Max's First Race!

Max could probably run all day if Tim and I let him. We always joke that Max learned to crawl, then run.  No joke, I think it was the week he learned to walk when he mastered running.  Ever since then, Max has been a running machine.  I can't help but say that I am a proud mother!
  One morning I was out for a run and saw a poster advertising a race right by our house.  Not only did I want to do it, but they had a "fun run" for kids after the 4 miler.  I came home and told Max about it and he was so excited!  Tim wasn't able to come because of a rotation, but me and the boys had a blast!  After the race they had homemade doughnuts (smelling those when I was finishing my race made me sick...) and some games for the kids to do.  Max and his little friend Jude were the youngest runners there and it cracked me up how well they kept up.  The "fun run" was one lap around the track.  After he ran the whole lap without stopping he came up to me and said all cheery, "Mom, I want to do it again!"  So I said okay, and that is exactly what he did!  Way to go Max :). 

The racing man!  He was insistent on wearing his running headband.  I found one of
my old race bibs and pinned it on his shirt to make him official :).   

Max and Jude showing their muscles before the race!

Sweet little Jake!  He had the most important job of all during the race by
keeping that stroller seat company :). 

The runners! 

Since I had Jake and couldn't be Max's partner for the games, a sweet little
girl agreed to be Max's buddy.  She was so cute with him and it made his day :). 

On your mark...get set...go!

"Walk On Horsie!"

Max's preschool class has been lucky enough to enjoy a horseback riding program for the past 5 weeks.  Today was the last day, and parents were invited!  Parents and cameras, of course.  I was so excited to see Max ride "Nick," the horse he has been talking about for the past 5 weeks.  It is a pretty incredible program this place has.  Riding horses is a very effective type of therapy for individuals with disability whether it be emotional, mental, or physical.  The staff was amazing, and did such a great job accommodating the crazy preschool class!  We sure lucked out with this preschool, it has been such a great experience for Max :). 

Max waiting to ride Mr. Nick, the horse :). 

Feeding the horses the "pizza treat" the kids helped make.



"Hey Mom!" 

We were so far away, getting a close up was kind of difficult.  Max was
one happy camper on that horse :). 

Most of Max's darling preschool class :). 

Each kid was awarded a ribbon for completing the training program.  My child
was pretty excited and put it on immediately. 

Horse parade!  Perfect weather for riding :).

Max trotting! 

 

 

Spring has finally sprung!

I really do enjoy living in Cleveland.  After this past winter though, I was at the edge of my seat, (maybe even falling off,) waiting for Spring to come.  And it has come!  Hooray!  We have enjoyed dozens of walks/runs/bike rides, park days, snow cones, ice cream, playing sports with Max, kite flying, and water gun fights this past month.  We have spent countless hours in our back yard playing, eating dinner, blowing bubbles, and just relaxing.  The blossoms on the trees are so pretty, and the air smells so fresh! The tulips and daffodils are gorgeous! There has been a lot of rain, but heck, I will take rain over snow any day :). 
Tim is in his final home stretch of year 3 in Medical School.  Man, the time has flown by so fast!  He works so hard waking up before the sun every morning so he can be with us in the evening.  I can't believe he will be a Doctor in one year. CRAZY!  I am so proud of him! 
Max is finishing up his first year of preschool which we have all loved.  He is into changing his clothes about 3 times a day.  Soccer outfit-running shorts-superman jammies-flip flops-running shoes-soccer outfit...you get the point. He is memorizing the articles of faith (doughnuts of his choice being the incentive!)  Max loves soccer, baseball, and running right now.  He and I are going to run a race at the end of the month at the elementary school right by our house.  Every time we meet someone he will let them know that he is a runner and is going to win the race.  No brainwashing there at all...! He loves his brother!  Those two keep each other up laughing, growling, squealing, yelling, and singing every night after Tim and I put them to "bed."  His appetite is increasing like crazy!  He is growing up way too fast, I can't believe it.  I love hanging out with him and seeing what a big boy he is becoming :).
Jake is all smiles!  That boy is always in the best mood, even when he has an excuse to be in a bad one.  He is getting his 3rd tooth and is perfectly sitting up. He grabs everything and eats it.  He hasn't taken to crawling yet, but is a little scooter bug all around the floor.  Jake will not eat purred baby food.  I have tried probably 50 times with no success.  He refuses.  It has been very frustrating!  SO...one day we finally tried giving him "grown-up food."  He devoured it.  The little monkey decided to skip the whole baby food stage and move onto the good stuff I guess.  I don't blame him.  Meal time for Jake consists of a lot of beans, cheerios, pieces of bread, rice, cut up fruit/ steamed veggies, noodles, and potatoes.  I have to get creative.  We are so glad to finally have solved the dilemma of him not eating purred food because he is now sleeping through the night!!  I am a whole new creature when I wake up after an uninterrupted 7 hours of sleep.  Happy wife, happy life baby!  Way to go Jake, we love you buddy!
I am keeping busy with my church calling, nannying 3 days a week, and training for a half marathon this summer. Not to mention my baking kick as of late...I love food way too much for my own good!
I was spoiled rotten for Mother's Day this year with a gourmet breakfast of waffles, eggs, raspberries, and bacon.  Tim had a meeting before church and masterfully whipped all that up AND enjoyed it with Max and I before 7:10am. What a guy!  Church was wonderful, especially seeing the primary kids sing.  Max was so sweet up on the stand singing, I was displaying quite the waterworks in the congregation!  After church, we came home and had a quick lunch and packed up for a day at one of Cleveland's beautiful Metro parks.  Metro parks are kind of like the "mountains" of Cleveland for me.  They are all over and we love walking/biking in them :).  This particular one had a castle built in the 1900s which we went to see.  Max was so excited being in a "real" castle he could hardly stand it!  After we toured the castle, we biked and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.  The boys were so good in the trailer and the weather was perfect!  We got home and Tim grilled the most amazing hamburgers to date.  He  made homemade french fries too which are to die for!  Literally.  We had corn on the cob and enjoyed the meal outside in our back yard.  After dinner we went for a walk, then came home and put the boys down for bed.  Tim and I enjoyed ice cream with hot fudge and just talked.  It was a full day, but the best!  I told Tim many times that I could relive it again and again and again!  I am so blessed to have a husband who treats me so well and is an amazing father to our boys!  I have two adorable kids who keep me on my toes, but teach me so much at the same time.  I am so blessed and have so much to be grateful for! 
Here are some pictures from Mother's Day and just random wonderful days! 

All smiles this little chunk!  I am kind of obsessed!

Max and Tim playing with Max's new castle.  Max got this for being "very obedient" one day.  We kind of get desperate for ideas to promote good behavior around our house sometimes...!

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...! 

Did I mention I am a little obsessed!?!

Sweet Jake :). 

Best buds :).  Love this picture! 

Max peeking through a window at Squire's Castle.  What a cute little face poking out!

The 3 joys of my life :). 

Such a cool picture!  Love my family! 

Look at all of this grass I get to put in my mouth! 

Max and I after our bike ride.  He was a champ and didn't bother Jake at all...this time!

The best husband in the world!  I couldn't have asked for a better guy!

We took pictures of the boys before bed last night:
Max at his finest...

Sweet Smiling Jake! 

Grandma Holt Visit!!

My mom came to visit us last month, and we had so much fun!  It is so good to see her and to catch up on lost time together.  We anticipated her arrival for months, then because of the wonderful time had by all, she came and was gone just like that!  I wanted to have her come when we could just "play and relax."  It seems like she visits her kids when there is a new baby or something crazy that heightens her work load 500%!  But of course, even though nothing too crazy was going on with us, she still worked, helped, and spoiled us rotten way more than she should have!  We went on tons of walks, we biked, made/ate tons of delicious food, played a lot of Ticket to Ride (mom creaming Tim and I 2 out of the 3 times we played it!), survived Amish Country with two kids..., shopped, got pedicures, watched fun movies during naptimes (I am a little out numbered boys to girls at my house, so it was nice to enjoy some "girl" entertainment with someone who appreciated it!), went to the Temple (my mom graciously made the all day trek to Columbus and back so Tim and I could do a session), storytime, and celebrated a wonderful Easter! She even watched my boys in the mornings so I could run after luxurious nights of sleep on our guest air mattress for a week. So sorry Mom! Max and Jake were in their glory with Grandma Holt around.  She is so great with them and they love being with her.  Tim came home after she had been with us for a day or two and said, "Wow, Canda!  You are in such a good mood when I get home at the end of the day now...!" Needless to say, it was a joy to have my Mom come!  We miss and love you Grandma Holt!

Out to breakfast at a yummy pancake house!  (No, that cute little girl isn't mine...I watch her 3 days a week.)

A day full of Amish Country isn't complete without "Super Hero" ice cream.  Max was out of his mind happy as you can see!  My mom spoiled all of us way too much on this outing.  Despite the all day event it was, we had a lot of fun :). 

Yes, he ate that entire bowl :). 



So glad we were able to hit up a few Amish stores for my mom.  Loved seeing the cute Amish outfits on the ladies and the awesome beards on the men.  Max loved the occasional horse and buggy trotting down the streets.  I feel bad that we didn't have time to go to the really neat places further from our house. I guess that means she'll have to come back again before we move! 

My boys faces all week thanks to their awesome Grandma Holt! 

Grandma Holt and Jake!  We went and had a picnic at a park after the Temple trip.  It was such a pretty day and a perfect activity before we drove back home. 

Could this picture get any cuter?  Easter morning right before church :). The boys look so
cute in their matching outfits thanks to Grandma Holt! 

Me and my mom at Daffodil Hill.  It is only in bloom for a few weeks in April, so we were
glad we got to see it! 

Our delicious Easter dinner and wonderful company!  Chicken cord on bleu, perfect pineapple, salad, rolls,
and homemade carrot cake.  YUMMY!  My mom gets all the credit for the cute table :). 

 

Max and Jake

So we have two of the cutest boys in the whole world.  I don't take enough time in life to pause and write down what makes Max, Max and Jake, Jake. Mainly for my bad memory, I am going to make a list so I won't forget these precious years.  They are going way too fast...

Max at 3 1/2 years old:
1. Every time he gets a new outfit on or does something different with his appearance, he comes up to Tim or I, strikes a pose and asks, "Wadaya fink?!?!" (What do you think)?
2. When he wakes up in the morning Max yawns and says, "Aw Mom, I was just so so tired!"
3. Max has the most beautiful set of big blue eyes with the longest eye lashes that you've ever seen.
4. Coming up to me and saying, "Mom, I really like your hair..."  I almost got teary-eyed on that one.
5. On the flip side when I just got back from a sweet run and was feeling pretty good about myself, Max loudly blurts out, "Mom, you have a big bum!"  followed a little later by a, "Mom, you are so fat and big!"  Nothing like that to make a mom feel like a million bucks :). 
6. He LOVES his baby brother...even though the term "tough love" is pretty literal with Max's affection to Jake.  So sweet though :).
7. Superman is his thing now.  Everything is super.  His muscles, the way he eats his cereal, how fast he runs, his super minding..etc...
8. Max has a sweet little "prayer" tone in his voice when he prays every night, it is the sweetest sound.
9. He just gave his first talk in primary on Sunday...wish I could have filmed that adorable moment.
10. Learning the articles of faith by singing the primary song renditions. Has the first and second memorized (gotta love the note pitches he can crank out. They are different almost every time he sings them..so cute)
11. When I pick him up from preschool and am buckling him in his car seat he says, "So mom...I missed you!"
12.  Lately he has been saying, "Mom (or Dad), I have an idea...why don't we sit on our porch and eat popsicles when it gets warm...or...when it gets warmer, we should go and play outside...etc... 
13. Max will wait until the last possible millisecond to finally do what we ask him to do.  Sometimes I have to physically remove myself, or I might do something I regret.  He is so his own man, and has his own schedule.  He drives me up the wall sometimes...
14.  Wondering where Max is after an unnatural 3 minutes of silence in the house only to find him in his room or on the couch, his legs crossed, with a big pile of books.
15.  Listening to him sing to himself while falling asleep, driving in the car, playing with his toys, or while going to the bathroom.  The best!
16.  The moves he pulls out during our very exciting dance parties...
17.  Max saying things like, "Oh my goodness, Jake is so cute!" 
18.  The little dance/ high knees run he does when he has to go potty...so awesome. 
19.  When I ask him to put something away or to help me out, he will conveniently have his hands full of something and say ,"Oh mom, I can't right now, I have my hands full.  Can you do it?"  Smart little monkey...I know I am in for it when he can pull that off and he is only 3 1/2 years old. 
20.  Whenever Max walks by a certain closet door in our house, he always closes it if it is open.  Sometimes I will even see him walk out of his room,  after passing the open door a few seconds earlier, to come and close the door.  Love it. 
21. The second Tim walks in the door, Max ALWAYS asks Tim, "Daddy, can you play with me?"
22.  When we finish family prayer, Max climbs on Tim's back, and Horse Daddy takes Max back to his room to tuck him in. 
23.  Max is into sounding out words right now and is so intrigued about how two o's make and oooo sound, and how an s and an h put together make a "shhhh" sound. 
24.  Whenever Max meets someone new, or is seeing someone he hasn't seen in a while he will say, "Look at my new shoes!"  or "Look at my new shirt!"  Even though the shoes or shirt are far from new buying them months ago :). 
25. Max sees Superman, Nephi, Santa Clause, and Heavenly Father as equals.  Why not, eh?
26.  He is riding on a real bike with training wheels right now.  We thought it would take this next summer to grow into it, but he has it down pat.  So weird seeing him go on a bike that big! 
27. Max still can't pronounce the "L" sound.  He uses a "Y" sound instead.  "I yove it yots and yots!"
28.  Max can change his negative attitude to a positive one faster than anyone I know.  Tim and I will just say, "Okay, no one who is sad and grumpy can be in the room."  or "Don't smile Max...don't smile!"  It is usually through a tear-streaked face that we see that perfect grin show on Max's face :).  I always have to bite my lip to not burst out laughing, it is so dang cute. 
29. This 3 year old is doing chores now for a grand $1 weekly allowance.  He unloads the silverware, makes his bed, cleans his bath toys, picks up his room, and puts the laundry from the dryer into the basket.  He is becoming so helpful around the house, I really don't know what I'd do without him :). 
30.  Max can be the sweetest, funniest, kindest, and most loving boy.  He can also be the worst behaved, loud, and obnoxious 3 year old on the planet.  I guess that is why I love him so much! 

Jake at 7 months (shy 3 days of 7 months):
1. Jake has the most unique throat growl out of any baby I've heard.  He always has so much to "growl" about.
2. He just barely started rolling over from back to front this week.  Tim has been a little concerned that it didn't happen at 4-6 months like the medical literature says it should have.  (Gotta love to have a doctor in the house...no, Tim is the best Daddy!) 
3. Jake has the best chub legs.  Actually, he is a chub all around and it is so stinking cute!  I guess that is why it has taken him so long to roll over...he has a lot of love to carry around, right?!?
4.  Two cute little teeth have popped up this month on his bottom gums.  There is nothing I love more than seeing him smile with those showing now :).  Max always makes it a point to tell people that his brother has teeth now. 
5. I love going to get him out of his crib once he wakes up to see his reaction.  He gives me the best grin, with a bunch of drool coming out, and fervently flaps his hands and legs.  I need to film him doing it before it is too late!
6. Jake loves Tim.  Whenever I am trying to nurse Jake and Tim is in the room, he has no interest in food.  He cranks his neck back to wherever Tim is and just smiles at him.
7.  His "tongue-thrust" reflex still needs to develop, so solid foods aren't in the picture yet.
8.  The little stinker still wakes up once every night to eat.  We keep saying every night, "Tonight, we're  am going to just let him cry it out."  That is easy for Tim and Max to say since they can sleep through the cries.  I, on the other hand, cannot.  I always give in and feed him or I will never go back to sleep.  I can never get angry at Jake though when he gives me the best smile once I've picked him up :). 
9. Jake has the best hair.  For some reason it grew in pretty even.  I get asked often by other people if I've cut it. 
10.  I wanted at least one of our kids to inherit Tim's beautiful brown eyes.  Jake got them!  His dark adorable eyes melt my heart every time I see them!
11.  Sometimes when I'll set Jake on my bed or the floor, he will grab the closest burb rag and put it right on top of his face.  It'll take me a second to realize that his face is covered and I'll rush to go and pull off the rag.  As soon as I do, he will start laughing with a huge smile on his face.  It is almost as if he knows what he is doing and is trying to play a game with me :).
12.  Jake is a feet eater.  That is the first thing that goes into his mouth when I set him down on his back.  It cracks me up.
13.  The little chunk is already wearing size 12 month clothes.  It will be the little brother beating up on the big brother in a few years, I just know it! 
14.  Every time Jake sees Max he instantly smiles.  I love how they love each other so much. 
15.  When you are a child of Tim Ashworth, you have no choice but to be thrown up in the air, spun around, and be a part of all sorts of tricks.  It took Jake a second to not be scared for his life (I don't blame him), but now Tim has a new dude to play with Ashworth style. 
16.  No more earrings for me for the next few months.  Jake's chubby little hands go straight for my ears these days.  He used to get my hair, but I decided to chop it off recently to solve that problem :).
17.  Jake is so good in the car.  He hardly ever fusses, even if it is past a feed.  I am so lucky to have such a well tempered baby!
18.  Tim and I will often talk about how we can't remember life without having two kids.  Jake has been such a happy welcome into our family.  We love him so much and look so forward to raising him with his brother :). 

Here are some pics of those adorable boys and life as of late for us:  

Could he get any cuter?

St. Patrick's Day morning

Valentine's Day!  I am one lucky woman and so loved :). 

Nice Max...

Tim and Max made a homemade geo board together :). 

Love Jake in this outfit!

Bundled up and ready to go on a bike ride in our new bike trailer that we LOVE!

I took these pics this morning.  I am one lucky mom!

Go Cougs!

Aren't his muscles ginormous?!?!

Who needs a buddy to go and do weights when Tim has this
muscle man to lift with?  Again, I am one lucky woman...ow! 

Playing "guns"  with each other.  This goes on almost ever night.  Except most
of the time I am the target...

Brotherly love! Jake is a good sport :). 

Big boy on bike!

Sweet little Jake!

This was taken a couple of months ago, but I had to put it in.  Love those eyes!