Before and After

BEFORE

I found this picture tonight and cracked up! This was a year ago today.

AFTER

This is a picture Sam took of Max the other day at the beach. What a difference a year makes!

First Birthday Present

Well I do have to just say I miss Halloween today. Kiwi's do NOT like this day, not because it's evil but because it is American. Bummer for them. The kids didn't grow up dressing up, laughing at all the candy, going to pumpkin patches, making pumpkin seeds and having parties. Next year Max will get the whole shabang (this year I am too focused on the birthday party :)

On to Max's first gift. My parents wanted to get Max this car. They are so expensive and hard to find here. But while I was selling back some of Max's clothes I saw one at the second hand store in the back. WOO HOO. It was in great condition and they didn't even put it out and just let me buy it. YAY!!!

We gave it to Max yesterday while my parents watched on Skype. To say he likes it is an understatement. He makes the car sound and smiles and giggles.





He constantly wants to drive in it. He figured out how to get in and out of the car door too yesterday. It will be such a fun addition to his birthday party on Sunday. All the kids coming will bring their bikes and cars to ride on and Max will have this.

Favorites.

I love my beach. I love my man. I love my Max.

Great Grandmas are the BEST

Our family headed up to Auckland on Wednesday for Sam to go to a photography seminar all day Thursday. We stayed with Sam's Nana. It's always fun going up to Auckland and seeing where Sam grew up. He LOVES the place he grew up and loves sharing all the different places he played and things he did there. While Sam was at his seminar Max and I got to hang out with Nana all day. Max fell in love with Nana! I feel like I got to see something my mom has always talked about. She LOVED her grandma and talks about how she felt around her grandma and how she smiled and just loved being around her. Watching Max all day with Nana I feel like I got a glimpse of how my mom felt. Max was in pure delight all day. He just absolutely LOVED being with Nana. (I had fun too :)

He wanted to be where ever she was. If she left the room he would look at me and try to find her.

Max still runs to fast to actually walk on his own. He took off running towards me while I tried to take this picture

Nana took us to the swings by her house. (which overlooked the ocean...loved it!)

This is my favorite picture ever! If you know Max you know he never stays stills. He is super loving and affectionate but doesn't sit still and cuddle with you. He sat cuddled into Nana's arms the whole time at this cafe.

We went on a walk in the shops in her little town and I found a cool hat finally for Max. Kids have to wear hats because the sun is so strong, but the boy hats are so bad here. We found him a little straw cowboy looking hat. He hates it and screams but we will have a fight all day one day then we will have sorted out.

While in town Max lost sight of Nana in a book store, once he found her he grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go. It was the sweetest thing ever!

These are the swings Sam grew up on! This is at another park by Nana's. Max and I walked down there while Nana had a rest and we waited for Sam to get home. Sam happened to drive by on his way home and saw us. It was so fun for him to see his son swinging on the sings he used to swing on. How picturesque is this park?

All in all we had a great time in Auckland. Max got to love his great grandma, Sam had a great time at his seminar and I loved getting to go on a little trip with my family and spend time with Sam's Nana.

Hanging with Momma

The last couple of days Max and I have been hanging out tons.

We waited for Daddy at the finish line for his 14K race he did on Sunday. It was out in the forest and Max and I pretended we were camping. For us city folk it was a fun visit. A visit is all we wanted though, back at the beach that afternoon!

On Saturday Sam and I went to visit Uncle Tom. Max liked walking around the deck hearing his new shoes clomp around. He is a bit afraid of Bella but wants to like her. He just cries when he gets licked or touched.

Auntie Gracie gave him this shirt when he was born. It was so cute I couldn't wait until he fit it. I tried it on this weekend and it was a good fit. He looks too cute!

Sam went back to work yesterday so Max and I just had a hang out at the beach and looked for birdies and planes, played in the sand, found a celebrity and just enjoyed living by the beach.

I am on the volunteer list for the oil spill. I have yet to be able to volunteer but I did find out that Phil Keoghan, the host of Amazing Race, was heading to the Mount. He came down to the Mount to help clean up and I just had to take picture with him.

After a play at the beach it was lunch time, but we took off Max's shirt and he was just too cute to not take a picture.

Uncle James

Uncle James came to hang out with us for the day. To say Max is attached to Uncle James is a MASSIVE understatement. He only wanted James to cuddle him at nap time before he laid down. He screamed and screamed and screamed at his afternoon nap because he wanted James. I had to go in and see my red faced, tear streaked shaking child to resettle him. He whined when he couldn't see him when we were walking up the Mount. He just loves James. He even said James' name today: "Ja's" Pretty stinking cute!

Started out his day playing pots and pans with Uncle James. How could it not be a great day?!?!

At the top of the Mount

Burger King, just chilling out.

Eating with his new plane spoon Uncle James got him

Just hanging out while Uncle James and Momma look in a book store

Max's Best Friends

Daddy is Max's all time favorite person in the world. He is giddy on Daddy's days off (So is momma :)

This is our Courtney! Max loves spending time with Courtney. He squeals with delight when we walk into Starbucks to see her and loves to give her kisses and cuddles.

These are Max's FAVORITE people in the world, next to Daddy of course. He loves Rena and Sara from the dairy (general store by our house). These girls absolutely adore Max and I can't ever walk by while going into town without stopping. Max smiles, laughs and is a state of bliss while he walks around with them. It doesn't hurt that their mom gives him cookies and chocolate EVERY time we go no matter what I say. I teased her and her husband it is like having a Nana at the dairy.

You Are Invited

Sam is so talented and made up these invitations for us. It outdid anything I could have hoped or imagined. We are about 2 weeks away from his big day! I SO wish you all could come to our little house at the beach and celebrate Max with us.

Firsts

This weekend Max had a few "Firsts

His first pair of Vans from Papa

Seriously how cute is he with the skateboard and Uncle James?!?!

Plus it was his first ever Rugby World Cup with the All Blacks in the Semis!!!! WHICH THEY WON AGAINST AUSTRALIA!!! FINALS HERE WE COME! One more day to wear his shirt!

First friend's one year old birthday party. Off we go!

Him and his buddy Meila at her birthday

First attempt at some quick All Black cupcakes from the Ace of Cake stuff Jen sent to celebrate the Finals coming. Max kind of liked the frosting :)

First time back on the beach since it reopened. We took this picture for our American Friend Jen's birthday since she is in the States right now, but it was so cute we had to put it up.

Max and Sam checking to see if there is any oil by the water.

First time using the remote correctly! We cracked up when we saw Max take the remote and do exactly what Sam does to change the channels. Man oh Man do males learn early.

He Walked! He Crashed! He Cried! Momma Cried!

One of the only things I can remember looking forward to since I knew I was pregnant with Max was him taking his first steps. Don't get me wrong there have been incredible milestones. Life was so crazy during pregnancy and after having a bit of the numbness that comes with postpartum that I found I didn't look forward to things as much as is normal for my personality. BUT I really looked forward to and dreamed about and thought about the moment Max takes his first steps. Who would be there? Where would we be? Would Sam see it? Would I see it? Would Max just take off running?

On Thursday, the 13th, we were hanging out in Max's room. Sam and I had played with him getting him to walk to us but he pretty much gets so excited he lunges at us because he is so fast on his feet when we are holding his hand that he thinks he can go that fast with out us. A little later he was playing at the slider and I asked him to come see Momma. He let go and walked towards me about 5 steps! I WAS CRAZY EXCITED! Sam had just stepped out of the room so I, of course, screamed for him, leaving him to think that one of us was hurt. We then did it over and over.

BUT momma got a bit excited and let him walk towards the slider. BAD IDEA. VERY BAD IDEA. He crashed into the slider then onto the floor screaming. It was not a pretty next few minutes. Max calmed down way quicker than I did. I was calm until Sam took him out of my arms in the other room, then I just cried and cried that I had got so excited that I didn't think and my little man got hurt.

I told Sam later that I had looked forward to this day forever and never shared that I was so excited for this moment. Then in the way that only Sam can do he just loves me well by knowing me well, he says, "Well it will be a memory we never forget for sure now."

I took me a few days to post it because I think I was still so scarred and embarrassed that I had done that, but to see what a strong little man we have that cries hard but recovers quick inspires me to suck it up when I want to wallow in emotion. He has had his fair share of bumps and falls and I know that is part of growing up, but it wrecked me that I didn't protect him. I think Sam has his hands full with his excited wife and excited son.

Here is what our mornings look like just about every day. Max with his puffs and toast, walking around the table, playing with cars, and dancing to the music. If you can see the TV in the back ground there is actually a picture of the Mount up on the news as we still are watching the oil disaster unfold. Our beach is white and clear for now but they have closed ALL the beaches. So sad for us. We love walking on the beach and Max has just become addicted to it in the last two weeks.





I need a bit of advice to from other Moms. Max WILL NOT take a bottle, which is fine because he loves water bottles and sippy cups, but I can NOT get him to take formula at all. Last night we tried and he loved the idea of his cup, but made a face that we cracked up at but also knew it tasted really bad as he grimaced and made a sour face and looked at us with a "what the heck you guys" face. What did you other moms do when you stopped nursing for a bottle in the morning at night? Cold turkey - nothing? Milk? Alternative milk? (Mind you my options are super limited here in NZ, though there milk here is A LOT better and different than American milk, I am still not sure I want to go that route.) Any thoughts or ideas would be gladly accepted :)

Random Acts of Kindness & a cute boy

Some days little things make a dreary day turn into a sunny day. Yesterday was yucky weather, Sam and I were beyond tired, I tweaked my neck so my head and neck ached and Max was HYPER. Then a package came.



My American friend Jen lives in Baltimore and on my birthday sent me pictures of the Ace of Cakes company, Charm City Cakes. I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this show, so it made me day to see pictures. Then yesterday I came home to a package with these in it from Jen. Ahh to be known with a little act of kindness can make your day.

Then today I walk into Starbucks to find this:



One of our Starbucks girls says, "a shaggy hair guy came in and paid for your drink already." "No way," I respond. "Yep, your brother in law came in and got a drink and prepaid one for you." Such a great guy! Made me smile and even better I was not going to get a drink because it just wasn't a wise choice to spend our money on this week. So I was doubly blessed to find a free drink with Love waiting for me that I got to enjoy with two other moms while we chatted about our cute kids.

Sometimes pictures just capture Max moments.


He loves being "big" and eating like us. We went to burgers with Sam's family and he insisted on having his exactly like we did not all broken up. He's a cutie!


This is Max's favorite spot these days. He loves his magnets and even more loves pulling them off as fast as I can put them up for him. CUTIE PIE!