It's been eight years since I posted on this blog! We've moved around a lot since then and grown significantly. Max is 10, Liam is 7 and Julian is 5! All boys are in school this year which is great and odd. Sadly we lost both our pups in the last few years. We (especially I) miss having wet noses to kiss and puppy paws clicking on the floor following me. Here are a few recent photos!

Look at my boys!

Yup, this is them. Aren't they cute?! Such fun! Liam is 18 months and Max is 4.5 yrs and we're expecting baby #3 in December!

A new year!

I'm terrible at keeping up with this blog...so here's my quarterly report. ha!

Liam: turned 11 months Christmas day and will be one (1) January 25th. He is in the 100th percentile for height and 75th percentile for weight...big boy! He's happy, easy, full of laughter and brings great joy and calm to our home.

Max: Will be four (4) January 10th. He's still very tall and very thin...getting him to eat anything is a huge challenge and I fear he will soon be overtaken by his brother. ha! He's full of energy, stories, ideas, and loves to solve problems and work! He's a fabulous big brother; always protective and loving. He brings creativity and a new vision to our lives!

Liam is walking! He started walking about 2-3 weeks ago and over Christmas has really taken off. He loves being able to get places on his own and "explore" more of the house and his brother's room. Max, although thrilled with Liam's progress, has been more protective over his prized possessions. We've had to come up with a "safe space" for Max to use things that he doesn't want Liam to play with.

Liam has loved Christmas, the tree, the decorations, and mostly the gift wrapping and boxes. He's become obsessed with getting in and out of boxes lately. So funny! He was great with the tree and after the small one we had in our living room toppled over on him he really didn't grab the ornaments any more. He learned to touch them gently and say, "Oooooo!" because they were so pretty.

Walking with a gift from Aunt Sarah in Cali. Such a great push toy! He loves the chopin' gators but tries to sit on it more than push it, which would be a great idea if it still worked with him sitting on it, but it doesn't. The gators can't chomp with his booty crushing their heads!

Max was super excited that Santa brought him the Bat Cave this year! He's been playing with it non-stop. That and his pirate costume which came with a treasure chest, sword, and dragon to slay...or train!

Max and daddy fighting the dragon!

Liam playing the triangle...he's really quite good!

Christmas Eve at Aunt Courtney's house...she had a great little program about Christ and the meaning of Christmas.

So...someone took out our mailbox a few weeks ago and we hadn't been receiving our mail, obviously. I called the Post Office to see how I could go about getting my mail and they told me to put my mailbox back up. I asked how I was suppose to dig a hole in the frozen ground and they suggested I purchase an auger. Well, that didn't happen. Instead, Isaac and Max took our trash can and filled it with snow....our mail has come every day since!

Getting ready to go out and play in the snow. Liam wasn't quite sure about his coat and snow pants...he's not a fan of the hat either. But, after he was outside he realized its purpose and stopped taking it off, however, he never really got into the whole snow thing. He just wanted to be held and then go back in and admire the snow from the window.

Max's gingerbread house....he did all the decorating himself!

Liam learned to give kisses and loves to give them to Max especially! So cute!

First snowfall. So gorgeous!

Merry Christmas!

Max outside the window. Super cold! Building a sledding hill in the front yard with Isaac and throwing snowballs at the window where Liam and I were watching. I'm so not a fan of the cold! I can endure it and enjoy it for a few days but then I'm ready for the warm weather...we have a ways to go!

Fall Fun

So, Isaac was laid off in the middle of September and although it was a scary time, we were also able to create some fun fall memories that wouldn't have happened otherwise. We visited the Yates Cider Mill in Rochester Hills which is 2 miles from where my grandparents use to live. I went there as a little girl and it was so much fun going back with my family.

Then, we went to Hess-Hathaway Park in Waterford which had a petting farm, pumpkin patch, playground, and a hayride (on the weekends only...boo!), but we had a blast!

These are just a few picks of us hanging out at home. Max always squeezing or poking or pinching Liam, and Liam enduring or trying to escape.

Ha, ha! Liam finally tackled him! Actually, Max asked me to set him on his belly. This was one of the nicer moments.

Enjoying the last days of warm weather outside.

no words needed

It's difficult for me to make the time to collect my thoughts enough so I can write something meaningful, thoughtful, with correct grammar, and somewhat interesting. But, I do need to continue to record the events along with photographs so I have memory of the months that pass so quickly. It's amazing that Liam is going to be 6 months at the end of July...how did that happen? Meanwhile, Max is growing and changing into a boy right before my eyes. It's exciting and heartbreaking.

Here he is helping Isaac cut up some trees in our front yard. He spent most of the day pulling his wagon around collecting branches and pine cones to put in the chipper. Because mommy told him that he couldn't help unless he wore the goggles, there they sit on his head! ha!

A few pics of Lucas's 7th birthday party. Uncle Chad created an obstacle course for them and was their sergent! He started yelling at the "recruits" and Max broke down into tears and went running into the house. He never did complete the course.

Right before the tears spilled out of his eyes....

Getting ready to be an army dude!

We also spent a day at the Detroit Zoo with one of my good friends, Becky, and her daughter, Caroline. SO fun! Here we are before getting on the train.

Becky and Caroline watching the polar bears.

Max watching the polar bears.

Cool pics with the blue water background...

Max and Liam in the backyard.

Liam and daddy being cute!

more....

Liam laughing!

He started sitting up at about 4 1/2 months! He wants to move so bad. If he can just figure out how to crawl, he'd be all set. He loves playing with Max's toys, making sounds, laughing, catching your eye and giving a big smile, and just being sweet. Plus, he started eating at 5 months and boy does he love his food!

With grandpa Ford enjoying the summer weather.

With aunt Lo-lo!

Max on mi-mi and papa's boat....fishing.

With Mi-mi Ford.

Max flying his planes!

My boys

I haven't posted in a while...so here are a few pictures of Max and Liam. Liam just turned 4 months last week and is 15 lbs and 25 inches long. He's doing great and Max is an amazing big brother. Liam is rolling over, sitting up, babbling, eating his fingers and laughing. Max is doing much of the same...ha! Max is growing and developing so much each month too. He's finally counting and recognizing letters, his creativity and imagination are becoming more specific, and he's amazing at problem solving. Plus, his sense of humor is awesome! Very dark and very sophisticated...much like his father.

Sarah and Marco visit

My sister and her boyfriend vistited from California in March and we had a great time spending time with them. Max loved the attention and I loved that there were people around to entertain him. :) The visits are always too short but I love seeing them!

Me and my baby at the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum.

My sister, Sarah, and I.

Isaac, Liam and I in downtown Lansing.

Sarah and I in an arcade.

Sarah, Marco, Max, and Liam. So cute.

Max lovin' on Marco.

Sarah and Isaac.

Me and my hubby.

Outside Clara's in Lansing.

Sarah and Marco in downtown Lansing.

Getting ready to take the dogs and Max on a walk in the woods.

Grandma Ford and baby Liam.

Sarah and Liam.

We loved having Sarah and Marco visit last month. They came primarily to meet baby Liam and they chose a great week do visit...gorgeous weather! Wish they lived closer because having an aunt with no kids around to spoil Max and Liam with love and time would be awesome! It was so sad to see them go but wonderful to have them here for an entire week.