Maxwell - 3 years olds

At 3 years old, Maxwell

• loves to go, go, go! He is very determined.
• He is very outgoing and friendly.  At Chris and Corinne's reception, he was asking women to dance with him, feed him cake, and put him on the trampoline.  Jordan met some people who knew his family from Preston and they had already met 'Maxwell'.
• If you say he is silly or crazy or anything else, he will correct you and say "no I'm Maxwell Lester Moser!"
• Maxwell prefers to not have help with anything he can do himself. And he'll tell you 'I can do it!'
• He is the first one to jump into action to help out when he sees a need from getting a toy to help Benson feel better to kissing an 'owie' better, including Daddy's tired feet.
• Maxwell gives good tight hugs.  When he gives me hugs he likes to assure me 'I have lots of hugs for you Mommy!' which of course makes me happy!
• He loves to help you especially if it is his idea. He doesn't accept 'no thanks' as a response to his offer to "help".
• His nursery leaders LOVE him because he sings all the songs and participates in the lessons. He is often the only one participating. After I picked him up from his class one Sunday, Maxwell said 'Mommy we didn't color today!' The next Sunday I mentioned Maxwell's comment to his leader.  She hadn't realized it mattered to the children and now makes a special effort to have something for them to color each week. He loves it.
• Max runs up to greet McKay after school with an exuberant 'HI McKay!!' McKay's classmates often say 'hi Max' - they all know him.
• Maxwell seems like he is older than he is.  He is very articulate, knows his alphabet, (sounds, upper and many lower case), and knows all the words to many songs.  He can also count to 14, knows his colors and shapes. Others who know Max and other 3 year olds are surprised Maxwell isn't older.
• He still runs to the window to see every garbage truck that passes.
• Maxwell is very grateful and has good manners. 'Zoo welcome' and "Thank you'
• Maxwell notices flowers and sniffs in their direction when we pass them in the van.  He'll pick flowers from the yard and bring them to me to smell. Every time we cross a bridge Maxwell says 'I spy with my little eye... a bridge!' Usually we have not been playing 'I Spy!'
• He loves to play with play doh, stamps and to practice cutting paper.
• Some of my favorite things Maxwell has said are: "A booger is trying to come out!" "This is combing my hair" (standing in front of the fan) " "We both said that!'
• His most common response is "Sure!"
• Talking to Benson in the kitchen: "That is Jesus Christ and he's nice." (pointing to a picture)
• Maxwell to Me: You're the best! Me to Max: No you're the best! Maxwell: We both are!

Maxwell loves to wear his Thomas sunglasses.

• 

  He knew all the letters and it didn't take long before he started putting them in the correct order.

  

  Dr. Maxwell giving the baby a shot or a 'scratch' as he calls it.

  

  Maxwell is such a good big brother, helping Benson walk.

  

  Now Maxwell is the big brother who gets to be pushed by the little brother. It is a win for both boys since Benson loves getting to play with his brother!

  

  Look Mommy!  I'm a bear in my cave!

  

  The Maxwell scowl.

  

  He couldn't shoot his homemade bow and arrow very well but he loved retrieving the arrows for Nanna Anna and Chantelle.

  

  Maxwell STILL loves Thomas the Tank Engine. 'Loves' doesn't seem to be a strong enough word here...

  

  Our happy family taking a tour of the Conference Center in SLC. We love our Maxwell!

 

October

McKay started preschool this month and l.o.v.e.s. it. I knew he would. Max always wants to stay and play when we take McKay to his class. The class I ended up doing is though the Rec center in the city next to us. Check out McKay's cool Toy Story lunchbox. I have enjoyed having one-on-one time with Maxwell and each day McKay wonders if they will paint or color or what animal they will talk about. He has preschool Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Tuesday is our park playgroup day, Thursday is story time at the library, and Saturday is soccer. The fun never ends!

These boys love to play with cars. Maxwell is always so anxious to get to play with McKay when he gets home from preschool so I typically wait a bit before I lay Maxwell down so they can have some time to play.

A whole new world has opened up for Maxwell... YIKES!

After McKay's soccer game on October 15th we drove to my mom's sister Mary's home in Palmdale, California. Her youngest son Cory just returned from the Ft. Worth Texas Mission and spoke in church on the 16th. McKay was anxious to get to play the drums he remembered from 2 years ago when we were there for Cory's farewell and Maxwell quickly caught on.

Grandpa Cardon did a triple-take when he saw me. They didn't know were were coming. It was so great to get to see them!

My Uncle Sam and his family were there and the kids were anxious to swim in the pool. I didn't even think about bringing swimming suits... something about it being October, windy and cool. The boys were disappointed though so while Jordan visited with Grandpa and Grandma Cardon outside, I took the boys inside to play the drums, play pool, and drive fast cars. McKay surprised us by knowing the basics of playing pool. His game is a bit simpler though... you win every time you get a ball in the hole. :)

I love the expression on his face.

Maxwell and I slept in one room and McKay and Jordan slept in another room. I think Max was too hot because he couldn't seem to stay asleep until I turned the ceiling fan up on high. So with his short nap on Saturday, his late Saturday night bedtime and difficulty falling asleep, he was wiped out! He doesn't usually sleep in the morning but with 1:00 church, we knew we wouldn't make it unless he took a nap. Only problem was after 1 1/2 hours he was still in such a deep sleep he was hard to wake up. Since we got home he has been taking longer than normal naps and both boys have been sleeping in. I guess we effectively wore them out!

We have so little vacation that it is hard to make it to all the reunions and get-togethers. Even then, just because I am able to make it one year doesn't mean other cousins will be there. As a result, I hadn't seen my cousin Kathryn (Mary's daughter) since Cory's farewell 2 years ago. It was so great to get to visit with her and to meet her little Sena. She is expecting her 3rd little girl in January. It is fun to be pregnant together.

(click on the picture to get the full effect)
McKay made this picture frame at preschool and insisted this is how you use it. He had me take picture after picture of him.

Then he took pictures of Maxwell and I.

Today his preschool had a field trip to Oma's Pumpkin Patch. I was a bit bummed I had to pay full price for Maxwell ($7) since he couldn't do or enjoy a lot of what was there. Such is life. However McKay had a lot of fun. He probably went down this cotton-seed on the toboggan 50 times.

The only thing we did with the rest of the preschool was go on a hay ride. Max kept calling the tractor a train and loved seeing all the animals and making their sounds. Well at least the cows, horses, and goats they had.

We stopped the longest to look at the cows and Max was 'moooo'ing at them. Both boys really enjoyed the hay ride.

McKay: king of the haystack!

Another huge favorite of McKay's was the maze. He went through it several times. I was too tall so Maxwell and I waited outside, peeking in on him every now and then.

I told McKay to face me for the picture in the maze and Max thought asked for his fishy face. Here is Maxwell starting to do his fish face. :)

Both boys enjoyed throwing or strategically placing magnetic darts on the target. They also enjoyed swinging and climbing on the playground.

Each child got a 'jack' pumpkin. They had WAY too many to choose from and it took McKay a while to choose the one he wanted to take home. Max picked too many...
Maxwell has learned a new word: punkin, which is what he calls the pumpkins when he isn't calling them apples. This afternoon I caught him kissing his punkin. mmmmwwaaaah! :)

Things To Remember - Maxwell

16 months

Max has started mimicking McKay when he is crying. He copy-cry's and then giggles. McKay usually ends up giggling too.

Max loves 'gig kucks' (big trucks) and helicopters (I won't even try to write how he says it) and I love it when I ask him a question and he responds with 'um humm!'

When we say 'and it came to' Max says 'PASS!'

During our nightly scripture study, Max kept pointing to the scriptures and saying 'the end?' as he shook his head no. I'd say 'no' and he'd giggle. Funnest game ever! :)

Maxwell pointed to my shirt and said 'circir' (circle). Sure enough, I had a circle on my shirt. He was applying what he had learned from a shapes book. He now recognizes circles everywhere.

We checked out a library board book about 'Things That Go'. The first page is things in the park and has a bike among other things. Max stares at that page. He loves bikes and takes every opportunity to try to ride one when he can.

I was reading Max an 'ABC' book and we were saying the ABC's listed at the end. He closed the book at X so I stopped singing and Max said 'Y'.

15 1/2 months

Max says 'the end' as he closes a book.

Maxwell's newest word is 'ow' usually said 'ow ow ow' anytime he is stuck, needs help, something hurts, he has something stuck to his foot, etc. It is funny to hear.

Max runs to the windows/doors yelling 'big truck' anytime he hears an engine. He also points to the ceiling and says 'airplane' when he hears a plane outside.

At his September 6, 2011 doctor appointment, Max weighed 20 lbs 4 oz (1%), he was 31 inches tall (40%) and his head was 49 cm (90%). He grew 3 inches in 3 months so they measured him twice to be sure it was right. No wonder he was always hungry!!

15 Months

Max can do a summer-salt correctly. He learned from watching McKay do it.

Maxwell loves to use a fork to eat everything including cheerios. He gets one prong of the fork in the hole and he is set!

Max loves to give five and knuckles. He learned how to give five from his cousins at the Moser Reunion and I taught him how to give knuckles. McKay taught him to do the 'psshhhh' explosion sound at the end. He loves to give knuckles and it is fun to do it with him.

Max says 'nah' (hand) when he wants to hold your hand and walk somewhere.

Max says 'pop pop pop' during the fireworks on Mary Poppins.

Max frequently gets into McKay's pajamas drawer but this is the first time I've seen him stash toys in there!

Just in case you doubted that Maxwell has curly hair I took a picture of his curls. He gets compliments on them everywhere we go. I love them!

Maxwell - 15 Months

A bit about Maxwell at 15 months:

• He loves to sing "Jesus wants me for a sunBEAM" and has the beam part down perfectly. He also likes the Itsy Bitsy Spider and does a few recognizable actions with us.
• Maxwell knows the following animal sounds: monkey, snake, owl, wolf, cat and Jordan's sister Kim's dog (it can't really bark but he got to know it when we went to Idaho and seems to think all dogs make that 'sound' -he has the face motion down too.)
• Max is eager to put things in the garbage, particularly his used diapers. So far he has mostly just put garbage in the garbage!
• Airplanes and helicopters never go unnoticed whether we are in the house or outside. 'Big Trucks' are always pointed out as well, even if it is just a car passing on the street in front of our house.
  
• Maxwell recognizes Jesus in pictures and likes to point to Him and say His name.
• Max drinks from a cup alone and loves to use his fork or spoon to feed himself.
• Maxwell loves to read books and often will bring me books to read to him. He sits and listens the longest when he is sitting on the potty & I read to him.
  
• Max says 'thank you' after we give him something as well as when he wants us to give him something. I am pretty sure we taught him that by saying 'thank you' when we take something away from him he shouldn't have.
• Maxwell waves his hand at us, almost like his drink sign except with just one hand, when he wants us to hold his so we can walk together somewhere, often to the kitchen to get a drink or something to eat. Other times he just wants to hold our hand and walk with big steps. Recently he has decided he wants to put his milk back in the fridge by himself, after we've opened the door for him.
  
• Maxwell is a flirt and can get a smile from anyone who makes eye contact with him. The girls in our Sunday School class (16-17 yr olds) like to flirt with him and see him coyly smile back at them.
  
• As long as it is his idea, he is free with his hugs (ahhhh), kisses (mmwah), and nosey kisses (na na na na na). He learned how to give nosey kisses from McKay who can't seem to give hugs and kisses without also doing nosey kisses!
• He loves to be silly and is constantly making us laugh!
• Max knows the following body parts: neck, eyes, ears, nose, teeth, eyebrows, chin, hair, belly button, and toes. I don't think I forgot any...
• He loves to take a bath but doesn't usually want to be in there for any longer than 10 minutes at the most.
• He is very good at climbing at home and at the playground.
• Max loves to GO and gets so excited when it is time go GO!
• He has an excellent memory and catches on to things very quickly. One evening McKay was 'helping' me empty water from their water table into a bucket to take it to water the plants. Max was inside with Jordan watching through the window and wishing he were outside with us. Several days later, I took care of the water when he was still outside with me and he was SO EXCITED to hold my hand and take the water to the plants. I didn't realize he wanted to do the same thing I had done with McKay until he was disappointed when I didn't open the gate and water the plants in the front yard.
  
• All temperatures are 'hot' to Maxwell, whether they really are hot or are cold. He remembers me telling him my flat iron and the oven are hot and reminds me when he sees them.
• He rotates between folding his arms and clasping his fingers to say the prayer and usually says 'AMEN' with a very proud grin on his face.
  
• Maxwell will try to do and say anything we ask him to.
  
• He loves to dance, especially with McKay
• He also likes to sit close and cuddle as long as it is on his terms: not too long and not too tight.
• Anyone laying on the floor is an invitation for hugs and/or to play & climb.
• He LOVES to brush his teeth and sprints to the bathroom saying 'teeth' as soon as we finish saying prayers. It is so fun to watch his little legs move so fast!
• Somehow he has assumed McKay's job of taking the scriptures to/from Mommy or Daddy when it is their turn to read. I love to see his proud grin.
  
• Maxwell gets giddy with excitement when Daddy comes home and is not happy until he gets his hug.
• He loves to play peek-a-boo... There he is! Hide & seek is also a favorite.
• I'm sure I have forgotten something but this is a good list of over 50 words Maxwell can say. Some are more recognizable than others but I was proud Saturday when a stranger recognized that Max was calling the seagulls 'ducks'. He can say: duck, truck, cracker, eyebrow, eyes, ears, shoes, socks, strawberry, blueberries, cheese, Momma, Daddy, bubbles, balloon, moon, trees, bird, airplane, hat, amen, ball, banana, apple, help, nose teeth, garbage, all done, all gone, more, milk, book, please, thank you, eat, hurray/yay, up, hello, hi, hot, bike, bye bye, vitamins, uh oh, bath, blanket, cheerio, no, yes, go, pop, Jesus and yogurt.
  

It blows me away that he will be old enough for nursery in only 3 months!

Now who do you think he looks like?

This picture cracks me up. He LOVED his waffles with strawberry sauce!

Maxwell was my partner for our family home evening activity of Toy Story Yahtzee. He loved shaking the dice.

While McKay practiced riding his bike in the church parking lot, Maxwell practiced stepping off the curb. It is a smaller step than a normal curb and he was so proud of being able to do it alone!

We love you sweet boy!

Things To Remember - Maxwell

Mouth full? Check! Both fists full? Check!

I am so happy that Max loves to read books! This is a library book we kept for quite a while because he loved it. What Do You Do?

This boy loves to empty the cupboard under the sink, including the huge bottle of Canola oil!

McKay was in the other room playing by himself and Max was entertaining himself by reading this ABC book he loves. It was a beautiful moment!

Now that Maxwell has discovered the wonderfulness of the swiffer, I need 3. One for me and one for each boy! Either that or I have to wait until they are in bed to do the floors, which makes doing their rooms a little tricky.

Trying to open the closet door for the swiffer. *Sigh*

Maxwell loves going to the park and isn't afraid to climb on anything which definitely keeps our park days interesting!

So.Much.FUN!

14 1/2 months

Max says 'amen' at the end of the prayer and knows that the primary song about how to pray has 'amen' at the end. As soon as he recognizes what song I am singing, he'll start saying 'amen'.

14 months

Max has learned to fold his arms like McKay, with his fingers clasped and is anxious to do so when it is time for the prayer.

Max pretends shoes or toys or just his hand are a phone he his holding up to his ear. 'hello'?

Maxwell likes to make feeding himself more interesting by doing an airplane with his food. (sound effects included of course)

Max is enjoying pointing out body parts and has 'no' (nose) and 'eeth' (teeth) down perfectly. Eyes is his newest one. Whenever he points to our eyes, we close them since he likes to touch them. I had my eyes closed and he was doing his best to get them opened. Finally I pulled his hands away and opened my eyes and he 'said' , in his own way "there they are!"

When Maxwell plays peek-a-boo and says 'there he is' he says it in a rough voice like the saber-tooth-tiger on Ice Age. It is hilarious.

13 1/2 months

After our crazy 4th of July weekend activities, Max was very tired and woke up at about 4 am and couldn't settle back down to sleep. It was super hot. I ended up being with him almost an hour and what finally helped him settle down was his super soft blanket my Dad's sisters gave him when he was born. He loves that blanket. It was so hot though that I just put it behind his head and by his cheek so he could feel it. He took a deep breath and said 'dadoo' (thank you) So sweet and so sincere that I was OK with being up at 4 am with him! After he was relaxed again I laid him in his bed and he said 'bye bye... bye' as he always does when we lay him down and he is ready to go to sleep. He is such a sweetheart.

Max loves to read the book 'What do you do?' when he sits on the potty. His favorite part is at the end when the beetle says 'do-dah, dee-da do' and he loves to 'quote' it.

Maxwell claps after we sing hymns in sacrament meeting, just like we do when we sing songs any other time! He also waves his arm like he is conducting.

Halfway through sacrament meeting (June 26, 2011) Max started saying 'bye bye' and 'all done'. We got several smiles and chuckles from those around us!

Max has started walking in circles. Small circles. It is funny to watch him.

We were eating lunch and Max started waving his arm. He was trying to shoo away a fruit fly. :) Nothing gets past this kid!

13 months

Max likes to look out the window and point at the 'tees' (trees). He also loves to brush his 'tees' just before bedtime.

Maxwell says 'up' right when we get to it in Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He also likes to do the 'twinkle' action with his hands.

Max says 'bye' and waves when someone (including him) leaves the room. He does it in his sing-songy voice too. Love it. He also says 'hi' at the appropriate times also in his sing songy voice.

Max says 'uh oh' when he sees anything that is not the way it should be (laundry basket on it's side, spoon tipping over a bowl, etc) and when something is dropped, whether by him or by someone else.

Maxwell says 'ba-lloon' and the second we get inside the grocery store that has balloons, he is usually the first to spot them wherever we are and gets SO excited when he gets one, which is usually once a week when we go shopping.

12 1/2 Months

Maxwell started saying thank you 'da doo' or sometimes 'dak doo' at the correct times.

He'll compromise with you and settle for holding your hand to go somewhere rather than being held, which is his first choice. Don't think you'll get your hand away from him easily either!

Max gets a smile from everyone he sees. He is a charmer!

Max doesn't leave anything on his tray; his fists are full! He picks up all the fishies or chunks of cheese or whatever it is and then eats them from his fist. He'll usually start asking for more when he only has one or two left. Heaven forbid he should run out!

Maxwell says 'done' and hands me his cup when he is done drinking. If I am too slow, it goes on the floor.