DECEMBER!...and a little bit of January

Whew! What a month it was! You were all a big part of that month for us and what you weren't there for, most of you have heard about, so this post is mostly going to be pictures that commemorate that wonderful time...



Starbucks on Temple Square...Uncle Addie toting the Maxster...Drew was merely a Fiance

Max's first time in Phoenix - he and Cal were livin' it up! :)

Cal even let Max take a ride on his new hog....

We had a great time at Ingrid's wedding!

Then came the week of separation - we were sad to be without Tyler, but Max and I still managed some fun in the Vegas sun!

Very joyous reunion with the dad and husband...and lots of fun that followed!

Max got his first haircut by Mom...

and then the "clean-up" was done at Aunt Jenn's salon. :)

Christmas Eve came and after a yummy prime rib dinner, Mrs. Clause and her elves delivered the Christmas PJ's, as they do every year!

Christmas morning was a hit - the wrapping paper was the biggest hit for Max - we all had a lot of fun and then went for a walk and played at the park that evening (the beauty of Christmas in Vegas!)

Then we were off to see the FOSTERS!

*We were lame and didn't take many pictures there, so we would love to get pictures from any of you that took them....THANKS! *

Finally, we were back home after a month of absence from beautiful Silverdale, Washington! First order of business for Mom and Max was a walk through the ol' neighborhood, followed by a visit to the park...

Max was thrilled to be at the park. Really. Don't let the pictures fool you.

We set up Ty's sweet new grill - it looks like Max and I helped, but we really just got in on the glory shots!

So I guess that's about it. It was a great month filled with lots of wonderful memories. We loved seeing everyone and hope that 2007 will be a fabulous year for you! We'll be seeing you...

A few random thoughts from a fairly random gal...

Baby boys can be beautiful!

This is something I have learned since Max was born. We are told all the time..."he is so beautiful"! One mom even told us that her kids were good-looking, but Max was just so beautiful - her kids weren't this good-looking. Of course we love to hear people say that; but what makes a little boy 'beautiful' instead of 'cute', 'adorable' or 'handsome'? Tell me what you think! I have seen baby boys that I would say are beautiful and others that are definitely so cute and still others that are very handsome. My take on it is that Max has really great eyes and long eyelashes and we usually equate that to beauty in women. Sometimes, though, I think Max looks more like a guys' guy and he's super cute or handsome instead.

Becoming Mobile!

I think it's interesting how every milestone varies from baby to baby. My nephew, Cole, who is 8 days younger than Max is rolling all over the place and scooting around. Max, who is sitting up, hasn't given much indication that he is ready to start scooting anywhere. When we put him on his tummy and a toy just out of reach, he will only do some scooting if it means getting his face off of the blanket so that he can suck on the carpet. He rarely gives that much effort for a lousy toy! And he's still just rolling from front to back, but not from back to front. Max is a much better sleeper than my sister's and friend's little boys of the same age; for that milestone I am very grateful! We'll see how things progress over the next months, but what I know is that it will be at the little dude's pace and that's just fine by me! I like how individual these little people are.

The Dating Days

Just in the past month I have been feeling the importance of dating my husband again. I feel like we make time for each other and have good, quality conversation. We spend all of our free time as a family. However, I have been feeling the need to be courted and to do some courting of my own. I am finally more comfortable leaving Max with a babysitter and have enough confidence in some of the young women in our ward to at least stay with him for a few hours. We have just been so darn busy the past 3 or 4 months! Now life is more calm and as the dust has been settling, I have felt an absolute NEED to go on a date with my man. We are not a family with a lot of means now that we have a mortgage...so tonight we are going to have a Costco dinner (big piece of pizza for $1.99 - and you can even get a churro!) and then attend an adult session of some EFY speakers on 'Keeping Courtship in your Marriage". It should be great! I just have to imagine Max laughing and smiling and playing with Amberlie Seader the whole time and then I'll be fine. He weighs about half as much as she does, and is about half as tall. She's really great with kids, though, and hopefully won't carry him around too much because I think her arms will just snap in half! :) She is really tiny, but very confident.

Life is Grand!

I am very grateful, very happy, very humbled by all that I have. I really am so blessed! Halloween was great; we're looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Holidays are that much more fun when you've got little ones, I've found. Even if they don't have a clue what's going on... :) I feel lucky to be a part of this family. Love to you all!

What will you do when life gives you lemons?

I just got an e-mail from a girl I met on my mission, Krisha Kai. She and her family live on the North Shore of Oahu. As most of you know, there was a pretty big earthquake that hit Hawai'i yesterday. I've been thinking a lot last night and today about my mission and the people that I knew there. I am grateful to hear that the fatalities were few and the damage was minimal compared to what it could have been. I loved Krisha's e-mail and her take on the experience - here is a bit of it:

I was awake when it happened and I was actually grabbing a can opener by the front of my house. As I searched through the basket of utensils in our kitchen, the windows started shaking and the walls were swaying pretty viciously. I didn't know what was going on, and as soon as that happened, I turned and tried to hold up a wall cabinet, like if my house fell I'd be able to hold it up. But while bearing my testimony of this I realized something, that in a world of hardships, trials, tribulations, and turmoil, we must all attempt to hold up our houses. We must try our best to keep the peace and become the cornerstone of our own houses while the Savior is the cornerstone of our lives. I love the gospel so much and I am grateful for this natural disaster that has happened. I knew that without t.v, the computer, or playstation, my family would have been forced to talk to one another. When I got home from church my family was sitting around a small table playing Majong. I was so happy when I saw that. Then for about an hour and a half, Jurrell, Kaizen, Jalen, Jordan, Tatiana, and I were playing hide and seek in the house. It was one of the best days my family has had for a long time. I know that through our trials the Lord will bless us.

I love people that can look at something like that and see so much positive. There was a lot of destruction that came with that earthquake, but there was also some construction that took place.

Tyler and I were talking a little while back about tragedy and faith and being prepared for hardships. We were discussing how we might react if something terrible were to happen to us or to our family. My mom has brought me up to look at the brighter side of life and I am grateful for that. I personally haven't faced much tragedy on a large scale, but I have had to face some difficult things that have helped to mold and build my character. I hope that when life knocks me down (I'm talking about the big kind of knocks), it will be a refining, faith-affirming time for me. I am of the belief that just on the other side of exquisite pain is equally exquisite joy & peace.

Easy to say when I have a wonderful husband, a healthy and beautiful little boy, a new house, a husband who is employed which allows me to stay home and care for Max....I acknowledge that I am very blessed. I just hope that there is enough character in me to face adversity in a positive, building way. I don't think that means to ignore sorrow or grieving, but to embrace the peace that follows. If the lot of hardship falls to me, I hope there is enough in me to grow through it. I hope that I make some sweet lemonade!

Nothing But Possibilities

I am borrowing the title of my handsome husband's blog for this post. We were talking the other day how it is at once both hopeful and dismal. Being an eternal optimist, I had never thought of the dismal aspect of the phrase. You can look forward and see that life is full of possibilities, but if you never act and do your part, then that is all that your life will be. The possibilities will never amount to anything on their own.

Lately I have been reflecting on my life as it is now, as it has been in the past, and I have especially been looking forward to what I see for its future. Greatness is the word that comes to mind. :) No, what I really feel is that I am thankful for what I have been able to do and I am sad for what I have not.

With hindsight, it is easy to see the amazing opportunities that I have had - some of them I've seized upon and others I have allowed to lay by the wayside. The thing that is not so easy is to have the foresight to recognize each opportunity as it arises and know (or at least trust) where it will take you if you embrace it. I was laughing when I signed up for e-harmony. I giggled every time I thought about it. Little did I know that in just a year and a half from that time, I would marry a man that I met on that site, move across the country with him, move back across the country and have our first child. I know I bring it up a lot, but really, it amazes me every time I think about it! Who knew?! Well, we know Who knew. And that's who we have to rely on to guide us.

So, what about the future? I have accomplished some of my greatest goals, but there are so many still on my list. I think that I am a great person, but I have not achieved my full potential. That's why we're all still here, right? I am going back to school to finish my degree. That's a good accomplishment, but it's what I want to DO with my degree that I get really excited about. I want to make a real difference in the world...and I think that means making a difference in a few lives. I will start with my husband, my children, my family, myself and I will branch out from there.

I love my son. I love him with a mother's heart and a mother's love...something I am only able to understand now that I have my own child. Tyler and I are able to provide for him and give him our full attention and our time and as much love as he'll ever need. I am so grateful for that! And no matter how many children we have, I know that we will have enough love, time and attention...and to spare!

It has made me think more and more, though, of the millions of children born to parents who are absent - either emotionally or physically. These babies and children and teenagers do not have the love, attention, or physical care that they need to make it in the world. They are abused, neglected, and many are given very little thought by the world. Nobody expects greatness from them - few people expect anything from them. That knowledge broke my heart before, but nothing like it does now that I am a mom myself. I have thought about these little people for a long time. My family doing foster care opened my eyes to a very sad world. I didn't know that things like that could really happen. There is so much that needs to be done about it! And I cannot, in good conscience, sit back and be grateful for all that we have without giving back.

So that's what I am going to do. Find Heavenly Father's broken and forgotten children and try to give them enough love, attention, time and ability to make it in the world. How am I going to do that, you ask? I am going to be a Social Worker, I am going to be a therapist, I am going to open a non-profit organization to help abused and neglected teens... I don't really know, actually. I just know that is one of my goals and one of my "callings". I will get my degree and then get to work once I have raised my own family. I know that just like the prompting came to pay the $39.99 and sign up for e-harmony, the promptings and opportunities will come to help these special little people. Life opens up for us in unexpected ways; we just have to be ready and willing!

I have been given a life full of possibilities - I think every child deserves that.

Oh, so thankful!

Well, the other day I spent half of an hour - or more - composing a really wonderful post...but in all of my excitement to get it posted, I deleted the whole thing. It was a terrible feeling. Especially since there was no one to blame but myself. Cyberspace was not to blame for my blunder. It was me, and me alone. So sad! I'm not even going to try to recreate what I wrote before. The moment is gone. So I'll just seize on this moment.

Life is good. Really, really good. I am the mom of a super good, cute, fun, easy-going little dude. I am married to the very best man - and, in my view, the manliest Foster despite Drew's somewhat shady win :). We live in a gorgeous area of the country that makes me feel close to heaven when I take a moment to look around and appreciate the beauty that is so abundant here. I am very blessed to be able to stay home and raise our son. We are in the process of buying our first home, which is very exciting and scary for us. More exciting than scary. We have callings that help us to reach out and teach others while learning and strengthening ourselves in the process.

I hope you all don't mind a little personal feeling here. I am extremely grateful for and to Heavenly Father. I am grateful for prayer and the personal connection I am able to feel with Him on a daily basis. I am grateful to know that He exists and that although there is heartache in the world, there will be a day of peace for those who are hurt and a day of reckoning for those who cause the hurt. A day of perfect justice and mercy. I know that He is real. I know that we will all see that for ourselves one day. I am so glad that He can be a part of my life in the meantime. I am thankful that He sent Max to our family. Max has changed our lives in many ways. What a special little man! I know that along with all of the care and concern that Tyler and I have for Max as his earthly parents, there are heavenly parents who have an even more perfect love and concern for his welfare. That's hard for me to imagine. I plan to live my life so that I can return to Him with my entire family...there to learn and work and live in His presence forever.

"My cup runneth o'er..."

4 Glorious Hours!

Last night I fed the little man at 9:30 p.m. (on one side) and then we gave him his bath and I finished feeding him. Afterward he was wide awake and wanted to play. I brought him into our room where Tyler and I hung out with him for a bit. We read scriptures and said our family prayer and then Tyler generously offered to put him to sleep while I slept myself. I was out like a light! This was at 10:50 p.m. I found out this morning that our little man didn't enter a deep slumber until about 12:20 a.m. I sure married a good and patient man, but I felt so bad since he has to get up and go to work!

Anyway, Tyler and I were both expecting Max to wake up around 12:30 since 3 hours is usually his max (no pun intended). You know, it is really amazing to me how right on his "inner feeding clock" is. I was awakened by a cry of hunger, as usual, and I looked at the clock. It read 2:43 a.m.! For a second I thought that I was misreading the clock because I didn't have my glasses on. Surely I was just missing the 1 in front of the 2...it couldn't be that late! But as I stared at the number and realized that it was, indeed, 2:43, panic began to set in. Had I not woken up when he cried earlier to be fed?! Tyler woke up because I leapt out of bed and in my rush to get into the other room, ran into the wall. :) I was so worried that I had starved my son.

I got him out of bed and started feeding him when I realized that there is no way he could have been crying to be fed without either Tyler or myself waking up to it. If Max is hungry, then Max will be fed. He will make sure of it. He will not stop fussing until his needs are met. Once I realized that I had not missed a feeding, but that my son had actually gone that long in between feedings, I was so happy and grateful! My pounding, worried heart slowed to a normal rhythm and a great peace and love for this little man set in. Now, I am not at all expecting a repeat in the nights to come, but I will not object if this was the beginning of a new sleep chapter in our lives. It would have been even better if Max and Tyler had both been sleeping all of that time. All in good time. For now I am grateful for the one night and the 4 continuous hours of sleep that I so enjoyed!

Also, yesterday morning and this morning have been very fun with Max! I have had some good play time with him that has included lots of smiling. :) He has also added some baby cooing and garble to his usual grunting. It is so fun to listen to his "stories"! He seems so intent on what he is saying and looks right at me to make sure that I am getting it all. That's when I've been able to get the smiles. Oh, he is so cute! I love this motherhood business. I am excited to meet all of the little spirits that will be sent to our home. And I hope that I can teach this one well since he will be the big brother of them all. What a sweet, fun, special little boy. We love him so much!

9lbs 1oz

That's right, folks! In a week and a half our son has gained more than one pound. If you'll recall, on May 22nd he was a measly 7lbs 6oz. He jumped from the 16th to the 41st percentile for weight gain. :) I was in shock, but oh so proud of my son and of myself. We are apparantly a great team! He is a happy, healthy, beautiful little man.

On the subject of happy...we have a very smiley son. Most of the smiles are when he is coming in and out of sleep. Our parents have seen a few awake smiles as well. But today I think that I got a glimpse of the first interactive smile. He had been awake for a while at his appointment and was still alert when we got home. I was talking to him and smiling as I was getting him out of his seat. He was looking at my face and when I gave him a big smile, I received one in return! I thought it may be a fluke, so I talked for a little longer and tried again...with the same result. I gave it a rest for a bit and then tried one more time and received the biggest smile in return! After that he let me know that it was time to eat, which brings out a very serious and focused side of Maxwell. :) I think that maybe it was just him trying to mimic his mom; I've read that babies at this age do that. Whatever the cause, it was so wonderful! I am excited for all of the levels of interaction that lie ahead. Now we just need Max to show his dad this new trick!

That's all for today, from this mom of a 9 pounder! He can gain all of the weight that he wants to now that he's out in the world. :)