good lookers...

so, my husband is a tad bit color blind and he's not the best matcher.

the other morning as i was getting ready i noticed what drew had worn to bed...it's been pretty cold around here lately. i was on my way downstairs to iron my pants and i threw on some crazy pj pants just to be funny.

as drew would say...we are a couple of good lookers in this picture!

apple core...

i let max gnaw on my apple core.

it's funny that something so simple to an adult can seem so amazing to little one.

new play area...

max is becoming more mobile every day. not crawling yet...but lots of pushing up and tons of rolling around. we got him a toy box and i'm sure the dogs will be glad to have the tops of their kennels emptied off. it feels nice to be organized...even if it's just for a moment!

nothing makes him happier then chewing on his finger...well, chewing on anything works for this guy.

look at me...i'm getting so strong!

silly face!

baby food...

today i finally broke out one of our last christmas gifts...our beaba.

we are (i am) going to be making max's baby food.

my first attempt went okay, except for almost cutting the tip of my thumb off while i was dicing sweet potato.

i whipped up some apple/pear and some sweet potato.

let's hope he likes it as much as the gerber brand!

mags...

so for those of you who know maggie, she is the sweetest, gentlest, laziest dog. she does things on her own time and will do anything for some love. she loves the sunshine and manages to find the softest possible spot at any time. she is more like a cat that barks than a dog.

sometimes she does the most ridiculous things. she uses the underside of the coffee table as a back scratcher, she dances for treats, she burrows under pillows.

the other day i heard her and she sounded like she was getting into something. this is what i found...

yesterday she was sitting in the sunshine and all of a sudden she went crazy...see the following photos for proof.

ohhh...mags.

i survived...

well, i survived my first week back at work. it wasn't easy but i am SO behind that i am staying busy enough to not have too much time to be sad.

and c'mon...i get to come home to this face everyday!

celebrating "gotcha" day...

thank you to our family and friends who joined us to celebrate "gotcha" day! we gathered at solea in neenah for a delicious meal in honor of max "officially" joining our family.

max wearing uncle ryan's hat


wow...you are tall...and you're making crazy eyes at me...

mmmm...

grandma vicki, diane, and heidi

hannah, teddy, and max (in mid shout)


meredith and darla


what a good looking bunch!


cousin hayden getting ready to put his jammies on for the drive home!

introducing maxwell joseph hicks...

we had our final court hearing for the adoption today.

things went great!

thanks to our wonderful family and friends who came to oshkosh to support us.

we'd like to introduce you to MAXWELL JOSEPH HICKS!

(here he is wearing daddy's name tag!)

day 3 with daddy...

things are going great at home for daddy and max.

i came home yesterday and drew told me that he has a new nickname for max..."full time." why you ask...well because drew realized that our little max is a full time job.

playing without pants on.

talking to libby...apparently they actually had a conversation...max talked and libby tilted her head to listen.

all smiles.

rolling machine.

you talkin' to me...

you talkin' to me? you talkin' to me?...

7 months old...

our little max is 7 months old already!

with the celebration of max's 7 month birthday...comes mommy's return to working full-time. :(

max's uncle jason came over for a visit.

when i got home max hung out with me in the kitchen while i made dinner...homemade chicken noodle soup!


chewing on a plastic donut.

showing off hims gums...we're still waiting for those chompers to break through.

he's just too cute!

and a vikings loss...

we headed over to grandma's for dinner and football. it was an evening of family, friends, and yummy food...and a vikings loss!!!

max was in a great mood. he was making all kinds of silly faces.

i got in some tickles. when i get him really good his squeals and lifts his legs up in the air.

when i fed him dinner he just couldn't stay still and ended up with green beans all over his face.

and of course he had to get some play time in with uncle denny.

great weekend...

we had a really good weekend. drew didn't have any gigs and max and i really enjoyed having him home!

friday night drew and i went to a holiday party for the school where he just finished student teaching. it was fun to have a few hours out and to have some conversations with a few adults.

on saturday we took and impromptu trip to milwaukee with my mom. a little time at trader joes and h&m, lunch at the cheesecake factory, and we even got to hang out with drew's cousin trevor! after we put max to bed that evening we did some cleaning and organizing around the house. i hate to admit it, but we had christmas gifts that still needed to be put away!

sunday morning we went to church as a family and then headed to target. we had intentions of getting a new lamp for the living room and ended up buying a new tv too! we have been talking about it for a long time and it just kinda happened. drew is super excited about it!

hanging out with mommy...

i'm trying to soak in all the max and mommy time that i can before i go back to work full time on monday. we have been playing and laughing and reading and tickling and snuggling all week.

it sure is going to be an adjustment to be back at work but i'm also excited for daddy and max to have some special time together and to have their own schedule of fun things to do everyday.

new socks...

max's grandma vicki (my mom) works at target and always keeps her eye out for good bargains. she picked up a pack of really cute striped socks for him the other day.

here he is sporting a pair.

reach....

max was really reaching for a toy this morning. he put his little leg in the air and it was just hilarious!
and he got it...sweet success!

nap pictures...

here are some cute nap pictures from this afternoon. he has been sleeping on his tummy lately. he just looks so sweet and peaceful. we sure do love this little guy!

silly town play time...

we have been doing some serious playing the past couple of days. i'm squeezing in as much max and mommy time as i can before i go back to work full-time on monday. we've been playing alot with the "silly town" that max got for christmas from uncle ryan, aunt leslie, and cousin hayden.

max was really fun today. he had quite the line-up of facial expressions for me!

contemplating his next move.

yelling.

smiling.

laughing.