Pop - We love and miss you

On October 12, 2008 my Pop passed away at the age of 90. Pop was my last living grandparent and Maddox's only living great-grandparent. I am so glad that I got a picture of Maddox with him last year when we went to visit him. My Pop had a rough life as so many did that came of age during the Great Depression. He never complained though. He worked hard his whole life and with Nana (who passed away 14 years ago) raised 4 wonderful kids. There are 6 of us grandkids and 5 great-grandkids.

I always remember him wrestling with us on the ground when we were little. He always called my brothers and cousins "Tiger" and we thought that was hilarious. He used to make and drink Whiskey Sours all the time. One time I demanded that he give me the "orange juice" I thought he was making so he gave me a sip...it was horrible. He was a Deacon in the Catholic Church and officiated at all of our Baptisms and First Communions before he retired to care for my Nana who had Alzheimer's Disease. He felt it was his duty to care for her at home until the end, and I cannot imagine how that must have been for him.

Over the years, he developed symptoms of Alzheimer's as well and ended up in a wonderful Assisted Living Facility. As he declined we kept visiting him and trying to keep his mind from forgetting us, but as I'm sure anyone who has been exposed to this illness knows, it's a losing battle.

I'm so thankful that my Mom and her sister Kathy were able to be with him when he died. While it's sad that he is no longer here, I'm so happy that he's finally reunited with Nana after 14 long years. They loved eachother so much, it's a blessing that they are finally together. The funeral home posted a bio of him with a slide show of pictures through his life, which is amazing.

Obituary - http://www.webfh.com/fh/obituaries/obituary.cfm?o_id=205300&fh_id=10498

Goodbye, Pop! We love and miss you!

September and Beginning October 2008

Since I'm so far behind on my posts, I've decided to hit the high points of September and October 2008. Here we go :)...

Sesame Street Live In early September we heard that the Sesame Street Live show was coming to Phillips Arena. Since Maddox LOVES Sesame Street so much (and the tickets were pretty cheap), we decided to try it out. The show was really adorable, however I think Maddox got totally overwhelmed by it. Being that he's only 15mths we weren't totally shocked. It was pretty loud and he didn't cry and freak out, but he was sort of awed and then passed out, so we left at Intermission. Maybe next year :). Here are a couple of pictures:

First GT football game
Also in September we decided to take Maddox to his first Georgia Tech football game. We were able to get some great tickets for GT vs. Miss State and figured that since the game was in the afternoon we may be able to get him to sit through a bit without passing out. It wasn't too hot out either, so we thought it would be pretty good. We headed down to campus early and hung out at the ZBT house for pregame. Then we made the walk to the stadium. We got into our seats and realized that it was going to be a lot hotter than we thought. Although the temp was ok, we were sitting in direct sunlight and I had forgotten the baby sunblock for the first time since Maddox was born. We kept him in the shade with a sweatshirt and he was interested at first. Then came the first GT touchdown. All the noise totally freaked him out and he started crying because he was clearly scared. Then a funny thing happened. GT started scoring a LOT (funny that never seemed to happen all that often in the other games we went to) and Maddox was pretty much done. Stefan took him into the inner part of the stadium where they sell the merchandise and food to let him run around a bit and after a while we decided to leave. I'm proud that we made it to halftime and GT ended up winning the game 38-7. Go Jackets!!!

GT Homecoming

As is customary since we moved back to the Atlanta area, we headed down to campus to the ZBT house for GT Homecoming in October. Maddox really enjoyed running around the house and it was wonderful to see a lot of our friends and their children. It always amazes me how different we all are since our days at GT. It's definitely a bit surreal to see people you partied with 10yrs ago (my has it been that long) chasing around babies and toddlers and talking about the which car seat is the best model. My how times have changed.

Tybee Island Vacation 2008

The first week of September 2008 we rented a mini-van and headed down to Tybee Island, GA for a vaction. We even brought Nelson and Mama Les, Grandpa, Nana, Granddad, and Uncle Luke met us there. We rented an amazing house with a pool in the backyard for the week, which was only 2 blocks from the beach. None of us had been to Tybee Island before, although we've been to Savannah which is a 30 min drive. We're so used to going to Ocean City, MD which is loaded with condo buildings and hotels, amusement parks, boardwalk, etc. Tybee Island is almost the exact opposite...a very small and quaint beach town. We had a great time and Maddox loved it. Having the pool in the backyard was awesome...even Nelson got to swim (although I didn't get a good picture of it). Maddox loved the pool and absolutely adored the ocean...I think he could've done without the sand though. It was great to have time with our parents and Luke as well. It was a very low stress vacation and Stefan and I even got some time alone togther. I've included some pictures, but all of them are in the Summer 2008 album (link under albums). I highly recommend it, especially for young kids that are not ready for amusement parks yet :).


Mommy, Daddy, and Maddox at the beach













Nana and Granddad


















Uncle Luke, Maddox, and Daddy

Daddy and Uncle Luke playing catch with Maddox in the pool

Family Pictures

We had a photographer come out to our house in late July and take some family pictures. I had been debating what to do for Maddox's 1yr pictures and finally decided that it would be nice to get some of our whole little family. They turned out really great and it was a fabulous experience. Our photographer was so amazing. She has a young baby (8 or 9mths old at the time) and a couple of dogs, so she knows how to deal with both, which was awesome. All of the photos are in the Family Pictures link on the right of the blog, but here are a few that I really liked. Enjoy!

Boys II Men or Bell Biv Devoe?

Stefan and I went with Ed and Gail to see Morris Day and the Time at Chastain at the end of July. Morris Day was opening for Boys II Men and if you're like me, you've never heard of Morris Day (Jungle Love is the only song I knew...o-e-o-e-o). Stefan and I have had this funny inside joke about Morris Day and the Time since he had to actually pull up old concert footage of theirs on YouTube before I believed him that they actually exist. Suffice to say Stefan was totally psyched to see Morris Day and the (mother-f**king) Time. Ed was also all about Morris Day, but Gail and I were there for Boys II Men.

Apparently Stefan confused Boys II Men with Bell Biv Devoe (BBD of New Edition fame). We were pulling into Chastain and Stefan swore we were at the wrong concert since everyone walking in looked so old. Finally he asked me what one of their songs were and when I said "End of the Road" and "Motown Philly" he flipped out and had the line of the night. "You mean we're not going to hear Do Me tonight?".

Now you can bring any food/beverage you want into Chastain and as Gail was intent to clean out her liquor cabinet, she made some Sangria using 2 bottles of wine and a bottle of Vodka (Absolute Orange). It's amazing how funny we thought our lines were after finishing off the entire cooler of Sangria.

Regardless, the concert was awesome. Morris Day and the Time rocked it and surprisingly so did Boys II Men. I was worried they would only sing ballads all night (since that's mostly what was on their albums), but apparently they came out with a Motown cover album a while back so they did a whole set of Motown which was awesome. We (of course) finished up the evening with a run to the WaHo where we ordered most of the menu and ate ourselves sick. Gotta love the Waffle House!

Late Summer Catch Up

Oh goodness! I have been absolutely terrible about updates this summer. I've been so busy with work and we've had illnesses all over the place and we went on vacation...

Bad excuses I know. I guess in a nutshell it's been a very hectic past couple of months. Maddox has gotten bigger and bigger and now has a ton of teeth (3 of which cut through while we were on vacation last week!). We have graduated into real "big boy" shoes and everything too!

We've spent most of the summer swimming in Mama Les' pool by ourselves and with friends (what's up B!). I'll post some adorable pictures of Maddox and Brendan swimming together...it is adorable. We also attended Mitchell's 1st Birthday Party which was a blast. We had Mitchell (and Lorann and Brad of course) over for dinner and playtime during the opening ceremony of the Olympics and the kids had a great time. I've also decided I must MUST visit China sometime in this lifetime.

We have also officially reached the end of another Purple Cobra Kickball season, so our Saturdays are finally free again. It'll be nice to not have to work around 2pm game times for a while.

We reached a bittersweet milestone a couple of weeks ago. We had our 1yr anniversary at Gymboree. I remember the first day I brought Maddox to Gymboree when he was 2mths old. I cannot believe how far we've come in a years time. Absolutely amazing! I cannot speak highly enough of Gymboree and the great classes they offer. I truly believe Maddox would not have reached his milestones as soon as he has without it.

We are still continuing with our Pilates classes and playgroups and looking forward to a great Fall. More posts to come with pictures from a shoot at our house and vacation pictures :).

Catch up to July 4th and Wheel of Fortune

Goodness it's been a while since my last post. Things got pretty busy last month. We had family in from out of town and lot to do :). I've been very busy with work as well...I'm hoping it calms a bit in the next few weeks, but we'll see.
Maddox is walking so much now it's really crazy. He has no fear and goes all out all the time. He doesn't quite have the greatest balance in the world, so when he tries to really take off he ends up face planting. He's gone head first into just about everything we own. I think the bumps, bruises, and scratches are going to be a permanent fixture all over him for the coming months. He really seems to enjoy walking around though. I don't trust it enough to let him walk outside and stuff, but he's getting pretty good. I guess it's time to go and buy him some real shoes.
We had a great month of June. We spent a lot of time with family and family friends, swimming at Mama Les and Grandpa's house, and playing with our buds. We also attended a wedding for a good friend. It was very fun to go out and cut loose without Maddox. The wedding was beautiful and we had a great time.
One of Maddox's new favorite things to do is watch Wheel of Fortune, so now that's on our Tivo rotation. We've even joined the Wheel Watchers club since he demands to watch it every day :). I think he's drawn to the puzzls and bright colors. Thank goodness for Pat and Vanna, since I have time to clean up while he's entranced from 7-730pm every night :).

Maddox and Daddy watching the Wheel

















We also had a great 4th of July. We watched the Roswell fireworks rehearsal from our back deck on the 3rd, which was great. We took Maddox to the Dunwoody 4th of July Parade that morning to hang out with Mama Les, Grandpa, Uncle Jason, and Aunt Staci while we sold hotdogs for charity. It was very hot, but we had fun and Maddox enjoyed all the firetrucks. We even ran into the Ohnstad's. We spent the rest of the weekend attending multiple other BBQ's with friends and family, so it was a great weekend.


Maddox and Daddy at the 4th of July Parade

My Baby is a Toddler...Happy Birthday Maddox

Last Wednesday, June 11th was Maddox's 1st Birthday. I was excited and relieved to have officially made it through the first year, yet sad at the same time that my baby is no longer an infant. I don't really like the word "toddler", but I guess I'll have to live with it. I cannot believe how much different our lives are this year than last year. Having our son has so completely changed our lives and in such a wonderful way. He just amazes me every day at what he does and the fact that I had a hand in making this (I think) perfect little thing. He has truly been a blessing to Stefan and I, and although it hasn't been easy...it's been totally worth it. We are so thrilled with him and love him more and more every day (if that's even possible). I did happen to get a picture of Maddox at precisely 8:09pm on June 11th, which is the exact time he was born last year. What a difference a year makes. Thank you, Nutter Butter (Angel Baby) for coming into our lives. We love you!

Maddox's 1st Birthday Party

The invitations went out a while ago (I made them myself and was pretty proud of it). Maddox's 1st Birthday Party was held at Mama Les and Grandpa's house on June 7th, since they have the pool (thank goodness since it ended up being 100 degrees out) and a great backyard setup and a big eating area inside. Even though Mama Les was ill, with the help of Aunt Staci and Linda J, we got everything set up and the party was a great success. Nana, Granddad, and Uncles Zach, Luke, and Nathaniel all flew in for a visit too (not to mention some other out of town friends). I finally found a use for all of the monthly "sign" pictures I take of Maddox as they became the decorations on the buffet tables. Take a look.


















I also made the image on the cake and had Publix make it as a photo cake and it turned out great too.
We had a total of about 45 people come to the party and it was a great mix of kids and adults and close family friends. We decided to try to keep the guest list manageable and just invite friends with kids around Maddox's age and close family friends. Maddox had a blast and clearly had no idea what was going on other than the fact that he had tons of time to play in the pool (quickly becoming his favorite pass time). Thanks so much to everyone who came (especially to Staci, Linda J, and Jeanette for all their HARD work). We missed those that couldn't make it as well. Here are some additional pictures. The full lot of pictures is in the Maddox Pictures Month 12 album link under Picture Albums, so enjoy!

Zachary's 1st Birthday Party

We had the pleasure of attending the 1st Birthday Party for Zachary, our friends Julie and Sean's son. It was on June 1st and we had a great time. Maddox and Zachary hadn't seen eachother for a while and played very nicely. The party was lovely (Julie is Martha-freaking Stewart) and the food was fabulous. I especially enjoyed the frozen Margaritas :). It was awesome to get together with Julie and Sean and the birthday boy. Check out a few pictures from the day.

Memorial Day Weekend (Staci's Birthday) and Lasik

It's been a long time since my last post, but things have been terribly busy. We ended up having a terrific Memorial Day weekend which started off with adults-only dinner for Staci's birthday. Staci, Jason, Donnie, Suzanne, Stefan, and I went out to Lobster Bar for a fabulous dinner celebrating Staci's 29th birthday. It was so much fun for just us "brothers and sisters" to get out. We ate a ton and had a great evening together.

Saturday, we headed over to the Barnes' house for a BBQ. It was awesome of Ed and Gail to have us over and great to see some of our other friends that we haven't seen in a while. Especially Erin and Greg who got engaged since we'd seen them last. Maddox didn't have too much time to play with Brendan though, since Brendan slept during a big chunk of our time there, but they did get to a little bit. Brendan is growing like a weed and getting cuter by the day (if that's even possible).

Unfortunately, I woke up on Sunday with some sort of flu so we had to take a rain check on the BBQ at the Davis'. I was really upset about it, but we really did not want to get anyone sick. Thank goodness it didn't last and I was feeling better on Monday and Tuesday.

That following Friday (May 30th) I had Lasik eye surgery which is a big reason for the gap between posts :). It has been amazing. I cannot recommend Lasik enough for anyone with contacts and/or glasses. The procedure was quick and painless and the recovery is really easy. I was able to see almost perfectly when I sat up on the operating table! Within 24hrs my right eye was 20/20 and my left eye was 20/40 (which is what I was able to see with contacts/glasses). In the 2 weeks since, my left eye has just about caught up with my right. If anyone is interested, Marietta Eye Clinic is who I used. Dr. Corwin was fabulous as was the rest of his staff. He even hand-wrote me a thank you note after surgery. I highly recommend him for anyone interested :).

Maddox is 11mths old and took his first steps

As you can see, my little baby turned 11mths old this past week. In addition, he took his first steps! He took 2 steps in a row repeatedly last Thursday (May 15th). It was amazing to watch, even though he had the balance of a drunk. He's trying and I would guess that within the next couple of months he'll be walking all over.

We had a fantastic weekend this weekend too. We spent most of Saturday afternoon and evening and Grandma Les and Grandpa's house. It was beautiful out and we ate dinner outside with Uncle Jason, Aunt Staci, the Coxes, the Cuthberts, and the Jezerinacs. Sunday we spent the afternoon with the Davises and the Grahams at the Marietta Greek Festival. It was a great time and all the kiddies enjoyed it. The food was amazing. Maddox discovered that if you put stuff with green beans, they actually are tasty :). He ate up a ton of chicken and Greek salad too. Can't wait for next year!

Here is a picture of Maddox and Mitchell at the Greek Festival on Sunday:

Mother's Day 2008

Mother's Day was a great day this year and came at the end of a busy weekend. It started on Friday when I hosted our playgroup. There were 5 of us with our little ones and we were so busy chatting and chasing the kids, I didn't really get any pictures. I got one of Maddox and Parker (Maddox has Laura Beth's bow in his hair). Friday evening we met Lorann, Brad, and Mitchell for dinner. We wanted to hit the new CPK by our house, but the wait was kind of long. We ended up at our old stand by, Wild Wing. The kids had a great time and we stayed pretty far past their bedtimes. Saturday we had our kickball games and then on to Adam's 30th birthday party. It was a lot of fun, although we ended up heading home at 1030pm. No more late nights for us old folks. Since everyone had been hanging out, eating and drinking since 3pm it wasn't too pathetic that we were done so early.















Then came Sunday. I must say that I am truly spoiled. All the lovely chocolates, cards, and flowers were wonderful. Stefan was so thoughtful as always. He sent me flowers from "Maddox" and gave me the day off. It started out with coffee in bed and a pancake breakfast. He did two loads of laundry and spent most of the day playing and taking care of Maddox and Nelson. I was able to sit out on the deck and read for a while and relax. We then headed to Jason and Staci's for a family dinner. It was us, Jason and Staci, Bill and Les, Victor and Saba (Staci's parents), Donnie and Suzanne and their two boys (Staci's brother and sister-in-law), and Ed and Gail and Brendan. It was a mad house with all four of the kids, but a great time. The food was wonderful and the kids had a blast together. Some pictures are below.

Frankie

Donnie with Scott













Stefan with Maddox and Brendan

Maddox's First Haircut

We took Maddox to get his haircut for the first time on Sunday. We decided to try Snip-its after church and almost walked out as soon as we walked in. There was a boy probably about 18mths-2yrs old getting his haircut that was screaming his head off. I mean you'd think someone was pulling his fingernails out. Maddox still seemed calm, so we decided to proceed. They were really wonderful. We got Maddox in the chair and once he had my car keys and a bowl full of lollipops to play with, it was all a go. He didn't get upset at all and the haircut was great. Here are few pictures from our adventure. :)

The "Before" Picture












He was really calm














Note the bowl of dum dum lollipops

















Haircute done :)

10mths old and catch up!

Maddox turned 10mths old on April 11th. We have been incredibly busy since then, so here's a rather long post playing catch up with all our travels and plenty of "Maddox Firsts" during the month:).

As I said, Maddox turned 10mths old on April 11th. He's creeping closer and closer to being 1yr old and I'm both excited and a little emotional about it. I love that he's learning and growing and becoming a person, but I miss him being a little baby. We got together with Ed, Gail, and baby Brendan again (who was creeping towards 4mths old at that point). What a cutie he is :).

Maddox also moved up a level in Gymboree which was very exciting. We are up to Level 3 (10 - 16mths). It's great that we are back in class with some of the kids from our playgroup that we haven't been in Gymboree with since Level 1. Alice and Abbi, Natalie and Parker, and Maddox and I all went to lunch after our first Level 3 class and had a great time. It was good to see them again and I think the kids enjoyed it.

Maddox's other first involved a plane ride. Maddox, Stefan, and I headed up to visit Megan, Perry, Keira, Mike, Joet, and Miles for Miles' first birthday party. It was so wonderful to see our great friends again and to get all our kids together for the first time. Maddox and Miles definitely hit it off and even though Keira wasn't feeling her best, I think she had a good time with Maddox as well. He definitely liked her :). Here is a picture of Megan, Miles, and Maddox and one of Mike, Joet, and Miles with his cake.





















After that trip, we were off to Sandestin, Florida for a quick vacation with Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Staci, and Uncle Jason. It was a Rotary District Conference celebrating the great year the Georgia Rotary Clubs had with Grandpa at the helm :). Maddox got to go to the beach for the first time. The verdict was a definite maybe. He didn't like the water (it was really cold), but the sand was ok. He ended up napping most of the time we spent on the beach. He was definitely happiest at the pool. The swimming lessons have definitely paid off.

We are now in full on party planning mode for Maddox's First Birthday Party. It's going to be an outdoor pool and activity party at Grandma and Grandpa's house. I finally got the invitations out this past week. One more thing off my "To Do" List. We're coming up on Maddox's 11mth birthday, which falls on May 11th (Mother's Day). Stay tuned as we enter the final month of his first year :).