Days of our Lives

Happy new year! I am excited for 2010...let the fun begin. Max has been so funny lately and I have been meaning to write all of them down but lets face it blogging just doesn't happen very much anymore. Max is talking really good, I can understand most of it :) He told me the other day while I was making his bed "good job mom, thanks for helping, your a good helper". Another day he told me "good job going potty mom...you get a potty treat". And then after going to the dreaded doctors office he said "had fun at the doctors". He says 'ya' to all questions that are asked and repeats the question back as if it is the correct answer. If I ask a yes or no question and he doesn't answer I tell him to 'say yes or no'. He then answers, 'say yes or no'. We have been working on saying the right answer to questions like whats your name, and how old you are. When asked 'what is your name?', he answers 'Max' which sounds like Matt to most people. Then when asked 'how old are you?' he then responds 'Max'. Ask him a second or third time and he might answer '2'. The cutest is he knows his nickname...so ask him what his 'other name' is and he will answer 'buster'.
As for new things with Ben and I...I joined a running group out here that has been fun. I am registered to run in the Disney Princess (all women) half marathon in march and then hopefully do the Salt Lake classic marathon the next month. I've found some new hobbies using old license plates and oil cloth. Then just being with friends and having fun with family.
Ben is almost done with his massive house project that he has taken on himself. He has done a really good job and hopefully we will be able to rent it out soon. He has been biking a lot and getting in shape to ride 60 miles to and from work now that Allegiant is moving half its fleet down to the Orlando Airport. Ben is more or less motivated by saving money on tolls and gas then getting in shape, it just happens to be a good side effect of saving money.
We are all moving to a new house on Saturday which we are very excited for. It has a nice big back yard for Max and the dog we are going to get (not really) but the back door has a doggie door so why not? It is in the same ward with all our good friends and still by all of our neighbors and Max's friends.
I just wanted to include that Max loves taking pictures whenever he can get his hands on my camera. It was hilarious yesterday he walked around taking pictures of himself and would laugh while saying 'look at this picture' haha ' look at this picture'. So here are a few of his amateur photos from the daily life of Max.

Happy Halloween Y'all

Hope Uncle Tom doesn't mind us borrowing his chaps...Thanks!

A Little List

A list about me, us and we three...

• a new house
• a new friend
• one appendix removed
• two marriages
• saved a lizard
• new bike group
• potty training conquered
• missandyd @ Fawn
• dislocated shoulder
• good movies
• two flat tires
• four new molars
• conference
• new phone
• fun trip planned
• one happy family!

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.

#654

Last Saturday's tri was lots of fun even though I was all by myself. I didn't get eaten by any alligators or swamp things...I followed Suzi's advice and swam in the middle of everyone so that they were the first to get picked off. The water was nice and warm to swim in, it was great! It was about 850M and I was happy with my time. I had a little two minute run up to the transition area from the water. Then I hopped onto my bike and raced out. It was a weird course for the bike I thought...it went through some little neighborhoods and had a lot of turns. It totally slowed me up! No not really it gave me time to rest for a second. Anyway, I am for sure going to work on my biking more. I was ok with my time there but I think I could really shave off some time. It was a shorter ride with only about 13 miles. Then back to the transition area and off on my run. It was a short run of 2.65 miles so I didn't really have to worry about pacing myself...I could just run all out, but I was a little tired so I kept pace with a long leg amazon woman in front of me and that was good enough for me.
I am really glad that I made it in time cause I would have been super bummed. I woke up at 5:15am and I had to be all set up and ready to go at 7am. I had about a 40 minutes drive and so I thought I had plenty of time to get down there and pick up my packet and stuff! I got lost like three times and had to ask for directions twice! I am totally investing in a TomTom...it happens way to much. Well I finally found the park and then there was a line to pay and get into the park! Ahhhh! I made it by the skin of my teeth everyone. With ten minutes to pick up my packet, pay for my one time insurance, get set up and get body marked. I am glad somebody else was behind on time because they didn't close the transition area right on time so I made it. Phew!
I love it! I am looking forward to another sprint tri in August then a couple of relay tri's in September and in November (crossing my fingers) the Ragnar Relay from the Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Ocean.