Max's 1 Year Photos

I could seriously not help myself.






I finally managed to take Max's 1 year photos this weekend,



at one of my favorite places of all time, the Dallas Arboretum.








And because he is mine,



and because he is one,



and because he gets the raw end of the deal in so many other ways,



and because he is just so unbelievably cute,


and I just couldn't choose,


I had to post 20,




gluttonous





photos.




For a few minutes I regretted not having his hair cut,




But then I got this one,




and knew I would have missed that cute little curl.

Taming the Mane

Haircuts have changed.

Once upon a time there was running and grabbing,



Screaming and flailing.



And the haircuts were always long over due, happening whenever Grandma was in town.

Nowadays the visits are much more frequent, though this cut was not a second too soon.
I don't think it's ever been this long before.


There is no more yelling or running,



screaming or flailing.




To be completely honest, there were still a few tears.



But the end result is better than ever.




And if Mom ever decides to quit her day job, I can apparently supply her with all the hairy clients she'll need, cause this little buddy is next.

Our Daddy must work in HR

I keep waiting to find out that I'm being replaced by a machine or that my job is being outsourced to India. I am definitely not keeping up with production around here.

Monday we were waiting for the delivery of our new mattress. Unfortunately our cat-pee mattress which had been stank-free since the incident started reeking after we moved. I don't know if it was the week in storage or what. What I do know is that it only took one night to convince us both that no matter the cost, we would be buying a new bed.

My unpacking had slowed anyways, with most of the essentials unearthed. We had been relegated to the h0use for so many days by time frames like 8-11, 10-1, 1-5, all for various installers, setter-uppers, and deliverers.

But by mid-morning on Monday we needed to get out. It was beautiful weather so I decided that a walk was in order. My sprained ankle had been healing gloriously and I had been walking without much pain for a few days. It had it's moments of weakness, now and again and still hurt if I moved it the wrong way. But walking didn't give me much trouble.

So off we went. I chatted with my sister on the phone while I pushed the double stroller. The delivery man called to tell me he was 30 minutes away so I turned around and headed home. In front of my neighbors house I must have stepped on an acorn, or a crack, or a shadow, and I rolled my ankle again. I didn't fall because I hung on to the stroller, but I did hop on one foot the rest of the way and collapsed on the ground in front of the garage. I called my mom, who was luckily working just a few minutes away. I could not remember the code to open the garage. And in less than 2 minutes my already slightly swollen ankle looked like I had stuffed a softball under my skin. I started to feel light headed. Then my mom showed up.

It's not broken.

The doctor scolded me for not wearing the aircast. He gave me crutches and asked me if I needed a note for work. I told him it would be unnecessary given that fact that my employers can't read.

After a day, I ditched the crutches because the whole idea was laughable. It's been an interesting few days. I think I might wear out the knees in my new jeans from all the crawling I've done.

I will go to the orthopedist tomorrow. He will probably tell me that I should be elevating it and icing it more, which I already know but can't seem to accomplish.

Along with all the other stuff I know I should be doing but can't seem to accomplish. Which is why I'll probably be getting the old heave, ho any day now.

Ava said the other day in regards to her fear of getting something messy on her homework,
"If I got this messed up, then my teacher would be so mad at me. I'd get fired. I'd get fired and I'd have to get a new job, wouldn't I, Mom?"

You and me both, Baby.

But First There Was Halloween

We closed on Friday October 29. Max's 1 year birthday.



We haven't celebrated yet but maybe this weekend. Or next. Or the one after that.



The moving truck was scheduled for Monday the 1st. So in the meantime we had our Halloween festivities. Namely a trunk or treat on Friday and the "Monster Mile" put on by my parent's neighborhood on Saturday.

Friday morning I was in Walmart trying to be inspired (is that an oxymoron?) Ava couldn't choose what she wanted to be and Luke had requested to be Wall-E. Max had big plans to be a baby.

I decided that Ava could easily be Rapunzel with one of the dresses I had already picked up and a yarn wig I'd seen how to make in Family Fun magazine.

And while I was browsing for Wall-E robot accessories, Dan called me with a costume change. Luke didn't want to be Wall-E anymore.

He wanted to be a fan.

So after pulling the brainpower of friends and family, I finally set to dissembling an old box fan my parents were willing to donate to the cause.

Luke wasn't actually a fan, but he did get to wear one, which to him was just as good.


I was proud of myself for taking it all apart and then using a tinker toy, a sink strainer, and some zip ties, I managed to attach it to a backpack and still make it able to spin.



Once I was done with that I only had to attach thousands of strands of yarn to some pantyhose.




I finished in the nick of time!

We were running back and forth to the car, buckling kids, grabbing candy bags, making bottles, retrieving the pacifiers, and it was during one of those passes that I stepped off the edge of the sidewalk like a big klutz in flip flops and sprained my ankle.

Despite having done that so many times in my life, I was still shocked by the pain. We were cutting it close as it was, so Dan and the kids dropped me off at an emergency center, for x-rays, just in case. Then they went on their way to the trunk or treat and the timing worked out quite well for them to pick me up on their way home.

I was sad to miss the evening but I did get to sit in a bed, by myself for a whole hour and 10 minutes and watch HGTV, which after the past few weeks really felt like heaven. Even with a throbbing ankle.

My ankle was not broken and even felt better than I expected the next day. With a gimpy, splinty limp I was glad to accompany the family on the Monster Mile.





This time I got to see the kids and others reactions to their costumes. Which for Luke were pretty interesting. I guess you'd have to know him to get it.

My favorite moment of the night was when I asked the kids to come over for a picture.

I said, "Say, Trick or Treat" which they did.



Then I said it again. Only this time, Luke got all silly and while he jumped in the air and landed with his backside poking towards me he said,

"Say...Fan!!"