The Big "frozen" Apple

Scott and I booked some cheap airline tickets on cyber monday for Chicago.  We thought a quick trip over MLK weekend would be fun....then we thought about the "windy city" in the middle of Jan.  We were goign to change our tickets for later in the year but got a call from Scott's mom saying she was going to be in the best city every for work for 2 weeks and wanted to know if we wanted to come visit her.  It was a no brainer, even if it was Jan and New York City.  So I changed our tickets and off we went!

Max did great flying!  The best he has ever done!  I think the Elmo video's helped some :)  Now the 3hour wait from a canceled flight frustrated him(and us) some, but Max found plenty of ways to entertain himself and expose himself to every germ out there!

Scott's mom was staying at the Crown Plaza in Time's square so we had a great location.  This was his mom's first time in the city and she had been busy with work all week so we wanted to show her around some.  Sat night we took the subway to central park and walked around from there visiting FAO Schwartz, Dylans Candy Bar, window shopping on 5th Ave, Rockafeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall.  At this point Max was hungry, tired, and we all were cold so we got dinner and went back to the hotel for the night.

The next morning we got ready and had big plans to see a lot of downtown(Statue of liberty, little Italy, Wall street, World trade site).  Well it was 15 degree's out and for some reason Max was not a fan of the Subway.  So we did show Carol the World trade site and Wall street but then headed back to the hotel.  After we ate and warmed up Max and I hit Times Square and played around in Toy's R Us untill it was time for his nap.  That evening we decided to skip the subway(per Max's request) and found a yummy resturant in walking distance that was conviently located next to Crumb's Bakery!

Scott and Max on the Subway train

At Toy's R Us in Time's Square



Monday morning we got dressed and went to breakfast at Ellen's Stardust Diner.  All the waiters here are trying to make it on broadway so they sing.  Not only did we get good food, but it was a mini concert also.  Max loved it!  He loves any music so the fact that waiters were walking around singing as they worked or jumping up on the counters made his day.  After breakfast it was back to the hotel to pack and then off to the airport.  Once again Max was a great flyer!  He was quite tired though when we landed and fell asleep as soon as he got in the car and didn't wake up untill 8 the next morning!  We love the city so even though it was a quick, very cold trip we would do it again in a New York City minute!

Watching "Elmo" on the plane

17 Months

Ok I am so behind so just a quick post.  Max is growing and doing more and more every day!  He has a large vocabulary and amazes me with words like "socks", "hello", "bike", "cookie", and "blueberry".  Now around a lot of people he won't say much, but when he is in his element he is a chatter box!  I also know where all my brain cells went when I was pregnant(because I didn't get them back!).  Max is such a smarty!  When I am getting dressed to go somewhere I'll ask him to get my shoes, and off he goes.  Not only will he bring me a matching pair, but if I say my work shoes- he bring me those.  Max is also a little dancing machine!  He loves music and will start dancing even if it is just a TV jingle.

Blowing kisses!

Merry Christmas!

This year we had another wonderful Christmas as a family, and only involved 6 different Christmas events.  We started out celebrating at my dad's house in Columbia.  Max had fun with Wesley and Ally and actually did great opening presents.  He basically opened his all by himself.

Christmas Eve we went to Aunt Jackies.  We always have a great time here and it does happen to be Max's favorite place to be(I think he likes it there more than being home...lol).  We eat a hodgepodge of food and then open presents(all while watching A Christmas Story).  Max loved his presents from Aunt Jackie, Uncle Paul, and Jacob.  My fav part of the night is the gag gifts.  This year Jacob was unable to get a deer so we came up with a kit to help him hunt.  I really think the flash underwear will help :)

Christmas morning was at our house(Scott's sister stayed the night, his dad, mom, and brother came in the morning).  After a lot of thought and talking with Mrs. Clause(she wanted to wrap Max's presents), Santa decided not to wrap Max's presents.  Santa never wrapped Scott's when he was a kid but he always wrapped mine.  When Max woke up we got the camera ready and let him to check out his Santa presents.  I was a little surprise but he really was excited!  I thought he may be still a little to young but I was wrong.  Max was pointing and saying WOW, and then really looking at what he got.  He even emptied out his stocking!  We ate a big breakfast and then opened the rest of our gifts. 

After finishing with presents, cleaning up, and then getting dressed we were off to Eagleville to Neen's house for lunch.  We ate yet another great meal and hung out with Scott's family.  Max had fallen asleep on the way there but woke when we got inside.  He was still tired and would keep walking to his pallet with any stuffed animal he could find and lay down.  But of course as he started to fall asleep he would jump up and run around again :)  He loved his gift from Neen.  It was a megabloks table.  He kept getting on the box and dancing...our little table dancer, LOL.  After Neen's we had a few hours to do nothing, Scott and Max napped, I read.  What was I reading you ask?  The hunger games trilogy, OMG I LOVE them!!  Now I loved twilight, but these are sooooo much better!  Yes I am a cheesy teenie bopper :)

Christmas night we went to Scott's mom's house.  Usually by this time we are zombies, this year was no exception.  We ate yet another meal, opened some gifts, and then hung out.  Max whose normal bed time is 8 was not going to fall asleep, but he couldn't even sit up.

Our last Christmas celebration was a few days after Christmas when Max's friends McKenna and Mason came over.  They had a ball playing together!   Scott and I also had fun with their parents. It is hard to get a picture of 3 toddlers though :)

Here comes Santa Clause.....

Max got to see Santa twice this season.  We first went to Shadracks Christmas Wonderland with Scott's mom and stepdad Larry.  They had a great display of lights that were synced to music that we drove through.  Max loved it!!  Every time we drive past a house with Christmas lights up he says "ooohhh", "wow", so this was just his cup of tea.  At the end of the lights they had a big tent with stuff for kids to do and Santa.  Santa's helper's weren't too friends so I didn't get to get a good picture, and I'm not paying for one.  Anyways Max wasn't a fan.

The Santa Express came back to our neighborhood again this year.  Last year Santa appeared a bit young.  This year he had aged just a little.  Anyways Max didn't seem to care....he didn't like him no matter what he looked like!

Max's 15th and 16th months

Ok so I am a bit behind.  I'm really not sure how I got a month or 2 behind.  Anyways I am condensing this blog down for 2 months into one.  However condensing is now what Max has been doing!  Max has been developmentally exploding!  LOL

In the last 2 months Max has officially become a walker.  Basically the week he turned 15 months he was walking(or tottering) around every where!  He has gotten a little smoother but he still falls a lot.  He had a continuous bruise on his forehead for about 3 weeks, and every few days get a new boo boo somewhere.  He will be walking or running through the house and it still amazes me that he is walking!

Max's vocabulary has also increased greatly.  Some of the words he says are- hi, bye, hello, mama, dada, poop, scout, snack, mine(not a fan of this one), go, out, okay, milk, cheese, thank you, hot, no, wow, uh huh...I'm sure I have forgot a few.  We are working on colors, shapes, open/close, and on/off.  Max still uses his signs as well.  He is also understanding more and more. If you ask him if he has pooped he will walk to his room and go to his changing table, if he hasn't he will tell you no.  At bedtime we tell him to clean up his toys and he starting picking up and will put everything away and then walk to his room for me to get his jammies on.  After jammies I say lets go brush your teeth and off the the bathroom he goes.  After brushing he walks and gives Scott a hug and kiss then runs to his room and try's to turn on his little space heater(yes it is safe) and then walks to his crib for me to put him in it.  I guess a lot of it has to do with routine but it cracks me up!

Max also has become quite the Picasso.  He loves to color.  If we are sitting at the table he goes to the drawer where his crayons are and signs please.  As much as he likes to color he likes to take the crayons out of the box and then back in even more :)

We still have him on a mainly organic/healthy diet.  I am so glad we did this because he will eat anything we give him.  He even eats his veggies!  As a matter of fact he loves frozen peas and corn...yes random.  We love the baby food pouches.  They are a mix of fruit and veggies that we can just hand to him and he sucks it down.  On Thanksgiving Max enjoyed all the traditional holiday foods thanks to Aunt Jackie...until he spit up on her treadmill(he was playing near it...we were not making him exercise...lol).  Poor thing just is not used to the greasy heavy foods.

We put out our Christmas decorations on Thanksgiving day.  Max is just amazed!  He says ohhhh ahhhhh when he see's Christmas lights.  He has not messed with the trees(and we have 3 up).  I think it is because he thinks because of the lights they are hot.  One of his balls rolled under a tree the other day and he stood there and whined and pointed at it for me to get instead of him climbing to get it. Max is also a hugh fan of Christmas music.  We have been playing it a lot and will catch him humming and "singing" a lot.  If I change the station while in the car he gets mad.  One day while at target going up and down the Christmas isles he kept pointing at everything and saying "WOW"!  He actually started yelling yet.  I told him to quite down and Scott told me I was ruining Max's Christmas spirit :)  I have a feeling Christmas will be Max's favorite holiday.

I do have one item I am sad to report though...Max appears to be a Snoopy fan.  As you may(or may not) know Scott is obsessed with Peanuts/snoopy.  He used to have an entire room set up with his various knick nacks.  I let him go hog wild at Christmas time so needless to say every where you look in our house is peanuts/snoopy Christmas.  Max started playing with a few of Scott's items and they are now his favorite toys. 

Oh and I found Max's first freckle the other night while giving him a bath!

As aways what is a Bolden blog without some pics!

15 Months

15 months- Saying Cheese!

Quick visit seeing Aunti A on Max's and I's day trip to Atlanta

On my 29th bday- saying Cheese again!

Ahhh he loves them!

Happy Thanksgiving!  We boycotted and stayed home to decorate.  Then had Cracker Barrel for dinner

16 Months!



Boo!

Happy Halloween from the Boldens!!  This year the festivities began with a bonfire at Aunt Jackies.  Last year Max was almost 3 mo old this year he was walking and all over the place!  We had a good time but had to leave early because someone was very sleepy and would lay down on the ground.  The next day was Halloween and the 3 of us dressed up and headed out to do some trick or treating.  This year I gave in and the 3 of us dressed like Peanuts characters.  Scott was Charlie Brown, I was Lucy, and sweet Max was Snoopy.  I figured it had to be done and might as well get it done and over with before Max is forever scared :)  We stopped by Neen and Uncle Jack's and then Aunt Jackie and Uncle Pauls, then off to a party at the Grave's house.  We didn't actually trick or treat.  Max can't have the candy and neither Scott or I need it...maybe next year.  Max had a great time!!