Not my child Monday!

MckMama the creator of Not Me Monday also has one called not my child Monday. I have never did a not my child Monday not because I have perfect children, I usually save a lot Max's saying for his Maxisms. Not this week, this one deserved it's own.

My child most certainly did not tell his grandmother, who was sitting at the kitchen table during Thanksgiving dinner at my grandmother's house, that he had just eaten the caramel a** off of his turkey cookie. My mother did not ask him to repeat himself so she could make sure she heard what she thought she heard. She most certainly did not let him go with out even getting on to him because she was a the verge of hysterical laughter. Not mother and not my child.

Weekend in Gatlinburg

This past weekend was our annual girl's shopping trip to Pigeon Forge, TN. We do allow the boys to tag along they just don't get to complain about the shopping during this trip!

We went up Friday and did our usually trip to the strip that night. It wasn't too cold but cold enough for coats, gloves, hats, and hot chocolate. We did some store browsing and made our usual food stops. We always get corn dogs at Fanny Farkel's and let Max play games. We always get hot chocolate at the Donught Friar and carmel apples from Karmel Korn. It is funny how those traditions start and just stick with you over the years. Max wanted to play golf at an indoor golf course they have on the strip, so we looked in some shops while Rex took him to play.

Saturday was our big shopping day and we shopped pretty much all day long. We had our first and only bad experience at the Apple Barn and it put a kink in the day. We didn't let it keep us down, though. It was absolutely beautiful on Saturday, it was almost a shame to spend the day shopping. :) Max got tired of shopping and got his daddy to take him gooney golfing again, so he was a happy boy.


Sunday we did more shopping before we headed home. It was rainy and cold and I was ready to head home. The boys were wonderful and I put a good dent on my Christmas shopping list. All in all, it was a great weekend. It is always nice just to get away for a few days!


Max saw this where we parked on the stip and had to have his pictured made next to the scarecrow.

The boys playing games at Fanny Farkels.

Wes loves anything with a steering wheel!

Max loves anything with guns!

Wesley and Paw Paw's in front of the fountain.

We have a picture of Max when he was this age in the same old phone booth.

Max was being the reindeer pulling the sleigh!

The boys with Aunt Shia. My camera died before I could get one with me.

Max want his picture made with this scarecrow and "Pingy" at the Apple Barn.

On the way out of the resort on Sunday, we saw a baby black bear in the woods. This was the first one I had seen in a long time.

Wesley riding on a Rudolph rocking horse at Cracker Barrell.

No! Not yet!

Max has his first official crush. A few weeks ago Max told me on the way home from church, "Mom, I have a secret." "What is it?", I asked. "I have a crush on K (I am choosing to leave her anonymous)."

At first, I thought it was very sweet and he probably really didn't get what he was saying. Well, the next week he spent the night with my parents and he told my mom, "Nana's I am crushing on K real bad." I asked him what it meant and he said, "It means I like her." Um, yes, he does get it. Sigh.

She is a very sweet and pretty girl but she is also 5 years older than he is. LOL! I am trying to make the focus on her being pretty on the inside even though she is pretty on the outside. Mainly, because my first response was well, at least she is pretty. Why do we focus so much on outside looks without even thinking about it? Wow! Did that wake me up on what I want to teach him about how to treat girls.

All week last week he asked me if I knew K's mom's phone number. I told him I did but we are not calling K. He asked over and over again. He would ask, "I wonder what K is doing right now?, Is K at school right now?, Is K at home now?" I refuse to let him call her. He is only five and we are not starting that right now!!!!

Oh, where is my little baby that I would nurse to sleep every night? Where is my sweet boy I could hold in my lap and carry around? Where is that baby face I loved so much? Where did all this big boys stuff come from? I know it's a part of life but I don't think I'm quite ready for this yet!

16 months

Well, my sweet, impatient, stubborn, beautiful baby boy is now 16 months. I can't believe almost half of the second year of his life is already gone.

Wesley has definitely started showing his personality in every aspect. Boy, does this little one have a temper. It is literally his way of the high way or you are gonna see and hear some ugly sights. Max never pitched fits and I am really at a loss on how to handle this. If you have any ideas or help full hints please pass them along. He has started slapping his hands and head on the floor when he gets angry. I was embarrassed when the doctor walked in the room yesterday and witnessed one such episode!

He is as sweet as he is mean, though. He is already very charismatic and flirts with all the ladies. He loves to cuddle, hug, and kiss. He isn't scared of anything or anyone. He is very, very friendly; never meets a stranger. He loves music and loves to dance. Music is one thing that normally will always stop a screaming fit in the car.

He is still nursing but I am trying to ween him. It's not going great but we have cut back to only about 3 times a day. Once they tell you thank you when they are finished, I think it's time to cut them off! Yes, he has did this more than once!

He has most all his teeth. He is cutting his bottom molars and then he has eye teeth left. He has been a pretty easy teether other than, they seem to take a long time to come in.

He is climbing everything! I mean everything! He has very good hand-eye coordination. He has wonderful fine motor skills. He already will color with crayons and can buckle and unbuckle things. He likes things to be in there place and wants to figure out how everything works.

He is talking quite a bit. He can say a lot more words than he uses regularly. He is putting people and places together. When we pull into the church parking lot he starts saying, "Paw Paw". Of course, Paw Paw is one of his most favorite people!! He knows all his grandparents and aunts by name. He knows the dogs and cats names. He has just started repeating words a lot.

The boys get a long well for the most part. Wesley terrorizes Max as much as Max terrorizes Wesley. They go from hitting and fighting to hugging and loving. I am sure this is the way it will always be with two boys! They do play well together. I do have to remind Max that Wesley still isn't as big as he thinks he is. They love to wrestle and play chase.

I can't wait to see all the other changes he will make in the next coming months. It is just as exciting the second time around to see them meet and exceed all these milestones!

Blessed

Recently, my eyes have been opened to just how blessed I am.

Blessed I have two perfectly healthy beautiful boys.

Blessed I have a husband with a job that wants me to stay at home to raise our children.

Blessed I have a house (although be it very small) to live in.

Blessed I have a car to drive.

Blessed I have food on my table every night.

Blessed I have family all around me.

Blessed I have family I love, that loves me, and we enjoy our time together.

Blessed I have two sets of grandparents that will drop anything (if at all possible) to spend time with their grand babies or give a lending hand.

Blessed I have sisters I can call on in any sort of need.

Blessed I have a Saviour who died for my sins and rose from the grave.

Blessed I have peace in the Holy Spirit who lives within me.

I am so blessed but why don't I ever share it? Why do I complain about all I don't have or want and think I need? Why do I forget on those hard days that this is my last year with Max at home? Why do I get frustrated or loose it when bad things happen? Why do I only care about my own needs and not the needs of those around me?

The Lord has been really giving me a burden about sharing the gospel and specifically how I never do it. Why? Why would I not want to share how he has blessed me so? Why would I not want others to know? Why would I want someone I know to die and go to hell?

Fear? Yes!
Complacency? Yes!
Rejection? Yes!
Self Absorbed? YES!

I know it going to take work, every good thing does, right! I am going to have to break down that wall of self absorbency, fear, complacency, and open my self up to rejection. I know people aren't rejecting me just His Word but still it's hard. I am praying God will open my eyes so I can be aware of the times he has for me to share and he will give me the words to say. If I don't tell anyone how he has blessed me so, how he saved my soul, how will anyone ever know?

Better late than never

With our terrible busy October and added rain, we never got around to carving our pumpkins for Halloween. Max was disappointed so I told him we would do it anyway. We took advantage of the most gorgeous of days, on Tuesday, to carve our pumpkins. This year I even let Max do a little carving with the safer kid friendly carving kit knives. I outlined the eyes and nose on Rex's and his pumpkins and he did the rest. He was so proud of himself. He would not help with the scooping of seeds and cleaning process. He told me, "I might get my hands dirty and I really don't want to do that!" Oh, that boy!

What concentration.

The mess mommy had to make all by herself.

Wesley just wanted to pick up the "ball".

He got interested in the goop and took a pig hunk of pumpkin off with him. He tried to eat but immediately spit it back out. Good thing pumpkins are edible!

The first eye Max carved by himself.

The first finished one. I did the mouth, Max did the rest.

Mommy's pumpkin.

Max's baby pumpkin.

Rex had raked a big pile of leaves in the front yard. Since, we were already dirty from pumpkin carving I told Max to go have fun in the leaves. Wesley didn't like them.

He buried himself from head down in the leaves.

Our pumpkins lit up that night.

Maxisms week of 11/4/09

Seriously, why is this taking so long?

I got stage freaked out.

I said to Max, "I think brother is stinky." He smelled Wesley's face and said, "He smells like sweetness to me."

After turning on the TV and seeing that Dora the Explorer was on he said, "I hate Dora!" I told him that we shouldn't say we hate things we should say we don't like them. He replied, "Well, I really don't like Dora." "Why not?" I asked. "Because she explores and her backpack talks."

While pulling out of the driveway at my mom and dad's, he says, "Paw Paw's is just so hard to leave!"

Pay attention and I will show you how this works.

Max decided to go back home with my dad from Atlanta after we went to the zoo. My mom talked to Max later and said she was going to miss him since he left. He told her, "Well, I just had to make a decision."

Wesley stole some of Max's candy bar and he came running in the room telling me, "He committed a crime!"

We went to eat lunch at Olive Garden with my parents. When the waitress brought the bill with the Andes candies Max ate one and then picked up the rest of them. My dad told him he needed to share with everyone else and he tossed one at me and said "Here you go, share."

Fall Festival and Trick or Treating

Our churches fall festival/trunk or treat is always the Wednesday before Halloween. The boys had lots of fun playing games, taking a hay ride, and trunk or treating.

I know it's blurry but it's the only one I got of the two of them together.

Wesley took a nose dive right after this picture and skinned his head up pretty bad.

Max's first potato sack race.

Wesley loves the roller coaster and he could push himself off from the top, too.





Getting ready to trunk-or-treat

We went to Rex's cousin's house for Halloween. They have a little girl that is two and we went over there last year for treat-or-treating so I guess we have started a new tradition. The kids were all tired of it, even Max, after 5 or 6 houses. We just did their road and the outer road of the huge subdivision they live in.

Wesley, Neely, and Max
It was impossible to get them all looking at the same time!

At least, this one turned out cute!

Wait for me brother!

Wesley trick or treating with the help of daddy.

Neely told everyone thank you. She was so cute.

Max needs no help!

All Wesley wanted was to ride Neely's car! I wished I would have remembered his!