Independence Day 2009

We enjoyed our first Fourth of July as a family. Garrett and I have been a couple for 16 years. This picture is evidence of the first time we ever dressed alike on purpose. We did it for Max.

My dad's sister and her family joined us at the lake. Luckily, the weather cooled off a bit that day so we were able to enjoy ourselves outside. My aunt played with the kiddos. It looks like they all had a good time.
Second cousins and all smiles....


Uncle Ed sent lots more pictures. I'll share more when I get them downloaded.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of you fabulous women out there. I have a better understanding of the true meaning of this holiday.

My day began with Max waking me up at twenty minutes past midnight to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. He was so excited that he cried for me again just as my head hit the pillow around 12:40. He was so darned enthusiastic about getting the day started that he woke me up again at 4:00 and never let me go back to bed. Of course, I could have shared his enthusiasm if I'd not gone to bed myself shortly before midnight. Poor planning on my part, right?

The rest of the day was lovely. I started the day by feeding Max cereal. As I grew sentimental and thanked Max for helping make me a mommy for this holiday, he grinned. Then, he responded by spitting his food all over me. That activity is his favorite right now, and he must have wanted to share it with me.

Later, my dad marinated sirloin, and Garrett skewered vegetables that were so beautiful they could have been a flower arrangement. We didn't need any more flora, though, because bouquets from my birthday still fill the house with color and sweetness. My mother and grandmother were here and Max offered entertainment. We wish Mary, G's mom, could have been here, too. I could tell he missed her.

I ended the day by reading to Max. He was so excited about his book that he bounced. He bounced so hard, in fact, that he slammed his head right into my mouth. My tooth sliced my lip and I bled. Max turned to me and grinned.

And you know what? That made it all worth it.

So, let me get this straight: Motherhood is tears and giggles, blood and flowers, spit and cuddles, exhaustion and contentment. Yeah, I'm glad Max made me part of the club.

Happy Easter!

Good morning!
Max is crawling all over the place and loving every minute of it.
Plus, he really seems to like hats. This fact thrills me because I think he looks adorable in them. His dad insisted on putting his hat on backwards. I guess Max preferred it that way, because when I turned it around, he did this:
Yep. As you can guess, the hat went back around immediately...after I snapped the picture, of course.

Later, we changed his clothes. His second outfit was courtesy of our sweet friend Sonia. Below, he found what the Easter Bunny left him.
The green duck seemed to be a big hit.

He immediately stuck it in his mouth.After Easter dinner, I set out a plastic tablecloth and the contents of the egg decorating kits.
While we decorated, we gave Max some plastic ones to play with. Here's what he had to say.

"An egg?"

"What am I supposed to do with this?"

"Oh! Bang them together. Good times."

Grandma has decorated eggs more recently than the rest of us since she's hung out with my cousin's twin girls. She knew the tricks. It's only been twenty-something years since I've done this, but I think those kits have changed a bit. For example, I don't remember the dyes coloring my fingers.

Here's Max and Garrett and me. Max is examining one of the many eggs that had his name on it.
Here he is with the Tahlequah grands.
And after a long day of fun, here he is napping on his Papa.

Who says you can't get good stuff playing Dirty Santa?

Every year at Christmas, my family gets together for a lively game of Dirty Santa. Max is modeling part of my gift from this year's festivities. It's a hat and a vase. Versatility is key, right?

I think Max likes hats.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

My grandmother celebrated her birthday today. It's fitting that it is so close to Valentine's Day. She loves red, pink, and roses.

And, of course, Max.

Birthday for Gramps

We went to visit Garrett's parents to celebrate his dad's 78th birthday.
I'd packed a trunk load full of toys to entertain him during our visit, but there was no need for all the effort. He was captivated with the bee Grandma Mary had for him.
He was fed. He was entertained. He was loved.
What more could a baby want?

Merry Christmas!

On Christmas morning, we saw Santa and Rudolph.
No... wait... that's Papa and Max!

Or is it?

Max had his stocking hung with care. We wanted a picture of him in it, but he didn't fit.
Daddy and Grammy show Max a new toy.
Aunt Lisa and Uncle Brett had lots of goodies for Max. The wagon was part of a "boy starter kit" that included Star Wars action figures and jousting knights. We're instructed to put them on a shelf until he's big enough to play with them--without choking on small parts or poking out his eye.
Later, more family joined us. It was a merry first Christmas.

Christmas Eve 2008

We spent Christmas Eve with Garrett's family in Oklahoma City. It was nice to have Don out of the hospital. Seeing Max must have made him feel a little better. As tradition goes, Mary brought out her beautiful china that Garrett hates washing by hand--but does so for his mom even though he wears a pout the whole time! Everyone enjoyed playing with Max.

Below is a picture of Max with his dad, Gramps, and Grandma.

Mary always decks the halls with teddy bears during the holidays. You'll find them climbing ladders up the Christmas tree or the fireplace mantle. We weren't surprised to find one under the tree for Max. We were delusional if we thought he'd cuddle it. Nope. Our little guy conjured some combination of WWF and Mike Tyson. He gnawed on its ear and wrestled it. He's all boy.Below Max unwrapped his first present. Well, I unwrapped it, but he played with it.


What did he get? His first car! Grandma shows him how to work it.
He loved it so much that he played with it in the car on the way to Tahlequah. Max truly became a backseat driver! Still, he's too young to drive because he fell asleep with one hand on the gear shift and the other on a button that kept restarting it.

"Two" cute!

Our friends Johnny and Jennifer welcomed twin boys on the same day Max was born, and Max can't wait to meet his new pals. I just had to share this picture of them in their first Halloween costume. Two peas in a pod. How fitting!
I think they must be sweet peas.

Happy Halloween!

Everyone has a weakness.

Superman has Kryptonyte.

Superbaby? Cribtonyte.

The kid hates his crib. He sleeps everywhere else, though.

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Tale of Superbaby

In the spirit of the season, Max decided to visit Sleepy Hollow and Washington Irving's home, Sunnyside, on Sunday. He was ready for a calm day.

He took this photo of his grandmother by a bust of Washington Irving.
They all checked out the house--and were slightly annoyed that they weren't allowed to tour the upstairs because it was a busy weekend. Geez, what a waste of money!
But the land around the home truly was beautiful and exactly how The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is portrayed on tv and imagination.
It was a nice day.

But then he heard the call. Someone was in trouble.

No on uses phone booths anymore, but he managed to change.

Look! Up in the sky!

It's a bird! It's a plane!
It's Superbaby!

While attending a Ragamuffin Parade where kids all wore their Halloween costumes, this woman thanked Superbaby for keeping her from going near that raging river seen in the background. Instead, he made her cuddle him. Thanks, Superbaby!
It's all in a day's work for Superbaby.

Still, he was happy to go home and relax in his chair.

Happy Diwali!

My friend Toral sent this email yesterday. I asked her if I could share it because I found it informative and intriguing. So, to Toral and our other Hindu readers, Happy Diwali! I'm going to light some candles...

Hi all,
I just wanted to send you a quick note to let you know that this week, I am celebrating one of the biggest Hindu Holidays. It is called Diwali. It marks the end of our calendar year and so, tomorrow will be New Years!! During this time of the year, the whole of India celebrates for about 10 days. It is also called the Festival of Lights and we mark this occasion by lighting as many candles as we can throughout the house and outside.
HAPPY DIWALI and a Happy New Year!!!
The Diwali festival marks the victory of good over evil, and uplifting of spiritual darkness. Symbolically it marks the homecoming of goodwill and faith after an absence.
While Diwali is popularly known as the 'festival of lights', a more appropriate significance is 'the new year of luck and wealth'.
Central to Hindu philosophy is the assertion that there is something beyond the physical body and mind which is pure, infinite, and eternal, called the Atman. Just as we celebrate the birth of our physical being, Diwali is the celebration of this Inner Light, in particular the knowing of which outshines all darkness (removes all obstacles and dispels all ignorance), awakening the individual to one's true nature, not as the body, but as the unchanging, infinite, immanent and transcendent reality. With the realization of the Atman comes universal compassion, love, and the awareness of the oneness of all things (higher knowledge). This brings Ananda (Inner Joy or Peace).
--Toral