Cardboard Testimony

Sam and I had the opportunity to share our testimony at the Easter Sunday Service. However, this wasn't the typical testimony. We were asked to sum up our adoption story in as few words as possible. And by as few, I mean it needed to fit on the front and back of a piece of cardboard.

Let me pause here to say, Excuse Me?

How do you possibly sum up our story? Or anyone's story for that matter. 

But, Sam and I were up for the challenge. And I have to admit, it was a really incredible exercise for us. We had to work through exactly what we wanted the message to be so we shared our story, related to our audience and ultimately, gave glory to God! 

To check out cardboard testimonies click here [this is an example from another church, however I will definitely put up our church's video once it is ready to go]. 

So, here you have it. Our way of expressing our cardboard testimony.

Thank you Jesus for our story. For the gift of life. And for sweet Maximus. What a journey that was truly worth the wait. 

What's In A Name?

Max loves to say Dada. And Daddy [pronounced more like Da-eeeee, no "dd" in the middle].

Max also loves to say his own name [pronounced Maaaa, no "x" sound, just Maaaa].

Max rarely says Mama. Rarely. As in, I have only heard him say it twice. Ever.

Why is it that I spend day in and day out with the boy and he doesn't say my name? I know he can say it. I have heard it with my own ears! But, he chooses not to say it.

He looks at framed family pictures in our house, like this one...

And this one...

And then he will point his little finger up at Sam and say, Da-eeee. Or look jubilantly at himself in the middle and say, Maaaaa.  But nope, no Mama.

Confession time. I stooped so low the other day, I paid my eight-year-old niece [Maddie] five dollars to work with him and get him to say Mama. We had only one successful "Mama" the next day. And it was after a long bout of "Maaaa, Maaaa, Maaaa" [he was showing off for his grandparents] and then, almost by accident, he threw in a "Mama."

I am trying really hard not to get offended by my eleven-month-old son. But, seriously, what gives? 

CAT Truck Cruisin'

Max is getting good at cruisin' around the house. He has lots of toys that provide him walking assistance, but his favorite? The CAT Truck. 

He is one determined little guy while maneuvering this big truck around the house. He runs into all sorts of obstacles [sorry buddy] and is just not phased. Only. Determined. 

Laughing Out Loud

One of the best sounds EVER: 

Max, laughing out loud. 

We had our first trip to the zoo this year and Maddie [Max's cousin] really got him going. She always can! She plays these great games with him that only a creative eight-year-old can think up! On this particular occasion, she was using one foot to make the stroller bounce up and down. He was in stitches over it. Now, if I would have tried that little game, do you think he would have been laughing? I don't think so! There is something about kids making other kids laugh. So great!

Here's a short clip so you can hear him too!

New Tricks!

At eleven months old [yes, it's official. He turned eleven months yesterday. Hard to believe, isn't it?] Max can climb the stairs. 

He has been working on it quite diligently lately. He communicates it is "stair time" when he crawls over to the gate. Pulls himself up. Tugs at it. Or his newest trick, actually moves it out of the way. And then it's time to practice. Up, Up, Up! That is all he wants to do. And then when he gets to the top, he turns around, and gives you this winner of a smile...as if to say, "Stairs? No problem!"

Dancing Man

Max has moves. Every time he hears music [in the house, at a restaurant, even at the mall!], he starts moving to the beat. It usually starts out slow. Maybe a nod of his head. Or a shake of his shoulder. But, after he finds his rhythm, he goes for it!

It does not matter how many times I see him get his groove on, it makes me laugh. Here are just a few snippets caught on camera.

Dancing to the tune of Just Dance by Lady GaGa:

Dancing to the theme song of Barney & Friends:

Swim Time!

Max started swim lessons today! For the next eight weeks, Max and his cousin Eli, are going to be learning the freestyle and backstroke. Since Max and Eli are both such overachievers, I have a feeling they will quickly learn these two basic strokes and move on to more important swim techniques, like the butterfly. I certainly don't want to be that mom and aunt, but I can pretty much guarantee they will have the butterfly mastered by the end of the session.  

Ok, seriously, I am sure you are wondering what we actually do in a swim class at this age. First off, it's a Parent & Me class, which means mommy gets to participate in pool time. Second, mommy gets to sing a lot of nursery rhyme sing-songy songs. Next, while holding Max in a football hold mommy says to "reach reach" his little hands forward [a simple doggy paddle motion] and then lays him on his back and says "kick kick" as he learns to kick his little feet. To wrap things up, Max got dunked [lovingly by his mommy] underwater to the tune of "The Noble Duke of York." And that is all in the first class, people! 

If we keep our kids in swim lessons for the long haul, Max and Eli could be the next Michael Phelps [minus the whole drug bust photos and debacle, of course!].

Here's some shots of the boys doing their swim thing today:

Locker room before the big class

Swim and strategy talk

Before swim class

Loving the water? Not so sure.

After swim class

Having a blast together!