Play time, Boo-Boos and a Hair Cut

Max has a new friend, Hunter Helm. We think the Helm Family is just great and Hunter is just the cutest!! They recently moved here from New Orleans. Max and I met Hunter and his mom, Emily, at Stroller Strides. Emily is SO sweet. We soon learned that Kelly went to college with Hunter's mom and dad. In fact, Kelly and Ryan were fraternity brothers. What a small world!!

I just love our new friends. We had a lunch date a few weeks back and I felt SO sorry for Hunter. Usually Max is such a go-with-the-flow kind of guy, but not on our lunch date. He definitely had a take charge attitude. He would take Hunter by the hand and lead or pull him (depending on Hunter's level of cooperation) to wherever he wanted Hunter to go. They mainly played in Hunter's room and insisted on closing the door. It was so nerve-wracking that they kept closing the door b/c Max only ever really does that when he is up to no good. Max was terrible about taking Hunter's toys and wasn't his usual charming self. It's such a difficult position to be in as a parent b/c I certainly don't want Max to be a bully but I also recognize how normal it is for toddlers to resist sharing. Poor Hunter! (As a side note, in Max's defense he had not had a nap ALL day and was more than 2 hours over due - so while it is no excuse for not playing nicely it definitely provided an explanation.)

Well, lucky for us Hunter wasn't too turned off by Max's "forcefulness" and we met up at the park. They had a GREAT time!!

Look at that HAIR!!!

In addition to roughin' up his friends, Max has developed some other bad habits. I mentioned it briefly above, but Max is so mischievous at times. He is definitely aware of things in the house that are off limits but sometimes he just can't help himself. Whenever he has something he isn't suppose to have or is doing something that isn't allowed, he ALWAYS goes off and hides to do his misdeeds. The other day it was quite comical. He wanted to play on my grandparents' desk, which is older than I am. So, playing on the desk is a no-no. Well, he shut the door to the hallway (to prevent me from watching), pulled his stool to the desk and climbed up to start playing. When he saw me peeking my head around the corner through the open doorway, he walked over to me and pushed me backwards saying, "Bye, Bye." When that didn't work he grabbed me by the hand, walked me to the chair (that was WAY out of eye sight of the desk) and pushed me to sit. Once I sat down, he went back to the hallway, shut the door, and got back to his bad business. Even though he was misbehaving, it was SO funny!! I just couldn't believe how sneaky he was being at such a young age. I have to admit I was kind of impressed. (It also made me realized how much I underestimate him.) Max does these sorts of things any time he isn't following the rules.

He is also learning to manipulate Kelly and I. For example, he wanted to watch tv the other night. I told him no tv but offered to read a book. Well, he climbed out of bed, shut my bed room door (which he NEVER does) and went into the living room and asked Kelly to watch tv. I COULD not believe my ears!! He knew EXACTLY what he was doing. Again - it was really amusing but so SHOCKING (and made me fear for his teenage years)!!

I know I've recently mentioned how rough Max is and how much he LOVES playing with Kelly. Well, the other day, they were playing chase through our tiny house. All of the sudden I heard a LOUD thud. Here is what I found:

I WAS SO FREAKED OUT! I even called the Dr's office, my mom and my aunt. These pictures do not accurately represent the knot that was on his head. It was HUGE!!! I've never seen a bump like it and it popped up IMMEDIATELY. Max, however did not skip a beat. He wanted to keep playing chase and was only upset by the inconvenience of having to sit still to have the knot iced.

I definitely am not prone to overreacting but I think I am a little sensitive to bruises and such due to my job. I think I was so bothered by the knot because he already had a black eye from hitting his eye on a glass table. Needless to say, he did not go to my office with his black eye and bruised forehead!! =)

After seeing the pictures of Max's WILD hair at the park, I'm sure many of you thought - it's time for a hair cut. Well, this Wednesday, Max had his first hair cut EVER. I have REALLY been dreading his first hair cut because nothing makes a little boy look like a big boy than a hair cut. I love his sweet little curls and am not ready to say good bye. However, the front of his hair was so long and ALWAYS in his face. (Hmm, maybe that is why he is always running into things and bruising his head?) Any who - Kelly had a hair appointment for Wednesday so Max took advantage.

He has his snack and he's ready for business

Here we go!! (notice Dad had to help)

The finished 'do

Two Handsome Boys (mom was still in her workout clothes-not so cute)
Max and his first Hairdresser

Have a MAXnificent week!!!! Love and Hugs!!

A peek into a day in the life of Max

Max is such an active little boy. He LOVES books and the most random toys. He got a Fisher Price Little People airport set for Christmas, which he LOVES!! The set has a little yellow umbrella (it's a little bigger than Max's hand) that goes to a table for one of the little people. Well, that umbrella is one of Max's FAVORITE toys. He carries it with him just about every where and holds it close to his chest - just like a child does with a favorite blanket. Some days he'll hold it over his head and say it is raining - pretty funny. The airport also has some flags that are good back-up toys for Max to carry when he can't immediately find the umbrella. He does a great job using his imagination to play with his toys and is such a happy little boy.

Here is my happy guy!!

Max wakes up around 7:30 on most days. Kelly will get him up and put him in bed with me where he usually enjoys his morning cup of milk. (This has actually been our routine since Max was about 7 months old). I LOVE mornings with Max. He is such a cuddle-bug! We usually go to Stroller Strides and play with friends after class. He LOVES other kids. However, he is still pretty rough and playing rough doesn't really go over well because Max is such a big guy. He is SO tall and is taller than most of the kids his age. He weighs 32 lbs and is really wearing mostly 3t clothing. He will put other little kids in a BEAR hug which usually causes them to fall to the ground. I don't think he is intentionally being mean, I just don't think he understands how to be gentle. There are times where he does purposefully push other kids down but then plops on them to give hugs. Again, it does not appear as though he is being mean-spirited or a bully. Too bad for Max that we haven't met a kid who likes playing this way. =) However, I can't same the same for when he is with Augusta Grace. He adores her but I think he understands that she is his younger cousin. Apparently, little boys are programed to pick on the younger girls in their families. My boy cousins did it to me and now Max does it to Augusta Grace. He ALWAYS pushes Augusta Grace down and then jumps right on her - pinning her to the ground (Poor AG). It is almost like he wants to wrestle. I have to CONSTANTLY remind him to be gentle.

When Max isn't playing with his friends, he is usually home playing with some of the aforementioned random toys. He also LOVES tv (which makes me cringe). His favorite shows are Dora, Spongebob and Sesame Street. He sings and dances to ALL the music. It is absolutely adorable. He also LOVES boxes, but let's be honest, what kid doesn't?

Playing with a box

Since the day he was born, Max has had a good appetite. However, he is going through that rite of passage that most toddlers go through. He just isn't really interested in eating very big meals on most days. I don't worry about it too much because he is such a healthy guy (see above about weighing 32 lbs and wearing 3ts before he is even 2)!! Besides, he is not shy about telling anyone when he wants some "num num" or a drink.

Here he is - NOT eating

Max LOVES laying on the nap mat his Sugah got him that is in the above picture. He doesn't usually nap there but it is where he wants to watch Dora. We recently went to one nap a day. We have been SO lucky that Max does not fight us on naps or bed times. He goes down for his nap around noon and will sleep till about 3:00. (It is a great opportunity for me to get some good, uninterrupted work done during the day). Max still enjoys "playing" with Rocky, unfortunately Rocky still views it as torture. (Well unless Max is eating and then Rocky isn't far from his side.)

Max's favorite time of the day is when Kelly gets home. I know I've said it before but Kelly really is Max's best friend. They play chase and hide-n-go-seek. If Max isn't discovered fast enough while he is hiding, he'll call out, "Where are you?" It is SO sweet how he says it. His vocabulary continues to grow. I also love when he says, "pease, pease" or "help." It's precious, I tell ya!!

After Max eats dinner, he takes a bath and winds down from his day. Max typically ends his day just like he begins each day. We snuggling in my bed as takes his cup of night time milk. He is just so loving and it really is a special time. Afterwards, he usually goes to his to bed. (Some nights he is SO sweet I just keep him in bed with me!) He still really likes his bed (despite climbing out of it twice now). In fact, if I try to rock him, he reaches for his bed while saying, "night, night." It is really bittersweet for me. I am happy that he is independent and will go to sleep alone but it reminds me how fast he is growing up!

More Sweet Smiles!!

I'm on a roll, so stay tuned for more!!

We're Back!!

I haven't posted since Christmas!! Wow!!! As usual, we've been really busy and things are about to get worse! We had a wonderful Christmas! We spent Christmas Eve in Pine Bluff with our McNulty and Owen family. It was so nice. We loaded up Christmas Eve and drove to Memphis to spend Christmas day to spend Christmas with my family. It was wonderful getting to spend Christmas with all of the family (it would have been perfect if the Florida/Alabama crews could have joined us). Max got to meet his cousin Annika over the holiday. She is ABSOLUTELY precious. (I'm such a bad mom and aunt b/c I have no pictures to show from their visit!) Max was a such a good boy. Just like every kid, he loved the paper, boxes and bows more than the actual presents! Here are some pics:

Max and Augusta Grace

Max and my dad playing

Max had the BEST time in Memphis. He and my dad had a great time chasing each other all over the house. Sugah got Max an AWESOME plane and block set that provided HOURS of entertainment. My dad would build up the blocks and Max would immediately knock them down - sometimes he couldn't wait until my dad finished. It made me tired just to watch!!

For New Year's, Max and I loaded up and went to Stuttgart to hang out with Harper. After the initial shock of having to share toys wore off, the boys played ALL night long. Max found a new friend in Mrs. Amber. She gave him AT LEAST 3 brownies. The saying, "A way to a man's heart is through his stomach," DEFINITELY applies to Max.




After New Year's Max went to Sugah's and Pop's house so Kelly and I could go back to Memphis for the Liberty Bowl. I think Max had a better time at the party in Sherrill than Kelly and I did at the FROZEN bowl game. Lucky for me I had the AWESOME vest Linda gave me for Christmas to keep me warm at the game!!




Max may have had a better time than Kelly and I but Max missed out on seeing "young" Elvis in a bar on Beale street.




More to come!! Hugs!!!

Merry Christmas

This has not been a great week for us so far. Max was sick, sick (if you know what I mean) for the first time on Friday. It was not a first we welcomed that is for sure! He was sick until we went to the dr. on Saturday morning. What is it about a dr.'s waiting room that will cure a kid SUPER fast! He ran around that place like a WILD man!! Well, between sick Max and a dr.'s office full of germs, I got sick first thing Sunday morning. I'll say it again, this has not been fun. My wonderful mother-in-law picked up Max on Monday and took him to stay the night with her while I rested. I can't tell you how much better I felt having rest in a QUIET house. THANK YOU SHUGAH!! Some of my symptoms are still lingering but I'm definitely on the up and up. Please say a prayer that I've fully recovered by tomorrow and NO ONE else gets sick.

So Max has received some presents. My sister and Mike sent him a fun little toy that he really loves! However, she sent a missing piece from one of his toys that was left in FL and he was definitely most excited about that missing monkey. It was priceless how his face lit up!! My mom, Allen and brother sent him a farm. I know he is going to play with it FOREVER (well maybe not forever, forever - it might be weird if he was still playing with it as a teen)!! But again, his favorite part sadly was not the present. This time it was the box and the packing peanuts. I'll let the pictures and video do the talking!!

He was COMPLETELY worn out from all the fun with the box that he decided to take a rest IN the box. Apparently packing peanuts are very cushy!

He was so comfortable, he even watched elmo in the box - chairs are SO overrated.




Here is a video of him DIVING into the box - remember you have to go the blog to see the video.

Unfortunately, I have not received my Christmas photos in the mail yet, so my Christmas cards have not been sent. This year, it is definitely the thought that counts!! We hope that you all have a Merry Christmas and safe travels.

Blessings - Tabitha, Kelly and Max

Santa Claus is Coming to Town!!

Max finally went to see Santa. I was SO surprised at how well he did . I thought he would resist and pitch a fit, but he did just fine. It might have had something to do with the candy cane Santa offered to him (give that kid some candy and he'll do anything - again he really is Kelly's son).

Because he didn't have his list ready, he just took some of his favorite toys with him to visit Santa to give Santa an idea of what he'd like for Christmas. This isn't my favorite picture of Max (who am I kiddin' I LOVE every picture of my baby!!) He kind of looks in pain - he was saying cheese! (I can't complain b/c that is what the lady told him to do - HA!)

I hope to get my Christmas cards out today (or tomorrow) - hope being the key word. Wish me luck!

MERRY CHRISTMAS to you all!! LOVE and BIG giant HUGS from the McNultys!!!

21 Months old and MORE FIRSTS!?!

We hope that you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving. So many pictures were taken at Thanksgiving but not by me - BOOO!! I can't wait for my aunt Gayle, Molly, Sugah and EVERYONE else with photos to email them to me so I can share them with you all! This Thanksgiving was SO FULL!! It was AWESOME!! (Well, minus the Hog loss!) We are so so so blessed. I love getting together with family. And Max was SOOOOO good. He was really good at Sugah's and Pop's. I was so proud at how well he played with his cousins - no pushing, hair pulling or any other shanigans that required a time-out!! YAY!!! He got a little overwhelmed with my family but I think it is just because there are SOOOOOOO many of us. He was a little clingy to me. By the end of his visit with my sister - he was COMPLETELY smitten with her. As she was trying to leave, he kept grabbing her leg and crying Sa-ra, Sa-ra. He was just BEGGING her not to leave. It was precious. Just the other day he saw her picture at home and was carrying the frame with him, pointing at her saying, Sa-ra. I told him to stop doing something and he ran to the picture just calling her name - I guess thinking she would help him. IT was SOOO funny!!

Max is really entering the twos. One of his new words is Mine. I really dislike that word, but we are working on it. He LOVES to sing. It is the SWEETEST thing I've EVER heard. I HAVE to get a video of him singing the wheels on the bus. It is PRECIOUS! Max really does have a soft, sweet little voice. I LOVE it!! He got a golf cart from my mom and family. The battery isn't working but he doesn't care. He is on that golf cart ALL the time!! He'll even push it to where he wants it to go. He eats on it, drinks on it, plays on it - EVERYTHING! It really is TOO cute! He is still growing like a weed. He is wearing some 3ts now!?! Where is my baby going?!

We finally took Max to his first Razorback game. My dad came to town and we took Max to the Mississippi State game in LR. (Of course my dad was wearing a bright LSU shirt - Kelly's seats were across the stadium from us and he texted me during the game to tell me he could see us b/c of my dad's shirt.) We were only actually in the game for about 10 minutes. Max was really good but he kept bumping into the lady in front of us and it was VERY obvious that she didn't appreciate it. So, we just decided we should go. I don't think he really cared but he did call the hogs. It was SO cute. I'm glad he finally went to a game!!
Well enough talking - here are just a few pictures:

We give Max the phone all the time to talk but he NEVER talks - he just wants to push buttons. Here is the FIRST time he actually TALKED on the phone. It was so cute!

Family photo before the game


Max and my dad watching the game

Ridin' the 4-wheeler with his dad - he LOVED it!!

We hope that you all have a MAXnificent week and had a BLESSED Thanksgiving. Love and hugs!!

October and More Firsts

Wow! It's been over a month since my last post. Our computer was sick with a virus and we just got it back. We sure have been busy. My sweet little Max is such a busy boy! He is also grown into a really BIG boy. He is SO tall. He is really almost too tall for most of his 2t rompers (I'll be lowering buttons really soon!). He is also H-E-A-V-Y!! He weighs almost 32 lbs!!! (Like I said, he's a big boy!)
He freely gives kisses now and I LOVE it!! I am not a morning person - at all, so Kelly usually gets Max in the morning before leaving for work. Max will climb in my bed and give me all kinds of kisses. It is SO sweet!!
His vocabulary is still really growing. His daddy taught him some of his numbers. Now after we say one, Max says two!! (well sometimes). He is so smart and really loves his daddy. Periodically, we go to Kelly's work. Just last week, we were leaving my office and passed Kelly's building on the way home. Max started pointing at Kelly's building and screaming Dad-da. How smart is that?!?

Max had a REALLY busy October. Take a peek:

Max's best friend Harper came for a visit

We LOVE our time with the Feilkes. While we are SO sad they don't live in LR anymore, we are SO happy for them and their small town living. In this picture, Harper is wearing his Ricebirds jersey. It even had Harper's name on the back - how cute is that?! It really made wish we lived in a small town, maybe we'll just follow the Feilkes to Stuttgart?

We also celebrated Melissa's baby shower and Mitchell's birth in October. Melissa and Clay welcomed their sweet baby boy, Mitchell almost two weeks ago. He is PRECIOUS!! He had a head FULL of blond hair. It was a first for me - I have seen newborns with blond hair but never a head full!! Kelly had something come up at work, so Max had to join me at the shower. He found a motorized "school bus" at the house and LOVED it! It was SO funny watching him drive it.

Driving the Bus

He had a great time!!

He was kind of big for the bus, so he kept his leg out most of the time - it really cracked me up!

Here he is taking a break from all his driving and watching TV.

Speaking of TV, we (Max and I) don't really watch TV during the day. In fact, the TV really does not come on until Kelly comes home. It really is a recent development that Max even watches TV - he is usually uninterested. Well, let me tell you - Street (for Sesame Street), Elmo and Bob (for SpongeBob) are Max's three new words. He gets SO excited when he hears the intro music for Sesame Street, Elmo's World or Spongebob. His face just lights up and he usually starts dancing. Max LOVES Elmo - too bad Max's mom doesn't feel the same way (I don't like SpongeBob at all, but that is NEVER on when I'm home). Now Max loves playing with his diapers b/c Elmo is on them - ha!! It has really become a bonding time for Kelly and Max. They count, say their alphabet and talk about animals. It really sparks a lot of learning. It is pretty cute too. Now Kelly wants to buy Max the Your baby can Read videos - we'll see.

For Halloween this year, Max was a duck (or chicken - whatever anyone called him, we went with it.) We said he was a duck b/c he sounds so cute when he quacks. It was the CUTEST costume EVER. Seriously!! The cutest part was definitely his walk. The costume had so much stuffing that it really looked as though he was waddling when walking. TOO CUTE!! I took him to Kelly's office, my office, and Kelly's grandparents before Halloween and EVERYONE loved the waddle. The pictures really don't do it justice. I'll upload video soon. Well, last year for Halloween, Max was only about 7 months old so we didn't do much. This year he was invited to his first Halloween party.

Here is our little ducky ready for his First Halloween Party (His mom and dad dressed as farmers)

Unfortunately another one of Max's first prevented us from making it to the party. We were in Max's first wreck!!!! We were almost to the party when some lug nuts on a tire came loose and the tire popped of the trailer. It rolled straight into our car. BOO!!

Here is my poor car!!

Luckily we were all just fine. We crashed next to a cow pasture. It was the perfect spot because Max was SO enthralled with the cows. He just kept pointing to the cows and mooing. It was SOOOO cute!! Really!! Kelly and I were a little sore, so we all decided to go to the ER (on the advice of Max's doctor) just to have Max checked out.

Here is my pretty little boy sitting on the ER bed
Here are my two sweet boys!!

Because Max basically missed Halloween due to the wreck and ER visit, we took him to Boo at the Zoo on the Sunday after Halloween. I made Kelly put back on his farmer outfit assuming other people would be dressed up - well, I assumed wrong! Kelly said he was really going to have start putting his foot down with me and my ideas - ha!! Nonetheless, we had a GREAT time and Max got to celebrate Halloween.

My Duck Waddling through the Zoo

Max's First Train Ride!! HE LOVES TRAINS!!

Max's First Carnival Ride

Worn Out

We certainly hope that our November is safer than our October. We are really looking forward to the holidays. Kelly's twin and his family are coming to town for Thanksgiving as well as my mom, step-dad, brother and sister. I can't wait!! In other news, my sister ELOPED!!! WOW!! We are so excited and Max loves having a new uncle! Congrats to Sara and Mike!!

This weekend if you are in Little Rock, don't forget to go to Holiday House!! We are going with Shugah and Augusta Grace. (Kelly will be in the deer woods most days, so I'll be a deer widow. Thankfully, Kelly's camp is close to home so he comes home each night).

We hope that you all stay safe and have a MAXnificent week!! Love and Hugs!!