New Pics Of Max!!!

I think he's smiling already???
This looks like little Max in the Burberry booties and outfit that we thought would be very handsome on him, although I'm not sure he loves it???
Little Max and Bruisa, it looks like they've become best bud's already! Bruiser, I didn't know you had it in you.
Max and his Daddy, how cute!

I hope you enjoy the new pictures of little Max! Julie and Chris took them, so I borrowed them to post here. Only a few weeks to to go until we get to see him again and I can tell that he is going to look so different. We are all going to have so much fun in Maui and I am really going to enjoy spending time with him while we're there. I will post more pictures as I get them and I hope you enjoy these.

Photos of Max!!!

Here is little max a couple of weeks ago! He looks so much bigger already, I can't wait until June to see him again. I think this picture really resembles Christopher as a baby. I'll have to see if I have any pictures on disc to post for comparison, but in any event he is adorable and Grandpa Todd is very happy that he is wearing his Harley Davidson shirt. When I told him he has been wearing it he indicated that he was immediately going back to get him more!This is Max with Chris at home. I think both Chris and Julie are really enjoying the new addition the their family and we are very happy for them.
This photo is so cute, I love it. I have some pictures of Todd, Chris and Melissa sleeping with Seth as an infant, that's what it reminded me of when I first saw it.
What a strong little boy, look at him hold his neck up! He wasn't very old in this picture, probably less than 2 weeks. His dad was a very strong baby as well.
I love this one too, look at that! I think he looks like he's 3 Months old. Before they know it he'll be crawling all over the place, that's when the real fun begins and I'm confident Chris and Julie are up for the challenge!

He is so alert, I think he looks just like his mommy in this one!
And his dad in this one, I guess I'm just confused about who he resembles more, he is so adorable!

Grandpa Todd loves this because he is wearing the Harley gear he got for him. It is so cute! I'm sure he's outgrown it by now (probably long ago). I'm glad we have a picture in it to make Todd happy and trust me there will be many more Harley clothes in his future, I'm sure!!!
This is little Max with his Aunt Melissa on Easter at Julie's sister Jen's house. Melissa really enjoyed seeing all of them and is crazy about her first little nephew. I think Aiden was pretty impressed as well.

San Carlos Dive Trip!!!

The Beach!!!
A Whale in San Carlos! I WISH!
One of the Oasis boats!!!
Window Rock, San Carlos Mexico!!!
We are headed to San Carlos, Mexico next weekend to complete the open water dives required for the dive certifications we have been working toward for several months. We are all excited to finally be finished. For Melissa, Seth and Madilyn it will be their first scuba experience in an open water environment! I will be taking my underwater camera, so I hope that I can get some great pictures of our trip. As I discussed in a previous post, there is a wide variety of aquatic life in San Carlos that we will hopefully witness. Melissa is really hoping to have the opportunity to see and swim with dolphins and the rest of us are up for that as well, among other things. Scuba is fun in the pool, but once you enter an open water environment it gives you a whole new perspective. It is really a sensation of being in another world and once you have that experience it's something that you want to continue for a very long time. So, I will post the photos as soon as I can and wish us luck!!!

Aiden and Elle Showcasing Their Musical Talents!!!

Aiden and his little friend Elle took some time this afternoon before their play date at the park to practice their piano skills. They are so adorable and in my opinion two of the cutest kids anywhere around (in addition to Max of course!). They both loved the piano and definitely love music.

They are very close to the same age and looked very cute next to each other on the piano bench. Melissa's friend Annie, who is Elle's mom, is so sweet and we love it when we get to see little Elle. It is so fun to watch them both grow to be toddlers together and their interactions are classic.
As you can see their little hands move so quickly that it's difficult to get a shot! After they played the piano for awhile they got in the wagon and headed to the park. I was busy with taxes, so couldn't go with them but did get to see them afterwards. They enjoyed a Popsicle and then Elle and Annie headed home. I think they had a nice time together and it was very nice to see them again.

Aiden's First Day In Big Boy Underwear!!!

Aiden had his first potty training experience this morning. Melissa bought him a toilet that plays music when you tinkle at Target last night. Aiden elected to wear his "Mom" undies and shortly after sporting them, he wet them! When he felt the moisture, Melissa and Madi both ran to the bathroom with him towards the potty, it was pretty funny. Shortly afterwards Melissa gave him his diaper. Great work Aiden!!!

Millie Is At Doggie Boot Camp!!!

Millie entered the "doggie boot camp" this afternoon at Canine Academy here in Phoenix. I am depressed and miss her so much already. She has to stay there for 3-4 weeks. The master trainer, Andy, taught her to walk properly on a leash in about 5 minutes. Needless to say I felt completely inadequate in the dog training department. Anyway, Millie will be on her best behavior at the dog beach this summer. She is an awesome dog and I will keep you posted on her progress. There is a webcam at the academy that we will be able to view by the end of the week. They were experiencing some technical difficulties with their equipment and had to replace it. I'm going to miss her so much and can't wait to go pick her up. Stay tuned for updates.

Ocean Beach!!!

We are going to spend the month of July in OB this year. We frequent this beach and love the laid back lifestyle there. The best description that I have seen is a "stuck in the 60's surfing community". Every Wednesday there is a farmers market that takes up the main street in OB where you can purchase fresh produce in addition to other needed items. It is right next to Sea World San Diego and only a few minutes from the downtown area. You can be at the world famous San Diego Zoo if a few minutes as well as many other San Diego attractions. So, after our return from Maui we will be packing up and moving there for the month, escaping the heat of the desert in July!
There is the very long pier in OB. A small restaurant is located there and it is also where many of the locals like to fish.
Seth loves to boogie board and may begin surfing this summer since we will be there for an extended period of time. I have been wanting to take some lessons myself, but haven't been able to convince anyone to try it with me yet. The waves in California are very large especially in comparison to the Atlantic Ocean and both Seth and Madi love the beaches there.
In the San Diego area there are also some world renowned wreck diving locations that we hope to check out. We will probably go with a master diver since we haven't had any instruction in that type of diving.
In Ocean Beach they don't have any chain restaurants like many communities. Our favorite restaurant, the Bolweevle (?spelling), is an out of the way place that not many tourists frequent. They are very friendly, have a pool table and a few video games in addition to televisions playing constant sporting events (I wonder who likes that?). Seth and Madi love their food and it's a nice relaxing environment that you can enter with flip flops, a bathing suit and covered in sand. Todd's Mom, Sister and her fiance Chris will be joining us for a visit during the beginning of July and we are looking forward to seeing them and having some Southern California fun.

Our Harley Date!!!

Last night Todd and I went to the Lynyrd Skynyrd Experience at a local outdoor venue. This was one of the events for Bike Week here in Arizona. Todd was pretty excited and I ended up having a great time too.
Here we are almost ready to go and yes I do wear a helmet, but Seth took a picture of us before I put it on. In Arizona we don't have a helmet law so I am constantly telling Todd that he should wear his, but he only listens to me some of the time.
This is the outside of the cowtown like facility where the concert was held. It was a great time and we were glad that we went.
As you can see there were a lot of motorcycles there. Todd loved it and had fun looking at some of the other bikes in the parking lot. It was a fun night, after the concert we took a ride to Cave Creek on some back roads. The only thing that we need is a helmet that you can plug your iPod into because it is pretty hard to keep your ear pieces in place on the highway. We didn't get home until midnight and it was getting pretty cold by then, but we made it and were glad we decided to go.

Madi's 3rd Quarter Honor Roll Ceremony!!!

Yesterday was Madilyn's quarterly honor roll ceremony. She was excited for us to visit her school and see her receive her award.

Seth has been working very hard at school as well, so we recognized his effort at home prior to their departure. We are very proud of his individual talents and he was happy for his sister.

This is a photo of the certificate that Madilyn was given at the ceremony. We are collecting them and I plan to frame them together when the school year ends.

Madi continues to be dedicated to school work and homework assignments. She has had some difficulty with some of her Math homework recently so we have been working with her in the evenings on those assignments. Once we explain the concept for her and she understands it she does a great job.

She loves school and was very proud of herself yesterday. I think it means a lot to her to look out into the audience at her Dad, Brother and I there to acknowledge her hard work.

This is her teacher, Mrs. Graham, who was also Seth's 5th grade teacher. She moved to the 4th grade this year, so Madi is now her student. The man in the photo on the left is the Assistant-Principal of their school.

And finally, this was Madi getting up to receive her award. Afterwards she said that Seth even gave her an undercover thumbs up as she was exiting the stage! That made her very happy because Seth typically doesn't want to do anything that isn't "cool" at school, especially related to his sister or his parents. We may "humiliate" him in front of his friends, although he did tell his dad and I "hi" on our way out as well.

Todd's TAT!!!

It's official, my husband has lost it!!! He's been telling me that he wanted to get a new tattoo of my name on his wrist. He came home from work tonight and said that he had an appointment and he had to leave, at that point I was thinking "whatever" (to myself, of course). I was spending some time on my space uploading photos when I heard his VERY LOUD motorcycle coming up the street. He came in with a bandage on his wrist and I was pretty surprised to say the least. When he took it off I almost died. Enjoy the pics, he's crazy but we have all known that for many years, right!!!