Love The Zoo

Featuring your tour guide, Maximus

 We got a membership to the Dallas Zoo from MiMi and PaPa (Tyler's parents) for Christmas and decided to put it to good use. The family sans me has already gone this year since I've been working out of town, but it was perfect weather so we couldn't resist. Here are some highlights, including how much Max has grown since his first visit.

Various species of monkeys were a highlight, as were the elephants. Mille seemed most interested with the penguins. She was eye level with those little guys. It was the perfect Valentine's Day trip. We are definitely looking forward to many more visits this year.

May 2013 - 2.75 years old

February 2015 - 3.5 yrs old

Playdate Fun!

Maximus had a play date with his friend Maddy last weekend. It was rainy so the kiddos had to stay inside. Maddy was the perfect hostess from picking out the snacks of chocolate covered strawberries and mini chocolate cupcakes to selecting a gender neutral "arts and crafties" project (apparently she wanted to make jewelry initially).

As with all play dates, Max was super excited to play with someone else's toys. He took a particular liking to Maddy's Barbie RV. I have to admit it was super cool. Max just wanted to arrange it and set it all up when Maddy wanted to actually play Barbie.

Classic toddler hide and seek location

Camille was in heaven too as she was surrounded by girl toys which is something we are lacking at our house. 

9 months, baby!

Camille - 9 months

The baby of the family is 9 months old!  She is one handsy, curious, and vocal little girl that still has her brothers reservations at times. Camille can grab at items so quick that I basically put her in a bubble when we eat because if she gets a hand on it then it's officially bath time. The girl loves to eat but more importantly she loves to feel. She (like her brother) is very tactile.

Camille has been crawling for a good month now. She isn't into hyper speeds like her brother was when he was crawling. Primarily because she is trying to bypass learning how to crawl efficiently so she can walk. Camille loves to pull up onto something and side step. She isn't capable of letting go just yet due to her leg strength/balance but the girl tries daily. We also are dealing with some dry skin which is no fun when crawling on carpet. Little Mille has red knees all the way to the tops of her feet.  Don't let the video below fool you on her walking skills.  She was doing her curious walk with Aunt CayCay and since her brother was at school she could do it at leisure.  When the whole family is home, Camille crawls to her walker, walks to her destination, then transfers to the object she wants to stand next to (or the person to which she wants to play with).

Lucky girl had her visit to the pediatrician with no shots this visit. She is on course developmentally and her lungs have recovered from a case of bronchiolitis she picked up after thanksgiving. 

Eating her stat card from the doctor.
Height:  28 1/4 inches
Weight:  19.7 lbs

Always a blur/in motion aka Curious Cami

Saturday morning snuggles

There is one thing that was a must for me and my family and that was a king size bed. I have lots of fond memories of piling into my parents bed on Saturday mornings that I had this grand vision that it would be the same for me too. And it is!

I actually tuck Max into bed on Friday letting him know that we don't have school the next day and he gets to watch cartoons in bed with us in the morning. He generally giggles in excitement then starts demanding his breakfast choices (that kid has always loved breakfast). As a parent I now know why the kids come piling in as it is hard to wake up early on the weekends when your child wakes up at the crack of dawn. It gives mommy and daddy just a few more minutes of time before we have to set our feet on the floor moving. 

These days it's not just Max who joins in the cartoon fun. Camille wants to be a part of the fun too.

Bad photos but you get the visual ... its sibling love

Lucky for us Camille loves the same shows as her big brother (for the time being) but there is a fight over the actual iPad from time to time. 

"No Mille, I got George coming up.  See ..."

Christmas Time with Willie the Elf

Willie the Elf joined our family this Christmas to make sure Maximus and Camille were good little children.

It was pretty impressive to see how fast Max could find Willie each morning. Max requested that Willie go to visit Santa with him so that he could tell Santa how good he had been, I emphasized (again) that Willie goes each night to tell Santa but Max didn't believe me so he wanted to be there when Willie told Santa.  Thats our kid making sure that the "truth" is being told to the big man in the North Pole. It was also a little sad when he wanted Willie to see how many toys he got this year for being good ... "I show Willie" ... and I had to explain that Willie had already gone to the North Pole to be with Santa.  As much as I was excited and dreaded the Elf on the Shelf, it wasn't as hard as I thought to entertain a 3yr old and due to Max being so good at finding him I didn't lose too many minutes off my morning routine.  I look forward to Willie returning next year.  See you soon Willie as I am aware how fast a year can fly by.  Here is a tribute to our little Elf ...

    

Jingle All The Way!

Firstly, I just realized that this is our 200th post. Thanks for hanging in there with us. We love and miss all of our friends and family all over this crazy world. Hope to see you all very soon. Christmas time is here and we have been busy taking it all in. Max is at an age where he can truly appreciate what's happening around him, and that includes music. After having mastered classics like Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Happy Birthday! he has now moved on to Christmas tunes, with Jingle Bells being the most coherent. So coherent, in fact, that we had to share it with everyone. I wanted to be extra special for everyone to hear his magnificent voice, so I mic'd him up :-)

We also went to ride the Polar Express (unofficially the North Pole Express in Grapevine, TX) with some of our friends in town and their kids. Besides being excited with the obvious train obsession he has, this was also his chance to see the big man himself, Santa Claus. Max did great while Camille...well...didn't. I guess her Daddy is the only man with a beard deemed not scary in her life. That's ok though; they both still enjoyed the whole trip.

3 Munchkins waiting in line, dancing on candy canes

Mille also had a bunch of fun waiting

Getting ready to board the Polar Express

They really went all out on the decor

Tickets in hand, ready to GO!

Non-stop Christmas music kept them active the whole trip

Mrs. Claus with the photobomb of the day

We got off at the North Pole and it was "Snowing"!

Making cookies for Santa

Eating her Christmas hat while Max makes cookies for Santa

We wrote our first letter to Santa. He just wants Christmas Lights and Squirrels.

I hope we get a letter back!

Of course, a classic Faison-style picture with Santa. Cue the tears.

The Great Christmas Wreath Artist

Max has had quite the career as an amateur artist, particularly in the art form known as "painting." His gallery of masterpieces that adorn the walls of Faison Hall would put the Louvre to shame. Not to be outdone, Camille has taken to the arts to express her inner-Christmas spirit. I present what may possibly be her magnum opus, simply titled Wreath.

Warming up with a painting for a local charity auction (no, not really y'all).

This is the teaser, as we would call it in TV. "Oh my! What's she painting!?"

The artist's tools of the trade

We present for all to enjoy...Wreath. No pictures please.

Maximus (left) with Tree (circa 2012) and Camille (right) with Wreath (2014)