Pow Pow Power Wheels!

The spirit of giving is alive and well. For the past two weeks I have been trying to thank all the people who have helped us with our move and with other things. I made a batch of Peanut Butter Fudge; took some to the Willardson's and came home with tomatoes and basil. I took some to the Neilson's and came home with a watermelon. I took some to our new neighbors who have been mowing our lawn for us and Max came home with a POWER WHEEL! This is the toy I always wanted as a child (who didn't?) The neighbors have one child, (and plan to keep it that way,) and she being five had out grown it, so they bought her a bigger one and gave Max the old one. I find it extremely touching in a place where garage sales are so popular and when Craig's List and Ebay are helping people add a little income that people are so willing to just give of their old stuff. Max loves the power wheel. He rides it around the basement. Our new driveway is pretty much a 90 degree angle so the other day Jeff took Max to the local lake trail to open her up and see what she can do. Max had so much fun he drove until his thumb got sore from pushing the button. He had to start using his hand and fist.

Puppy 1.2

A few weeks ago I decided that Max's beloved blue Puppy dog needed some TLC, so I washed it and re stuffed it. He looks much healthier and happier. I was not sure how Max would react. I was afraid he would notice something was different and reject the puppy, like mother birds who don't touch their babies after human interference. Well not to worry. Max seems to take puppy's new look as a sign that puppy is ready for action again. I didn't think it was possible but puppy has gotten even more love and attention then before. Puppy gets seat belted into the back seat along with Max. Recently Jeff and I caught Max having a group dinner party for Puppy and some other friends in his play room. As you can see, everybody at our house gets a water bottle. Puppy is not actually in the shot, and neither is Max, cause they left together.

30 Days til Baby Mae

I am so happy to be almost done. I am not one of those women who loves being pregnant. I don't get all emotional every time Mae kicks. Yeah Yeah Yeah...life...bonding.. whatever. It hasn't been too bad though. So I thought in honor of it all coming to an end, I would give a list of the nice things of this pregnancy.

1. It has been much more physically miserable then with Max, but there was less vomiting this time.

2. I am smaller! I started out a bit heavier then with Max and looks like I will end up weighing about the same!

3. Everyone seems a bit more excited that this one is a girl. I think it is just the idea of Pink dresses and bows.

4. It is so beyond cute to hear Max say "BABY MAE." He thanks Heavenly Father for her every night in his prayer (right after cupcakes and playplaces.)

5. Hardly any stretch Marks this time! Max already made room for his sister.

6. I have learned the perfect response to constant health inquiries, Any time someone asks how I am doing/feeling(basically every few hours), I just respond that I am feeling pregnant. This answer is the ultimate answer cause it keeps me from being whiny and it is honest and not contrite. Women especially get this answer they all nod and I can see them flashing back to their pregnant days with sympathy for me but happiness it aint them. (And everyone wins when I don't have to go into detail.)

7. Everyone loves the name Mae. I love this name. I didn't think I could love a name this much. I haven't gotten one criticism yet! I didn't get a whole lot of flack over Max, mostly just the whole, "what is it short for?" thing, and the aforementioned family dog remarks.

8. Everyone has been so helpful to us. With the move and watching Max, we have defiantly felt the love. The missionaries even called me up on Friday Morning to tell me that they were headed over to our old house to power wash it! It looks great. I will admit that I am actually a bit overwhelmed by all the love and support we have gotten. It has been a truly humbling experience for me.

9. I haven't had to buy as many big ticket items, (crib, changing table) so Mae already has quite the wardrobe.

10. Like my good friend Samantha, the more I have on my plate the more I get done, and having Max and the houses to take care of has made this pregnancy more productive then the previous.

So yeah I think I can handle one more month.

Happy Birthday Max!

Max Steven Larkin. born August 19, 2006.

I love my little guy. Everybody does. He is kinda like my goodwill ambassador. Lots of people don't care for me but everybody loves Max. His smile is so big and is usually on. I am constantly amazed by his ability to love so freely. He gives hugs and kisses all the time. When my parents came to visit last March, he just ran up to them and gave them lots of hugs and kisses. He hadn't seen them since the previous summer, but it didn't matter. Everybody should be lucky enough to have a daily dose of Max. Sure he has his less then stellar moments, (he can whine with the best of them,) but he really is an exceptionally good boy. If you look at Max he looks pretty much like he did when he was born, just bigger. I love that! He has all of my facial features, (which just goes to show that I would have been a great looking guy,) but he has his father's dimples and his father's personality. It has actually made me appreciate Jeff's great positive personality even more. He and Jeff are best buddies. I was shocked to discover just how amazing a father Jeff is, not cause he didn't seem like the type, but just cause he is so close to Max. Max adores Jeff, mimics him constantly, and always begs him not to go to work in the morning. Two nights ago we had put Max to bed and when I walked past his room a half hour later I heard the following exchange between Max and his puppy, "Yo Ho Ho puppy, I want dada, I want dada, I want dada." It wasn't a cry but just a statement. Max's main squeeze is Claudia. They play so well together. He was very protective of her birthday present this past month. We bought it a bit early and he carried it very carefully to the car and into the house. He thoughtfully picked out the wrapping paper and then replaced my choice of green ribbon for a more appropriate pink ribbon. He talks about baby Mae every day now. He see her carseat and room and acknowledges them as hers. He will kiss my tummy when I ask him to give her a kiss and has added her to his prayer list. At prayer time he has a list of what he is thankful for. He actually put quite a bit of thought into this, it can range from cupcakes to playplaces to grandpa. He loves talking to his Grandpa Tobler almost every night. They have a routine exchange where my dad greets him, "HELLOOOO MAAAAAX!" Often during the day I will see Max playing with a toy phone and saying "Helloooo Maaaax." Max goes through phases of what show he is into (not that he watches more then three min of tv at a time before he gets bored and wanders off.) Currently he is way into Max and Ruby, which is great cause it has finally gotten him interested in books. He was actually named after the Max from the books. (Not after the late Larkin family dog, which I still don't find amusing.) Max is obsessed with Rock Band and music of any kind. He sings along with They Might Be Giants "Here Come The One Two Three's."
He tries to make everything into a drum set and bangs loudly. He loves the pool and asks to go every day. He has no fear of water, which scares the crap out of me cause he'll just jump in! We are taking him to the waterpark this Saturday for his birthday.
I love my little guy so very much. He has defiantly made my life so much better. Thanks Max.

Things that Must Go VII

It's that time again..

1. Angel Soft Toilet Paper: I have been a valued customer of the brand for many years. They were cheap but no too cheap quality....until now. The worst part is that I bought the 24 pack of double rolls thinking that I didn't want to run out while dealing with the baby. I haven't decided yet how much their new cardboard texture bothers me...enough to go buy another brand and scrap the 24 rolls I have, or can I make it through? HOW CHEAP AM I??

2. Air Poppers: Have you ever noticed how snobby people who air pop their popcorn are? I like air pop but I also like microwave, I don't discriminate. I don't even have an airpoper cause microwave is just so easy. But I haven't met an airpopper who doesn't look down upon microwavers with disgust! Why can't they just enjoy their corn without feeling the need to go on and on about how wrong the other kind is. I get it you like your popcorn.

3. Men who are afraid of me: Now I know that there have been lots of people afraid of me over the years for various reasons and some of them rightfully so, but I have yet again reached that point in my pregnancy where I am looking big and guys are looking at me like, "Oh man is she gonna go into labor right in front of me? Will I have to do/see anything? I should run away just in case." This happened to me a lot with Max. Guys wouldn't get in an elevator with me.(Not that I really minded the privacy) I guess it really bothers me this time cause I don't feel so big. I am much smaller and should not be scary to men yet, (atleast not for that reason.)

4. A lack of care by our ward for the safety of our children: (That title's gonna get some heat) Atleast four months ago (probably even longer) the safety gate on our nursery door broke and was taken away. Was it replaced? No! Have I asked for it to be reaplaced? Several times. The room is a large two doored room and one of the doors has a gate but the other does not. To make things worse for some design flaw reason whenever one door is shut the other pops open. Now we have two very capable nursery leaders, but with 10+ kiddies in the room it would be so easy for one of them to get out and into the parking lot (which is what happened twice before the original gates were installed.) What is the ward waiting for? Does a child need to be run over before a gate is purchased? Are we that lacking in funds?

Just Cause