Apples...and COMPANY!

There are only a handful of things that Max really enjoys eating, and only a small percentage of those are actually healthy. He is definitely stuck in a diet rut. If I would let him, he would happily try to persist on chips, "treats" (which include every sugary thing I use as a bribe to get through the grocery store), goldfish and pretzels, or PIZZA! (his very favorite). He also loves broccoli, avocados, apples, bananas and oranges. But, the kid won't even try any other vegetable or fruit including grapes or berries of any kind. He definitely doesn't have the adventurous palate of his mommy or daddy. I never thought I would raise a picky eater so hopefully this is something he soon outgrows.

I took this picture at one of our playgroup activities. He was getting upset that there were no swings available so I offered the apple as a distraction. He stood on a bench and ate this apple with such gusto that a couple of the other moms commented on how nice it would be to have their little one hold so still and enjoy a healthy snack. Little do they know that this occurrence is very RARE so I was eagerly taking advantage of the 10 minutes he gave me to relax and enjoy.

We had a very exciting week filled with two rounds of visitors! We love having company as it makes us feel a little less alone out here so far from where we were accustomed to calling home. (It's also a great impetus for me to clean the house--and do some baking!) Max loves to help me bake and wants to sit up on the counter and be in the middle of it all. I was perusing a recipe when I looked over and saw Max with his hand in the flour container. He was really enjoying it, but he made quite a mess. Sorry to our guests who may have had a little of Max's slobber mixed in with their cake.

Maggie, Joey and Koa were our first visitors. Max had so much fun with them the last time they were here that we were more than delighted when they decided to come again.

Max really loves his cousin Koa (whom he calls "Ko-ko").

And he also loves his Auntie Joey whose name he can say but often prefers to call her "Mommy"--we think because that's what Koa calls her.

The two boys had a lot of fun playing at the park on the one dry day we had during their stay. The rain did leave a lot of fun behind, though, as Max and Koa really had a blast splashing and jumping in the big puddles.

And both boys just love their Mimi--she is the greatest!

Here is a picture of Max enjoying his new favorite genre of books--romance novels! Maggie slept on an aerobed which quickly became a trampoline for the two boys--they jumped on it every chance they could. Max found this book in her room and would not put it down. I tried to take it from him so he wouldn't rip it, but he seemed fascinated and made himself very comfortable as he settled in to read it.

Our next set of visitors were the Taylors! We are so fortunate that we happened to move so close to Justin's family that they were able to make us a stop on their way to see his parents and sister. We always enjoyed our trips to Park City to hang out with them or theirs to Farmington to see us. We did a lot of fun things together over the (almost) two years that we have known them, and it was just an added bonus that Max and Lucy are only 6 weeks apart (and we are both expecting baby #2's only 10 weeks apart).

Paul and I had a fabulous time with Justin and Alexis, and for the most part I would say Max and Lucy had a good time. However, Max was having a very difficult time sharing his toys and did a lot of screaming and tantrum-throwing. (I think I have raised a little spoiled monster--albeit a very cute and lovable one!)

I found some pics of the two of them having fun over the span of their friendship--which, for them, started at birth.

This picture was taken at the Discovery Gateway Museum in SLC just a month or so before our move...

Sledding in Park City...

At a park in Logan...

Getting ready to go for a hike...

In a little pool at our Farmington house...

Last year on the 4th of July...

This one was taken Thursday night. The two little ones are in their PJs, ready to go to bed so we could leave them with the sitter and enjoy a wonderful grown-up dinner.

The Taylors were delightful guests and we had a great time with them. We hope they will let us know whenever they are headed this direction.

So that is it with visitors for us--there is no one else on the calendar which makes me quite sad. It is always nice to have something to look forward to, so if anyone wants to make a trip our direction we would be more than happy to have you, in fact--we would LOVE it!

Pillowland, tantrums, and all the cute stuff

With a little over 10 weeks to go in this pregnancy, my belly is as big as ever and I'm starting to get quite uncomfortable. Didn't I say I loved being pregnant the first time around? This time is a much different story. Perhaps because I have a super active toddler that keeps me jumping on my swollen feet? Or maybe it's the humidity out here that probably hasn't even begun to affect anyone but me and will only get worse as August approaches (and I get even bigger). Whatever the reason, "Pillowland" has once again made an appearance. I get such horrible reflux at night when I lie down that I have a difficult time sleeping. It doesn't seem to matter how little or how long ago I eat--I get it even from drinking water (and everyone who knows me knows I do a LOT of that). I am eating TUMS like candy, and I even drink warm milk before bed every night. MISERY. Well, I went through the same issue last time around, and Paul created what came to be known as "Pillowland". He sets my pillows up like this every night before bed and I sleep in this reclined position. What a sweetheart! It actually works.

Even though I am complaining about being miserable, I am not at all ready for baby #2's arrival. We have so much to do that just thinking about it stresses me out. With Max we were so on top of the game--we had everything all painted and purchased 4 months before his due date. We have NOTHING ready for this baby.

Max and I are still doing the playgroup thing. We are getting to know all of the parks quite well by now, and Max has been having a great time hanging out with other kids. On Friday we had dinner with a couple of the families from the playgroup--they all have boys right around Max's age. Max had so much fun playing with all of their toys--they had a huge shed that just seemed to have an endless supply of something to ride on, or pull, or climb on, and Max would go in there and come out with something different every 15 minutes. He had a blast, and it was so much fun watching them play. Here are a couple of pictures...

The other day I looked out the window and saw two deer hanging out in our backyard. By the time I ran upstairs for the camera there was only one left. At least she wasn't in our garden!

So far this June, it has rained 12 of 16 days--that's 75%! And when it rains here, it rains all day long. It's crazy. It's no wonder that no one has a sprinkler system. Our garden (which is mostly full of weeds at the moment) is loving it. During a rare reprieve this remarkable sky appeared--it was so mysterious and beautiful. We don't get to see sunsets out here because of all the trees, so this brilliantly colored sky was quite a treat...

Here is Paul enjoying the evening's beautiful sky while eating ice cream on our deck...

Here I am barefoot and pregnant (and in the kitchen like a good wife!--who would have thought?) See--I'm not lying, my belly is huge!

And of course Max was helping me cook...

I think that one of the reasons I am scared to have this baby is because my 19-month old son can throw the tantrums of a typical 2 yr old. Whenever he is told "no" (even over the stupidest thing like, 'No, you can't run around the house with that sharp knife') he will very carefully place himself on the floor, stiffen his body and wail. Here he is in action...

Even though he does have a temper and is more than a little spoiled, he is still my sweet little guy. He and I have so much fun together every day. There are times when I wonder what I did wrong to create such a monster, but they are only fleeting as he will realize that he is being bad and will look at me with his teary eyes and say "Ah doo." If you speak "Max" then you know that means "I love you." Then he will give me a kiss and I completely forget what he did that had me so upset. He really is such a sweetheart (albeit a very active and rambunctious one). One of my favorite things that he does right now is look for little "gifts" to give people. Whenever we are playing outside and he sees someone he wants to talk to, he will grab something--a wood chip, a leaf, a handful of grass--and take it to the person. When people come over to our house he does the same thing--he'll desperately search for something to give to the visitor. It is really cute.

Max has had little interest in drawing until recently. I think he suddenly likes it now that I have brought out the markers and, unlike crayons, he discovered that he can use them to draw all over himself...

He really loves his helmet. It is the only version of a hat that he will keep on his head for any length of time. He wears it during joyrides on the lawnmower, during strolls in his little blue car, and sometimes just while kickin' it around the house...

And of course when riding his little red tricycle. He actually can't peddle this yet, but he is getting very close. For now he just wants us to push him around the house...

My cute little man...

The other day Max took a super long nap. At 5 pm we decided we had better wake him up or he'd be bouncing off the walls all night. This is how he was sleeping in his crib, all curled up against the bumper--it was so funny we couldn't resist taking a few photos...

The flash and click of the camera didn't even cause him to stir--he was out!

It's amazing to think about how much Max has grown. He is such a little boy now--he runs (fast) everywhere he goes, he talks and understands, and really loves to be around and interact with people. I can't believe that a year ago, he was just an adorable little chunk who stuck everything in his mouth and had to be carried everywhere. He is growing up so quickly. I am missing every stage that has passed, but loving every new one we enter. Here are a few cute pictures of Max taken in June 2008.

A Visit from Tio and Tia

Paul, Max and I were thrilled to get a visit from two of our favorite Utah residents this past weekend:  Tio and Tia  (Uncle John and Aunt Sandy).  We have been anticipating their arrival on the East Coast since shortly after we moved here.  The only bad thing is that now it is over and we have to wait almost an entire month until our visit to UT before we can see them again.

Max just loved the two of them.  He and Tio had a lot of fun.

Uncle John had a great time on Paul's dirt bike.  (I'm sorry, Tia, if one of these becomes his next toy).  He hopped on the bike, took off at top speed, and then we didn't see him again for like 15 minutes or longer.  I think he has officially ridden it in PA more than Paul has (sorry, babe).

We actually ventured outside of the confines of the West Chester area and headed into the city of Philadelphia for the first time (we live about 25 miles west of Philly, but this takes anywhere from 45 mins to an hour on a good day).  It was really nice to get out--and by that I mean go somewhere else--as the massive trees that surround this area can tend to get a little claustrophobic when you are accustomed to living in the wide open desert.

Our goal in Philadelphia was to try a famous Philly cheesesteak (although here in PA you drop the "Philly" and just refer to them as "cheesesteaks").  We did our research and discovered that the two most acclaimed spots were Pat's and Gino's.  On the advice of one of Paul's colleagues, we decided to try both--getting a half a sandwich at each so we could compare the two.

Our first stop was Pat's, and I was immediately impressed with the crowds--this must be the place to eat.  To place our order, we had to stand in two different lines that were both very long.  They must run on reputation alone, because customer service was definitely not a priority.  At least we were lucky enough to get a table. We all thought the cheesesteaks here were very yummy (and GREASY), but the fries seemed to be the standout.

Even Max enjoyed the sandwich.

Geno's was right across the street and seemed a little less crowded but a lot more "cheesy" (pardon the pun, but it did look like it belonged in old downtown Las Vegas) so I was prepared for it to be the runner-up in this culinary contest.  I was sadly mistaken, however, as the four of us unanimously favored the sandwiches here (although we still preferred Pat's french fries).

After all of this eating we decided to wander around the hisorical part of downtown Philadelphia.  We saw Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and walked around Washington Square. Aunt Sandy and I even found some cute little boutique children's stores to browse through.  All in all it was a wonderful day--good weather, good food, and good company.  

On Sunday we drove down to Washington, D.C.  I was really excited to do this as it had been around 16 years since my last trip to the nation's capitol.  Uncle John's father, who served in WWII, Korea, and Vietnam, is buried in Arlington, so this was our first stop.

Looking across the hills at all of the rows and rows of headstones was very monumental, and it was quite enlightening to walk through some of America's history and realize that you are surrounded by memorials of our nation's honorable war heroes.  Of course our appreciation of this was only fleeting, as Max was ever eager to trudge through patches of grass that were off limits and run and yell at the top of his lungs during the Changing of the Guard.  He definitely had some pent-up energy after the long car ride so we could hardly blame the little guy.

Our next stop was the Lincoln and Vietnam Memorials, and at this point I realized that this trip to D.C. would not foster the same types of memories as my excursion 16 years ago.  A toddler (at least my rambunctious toddler) does not do well at museums and monuments while hanging out in a stroller all day.  I think for our next trip this direction we will have to hire a sitter for Max.  That being said, we ended up calling it a day after this and left for home without even seeing the White House.  We did do a drive-by of Capitol Hill, at least, and it was nice to spend the day visiting with Tio and Tia.

Look how pissed off Max is in this picture.  Bless his little heart--he does not nap well on the go, and I think it was after 4 pm in this picture.  He was tired.

Tio and Tia's trip was very sadly over before we knew it.  They kept promising they would come back, so we are going to hold them to it.  We miss you two!!

Here are just some random pictures of what we've been up to since the last blog.  Nothing too exciting outside of our wonderful guests, but photos of Max are always fun.  

He has a very suspicious chocolate goatee in this picture...    

Hey, Hey, Hey....Hollywood!!

Max is already earning money for his college fund--he's into naked cowboy-boot dancing and is available for hire!