Max Update

During the past month or so, Max has changed so much. All of a sudden he seems older to me. He is talking more and more and making little sentences. Most people can't understand him, but I can...most of the time. He has such a little personality and loves to laugh and to make us laugh.

Last night, when I put him to bed, he went down quietly. I went into Ellie's room to read her bedtime stories with her when we heard him start talking. In his bed, he had his blanket, a stuffed animal (ok, its a Dora doll), a toy phone and a little ball. I'm not sure what he was playing with, but he was cracking himself up. He was laughing and having a good time. After a while, he started calling for me and then he cried for a minute and then silence. He fell asleep. I went in there to check on him and he was sound asleep just like I left him. Covered with a blanket, tush in the air and hugging his blankie in one arm and Dora in the other.

This morning when he woke up, he called for me. "Mommy!" He kept repeating it over and over. I went in there and he was standing in his crib wearing nothing but a smile. His shirt, pants, and diaper were in a pile on the floor! Upon seeing my startled reaction, he busted out laughing!

Like I said, he's getting quite the little personality!

Disney World!!

The countdown has begun! Our trip to Disney World is in less than 3 weeks and we are all very excited. Especially Ellie and Max. Everytime they see anything Disney related, Ellie points it out and they both go crazy. During bedtime prayers, Ellie is always reminding me to ask G-d to bless Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto. Oh, and of course Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty--her favorite princess).

My baby is starting school!

The title of the post says it all. Ellie is starting preschool at the end of August. I am so excited and sad and nervous all at the same time. I am really excited because it is a Jewish preschool that reminds me a lot of the school I went to as a child. She will be going 3 days a week from 9 to 1. I think it will be good for her because other than a year of daycare when she was 1, she has never really been in this kind of environment. I am excited that she will gain some independance and make some new friends.

Ellie was very excited when I gave her a new Disney Princess "pack pack" (backpack) and matching lunchbox. She has not met her teacher yet, but she did meet the director of the school and teacher of Judaic studies--Ms. Elie. Ellie kept repeating over and over how she couldn't belive that the teacher was Elie, just like her.

Pool Fun

Ellie's Hair Cut

Ellie has been begging to get her hair cut short for a while now. Her good friend, Lily, got the cutest little bob hair cut and Ellie has been begging to do the same. I kept telling her we would go and get her hair trimmed, but I kept putting it off. I LOVED her long hair. Well, Ellie decided she didn't want to wait. One evening, she came out of the bathroom with scissors in one hand and a chunk of hair in the other. I was so sad!! But, I evened it out and this is how it turned out.





Pretty cute, huh?

CJ's Birthday Dinner

We took CJ to Cracker Barrel in Williamsburg for his birthday. We had a lot of silly fun. The video started of me trying to get Max to wink. Hopefully, one day I can get it on video because its really funny. But instead of a wink, we got a half winkle instead.

The Drum and Fife Band

The Drum and Fife Band at Colonial Williamsburg

 

 

 

 

Colonial Williamsburg

 

 

 

One of the highlights of Colonial Williamsburg was watching the 50th Reunion of the Drum and Fife band. Ellie had a great time watching the parade of musicians-both young and old. She loved all the people in period clothing. We definitely want to go back another year.

Water Fun at Busch Gardens

 

 

 

 

The Tea Cups at Busch Gardens

One of the funniest moments of our trip was on the Tea Cups. We all went--Ellie, Max, Mommy and Daddy. It started out as a lot of fun, but the faster it got, the more scared Ellie got. As you can see in the pictures, her face was priceless! When we got off the ride she was very clear with her feelings. "Mommy, the tea cups were too fast. I do not want to ride them anymore."

Busch Gardens Fun

 

 

The Li'l Clydesdales

This was Ellie's first ride ever at an amusement park. I think she was a little big for it, but she still had fun. I was so proud of her. She got up on the horse and didn't cry when I had to leave the little area. She didn't get scared when the man came up to her and made sure she was strapped in tight. Although the ride was pretty slow, she really enjoyed it alot and is still talking about riding the horses.

Watching the Band

When we first walked into Busch Gardens, this band was performing. Although it was a little loud for Ellie's taste, she really enjoyed watching them. She danced in the stroller and clapped her hands to the music.

Riding the Tram to Busch Gardens

 

Busch Gardens

We went to Williamsbug this year for the 4th of July. While we were there, we decided to take advantage of the "Hero Salute" program from Busch Gardens. Basically, Anheuser Busch gives active duty military and their families free admission to one of their parks each year. I wasn't sure how the kids would do, but as usual, my children amaze me. They loved the parks. They really enjoyed watching the roller coasters and riding several of the smaller, more family friendly rides. Even Max was able to get in on the fun and ride. The success of this trip has made us even more excited for our trip to Disney next month.

CJ's Birthday

We had a lot of fun celebrating CJ's birthday this year. Especially, Ellie. She picked out his present, decided she wanted to make him cupcakes and woke him up very early to sing happy birthday.


Making Cupcakes

Tasting Cupcakes
Waking Daddy Up Very Early