random

Just some random ones. Max playing in his pj's one Sunday morning, Brian and Max reading the paper together, and then a few of Max and I playing with the camera. Max is awake. Gotta go!

The carving of the pumpkins.

These pictures are out of chronological order, but even after 14 months, I'm still constantly struggling with blogger.com. As much of a perfectionist as I am, I just don't have enough time to care. :)

Anyway, we carved pumpkins a few Mondays ago. I had high hopes for Max digging into the pumpkin insides and lovin' it. Uhhh....notsomuch. But that at least explains why he's practically naked. I anticipated a messy baby, and I thought a naked messy baby would be easier to clean than a clothed one. Little did I know, the baby wasn't going to care too much for anything having to do with the pumpkins.

Max, watching us carve the pumpkins.

I think it's funny that Brian looks so serious in this picture.

Just another photo of me permanently scarring my child. Max will probably talk about this scenario in therapy years from now.

The only picture that makes this appear to have been a fun, whole-family activity.

Me showing Max how to use the screw driver on the pumpkin. (I got the idea from a magazine.)

Max actually, for once, listening to something I say. :)

I think he was actually reaching for something behind the pumpkin. But I love how the camera angle makes it look like he's interested in the tiny pumpkin. :)

Max and Brutus watching Brian intently.

Max supervising the lighting of the candles in the pumpkin.

This might be one of my favorite pictures to date. Jack-o-lanterns and a diaper-clad, on the verge of pouty baby.

Our masterpieces:

Adventures in Pumpkining

I realize that it's been way too long since I last updated this, but I have a semi-valid excuse. My laptop has been on the fritz for months now, and it currently is in the hands of a computer fixer (I'm positive he has a more professional title than that, but I'm also positive that I have no clue what it is). My stand-in laptop doesn't have a way for me to download pictures from my camera. So I can only update my blog from home, and it's rare that I find computer time when I *am* at home. But today I'm home with a sick baby (just a cold - nothing serious), and I have a little free time while he's napping. So without further ado, here are some recent pictures from our trip to the pumpkin patch down the road....

Just some random, fun, fall-ish pics:

Much to my dismay, Max didn't love looking at the pumpkins.

This was about as close as he got to having fun picking out a pumpkin.

Max, admiring his pick.

Max and his helper.

Our happily, lil' family. (Well, assuming you call that look on Max's face happy.)

The hayrack ride.

Max and Brian, checking out the pigs.


And then the pony.

I insisted on getting a picture with Max. This is the end result of that (clearly) brilliant idea.

The perfect ending picture for a fall outing. :)

That middle picture could scare away mice.

I've been working really hard for what seems like forever (and possibly a day) to lose all of my pregnancy and baby related gained weight. But because I've been at it for so long, and because I look at myself every day, I've forgotten what I looked like pre-Max, what I looked like right after having him, and how that all compares to how I look now. In the interest of figuring that out AND sharing it with the world, here ya' go:

I didn't know it at the time (well, I suspected it, but couldn't confirm it yet), but I was a few weeks pregnant when this picture was taken. Don't worry. I didn't drink that beer. (Although it was major drama deciding if I should.) :)


This is me the day after having Max. I thank God that I never actually knew that I looked like that. I also like to pretend that part of the reason I look like a blimp version of myself is because I was retaining more water than a woman has ever actually physically been able to retain.


Me, a few weeks ago. I've lost 3-5 more pounds since then, which doesn't seem like a lot, but I like to think that when you get down to this size, it makes a little more difference than it did back in the beginning.


Thus ends the diary of my current weight loss. Thanks for joining me. :)

The Iowa State Fair (because Brian said we HAD to go)

I'm not really a huge fan of the Iowa State Fair (I don't really hate it; I just could do without it), but Brian insisted that we go and take Max with us. We went on a Tuesday evening and happened to get lucky because the weather was cool (I've been to many a state fair where the temperature was well over 100 degrees), and since it had rained all day the crowds were light. Max had fun people watching (although he had already been to the fair with Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Tom earlier in the week, so he was really a fair pro by this point) and, just as Brain predicted, Max LOVED the animal barns. Oh, and I was happy because this year I upgraded from a cup of cookies to a BUCKET of cookies. Yeah. That's right. And they were goooood.

His favorite thing was this particular pig. He thought the snorting noises were funny, and he really liked that the pig seemed to actually acknowledge his presence.


Taking a closer look at the pig.


The Pig. :)


Max, looking calm (and obviously cute) while waiting to be put back in the car on the way home. As always, my pictures are out of sequence.


Brian and Max getting ready to go down the big slide. (They're the ones standing next to the slide worker. Clearly they beat the crowd walking up the stairs!)


Going down the slide. Both Max and Brian were having neither a good or bad time at this point. Max was totally confused as to what was going on, and Brian was trying to stop from going the seemingly 497 miles per hour that he thought they were going.


Seconds after the first, big slide ride. Max is still confused. :)


We happened to see Heather's brother and sister-in-law right in front of the big slide, so we asked them to take a quick family picture for us. I'm impressed, because Max is actually sort of smiling. Usually he looks semi-distressed in our family pictures.


Brian disappeared to get food for several minutes, so I spent my time taking picture after picture of Max. This is one of those dozens. :)

Eating Adventures

Now that Max can feed himself, he's had some pretty spectacular meal moments. I don't typically have the camera on hand, but here are a few times when I did.

This picture doesn't illustrate it too well, but if you look closely you can see that Max's hair is sticking up and out in several places. This is because he was eating pears, sticking his hands in his hair, eating some more pears, sticking his hands in his hair again, etc. For some reason unknown to me, he thought that this was all very hilarious.


The following four pictures show one of Max's first attempts with silverware. I don't mean to ruin the ending, but he failed miserably. :)

This is him trying to put the fork in his mouth, which was good, but due to his "technique" any food that he had on the fork had long since fallen off by the time he actually reached his mouth.


Here he's enjoying the attention from Grandma Kathy.


Another time where he did get the fork to his mouth, but there was still no trace of food on the utensil.


Finally he resorted to eating with one hand and holding the fork with the other. It was well played, in my opinion. :)

Cory and Heather's wedding

These pictures are all out of order. Sorry!

Max eating a piece of the wedding cake.


Standing in line for the dollar dance with his Aunt Heather.


Dancing with his Aunt Heather.


Near the end of the night, when he (clearly) was wedding-ed out.




Pictures before the wedding. You can't tell because it's zoomed in, but Max was looking up at his Uncle Cory for what I can only assume was some reassurance. He was a little uneasy about being up with a big group of fancy dressed people.


Proof that he just might be the world's cutest ringbearer.


A family picture. Pretend that Max is smiling and happy in this picture.


Grandpa Pete, Max, and Brian.


I love this one because he looks like such a little boy (as opposed to a baby).


Max and his Grandma Kathy.


Uncle Cory and Max.


Uncle Cory, Max, and Brian.


Max and Drew, the other ringbearer.


The wedding party.