Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everybody! Terry has been hard at work on Maxwell's Halloween costume and we are sooooo excited to show it to everyone. It was a huge hit when we went out trick or treating this morning in town. Isabel slept through the entire thing and Maxwell, well just take a look...

 ...he spent the whole time we walked around town spinning his propeller.

Daddy spent the last three weeks working on this amazing costume. He had to do it in bits and pieces, a night here, a night there, but it turned out great!

 It was even wired with led lights for left and right, just like a real airplane. That daddy, he is pretty crafty!

 After nap, when daddy was home, we went out again and trick or treated with some friends. We had a blast and though the night started of a little rocky, we had a great time.

Isabel on the other hand did not appreciate the family tradition of putting our children in pumpkins for a silly cute photo-op.

Our little holstein cow, Isabel!

 It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but that wasn't her problem. Hunger was her problem. At night she feeds every 1/2 an hour for about 4 hours. It is her longest stretch of awake time and when she stuffs herself to be ready for bed.

And just for the sake of comparison, here is Maxwell's pumpkin photo.

No real resemblance :)

We hope everyone had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Fighting Fires

I had to post this picture of Maxwell from a recent playdate.

My friend Hailey has 3 kids. Aoife, pronounced E-fa, is three and a half and her big brother Ronin is 5. They play really well together and Maxwell loves their big house, bigger playroom and large yard for running around in. His favorite thing to play with at their house is a dress-up fire fighter helmet and mask. Hailey took this picture of the 3 kids putting out a fire in her backyard. Mind you, it is pouring down rain, hence the rain gear, but the kids are loving every minute of it.

I know the picture is small, but super adorable. That is Maxwell, leading the charge!

Pumpkin Patching at Jubilee Farms

In the pouring rain yesterday, we made our annual trip out to Jubilee Farms in Fall City for our pumpkins! We had a great time! Even in Maxwell's duck suit he was soaked up to his thighs and into his boots. You will see why shortly. I am so glad my son isn't a whiner about that sort of thing, because watching him, it could have gone either way. He was a trooper! Isabel on the other hand, not so happy to be there!

You haven't lived until you have tried to breast feed, in the cold, rain and mud of the pumpkin patch, with no place to sit and a screaming baby on your hands! I love a challenge and thanks to a very nice woman, also a mother, I managed to do it with out either one of us becoming a sopping wet mud pie!

We also finally got our tractor ride! Maxwell loves tractors, anything with wheels really, and getting to ride in the hay wagon always brightens his day.

 Looking adorable with daddy. No resemblance there at all!

 A good friend once told me to remember to get some pictures with myself in them to. I generally forget to do that but for once, I remembered. Thanks Debbie!

Pumpkin patch, here we come!

 Maxwell wanted to walk around in the mud more then looking for a pumpkin, so he and daddy went mud stomping!

 Almost lost his boots a couple of times.

At least he could sit down in the mud. Where is my mud suit?

We also got to have a pony ride. This year we didn't even have to wait. We got to pick our horse and hop right on. Yee Haw!

 Maxwell picked Sugar, a nice little pony. After checking out her big nostrils and long tongue he was ready for his ride.

 He held on all by himself. Daddy just walked next to him just in case.

 Hi Momma, why can't everyday be this fun?

Maxwell thanked Sugar for the ride and reached up to pet her. Such a sweet boy.

We had a great time and I can't wait to show you our pumpkin creations and costumes. I am not sure how we are going to top them. You will have to wait and see.

Isabel and Friend

A friend of mine from work at the Cheesecake Factory, and his wife, had a baby 9 days before Isabel was born. Elliott was VERY overdue and Isabel was early. Baby Elliott had a rough start with lots of complications but he is coming through way better then expected. He is huge for his age and reaching milestones before he is supposed to. He can already sit up and support his head fully and he is grabbing at everything and hanging on. Amazing for a baby who had a stroke, in the movement center of his brain while in the birth canal.

 Isabel and I went to see Elliott and his momma the other day and compared babies. Below are a couple of cute pictures of the two of them.

 Isabel looks like a pixie compared to Elliott. He weighs 15 plus pounds. She is only 11.5. It doesn't seem that different, until you hold him after holding her.

 He is super cute and looks just like his daddy.

I am glad Isabel will have a playmate, close in age and someone she can hang out with as they get older. Maxwell has Jake and hopefully Isabel and Elliott will be great friends.

Last night I snuck into our room to check on Isabel and couldn't resist taking this picture of her.

She sleeps just like her daddy. I have pictures of Maxwell sleeping in one of the same positions that daddy does also. DNA is an amazing thing!

Preschool Pumpkin Patching

Maxwell's preschool class met at Camp Korey for their pumpkin patch field trip. We got a farm and garden tour, we missed the hay ride, but we got to tromp through the mud and pick a pumpkin then have smores for snack. Everytime the tour guide mentioned Maxwell's favorite garden vegetables, carrots and broccoli, he kept saying, "I want some!" I had to tell him that the vegetables were for the campers not for us. We were just there for the pumpkins.

Here are some great pictures from that morning.

 Waiting patiently for everyone to gather together for the garden tour to start.

 Eating smores after picking our pumpkins. Notice him eating the best part of the smore. The chocolate!! Miss Leslie, his teacher, is behind him. We are waiting for the pictures she took of Maxwell with his pumpkin. I will post them later.

 My boy, just as sweet as the treats!

 Since we missed the tractor and hay ride, I still have a hard time with time management and getting places, we just sat in the hay wagon and checked it out. He was only a little disappointed.

 Disappointment never lasts long with him. Just happy to see the tractor and sit in the wagon.

 A very happy boy, making goofy faces for me.

 Adorable, squishy face!

Though we were late, it was tons of fun. Only the second of our trips to a pumpkin patch this season. As a family, we love pumpkins!

Below is a picture of Max running in the mud at our baby sitting co-op social at the Mt. Si Nursery Pumpkin Patch. Foolishly I forgot my camera and had to rely on some of the other moms for pictures.

By the end of the morning he was caked in mud to his thighs! A laundry nightmare, but he had a smile on his face the entire time!

Our final trip and pumpkin carvings coming soon!!

Isabel is 3 Months Old

I know I said this last time, but I can't believe how fast time has gone by. The days and nights seem to blur together in a sleepless fog of delirium. Oh, what was that outloud??

If she wasn't so adorable it would be harder to deal with but somehow I manage. Anyway, we went and had a weight check to see how well she is doing. Though she has only gained 1 pound since her 2 month appointment she is still on a great growth curve. She also just got over her first cold. Maxwell and Isabel both came down with a horrible head cold, stuffy nose and congestion with coughing and sneezing and watery eyes. I think that it affected Maxwell the worst because he knows how bad he felt. Isabel just rolled with the punches.

 Here she is, our 11.5 pound beauty.

 Her coos and gurgles get sweeter everyday.

She has nothing but smiles for her brother and daddy. Maxwell says, look, she's looking at me!

I want time to slow down so I can enjoy every amazing minute. On the other hand, can we fast forward to when she sleeps through the night!

My Buddy Jake's 3rd Birthday

My best buddy Jake turned 3 last week and I got to go to his awesome birthday party! He had it at the same place as last year, Seattle Gymnastics Academy. They have all kinds of fun things to do there. There are trampolines, rings, a trampoline runway, a giant foam pit and more. Mommy and daddy came to with Isabel, someone had to drive me there, my feet don't reach the pedals! There were lots of kids there and the whole place was just for us so we didn't have to wait in line for anything.  Here are some great pictures from the adventure we had!

 The Birthday Boy!

 Me, getting ready to run the trampoline runway. I could do this all day long!

 Run, run, run!

 Swinging into the foam pit! My other favorite thing to do.

 The whole crew in the foam pit for a picture.

 I waited very patiently for a pumpkin stamp after we were all done playing. Then we went and had some snacks and...

...birthday cupcakes! Happy Birthday Jake!

I had an awesome time! So glad we are friends and can't wait to do it again next year.

Fall...Let the Rain Begin!

We have been very busy around here. I started back to work, at a new spot with more money making potential. We will see how it goes. I figure if I have to be away from my family it better be worth every penny. But I digress, We have been busy. Max is loving preschool.

He now says stuff like, "I want to tell you about school!" 

Me, "Awesome buddy, what did you do today?"

Maxwell, "Umm, played outside and painted."

Me, "Cool, what did you paint?"

Maxwell, "Umm, don't remember."

His crafts are rotated and displayed on the place of honor, the refrigerator. He regularly calls himself Maxwell now. That is what the teachers at school are working on. By the end of the school year he will be able to write his name and we chose his full name, so he says, "I'm Maxwell," now. Still happy to report no accidents at school. He is doing really well there. He saves the accidents for home and mommy or daddy. That's love!

We want to Issaquah Salmon Days, a family tradition. Terry and I had been going for years before the kids came along, but they sure make it more fun and a little more challenging. Though a good time was had by all. We even got to hang with Uncle Evan for a bit before we hit the fun.

So anyway, here are a some great pictures from the last couple of weeks.

 Following Uncle Evan's example and putting his feet on the table.

 In the Waste Management recycling truck cut out at Salmon Days. Maxwell loves watching the trash man come by.

Isabel practicing her smiley face.

Maxwell making silly faces with his sister. He still loves his little sister and regularly snuggles with her. Boy are we glad the novelty hasn't worn off. Now if we could just get him to stop lashing out at us.

 Is this how Michael Phelps got started?

 This is Maxwell and a maple leaf umbrella, walking home from school on Tuesday.

This is Maxwell eating a carrot that we grew at your local pea patch the very next day!! Amazing amounts of sun. A glorious day. He loves eating stuff right out of the garden. Pulled this carrot himself. We grew white, purple, yellow and orange ones just to keep it interesting.

We can't wait to go pumpkin patching next week. We have 3 trips planned. One with our babysitting co-op, one with his preschool and our family trip to Jubilee farms. I will post those pictures as soon as I get a chance.

Hope everyone is having an amazing fall so far. Bring on the rain I say, I am ready!!