At The Park We...

At the Park we were busy for 2 hours!!  What did we do?  Lot's of things.  Well I mostly took photos, talked to the baby and then toward the end held the baby as we swung in one of the large blue swings made for disabled kids.  They're great because they have backs on them. Max really enjoyed it because he slept peacefully for a while. 

So here's a quick recap of what everyone was up to.

Max relaxed in his stroller and looked at his toys.

Noah and Nathan played a game which involved a bunch of running away from bad guys.

There was a lot of climbing on things.

On bridges...

On rock walls...

On the roof of this play structure...

There was also some posing for pictures. 

I heard a lot of, "Mom, take a picture of me!"

 More posing.

There was sliding of course. There was also hiding in slides.

There was swinging.

And there was stick collecting.  A favorite of Nathan's. He always manages to find some sticks.

So that was our day at the park. It was a lot of fun and exercise.  It resulted in a tired group of kids.  Which meant Nathan fell asleep with no complaints.  His head hit the pillow and he was out.

Thank you park! 

Spring Fun!

I feel like we've just emerged from a long winter hibernation.  The Spring temperatures are bringing people outdoors and we are no exception.  We took both little boys outside today to enjoy the warmer weather.  Max experienced his first ride on a swing.  He seemed to like it. Nathan of course wanted to do the pushing. He did a great job and was very gentle.

 Then Nathan got his turn on a swing. 

 Max kept staring at the yellow tray.

 I took his socks off and let his feet enjoy the fresh air.

 Max has started putting his fingers in his mouth and drooling.

 Nathan doing the "Superman" swing.

 Mike hooked the rope up for Nathan.  The big kids had moved it for some reason.  Nathan tried to climb up himself but was having trouble making it to the top.

 So Daddy came to the rescue.  He tried to show him how to make it up.  Nathan found it all pretty hilarious.  He just laughed and laughed.

 Max laughed a few times when Nathan was talking to him and pushing him.

 Nathan also had Daddy help him out on the monkey bars.  Again, this was all pretty funny to him.

 Nathan decided to forgo the rope and just climb up the wall using the feet and hand holds.  He was pretty good at that!

He made it right up! 

I can't wait for the trees to bloom and the grass to green up.  I'm looking forward to planting some flowers in the garden and picking strawberries out of the garden again. Hurry up Spring, do your thing!

Noah at Thirteen

Noah is a hard one to pin down for time in front of the camera lens.  I finally managed it though.  He needed a photo for his black belt application and I wanted some photos for my wall.  I think this turned out pretty well.  Elizabeth bought me the new backdrop that looks like a old door.  I really like it.  She said it was a thank you for all the photos I've taken.  She didn't have too, but I sure do appreciate it! Thanks, again, Elizabeth! 

Max's Birth (posted 3 month's late)

Maximilian Christopher Mandel

Born via c-section

December 3rd 2012

7lbs 15oz 

21 inches

I realized I hadn't posted any pictures from Max's birth.  Mike got some good pictures and I wanted to share them. 

Pulling his head out.

That's Mike cutting the cord.

Mom meeting Max for the first time. He was really raspy sounding.  So they took him away to suction him out.  He ended up in the NICU for a few hours. I got to nurse him and spend a couple hours with him before he went.

My biggest baby yet! Almost 8 pounds!

Max's Play Gym

Max is 13 weeks old.  He is so much fun!  He's laughing and smiling and we can see such a sweet and funny personality emerging.  I love his red hair. It just makes me smile. 

Lately he's been enjoying his time on his play gym.  He will play happily for 30 minutes or so under it. He swats at his toys and "talks" to them.  

Our old play gym bought when Maddie was a baby finally bit the dust.  I found this cute one at the consignment store for 9 dollars! I love finding deals like that.  I think Max appreciated it too!

 Here you can see him focus on a toy.

 Nathan occasionally likes to pay Max a visit and gently kiss him on his head.  Nathan jumped on the mat with Max this morning.  I grabbed the camera and...voila! Cuteness

 

 In case you're wondering...those eyes are still blue!  Kind of a sapphire blue, I'd say.

Super Nathan!

I ordered this super hero five piece set on Wednesday and it arrived today (Friday).  I couldn't believe how fast it got here.  It was only $10.50 total.  The shipping was free!  Well, needless to say Nathan was excited to try it on.  I was excited to take a few pictures of him wearing it!

 So here is the whole set, shield, cape, wrist cuffs, belt and eye mask.

 Adorable.

 "Super" close up.

This is what we got when Mike asked for his super hero face. Pretty fierce, huh?  I hope we get some good use out of the costume.