Crazy Catch-Up With The Hubers!

I've fallen a bit behind, I'm sad to say, with my blog! It has been such a whirlwind for our family the last few months and now things have began to settle down....thank God.

So - I'll begin my backtracking!

In June, 3 weeks after moving back home to California, we took an AMAZING trip to Maui! We went with our good friends Tayva, Joe and their beautiful baby girl Ziva. We met Tayva and Joe in our baby/pregnancy classes that we took before Max was born and our kiddos were only born about a week apart from each other! They are too cute together. In Maui, we spent time on the beach, driving the 'death' road to Hana....well...actually the boys took us ALL around the island. Not only to Hana. We felt like we were in Mars, the jungle, about to die....the whole car ride. Thank goodness our families are both blessed with wonderful children :) We hit up the pineapple winery that is on the island - SO good. Brought a couple bottles back home just to enjoy and 'take us back' to Maui! We also took an awesome sailboat race on the water...so much fun....and we got SO wet! Steve and I did a lot of snorkeling while we were there - saw tons of beautiful fish and caught a glimpse of quite a few sea turtles. It is amazing to be out in the water with nothing but beauty around you.....although there is that ever growing fear of something trying to eat you!! Steve is quite the adventurer - and no catamaran boat was going to take us out snorkeling....NO way. He plopped our booties in the car and took us out on his own snorkeling adventure......and this is why I love him! Unsafe...yes. But oh so fun.
When we flew home from Maui we made a stop in Portland - spent a few nights on the floor - and worked on the house. We spent all day - everyday there - finishing up all the crap that we had to leave behind because we were on such a short schedule when we originally left. Steve drove another moving truck back to California while Max and I got to fly this time. It was only fair!

We celebrated Max's first birthday on September 3rd! Our little man is getting so big! We went to the zoo, fairytale town and out to eat. Then celebrated at home with a cupcake for Max to dig into....and didn't really enjoy. On Saturday we had a small family bbq, opened presents and ate more cake! Max did wonderful the whole day - but was sooo incredibly tired by the time everyone left.

Halloween was a blast - Max was a dragon and I decorated his wagon as a castle. Too cute! He had such a great time dressing up, going to the doors, reaching in the bowls for candy......but I don't think anyone had as much fun as his daddy!! Steve dressed up as a VERY big,VERY pink Frankenberry.......Ah, yes, I do love this man! Mr. Business by day/Frankenberry by night....this man keeps me on my toes! I bet his son will do the same :) Never a dull moment in this household.

And last but definitely not least, Max took his first steps last week. Now, this little guy has waited sooo long to walk - that there was no in-between period. He went from crawling to running in about a 10 minute period! My house has not been safe since. He is adorable - running here and there wanting to check out everything from his new found stance.

Daddy's First Daddy Day

Yay for Steve's first Daddy Day! Not that I have to mention it - but Steve is an AMAZING dad. He and Max are a little two-some! They are so much fun to watch together. It shouldn't just have to be A day that is set aside for all the wonderful daddy's out there. Hopefully Steve knows how thoroughly he is appreciated for being such a great dad. Max is definitely a lucky baby. Daddy is always there to hug on him, swing him, or take him for a fun ride up on his shoulders. Steve's Daddy day was spent out on the boat and then followed up by a bbq over at my parents house. He had lots of fun fishing and kicking the soccer ball around with the boys. Once again, yay for Daddy!!

Hello Sunshine....Goodbye Rain

So here we go! The moving truck is out in front of the house, my home is a MESS, and we are almost ready to head on out of here. It's a bittersweet ending to our run in the beautiful Pacific Northwest.
The bitter? Having to leave such an amazing place that we have come to call home.....
The sweet? Steve has transferred/taken a new position at his company that we are all VERY excited about. He's been traveling out to Miami quite a bit and now he's taking this program nationwide! (Insert round of applause - so lame- from me, right here!)
The even more sweet? We're moving back to Sacramento. Folsom/Fair Oaks more specifically. It is going to be amazing for our little Max to grow up around his adoring family. He will never know a life without his grandparents - which Steve and I were SO incredibly blessed to have had and remember.
This is fast you think? Us too! We found out we were moving while Steve was on a business trip in Miami a few weeks ago. We got home - packed him up - and sent him down to Sacramento. I stayed behind with Max packing as fast as I could. Thankfully I have SUCH amazing parents - who flew up with Steve on Thursday to help pack, load the truck, and drive home. My parents are so incredibly helpful - always there to help out when we need it. Thank God for them. I can't even begin to say enough.
Poor Max, doesn't know what's happening. All he knows is he wants to be held, up 'in the mix', and as close to any one of us as possible. He's flying home with Steve tomorrow. We're not about to make him drive in the car for 10 hours. He's got such a personality on him lately! He either DOES or DOESN'T want things - and man, will he let you know. I love him......can't wait to bring him home!

More East Coast Adventures!

Last week Steve, Max and I returned home from Miami. This was Max and my 2nd time out there....and Steve's 4th. Crazy. We had such a fun trip though. Lots of time to relax and enjoy being a family. We went to the beach everyday - and what's wonderful about Miami is that if it's 9am or 9pm....the water is a beautiful 79 degrees. It was like swimming in a giant bath. Definitely had to keep our eyes open though. Steve was out in the water and out of no where a huge manta ray was swimming by him. The next day we saw a man catch a shark from the shore. THEN we saw a dead blow fish washed up into the sand!! It's scary to think that these fish are in waist deep water! Be careful!
Max had an awesome time out in Florida. I took him to the Palm Beach Metro Zoo. It was his first time going to a zoo and he LOVED it! His favorite things to look at? A rooster that roamed the zoo, flamingos and the swan that was bathing himself and splashing us! Lots of giggles and lots of babbles! I also took him on a 130 mile drive up north while Steve was working. I went on an adventure trying to find some fun things to do. We went to the Manatee Observation in Port Lucia and the Treasure museum in Sebastian. I should have saved our time.....so LAME! Now I have driven the Florida coast from Sebastian to Key Biscayne. Super cool. We hung out in Juno and Jupiter that day and had some fun in the sun after Daddy was done working. Some more fun things we did was go to the biggest flee market in the US - pretty cool. Visited an ancient Spanish monastery shipped over from Europe - very neat. We went to Viscaya - a huge mansion/museum on the ocean with beautiful gardens - it was stunning. Then we went to Lion Safari. This was awesome. You start out by driving through 7 miles of roaming animals. We saw Rhinos, Lions, Antelope, Zebra, Water Buffalo, Ostrich's, and tons of others just - roaming around. I thought Max would get a kick out of the drive but instead was more interested in the sticker on the visor....isn't that how it works though?? Great times though!!

Fun On The Trail

Had an awesome time the other day walking through and discovering some new parks in our area! Max really seemed to enjoy all the flowers and bugs!

California Dreamin'

A few weeks ago we flew in to California for another of Steve's business trips. I love that Max and I get to tag along - I love being able to go home and have Max see our families. So, while Steve was off working, fishing and golfing....I know - he's got it rough - Max and I spent time with the family. We did a lot of work around Keri's bridal shower....super fun....and tooled around Folsom. We had a really fun dinner with Steve's family over at his Grandma's house and also enjoyed some good food with my parents, brother, sister in law and nieces. We had a great time walking around the neighborhood, taking pictures in the backyard and enjoying the sunshine!!

I Love You, Goodnight

For my boys -
I love you like I love blueberry pancakes.
I love you like I love strawberry milkshakes.
I love you like frogs love flies.
I love you like pigs love pies.
I love you like mice love cheese.
I love you like vines love trees.
I love you like the wind loves blowing.
I love you like plants love growing.
I love you like boots love splashing in puddles.
I love you like bears love kisses and cuddles.
I love you like the moon at night:
big and round and warm and bright.
I love you, Goodnight.

The Airport Grandma Returns

Hooray! We love it when my mom comes to visit. It's been nearly 2 months since she has seen Max and boy has he changed. It was so much fun showing my mom all his 'tricks.' No, I know he's not a dog - but he has tricks! Rolling over, sitting up, babbling, grabbing at toys, laughing...he's amazing. We had lots of fun hanging out, talking and playing with Max. She was also generous enough....again....to let Steve and I have some dates. We got to go to lunch - and then we also got to go to dinner and a movie! Oh, the fun of it being the two of us again :) I love the three of us though - I can't imagine our lives without Max....it's like he's always been here. Yes...we did do the Macy's run although no huge sales. Still, lots of fun though. We also had a great time cooking for her - Steve is quite the chef! We can't wait to have her come up again!
We were supposed to be leaving for Miami....together...this last Monday. Well, I am home due to crummy weather - humid and thunderstorms. Max and I can't sit in a hotel all day, everyday. Steve left on Monday and won't be home for 9 days. We miss him. He has been doing lots of traveling lately - probably the longest he's been home in the last 3 months is about 2 weeks. He's rocking it though....he's amazing too. I guess that's where Max gets it from!

My Little Easter Bunny

This year Easter and Greek Easter fell on the same Sunday. Normally the Easters are seperated by about 3 weeks, but not this year! *It's a special year* Since we're all by ourselves up here - we had a lazy day - waking up late and taking pictures of Max in his 'so called' monkey suit that daddy loves. We later got dressed and let Max open up his Easter basket. The Easter Bunny filled it with his first sippy cup, bathtub toys, and the book "On the day you were born," which makes his mommy cry. We made a yummy dinner of lamb...as tradition. I also succeeded at making my first loaves of Greek Easter bread - which I have to say turned out great! And what fun! Now that Max is here I have to start learning how to do these important things. We also dyed red Easter eggs - mine didn't break - good luck for the year! I'll take it!
**Funny story** Max picked out his Easter basket all by himself. We were in Target and I was holding up all the Easter baskets for him. This was the only one that got a laugh and a reach. Needless to say it went immediatly into the basket!!

A Successful Food!

Today Max and I had our first success with solid foods. We have been working at this for the last 3 weeks with no luck. We started out with rice cereal, moved our way to sweet potatoes, peas and avocados. All with no luck. Max was not interested. TODAY though - he ate carrots - WITH anticipation! Who knew carrots? I HATE carrots - I probably didn't touch one my entire pregnancy. But - Max loves them......that makes me very happy!
I decided when I was pregnant that I was going to make homemade baby food for Max once he was ready. I homemake my dogs food every week - so why not Max's? It's actually a really fun experience for the both of us. I decide on the food that I want Max to try that week, make up a big batch and freeze it in baby food ice cube trays. Max watches me in the kitchen while sitting in his high chair. I tell him what I'm doing, point out colors of the veggies, etc. Then every night I pull out what I want out of the freezer for the next day and defrost it over night. By making his food myself, I know exactly what he is eating. It's not coming out of a jar that has been ready for a baby to eat it since 2009 and is good until 2011. Gross.
Hooray for carrots!

Sunny Days - Chasing The Clouds Away

Steve, Max and I just came home from sun-shiny Miami! What an incredible trip - I am so happy that Steve asked us to tag along! He needed to go for business while Max and I were there for play....and play we did. Max's feet met the oceans sand for the first time this trip. Talk about a great first place to get your feet wet! The beach day weather was fantastic and Max really seemed to thrive in the sun (sort of like a flower does - I guess). We played in the water, saw a wild dolphin, and collected all the THOUSANDS of shells that laid in the sand.
We also took a 2 hour drive through all the surface streets of Miami - totalling 2 hours and winding up in beautiful Coconut Grove. We shopped, wandering in and out of beach and local artists shops. It was incredible. We did have rain there for a few days (can't escape that Portland weather no matter where we go!) We all sat on our balcony - short sleeved - and watched the amazing Florida thunder storms. Too much fun!
Max and I also went to visit the famous Flagler Musuem. What a beautiful mansion and the story behind it was incredible.
We can't wait to go back - 3 weeks and counting!! Hooray for more Cuban food!!

Hoor-ay For To-day

When it rains it pours! Max rolled over for the first time today! Up until the last few days - this little guy has had absolutely NO interest in getting off of his back. Who would though? His life has been catered to...no need to do anything but be cute. But, as it turns out, he wants more. This morning he was on the bed while I was getting ready and I noticed him over on his side...grunting...trying his hardest to get over. I laid a blanket out on the floor for him and within a few minutes he was on his tummy giggling. Even as little as he is - he knows that today something big has happened. Now I can't stop him from rolling over. Every time he's on the floor he's flipping himself around! I called Steve this morning to let him know - he was super thrilled. He was out and about in South Beach with his new friends. Lucky.
Lucky. I guess there is no such thing as luck - but I am sure lucky that I get to stay at home with my baby boy. I can't imagine if I had missed his first time rolling over...or his first giggle...or his first anything! I love the opportunity I have to stay home and raise him. A lot of people might say that being a SAHM is easy, lazy, or a useless thing to be. I disagree and anyone who has stayed at home to raise their babies would agree with me. No one in this world will take as good of care of him as Steve and I and no one will appreciate the things he does like we do. I have just embarked on the hardest job that I will ever have. Raising a child or children who are well adjusted, happy, that smile, that know that they are loved above all else by their parents is not an easy - or unimportant job. I have always known that this would be my purpose in life. I am thankful that I am able to do it and that I have the most supportive husband in the world who also realizes that this is the best thing for our family. Staying at home not only allows me to raise Max, have fun with him, give him opportunties that he otherwise wouldn't have - it allows me to be a good wife. People laugh - but I LOVE to clean the house, I LOVE to cook dinner, I LOVE to be available for Steve and the things that he needs. This is the greatest career I could ever ask for - one to make a beautiful and happy home.

We Miss You Daddy!

This morning Max and I dropped Steve off at the airport at 5:00 in the morning. After a long night of not sleeping - I think that we all got about 3 hours - he had to head out for a business trip in Miami. Max came down with his first cold yesterday which meant a very long night of sniffles, cries, and general uncomfort for him. Steve couldn't sleep and in turn, neither could I. Steve will be gone until Friday - definately the longest he's been away from Me and Max. Normal business trips are 1 - 2 nights. This one is very important though and will last a full week. Poor thing - he called tonight - he caught Max's cold and is running a temperature. Not the best thing to happen when your in such an amazing place. He has to go back next month - that time Max and I get to tag along!
So that means I get the fun of holding down the fort while he is gone. Max seems to be doing well - although not feeling well always tends to hit in the evening, so we'll see how it goes. I was hoping this week to introduce Max to new things while Daddy is away. I am hoping to hit 'Book Babies' at the library, go on a few walks with Mr. Jackson, and try to visit the zoo. Max is obviously too young to understand the zoo - but he can sure have fun checking out the animals.

A Milestone Met - Max Sits Up!

Hooray! What a surprise! Max has sat up on his own for the very first time! We were at JC Penny's getting his baptism pictures taken yesterday and the woman asked if he could sit on his own - I shrugged with a cringe - and said let's try. Low and behold, my little man did it all on his own. Not once, not twice, but at least 5 times! I am so proud of him. It is amazing to see how far he has come in such a short amount of time! Sitting up - check! I wonder what will come next......

Max's Big Day

Last weekend Steve and I flew into California to have Max baptised! It worked out perfectly since Steve had a business meeting and Chris and Keri were in town working on the wedding! The baptism was beautiful. We had him baptised at the Lutheran church where Steve's parents attend. Pastor Tom officiated and he did such a wonderful job. We asked Chris and Keri (my brother and soon to be sister-in-law!) to be Max's Godparents. I feel so much better now that Max is baptised! He did so wonderful (as always) with no more than a little peep from him. Afterwards we had a reception at my parents house where it was wonderful to see all of my family. It has been almost 3 years since I have gotten a chance to see everyone and I'm so glad most were able to be there for such a special and blessed day!

Belly Laughs, Music Together, Gymboree and More

So it has happened...our little boy is giving us GIANT belly laughs! What a character he is. So here's the trick. Daddy holds Max...or vise versa....and Mommy spins around as fast as she can - flips her hair - and jumps!! This really gets a rise out of Max and out come the belly laughs. He loves our 'spins' and we love his laugh....it's a win win situation! He's just too cute!
We started a class called Music Together a few weeks ago. We go every Saturday morning. We dance, sing, play instruments, play with scarves and just be silly....! And is he too young you ask?? Well we possibly thought the same thing. How much can a 4 month old get from such a class. Let me tell you - a lot! The first class Max seemed to sit back and observe...but the second class he was smiling and giggling and seemed really into it! I am so glad and can't wait to see how he is by the end of the classes :)
We also tried out Gymboree, which I loved! Max did too! It was nice to be in a small group of Mom's and babies in the same boat I am. I am going to sign us up for classes as soon as Music Together is over. Can't wait!
And life here in the Huber house is great :) We seem to have settled into a routine...for now!...and just enjoying watching our little one grow up. It has been sunny here recently so we have been out and about a lot. Steve and I had our first date since Christmas time thanks to our friends who watched Max. We went to lunch and wandered through stores just talking like 'grown ups'! Who knew!

It's A Wonderful Life

It is a wonderful life! Our Christmas holiday was my most favorite of all - all thanks to our little Maximus! What a joy and a blessing he is. I was so worried about our 11 hour drive to California to spend Christmas with our families. I should have never worried - Max made it down with no problems - no snow, no crying, nothing! We are sooo lucky that he is such a wonderful baby. We had such fun down in California introducing him to the MANY family members that had not gotten the chance to get to know our baby boy. He spent time with my family - meeting his aunts, uncles and cousins for the first time....and boy were they excited! Not to mention the excitement that Gramma and Grandpa had!! My parents are soo excited about him. My mom spent much of her time ooohing and ahhing over him - playing the singing penguins (a personal favorite of mine...) and the oh-so-fun hip swinging Santa! Gramma and Grandpa were also nice enough to babysit so that Steve and I could have a much needed date night :) Max also met for the first time his Nana and Grandpa and Auntie Sara and Becca! He had such a great time giggling at Grandpa Mike! Max couldn't seem to get enough!! He also met his Great Grandma, Grandpa's and Aunties!! We even took a special trip up the Santa Rosa to take generation photos with the whole family!! We had so much fun.
Maximus also met Santa for the first time this year. This is another tradition that has gone on FOREVER! When my brothers and I were little my Grandpa used to dress up as Santa on Christmas Eve and come and pass out presents. By coincidence - Grandpa always missed Santa showing up. He was back at his house...at the grocery store...anywhere but at OUR house where Santa was!! The tradition has been carried on - even when my brothers and I were well aware that it was my Grandpa - we still enjoyed it. My brother and now my dad have been Santa since my Grandpa has passed away - never missing a Christmas Eve. Max did great with his first encounter with Santa! He was so cute - next year he is going to have an idea of who Santa is! I am so looking forward to it!!
The New Year was wonderful as well. We rang it in quietly, just the three of us....well, 5 if you count Bella and Jackson (which we should!!). We are looking forward to a year full of Max and all his new world will have to offer him - we are excited to experience it with him!!