetable sandwiches for lunch, and for dinner he expertly grilled (on a cedar-plank) wild sockeye salmon to sheer perfection. Yummy, baby! Thanks!

Auntie D can blow the biggest and best bubbles in the world!

We all truly enjoyed their visit and are already talking about taking a trip to stay with them in NYC in the fall.