The Novak Family

too busy...

2009-09-29T17:52:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have been way to busy to even think about blogging, but wanted to let you all who still check our blog know that we are still alive! Peter has been enjoying his new job and has been staying pretty busy with work. Max started preschool and LOVES it! I love listening to him tell me about his day at school. Solomon is the sweetest little guy. He loves to laugh at his brother and to cuddle tons! He is such a mommas boy, but of course I don't mind. :) I just hope he stays that way! I have been busy putting together Solomon's Halloween costume. If you remember last year, we were all characters from Where the wild things are and since most people had no idea what the wild things were then, we decided to be them again hoping that the movie will make us a little more popular! Here is a peek at Sol's costume. He is going to be Bernard...

This is what he is supposed to look like...

and this is my attempt...

I will catch up on more details after this week is over!!

Mini Vacation...

2009-08-17T21:31:00.000-07:00

One thing I left out. We rented a timeshare for a few days and had a great time relaxing. (It was while we were waiting to close on our house.) Max had a great time swimming everyday, all day long. They had a lazy river, a children's pool and 3 other pools for us to hop in and out of.

(these pics were from our balcony)

Relaxing a bit...

2009-08-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

(most of the pictures are self explanatory, except this one! For Max's birthday, I bought some silly string for the kids to have fun with. Well we did not end up giving it to the kids. So I let Max play with it in the back yard. I went outside with him so we did not make a mess indoors. Peter thought it would be funny to try to sneak up on us and get us covered. He soon found out that was a bad idea! I don't think I had an inch of silly string on me!!! lol What a fun time we had getting daddy! Even if we ended up making a mess indoors!!)

It has been very nice to have a few days at home to just relax. Here are a few snap shots from just hanging at our house...

Instead of unpacking one day, I decided to make this...

2009-08-17T14:56:00.002-07:00

it was something on my "to do" list for a while.

Max's birthday and visit from Grandma Novak

2009-08-17T14:56:00.001-07:00

For Max's birthday party we just had some friends over for some grub and cupcakes...and of course a pinata. Thanks for coming everyone and making Max's celebration so much fun!

Okay Kyle, remind me why your tooth fell out at the party? I can't remember...all I know is, this is a great picture!!

Peter's Mom came to visit us for a week. I was able to get so much accomplished while she was here! She was such a great help with unpacking and cleaning! I would still have boxes covering my walls and floors if it weren't for all her help! Thanks so much Gwen! Max and Sol also loved having Grandma around! (if you can't obviously tell in the pictures...Max LOVES his Grandma!)

Some more fun in Utah...

2009-08-17T14:54:00.000-07:00

Hogle Zoo. Max's first time seeing a real Rhino' and Sol's first time on the carousel.

Swimming at Grandma and Grandpa's with cousins.

(splashing at Grandma's-can you tell who dominated?) :)

Playing at the park with Ginger.

Max was watching this family release their butterflies. (They were nice enough to let him watch.) :)

Swimming at the Lehi pool.

Solomon signing!!!

2009-07-24T18:26:00.000-07:00

Solomon learned his first sign today.

Please ignore my voice!! So embarrassing!

Camping...

2009-06-02T12:24:00.001-07:00

We met up with Peter's brother and parents and camped memorial weekend. They brought their four wheelers and we had a great time. Max had so much fun getting dirty, playing with bugs, experiencing smores for the first time, but most of all riding on the four wheelers. Thanks for a great time Gwen, Paul, Brin and Aaron!

Max's first Strip experience...

2009-06-02T12:21:00.000-07:00

St. George getaway...

2009-06-02T12:07:00.001-07:00

We were able to go to St. George for a night to see some of our friends from Utah. It was our friend Tara's 30th birthday and they rented a beautiful home for a week and were generous enough to share it with all of us! Thanks guys!

'Reunited and it feels so good...'

2009-06-02T11:30:00.000-07:00

(I am just too tired to journal much so these next few posts will be mainly pictures with a few captions...sorry...or maybe you are welcome. lol)

It has been so much fun to be 'reunited' with all our great friends in Vegas!

Karver's birthday...

Kyle is a favorite among the neighborhood kids...

Wranglers hockey game...(one of Max's favorite things he has done in Vegas hands down! He still walks around the house yelling 'here we go wranglers, here we go!')

Max with Harley and Layla...

One of the fun water parks in Vegas...
Max and Austin...
Max and Avery...

no, that is not a barbie dad...
Some of the best friends anyone could ask for!

Max playing with a lego star wars ship that his daddy bought him so that he could have a toy of his own...(since all of his are still in storage) What a thoughtful daddy!

We can't forget about the perfect baby ever! He always has a smile on his face!

A few moving pictures and visit from Aunt Monica...

2009-06-02T11:03:00.000-07:00

Six Flags...(Natalie's first roller coaster)

The Giraffes...

before the truck arrived...

driving the truck...

the packing crew...

saying goodbye to a very dear friend...

driving away...

sniff...sniff...

We are alive...(barely)

2009-05-03T22:48:00.000-07:00

So we made it to Vegas. It was a bittersweet moment loading the kids in the car Saturday morning. One that brought a few tears to my eyes. As I pulled away from our house so many thoughts went through my head...'this is the last time I will be pulling away from this house...when will I be back...why didn't I take more advantage of all the amazing things the bay area has to offer...I am going to miss all my wonderful friends here!' I am so sad that I did not take more pictures of the adventures this past month. There were some funny ones, some that made me cry and some that made me want to check into the nuthouse! lol

First of all I need to thank everyone that helped us. We are so lucky to have such great friends. Not only did I have a crew help me load the truck, I was bombarded with help the week prior with packing, cleaning and babysitting. You all are so wonderful and I hope that we will be able to keep in touch with all of you.

So as most of you know, Peter left two weeks before me to begin his new job, which left me to pack up the house. If you don't already feel bad enough for me, just know that this is not the first time he has done this. :) But also, in Peter's defense, he had a pretty good reason to leave. Regardless, this left me with the task of packing up the house with two kids, cleaning my house with two kids and also taking care of my two kids. As I mentioned above, I had lots of help. I had my parents and sister's family here for Easter and they helped me pack some stuff up before they headed back to Utah. After my family left, I was all alone...or at least that is what I thought. The day after they left, I already had friends calling me to help pack, babysit and clean. Someone took Max for me everyday the week before we left.

On Thursday a bunch of my friends came over for a packing/cleaning girls night out at my house. I wish I had pictures of this night. It was so much fun to hang out with everyone. (probably not so fun for all you girls...you all worked your buns off!) I thought that I was pretty much done when they came over, but I didn't realize how much I still had left. I would not have finished if it weren't for their help. Sarajane brought me a loaf of homemade bread with honey butter....YUM!!! I had it for every meal for three days straight it was so delicious. (still waiting for the recipe) ;) Also, Jenny brought some orange creamsicles which hit the spot after working up a sweat. Thanks so much girls!

So then the much dreaded Friday came...MOVING DAY! :( I actually started off the day with a pedicure which was so nice! It was nice to just relax for about an hour before I started this crazy day. After my pedicure, I tried to clean the house for my inspection. Again one of my friends, Sarajane, came over to help me. I had my inspection and then it was off to get the truck. Originally, the plan was for our friend Chris to go with me to pick up the truck. (so I didn't have to drive a 26' truck around town) That was before I realized that the truck place closed at 4:30 and that was before Chris got off work. So yes, I ended up having to drive the semi back to my house. I have never been more scared to drive in my life!! I was so happy when I made that last turn to my house! We had a good crowd show up to help us move and we were done within a couple hours. The truck was packed SO tight and everything fit! Hooray! After we loaded the truck I picked Peter up from the bart station. Max was so excited to be reunited with his daddy! He missed him so much. Shortly after Peter came home we went to sleep only to wake up early to a long drive neither is us were looking forward to.

Now for the drive...I wish I would have journaled about this trip the day after it happened. It would be in much more detail and maybe a little more humorous. I will just sum it up. Peter left about an hour and a half before the boys and I. (thinking it would take him longer because he had to drive so slow) The first half of the trip went great. The second half not so great. I think I averaged more time stopped than on the road. Both of the boys were not feeling well. About 30 miles before we reached our "final destination" Max decided it would be a great time to throw up. I had to pull over yet again to clean it all up. The most frustrating thing about him throwing up was that we were sooo close!! So with all my speed bumps along the way, Peter managed to have the truck unloaded and loaded into our storage, made a trip to the grocery store and had the BBQ going ALL before I pulled up!

(an update on our time in Vegas will come later...along with pictures)

Viva Las Vegas...

2009-04-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let everyone know we are moving back to Vegas! Peter accepted a job there and he starts next Monday. Max, Sol and I will be packing up the house and leaving on the 25th. We are going to miss California so much! We have made great friends here and hope they come visit us lots. We are also going to miss the beautiful weather here. All the culture and unique things to do. The beach. The parks. The museums. I could go on and on. That said, we are so excited to re-group with all our great friends in Vegas!

Look who wears big boy underwear...

2009-03-16T19:22:00.000-07:00

and you guys thought Max was smart for his age!

Peter and I have tried EVERYTHING to get Max excited for the big boy potty. He just simply has NO interest. I have started to tell him that we are going to give his Thomas, Spiderman, Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny and Diego underwear to his friend Peyton, (his friend from church that just became potty trained) to see if he would want to try to start wearing them. He did not seem to care much. So after Peter changed Solomon, he put on Max's underwear over his diaper and said that he was going to give Solomon his big boy underwear so they did not go to waste. Still, no reaction.

Any suggestions?

3 months...

2009-03-09T22:41:00.000-07:00

I love this boy! I can't believe it has already been 3 months.

Solomon,
One of my favorite things to do with you is munch on your neck. You grin from ear to ear and sometimes give mommy a giggle. You are starting to think your big brother is pretty funny. He is the only one that can get you to laugh without tickling you. He loves to give you kisses and show you all his toys. You love to have him around. You had a cold for a little over a month (from about 1 1/2 months old till a couple days ago) and you were such a trooper. It even turned into a small ear infection in your right ear. You rarely complained about the discomfort. You bring a balance into our home with your calm sweet innocence. (Your brother being the crazy one, your dad the silly one and your mom the more serious worrisome one) :) I love you so much!
Kisses,
Mommy

A visit from Uncle Aaron and enjoying the beautiful weather

2009-03-09T22:20:00.001-07:00

This weekend Solomon got to meet his Uncle Aaron. Aaron was in town for a business trip and got to spend some time with us. I have to say when I handed Solomon to Aaron for the picture, Sol was fussy and calmed right down when in Uncle Aaron's arms. Doesn't he look great with a baby in his lap! Such a natural...not to mention Max also loves Uncle Aaron. No pressure Aaron. :)

This weekend we also went to Six Flags. Six Flags is probably my favorite thing to do here. There are so many rides for the kids. They have tons of animals. (and they even let you pet a lot of them. The last 3 times we went Max got to pet an elephant. Saturday he also got to pet a Boa.) Not to mention the lines are not bad at all!

The weather has been perfect the last few days so we have been enjoying spending time outdoors.

Yesterday at the park Solomon decided to do this...

which resulted in this...

(if you can't tell, all he is wearing is his jacket)

Will you be my V-A-L-E-N-T-I-N-E?

2009-02-15T17:15:00.000-08:00

It is never too early to start training them to be gentlemen, right? Max was so excited to take his sweethearts surprises on Valentines day.

(How cute is Zoe's face in this picture? She is so darling!)

(Kate played a little hard to get)

I just hope that Max has such cute Valentines when he is older too!

Exploratorium...

2009-02-04T21:54:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we adventured out into the city to the exploratorium. I am just going to refer you to my friend Jenny's blog for the 411, but will add a couple other "events" that made me laugh throughout the day.

spending about ten minutes at each elevator, waiting for a couple of us to go up/down at a time.
Sarajane's and my bart tickets not working. We had to go the booth when we got on and off the bart for us to prove we paid.
Jacob's drink spilling on him soaking his pants, Robyn's skirt and shoe.
the HAIR in my pizza
Robyn's nasty chicken quesadilla (i think her words were "the chicken smelt rank"?)
the smell of the building blocks in the toddler area...(I can't imagine what it smelt like to you prego ladies)
on the way there: trying to get my freaking dollar to go into the bus machine, getting frazzled as I look to the side of me seeing Max run to the back of the bus and behind me seeing about 30 people waiting for me. (keep in mind Sol is in the baby bjorn and i am trying to hold my stroller so it does not fall down the stairs) Then I hear Robyn say, "he said it's okay, he will take care of it"...what?...come to find out the man behind her just wanted on the stinking bus so he told her to just get on the bus and paid for Robyn and carried her stroller on so that we did not hold everyone up even longer!
on the way home: trying to get away with carrying my stroller on the bus with two sleeping children, only to find out that when the bus pulled up the driver said "take babies out and fold stroller", then trying my hardest to keep both children happy as I yank each one out handing them off and pulling apart my stroller, handing off my diaper bag, blankets and stroller seat to all the other girls.
on the bart ride home changing Sol's poopy diaper on my lap, only to find out he was no done pooping when I took the diaper off. (luckily I left the diaper below his bum to catch his remaining poo.)
on the bart ride home watching Max propel Jacob's rubber centipede in the air landing in the crotch of a man reading the newspaper. (he did not see it coming due to the newspaper in front of his face) He jumped and said "WOE!" I was so embarrassed and laughing so hard that I had to turn the other way and Robyn was nice enough to apologize. I will have to say he was a pretty good sport about it. Robyn and I started to cry we were laughing so hard.

(a few pics from our day)

(downtown San Francisco trying to find the bus stop)

(in front of the exploratorium with Robyn and Jacob)
(Laura and Harrison blowing a bubble)
(Jenny, why are you flipping the wall off?) lol

(playing in the 4x4 toddler area...I am building a house with Max out of the stinky blocks)

(the babies and baby's mamas)

(me trying to nurse on the bus ride home...this was before the 40+ children hopped on...note to self: never ride the bus when school is getting out!)
(this was after)

(the perfect ending to the perfect day...oh wait, that's right...they fell asleep before we got on the bus to come home)

(high fives for all the brave mommies that are not afraid of a little adventure in life!)

Okay ladies...what did I forget? Thanks for a great outing that made for a memorable day Sarajane! I can't wait for the next one!

2009-01-23T12:21:00.001-08:00

I just got a knock on the door from the FedEx man holding a box with 1 lb of this heavenly goodness inside!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW...mmmmm THANKS SO MUCH Kristina!!!

FYI- This is mars fudge from the BYU Bookstore and VERY delicious!!!

i just posted 7 posts...

2009-01-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

so stop bugging me! :)

FYE...

2009-01-22T21:21:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pictures for your entertainment...

Shower...

2009-01-22T19:44:00.000-08:00

The girls in my ward gave Solomon a shower. As you can see below he got very spoiled! Thanks so much!

Walks...

2009-01-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

I have been walking with my friend Robyn and her little boy in the mornings. This day the boys decided to get in on some of the exercise.

It has become a mandatory stop to feed the ducks each morning.

Bart ride and hair cut...

2009-01-22T19:20:00.001-08:00

We took the bart into the city to introduce Solomon to Peter's coworkers. Max wanted me to take pictures of him on and of the train we rode.

I also gave Max a haircut when we got home. It is probably his 50th haircut, but for some reason this one made him look so much older!

Sweet times with sweet friends...

2009-01-22T19:00:00.000-08:00

This is Max with one of his best buddies, Harrison, decorating sugar cookies.

and them after going out for frozen yogurt...(different days) :)

Here, Max, Peter and Harrison were dancing to the music playing at Nordstrom. (even though you can't here the music)

Yardwork...

2009-01-22T18:58:00.001-08:00

Max and Daddy getting some yard work done.

Sol's First Bath

2009-01-22T18:50:00.000-08:00

Max was so excited to have Solomon take a bath with him and Solomon LOVED his bath. Max kept showing him all his bath toys...one by one! :)

2009-01-08T13:07:00.000-08:00

do i even need to explain this picture? why is it the only time that i am not prepared for this to happen, it does? (just so you get the full picture...he is sitting on my lap and the green is my shirt!)

Christmas, Blessing and one month update...

2009-01-07T21:42:00.000-08:00

Wow...where does the time go? I can't believe Solomon is one month old. I decided I don't like having a baby in December. I don't feel like I get to enjoy the "newborn" stage as much with all the Holiday distractions!

Christmas was great. I love starting our own traditions as a family and continuing old ones we grew up with. On Christmas Eve we drove around looking at all the Christmas lights. Max kept looking for Santa's sleigh in the sky and got excited every time we drove by a house with a deer in the front yard. It is so much fun having a child old enough to learn about Santa and watch their reactions opening presents on Christmas morning. Max even sang Happy Birthday to Jesus a couple times throughout the day. (and week after) We had my parents here, so my mom cooked up a yummy homemade turkey dinner. (with her amazing stuffing...it really melts in your mouth...it is not all sticky and pasty like most stuffings....my mouth is watering just thinking about it!!) We enjoyed our day as a family and were excited to see Grandma and Grandpa Novak too.

(Max and Daddy playing with one of their favorite presents)

On the 28th Solomon was blessed. I am so grateful that our boys have a worthy father to give them blessings. Peter gave Solomon a wonderful blessing. I am sad that I did no take more pictures. I will have to put him in his outfit and get some before he gets too big.

(I gave Solomon his first haircut before his blessing...basically chopped of the mullet)

Solomon is getting so fun. He smiled at me for the first time on Sunday. (other than gas smiles) This was a "real" smile. His umbilical cord FINALLY fell off today! It took a month and I was going crazy giving him "sponge" baths. I can't wait to give him a real bath tomorrow. He has been doing pretty good at night. He normally has one good stretch (about 4 hours) but at least he goes back to sleep after each feeding. He does have a period in the evening that he gets a little fussy, but it is not too bad.

My sister Erika was able to sneak away for a few days to visit while her wonderful husband stayed home with their kids. He surprised her with a ticket. (Really I consider it more of a gift to me!) Max loved her silly side and had SO much fun playing with her. Thanks so much Brady! We had a great time visiting and shopping!! :) Although her trip was not long enough, I will take any time I can with my sisters!

My parents went home today. It was so sad to see them off at the airport. I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents. They are so helpful when they come and will do anything for us. It was wonderful having them here. Max is going to be so sad not having Grandma and Papa around anymore. They definitely spoiled him!!

Solomon is two weeks!!

2008-12-23T09:39:00.001-08:00

Pretty soon I will journal more about Solomon and what a great baby he is, how much his mom, dad and brother love him, how fun it has been to have Grandma and Papa here, how sweet his smiles are (even if they are just gas smiles!) and just how blessed we are to have his little spirit in our home. But for now these pictures will just have to hold you over!

Pookie meets baby Sol

2008-12-11T12:54:00.000-08:00

Solomon's first Visitors

2008-12-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

Maximo and Solomon exchange gifts

2008-12-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

Solomon is already sucking his thumb...

2008-12-09T18:18:00.000-08:00

Introducing Solomon Bjorn Novak II

2008-12-09T18:11:00.000-08:00

Maximo meets the new baby

2008-12-09T17:59:00.000-08:00

It's a Burrito!

2008-12-09T17:56:00.001-08:00

Seconds old!

2008-12-09T17:44:00.001-08:00

How far are you dialated?

2008-12-09T17:36:00.000-08:00

Finally...

2008-12-07T17:58:00.000-08:00

Well the time has FINALLY come! Tomorrow night I will be checking into the hospital to get things ready to be induced on Tuesday. I am so excited to find out what this little one is (boy/girl). To meet her/him and to just hold and snuggle and kiss her/him! I am anxious to see Max's reaction when he meets his little brother/sister. As much as I hate being pregnant, I am so grateful for the opportunity to give birth. I will never forget the emotion that ran through my entire being the moment I saw Maximo for the first time. It was an emotion that I had never experienced before. I couldn't believe how much love I had for someone I had known for only seconds. I can't wait to experience this emotion again! Only two more day!!!!! We will keep everyone posted. :)

Six Flags

2008-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Saturday we took Max to Six Flags. Our plan was to go in the afternoon for a couple hours so we could be back in time for our ward Christmas party. When we pulled up to the gate they were closed and there was a sign showing the holiday hours. The park did not open till 4 PM. This would have been the second time that we told Max that we were going to six flags, pulled up to the gate to find out it was closed, then gone home. Peter did not want to disappoint him again, so we killed time till they opened and decided to miss the Christmas party.

We started out by looking on our navigation system in our car to find a park. A park came up under community playground...we drove there and it was a trailer park, not a playground. Then we found another park (that was actually a preschool). They were having a fund raiser and booths of things that the mothers were selling. They also had a Santa there and a fairy. (I don't think the fairy was supposed to be there...she kept dancing around the playground and inside telling people she was looking for friends) All the kids were a little scared of her. (I am really sad I did not get a picture of her!)

After the playground we drove to Olive Garden to have some of their yummy soup, salad and bread. We still had about an hour to kill so Peter and my dad walked around Best Buy.

Finally...it was time to go to Six Flags!!! Here are some pictures of our day...

Max with Santa

Max riding Harold with Gandma

My mom had so much fun that she wanted to ride it again by herself...she made a couple kids cry because she would not get off the ride.

Max trying to stay warm with daddy

Riding Thomas

Dad and Max clapping with Jacko

Daffy sneaking up on Grandma and Papa

Max and Daddy on the sled hill

thanksgiving continued

2008-12-07T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am having trouble getting the pictures to line up correctly so this is just a continued post of some more pictures from Utah...

Peter and Max on the slide...

The cousin's book exchange...

Rock band with Aaron and Brin...

Peter brainwashing all the nieces and nephews...

Thanksgiving...

2008-12-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

Much to my Dr.'s dismay, we decided last minute to go to Utah for Thanksgiving. I had a Dr. appointment the day before we left and I had not progressed at all in a month, so we thought we were pretty safe.

The ride there was long and very uncomfortable. (to say the least) We hit traffic on our way out in Sacramento, then got stuck for 4 hours due to an accident on the freeway. Yes, that is right, they CLOSED the freeway for 4 hours and we just sat in the car from 11:30 PM to 3:30 AM until they finally opened one lane to let cars through. It took us 18 hours to arrive to Utah. I don't know how many times my legs and arms went numb, due to lack of circulation. Not to mention every other part of my body aching!

We had a great time after arriving. We stayed with Peter's parents and ate Thanksgiving dinner with them and then headed over to my sisters house. No one in my family knew we were coming, except one of my sisters. So we decided to surprise them. My sister put together a magic show and one of the tricks held up a blanket having one of the nieces/nephews going behind it and then having another one join them, so when she put the blanket down wallah...she doubled the amount of people behind the blanket. She did it a couple times and on the last time, we joined the kids behind the blanket. When she put the blanket down everyone saw us standing there. It was so much fun to surprise everyone.
On Friday, Peter's brother-in-law brought over a bounce house for the kids to play with. As cold as it was outside the kids still had a blast! Thanks so much Marcus!

We were able to see lots of people and relax tons! It was a great last "get-a-way" before the baby and we were glad we went.

Diaper Dilemma Solved!!

2008-11-19T17:59:00.000-08:00

I have heard about and even looked into diapers.com but didn't know if it would be worth the hassle of shipping, waiting for the diapers and the cost. I don't know anyone who uses this site so I didn't know how reliable they would be. Anyway, after one of my friends, Jen, commented on my Huggies post and said she has a friend that uses it, I figured I would give it a try. Right now they have a promo for $10 off a $50 purchase and the shipping is free. The prices are comparable to target and they also allow you to use manufacturers coupons. After the $10 off the diapers were tons cheaper then target, costco or wally world. So, after putting my order in yesterday these showed up on my door today!

So I just have to make sure I have 2 days worth of diapers left before ordering! I love when I find things that make my life easier!

Park day...

2008-11-12T14:26:00.000-08:00

I have to give credit to my friend Jenny for being the coolest park day mom and taking pictures of all the kids. ;) She seems to get the best pictures of Max! Thanks, once again, Jenny!

All the moms were sitting at the picnic table and all the sudden we heard all the kids screaming and charging Jenny. She took this picture of the kids attacking her!

Max, Zoe and Jack

Peyton and Max

Zoe, Max and Harrison

Kate

Merry Christmas...oh, I mean Happy Thanksgiving?!?

2008-11-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

Yes it is true, I put our Christmas tree up. I have never put it up so early, but this year had the urge! I don't have any Thanksgiving decor, and we are not having any company for Thanksgiving, so I figured, why not? I have not pulled out the music yet. :) (that does not mean I change the station when it is on) I think I just feel like this year Christmas is going to come and go so fast with a baby due two weeks before, so I wanted to enjoy it as long as I could.
(This first picture Max stood in front of the tree and asked me to take a picture of him...I think this was the first time he has ever "asked" for his picture to be taken)

Max had so much fun decorating the tree. He would put about 5 ornaments on each branch.

Huggies?!?

2008-11-11T11:16:00.000-08:00

Will someone who actually likes Huggies tell me WHY and what the trick is with them...

every time Max goes number 2 they leak
every time Max goes number 1 they leak
Max got a rash the first week he wore them
he keeps scratching his bum and inner thigh saying that they itch (where they have that really lame "elastic" bunching)
they are hard (cardboard -like)
and everyone seems to be irregular

I know they are what, like 2-3 dollars cheaper, but this is not worth dealing with the above mentioned problems! Now I have 144 diapers to get through, ugh! (not to mention all the "dirty" clothes!)

FYI...

2008-11-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

So, I forgot to add that the season tickets for six flags will allow you to get into all these parks too!!!! Hello!?!?! What is everyone waiting for? (did you know this Jenny?)

La Ronde, Montreal
Six Flags America, Baltimore/Washington DC
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom, Vallejo
Six Flags Fiesta Texas, San Antonio
Six Flags Great Adventure, New Jersey
Six Flags Great America, Chicago
Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom, Louisville
Six Flags Magic Mountain, Los Angeles
Six Flags Mexico, Mexico City
Six Flags New England, Springfield, MA
Six Flags Over Georgia, Atlanta
Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, between Dallas and Ft. Worth
Six Flags St. Louis
Six Flags Wild Safari, New Jersey
The Great Escape, Lake George, NY

Park pics...

2008-11-10T13:26:00.001-08:00

These are some cute pictures my friend Jenny took of Max at the park...enjoy!

Six flags...

2008-11-10T12:55:00.000-08:00

This post is for recruiting purposes. This is to all our friends in the bay area. Right now season tickets to six flags are $50 per person. (3+) Two and under are free. AND...you can go for the rest of this year, too! (which they have a sled hill this Christmas that I am excited about!) :) We finally recruited our friends the Heymans last weekend. Click here to see Jenny's post on their visit. We had season tickets this last year and had a blast. (and I was even pregnant the whole time!) There are SO many things to do with little ones and of course tons for the bigs kids too! They have a little zoo, dolphins, a whale, sea lions, sharks, shows, and of course tons of rides! Even though we had a great time going by ourselves this year, we think it would be great to get some more people to go with us! I have been to a few different six flags and this one is by far my favorite! Here are some pictures from last Saturday when we went with the Heymans.

So did I convince anyone?

imaginations...

2008-11-05T14:26:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago Peter and I were watching TV and Max walked in wearing this trash can lid on his back saying..."look I'm a Turtle"

We voted...

2008-11-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

Peter and I voted this morning!

(This picture is of Max and I toughing it out in the pouring rain campaigning for prop 8 yesterday.)

Harley and Max in a nutshell this weekend...

2008-11-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

I think that Max and Harley are two of a kind. Give them some time and they will be the best of friends, conniving with one another! :)

Halloween...

2008-11-03T10:39:00.001-08:00

This weekend our friends (the Nance's) came to visit. Peter and I always like visitors, especially during holiday weekends. The kids had a lot of fun trick or treating and even little Avery caught on to what she was supposed to do. The kids looked so cute in there costumes.

Saturday we tried to go to Six Flags, but when we got to the gate they were closing due to the rain. We then took the kids bowling, trying to buy some time and hope that the rain would calm down. It didn't, so we tried to adventure out to Sausalito and try to be good sports in the rain. Janie went to Ross and bought umbrellas and rain covers for the strollers. Both of our cameras died when we got to Sausalito so we don't have any good pics of our "outing" but it was very comical! (there are a couple pics from my phone camera, but they are not very clear) Max's and Harley's pants were so wet you could ring them out. There were places in on the sidewalk and street (when we crossed) where our feet were completely covered over our ankles in water! We basically tried to run as fast as we could from the car to a restaurant stopping periodically under a few awnings. When we were in the car and in the restaurant the rain seemed to stop/calm down...but every time we would bundle up to go outside the rain came pouring down. Sunday was a beautiful day! (I think we deserved to have a nice day after the day before!) We went to the wharf and took the kids to see the sea lions and ate clam chowder in bread bowls for lunch...yum! We had a great time with the Nance's and hope that the rainy weekend does not scare them from coming back soon!

Wonderful weekend and doc appt...

2008-10-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

1. Friday we had our ward Halloween party. Max had a great time. He loved dressing up and seeing all the other kids dressed up.

2. Saturday, we dropped off Max with our friends Jenny and Chris and went to Peter's work retreat. It was in Healdsburg. We spent most of the time at the spa. We got pedicures, massages and facials. We had such a relaxing time. I have had problems with my back this last month and have had a hard time sleeping, carrying Max, walking, etc. (normal prego stuff) Anyway, the guy that gave me my massage has been doing it for over 25 years and knew exactly how to work out ALL my kinks! I feel like a new person! I forgot how it felt to feel normal. (lets just hope it lasts for a while)

3. I went to the doctor today and I am measuring just right. (this is exciting for me because I always measured big with Max and he was 8 lbs. 8oz.) I am keeping my fingers crossed that this baby will not be as big...or bigger. Also, the baby's head is down! Hopefully it will stay that way and things will kick into gear soon! (but not too soon, of course)

Costumes...

2008-10-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

Here is Peter's costume...

Here is who is supposed to look like...Here is Max's costume...

Here is who he is supposed to look like...Now I just have to finish mine! (and add the whiskers onto Max's) My friend Jenny drew the scales onto Peter's pants for me. Here is a picture of the kids enjoying an otter pop while we were working on the costumes yesterday. Thanks again Jenny!!

getting ready for halloween...

2008-10-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to the pumpkin festival in half moon bay. we were watching our friends kids for the weekend and thought it would be fun to take the kids to the festival. i don't think i have ever been to a more over-rated festival. we made it just in time for the parade and got to see a fire truck, a few policemen, a few kids dressed up, will clark (from the giants) and a 1500 lb pumpkin. (the pumpkin even went through twice) other than that there was nothing for kids to do and a bunch of people selling their junk...oh, i mean their art!?

After leaving the pumpkin festival, we took the kids to a pumpkin patch. they had tons of fun jumping around and sliding in the big blow ups. max had no fear on the slide and would jump right off the top and bounce down it laughing so hard. on our way out we picked pumpkins and went home to carve them. they were so tired that they all fell asleep on the way home.

they all worked so hard on their pumpkins...

max had such a fun time with tate and solomon and about ten minutes after they left i found him like this...

More Hints...

2008-10-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

I know it has been a little while since the last hint, but to be honest, I have been a little burnt out of sewing! So below are our three costumes. I still have all the finishing touches to do. (hem, sew on the horns, finish feet, Max's and Peter's "hoods", draw on some designs, etc.)

Any more guesses?

Fly Eagles Fly, on the way to vicotry....

2008-10-13T08:08:00.000-07:00

Fight, Eagles, fight! Score a touchdown one-two-three
Hit 'em low, hit 'em high,
And watch our Eagles fly
Fly, Eagles fly, on the road to victory
E-A-G-L-E-S, Eagles!

We had a great time at the game! This was a much better experience from our last Eagles game. 1.) They won! 2.) McNabb did not get injured for the rest of the season during this game. 3.) There we so many Eagles fans there. (we were in Philly for the last game we attended, so there were of course lots there too, but to be at an away game and see that much green was fun!) I think the crowd cheering for the Eagles, were just as loud as the 49ers fans. 4.) We paid about half the price for our tickets to this game and still got GREAT seats.

(this is just a bonus of the day...the cowboys lost!) :)

Apple Hill Farms

On Saturday, we took the YW to Apple Hill farms. Not too much exciting happened, but Max had a great time walking Pookie around, going on a pony ride, running through pumpkins and relaxing with Pookie in his stroller. (This was a fun little Apple farm, but I think a little far of a drive for just a few hours.) I did get to enjoy a YUMMY caramel apple! (with caramel, fudge and white chips!)

its been a great day...

2008-10-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

not one...not two...but three, yes THREE packages!

a package from my sister, filled with halloween goodies and some cute flip flops! (when i told max there was a surprise in the box for him he started to sing..."happy birthday to maximo, happy birthday to maximo..."

this is a pattern i am going to try to change a little for max's costume

49ers vs E.A.G.L.E.S...EAGLES!!! (just in case you can't quite read the fine print on the tickets...we will be sitting on the 9th row, 40 yard line)

Hint #3

2008-10-08T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is Hint #3 (this is part of Peter's costume)

(so i was trying to figure out why the bottom of the shirt got cut off in the photo...yeah its my big belly!)

Hint #2...

2008-10-05T16:43:00.000-07:00

Here is hint #2...(this is not quite finished yet.) This is part of Liz's costume.

Here are a few pictures of the kids decorating Halloween cookies this weekend during the BYU game. They all thought the icing was the best part! (although i would have to disagree, the cookies were perfectly soft and chewy!) Thanks for making them Jenny.

max getting down and dirty...

2008-10-02T11:24:00.000-07:00

HaLloWEen....

2008-10-02T09:39:00.000-07:00

Can anyone guess what we are going to be for Halloween this year?

(if i already told you...shhhh) :)

Here is hint #1...

I will post new hints periodically, as I finish more of the costumes.

Good times with good friends!

2008-09-15T08:52:00.000-07:00

Oh how we miss all our friends in San Mateo! Peter and I were so lucky to have found such a great group of friends when we moved to the bay area. Last night the Kings had a farewell party for the Michael's. (not so sad for us, they are moving to Concord!! yay!) It was so great to see everyone. Peter and I were talking about how close knit this group is. Everyone, as different as they are, are still the best of friends. They are the kind of friends you could call anytime and count on being there for you. Max had a great time seeing all his old buddies too. Thanks so much Kristina and Tom for opening your house up to all of us! (sorry about the mess) :) It was so much fun.

(sorry this was only about half the people there...I am bad about remembering to get my camera out until the very last minute!)

This and that...

2008-09-09T09:54:00.000-07:00

Just a few photos of the last couple weeks...enjoy! :)

Happy Birthday to me...
This was just one of the highlights from my birthday. Thanks Jenny!

I watched James and Katie while their mom went to the inspection on their new home. Yeah!!! They will be living about 5 min. from us now! (and yes Max and Katie are caught on camera smooching! I was trying to take a picture of James as he was running up to me, it didn't work so well, but I did catch the two love bugs behind him sneaking a kiss) Peter and I also took Max to a model train museum that night. Max thought it was so cool. He especially thought it was cool that "Santa" was there. (before Max even saw this man, I told Peter that he was going to think Santa was here. Sure enough about 5 minutes later Max said "look Santa!" as he pointed to the man.)

Six Flags...

This is one of Max's favorite places. He LOVES to visit Jocko (the walrus from 50 first dates) and loves to ride all the rides. He also had a great time in the bird house.

This is Max trying to hide in his closet while going #2.

Fairfield Fieldtrip

This is Max at a carousel at the mall with his friend Kate. (after her mommy and I enjoyed a yummy chick-fil-a lunch)

Sunset Beach
Peter and I went to Sunset beach last Saturday with the youth from our church. Yes, Max is trying to steal a kiss from Kate in the bottom picture. (Thanks again for the pics Jenny) (:

Poll Results...

2008-09-08T20:35:00.000-07:00

So 4 people voted none of the above...Peter and I would like you 4 to reveal yourselves so we can decide whether or not your vote means anything to us. LOL J/K
but really, who was it?

Baby Name Poll...

2008-09-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

Peter and I can't see eye to eye on what baby #2 should be named. We are pretty sure on a boy name. It is the girl name that is giving us trouble! We would like to see what everyone else thinks of the names. (vote on the right) :)

2008 Gjennestad Olympics

2008-08-20T11:50:00.000-07:00

So major catch up again! We have been super busy the last month. Here are some highlights:

Peter's parents came to visit us. We had fun just relaxing and hanging out. We decided to go to Borges Ranch and take Max to see the animals. On our drive out there, I spotted a snake right off the side of the road. I was scared to let Max out of the car so when we got to the animals, we did not stay long. (there were a couple people there when we got out of the car and they even warned us about rattlesnakes being out) That was a big enough warning for me, so we headed back out. On our way out, Peter's dad decided he wanted to see the snake I spotted up close. We stopped and he got out to look for it. It was hiding under a log and after examining it for a couple minutes, the snake started shaking it's rattle warning Peter's dad to back off! He did manage to get a couple pictures of it.

(Max is getting very brave in the water!)

My sister and her family came! We had such a great time. I had not seen her or her kids since last Thanksgiving. We went to jungle safari, six flags, Santa Cruz, swimming and just enjoyed each others company. While she was here we drove out to Utah for 5 days to visit the rest of our family. Considering we drove all night, with 5 kids and no A/C I think we deserve a big pat on the back! The kids were actually great and we were able to keep the trip to minimal stops.

When we were in Utah we put on Olympic games for all the nieces and nephews. We had opening ceremonies where we introduced all the kids individually and assigned them a country that they would be representing. (we chose countries that our ancestry was from) After we announced where they were from we handed out uniforms (shirts) with there name on them and a picture of the flag from where they were from. We had them march from my sister's house to my mom's house, (about a block) while my dad drove along side of them playing the Olympic theme song. We also made individual flags for them to hold. We made my mom hold the torch and lead them. (thanks for being such a trooper mom!) Throughout the next couple of days, we held different events for them to participate in. (hurdles, sprints, distance, trampoline, shot, long jump, gymnastics, music, etc) As they participated, they earned tickets to spend in the "Olympic gift shop" each night. I hope the kids had a great time and will always remember good times spent with each other.

And last, Max has now upgraded to a big boy bed. I wanted to get him used to it before the baby came. Last night was his first night in it and he did great. He did not get up all night and slept in till 8:00 this morning.

THE BABY IS A....

2008-07-17T12:08:00.001-07:00

Healthy baby! :) Come on did you really think we were going to give in last minute and find out what we were going to have? Sorry but you all have to wait till December! Good news is that the baby looks perfect. They even said that the baby was measuring about a week bigger than what he/she "should" be. Maybe we will be having a baby a little early!!! :) (or I will be having a 10 pounder!)

Max's Birthday

2008-07-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

Max started off his day with a car ride with some of his favorite buddies, Tate and Solomon. Kelly (my friend/their mom) was driving back from LA on Wed. and her tire blew out. She had to be towed to the next town (Newman) for her car to be fixed. Her car was
ready on Friday so we gave them a ride. Max loves Tate and Solomon and was asking where they went the remainder of the day.

When we got home Max went swimming and played in the backyard. We later had to run a few errands and then waited for a couple of his friends to come help him eat some cake.

Max LOVED his train table!! He played with it non-stop until 12:00 that night and everyday since. (I have been able to get a LOT of organizing done around the house.) :) Here are a few pictures from the day.

(Peter putting the table together)

Peter and I were up till almost 1:ooAM putting Max's table together. It was like Christmas!! :)

ONe mORe DaY!

2008-07-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for Max's birthday to come for 2 weeks now. He has become crazy about Thomas the train lately and I got him a train table for his birthday. Every morning (for the past two weeks) when he wakes up he says "Thomas, mommy." We have to watch Thomas first thing. Then all day long he asks me to take him to the choo choo store to play with the train tables. When Peter gets home each night, he asks his daddy to build a house for "Molly" and trains out of his duplo blocks. (Molly is one of Thomas' friends. Peter bought Max Molly to hold him over until his birthday.) He takes Molly everywhere and even has to sleep with her. This last week I kept asking Peter if we could pretend that it was his birthday that day so I could give him his present. :)

(Molly's house and one of the trains Peter made Max out of duplos)

Watch now that I think I found the best present for Max and am so excited to give it to him, he will probably end up liking the wrapping paper better! ;)

Pixieland...(last Wed)

2008-07-09T18:28:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday Jenny, a friend from our ward here, plans an activity for the moms in our ward to go to. Last Wednesday we went to Pixieland. It is a cute little amusement park for smaller kids. There were no lines so we were able to ride all the rides with no wait. Max had a lot of fun with the exception of him having a reaction to the sunscreen or something in the air that day. His eyes were red and teary and his nose would not stop running. He even got a little rash on his face. (you can see it a little in the carousel picture)

The 4th...

2008-07-09T17:21:00.000-07:00

We had a great 4th weekend. We went to our ward's pancake breakfast to start the day off. Max had a great time climbing a tree, petting all the other dogs that were there and stealing candy from the balloon toss game.

After the ward breakfast, we went to Concord to watch their parade. We enjoyed some live music and fresh corn on the cob while waiting/watching the parade.

(When this lady drove by, Max pointed to her and said "Pirate.")

(Question: White shirt, blue shorts, long black hair...male or female?
Answer: Male with a mullet and really short shorts)

We went to Dairy Queen for a banana split and blizzard...YUM!

Later that night we went to Berkeley Marina to watch fireworks. It was too foggy to really see much, so we actually left before they were even done. It was nice to have a relaxing but eventful day!

A couple other things we have been up to...

2008-07-09T16:31:00.000-07:00

I went swimming with dolphins...yes that is right. I got to swim with dolphins thanks to my niece Kira. Peter's sister Dani promised our niece Kira that if she graduated high school with a certain GPA or above, then Dani would take her swimming with Dolphins. It just so happened that others wanted to come too. So it turned into a "girls trip." Peter's mom, two sisters, 1 sister-in-law and 2 nieces came. (We missed you Brin!) We had a great time and made some great memories.

After we swam with the dolphins, we rode rides. Max had a great time riding rides with Grandma Novak and Peter took advantage of roller coaster partners (pregnant + roller coaster = not good) We wore ourselves out but had a great time.

We also went to Santa Cruz with Peter's family. Again, Max loved riding rides with Grandma. He even went on the log ride with a huge drop! I think I was more nervous than he was. After the ride he kept pointing to it saying..."water fall mommy!" I think he was so proud of himself and wanted to do it again.

FYI...

2008-07-08T09:16:00.000-07:00

Max went #2 in the big boy potty on Saturday (July 5th)!
We sold our Altima!
I can't wait to give Max his birthday present! (he has been asking for it (not knowing I already bought it) for 2 weeks now...multiple times a day.
I went 1 month without throwing up! (that ended today but still, 1 MONTH!!!) :)

Life is great!

Tag...I'm it.

2008-07-01T22:44:00.000-07:00

Marriage Tag

1. What is his name? Peter

2. Who eats more? I probably do right now

3. Who said "I love you" first? Peter. I didn't tell him back right away and he said I could not have a kiss until I told him back. Lets just say it didn't take me much longer. ;)

4. Who is taller? Peter

5. Who is smarter? Peter (I think he is the smartest person I have ever met)

6. Who is more sensitive? me

7. Who does the laundry? me

8. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? Peter

9. Who pays the bills? we both do

10. Who cooks more? neither of us really cook...but Peter can grill like no other!

11. What meals do you cook together? if we did cook, I am sure we would have a couple

12. Who is more stubborn? Peter ;)

13. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? me (that is what makes Peter more stubborn) haha

14. Who has more siblings? Peter (he has 4 I have 3)

15. Who wears the pants in the relationship? we both do, depending on the subject (he mostly does)

16. What do you like to do together? vacation, watch tv and play with Max

17. Who eats more sweets? me

18. What is his guilty pleasure? me...ha ha

19. How did you meet? dancing...he claims I couldn't resist his moves :) (he was right)

20. Who asked who out first? Peter

21. Who kissed who first? Peter

22. Who proposed? Peter

23. His best features? smile and butt

24. What is his greatest quality? sense of humor and love for Max

25. Tag: Jodee and Tara B.

Bowling and swimming...

2008-06-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took Max bowling for the first time with the Heymans. As you can tell from the video he didn't do too bad for a first timer.

(Max finished this frame with a spare)

Today, I took Max swimming. He loves the water and was a lot more brave with his new life vest. He even let me dunk him a couple times. :)

Max's first "shinner"

2008-06-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

I was putting the dishes away while Max was eating a cookie at the table. All the sudden he came running in crying looking like this...

After comforting him, I went into the dining room/living room and found his cookie here...

He must have hit his face on the coffee table somewhere, I just can't figure out how? Poor guy.

Everyone says he gets his looks from his daddy...do you think his fashion sense has anything to do with it?

2008-06-12T18:46:00.000-07:00

Britney, I think Jaxon has started a fashion trend. Lets hope it is just a phase!!

(I told Max to get his shoes on so we could get in the car and go run some errands. He ran into his room and came out with his whale slippers on his feet, my headband around his waist, his burger king wristband on his arm, his hat on his head and his dog backpack in his hand.)

Boys will be boys...

2008-06-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Max came up to me this morning with his little finger sticking out. It had a little black dot on it. He said "I eat bug Mommy. I no like it." As he got closer I realized he had a fly on his finger. It was all slimy and covered in his mucus. I screamed and said "yucky, you don't eat bugs" as I ran to get a paper towel. Right before I went to throw it in the trash, I thought, let me get a picture (for the blog, of course). As I was trying to get an "in focus" picture of this fly, it started MOVING!!! It was still alive. Don't ask me how he managed to catch a live fly then get it into his mouth. After telling my sister about this, she told me that they start to fly slow and right before they die, that is when they lay their eggs. GROSS! Now all I can think about is Max catching a fly that was about to lay eggs...and putting it in his mouth!

Our past two months...(continued)

2008-05-28T09:59:00.000-07:00

After Janie and James left our friends Matt and Brooke came. We went to a Giants game and Kaboom with them. Max had fun watching the fireworks. At first he was scared, but after a couple minutes he was smiling at them calling them stars.

The weekend after Matt and Brooke came, I met my sisters and mom in San Diego for a much needed girls trip! It was wonderful spending "girl time" with my best friends. We went to old town, talked, sat in the hut tub, laughed, went to Mexico, went to sea world, laughed some more, went to seaport village and Coronado Island. (Side note-I didn't throw up a single time on this trip. I guess girl time is a cure for pregnancy sickness. I just need more of it!)

Our last visitors were Peter's brother and wife. We went to six Flags and Santa Cruz with them. I was very impressed with six flags. They have a whale show, dolphin show, lots of animals to see and of course roller coasters. I think the coolest part was taking Max on an elephant ride.

Also, my parents have been here for the last month helping me with Max while I became even better acquainted with this!!!

Thanks again mom and dad!! You guys are so wonderful and couldn't have survived the last couple of weeks without you!!!!! (FYI- As much as I would love for this toilet to mean I have been potty training Max, it does not. I was the one better acquainted with this item, not Max! hint-look at the countdown on the side of the blog) :-)

Our past two months...

2008-05-28T08:58:00.000-07:00

We have had such a busy two months...

First to further celebrate Peter's birthday, Max and I took him to Santa Cruz. It was a beautiful day. (It was in the 90's!!) It was so nice to sit on the beach and relax. Peter and Max had so much fun riding the rides together. Peter has turned Max into a little dare devil. Every time they would go fast Max would yell really loud and put his hands in the air.

Then my sister Monica, her family and parents came to visit us over spring break. We tried to stay busy the whole time. We went to see the Golden Gate Bridge, Jungle Fun, Santa Cruz, played Guitar Hero, played at the park and lots of picnics out in the back yard. I hope they had as much fun as Max and I did! We miss you guys so much. Max still talks about you guys!!

After my sister and her family left our friends Janie and James came to visit for the weekend. It had been a while since we had seen them. We always have a great time hanging out with them. Janie was also nice enough to do my hair on her vacation. (Thanks again!!)

I also became very acquainted with this...

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2008-04-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

Peter we hope that you have a great birthday! We love you so much!

(just ignore my, Liz's, voice in the video)

Goats, sheep, chickens and tractors...

2008-04-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took Max to Borges Ranch. Max had a great time chasing the animals. He kept showing them his hat, holding it out saying "Maximo hat." I love that he thinks they can understand him and thinks that they are so interested what he has to tell them.

(sorry the video quality is not the best)

Smile...

2008-03-31T22:06:00.000-07:00

Max always knows how to get a smile out of me...the trick is getting one out of him when the camera is out!

Tonight as Peter was reading to Max, Max brought me a book and pointed to a lady on it and said "Mommy." There was a man on the same page and I asked Max, "Is this daddy?" Max looked at the picture for a few seconds and said "no....lion." Below is the page we were looking at. Peter and I couldn't stop laughing!

BYU game, Disneyland, Huntington Beach Park and Santa Monica Pier=Great Time!!!

2008-03-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! Peter and I decided to take advantage of a business trip he had in LA and took Max to meet his biggest hero, Mickey Mouse.

We went to the NCAA tournament, on Thursday, in Anaheim to watch BYU play Texas A&M. It was a lot of fun despite BYU loosing. Max loved to watch Cosmo and the UCLA Bear (UCLA played after BYU) more than the games, but he did get a BOOOOO in every now and then. (Every time he sees a basketball hoop or a game on TV, Peter has trained him to yell "GO JAZZ, Niiiiicccccce..." and to also boo the opposing team.)

On Friday we went to Disneyland. Max loves watching Mickey Mouse clubhouse and every time he sees anything "Mickey" his eyes glaze over. He loves Mickey. I think Max's favorite part was seeing all the characters.

The first character he saw was Pluto. He stood behind him with Peter and observed him for a little bit while I waited in line. (Pluto would occasionally turn around and play with Max) This was great because it got Max used to the "big" animals before meeting them without a fence separating them. When he met Pluto he gave Pluto high-fives and made Pluto play dead. Max pointed to Pluto and said "bang...bang" and Pluto hit the ground with his paws up.

When Max met Mickey, his eyes were huge and he had a little smirk on his face. It looked as if he did not know what to do or how to act. I walked up to Mickey holding Max and Max grabbed Mickey's nose and just smiled. He gave Mickey high-five and I set Max down so he could give Mickey a hug. Max sat on the ground (Indian style) and just looked up at Mickey smiling. Max was so amazed with him that he just wanted to sit and stare at him. Mickey followed Max's lead and sat on the floor with him. There was a line so it was time to say goodbye to Mickey. Max gave mickey a kiss on the nose and a hug and we were on our way.

I think Max's favorite ride were the teacups. After Peter figured out how to make the teacup turn...Max smiled the whole time and tried to help his dad turn it even faster. His eyes were rolling back and his head was spinning around.

One more "highlight" of Disneyland is that we got to see Seth Rogen. Peter was the one who recognized him. I looked over and saw Pinocchio and was getting ready to show Max (Seth was riding a ride with him), and Peter said "quick get your camera, that is Seth Rogen." I aimed my camera at him and yelled "Seth," he looked up at me and smiled holding up a peace sign.

Saturday morning we took Max to an Easter egg hunt at Huntington Beach Park. He got to meet the Easter bunny and McGruff (the police dog). Max surprised me with how well he did at the Easter egg hunt. I thought he would see a piece of candy and just want to eat it, instead of filling his basket. Instead, he filled his whole basket up! He was even very selective with what kinds of candy went into his basket (mainly suckers).

After the Easter egg hunt, we took Max to Santa Monica Beach. We even got to see some wild dolphins swimming along the shore. He loved playing in the sand and loved playing ball with his daddy. It was a great way to get some energy out for the long ride home.

After writing this post, I realize how lucky we are. I am so grateful that I am able to share and create so many magical memories with my family. I am also grateful that I have a husband who is always up for an adventure and so eager to do things that he knows will put a smile on Max's face. I am also grateful that we live in such a beautiful place with so many wonderful things for us to do! :-)

Goodbye "paci"...hello Mickey Mouse!

2008-03-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

You know before you actually have kids you see other kids at the mall, grocery store, church, etc. and they or their parents do things that you say to yourself "when I have kids, I/my kids will NEVER do that!" Well the one thing that bothered me the most is when I would see a 4 year old sucking on a pacifier. I would always say "If they can ask for it, they DON'T need it. Well, Max is not 4 yet but he is 20 months (and he can ask for it). I have been telling myself for the last 8 months I am going to get rid of it, but there was always something (like a trip we were going on, Max getting sick, moving, etc) getting in the way. Last Thursday night we took his "paci" away. Hopefully he will forget about it soon!

On a happier note we are taking Max to Disneyland this Friday. Max loves Mickey Mouse and I am excited to see his reaction when he meets him! We are headed to LA tomorrow. Peter has a business meeting on Thursday morning, then it is play, play, play. We are also going to try to go to the BYU game on Thursday night. I am sure we will take lots of pictures and have an update when we get back.

Catch-up...(1 of 2)

2008-03-07T15:37:00.000-08:00

I kept telling myself that I am going to catch up my blog for about two months now and just feel overwhelmed every time I sit down to do it. So, I have decided to just start fresh and never get behind again! (yeah right) This post is going to have lots of pictures of the last couple months and not much journaling. After enjoying reading all my friends blogs, I have decided to try to journal more about the everyday things that happen in our lives. (that will come in future blogs) :-)

so...here we go:

We are liking Walnut Creek but miss all our friends in San Mateo. Here are a few photos of our new house. (i would post more but, these were only rooms 'camera worthy') There is also a picture of my garden. :-)

About 2 weeks after our moved we went on our CRUISE! It was wonderful!! We did a lot of relaxing, dancing and eating. Went to some great shows, swam with HUGE stingrays, hiked Duns River Falls...I could go on for hours!! Thank you mom and dad for watching Max for us. Knowing Max was in great hands (the best) allowed us to enjoy ourselves to the fullest! (FYI: you guys are off probation!)

Catch up...(2 of 2)

2008-02-06T14:17:00.001-08:00

After our cruise some of our great friends the Harrisons (our most faithful visitors) and the Lymans came to visit. It was great catching up with them and visiting.

...and last, but most important, MAXIMO! :-) Here are a few new things about Max since we have moved:

He loves to play in the backyard, that is, his OWN backyard!!!
He has discovered the world of finger painting and LOVES it. (thanks Liz)
His hair is getting longer and curlier everyday.
He loves to wear hats and loves to take ALL of them out at once and see how many he can get on his head at once.
He is following in his daddy's footsteps and is rooting for the Eagles to win the super bowl next year.
He also loves the Jazz. Every time he sees a basketball hoop outside or on TV he yells 'GO JAZZ...niiicccce'
He is obsessed about going potty on the big boy potty. (well he tries. only once success so far)
He talks and talks and talks. He says more words everyday and says 3-4 word sentences.
He climbs NON-STOP. On everything!
He love playing tinker toys and lincoln logs with his daddy.
He loves watching Elmo and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, over and over and over...

Hurry and read this before Peter deletes it...

2007-11-02T15:23:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I had to take these pictures before Peter comes home to take this car away from him. Earlier, I went to out storage to put the Halloween stuff back and Max spotted my sweet Barbie car. Max loves to push it around the house with "Sergeant Lee" in it. Lets just say this is Max's new favorite toy and now Ken is on the top of his Christmas list.

uh-oh...

2007-11-02T15:02:00.003-07:00

Just a small glimpse of how my day was yesterday...

This was preceded by Max climbing up on our bookshelf, falling, hitting his front tooth, lip and nose. (he got a bloody mouth and nose) Then this was followed by a HUGE diaper blowout. I bought Huggies last time I got diapers because they were on sale. I will never do that again. Huggies are like thongs on him! Almost every stinky diaper...he leaks. Anyways, this all happened within 20 minutes of each other.

On a side note...Peter told me yesterday that Max looks like Bill Cosby in that sweater. What do you guys think. I personally love the sweater.

Happy Halloween!

2007-10-31T20:57:00.000-07:00

I was debating on whether or not to take Max trick-or-treating. (being sick and all) He was feeling tons better today and Peter said that it would be sad not to take him to at least a couple houses. So we met up with our friends Kelly and John and took the kids around their neighborhood. I didn't know how well Max would catch on but after a few houses he knew the routine. He did not say trick-or-treat, but when they held the bowl out for the kids to take a piece, he did not hesitate. Max was a samurai and Pookie was a dragon. (Thanks again for the cute dragon costume Erika!)

EARTHQUAKE...

2007-10-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

So we experienced our first earthquake about 1 1/2 hours ago. I was at the church with the Young Women and Peter was home watching Max. The YW were watching a scary movie and right in the middle of a pause in the movie, I noticed the ground shaking. We all just kind of sat there for a second until someone said is that an earthquake. All of the sudden many of the girls started to scream. My first thought was how are Max and Peter. We live on the 4th floor and all I could think about was the building collapsing and Peter not making it into Max's room in time. (I know it is very dramatic, but for some reason I like to envision what "could" happen way too much. It is a problem I am working on) :-) I sent Peter a text message and he replied so I knew they were fine. It was not a very big one and there was no major damage to my knowledge. I guess living in such a beautiful place, with great weather, great parks, museums, beaches and shopping (to name a few) comes with a price tag...EARTHQUAKES!

Sick Boy...

2007-10-29T15:40:00.000-07:00

So when we picked Max up on Sunday, he seemed a little warm to me. He did not want to eat anything all evening (except a few crackers that he sucked on and a couple of grapes) He went to bed at 7:00pm which is about an hour-hour and a half early. He woke up at 10:30pm roasting and had a hard time breathing. He had a temp of 102.8. He kept waking up all night about every hour. Monday morning I took him to the doctor and he has Bronchitis. He looks so sad, it breaks my heart. Hopefully he will feel better SOON! (this is the first time he has ever been sick)

Random pictures...

2007-10-28T21:17:00.000-07:00

After downloading all the pictures off my camera from this last week I found a few more good memories I didn't share with you all.

Here Max and Pookie are begging Daddy for some of his ice cream. (Max was a little luckier than Pookie)

This is Max playing in the water fountain in front of our apartment. I have never taken him down there to play. It has always turned me off. There is a big sign that says "do not consume the water," but there are kids playing in it all the time and I figured they keep coming back so it can't be that bad. (Now that I think about it, maybe that is where he got sick!!!)

This is Max crawling into Pookie's cage. (I normally keep it in storage and just got it down for our dog sitter.) He thought it was so much fun climbing in and then shutting the door.