sweet success...

so i gave up sweets for lent.

i wanted to choose something that would be difficult...and i did.

i am happy to report that i made it.

and that at 12:01am on sunday...i enjoyed a few girl scout cookies!

happy birthday daddy...

drew's birthday was the day we left for kentucky. i didn't think an apple fritter from arby's and a happy birthday song in a parking lot counted as a birthday party...so we gathered some family together last minute at my mom's for dinner.

here's drew on his actual birthday.

here he is celebrating yesterday.

max enjoyed his first taste of ice cream...


max did not enjoy this birthday card. it had teddy bears on the front and they tooted when you opened the card up. he had a confused look on his face each time he opened it.

first day back home...

it was nice to get home, work on getting unpacked and just relax.

max and i hung out, watched west side story, and ate some graham crackers.


he was really only interested when they started singing.

here he is trying to get into his toy box. i fear that this is only the beginning.


i sure missed this little face!

visit from grampa mark...

so forgive me...my posts aren't exactly in order...

my dad came for a quick visit before easter.

max loved every minute of it.

here he is wanting to make some calls on grampa's phone.

max was frustrated and trying to crawl. grampa got down to help him try to figure it out.

thanks for the visit grampa. we can't wait to see you next!!!

an old picture...

when taking the easter pictures off of my mom's camera, i found this picture of the three of us from christmas and wanted to share it!

easter sunday...

here are a few pictures from max on easter sunday.

he got to spend the weekend up at the cottage with grama vicki, aunt linda, uncle bill, aunt heidi, and "aunt" lindsay. he was one lucky guy to have so much love and attention.

look at this little stud.
a special thanks to "grandma" lois for this adorable outfit!

max just adores his aunt linda.

we're baaaaack...

drew and i survived another spring break service trip to kentucky with teens from youth go. we had a great time and the kids were awesome.
max spent some quality time with grama vicki for 4 days, grammy randi, grampa ken, aunt amie, uncle austin for 3 days, the stachowiaks for a day, and becky and nate for a day. he was given so much love from all of you and we are so lucky to have so many people willing to take care of our baby so that we can continue to participate in something that is so very important to us.

the many faces of max...

max got to wear shorts for the first time today after a LONG winter.
take a look at those legs!!!

he looks pretty stinkin cute so i had to take a few pictures.

i was cracking up looking at them because he's got a different facial expression in each one.

and here they are for your viewing pleasure...

getting ready...

this saturday drew and i are leaving to take 8 of my teens to kentucky for a spring break service trip. i'm very nervous and apprehensive about leaving max. i know he'll be surrounded by family and be well taken care of, but i can't help but worry about it. 8 days is a long time...especially for such a little guy. what will we miss? will we be causing psychological damage by "abandoning" him for this long? will he even know who we are when we get back?

now i know these are silly questions, but i can't keep them from swirling around in my mind.

i have spent the last few night doing laundry, getting the house in order for our dog/house sitters, and getting packed. this is just the start of max's belongings.

add to this pile his carseat, stroller, travel highchair, pack 'n play, food supplies, and toys...it's gonna take a u-haul to get all of this stuff to my mom's house!!!

messy morning...

daddy let max play with his spoon after breakfast.

he studied it, he chewed on it, and he made a mess.

if you enlarge this picture, you see the oatmeal on his nose.
i'm sure there is much worse to come!