Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Busiest Family ever?

Hi everyone,
Wow, are we busy.  And we are so far from having extracurriculars to eat up even more of our precious time.  I have no idea how we will function when that time comes… and it will.  Max has already asked when he can play baseball.  He has actually been old enough the last couple of years to play T-ball, but I am just not willing to parcel out more of our time to something that I don't think he will actually appreciate yet.  We have plenty of time to get him into sports, I don't feel the need to rush into it while Asher is still so little and we have more than enough on out plates as it is right now.

So what do we do with all of our time?  Well, Max is at school 5 days a week from 8:30-3:00.  He really seems to love it, but I can tell you that it is exhausting for him.  He will typically nap on the weekend and this morning he fell asleep on the couch after Curtis woke him up.  He complains that we wake him up "too early" and yet it is a struggle to get him in bed by 8:00 every night.  And it's not always his fault (mostly it is) but sometimes it is just circumstances.  On Friday afternoons, Curtis picks him up from school (sometimes Asher and I come too) and they go to the zoo, the park, etc.  Max looks forward to this all week and he deserves some fun after working hard.  In fact last Thursday his teacher, Ms. Tita, made a point in telling me how hard Max is working and how well he is doing.  "He deserves a reward" she told me.  So we went for a cupcake.  I am proud of him.

Asher is going to Parents Day Out on Mondays and Wednesdays this fall.  He doesn't love it. :(  But I remember struggling with Max when he started out.  I still feel bad when I hand him over with that bottom lip stuck out and a look of betrayal on his sweet face.  And then he cries again when I show up to get him, just to remind me how upset he really was.  Hopefully we are turning a corner.  Today seemed a little easier.

Curtis is working, working, working.  I remember when we first moved here he would have huge gaps in his schedule and come home at all hours of the day.  That was waaaaay before kids.  Now when it would be great to have him home he is busy, busy, busy.  Don't get me wrong, busy is good, but I know he wishes he could spend more time with the boys.

And me, I am taking a statistics course which keeps me plenty stressed out.  I meet with a group every Sunday to work on homework and that is the ONLY thing getting me through right now.  While Asher is at PDO, I am usually in the library doing homework or reading for my future dissertation research.  My class is Tuesday nights so that is "boys night" and for the past three weeks (and we have three more to go) I have been sitting in on a Cradled group in a supportive role to these families.  So lately Wednesday nights have been "boys night" as well.

Asher had his 9 month check up a week ago last Monday.  He weighed 21.5 lbs and was 30" long.  Growing boy!  He is still behind Max in weight, but is actually a little longer than he was at 9 months.  But the most important part is that Dr. Janish proclaimed him "perfect".  She said she wished all her babies were so easy.  We did not get away without a needle stick though… he has his first half of the flu vaccine and we will have to go back later this month for the other half.  Max was with us, so he took the flu mist.  Im not sure we will do that again.  He ran a temp Friday after Curtis picked him up from school (and took him for ice cream and the zoo) and complained of his ears hurting.  We dosed him with Advil, but I was worried he might be getting an ear infection so I took him to urgent care.  They swabbed him for strep and the flu, and he came back positive for the flu!!!  But Max was acting so normal, just feverish.  He prescribed Tamiflu (very expensive) but Curtis and I decided (once consulting with both of our former pediatricians and the nurse on call at the clinic) that we would give it 24 hours.  Well he is just perfect too.  Not sure if it was just side effects from the mist or another little virus messing with him, but he's right as rain.

Asher's fused tooth.  The one on the left is extra wide as Curtis thinks it is actually two teeth fused together.  No problem now, but hopefully his adult teeth will be ok.
We went to the Perot museum in Dallas the Saturday following Max's first full week of school as a treat.  It was awesome!  Above Max is simulating a bird and is "flying".
All of the skeletons in this part of the museum were found in Texas.  

Max and Daddy were feeling a simulated Earthquake.
Exploring rocks and minerals.
Argon laser
This was a neat wall. Small wooden blocks that would turn on edge to mimc the person in the camera.
3-D Imax movie!!!

Way in the basement was a teeny tiny corner for Asher's age group.  Poor baby!  He didn't seem to mind getting hauled all over the place though.
Asher just adores Max.  He wants to do whatever Max is doing too.
Papa came for a visit!!!  Here Max and Papa are playing a dice game.  Max makes the rules up as he goes, but needless to say he ALWAYS wins and you ALWAYS lose!
Max is counting the block tower to make sure it is taller than Papa's tower.
Papa and his new car. He headed out before Curt and Asher were up for the day. As we watched him drive around the corner, Max says "I miss Papa already!".  We will see him in about a week!!!
First day of PDO was traumatic.  Asher wouldn't nap there and passed out in my arm immediately after we climbed in the van.

Grocery shopping.  He was just chilling in the cart checking out the scene at HEB.
Our first (and last for a looooong time) family outing to watch football in the new stadium.  It is an awesome place!
Asher's first Sic 'em!

It was a beautiful night.

9 month pictures!!!

How big does he look?!? It breaks my heart...

Saturday, September 13, 2014

Peek a Boo Asher

A conversation with Papa

Asher is Growling

Montana Part IV - The conclusion

Well school is now in full swing for Maxwell and myself, so I seem to have even less time to sit down and sort photos.  Asher goes to Parents Day Out twice a week and I spend those hours working diligently at the library.  I'm sorry it has taken me a while to wrap up the photos from this trip, there aren't too many left.  These few were taken on our last morning together.  I'm not sure why we always wait to get pictures before the big goodbye… they are never quite as good.  We need to take them at the beginning of the trip next time!
 Max and Emma.  These two really had a good time together.

 Auntie Erin, Emma and Asher soaking up some last snuggles.
 Stu and Max. These two will be best buddies always!

And here is the last picture of the trip.  Unfortunately Cash had already left the building… or had he?
 Although it was sad to say goodbye to the family, we were looking forward to meeting up with some of our very good friends from dental school days.  We spent our last couple of days with these wonderful people and their children.  We passed a park one afternoon which is where these pictures came from.  
So here is our group:  Johnny, Rachael and their two boys Mac and Charlie (at least I think it is Charlie… it may have changed since then.  I'm not joking either!) Our four and Travis and Brie with their four girls: Mallory, Marlee, Livi and Chloe (we missed their son Mason this trip who was at a pre-season Broncos game).  It was so great to meet their kids and just catch up on old memories and tell stories from within the trenches, be it parenthood, dentistry, etc.  10 year is far too long between visits with this group.

Thursday, August 21, 2014

Montana Vacation Part 3

On our second day in the park, the bunch of crazies that I call family (through marriage of course… Baxleys are way to sensible for this nonsense, right?) decided to go swimming in Lake McDonald.  This is a glacier fed lake people, and it is COLD!  I went into my ankles to get a picture or two, but there was no way I was going any farther than that!!!  Everyone else kept saying how it was not so bad once you got in and blah blah blah, but I think they were just too numb to realize how cold the water really was in there.  But I had a good time watching an epic water gun fight and taking lots of pictures (and trying to keep Asher from eating rocks).
Don't worry, Cash is as crazy as the rest. He waded in as well!
Asher dipping his toes in the water.  It didn't bother him, he was trying to go all in!!!
Super Stud Max ready to battle! With pink goggles… I thin that takes him down from super stud to just stud.
Kendra and Asher splashed along the edge of the lake.

"Don't you put that rock in your mouth so help me!!!"  
Grandpa wading in with Asher.
Melinda and Kendra
Someone (not sure who) rented a paddle board and everyone took turns out on the water.  I wanted to give it a go, but I was afraid I would fall in… then COLD!
Just another beautiful day in Glacier.  So pretty!

Anika… She's so grown up now.
Grady was a bit of an instigator! Don't fall for that innocent face!
Emma
Max was so funny.  He would duck down into his floaty when someone was shooting at him, then pop out to return fire.  Pretty smart!

Friendly fire!!!  Emma's been hit!

Ross and Stuart got into the action.

I needed another week in this place.  Two days (not even that really) is not even enough to make you believe it is real.  I loved it and we will definitely be going back again and again!  Be ready Uncle Steve and Aunt Judy!!!

Friday, August 15, 2014

Pardon the Interruption

We interrupt our vacation pictures to bring you the following {heart}breaking news:

Max started school this week at Waco Montessori (pre-K).  He had a half day on Wednesday and Thursday to help the "new" kids transition, then a full day today (Friday).  So far, so good!


And, Asher Neal is 8 months old!  He is now crawling on his hands and knees (after army crawling for the last month) and pulls up on anything that will stand still.  Time is flying by in Waco!