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Where Have I Been?

So much has been going on the past few weeks and I have been a bad blogger. Where do I begin? I'll start with an update on Max...

As I stated in my previous blog Max has been on solid foods for about 6 weeks now. He loves it! He loves green beans, sweet potatoes, applesauce, pears, carrots and prunes. He does not like peaches and bananas... I don't like bananas either so I understand.  I don't think he likes green beans as much as he did in the beginning, however,  I'll keep you guys posted!

Happy Chunky!

Another picture!! Come on Mommy!

Hello Momma!

Let's eat already!

Hello stop taking photos I'm starving!

Messy Face!

Yummy!

On November 17th - wow that is like forever ago - Kevin set up Max's Laugh&Learn Jumperoo.. it's been a big hit! He loves it so much but get's very tired after 30 minutes or so and wants to come out. Naturally Mommy and Daddy do so! But he loves it!  He plays with all the activities and really gets jumping!

Playing with the activities!

Here's a video of him in action:)

Since Memaw and Papa were in Florida visiting the Florida C's, we went home to my parents house for Thanksgiving! Max had so much fun and my sisters enjoyed fighting over him as always! It's Kevin and my favorite part about going home... all the love!! I was sorta upset, however, because Max cut his face with his finger nails the night before Thanksgiving and therefore all of my "Max's First Thanksgiving" photos are going to be forever tarnished! O well! I've got a good family photo to go along with these, but I left it at my Mom's house.. on her computer! I'll grab that here in the next few days/weeks!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuckered out from all the Thanksgiving fun!

Another interesting thing Max started doing was sticking out his tongue. It was so strange. All of a sudden there it was... sticking out at us.. all the time! Like all of a sudden he discover this new appendage.  Hularious!  Over the past few days though I've recognized that this 'sticking out the tongue' thing has dimensioned... and now it's just sticking his hands in his mouth time - all the time!!

Alright so that's basically where we are now.. eating, sticking hands in mouth, jumper-rooing... and ROLLING OVER!! That's right. Last week Max rolled over... we knew it was going to happen any day now and then all of a sudden it did. I'm sitting there on the floor with him playing and he's leaning/rolling around, I look down at my computer, look up and he's on his tummy! Me and Kevin are so proud!! He's such a big boy!! He can also almost sit up alone too! :) The only downside to this rolling over thing is that now I have to constantly watch him and can't leave him unattended on the changing table ever! He's trying to roll around on there too! Oh little Max - such a big boy!

After he rolled over, daddy now getting boogies from nose!

Ahhh I'm stuck!! Ouch that looks like his arm is hurting! He's okay people trust me!

Sleeping on daddy's lap after his roll over work out!

Just the other day we hit another big milestone!! TEETH! Max has two - I repeat TWO teeth coming in on the bottom. You can feel them and see them! That's right.. TEETH!!  I tried to take a photo to no avail.. he just keeps moving around.  But I promise they are there. I'm just praying he doesn't decide to chump down on the boobie! Cross your fingers people!


Okay that's the update!  I'll try and post some more later! And I promise never to go so long without a post again!

So Much "Fun" - What a Week!

This past week has been FUN filled. So much so I’m trying to decide where to start.  After our week of firsts, we had another big first – Max’s First Thanksgiving!  Last Sunday, November 6^th we celebrated our C's Family Thanksgiving!  It was so much fun, everyone got together and we heard a big ANNOUNCEMENT!

First, let me start with who all was there.  Memaw and Papa, Aunt Chris and Uncle Doug, Grandpa H., Aunt Dawn, Uncle Dan and Austin, Honey and Papa Vuchak, Kevin, Max and myself and Uncle Kyle and Aunt Kate, unfortunately the Florida Crabbs couldn’t make it, as it’s quite a drive from Florida to Ohio  (SAD FACE).  It is always so much fun to get everyone together – especially when food is involved. 

So now for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT!! I wish I had a picture of this to show, but I don’t so you’ll just have to hear the story and imagine.  So, Aunt Kate and Uncle Kyle were a little late to dinner, but when they showed up Memaw urged Kevin and I to get up and go say hello! So they walk in and Gussy (their very adorable laberdoddle) is wearing  this red t-shirt. So I stop and read it and am like huh… as the shirt said something along the lines of “I’m going to be a BIG SIS!” (I can’t remember as my excitement caused a momentary Black Out! – Ha!) 

My first thought was, “Are they getting another puppy…” don’t ask me why (I think I didn’t register dog with baby, even though we say Guinness is Max’s big brother) but I was confused, but my mind quickly shifted to JOY as I realized that they were EXPECTING!!! That’s right, our FAMILY is GROWING!! Max is getting another cousin! We are so happy for them!!  Having a baby is the best gift in the world and we are sooooo overjoyed for them! And it’s perfect because Max will forever have a playmate very close in age to him, just the way we wanted it. It’s no fun to be the youngest cousin and have no one close in age, I’ve been there – done that.  So we are overjoyed! I can’t wait to meet the newest Vuchak and can’t wait to find out if it’s a boy or a girl… Stay tuned hopefully they will tell us on December 12^th… if not I will harrash them til the do!

So that’s some big news, right! Wow! Lovin’ it!  Okay so on we go to last week, so last week was a fun week! Max is getting so big and is really starting to be a lot of fun! I find myself unable to resist a little rough housing here and there, rolling around on the floor and whatnot. It’s super fun! He laughs and laughs!

On Tuesday, I think it was Tuesday, we had Max’s 4 month check up! He did perfectly of course, and only barely cried during his shots.  He was hamming it up to the doctor and really enjoyed himself. He’s so darn sweet!

Here are his stats:

Height: 26” – 84%

Weight: 17.8 lbs – 89%

Head Cir.: 97% (big brains we say)

He’s definitely a big boy like his daddy! The doctor gave us permission to continue the cereal and after a week of that we could start him on Step 1 foods, which we did on Friday.  It was a wonderful visit as always, afterall good news always is!

So here comes Friday! What a big day! My good girlfriend Ashley, and her husband, Elloitt, and their little sweetheart (Max’s future Girlfriend), Sophia, came to visit.  Ashley and I had so much fun playing with the babies… and I think they really enjoyed each other as well.

Max loved Sophia… he kept checking her out.  And Sophia kept playing hard to get! It was so much fun! My favorite part was when we tried to get them to take a photo together on the couch and they were falling all over each other, as neither of them has any balance. They are both chucky monkeys and both the most beautiful things I have ever seen!

And if the babies didn’t have fun enough, us mommies and daddies certainly did.  In fact, both daddies’ were up til 2 a.m., can you believe it! Ashley & I went to bed well before that! Go figure!

Max even showed Sophia how well he eats, and even tried Applesauce for the first time while she was visiting. He’s such a show off for his girlfriends. Ha! (Let me tell you though, I don’t think he liked it at first, now however, he seems to have grown to enjoy it, especially when I mix it with his cereal & boob milk!) Like I said it was a blast!

On Saturday morning when the babies woke up, they enjoyed some playtime in their PJs, each having their own playmat, and then I again set them up for another photo session!  It was so nice to have Max interact with another baby! And it was nice for me to see my good friend! We miss them already and are eagerly looking forward to our next visit! So exciting!!!

Looks like FUN is the word in this POST… sorry for all the repetition, there’s just no other way to describe it! Below are a few photos from my iTouch - I'll post some better quality photos later tonight!

Max & Sophia playing!

Tummy Time!

Max showing Sophia how it's done!

So darn cute!

Love them!

Daddy, Max and Guinness! Exhausted after another Brown's loss!

Maxwell

Happy Baby... almost rolling over!

A Week of Firsts

This week was a week of firsts for us!  We experienced our first fever, our first Halloween, our first Halloween parade, our first sleepless night in like 2 months and our first meal of solid food.  Wow! We've had alot going on... where should I start.

The Fever
As most NEW parents will tell you the first fever that there little baby has is the scariest thing ever... we were lucky to be at my parent's home with my father a 30+ year practicing Emergency Medical physician so although this experience was quite scary having a trained medical practitioner there made a world of difference.  It all starting when my dad was holding Max on Halloween day watching football, I was running around taking care of things and daddy was packing up the car so we could go home... my dad said to me that he thought Max had pooped and that he felt a little warm. So I scooped him up and changed his diaper (he had pooped) and took his temperature while I was upstairs (thankfully I had brought the thermometer with me).  To my dismay, he did indeed have a temperature... ahhhh!! Of 101.4... I immediately began to freak out... Max on the other hand was acting quite normal... Ahhh.. I'm freaking out more.

I, again thankfully and as an over prepared mother, had brought his baby medicine with me as before we left Canfield had a feeling that he was coming down with a cold.  So my mom and me gave Max the prescribed amount (again thank you doctor Grandpa), Max hated it!  And so my mother, now sorta freaking out, and my father decided that I needed to go out and get baby acetaminophen suppositories (here's a link to the Feverall website http://www.feverall.com)  because Max hated the medicine and he might not be getting any.  I fought this, because I didn't think they existed -- but was proved wrong. As they do exist.  So I rushed out and got them...  freaking out by the way the whole time.  Thinking why the hell am I out getting these why am I not home with baby - answer - because I wouldn't trust anyone else to do it.. it needed to be me as I am fast and I get things done right. Crazy mother thinking, huh!

By the time I got home Max's temperature was back to normal and there was no need for the medicine. Relax and calm became me... phww! Over the next day, Max ran a slight temperature and we did give him the suppositories.  They worked quick and were easy to give to him.  He went to daycare on Monday but spent Tuesday, Wednesday and Thrusday with grandma... by Wednesday he was in "mint condition" as Daddy would say, and back to normal. Our first scare was over... but damn was it scary and damn do you over react about everything when they are sick... it's horrible. I hope he never get's sick again - cue crazy mother thinking again.

Halloween & Halloween Parade
On Monday, October 31st - yes Max was running a slight fever but nothing serious so we sent him to daycare - we weren't going to initially have him participate in the Halloween parade but when we discovered it was really just 2 laps around the parking lot in a stroller we relented... we didn't want to be those parents after all.  It was great and I'm glad we did it.

I came early & helped them dress Max in his Chicken Costume, that Daddy had gotten from the Old Navy at a discounted price... he found a loose string on it and therefore got 50% off. He looked adorable.  I love him!!  Daddy came too and we watched them push Maxwell around the parking lot. It as so funny.. Max was like hmm this is interested while the other kids where having breakdowns.  See the video and pictures below.. Kevin and I had a blast and were so glad our little angel was in the parade! Love him!

I think the kid sitting next to him is 7 months old.. haha.. Max is just as big as him.. so darn cute!

Our little chicken!! Love him!!

Look at the other kids - half are crying!

Sleepless Nights?
So this whole fever thing and sickness thing made Max very restless at night and therefore Mommy and Daddy didn't get much sleep. Max, normally a great sleeper, was waking up 2 or 3 times a night for a few days and Mommy not feeling good herself was really suffering.  Lucky this has appeared to have just been a few day thing, as he's back to sleeping regular - getting up only one time a night, although he has recently been waking up earlier and fussing when his pacifier falls out of this mouth - so mommy's still not sleeping perfectly yet but it's better!

Mommy of course freaked out and did all this research when Max went a few nights sleeping bad and thought he might be experiencing 'Four Month Regression Sleeping' but now that he's back to normal I think it was just a thing.  We've also started him on cereal so maybe that's helping him sleep.

Cereal
So I have been after Kevin for the past few weeks, telling him we need to start Max on cereal. We've been putting it off because we've been scared... go figure new parents scared. I've done all the research, cue crazy mom music again, and this is what I discovered about starting cereal...

1. Is the baby double their birth weight - check
2. Are they showing interest in food - check - staring us down at every meal asking where his is:)
3. Between the 4 & 6 month age - check
4. Seems hungry even after being fed - semi-check - he loves his Momma milk but I think he could use more
5. Eating there hands.. umm.. check check check 

Ready to eat mommy - see I can sit in high chair and eat hand!

More hand eating!

 So we went for it this week, again the sleepless thing contributed to us trying this out, and he took it like a champ.  We're talking opening his mouth for the spoon and everything. Now he's definitely messy with it - which he's supposed to be as it's supposed to be fun - so who knows how much he's actually eating, but I know this will improve with practice.  Either way he loved it.. and we had so much fun feeding him. Check out some pictures!! 

Hm, what's this.. yummy!!

More please.. move it!

Yum -Yum!

Just give me the bowl I'll do it myself!!

Yummy - opening wide!

As you can see - it's been a fun week & we are ready for the weekend! Phwww, exhausted Mommy!

Come and Ride the Train!

Max just absolutely loves it when I sing to him... and dance:) Ha-ha! Here's a short clip of us having fun!  At the end of it you can tell that he's like -- "Um, I didn't know you were filming this!"  He's going to hate me when he's older for embarrassing him and once he realizes that I am a horrible singer he'll dislike that too, for now I will enjoy the fact that he is as tone deaf as I am.  He absolutely loves this song and I invented the dance (arm) moves to go along with it.

Everyone wants something for nothing...

I’m going to take moment to warn everyone that’s reading this post, that this will be one of my very few posts that may sound  a little political but I can’t help myself… don’t worry as with all my posts it does tie into my little family.  

Before I start I will begin with a picture of my little angel!

Yep, Daddy picked out this outfit!

Yep, Mommy picked out this one!! Love it!

Isn't he perfect!

 Okay now the semi-political stuff ~

So the other day I’m sitting in my office and I over hear a conversation that is happening in the hallway. Someone is discussing with someone else how their pregnant sister gave them her prenatal vitamins because she was about to have her baby and didn’t need them anymore, and what did it matter anyway because she had gotten them for FREE. My face immediately turned BRIGHT RED.  I had payed $75 dollars for a bottle of my prenatal vitamins – which equates to $2.50 a pill.  Now I wanted to make sure my little pumpkin got the best prenatal care, so naturally I sucked it up and even continued to eat the cost after his birth… why because I wanted the best care and was willing to pay for it.  So why did I turn red might you ask, because this chick was getting them for FREE!!!! FOR FREEE!!! FOR FREEE!!!

So this brings me to my point, did you notice how I stated that she didn’t care that she was giving them away because she was due in 2 weeks and wasn’t taking them anymore, in addition to the FREE part. She didn’t care she was due in 2 weeks, well any former or current prego will tell you – TAKE THE DAMN PILLS UNTIL YOU GIVE BIRTH TO THE DAMN BABY.  I can’t help but feel if she was paying for the damn pills she’d be taking them and  not be giving them away.  When things are for free we toss them to the waste side like they are garbage, why because it was free so it must not have any value… does it matter that I am paying full price over here for the same product?  Not to someone who got it for free.

This brings me to my second point.  For those of us that were honored to have had our children in an urban hospital – ie Youngstown Ohio –we  have found a few things interesting, this is what Kevin and I observed.  Half, if not more than half, of the patients there had no medical insurance, and so they were getting their care for free.  We also discovered that the nursing staff was used to getting told off and treated badly because they were very hesitant to be nice when they first came into your room.  We also noticed that many of the new moms were smoking – seriously you just had a kid and you are outside smoking. Our room’s window had a great view of the where you would come in and out to get the maternity ward and we saw countless new mothers out there in their robes smoking cigarettes and in one case a prego mom out there smoking in her bathrobe. Was she in labor.. Probably and needed that damn cigarette. Are you kidding me? 

I also remember when I was first admitted laughing when I was asked – are you on any kind of drugs today.  I looked at the nurse and said, “Oh yea, I just had my fix out in the car before I came up.”  She gave me a very serious look to which I quickly fixed my statement and said “NO” I couldn’t help myself.  It was such an awkward question I thought it was funny to joke about… she then told me I would be surprised by the number of mothers that came in there and were on drugs.  I was shocked.  Why do these mothers care so little?

The answer is this, because they are going to get everything taken care of for nothing. If they knew that they were going to have to pay for the healthcare of their unborn child would they take better care of it?  I think so.  Here’s another simile, when your growing up and your mother tells you to pick up your room do you… no… why because she’ll do it for you… but when it’s your house and your clothes that you paid for do you take better care of them? I certainly hope so!

How can these new mothers possibly care for these children properly when they’ve had no responsibility of the child yet. They’ve paid  for nothing for this child and will continue to receive things for them for free… so why properly care for it… the government will do it for you. 

I’m going to continue this rant with something I heard on Howard Stern today – yes I know Howard is very liberal but I think he’s starting to see the problem with Obama care.  Howard knows someone who is working to support her family as her husband is out of work. She makes enough money that she isn’t eligible for Obamacare so she has to provide healthcare for her family. She pays $1500 a month for a family of 2 adults, her and her husband, and 1 child.  Her insurance is so crappy it is barely accepted at most places, but she has to have it. If she was making less money she could get the government healthcare, which is a million times better than what she has.  How is the right! How is that these people that don’t work and live off the government are being afforded better care than the people that are busting there asses?? How!! And why would these people possibly take better care of themselves when if they do get sick everything is going to be taken care of for them. 

So what’s the solution? Charge them something. Something! Whether it’s a total bill of $500 or $100… charge them something. Somehow these same people find the money for the newest shoes, the pretty nails or whatever else, charge them something. Make them have some responsibility for their child’s care and for the care of themselves.  Some people will say – they will never pay it – well maybe this money should then be deducted from their welfare check or food stamps over time. Or maybe their child is taken away from them if they can’t pay for them or maybe they have to do community service to pay off their debts. We have to make people accountable, just as you and I are.

Is it SOCIALLY RESPONSIBLE for us to take all the SELF RESPONSIBILITY away from everyone? If we continue to take care of EVERYONE they will stop taking care of themselves?  It’s proven that wild animals once fed by humans will stop hunting for themselves, and start coming back to you to take care of them.  Aren’t people the same?

Now I am going to end this post with one last statement. NOT EVERYONE TAKES ADVANTAGE OF THE SYSTEM! There are people out there that GENUALLY need help, whether they are laid off, fired or just NEED IT. These people deserve to be helped, and will over time get new jobs and pay back what they earned.  This is what the system was made for… 

"I'm all for helping the helpless, not the hopeless!" ~ Kevin Hopkinson

October 2, 2011 - Maxwell's Baptism

Okay this is a little late but I feel like I should post something regarding Maxwell’s baptism.  Really there isn’t much to say – it was a nice day – okay the weather sucked and it was raining but to have family together and to welcome Maxwell into the Catholic Church made it a nice day. 

Max’s Baptism was different than any other Baptism that I had been to, in that there were many babies being baptized at the same time. Five babies I believe and I believe Maxwell was the only boy!    We sat in the pews and each repeated what the priest asked for and then each took our turns visiting the Baptismal fountain. Max slept through the entire ceremony except when he got water in his eyes during the dunking – okay it was really a dunk it was just water being pour over his head.  However, he didn’t cry.  He is such a good boy. He looked confused but he didn’t cry! He then promptly returned to his slumber.

He wore the cutest little outfit. I had a hard time deciding what he should wear and was very happy with my choice. I choose a knitted white pants and sweater outfit versus a dress/sleeper outfit. I choose this because he is such a big boy. If he was smaller – say newborn size – I may have chosen something different – say one of the dressy things. I definitely wasn’t going to get one of those white, silky, mini-tuxedos. Oh gosh, those are horrible. I’m sorry it’s just not my style and if anyone has put their child in that type of outfit – I’m terribly sorry if I’ve offended you – like I said not my style.   I think he looked adorable. I even got him some Gerber white booties… which of course fell off half way through pictures.

Maxwell’s godparents are my sister, Alexandria, and Kevin’s brother, Kyle, who just happened to be our Best Man and Maid-of-Honor at our wedding.  We believe they will do a good job in Maxwell’s spiritual growth, although Samantha (my baby sister & godchild) was quite disappointed that she wasn’t given the honor and we have promised her that she will get to do it next time.    Love her!  

It’s so funny to watch Samantha and Alex fight over Maxwell, Kevin and I can’t get enough of it.  I just wish they lived closer, it would be nice to have a 24 hour on call babysitting service, as it stands now I feel guilty to ask Memaw – Kevin’s Mom – to baby-sit on the weekend because she already watches Max twice a week. So I don’t want to do that. Oh well, I’ll just take advantage of them when I visit Sandusky.

Aunt Alex and Maxwell

Godparents, Kyle & Alex, Deacon, Maxwell, Me and Kevin

Sam, Mommy (Me), Maxwell, Alex

Aunt Dawn, Uncle Dan, Daddy (Kevin), Maxwell, Mommy (Me)

Mommy, Daddy, Sleeping Maxwell, Uncle Kyle, Aunt Kate

The Grandparents and Maxwell

Kevin, Great Grandpa Herman, Maxwell, Memaw, Papa, Me

Grandpa, Grandma, Maxwell, Me, Kevin

Me and Maxwell

THE 9 DAY HOLD OUT

The past few weeks have been flying by.  Between work, school <daycare> and spending time together as a family – time goes so fast.  Maxwell is so big – it’s amazing! I remember when I would sit in the chair feeding him and he was so small <well still much bigger than most newborns, but small>, now he’s legs are sticking out well beyond my body when he eats! Awe love him!! He’s perfect!  So perfect in fact that he chooses to only poop every NINE days.  Okay I don’t know if this makes him perfect, because it certainly had mom, dad, and both of our parents worried. 

Where should I begin with this story? I guess it’s best to begin with this 2-month doctor’s appointment.  At our 2-month appointment our doctor, Dr. C. had warned us that his BMs may not happen as often, so naturally they immediately <the next damn day> went from everyday to once every 3 days and we weren’t surprised.  Then they went to once every 4 days, with a really big poop happening when it came – we call it a ‘Poopcano’ okay I just made that up but seriously it’s just keeps coming and coming out. Ha-ha!  So last week Max was at 7 days and I was beginning to worry. 

Naturally I scoured the internet and talked to everyone that I knew about it. Had anyone ever heard of a baby holding out this long?  Apparently I’m not the only mother clueless in these matters because I found dozens of websites addressing/asking about this same problem – the common denominator you ask – breast milk.  All of these babies were breastfed and apparently it’s quite common as they begin to get older, as the babies are naturally absorbing all of the breast milks nutrients. 

So I found some relief in these articles and information, but I was still worried.  I did what any new mother would do – I called Max’s doctor.  What prescription was Max given you ask???  I’ll tell you it involves someone taking his temperature in his BUTT. Yes I said it - his butt… I didn’t even want to type the word because I still feel horrible about it.  But we did it – and what happened might you ask – nothing! The kid stared at me and laughed. He couldn’t figure out what all the fuss was about and why everyone was talking about him going POOP.  I couldn’t help but laugh too. This was after all ridiculous. The kid wasn’t uncomfortable and was happier than ever. What goes up must come down after – so what goes in must come out -- right!!

DAY 9 – Saturday! Kevin is out of town hunting – aka drinking in the woods – and my mother is in town staying with Max and me. I need to run some errands and do some shopping so we get all ready to head out. I naturally put Max in a cute outfit and hope that maybe just maybe the combination of being out and about and his cute outfit will motivate him to poop.   Let’s just say that this did the trick. We made it through 3 stores without a peep or stink, but after I ran into the Home Depot and was loading up the car with my new shelves… I could smell that something had happened. 

We got home and I immediately changed his diaper.  Low and behold we have a POOP.  I have never been so excited in my life, especially for poop! Gezz.. are you kidding me. Hell I can’t even believe I just wrote a whole blog about it.  But this is what excites us parents now.  Poop! He didn’t poop just once that day he pooped 3 more times, silently, slyly and coolly – so I didn’t even know it until I smelt it.  What a little stinker!!! Needless to say after his great and wonderful poops, my mother and I went to lunch and I celebrated with a well-deserved glass of wine.

And that’s the “Great Poop Holdout” of 2011.

Who are you calling a pumpkin!?

Last week was a good week. Mommy went back to work, Max went to school and Daddy stained the deck, mowed the lawn, did laundry, worked his real job and made dinner 3 out of 5 nights last week.  Needless to say Daddy (who works at home) was lonely and had to find things to do when he had downtime at work (which is rare).  All and all last week was a good week.  Max seems to enjoy school – when he’s not sleeping – and has been accepting this transition like a champ.  This week, however, has been a bit rougher on Mommy, but we will get through this.

To celebrate our first full week back to our new normal we decided it was time for our Annual Pumpkin Patch trip, plus we had amazing weather.  We were lucky because Memaw C.s was home alone, Papa had gone away on a golfing trip, so she came with us.  We had so much fun and took lots of pictures.  Max was even awake for most of the adventure – MOST – and we even saw other families with babies out there.  It was really hot, so Max didn’t have to wear any shoes or socks, but did get to wear his Halloween onesie. 

So to Detewier Farms we go for our annual Pumpkin excursion.  Thanks to the Baby Bjorne I didn’t have to worry about carrying Max and he’s big enough now that he could be worn facing out, with a big floppy hat to protect his eyes of course.  Mommy was hot but I think Max was very comfortable.  There were more pumpkins this year than Daddy and Mommy had ever seen before, the patch was full of wonderful choices. 

As usual we walked around and around in search of the best pumpkins to represent our family – a Daddy pumpkin (always the biggest one Daddy can carry – 50 lbs this year), a Mommy pumpkin (the second biggest but more on the small side), a Maxwell pumpkin (our newest addition to our pumpkin family, so naturally the smallest) and a Guinness pumpkin (we look for a strange, fun one for him – because he’s both).  We all found our pumpkins, and Memaw found the perfect one for her as well.   We’re going to hallow out Daddy’s pumpkin and see if we can’t fit Maxwell inside – so check back later for pictures on that.   It was a fun day and a tradition that we will continue to do for many falls to come! I’m already looking forward to next year and can't wait til Christmas when we go cut down our Christmas tree.

Before pumpkin patch!!  Isn't his outfit too cute!

After we got the pumpkins - we are HOT! Literally!

IN the patch!! Finding Pumpkins!

Really in the patch!! Aren't there tons of pumpkins!!

Also this weekend I decided that I needed some fall pictures of Maxwell. So thanks to Memaw and her awesome camera I was able to catch some wonderful moments.

Guinness wanted in on the action.

 

Doesn't Max look thrilled?

Love him... look at those cheeks!