Easter Mini Session

We did an Easter mini session with “Captured by Cassy” photography. Anna is now fully into the “fake smile” stage of childhood so we had to work hard for what we got, but it was worth it. She had some stuffed bunnies as props which of course were a huge hit with the kids. Here are the pics!

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Sixth Birthday

I can’t believe our baby boy is six years old. I remember so clearly the day he was born. It was one day past my due date, and Jeff was just getting on the bus to go to work when I called him to say my water broke. Sixteen very intense hours later, we were parents! Over the past six years, we’ve loved getting to know this amazing person who joined our family.

His birthday fell on a Thursday this year. His class happened to be going on a field trip that day, so I went with him to school and to go along on the field trip. His teacher does a really cool thing where all the students draw a picture for the birthday child (using his favorite colors and animals) and then she puts them together in a book. He shared with the class about what he does with his family to celebrate his birthday and they sang “Happy Birthday” to him. This year instead of a party, he requested that Grandma come over for pizza and cupcakes. We had a great evening celebrating our favorite six year-old.

At six years old, Max weighs 48 pounds and stands 48.5 inches tall. He wears size six  or seven in clothing, and size 11 shoes. He reads at an upper first grade/early second grade level and is starting to incorporate rules of grammar into his writing, like starting a sentence with a capital letter, or leaving a finger’s width space between each word. 🙂 He loves his kindergarten teacher and is doing well at school. At school he is very much a rule follower and will correct other kids if they are not doing what the teacher said. At home, he does plenty of pushing the rules and fighting with his sister. We know this is as it should be, and on the whole he is a wonderful big brother. He is great at helping Anna and protects her when they are out together.

Maxwell still has his treasured Chester bear, who remains his most special friend. Several other bears (Puzzle Bear, Rainbow, Snowflake, among others) are also close companions. At least one of these comes in the car with him wherever we go. He loves playing hide and seek and school (he likes to be the teacher). Max can ride a two-wheel bike with no training wheels and is continuing with ballet and tap classes. Favorite foods remain pizza and cupcakes, which are occasional treats. On a more regular basis, I can get him to eat more meat if I serve diced roasted sweet potatoes with dinner. Therefore, we eat sweet potatoes with dinner several times a week! The kids watch a show or two on Netflix or Amazon each day. Currently Max likes Go Diego Go, Clifford the Big Red Dog, and Peg Plus Cat. He is thoughtful and sensitive and funny. He can takes a looooong time to get ready for bed but can be awfully cute while he does it. We love him to the moon and back.

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Take a Hike

We’ve had an unusually warm and dry winter here in the Pacific Northwest. While it doesn’t bode well for our snow pack for this summer, it has been great to be outside while the rest of the country battles a never-ending Snowmaggedon. Last weekend we took the kids on a hike down to the sound and back up again. We had a great time, there was a brief piggyback ride on the way back up for both of them, but otherwise they walked the whole way and enjoyed the surroundings. They both fell along the way and were a *touch* (cough cough over the top) dramatic about it, but we persevered. The route follows a creek down the hill that feeds into the ocean, and Max loved spotting the tubes and tunnels the water followed underground when it crossed the trail.

We definitely want to come back this summer when it’s warm enough to wade in the shallow water on this beach. We just brought a snack this time, but it would be a great spot for a picnic. Out of towners, come visit and we will take you!

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I have no idea what he’s doing here, but I love his cute little grin.

 

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