One and growing

Jacob turned one last week. My baby is growing up. We had a small party for him, Teancum made the cupcakes and helped wrap his present. I must say Jacob did not like the cupcake too much, but he loved the walker we gave him. It gave him the confidence to let go while walking and within a week our little baby went from tentative walker only when holding on to something to full out "I'm concentrating and walking so nobody get in my way." I have since caught him walking about 8-9 slow and thought out steps on his own, and even walking backwards with his new toy. Get him walking to dad or mom though and he's to excited to stay up for more than a couple steps.

The candle Ryan managed to find...definitly too big for the cupcake. Good thing we couldn't find a lighter, Jacob's fingers would have been scorched

That's as much cupcake as he would eat

Showing off his new toy

Why we love Colorado

Here are some pics of why we love Colorado...we'll let them speak for themselves

Our Little Rocker

Teancum love's his uncles and learning. When they let him keep their old toy guitar as a birthday present he was thrilled. Check out his first performance featuring His favorite.....the ABC song

T's big day...also late

Teancum's Birthday was Also Ninja Turtle themed. It was nice for him to have one last shindig with his friends before we had to move. I didn't get a picture of the Leonardo piñata, or individual pizzas the kids made but here are some other pics of the party. Check out the radioactive ooze cupcakes

I wasn't sure about more dinosaurs...But he plays with these ones all the time. they are his Land before time dinos



Cowboy stuff to remember texas by..and from his favorite girl too

Yes he got a Ninja Turtle...Now his favorites are Leonardo and Michaelangelo.

Halloween...a little late

Alright, I know I'm probably the last to do this, but even two months after the fact I think these pics are cute...even though they don't catch my Boys in all their Ninja glory. this year Teancum wanted to be a Ninja Turtle for Halloween (and a have a Ninja Turtle birthday). Since I had some blue fabric around the house I figured it woudl be easy to stitch up a mask and some armbands to go on some green sweats and viola T was his favorite Ninja Turtle. Of coarse he wanted the rest of us to be them too so I made small purple and large red and orange bands a masks and we went to our halloween party as the complete set, too bad I didn't have anyone take our pic. Then on Halloween Night we went with some friends and Let me tell you they were the cutest set of kids on the block. Thanks Nicole for getting some pics for me.

Donatello with Diego and Baby Jaguar

The Whole Crew

Leonardo taking on a Ninja and Indiana Jones

Caught redhanded

I was busy preparing dinner today and turned to find my sweet little Jacob with his hand caught in the cookie jar...so to speak. He recently discovered how yummy marshmellows are yesterday when he found the container in our cupboard and I gave him one. Here is the play by play of todays caper

I'm caught...

Look Mommy....

....MMMMMMmmm....

The little children

Our first Sunday here happened to be the primary program. It was fun to here the kids sing...and I'm sorry to say I did compare the program to the one we had in Waco and it didn't even compare to how wonderful Waco's kids sang, and how well the program was put together. It made me miss my children, and got me to thinking about some of the kids who expressed sadness at my leaving.

I even got teary eyed thinking about my last sunday in our old ward. The primary spotlighted me and I had the kids sing Child's Prayer...a song that is near and dear to my heart since my family used to practice singing it in parts during family night. I hope the kids know that I was bearing my testimony to them in the song. I couldn't tell them that directly though because I was so choked up by the end I couldn't even sing.

To top it off the Rachel White presented me with a card that was signed by all the primary kids and teachers, the nursury leaders, and even the former primary kids that graduated while I was the singing time Choristor. I just went to my seat bawling, there was no way I was going to be able to say anything at the time...but if any of the parents are reading this, please let your children know how much I love them, that I know God loves them and they are choice spirits, I know Heavenly Father hears their prayers and will answer them. They are children of God.

Botched baking day

My inlaws are coming to visit us tomorrow. Remembering how my mother-in-law always has a bag of homemade cookies somewhere I decided to bake a bunch to make them feel more at home. I cheated though and used a tub of premade cookiedough since I have a lot of unpacking left to do still. The results...5 dozen burt cookies. The first couple batches burned...I don't know why since the oven wasn't even officially preheated to the right temp and I followed the time on the directions. The third was a success and I plum forgot about the 4th, 5th and 6th batches. What a waste. We've already eaten the dozen that turned out. I guess tomorrow I'll have to start from scratch before the get here.

Welcome to Colorfull Colorado

We've finally settled in to our home in colorado and the boys are loving having a yard to play in and a school around the corner with three playgrounds. The library is in walking distance and the first day here there was a Buck in our backyard. He came to visit us again the next day but we havn't seen him since then. Jacob is taking the move fairly well, it has been a little harder on Teancum who had to drop out of preschool and leave his many friends behind. He kept asking to go home until the movers brought our stuff and he had his bed back, now he just asks to go play with Jackson and Ava. Ryan is hard at work and has been given a lot of responsibility on this job (he is in charge of the entire interior of the Hospital), what a great learning opportunity. I'm loving having a home and really enjoyed decorating it and making it ours. Last Saturday we raked leaves...funny how yard work can get you all excited when you haven't had to do it in years.
Sorry about the lack of pictures. I was going to take a bunch and chronicle our move, unfortunately I had the movers pack up the charger and then when I went to take pictures of the "big" truck the camera's battery died. The charger is still lost in all the boxes left to unpack....I'm procrastinating now that the upstairs is settled and looking homey. When I finally dig it out and charge the camera I'll post the pictures of our new and blessed abode. Bye for now.

3 and crushing

Teancum had his birthday last night and his party tonight. I can't get over how much he has grown over the last three years. It seems like he has always been a part of this family and yet I am always amazed at how much older he seems, like how he always encourages others when we play simple games, how early he picked up on memory and go fish, how easily he grasped the concept of taking turns. His latest milestone reached is his first real crush...sure he liked a girl in Provo, but it was more like a close friend he liked to make happy.

I wasn't even sure if Teancum just liked Ava or had a crush on her. When we made up invitations for his preschool pals to come to his birthday party he refused to write her name in any color except pink. Then she showed up to preschool grumpy one day and as soon as he saw her Teancum put his arms around her, kissed her on the cheek and just held her. I was stunned and I think I went into shock because all I remember is coming up with some reason I only halfed believed for why he was holding this little girl in his arms....If I didn't apologize for my sons forward behavior Linz I am sorry. Anyways, this kiss put me on my gaurd to see if Teancum really liked this girl and sure enough everytime I asked him who was coming to his party it was "Jackson (bf), Ava" followed by a random friend from preschool. Finally the clincher came. I asked Teancum after his party what his favorite part was...thinking his answer would be the piñata or the presents and without hesitation he said "Ava." So there you have it my son has a crush. She's a cutie too.

Transfers

Alright, so I've been horrible at blogging lately, but here is the scoop. We just found out we are moving in three weeks, so if there is little news on our side for a while you know why. Where are we off to you ask? The wonderfully white in the wintertime state of Colorado! In Craig we will be five hours from my parents, five hours from Provo (great for when friends get married), and 11 hours from Ryan's parents...that's the closest we will have lived to my parents and the closest to Ryan's since the kids started arriving. Are we excited? Hmmm...outdoors, hiking, snow, sledding, grandparents, yard, nature, small town....Yup. The only downside is leaving all of our friends and family that we have grown so close to over the last year and a half, some of which we are just starting to get to know. So, here is a chance to help us reminisce with a fun memories you have of the last year and a half.

And we're back in 5,4,3,2,1

Welcome back to Maxwell's hive where despite an extremely long hiatus taken by the writer news has not slown down here at all. The bees were busy as usual this past month as Teancum started preschool, the family had an action packed labor day, Kirsten planned a baby shower, Mom and boys went to Colorado for a little over a week to enjoy time with Grandparents, Uncles, Buddy, Aunt Holly, and Cousins--Ryan missed them and was missed something terrible--they came back in time for Kirsten to help with a YM/YW activity, finish some gifts for the baby shower and attend, host book club, prepare an all day singing time in primary, and help and teach preschool lessons and take the boys to doctor appointments...plus all the normal stuff and trying to catch up on sleep. Feel like you missed out? Sorry, but this busy mom has more than a dozen pictures to bring you up to speed. Enjoy!

Why we love the YMCA

Ryan and I have a new great pastime. Spending time at the YMCA playing each other in racquetball. We head there a couple days a week, drop the kids off in childwatch and play hard for half an hour. Then we grab the kids shower, change, and head to the pool. Check out the video I made of our pictures (sorry no sound.)

updates

Alright so Jacob is officially crawling. Wednesday I turned around and he was across the room. Then I caught him on camera. Now there is no place that is safe. I love it and know it will drive me crazy for a while.

Milestones and fun

All right, I'm back and with pictures. I've been having too much fun the past week catching up on sleep and enjoying Mr. T's imagination. And boy do the boys grow fast. In the past two weeks Jacob has gone from rocking to semi-crawling. By semi I mean he starts crawling if the object he wants is close by, then after four or five crawls he decides he's faster lunging for it or rolling to his back and arching his way over. He's getting better though he refuses to do it for the camera. check out the video to see what I'm talking about or look at the cute picture of the boys flying their "airplane" while you're at it.

" Ready for takeoff?"
"Up we go"

Fun Phrase of the week!

First I'm apolligizing for my lack of photos for the space of many posts..I'll get some up soon. In the meantime enjoy a priceless moment.

"Boodyful" (beautiful)
Alright this one had me grinning and my head on cloud nine for a while...It took place one afternoon after a long day, when I was feeling gross, unkempt, and stinky from not showering and we were heading out to go eat somewhere...I forget where.

Mom: Teancum could you please go get me my brush so I can fix my hair?
Teancum (with arms outstretched): No mom! You Boodyfull
Mom (smiling): Thanks Teancum but I really need to fix my hair
Teancum (shaking head and with a serious expression): No, you boodyfull

I asked Ryan if he put Teancum up to it and met an utterly confused look, apparently Ryan had no idea what had just transpired, but after being filled in he agreed with Teancum they added that I was a boodyfull princess. I had to beg to get my hairbrush.

Mosters

When I was a kid people were afraid of monsters, and small children were terrified of them. I guess Teancum is above all that because lately he has developed an imaginary friend named "Monster." From what I gather his monster is little, green, has two eyes and two legs, and is either always hungery or else just eats all the time for the fun of it. Monster is small enough to carry around in the palms of Teancum's hands or else on an accordian style peg rack. I have to crack a smile everytime something comes up that has to do with monster...oh and all the other monsters in the house are scared away by my two year old blowing raspberries...I love his imagination.

He Talks!

Monday morning I went to get Jacob from his crib. I smiled 'cause he was babbling then as I got to the crib heard "mama" he saw me and got a huge grin. I thought it was a fluke and told Ryan at lunch. He proceeds to get Jacob to repeat it several more times. Then silence on the Mama the rest of the week. I'm thinking fine he was having fun but he doesn't know what it means. Saturday morning comes and Ryan sends me out to shop by myself (mainly because I was so tired and grumpy from having the boys wake up several times the preceeding 4 nights and get up one of the days at 4:30, coupled with no naps and I get nasty).
I had shopped a litte and made my way over to bed bath and beyond when I get a call on the cell. Its Ryan. I think hes had enough of the boys and its time to go home. Nope, its true that Jacob had been grumpy and refused to nap most of the morning, but the real reason for the call: Ryan had been trying to fight a very grumpy Jacob and coax him to go to sleep when my fussing baby turned and looked straight at Ryan and says "MAMA, MAMA." What could my hubby do but get mama on the phone for Jacob. Precious moments.

Mis Hijos Mexicanos

I recently obtained two very adorable guayaberas from my mom and my abuelito (grandpa). So of course we had to do a photo shoot. Jacob was very accomidating at first but we could not get Teancum to sit still and pose for the camera. These are the best shots we got. With two very handsome yet uncooperative boys, and two cute outfits the result is always more cuteness. Check them out

From the mouths of Babes

Some of our favorite conversations from the past week

Teancum: Mom race that car
Mom: O.K. look we're catching up to it
We inch closer to the car at a snail's pace
Teancum: MOM DRIVE
Mom: I am driving
Teancum: No, you no drive.
----------------
Mom: Teancum who made you so smart?
Teancum: Daddy!
----------------
Mom or Dad: do you want more oatmeal?
Jacob: mum,mum,mummmmmm

Letting Go...well sorta

Ryan and I finally moved Jacob out of our room and into Teancums. It was exhilarating for me to have our room back, and sad to see Jacob growing up so fast. Teancum was more than thrilled to share his room, so much so that he has had a hard time staying out of it when I put Jacob down for a nap in there. After Teancum waking Jacob up way to early from three naps in a row we have officially moved Jacob back in to our room (for naptime). Teancum has shown a little dissapointment at the fact that we put Jacob to sleep in our room and move him into Teancum's after Teancum falls asleep, but there is still the twinkle in his eye and smile on his face come morning when he wakes up and can play with Jacob in their room.

Oh my dear Two Year Old

I thought his ears were broken because he was having trouble listening when I would call him: to the table, to brush his teeth, to bathtime. I thought he was reckless when I would tell him not to climb or to wait for mommy then find him ontop of the kitchen counter or trying to cut the birthday cake. I was beyond patience when he threw a tantrum because I had broke the grahm cracker for him.

Then, taking a closer look at my two year old I saw: Ears that hear the phrases we say and lips that try to reapeat them, A heart that cares everytime someone is sad and wants to make them happy even if it means giving up a favorite toy, a brother who after ten minutes is still "almost" done holding the baby on his lap, my child who still wants to be held and read bedtime stories to, a firefighter and a mountain climber who can't hear because they are miles away in a different world, A boy who loves freedome and independence and wants to be like his Daddy in so many ways even if it includes exasperating his parents, a boy who has the imagination of a child, a child who has the energy of the whirlwind and the faith and fearlessness of a stripling warrior, a tough soldier who says "yeah, I'm fine" after many a tumble but still wants mom to kiss it better, my son.

Chompers

In all the excitement of Branson I failed to mention a fun little development that has only increased the amount of kisses mom plants on a chubby cheeked 7 month old. The last day in Branson while nursing Jacob in a Silver Dollar City mother's lounge I noticed the an inkling of pearly white in my precious baby's mouth. Upon closer inspection it was confirmed, Jacob has cut his first two teeth. This milestone has reminded me that my baby will all to quickly grown up and renewed my determination to plant my lips on his cheeks as often as I can. Good thing too because shortly after returning home Ryan and I have noticed and increase in: the amount of time Jacob sits on his own, the amount of rolling around he does, his scooting has progressed to tummy scooting in addition to his already proficient way of moving around on his back by arching and pushing with his legs, attempts to get on all fours, development of his pincer grasp...Oh my, my baby won't slow down his determination to grow up.

The new Adventures of Larry Boy

Teancum loves two things in the realm of cartoon movies...Care Bears and Larry Boy. WE have made him numerous Care Bear Shirts and one Larry Boy shirt that says "I am that Hero." He also recieved some Placemats from a very nice annonymous person that are Veggie Tales and with which he went to bed that night (thank you A). couple this love with a chance to meet Larry and Bob and go on rollercoasters, waterslides, giant swings, flying elephants, and see fire dances, and you have the excitement that comprised our family vacation. Oh, and Thanks Holly and Tyler for letting our vacation kick off with lots of fun in St. Louis.

Something to remember us by

We'll be heading out for a family vacation at the end of this week, which means no posts 'till we get back. Here are some of our favorite recent pictures to remember us by:

Phrase of the Week

Kids say the darndest things and pick them up to. Teancum's favorite thing to say this week is "NOW!" For example when he woke up from his nap yesterday he yelled, "Daddy, get me out of here NOW!" When he wanted me to help him down the slide it was "Mom, get me down NOW." and after being told he needed to ask nice he changed his tune to "Mom, please get me down NOW!" What's a mom to do.

The Testimony of a Child

Ryan got into a clean mode on Saturday and so we did some spring cleaning in the Toy room and Teancum's room. We rotated toys and mixed things up in the toy room. Ryan even put the poster of the Savior back up in Teancum's room. Well monday morning Teancum got up bright eyed and bushy tailed and called me to his room. Instead of his usual request for me to look at his clock however he simply said in his most excited voice "Jesus!" I looked and sure enough there was the poster on his door at eye level. I confirmed what he saw to which he responded, "I missed him," then "Jesus loves me!" I couldn't resist giving him a big hug and he brought a tear to my eye when he said "Jesus love you." Thank you Teancum for reminding me about where we came from and who we are.

6 Month Stats

Jacob had his 6 mo. appointment today and weighed in at a hefty 21.57lbs. Not bad for his 26.5 inches. He's maintained his 97% on weight and average highth. Way to go Sweet Cheeks.

Catching Up

Alright so I took an extended vacation from Blogging...here are some fun updates

Jacob: Can sit by hiself for about a minute and get this...He rolled over yesterday! it took a lot of work buy he was determined to get a toy so he rolled from his back to his tummy to get it, then just to prove to mom that it's not that difficult he rolled over again when I put him to bed tonight and woke himself up because he rolled right into the side of the crib and got his arm stuck...Ouch.

Teancum: Talking more than ever. Some of my personal favorites include: mom, Shake your booty Or Shake your wowow (thanks Jackson). He likes to play "got your nose" and hamms up his pain when you eat his nose until you give it back. He is persistant about getting books read to him at bedtime and goes down the waterslide at the pool by himself. He is also being a good big brother and askes to hold Jacob more though he gets jealous when we're encouraging Jacob in his rollover.

Kirsten: Had a good birthday last week up until the food poisoning. Ryan was a great sport and took Teancum to the zoo the next morning so she could rest up. Now she is loving the new pictures on the wall, the new clothes (thanks mom) and having fun getting dolled up in the mornings. I also have a good method for loosing weight if anyone wants in on the secret.

Ryan: Is getting more time at bat as he plays softball with Teancum in the living room...No broken windows as of yet. We love all the effort he has put into letting mom have nights off this last week and Deserves the best Father's Day gift ever...if only I can figure out what that is. Oh and he got new swim trunks since we have been frequenting the YMCA pool.


Alright now that we got the updates out of the way here are some recent photos and videos we love:

This is why we love bathtime!

One more for fun

Teancum Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

So It looks like I lost in the gene pool... Actually when I ran Teancum's current picture with my current picture and ryan's current picture we came out even. When I used our baby pictures and Teancum's current picture Ryan still won by 5%. Go Figure.

Oh and Thanks go out to my two faithful readers who actually voted...At least someone thinks Teancum looks like me.

Jacob's Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Family tree - Genealogy - Celebrity - Collage - Morph

Up and Coming Bands

This post is dedicated to my little brother Michael and my Abuelita. Michael is 12 and is doing something my brother Andrew always dreamed of. He started his own band made up of his friends from church. Their band had their first gig this week performing for a fundraiser to fight cancer. My abuelita (maternal grandmother) died recently from pancreatic cancer. It happened suddenly and while we miss her terribly (especially when I need a good recipe for tamales or am making pozole) I am grateful for the knowledge that she continues to serve the Master and that we are an eternal family. I will be reunited with her again. We are grateful for all that supported the fundraiser. And thank you Michael, not only do you constantly remind me to be a better person and to draw nearer my Savior, but you are also using your talents to make a difference in the world around you. I love you.
You can click on the link to see Michael's band in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btIQ9nmVxB4

Who's Who?

Alright all you faithful readers...and the one's who just happen upon this entry, here is the question I have wanted you to ponder for some time. Who looks like who among the Maxwell clan? Does Teancum look more like Ryan or Kirsten or Jacob? What about Jacob....I think I know the answer on that one anyways cast your votes and in one week I will run our pictures through the Look-alike Meter.

This Last weekend we took Teancum on his first fishing trip. The Williams and we were invited by Mike (Ryan's boss) and his wife to his inlaws. They were so nice and hospitable. We ate a great lunch of fresh hamburgers then it was off fishing. At the stocked pond the fish were only kinda biting so it was off to the river next. It the three hours we were fishing we caught about 15 fish, Ryan was the MVP of the day catching by far the most. It was one of the best outings we've had in a long time; wonderful to get out of the city.
Good thing Keri brought her camera...here are the pictures of the day

Fun with the In-Laws

I've been such a slacker lately in updating this blog...the truth is we have been having so much fun I can't keep up. Ryan's family came and visited us for a few days and boy did we have fun. Teancum fell in love with his two aunts right away and was quite the little host. It was all fun and games for him; the zoo, the park, the museum, Jump Party, not to mention all the fun things he could get into while going down for naps (they stayed in his room).

Jacob was spoiled of course and who couldn't blame them. He was held everywhere we went and I loved watching him being so happy.

Anyways enjoy the footage.

Introducing Mr. Green

No, this blurb isn't going to be about money...it's about Teancum's newest friend. In addition to "Shawlaur" (I'll write more about them in the future) Mr Green is now one of Teancum's favorite pals to hangout with; even though he can't go down the slide.

So, who is Mr. Green? Why, he's the cute little grass head, chia pet-like friend Teancum brought home from library last week. He's cute and best of all Teancum can cut his hair with Scissors.

(the library program was on seeds & spring for those who missed it).

Now, how can you get your own little Mr. or Mrs. Green for your child to play hairdresser on? It's as easy as 1,2,3,

1. Take an old Nylon that you plan on throwing out (clean please...unless you want to call him stinky pete). Put a handful of Rye Grass seed in the nylon followed by a cup full of dirt, then tie a not in the end

2. Dress it up with craft eyes..for girls a little sticky bow would be cute too.

3. Turn it upside down in a clear cup, water, set it in sunlight and watch it grow

Here is a picture of our Mr.Green before and after his first haircut. NOTE: if your child swings the nylon around and mixes the seeds up with the dirt your Mr. Green will look more like an ape than a baby.

Mr. Green looking nervous for his first haircut...

Teancum taking a little off the top

The finished product..not bad for a two year old

Flipping the Switch

Teancum had his first dentist appointment today. I sure was amazed. It made me laugh because he was so excited to have his own dentist appointment. He was happy and cheerful while we drove there. Smiling and curious while mom gave the secretaries his information. Skipping while we went to the room. Almost bouncing when he got into the giant chair. And then they flipped the swith on the T.V. and turned it to cartoons. My knowledge hungry child immedietly transformed into a zombie. The only times his eyes came off the screen was a quick glance at the tools the hygenist uses and when the Hygenist was showing him how the chair leaned back. It startled him and he kept trying to sit up while the back of the chair reclined. He looked back to make sure that it was alright to lie down and then it was back to the T.V. Even when he got the goodie bag he was only half interested. Forget sedating just put on the T.V. and my boy is calm as the eye of a tornado...of course as soon as the T.V. went off he was up and active following the hygenist to the toy box where he got not one but two toy prizes, and a goodie bag for being so cooperative.

I have no doubt my boy likes to go to the dentist.

Outside the Dentist's...Ready to go

Looking at the tools

T.V. Zombie

Still trying to watch the T.V.

Look, I got a toothbrush