Welcome Home Charley!

We were greeted by friends, family, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles and even the neighbors when we arrived home with our sweet baby girl. From homemade banners and signs to a nursery makeover that had Sam and I sobbing, we were overwhelmed (once again!) at the thought of introducing our daughter and baby sister to our clan. 

Grandma and Papa 

Brit and Charley

Proud Aunts!

Grandma and Grandpa

Beaming Cousin Lauren

Uncle Tom

And many, many, many, many, many, many, many more.

Updates +

Where has the month of April gone? I have apparently been in a bloggy daze and must apologize to my faithful blog followers [all 2 or 3 of you] for the lack of posts.

I am going to try to make it up to you in this single post. To keep said updates organized I am resorting to actually numbering my random posts, pictures and yes, videos. I don't think I have ever done that in my years of blogging.

1. Max has apparently taken up the game of golf in his spare time. He is quite pleased with himself every time his club makes contact with the golf ball. And just for the record, daddy is quite proud.

2. Max is very sweet on our neighbor and his friend, Brooke. Only two doors away from each other, the kids literally run down the sidewalk towards each other with their arms open, ready for hugs. It is quite a sight and incredibly adorable.

3. I am not sure why I get all sappy when Max learns to do something new, but, I do. It always includes two moments for me. First, I celebrate at what he has learned to accomplish on his own. Then, I choke back tears because I realize he doesn't need me anymore to help him with that task. On this particular day, Max mastered blowing bubbles on his own. This is really no small feat and he was quite proud of himself. Ok, and I was proud of him too. Sniff, sniff.

4. Oh how I love the zoo! It is perfect for all ages. Max and I recently had a zoo adventure where he could not get enough of the aquarium. Every fish that swam by [and there have to be thousands in the big tank] he would scream and say louder than the time before, "FISH, A FISH!" Take a look!

5. And last, I can hardly believe that Max will be 2 years old in 3 days. I am pretty sure I am in denial. On the other hand, Max is not. In fact, he has been celebrating for a couple of weeks. From gifts in the mail to a mini-birthday party, Max is in birthday heaven. And if you ask him what he wants for his birthday he shouts, "Cake, I want Cake!" Take a look at Max doing a little birthday dance to a card he got in the mail [thanks Auntie Marie and Uncle Joe].

I am sure I will re-enter the blog world in only a few short days as we celebrate Max's 2nd birthday. Keep you posted!

Hiking

I love to hike. And we have some great Metro Parks in the area that allow you to enjoy nature while walking the trails. So beautiful.

Today Max and I shared a 2.5 mile walk with our friends Monica, Isabel and Caleb. If you want to burn some extra calories while you hike, strap a baby to your back. Whew, let me tell you. It was hard work! But, I am always up for a challenge so Monica and I are going to plan a weekly hike. I can't think of a better way to enjoy the fall weather.

Come and join us!

That would be a 25 pound toddler on my back.

Max and Izzie

Monica and Caleb

Starbucks Sizes

Meet Tall, Grande and Venti. 

Max with his buddies today: 

Tall - Phillip [3 weeks old]

Grande - cousin Shayden [8 weeks old]

Venti - Max [7 months old]

WOW! It is amazing how quickly time flies and how fast these little guys can grow!