One way or the other...

I'm meeting my youngest son this week! I'm excited to meet the little buster; he's been doing some serious acrobatics these last several weeks and at this point I'd prefer this be happening on the outside than the inside.:) Can't wait to see his little face!

another Max anecdote

I don't want to forget these funny little moments and this seems like a good way to help remember them.:)
The other day Max and I were getting ready to go run an errand and I told him that we needed to put some letters in the mail box on our way out. He promptly ran over to the refrigerator and began removing his letter magnets from the fridge to take out to the mail box.:)

he is his father's son

The other morning after Max got up I asked him whether he wanted cereal or eggs for breakfast. He said: "Sausage. Please?" I couldn't help but indulge him. He had sausage with a side of eggs.:)

Life as we know it...

Things are about to change drastically around here. Baby boy #2 is just weeks away from his arrival. I'll admit to being both incredibly excited and somewhat anxious.:) I'm loving the stage that Max is at and feel like life has rhythm and somewhat of a routine. I'm prepared for routine to go out the window and to spend some time creating a new normal.

Max is rapidly closing in on 2 years old and I can hardly remember life without him!:) The boy talks pretty much constantly. We have actual conversations these days and there are no more quiet car trips. It's funny to listen to him in the other room playing as he talks to his cars and trains and keeps me apprised of what is happening. He is currently running his car down a ramp and declaring "nice!" when it reaches then end. He has taken a keen interest in his colors, which naturally makes my artist heart happy.:) Most of his toy cars are now prefaced and referred to with a color attached to them and bedtime is usually accompanied by a request for "green car" and "red car" to sleep with him. He also loves coloring with crayons-- although we have had a few incidents including writing on the wall, table and floor...:) He is fascinated by animals of all kinds and has nailed down most of their sounds. It cracks me up to see him develop opinions about things; he now has favorite shows on netflix. Some of which are more bearable than others.:) He loves "Thomas the Tank Engine" and somehow knows the names to at least 5 or 6 of the engines without having seen all that much of it. As a parent I have to say the most enjoyable kids show out there is "Shaun the Sheep". If you have young kids and need something that won't make you go crazy, you should check it out. That's my parenting tip for you.:)

Max recently met his cousin Emmi (my sister and brother-in-law just adopted her from China) who is just a couple months older than he is. He is pretty excited about her and most days tells me that he hugged and kissed Emmi.:) He seems to be somewhat in denial about the impending arrival of his baby brother. We talk to him about it and he has friends who have baby siblings that he is interested in, but if we ask if he's ready for baby brother we typically get an emphatic "no!". Hopefully he will acclimate quickly.:) He is so much fun and I love seeing how quickly he learns things and how much he loves life. Here are a couple recent-ish pics (I promise he does wear things besides pajamas!:):

 As far as the rest of life goes, we enjoyed a nice Christmas and New Year with family. This has been quite the year. Lots of great things mixed in with some sadness. As I mentioned in my previous post, the year started off with the death of my maternal grandparents, the year also brought the suspected diagnosis of Parkinson's in my Dad. My sister and brother-in-law's move to Colorado is also sad for me, although I am happy for the opportunity for them! We are thankful that amidst the challenges, God also blessed us greatly this year. We have a house, another little boy on the way and I was able to leave my job over the summer in order to be home with Max and to focus more on my art. We also had the privilege of being able to help fund raise and prepare for my niece to come home from China! Had I been working, I would not have been able to participate in the same way.

We are slowly getting things in order around the house and trying to finish up preparations. I found out I was pregnant very shortly after our move, so there was a lot that just didn't get accomplished. I'm thankful for the nesting instinct that comes in the third trimester.:) I finally got some of the motivation and energy I needed to get things done! Luke has a had a few holidays too, which has helped. We both do so much better working on big projects together and it has been rewarding to get some things under control. We love having a house of our own. It's not without its challenges and frustrations, but we are really happy with our home and our location.

We also finally decided on a baby name. That's big news around here as it obviously took some time. It is of course subject to change, but we are 98% sure we know his name.:) Life as we know it is definitely about to change, but we are excited about meeting little buster and being a family of 4!

Goodbye... for now.

My blog has been largely neglected this year (obviously:). It hasn't been altogether intentional, but if I'm honest I think it's because I've wanted and needed to write this post for awhile, but just haven't been able to bring myself to. I lost two of my most favorite people in the world-- my Grandma and Grandpa C. both passed away within the first 5 months of this year. I haven't wanted to blog until I wrote about them and I haven't wanted to write about them because it makes it feel so final.:( I've written the post a million times in my head, but have been avoiding actually penning it-- no tribute seems quite good enough and no words can truly express their influence in my life and the hole their deaths leave.

Late December I saw them at a Christmas open house and they were fine; like clockwork my Birthday letter from Grandma arrived in early January and by late January Grandma had passed away with little warning. Grandpa followed a few short months later. They left behind quite the tribe-- 5 kids, 21 grand kids and 35+ great grand kids (I've lost count:) not to mention all of those who married into the family. They always kept track of everyone and always knew what was going in our lives. They always supported us a multitude of ways in academia and in our other various endeavors. I know they prayed earnestly for us; they were two of the most thoughtful people in the world.

Both my childhood and adult years are filled with great memories of them. Grandma's home cooked meals and awesome cookies, the crafts she would have for us as kids, the warmth of her hug. Grandma and Grandpa taught us so many board games and I can never play dominoes, aggravation or euchre without thinking of them. And if you ever beat Grandpa at a game, you know you had truly won. Even as kids he never went easy on us-- if you forgot to draw a card at the end of your turn, tough luck! You had to play short the rest of the game.:) He's somewhat responsible for the competitive natures that run in the family. I can still hear Grandpa's awesome guffaw and the way they said each others names. I can hear them saying my name and asking how I am. I can feel Grandma's gentle hand on my arm and see the twinkle in Grandpa's eyes.

They were beautiful people! Their love for God and for their fellow man was so apparent in the way they served each other, their family, their church and their community. Both of their funerals were beautiful testaments of lives well lived and of an amazing legacy left behind. I miss them, I miss them, I miss them. I think of them often and smile. I know they are together in a wonderful place. I like to imagine they have found a regular euchre group up there.:) I know in any case they are happy and whole and bringing praise and glory to God. And I'm so thankful for the assurance that I will see them again some day! I'm so glad for the many years I got to spend with them. It's goodbye for now, but not forever!

home

As I mentioned in a previous post, Luke and I have been house hunting the past several months. I am happy to share that we have found a house that we are very pumped about and are looking forward to moving into. It was quite the process!  I wanted to make sure that most of the details were in place before getting too excited.:) The inspection has been completed and a few things are being worked on, but we are set to close in the next couple of weeks are planning to do the big move in June. We will be switching sides of town which will bring us closer to Luke's work and to my studio. The house is in a small neighborhood and is an older, stone, ranch style home that sits on a lovely 1/2 acre. I'll post photos once we have closed and it's a done deal.:) We can't wait to make this house our home!

Birthday Boy!

Maxfield celebrated his first birthday today and I can hardly believe it! What a guy.:) It's incredible how much your heart expands when you add a kiddo to the mix. Life has definitely been a big change over the past year, but it has been an awesome transition and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Time has flown faster than I could have imagined! I'll admit that I cringed this morning when I recalled what I went through a year ago, but I'll never forget what it was like to see his little face for the first time and how that trumped the heck out of everything. Max keeps me on my toes, but he brings more joy and happiness than I could have ever hoped for.
We enjoyed an indoor picnic (due to weather:) with friends this evening whose son is a good buddy of Max's in celebration of the occasion. Max palmed the half of a cupcake we gave him and shoveled it in. He clearly knows what to do with sugar.:) Friday night we will celebrate with our families, which I am really looking forward to. My baby boy is growing up!

the birthday boy this morning: