Dear Max,
Summer is here and so is the heat! Over Memorial Day weekend we got in Nona and Papa’s pool for the first time this year. The shaded areas were a little cool, but you didn’t seem to care. You absolutely love the pool and you kept telling us that you didn’t know how to swim. You really wanted to be able to just get around in the water by yourself, and for that reason we have decided to put you in swimming lessons. I found a lady that lives in Bedford that teaches the swim-float-swim technique which is referred to as “survival swimming.” You don’t start lessons until the beginning of July, but you will have one-on-one instruction for about 10 minutes Monday through Thursday for about 4 or 5 weeks. I know you are going to do great because you don’t seem at all scared of the water and you really want to learn how to swim. I’m really excited that you will be able to swim completely on your own by the end of the summer! In the meantime we bought you a little blow up pool for our backyard and you Jake have really enjoyed splashing around in it.
We took a trip to Midland this past month for Emery’s 3rd birthday. You and Jake did great on the trip there and when we got there we put you and Emery in separate twin beds in the same room. I was unsure how that was going to work out, and I had every reason to be skeptical. The first night when we put you both to bed Emery showed you her little turtle night light that she slept with. It is really neat because it is like a stuffed animal turtle with a hard shell that has star cut outs all over it. When you turn the light on it projects stars all over the room and it changes colors. Aunt Bethany told us that Emery always slept with it at the foot of her bed and assured us that it turned off after 45 minutes. We put you two little boogers to bed around 9pm and around 12:30am I heard a bang. I walked in there to find Emery in your bed with her pillow and the two of you just sitting there pushing buttons on the turtle to make it change colors. Apparently, if you keep changing the colors the turtle doesn’t automatically go off. I ended up threatening you and Emery and staying in there until you were both quiet. You absolutely loved that turtle! Uncle Ty told us he got it at Dillards, so when we got home I used a gift card that I had to buy you one. We turn it on for you every night before you go to bed, but we put it up on your dresser where it is out of reach. We really had a fun trip and you, Emery, Kade and Jake had a fun time just playing together. Emery had a fun princess themed birthday where we ate hot dogs, busted a pinata, and ate cupcakes. You really enjoyed the cupcake and you decided to eat it top first.
A few weeks ago I found a little lego table at Toys R Us that was on sale. I figured I would get it for your birthday and that you and Jake would really get a lot of use out of it. It is just a cheap little plastic table that also had a hard top you can put on it and it comes with two little chairs. After it rained almost an entire week I decided I would go ahead and put it together so you and Jake could play with it. You both LOVE it. You enjoy putting the legos on it, but more than that, you both have started to love to color. I bought you some crayons and coloring books and I just love watching you and Jake sit there with your little crayon boxes. I don’t worry about you coloring on the table since it is a plastic table that can just be wiped off. I actually found some of those little “painting” pages that just require water, so you and Jake “paint” with water on it too. I usually give you each a little container with some water in it, but Jake always drinks his. He’s so funny.
We’ve been busy going to the gym and you and Jake have both started coloring pictures at the gym for me, we probably have 3 new pictures on the refrigerator everyday. I also bought a little responsibility chart for you that has little magnets of all the things you are supposed to accomplish each day. Many of the things involve chores; like making your bed, picking up toys, and helping me do stuff. The rest of the things have to do with behavior; such as being nice, sharing, not whining, and saying “please” and “thank you.” You are doing a good job on your chores, but you have some work to do on the behavior side of things. There are times when you and Jake don’t share, or sometimes you get an attitude. You really like getting to put a little magnet on each thing when you do a good job, and when you don’t get to mark one off we always talk about it. I don’t know that you completely comprehend all of it, but it’s good to start early. We’ve had to work on talking nice, obeying the first time, and not having an attitude. We have really started to immediately punish this behavior with a no-tolerance attitude. You know how you are supposed to behave, so we aren’t warning you anymore, you get an immediate punishment that gets your attention. I can tell a big improvement in the last week.
On a another note, you are so sweet. You will come up to me and hug me and give me a kiss and say, “I love you, Mama!” I love seeing you initiate affection on your own and me not always asking you to give me a hug. Sometimes in the morning you come and snuggle with me while you watch cartoons, I’m cherishing these moments because I know there will come a day when you won’t want to anymore. You and Jake are such buddies and you do everything together. The two of you love to color, play blocks, chase each other, dance to the Elmo radio, walk around with your blankets over your heads and run into stuff, spread the library books out all over the floor, climb on the couch and throw all the pillows into the floor and then jump off the couch onto the pillows, get a wipe and blow your noses, and bug and annoy each other. We went to Razoo’s for Nona’s birthday lunch and you both got balloons and played with them non-stop. We were glad when you both went to bed so that we could pop them and throw them away.
We had a great trip to the zoo this week. We took the wagon so that you and Jake could get in and out easier, and you both had a blast. The entire time you talked about seeing the Elephants, but then when we saw them you were pretty bored watching them just stand around. We really enjoyed watching the hippos because they were blowing bubbles in the water and then coming up and shaking their ears. The penguins exhibit was really cool too, and Jake just LOVES penguins. There was one penguin that kept swimming back and forth right in front of you and Jake and you thought it was so funny. I think we spent the most time watching the chimpanzees. They were chasing each other around, swinging from the ropes and tackling each other, you and Jake were just fascinated by them. You kept pointing to different ones and saying, “Look, Mama! Look at that monkey! He’s being a silly booger!” As we were leaving the zoo we went into the gift shop because I wanted to buy Jake a penguin stuffed animal. We ended up finding one that had a little leash and a stick so you can pretend you are taking your animal for a walk. It is hilarious. Of course you wanted one too so I let you pick one out and you chose an elephant. On the ride home from the gym you and Jake kept sword fighting with the sticks. You are such boys.
I found out a few weeks ago that our crib had been recalled because of a structural thing. The manufacturer went out of business so it said that I could take it back to the store where I bought it. Since we aren’t having any more kids we decided we would use the money to buy bunk beds. The plan was that we would find bunk beds that could be separated into two beds and put one together for your room and then let Jake sleep in the Lightening McQueen toddler bed for about year before we put both beds together for you boys to share a room. I found a bunk bed set that I liked off of Walmart.com that has a twin on top and a full on bottom. Then I found some cute Paul Frank monkey bedding and ordered it. We took the 3 year old crib with teeth marks in it back to Target and got $270! I talked them into giving me cash so that we could put that money towards the bunk bed set that was $300. So Dada put the twin bed with rails together for you, since you will end up sleeping on the top bunk, and we gave Jake your car bed. That day we tried to put you and Jake in his room to nap since we were still putting your bed together. For over an hour we just heard the two of you giggling and then we would randomly hear a bang. Dada had to go in there and take your stuffed animals away because you were throwing them, and then when we were done with your bed we put you in it so that you could actually take a nap. You really love your new bed and Jake is doing surprisingly well in the toddler bed, especially considering he is only 14 months old!
We have a busy summer ahead and we’re excited to be going the 4th of July meeting in Springfield in a few weeks. I’m really hoping we get home in time to see the firework show that the city puts on because we can see the fireworks from our backyard. I’m super excited about you and Jake taking swimming lessons, and then before you know it we will be having your 3rd birthday party! You already told me that you want a Batman birthday party, and when we went to Toys R Us to get a birthday present for someone else, all you wanted to do was play with the train table. You kept asking me if we could buy it and I told you that maybe someone would get it for your birthday. You told me that you want to show it to Dada, so I’m sure a trip to Toys R Us to look at the train table is in our future. Maybe if you’re a good boy some of us can go in together and get it for your birthday, I know you and Jake would get a lot of use out of it. I love you very much, especially when you are sweet and obedient.
Love,
Mama
