Grammie and Papa's

I like how my sister-in-law likes to refer to grammie and papa's house as "The Resort." It really kind of is. They have a pool, lots of different and fun toys, parks, a boat, lots of snacks, fresh blackberries to pick, cute little dogs to play with... it's the perfect place for grandkids to have fun!

As the boredom of summer continued (bored mostly because I'm kind of a lame mom) we decided to go visit Tyler's parents for a few days. Tyler couldn't go with us because of his crazy third year work schedule so the kids and I braved the 8+ hour drive ourselves. They did AWESOME!! We didn't have to put a movie on until after we made it through the Grapevine on the way there. And on the way home we didn't put one on until after Bakersfield. They were true road trip champs! No tears or whining.

 

We had a great time once we got there, too! Swimming in the pool, going to a park, riding a little train and getting to feed some farm animals at Cover's Apple Ranch. Usually when we go to Tyler's parents house we don't do much but hang out at their house. Which is fun! But this time we got to do a few fun things we don't normally do, too.













Kevin took the boat out for us which was a special treat! I'm not much of a water sports kind of person so I felt kind of bad that he went to all the trouble of getting it out just to drive it around for a little while. But the kids had a BLAST!! Max was SO excited he got to drive the boat and go tubing with Sally. Seriously they still talk about how much fun the boat was!









The kids had a great time picking blackberries from the bushes in the backyard, too. There were TONS of berries. Lia went crazy. Max didn't really eat any (of course) but he loved picking them. He actually DID try strawberries (ones we picked in the yard) and decided he liked them and now he eats them! It's a miracle!



We had a great time and honestly wished we could have stayed a little longer. Even I got spoiled! Sally and Kevin let me pick movies to watch and they made me dinner and I just got to relax and enjoy!

Thanks for letting us come so last minute! We had a lot of fun!

On this day...

Yes, Facebook is annoying. But one cool thing it does do is remind of old status messages. This was my message two years ago this day.

Love Him

Sometimes I still can't believe he's only been here for 5 years. I feel like I've known him my whole life!

Shades

Summer is starting to drag on and on. I think Max is getting pretty bored. We kind of feel like we're just waiting around for fall to start. One day while we were bored we decided to try on some sunglasses at Old Navy. We had a good 10 minutes of fun just laughing at each other. I'm sure everyone else in the store thought we were crazy!

Smurfing Around

Actually, we didn't really see Smurfs that day. But we did have fun with our friends!!

Library Card!

Max got his first REAL library card!! We told him when he was five he could get his own card. He even signed his own name on it! He was so excited to use it, too. This kid devours books. He loves them. He reads about 20-30 during his quiet time (okay, so he doesn't really read yet, but he looks at the pages and makes up the stories). He asks every day if we can go to the library and use his card. So exciting!! I totally remember getting MY first library card at Blackstone Library. Blackstone is one of the prettiest libraries I've ever seen. It's pretty amazing for such a small town. But I still have my first card where I signed my name all on my own, too. (It probably still has a fine on it. I'm known for my library fines and my subsequent boycott of having to pay up.)

Painty Toes

Lia is turning in to quite the little girly girl. One of her favorite things is having her nails painted pink. So I indulged her one afternoon. She was in heaven!



It is really fun to have such a girly little sweetie around! She loves to play with her dolls and help me do chores. She's also pretty excited for Max start school so it will be "JUST THE GIRLS!!!" during the day!

Woah...

Max came up to me one morning and in his usually inquisitively toned voice said, "Mama, I want to try some cereal (pause) with MILK." I almost fell on the floor in utter shock.

If you know Max you will know that he eats nothing that is over wet or with sauce. He'll have cereal for breakfast, but with a cup of milk instead of the milk in the bowl. He won't eat mac and cheese or pasta with sauce or pizza or pretty much anything that is associated with kids' food go-to foods. He has MAJOR food aversions and will rarely try something new.



You know how I got him to eat a peanut butter sandwich when he was 2??? I convinced him that peanut butter sandwiches were his FAVORITE thing to eat and that he ate them ALL the time. I went on and on about it. And finally, he took a bite. Then another. Now he eats one every.single.day for lunch.

Anyway... on this day he wanted cereal. With milk. So I poured him a bowl of cheerios. Added the milk, to which he said, "Wait a minute... I'm a little confused..." and I quickly interrupted with, "YOU WILL LOVE THIS!!"

He did like it. He ate half the bowl. And hasn't asked for cereal with milk since. I am considering it progress. If you lived in the world of Max and food that we live in, you would, too.

First Haircut!!

I finally did it. It's been a long time coming, but I had been putting it off because I didn't want to say goodbye to her sweet little baby waves. We went to get Max's haircut and while we were there the stylist convinced me that it was indeed time to cut off those tiny little wispy ends. Just a SLIGHT trim to even things up. I went for it. I'm SO glad I did. While I miss those little wispys, her hair looks and feels SO much healthier.



At first Lia was a bit apprehensive. She kept telling us that only boys got haircuts. Which is totally logical for her seeing as how she's seen Tyler and Max get haircuts since she was born but she's never actually seen me get mine done (THANKFULLY). We finally convinced her that EVERYONE gets their haircut and with the promise of a lollipop and a new hair bow she hopped right up!

 

She did GREAT and at the end they gave us a little certificate and a baggie with her baby hair inside. And I didn't even cry!

Bed Time

Our bedtime routine has pretty much been the same since Max was born. Bath, book, bed (with slight variations when the kids were still taking bottles). The kids truly love reading their daddy. I love that Tyler does the bedtime routine, too. He bathes them, dresses them, reads to them. He's always done it, since the day Max was born. It's been such a great way for him to bond with them, too. Not that he needs help, he's a great dad.

Right Now

I want to remember how these two little ones are right now. I want to remember how they loved each other and cared for each other and looked out for each other. Because they do just that. All the time. I have a hard time relating to their special relationship. My sister and I didn't get along at all growing up. We've only just become friendly with each other as we entered adulthood. But Maddox and Amelia have a serious bond. I'm so grateful for it.



Sure, they argue and bicker and fight just like anyone would. They spend every minute of the day together (and the night for that matter), who wouldn't? But I love that when we are at the beach and another kid comes and picks on Lia, Max steps in to defend her, to talk to the bully reasonably and rationally for her. He does it without being taught, without being asked. He just does it. And Lia, she's only 2 years old so her emotions are generally expressed in spurts, but she'll cry when we talk about Max going to school everyday. She says she'll miss "her boy" so much.



I'm lucky that I get to watch this. I'm lucky that I get to see their relationship everyday, growing and blooming. I'm lucky, so very lucky, to be their mom.

Random iPhone Photos

I love the way my baby's hair curls when it's humid.


I love how much this boy likes to run and play.


We got to go on a date together. I sure do love this guy.


We are still CAL fans!


Sometimes there are better places to be than eating breakfast.


We always laugh at silly things we see.


I think that girl next to me is really cute.


I love that my kids have best friends. And I love their best friends like my own kids.




Who couldn't love this face?