Heartattack{s}

I have been thinking about posting each one of these stories on their own because I think they deserve equal attention. Then I came across this picture and thought that it would tie things together very nicely. Max is growing up! He is talking a lot more, wearing 'fast car' underwear and going potty like a big boy, putting himself in time outs and lot of other cute things. Max has been a really easy kid...he doesn't ever get sick, he sleeps great, he doesn't jump off tables or do crazy stunts. But the last couple of months he has given me a few heart attacks...So story #1,
We had gone to New Smyrna Beach for the day with our good friends the Giffins. They had access to a million dollar condo on the beach. (Which by the way was awesome and when I am rich and famous that is where I will live). We spent the morning on the beach playing in the sand and ocean (and no this doesn't have anything to do with sharks). Then we went to play in the private salt pool for a few minutes, sit in the hot tub and just relax and rinse off. Then we took the elevator up to the condo for lunch. Max loved the elevator. There were mirrors on the ceiling and shiny brass buttons to push and hand railings he could swing on. We went inside and all had pizza and drinks, the kids watch cartoons, we sat on the balcony and max ran between the two. After a few minutes I realized I hadn't seen Max. I went inside and asked the kids if they had seen him. Nope. My first thought was the elevator! I ran out the front door into the hallway and he wasn't there. So I went back into the condo and looked in all the rooms. This was a big condo, 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 tv rooms, wash room, big front room and kitchen...so it took me a minute to look but I kept thinking about that dang elevator! By then Ben was helping and the kids. I couldn't ignore that prompting so I went back out the front door into the hallway, pressed the down button on the elevator and the doors open and out walks this little blonde haired boy in wet swim trunks. To this day I cringe to think about what could have happened.
Story #2, Max and I were over at Jack-Jack's house (Max's new BFF). The Gable's live in this beautiful old house that was built in 1905 with a huge yard equipped with fountain and gazebo. Anywho, I was in the dinning room finishing up dinner and talking. Max had gone out side to play with Jack-Jack's big dump truck. I kept my eye on him and he was being so good and then I realized that I hadn't glance for a few minutes. I got up, went outside to see if he had wandered deeper into the yard. Nope. I checked the garage...nope. (all of this happening in a matter of seconds) I look around the side of the house and there he is driving Jack-Jack' big dump truck in the middle of the ROAD! I jump off the stairs and ran over to him just as a car was telling him to go home. Luckily they live on a country road with no traffic except for their two neighbors up the street. Needless to say this one also kept me up at night.

Story #3, When we were in SLC this last time we had a big family dinner up at Uncle Steve and Aunt Liz's house. As soon as we walked in the door Max went to explore the house. One minute he is there and the next he is gone. Those baby leashes aren't seeming so inhumane anymore. I looked around and heard someone say 'Max went upstairs'. I looked in the boys rooms...no Max. I looked in Chole's room...no Max. I looked in the Bathroom...No Max. So I went all the way down stairs...no Max. Where the heck?? I then went all the way upstairs into Liz and Steve master bedroom and there, on the balcony is Max trying to squeeze under the railing to get a red matchbox car that had fallen onto the roof! Uncle Steve being a compassionate great uncle, with Max, climbs onto a chair, over the railing, onto the roof and lets Max get the matchbox car. Thanks for showing my child how to climb onto a roof.

Another Fun Time in the Desert

We had lots of fun in SLC as always. The weather was nice and dry, a good change from the thick humidity. I think my favorite part of going to SL is that Ben and I get lots of chances to be together...alone. We are super lucky anyway cause we get lots of time together in Florida but we always have our cute little buster with us (which we love). But I love just hanging out, us two :) We spent a night up at The Bird and it was great. We watched TV (which we never get to do because we don't have TV at home) we hiked, went out to dinner, went to the steam room and just sat on our scenic mountain view balcony and read our books! It was so relaxing and quiet. Ahhhh. It was so beautiful! All the wildflowers were in bloom and the crisp mountain air was so refreshing. Now for you mountain folk reading this your probably like yea, yea whats the big deal. But let me emphasis that I miss the MOUNTAINS! I miss the huge rocks, towering cliffs, little streams and pine trees everywhere. The sounds the smells and even the little woodland creatures. We did see a moose and a cute little fox which made our mountain getaway complete.
Well Max couldn't get enough Grandma and Pampa time. He was in heaven. He even pointed out when everyone (Us, G&G Tyler and G&G Derrick) was standing in a circle talking that there are "two grandmas".

Max was very excited to eat blackberries at grandma Tyler's. He always talks about it. Everyday he would go outside in the back yard and pick off a few berries and eat them. I asked if he would pick one for me and he would go over and pick it and start walking back but it never made it to my mouth. It was just to long of a walk with a tempting blackberry in hand.

Max went to the zoo twice, Liberty Park a couple of times and got lots of rides in the Jeep with big bumps. He ate lots of ice cream and cookies. It was great fun!

Trapper Keeper

Max loves catching frogs and lizards. He is pretty good at the frog thing but those lizards are fast. He has gotten a few tails but only a couple whole lizards. The tails are so gross they just wiggle around on the ground, yuck! The little frogs are so cute. They are everywhere when it rains too. Max is so gentle with them too, its pretty cute. And when they wiggle around in his little cave of a hand he laughs and giggles. When I here that giggling I know exactly what he is doing. He is good at catch and release but every once in a while he wants to keep them and bring them in the house.