Life in Denver

Max has had some time to adjust to life in Denver, and he is quickly developing his new favorite things. He particularly loves his new set of wheels...We spend many hours walking up and down the sidewalks in his new car. It's really fun when he decides he doesn't want to sit in the car anymore, he'd rather push it. And once he decides he doesn't want to sit in the car anymore, there's no chance of getting him back in without the neighbors coming outside to see who is torturing the poor little child. So, sometimes it takes us an hour just to get back home :)

Max has also decided to pursue his dream of becoming a professional athlete when he grows up. For weeks, he has been focusing intently on his throwing skills - he'll throw anything and everything - balls, pinecones (like in this picture), wood chips at the park, toys, food, and my favorite...tantrums :)

One thing that hasn't changed is Max's love of bathtime...

And now, it's even better because he gets to run around in his bathrobe afterwards...

And it's a Gold Coast Titans bathrobe to remind him of the first team he cheered for :)

Some of Max's other favorite things in Denver:

• the park - we go to the park at least once a day and he has mastered climbing to the top of the slide and sitting down by himself. Sometimes he's backwards, upside down and head-first by the time he gets to the bottom, but that's even more fun!
• our backyard - we haven't gotten any outdoor toys yet (still too cold, and too many random days of snow) but he doesn't mind, he loves playing with the dripping gutters, loose bricks, hammock and any little rock he can find.
• climbing - Max has become an expert climber and can now climb just about anything you put in front of him. The other day he climbed his ladder-style bookcase and I found him sitting in between the 2nd and 3rd shelves like it was the most comfy seat in the world.
  Other favorite things to climb - onto the dining table, computer desk and anything he is supposed to stay off of
• We're still waiting for Max to talk, but he is very happy to carry on a conversation in his own little language. I think he is waiting for us to learn it, rather than him learn English. He does have a few words which he loves to say over and over - baby, bubble, ball, duck, tickle and sock. His absolute favorite is "no" and a few other variations of it - "oh no" and "uh oh."

Back to the warmth!

We spent last weekend in Arizona with my group of best friends from college. 5 of us all had babies within a year of each other, and we couldn't wait to introduce them all to each other. It was unbelieveable to get together with all of the girls again, but getting together with all of the girls AND the babies was something I will remember and cherish forever (only one of the babies couldn't make it, but she lives in Wisconsin, so hopefully we'll see her soon!). Here is a picture of all of us.Sarah, me & Max, Alissa & Donovan, Casey & Ellie, Raina, Kirby & Kendall - you can tell that Raina set off the timer on the camera and then ran to get in the picture, because all of the babies are looking at her :)

We rented a house and 4 of us girls, 2 husbands and 4 babies all stayed in it for 3 nights. The other 2 girls (Raina and Sarah) stayed at Raina's house 10 minutes away. The house we rented was amazing and had a pool and putting green...Max was in heaven! (So was his daddy!) Golf lessons began the first day and continued the entire time we were there...

Of course, the boys took a break from the golf training to swim in the pool. This pool was so warm we didn't even need to go in the hot tub!

Max quickly discovered that he could combine the golf lessons and swimming to maximize his fun...

All of the babies loved the pool (almost as much as the adults did :)

This was the perfect little getaway from all of the freezing weather we've had in Denver. I can't wait to see all of the girls again, and Max can't wait to play with his new friends!