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.