'Tis the Season

What a difference a year makes for Max and Christmas. Last year, Santa kinda freaked him out. This year, it's all he talks about. He walks around saying "It's going to be Christmas soon ..." and talking about the toys he wants. He's seen him a couple times at Swanson's Nursery, along with the reindeer and Curly the camel. Santa (and his load of presents) is pretty powerful bargaining chip with a child once he gets the concept of "who's naughty and who's nice."

On another note: Max is constantly saying the most random things at the most random times, like today, he had slept in our bed. He rolled over and looked at me and the first words out of his mouth were: "Daddy, do you have an electric toothbrush?" It just goes to show that you can never truly understand what's going through a toddler's mind and any given moment. Here's some pics of our tree, Max with Santa and the reindeer ... and the new cooktop and butcher block I put in this week! Yay for gas cooking!

King of the Wild Frontier

Max (aka Davey Crockett) had an eventful Halloween. On Friday, he went to a party at ELDC, then to an old folks home, and finally visiting Joi's co-workers. Then on the big day, we went to the library (this time in his cowboy outfit), then stopped to say hi to his neighbor friend Mason (some kind of superhero), then on to the Licton Springs neighborhood fest to meet up with his friend Spike (a little devil), Diego (a baseball player), and Elana (a puppy dog), where they got some candy, saw some skits and music and ran through the woods. Then off to trick-or-treat on a few blocks of our neighborhood Maple Leaf. Max's costume, often confused for Daniel Boone or a mountainman or a hunter, was a big hit. Max even learned the song from the old TV show. Enjoy!

Buggin' Out

Max and daddy had a creepy, crawly time at the Seattle Bug Safari downtown. It was basically a big room with lots of aquariums filled with exotic bird-eating tarantulas, giant Amazonian cockroaches, yellow centipedes and bright blue beetles. Max loved using his magnifying glass to see them and especially the flashlight to shine under the rocks where the big scorpions were hiding. Afterward, we walked over to the Pike Place Market and checked out the mob of tourists and had some yummy things to munch on. A fun day all around! Max's funniest line of the day: "When I grow up, I can crawl in there and eat the millipede's food!"

Max's 3rd birthday

Max had great fun at his birthday party with 10 of his friends from pre-school, daycare and other assorted ways. We ate mini-cupcakes, bowled for prizes, whacked on a pinata (that eventually broke with a little adult assistance) and played some in the backyard. Max's favorite present came from his freind Jonas ... a Batman helicopter! Super cool!

Hello, Cleveland!

After taking a break to work on other "side projects", Max returned to the stage to perform two of his latest favorites: Miss Mary Mack (with handclaps) and Twinkle, Twinkle, Traffic Light.

Stay sharp!

We recently went to the Mariners-Yankees game for Safeco Employee Night. Max made it through about 3 innings before he'd had enough; baseball is kind of slow for lots of people, especially 2 year olds. But he liked looking at the flashing scoreboard, clapping/cheering when everyone else did and some ballpark popcorn. Plus he got to ride bus and he got a free cap! A fun night all around.

Max doesn't miss an opportunity to correct Mom or Dad. Last night, Joi went to a class, which she told Max before she left. About an hour later, as he was helping me make dinner, he asked me "Where's Mommy?" I said, "She's at a meeting." Without missing a beat, he says, "Actually, Daddy, she's at a class." It's as if he knows the answer and is just testing you to see what you'll say.

You gotta be on your toes around Max. He's ready to pounce!

A seat by the man in the water

Last Saturday, while mommy was working, Max and I went on a little bus ride down to the U-District to get a yummy sub at Which Wich, and then to Cowen Park to ride the zip line and run around. Max loves to ride the bus, but its been 5-6 months since he's had a chance, the last time Paw-Paw and GJ were here. As Max and I were hoofing it up the hill to the bus stop, he said to me, "We need to get a seat by the man in the water." I was confused what he meant, but said "OK, that sounds good." When we got up to the bus stop, he exclaimed "There he is!" and I realized what he meant: There's a mural painted on the inside of the bus shelter, behind the bench, of a waterfall and a man sitting in a tube in the lake. Max remembered sitting on the bench, waiting for the bus, "by the man in the water."

It's just amazing to see what imprints on his big two-year-old brain. He vividly remembers an image from 6 months before, yet I go to that bus stop everyday and was still confused by what he meant. It's a not-so-subtle reminder that he hears and sees everything you do and say around him.

Max has such a colorful imagination. With his new favorite toy - Mr. Potato Head - he's been doing little impromptu puppet shows for us behind the big chair in the living room, complete with "Once upon a time ..." and "The end". He often picks up a handful of rocks or wood chips and offers them to us as "chocolate" or "hotdogs" or some other food (always on his mind.) Yesterday, we were at Dahl Playfield and they have a little playhouse for toddlers; he went in and poked his head out the window and hollered: "Dinner's ready! Who wants hamburgers?"