Lyla: Five Years Old

It seems the days leading up to my kid's birthdays are always the most revealing of their age. I know this because it's the time of year when I look at them, I mean really stare, and realize how much they have grown and changed over the past year. That's exactly what happened this week for me too. I started watching and listening to Lyla, more intently than I normally do, and it hit me. Holy crap. You are a five year old. She acts like a five year old. She looks like a five year old. She sounds like a five year old, okay sometimes sixteen. 

As you could imagine, I've been doing a lot of reflecting about the past five years. I smile as I think about how many things have changed, yet so many have stayed the same. I will never forget the scowl on Lyla's face as she glanced all around the hospital room the day she was born. That initial scowl transformed into an independent attitude that she's continued to carry throughout her life. That little seven pound baby had a fierceness about her, as if she already had the whole world figured out. And while I know Lyla still has a lot of life to experience and lessons to learn, she has taught me more about life than I ever could have imagined possible. I have been a mom for five years and all my motherhood "firsts" continue to be with Lyla. I think that's pretty special. Along with that newborn scowl was the first moment we made eye contact and my journey as her mom began. I am immensely grateful for the gift of motherhood. It has changed me for the better. And I don't feel like a rookie anymore either! Woo! 

I'll be honest, I was a little concerned during that twoberty phase with Lyla, which carried over to three and even a little into four. I have always encouraged her independent spirit, but that sass has been a little brutal at times. This past year or so she has really matured into such a pleasant little person to be around. There were certainly delightful aspects to her during all the different stages of toddlerhood, of course, I'm just stating she has really bloomed into her own sense of self. At school, she has earned this reputation as being a peacekeeper and nurturer of sorts. She is always so aware of her surroundings, ensuring everyone in her presence is content. She cares about people and it makes me so proud to be her mom. I've watched her behave this way not only among her peers, but when it comes to her little brother as well. She is always thinking of that little boy. We will take a girls only trip to the grocery store and every single time she will ask the cashier a sticker for her brother. And don't even think about going to the bank without getting an extra sucker! I think we can do a lot to influence the behavior of our kids, but that sweet girl has a heart of gold. She was born a helper and the sweetness is just part of her soul.

Well now that I'm crying over how amazing my daughter is, I want to switch gears and share what we did on her birthday! I know I will cherish these first five years forever and I don't even want to think about how quickly the next five are going to fly by. 

I can't tell you what she is doing in the above photo.
The pose is her own invention and she facilitates most
 of our photo shoots now that she is five.

Enjoying her coloring book with some jams on. I love this picture.

We are having a birthday bash on Saturday, so that's when the real fun is going down. As for Lyla's actual birthday, it was a fairly routine day of school. She woke in the best mood, then she was eager to open a couple of gifts Kirk grabbed for her the night before. I didn't even know he was going to have something ready for her by the way --- it was super sweet of him! Anyway, we continued off to school and she wanted to listen to Christmas music. Seriously, stick a needle in my ear. I would have laughed at her had it not been her birthday, instead we sang jingle bells for the entirety of our thirty minute commute. She took cupcakes to school to share with her classmates. We  grabbed them from the grocery store the night before and she passed on the frosting she wanted and picked the kind she thought most of the kids in her class would like instead --- again, so thoughtful.

After school, we decided to get milkshakes. eek! More sugar, I know. Then she requested Chicfila for dinner. That was fine with me, make my life easy. Ha! That girl can put down a full size chicken sandwich these days, which is pretty impressive considering there was a time I could barely convince her to eat a cracker. She also suggested we participate in a "Chicfila Sauce Challenge" during dinner. This is a challenge where you line up the eight different variety of sauce flavors and try to guess each of them after just one dip of a finger, french fry, etc. Well. Miss Birthday Girl is a big chicken when it comes to trying new foods and declined practically every single sauce. She tried ketchup...wow. And Chicfila sauce. Seriously. It was her idea!!!! She is such a dork. Max participated in tasting every single sauce, even the spicy ones, which was super hilarious and made up for Lyla's lack of participation. She wrapped up the night with a little Hansel and Gretel and that concluded the birthday festivities. However, we are so excited to party on Saturday!

Lyla's gifts from us arrived on Thursday and I was originally going to have her open them on party day. Then I decided oh, who cares. She opened a bed set and wardrobe closet to accommodate her new American Girl doll, Avery. I may start referring to the doll by name, just take note. Anyway, after some lengthy assembling we finally had it all set up. Then it occurred to me that Lyla wasn't going to have any space in her bedroom for this new American Girl arrangement. She already had a baby station and the Barbie house station, so I asked if she had any ideas on how to make it work. She thought about it intently for a few minutes, then she said, "Mom, I don't really play with my Barbie house anymore, let's give it to another little girl who will play with it more than me." My initial thought was, ummm but you have only had it two years....and Santa spent two full nights putting it together....and you have a bucket of probably 60 Barbies. Then I remembered how I'm always preaching to my kids about decluttering and donating stuff we don't need to someone else that can use it. So my initial panic of clinging onto the Barbie house for unnecessary reasons, transformed into another proud moment that Lyla has the brains to realize she has more than she needs and more than she can play with. I'm impressed that she isn't emotionally attached to all these materialistic items. I mean...it's hard for me sometimes and she is only five!

We spent the rest of the afternoon organizing her room. She decided to keep her Anna & Elsa dolls in her keepsake box. They are sentimental for sure. Then she picked out a few of the non-frazzled looking Barbies to keep, just in case the Barbie urge ever strikes again. She also kept the Barbie party bus, so they still have a spot to hang. But the adorable Barbie house itself is no longer a staple item in Lyla's room. It made my heart a little sad to close that chapter, but I was also filled with so much joy as Lyla was already thinking out loud about all the different kids she could gift the house to. The Barbie house location is now replaced with Avery's "room" and it's coming along quite nicely. The baby station remains in her room as well, since that's a regular activity between her and Max. It's just change is all it is. And again, I'm so impressed Lyla came up with the idea all on her own. She handled the process with such grace. 

The scenario doubled as a good example to Max, who came out of his room with one toy to give to someone. As he declared his good deed, I could tell he was trying to remember the exact words Lyla used earlier. I love it when he does that, cracks me up every time. He always seems so proud of himself, yet all he's doing is mimicking his big sis. He certainly looks up to her! It's pretty dang cute.

Birthday surprise from the best dad ever!!!! 

The remains of Lyla's Barbie collection.
 The difference is shocking to anyone who knows what her stockpile looked like before!

The new arrangement for Avery!

Don't mind Lyla's solemn expression, I just thought they
looked so adorable in matching pajamas and robes. 

                             Hope everyone has a great weekend! I will blog about the party soon.

Beginning of Something New

I started work on Monday and it's been a busy week for our family. I put on makeup five days in a row, which I can almost guarantee hasn't happened in at least three years. Although the kiddos won't start school until next Wednesday, we are still working on adjusting to our new schedule and routine. I'm so grateful for all my helpers this week who were available to tend Lyla & Max. [Thanks!] I was also able to bring them with me to work for two of the days. They were able to meet their teachers and explore the school, which I think will ultimately help them feel more comfortable and less overwhelmed on their first day. 

We have spent a lot of energy preparing for this upcoming change in our lives. There was one task on my list that kept falling to last priority and that was getting Lyla's hair cut --- for the first time ever. This idea originated when I asked Lyla several months ago if she wanted to get her hair cut and her answer was a definite no. She was very apprehensive about it. I decided it didn't matter and just let it go. Well, several weeks later she randomly brought it up again and stated she was ready to get her hair cut. I, admittedly, brushed off her request because by that point, I reverted back to not wanting to get it done...ever. There was absolutely no logic in this decision, it was simply the fact that cutting her hair meant any traces of baby hair would be completely eliminated. And obviously the world would end if that happened.

Yes, I realize it's just a hair cut. This refusal is basically the same as keeping your child in diapers simply because you don't want them to use the toilet for the first time ever, buuuut my heart was still rejecting the idea. I'm clearly in denial about her growing up. Max gets his hair cut on a regular basis, so believe me I am also asking my brain how any of this makes sense. 

Anyway, we had a game plan on Friday including a hair cut for Max when Lyla, once again, requested a hair cut for herself as well. I stared wistfully at her stringy locks, thinking about how my once bald baby transformed into a little girl with chlorine dyed ends, and finally agreed to her persistent desire. She was quite pleased with this decision and could not stop staring in the mirror during the hair cut. Her admiration for herself was entertaining for myself as well as the stylist, and it turns out the world kept spinning once the hair cut concluded. We decided to cut minimal amount as possible, while still evening up the ends and, I must say, the change definitely improved the overall quality of her hair. Lyla proudly stated afterward that she most definitely looks the same age as her cousin, Hali. Hali is twelve. My four year old thinks she is twelve.

The hair cut experience is not the only back to school first we've experienced lately. The preparations have also included school clothes shopping, which I never knew could be such a tedious task. I've entered new territory here. I have always been 100% on board with giving my kids the freedom to express themselves, but the problem with school clothes is my children do not have one single practical train of thought in their precious little minds. The negotiations get tough when Lyla holds up something resembling an 80's prom dress and I have to express to her something along the lines of, "Seriously? You won't even be able to sit down in that thing." Then there is Max, on the opposite end of the spectrum, who can't make a decision to save his life. I'm usually exhausted by the time we finally come to an agreement on something as simple as a t-shirt. So. I learned the hard way that it's much easier to go shopping without children. They are much more appreciative this way, as they are always happy when anyone arrives back home with anything at all for them. I will still encourage them to dress themselves as they choose, just within the range of their own closets. Controlled freedom. Ha! I'm hopeful the understanding of appropriate school attire will make more sense next year. Then again, I remember having arguments with my mom about clothing well into high school --- from style preference to demands over brand names, yikes --- so maybe that's just something that will never change. The lyrics from Tangled just started playing in my brain."...mother knows best, listen to your mumsy."

We've been focusing on making other changes prior to school starting, including the struggle with Max confusing pretend superhero games with a real life boxing match. I think I am slightly resentful of Kirk for the day he ever introduced the "BOOM" game to Max, but I'm also guilty for promoting such play. My favorite line from Max is just as we're getting ready to "fight" and I ask "Do you want a piece of me?" and as he scowls, he says "No! I want the whole thing!" He's hilarious. However, I really don't want Max being the kid who body slams his peers for no reason, soooo we've been diligently reminding him that playing "BOOM" is a family game and should only be played with willing participants. Kirk has been trying to convince Max that anytime he gets the urge to "BOOM" someone, he should just tickle them instead. And while it's too soon to tell if this technique is working, it's been funny to watch. Time will tell and I pray Max isn't the school bully. I'm hopeful his sweet side will outweigh the Hulk that lives within. 

They are going to learn so much this next year and I want to do everything we can to ensure it is smooth of a journey as possible. It's hard to believe such a monumental chapter is coming to a close for us. In a lot of ways life will remain the same, but it will also be so very different. It's bittersweet for me. Life is good. 

Maxwell: Third Birthday

I finally have real internet access again. It was getting a little tricky living off cell phone data only, but clearly it's a manageable lifestyle. Although I still take full advantage of all the luxurious amenities offered to me, first world problems typically get a huge eye roll from this lady. Hopefully I can get in the habit of blogging on a regular basis again. There has been so many fun things happening in our lives, I would probably overwhelm myself trying to blog about all of it. So, with the exception of the birthday bash of sir Max, the past will be left behind and I will start blogging about life moving forward. 

We celebrated Max's birthday shortly after returning from Idaho. I was feeling like the energizer bunny, trying to adjust back to normal life after our trip while simultaneously plan a birthday party. Max requested a dinosaur party and we managed to pull it off, considering the short amount of planning time that went into it. As Kirk pointed out, Max will never remember the small details that I seem to dedicate to party planning. But let's be honest, I love parties! It's a happy kind of stress, for me at least. First world problems. 

We enjoyed an afternoon of swimming, eating cake, and digging up dinosaurs in the backyard. Yes, technically one would dig up fossils, but luckily none of the diggers made that connection. We all watched as Max ripped through his presents in record time. I would normally supervise a more thoughtful present opening process, but he was so incredibly fast and aggressive --- it was too funny to watch. He did stop for one second to read a birthday card. I found his intent focus to be humorous, considering he can't read yet. 

Texas has been on the receiving end of some atrocious amounts of rain lately, but I was grateful it took a short break during the party. I think Max had a fabulous time and enjoyed being the star of the show. Max turning three reminds me of how much he has changed since turning two. He remains pretty easy going most the time, but the layers of his personality are beginning to unfold. He is an adventure seeker and never lets fear stand in his way, which can be a bit terrifying at times. He is funny by nature. I always smile when I can hear a good belly laugh coming from him as he is playing...by himself. It usually involves any predicament he gets his action figures into, but I love a guy who can laugh at his own jokes. [insert Kirk emoji here] And above all, I admire how thoughtful he is, especially when it comes to caring for Lyla. Max is a big piece in our family puzzle and we are so lucky!

It's hard to believe we have a three year old again, for the second time. I'm pretty sure Lyla was just three. Life isn't slowing down and somehow that 17 month age gap just keeps shrinking. My heart does this funny thing when I think about what life was like when they were babies. It seems like yesterday and a lifetime ago all wrapped into one. The reason I try to capture so much of it is because I never want to forget. They are going to grow up tomorrow and their little voices, their laughter, and even their cry will never be the same. I know these are all precious moments, even on the days they make me feel insane. This motherhood business is a lovely experience and I'm looking forward to all the birthdays to come. 

Oh, and speaking of insanity. Max is on day seven of no pacifier. This comforting little item is known as the "baba" in our house. And I'm not sure who misses it more --- me or Max. The withdrawal symptoms have been super pleasant at bed time and I've definitely had to resist picking up another one, but I think we are through the worst of it. I can't blame him, the baba got us through some tough times together. We were building up anticipation for months about throwing away his baba when he turned three. He was even pumped about it, because obviously being three means you are way too old for a baba. I used this theory on Lyla and it worked like a charm, so I was hoping the same would unfold for the second child. Funny enough, I took three baba with us to Idaho and came home with only one lone survivor. We were keeping it around until the official throwing-into-the-garbage ceremony, but it vanished on its own. It was slightly disappointing, but it's gone and over with now. Bravo Max, Bravo!

Maxwell: Room Transformation

While attempting to put away and organize all of our Christmas treasures, we were inspired to officially upgrade Maxwell to a big-kid bed. You may remember several months ago when he insisted on sleeping in the guest bedroom, but with the crazy amount of visitors we've had lately he was content with returning to his toddler bed. We wanted to give Max the same amount of space Lyla has in her room, so we decided to transfer all his stuff into one of the larger rooms upstairs. I know I'm probably the only one who cares about fairness right now, but guaranteed ten years from now they will be the ones with a tape measure out comparing room size. Oy! First world problems.

Kirk disassembled the changing table and what was left of the crib in Max's room. He moved them into the attic and I felt overcome with a bit of sadness. I have so many mixed feelings about my kids growing up. This parenting gig has suddenly taken a victorious turn down 'Easy Street' being a no diaper and no crib household. I know I've been here every step of the way, but somehow it's a strange feeling of unfamiliarity knowing my babies have turned into little people. In no time at all, they have acquired essential human abilities, like communicating their own thoughts. Crazy how that works, lol. 

Meanwhile, we got Max's new bedroom arranged, leaving behind some of the old "baby" decor. He seemed very pleased with his new space. He was quiet upstairs for quite sometime later on when I went to check on him. I found him laying on his new bed looking at a book and I felt a little bit of my heart crumble even more. It's such a privilege watching him transform into such an independent little dude. He also likes to sleep shirtless these days. Kirk typically sleeps with a shirt on, so I'm curious where he picked up that habit from. Regardless, still very funny.

The room is still a work in progress, but you can get the idea from the picture below. I predict it will remain incomplete until Kirk & I can agree on the bedding, apparently we have conflicting opinions on interior design. Hehe! I suppose we could resolve our issue by letting Max decide on his own bedding...what a wild concept that would be! 

Short Stories

We are in full Christmas mode over here & fully anticipating the arrival of Santa, 

but in the meantime I wanted to share a couple of recent memorable events with the blog.

1. Cockroach Victory

My fascination of cockroaches is probably equivalent to my fear of them. These pesky insects were never an issue in Idaho, but now I face them on a very regular basis. Well, after nearly three years of complaining about it, we finally scheduled an expert to come spray the habitat these creatures call home. However, it seems all this has done is create more madness, causing roaches to emerge from all cracks & crevices of our home. They warned us this may happen, but these freaks are seriously coming out from the depths of the earth since the spray-of-genocide happened. Luckily we are mostly finding them on their backs in a lifeless state, so at least that means the kill juice is working. It's not like we have an infestation or anything like that, just a random beast every once in awhile  --- typically in the bathroom. Hmm actually I'm probably in denial. We have likely, unknowingly, been coexisting with hundreds of roach families since they are literally coming out from everywhere now! No no no. Yuck. Ignorance is bliss. Anyway, the point of this story has nothing to do with me, actually. I think cockroaches are super creepy. Moving on.

It was after bedtime and the kids were already tucked in bed when Lyla started yelling for her Dad. I had left the house for a couple solo errands, but Kirk figured the sounds of Lyla were the typical nonsense that occurs on a nightly basis. To his surprise, Kirk entered her room and learned she was actually screaming about the presence of a cockroach on the wall. According to Kirk, the roach was so large it required a double take. He claims it was the biggest roach he has ever encountered --- and that says a lot, considering he is a Texas native. As he battled the cockroach to his death, Lyla watched wide-eyed. Kirk was victorious. He settled Lyla back in and as he left the room said, "Nobody messes with my Lyla girl." Lyla fell to sleep. Life was good again.

I returned home & Kirk filled me in on the details of the post-bedtime massacre. I was slightly disappointed he failed to take a photo of the godzilla-roach, considering he is well aware of my obsession. I think I became fixated on their anatomy after we captured nearly ten critters in a mason jar once, over the course of several days, before I decided it was setting a weird example to keep cockroaches in a jar as trophies of some sort. I accused Kirk of exaggerating the size, embellishing the facts, stuff like that. He finally drew a picture for a visual comparison and its body extended to about four inches long. However, I was still questioning the legitimacy of his story. Regardless, assuming Kirk was giving an accurate version of events, it seemed this sucker could have been the big daddy of the colony and clearly had a strong resistance to the kill juice from earlier in the week.

Now onto the point & cute part of this ridiculous story. Lyla woke up the following morning and I interrogated her about the cockroach story. I attempted to grill her for facts the night before, but sadly for me she was sound asleep, probably dreaming of cockroaches. She confirmed there was a rather large cockroach crawling on the wall in her room, she called for Dad, blah blah blah --- then she told me the sweetest thing. She said, "Dad got the cockroach out of my room and said nobody messes with his Lyla girl." She had the biggest smile on her face, glorifying in the fact that in that moment Kirk's one and only purpose was to protect her. It was adorable. She mentioned it at least two more times throughout the day. She is pretty happy about having such a heroic daddy.

I still can't get her little voice out of my head... "Dad says nobody messes with his girl." 

I love that girl. I hope she uses that line on boys when she's older.

Well. That story ended up being long enough to justify for its own post. The above could be summarized by stating, Kirk killed a cockroach for Lyla and afterwards he said, "nobody messes with my Lyla girl." She was quite pleased with this statement. Lol. Oh well. The next one is short and sweet.

2. "Bo" vs. "No"

If you are around Max often, then you know that when he says "bo" it means "no". For the longest time he refused to say "no" even though we all knew he was quite capable. He recently learned we adult creatures think it's pretty cute when he says "bo" and have even adopted the lingo for ourselves. He tends to work against the things adults find enjoyable and has worked very hard to correct his pronunciation. He is definitely in the stage of doing the exact opposite of what is expected of him, so reversing his vocal habits was a real treat for him. He now takes his time to articulate the sound each letter makes in the word "no." It even makes his nose scrunch when he does this, but I'm not going to tell him that's an equal trade for the adoration I had for "bo."

Max, we will miss you saying "bo" but hearing you say "nnnnnnoooo" is surprisingly just as great. Unless of course it's 5pm and you've said it [to me] 100 times in the span of one day. I have a hard time finding it cute at that point. Hehee. I still love you though!

Crafting is Hard

There are some days I can see the developmental gap between Lyla & Max shrinking before my very eyes. I am grateful for those days & it makes my heart feel full when they get along so well. Then there are days like today. We were working on a craft project involving glue, already a foolish idea on my part. Foolish because toddlers like to be in charge and when they aren't allowed to be in charge of something like glue it can get ugly real quick. Alright, so I was pleased as Lyla followed instructions carefully and went into full concentration mode. She was in the zone. Meanwhile, Max got all emotional and had a meltdown because I wouldn't give him "five glue!" He tried his hardest to communicate the issue, but apparently mommy failed to understand and/or comply with his "five glue" request. Oy! Today I am reminded that Maxwell is still very much a two year old and the 17 month age gap between them is still worlds apart. Good thing he's cute!

This is how I take out my aggression on Max during his spurts of twoberty.

Max is Two!

The past few months have been so busy that I hadn't given much thought to the fact that my baby boy was nearing his two year mark on this earth. Then we got settled in back at home after living in Idaho for several weeks and reality sank in. Holy crap! My little boy is turning two! I can still remember being in labor at the hospital and then it seems Lyla only turned two not very long ago. I honestly think I blinked once. 

Max is more in denial than myself. I told him repeatedly about his upcoming birthday and his only response to me was "NO." I kept explaining to him that I didn't want to admit it either, but the fact is it was going to happen no matter what. Then each time we would chat about his age he would hold up only one finger and tell me "ONE" with a very firm tone. It seems so opposite from my other child who is so eager to grow up. I'm having to pull one along while holding the other one back.  

Anyway, I committed to making these dorky lists until age two with each child. My brain likes to follow these types of patterns. Although I will continue to share Max's funny stories and achievements, this will be his last list on my blog because I decided awhile back that after age two the list trend becomes too redundant.

the skills & life experience of a two year old:

1. He rides a bicycle. What's up with that? I'm unsure how he even gained this skill because before we left for Idaho I was still hunched over pushing him down the street. Then we returned from our trip and he is peddling like a pro out of nowhere. It's impressive.

2. In addition to his bicycle skills, he is a maniac on the playground. He climbs ladders and maneuvers around equipment with such ease. I really don't know what is considered average for physical development at this age, but he seems really advanced to me. He has no fear and is willing to attempt anything. 

3. On the other hand, I wish I could say he is speaking in sentences, but he still isn't interested much in building his vocabulary. I'm not overly concerned about it because he is finally trying to sound out words. And I can understand a good portion of his jibberish language, so I know it will develop more with time. I think I'm just feeling anxious because once again, that first child was so eager to speak words. 

4. For example, he says the word "ham" and he elongates each letter as he pronounces it. It's adorable. Ham is his new favorite snack. He will munch on it throughout the day. He also enjoys string cheese, eggs, and yogurt --- but only from the tube, don't you dare try to feed it to him from a spoon. He will yell nonsense at you. 

5. His fruit intake is slowly increasing, with cantaloupe still being the lead contender. I buy cantaloupe several times a week because it's the only way to get some fruit in that tenacious little body. He occasionally chokes down apples, grapes, and bananas. Berries are a no go, even when they are mixed with ice cream. He knows what he likes....and it is not berries. Ha!

6. He has never had much of a focus when it comes to TV watching, which is totally fine. However, he has a sudden adoration for Blues Clues. It had to of been an instant attraction, because I swear he watched it one time and was hooked. The only other thing he tends to watch on TV is superheroes and that is usually accompanied with his Dad. Oh, and he likes Frozen...of course. 

7. His hair has required four hair cuts in his lifetime. I always visioned my son having a long shaggy look to him during his childhood, but turns out Max's hair is more fitting with a short crew-cut type hairstyle. I blame the Johnson gene for blessing him with that dang widows peak. He is cute regardless and each time he get his hair cut I seem to cry because it always makes him look so much older.

8. He sleeps in a toddler bed due to his successful attempts at climbing out of his crib. We decided this option is better than a broken limb and the transition was relatively easy. My only complaint is now he has the ability to exit his room at his own leisure. And, unlike his big sister, his escape is always very stealth and never dramatic. He sneaks up on me sometimes! 

9. He still prefers me to rock him to sleep --- for both naps and bedtime! It continues to get more awkward for both of us to get in comfortable positioning, but I will continue to snuggle on him for as long as he lets me. I have no shame in rocking a five year old to sleep, but we will have to wait and see if that feeling is mutual. 

10. He is a bit aggressive if he doesn't get his way. He provides a full performance in the foot stomping and fist swinging category. It's quite hilarious, but I have to stop myself from laughing at him sometimes. I have this strange, hopeful feeling that maybe we've already peaked with that behavior, but then I'm reminded that we are just barely entering the "terrible two" stage. Maxwell...let's be friends. 

I love you! 

This last photo is from when we took Max to see the Avengers movie last weekend. He was very captivated with the first few scenes, but slowly lost interest and we had to bail early to avoid the people behind us blowing spit balls our direction. Kirk jokingly called me an idiot for taking pictures inside a movie theater, but I don't care. Max looked too dang cute. And in my defense, I was  snapping photos only during the previews! I'm sure future Max would be very disappointed in the if I didn't document his first real movie theater experience....Geeeeez....JK. 

Maxwell: 21 Months

Max is now 21 months old. It is absolutely mind blowing to think he will turn two in just three more months. The past two years went by in a blink of an eye. I can't even begin to imagine our family without him. Life would be way too easy! Ha. We love you little buddy!

the skills & life experience of mr. maxwell:

1. He loves books. He tries to grab pictures off the pages and it's hilarious. His sound effects are the best, as he struggles to pull an item off the page.

2. He is so thoughtful, especially when it comes to Lyla. If he is getting a glass of water or a snack, he always always always gets a second one for his big sister.

3. Speaking of water, he can reach the water dispenser on the refrigerator. We generally try to keep it switched to the "locked" function, but occasionally we forget. He always discovers this mistake and it's always a disaster.

4. He can now jump with both feet off the ground. It's super impressive. He also likes to show off his skills by jumping off furniture and playground equipment. He's determined to give his momma a heart attack.

5. His playground skills are very advanced. His abilities include running, jumping, climbing up ladders and rock walls. Playground moms are always in disbelief when I tell them how old he is and it's doing wonderful things to my ego.

6. However, he is not much of a talker. His vocabulary seems to be progressing at a very slow rate. I think he is holding back on purpose though because he frequently surprises me by saying a word clear as day. His favorite sound to make is "UH UH" and he doesn't even seem interested in any attempting anything else. He is my little cave man.

7. His hair is growing in quite nicely. It is thickening up and getting long. I would like to explore a shaggy hairstyle, but Kirk prefers him to stay in the crew cut category. We will just have to see who wins that battle!

8. He sleeps 11+ hours at night and takes a 2-3 hour afternoon nap. The thought of transitioning him to a toddler bed keeps wandering into my mind, but Max is sleeping like a champ and sleep is usually my arch nemesis, soooo I probably shouldn't rock that boat.

9. My extended breastfeeding has produced a lifelong boob man. While my milk supply is no longer accessible, Max is still prone to letting his hand get cozy in my cleavage area. Also, he happily recognizes boobs of all sizes, including real life people, barbies, and photos of celebrities. He does not discriminate.

10. He is finally accepting fruit as a necessary component to his diet. He enjoys cantaloupe, apples, bananas, oranges. He still spits out any type of berry, but other than that he isn't much of a picky eater. His new favorite snack is string cheese.

If you want to check out his previous list just click ----> here!

Lyla: Three Year Check-Up

Lyla had a check up this week. In the past she always gets a deer in the headlights look on her face and goes completely silent when the doctor enters the room. This visit she was super chatty. The doctor determined her growth is on track, she is basically a genius, and she is the prettiest little three year old ever. I had to decline the flu shot three times before he finally got the point, other than that it was a quick & easy trip to the doctor. She doesn't have to return for another check up for one full year! 

Weight: 32 lbs, 50th percentile

Height: 38 3/4 inches, 90th percentile

To see how much Lyla has grown click here or here!

First Dentist Visit

There is much conflicting advice in regards to the appropriate age to take a child to the dentist. I've heard it's best to schedule a dentist appointment as soon as that first tooth emerges and then I've heard a dentist visit isn't necessary until age three. I made the conclusion that, with so few teeth, we could make the same observations as a dentist. There is nothing we were concerned over, so we held off on the premature dentist visits. However, Kirk experienced some extreme dental issues over the last several weeks and it sorta sent me into a state of paranoia. So I headed to dentist, hand in hand with my favorite 2 year old and favorite 1 year old.  

Despite my efforts to prepare Lyla for going to the dentist, she kept saying she was scared about it. I was worried this would transform into being uncooperative. Instead she was the exact opposite. I was so impressed when she agreed to sit in the chair all on her own. She let the dentist examine her mouth and apply a fluoride treatment. She did comment that it felt weird, but nothing else. There wasn't even any battle when it came to brushing and flossing. He told Lyla he was scrubbing "bugs" off her teeth. She thought that was pretty funny. He noticed that her bottom teeth are very tight, which suggests her permanent teeth will be crowded. That isn't a surprise though since both Kirk and I were cursed with hill billy teeth. Thank you braces!

The dentist gave Lyla an A+ for keeping her teeth clean & healthy. To be honest I was actually a little surprised by this response because I know sending her to bed with a bottle is frowned upon. It's basically the same as falling asleep with a lollipop in your mouth. He was giving her so much praise though, so I decided that our dirty little secret didn't need to be shared. 

Max was eager for his turn. As I mentioned before, he insists on doing everything he sees his big sister do. He was cooperative, then they applied the fluoride treatment and he got all hot & bothered. It's okay though. He gets a free pass for being only 18 months old. 

Max doesn't have as many teeth to investigate, but the dentist said everything looks good for him too. I asked him to take a close look at Max's front teeth since he sleeps with a pacifier. He said there is a slight shift, but it's nothing to be worried about at this point. Apparently it's only a concern when the teeth start to tilt completely sideways. Yikes! 

Overall they were pretty much the poster children for kid dental patients. The dentist even said, "These kids are so mellow." And I thought to myself, "Yeaaaah. You should come spend a day at my house!" That was a nice compliment though. I am pleased my kids were well mannered. 

Max: 18 Months Old

Max is 18 months old. And oh boy, is he acting like it. I think the "terrible twos" are creeping in early with this kid. I think he is very intelligent and aware of his surroundings. As such, if he feels he is being left out of a.n.y.t.h.i.n.g he will make his frustration known. These tantrums are a bit terrifying, but we will get through it.

I've declared age two as the year of testing boundaries and miscommunication. And it's looking like age three is going to be the year of attitude and whine voice. I will discuss more about that nonsense later. This post is about my boy! 

the skills & life experience of maxwell:

1. He tries to jump. But he can't jump. He lunges his whole body into the air and sometimes he falls over. It's a hilarious attempt. 

2. His attention span is short when it comes to cartoons. But surprisingly he will actually sit and watch football longer than anything else. He points at the TV when it's turned off and says "uhh ball" which is "Football" in Max language. I think this is a dream come true for Kirk. 

3. He recognizes most superheros by costume and by name. It's probably more common for parents to brag about color or shape recognition...but that's okay. Once again, the dad influence overrules here. 

4. He sleeps 11+ hours per night. He is in bed by 8:00 pm and awake around 5:00 am. Then he will usually snuggle for a couple more hours in my bed. 

5. His vocabulary is beginning to blossom. This includes the words mom, dad, Lyla, Krew, water, poop, football, basketball, olive, bath, night, bye. It's getting to that point where I can translate most of his language, but it still sounds like jibberish to everyone else.

6. He has a vein on his neck that bulges when he gets angry. I think it's really adorable. And I imagine I will still think so even when he is a grown man. 

7. He still lets his momma rock him to sleep. I enjoy this very much, as the older one always refused bedtime snuggles at this age. Also, he insists on sleeping with his toy Hulk. Don't try to fool him with a teddy bear or monkey. It must be Hulk. 

8. He likes to throw away his own diaper. I guess this is a fun task for a one year old. He is also very interested in the toilet. I am open to early potty training but I think we will hold off on exploring that world until after the holiday. 

9. He has all four of his first set of molar teeth. It was the longest teething marathon I have ever endured. We were finally granted our victory and now Max is happily chewing food more than ever!

10. He is so loving and gentle towards Lyla's babies, when she allows it. There is no doubt that he has a destructive nature --- crashing into walls, pounding on toys, swinging at furniture, and climbing on literally everything. But it's comforting to know that a tender heart lives on the inside of his active little spirit. 

Please click here to view Max's fifteen month list!