Happy 1st Birthday Max!

Maximus turns 1! 

He woke up to this surprise waiting for him in the family room:

A Radio Flyer Wagon!

Checking it out

Trying it out

Lovin' it!

Then, off to breakfast with daddy and mommy [a tradition we plan to keep!]:

Dig in to that blueberry pancake buddy

Up next? A playdate and lunch with Max's Aunt Kristen and cousins:

Icing cupcakes for dessert

One very special cupcake for Max

Remember the birthday cake? 

Yep, still not interested.

Max getting lots of birthday love from his cousins

And then an afternoon stroll in his new ride:

Strollin' the hood looking for chics

in his pimped out ride

A surprise package at the front door from his birthdaddy [Colton] and birthgrandma [Tonya]:

That's right Max

all those gifts are for you!

One of his fun new toys

a big hit!

To wrap up our eventful day, we decided to give the birthday boy one more chance at dessert. Third times a charm, right? Wrong. The icing on his face is actually from us smearing some on him to make him lick it and like it. Didn't work.  Maybe next year, huh buddy?

This again??!!

Still not interested guys

How many times do I have to show you?

And to our Dear, Sweet Maximus,

You are so precious to us, little man. You have made our world complete this last year. We can't possibly imagine life without you. 

You are our constant reminder of God's faithfulness. A living and breathing miracle to us. 

We love you!

Daddy & Mommy

Sneak Preview

Max and his 1 year photo shoot. 

Here is a sneak peek.

Birthdays, Fire Trucks & Goldfish

Max's first birthday celebration has officially begun! His actual birthday [April 30] is still a few days away, but we kicked off the big event early by hosting a joint birthday party with his cousin Eli [who celebrated his first birthday on April 21].

Birthday Boys

With fire trucks as our theme, we [and about 40 of Max and Eli's friends & family] started out at the local fire station for a tour. What a hit for the kids AND the adults! The kids loved clamoring on the fire trucks and trying on the equipment. The adults loved taking turns riding up eight stories in the bucket [you know, the big ladder that goes up in the sky to rescue people!]. Now, I am not one for heights, but you better believe Sam tried it out! And the grandma's too!

Happy 1st Birthday Max!

Max the firefighter

About ready to take the truck out for a run

Adventurous grandma's!

Seriously, look how high!

Off to the park [did I mention it was the most beautiful day EVER? Thank you Jesus!]. No first birthday is complete without cake. So Max and Eli dug in. Or should I say, Eli dug in. Max wanted NOTHING to do with his cake. In fact, he kept trying to push it off the tray. Maybe I have been feeding him too much organic cuisine? Mister didn't want anything to do with all that sugar [that's my boy!].

Getting ready for cake time!

Ahhhh...their first birthday cake!

Hmmmm...not so sure 

Eli, on the other hand...

Max wanting NOTHING to do with his cake

And this birthday update would not be complete if I didn't share with you that Max officially has a pet. A goldfish. Cousins, Maddie [8] and Abby [6] came up with the idea that Max and Eli needed goldfish for their birthdays! Talk about a memorable gift. The boys were quite intrigued at first glance. Eli kept trying to put his hand in the bowl to get the fish, Max stayed a bit more reserved and just peeked over the edge.

Max and his new pet fish

Eli's hands in the fish bowl!

We do need a bit of your help. Naming our new pet fish! Please submit your favorite name and I will post the winner in a few days. And a prize? Still thinking about what it should be...but a new pet fish could be in your future if you are selected. :)

All in all, it was a memorable day! Thanks friends and family for joining us as we celebrated these beautiful boys!

My Little Phone Talker

Max has picked up a new hobby. The telephone. He will grab our cell phone, house phone, play phone, TV remote, or just his hand and have a very animated conversation, in baby talk of course. 

Here is Max in motion with his various telephones:

The house phone. 

"Hello! Why that is so hilarious. Tell me more..."

The TV remote.

"You heard me. Sell all my shares!"

The play cell phone.

"Excuse me, I'm in the middle of something here..."

"Sorry for the rude interruption, as I was saying..."

And yes, even the hunk of french bread from Panera.

"Ah yes, this is for delivery..."

And the ol' school play phone.

"I wish this paparazzi would leave me alone so I could have a 

private conversation!"

And there you have it, folks. Max and his phone time. What a little ham!

April 19th Day

Today has been a day of reflection. 

Reflecting on God's goodness.

Reflecting on God's faithfulness.

Reflecting on God's perfect plan.

Reflecting on God's precise timing.

Today, Sam and I celebrate April 19th Day. A day we will never forget. A day that changed our world forever. 

In one moment. 

In one single act.

One year ago today, Max's amazing birthfather, Colton, signed paperwork that changed our family. 

Forever. 

So today is a day of reflection. 

A day to honor and give thanks. 

A day of unmistakable and undeniable celebration.

For God has indeed worked miracles for us.

"Yes, the Lord has done amazing things for us. We are glad!" 

Psalms 126:3

I encourage you to consider, "what amazing things" God has done for you. There is such power in reflection and remembering the goodness of God. By remembering what He has done, it allows you to speak to your current mountain and say with confidence, BE MOVED. 

So don't hesitate. Start remembering what it is God has done in your life. 

We all have an April 19th Day...

ALL Boy!

So I have had the distinct pleasure of plant-sitting for my dear friend, Joy. She is off on a cross country adventure right now, so she asked if she could leave her treasured plants at my house. Thanks to the Aqua Globe [and not my green thumb] they are still alive. Whew!

Max has somehow not discovered the two big, beautiful, lush plants...

UNTIL TODAY.

See photo below. 'Nuff said.

Facing Your Fears

Several months ago, Max received this great gift: A Giraffe Tunnel. We were pretty stoked thinking it would provide hours of giggles. What's not to love? You can climb on it. Roll it. Play in it. And to top it off, it's in a posh giraffe print [that's the part I liked at least]. 

Well needless to say, Max has not been in love with the giraffe tunnel. He has, instead, been petrified of the thing. We get it out to play and he crawls the other direction. We put his favorite toys inside and he looks at us like, "who cares?" We play peek-a-boo thinking it will entice him in inside, no way. Not interested. And quite fearful.

So, Sam, being the brave dad that he is, decided it was high time Max overcame this giraffe tunnel fear. 

Look Max, tunnels are cool:

Yep, that is Sam inside the tunnel. 

Pretty cool inside the giraffe, huh Max?

Give it a whirl, little buddy!

You can do it!

Halfway through and no sign of turning back!

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. 

Max is officially over his giraffe tunnel fear. Thanks for saving the day, Dad.

Cardboard Testimony

Sam and I had the opportunity to share our testimony at the Easter Sunday Service. However, this wasn't the typical testimony. We were asked to sum up our adoption story in as few words as possible. And by as few, I mean it needed to fit on the front and back of a piece of cardboard.

Let me pause here to say, Excuse Me?

How do you possibly sum up our story? Or anyone's story for that matter. 

But, Sam and I were up for the challenge. And I have to admit, it was a really incredible exercise for us. We had to work through exactly what we wanted the message to be so we shared our story, related to our audience and ultimately, gave glory to God! 

To check out cardboard testimonies click here [this is an example from another church, however I will definitely put up our church's video once it is ready to go]. 

So, here you have it. Our way of expressing our cardboard testimony.

Thank you Jesus for our story. For the gift of life. And for sweet Maximus. What a journey that was truly worth the wait. 

What's In A Name?

Max loves to say Dada. And Daddy [pronounced more like Da-eeeee, no "dd" in the middle].

Max also loves to say his own name [pronounced Maaaa, no "x" sound, just Maaaa].

Max rarely says Mama. Rarely. As in, I have only heard him say it twice. Ever.

Why is it that I spend day in and day out with the boy and he doesn't say my name? I know he can say it. I have heard it with my own ears! But, he chooses not to say it.

He looks at framed family pictures in our house, like this one...

And this one...

And then he will point his little finger up at Sam and say, Da-eeee. Or look jubilantly at himself in the middle and say, Maaaaa.  But nope, no Mama.

Confession time. I stooped so low the other day, I paid my eight-year-old niece [Maddie] five dollars to work with him and get him to say Mama. We had only one successful "Mama" the next day. And it was after a long bout of "Maaaa, Maaaa, Maaaa" [he was showing off for his grandparents] and then, almost by accident, he threw in a "Mama."

I am trying really hard not to get offended by my eleven-month-old son. But, seriously, what gives? 

CAT Truck Cruisin'

Max is getting good at cruisin' around the house. He has lots of toys that provide him walking assistance, but his favorite? The CAT Truck. 

He is one determined little guy while maneuvering this big truck around the house. He runs into all sorts of obstacles [sorry buddy] and is just not phased. Only. Determined. 

Laughing Out Loud

One of the best sounds EVER: 

Max, laughing out loud. 

We had our first trip to the zoo this year and Maddie [Max's cousin] really got him going. She always can! She plays these great games with him that only a creative eight-year-old can think up! On this particular occasion, she was using one foot to make the stroller bounce up and down. He was in stitches over it. Now, if I would have tried that little game, do you think he would have been laughing? I don't think so! There is something about kids making other kids laugh. So great!

Here's a short clip so you can hear him too!