McKay - 3 Years

McKay turned 3 years old on July 17, 2010. Some of his 'skills' are the following:

• He can count to about 15. Then there a bunch of 'ufteen's until he hits 20.
• He recognizes most of the letters in the alphabet and knows which are the vowels. He can spell his name, On and Off. He likes to 'play abc's' on the computer (www.starfall.com) and can run the mouse. He has also started tracing letters I've written for him.
  
• McKay LOVES to sing songs, talk on the phone and computer (web cam) and read books.
• He loves the park, the library, the discovery museum, playing with his friends (Thomas, Andrea, Evee, Connor, Jared), and cars and trains.
• McKay loves to 'create' whether it is painting, coloring, or sticking stickers and does a good job.
• He has an EXCELLENT memory and is constantly amazing us with what he remembers.
• He is day-time potty trained.
• His favorite shows are Word World and Cars.
• His current lunch time preference is a cheese sandwich. Peanut Butter and Jelly was the favorite for a few months before that.
• McKay loves cookies, both eating them and making them. He is always very eager to help out in the kitchen and is very good at licking the bowl, which he comes by VERY honestly. :)
• McKay loves family home evening and again amazes us with what he knows and remembers. He recognizes by name Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, Temples, President Monson, baptism and that Daddy will baptize him at 8, the Sacrament, etc. At our last home evening we started quizzing him after he surprised us by recognizing the Book of Mormon in a picture.
• We can tell what stood out in McKay's day or what he wants to do by what he prays for at night. The most recent was that we could move our house and set up our Christmas tree. He has been anxious for 'Nanna Papa Dustin Chantelle' to come back so I told him the next time we would see them will be at Christmas. Now he regularly asks if we can set up the Christmas tree - then it will be Christmas and they will all 'come home' right?
• McKay can't fall asleep mad. Since he decided he was done with naps at 2 1/2 he is often so tired by bedtime that it isn't a very pleasant experience helping him get ready for bed. He will not fall asleep until we've gone in and given him hugs and kisses.
• McKay understands pretty much everything we say to him and we can understand most of what he says.
• McKay is a tease.
• He is really sweet with Max and can't wait until he is big enough to play trains and cars with him and run and the list goes on and on.

We celebrated McKay's birthday when my family was here so on his actual birthday we took him to lunch at Stacks.

It is a breakfast place so the white stuff is actually whipped cream with fruit on the bottom and chocolate chips. Not the greatest but it still made McKay happy!

After lunch we took him to a movie in the theater. It is so expensive that we haven't been to a movie as a family since we lived in Utah and didn't have to pay for McKay. We took him to Toy Story 3. After the movie ended McKay exclaimed "I love that show!" and we decided it was totally worth the ridiculous price!

We celebrated McKay's birthday on the 4th of July. It was so fun to have family here to celebrate with us! We invited friends over to help us eat cake and ice cream for McKay's first 2 birthdays but it isn't the same. We told McKay Nanna would come back with everyone else in July for his birthday. Boy was he excited for July to come!

He even took a nap that afternoon which gave Chantelle and I a chance to decorate his cake. It was fun having help! I let her do all the hard parts. :) He was so excited when he saw the cake waiting on the counter. Needless to say, he ate his dinner in a hurry!

Last year he wasn't too sure about blowing out his candles in front of the friends we had invited over so all year we talked about candles and blowing them out. He helped Jordan and I on our birthdays and knew exactly what to do when it was his turn.

We made some delicious homemade ice cream but McKay preferred his Cars cake.

McKay got Yahtzee Jr which happens to be based on Toy Story 3 (total coincidence) and LOVES playing his 'dice mame' any time anyone will play with him. He got the Memory game from Nanna & Papa and is very good at it and loves to play it too. It is looking like I will have someone to play games with me. Yay!

He also got a Thomas the Tank Engine remote train and track. He set it up and played with it every day for a solid 3 weeks after he got it. He is enjoying the additional cars he got on his cake and often gives one to both Max and I to play with him.

After he opened his presents we walked to Central Park for the 4th of July fireworks show. Everyone enjoyed it and McKay keeps asking if we can all go to the fireworks again. I have a feeling Nanna and Papa may need to come visit us again next July 17th. :) Thanks for helping us celebrate McKay's birthday guys! I am pretty sure McKay will never forget it!

We love our sweet boy and feel so lucky to be his parents.

Last Visitors

Well, we've had our last visitors here in Northern California. Yep, we're moving! Jordan will be working on a project in San Diego so we will be moving south in the fall. We are all excited for a new place to explore. We will still be about 13 hours from Jordan's parents (go figure) but we will only be 9 hours from my parents instead of 13, which is perfect timing for our drive home for Christmas this year with a 7 month old baby!

We really enjoyed having my parents and Dustin & Chantelle visit us for Max's blessing. This was Dustin's first time visiting us and they were here for a full week. We did some sight seeing (of course), relaxed a couple of days, blessed Max, and celebrated McKay's birthday. As has happened whenever anyone leaves, McKay goes through withdrawals and asks me to play with him all day every day. And no prayer is complete without saying 'please bless Nanna, Papa, Dustin Chantelle to come back soon.'

Uncle Dustin and Max

Grandpa and McKay reading 'The Gruffalo'. I think my Dad spent the first hour of each day reading books to McKay. And everyone got the opportunity to read 'The Gruffalo' to him!

McKay decided to lay on Grandpa instead of next to him to watch a show. He seemed to think on Grandpa was also the best place to be when he was helping him get ready for bed. Silly boy!

We went to Monterey/Carmel on Wednesday and did the 17 mile drive with them. The weather was much better than when we went in November!

Cannery Row in Monterey.

We are sitting on a bench made of rocks.

Chantelle, McKay & Nanna 'by' the Lone Cypress

Thursday we went to Big Basin. Dustin & Chantelle had not seen the majestic redwoods, which is a definite must when visiting Northern California!

We did a beautiful 3 mile hike to see some waterfalls. McKay is a good little hiker.

Exactly 6 weeks after Max was born. I was glad McKay was setting the pace. :)

On Saturday we went to the city. Because it was the 4th of July weekend, it was more crowded than we've ever seen it - people everywhere! We still managed to see everything and ended up at Ghiradelli Square. Man, thats good chocolate!

Sunday was the 4th of July. That evening we walked 1/2 mile to Central park for a fireworks show. McKay is still talking about it and asking for Nanna Papa, Dustin Chantelle to come back and take him to see more fireworks.

Monday was supposed to be a perfect beach day so we headed out to Santa Cruz. Well, we never did actually see the sun. The waves were enormous and the water was frigid, as usual. The ocean really is calming and Max slept the whole time, minus the few minutes he woke up to eat.

We just got this lovely sports-brella and I am a fan! I wanted it to protect us from the sun but this time it was the wind. Love it!

The rest tried out a skim board and found it is MUCH harder than it looks. They've got the bruises to prove it!

I think his eyelashes grow every day!

McKay loved flying the Buzz Lightyear kite he got for his birthday. The wind was perfect! He didn't quite understand that it isn't something you fly and then come back to later and often left Grandpa or Daddy holding it while he played with something else.

McKay sang the whole way to the beach. He gets his song making-up skills from his Daddy. He was SO excited and still talks about everyone coming back to go to the beach with him. In fact, when we leave to go somewhere, he points the opposite way and says that is the way to the beach.

Blessing Day

Maxwell Lester Moser was blessed on Sunday, July 4th, 2010. He was just over 6 weeks old.

I love this sweet baby!

He is Nanna & Papa's 6th grandchild and 4th grandson.

Dustin & Chantelle were also able to come. Dustin will leave for his mission to Peru on July 21st so we were glad to get to see him before he leaves. We really appreciated them all coming to support us and Max.

Our first family picture with Max.

Things to Remember

6-28-10
McKay was excited when we purchased our van. He LOVED car shopping. Once we came home with a van, McKay climbed up on the couch to look out the window at the 'red van'.

6-21-10
'Daddy's Best, Mommy's Genius, McKay's Crazy, and Max is Perfect.'




6-16-10
Just before going to bed, I went into McKay's room to shut his windows & turn off his fan. McKay was asleep on his pillow on the floor and stirred when I helped him into his bed. It was cooler than I'd expected so I put a blanket on him. As I did he said 'love you' in his semi-conscious state. So sweet.

6-15-10
McKay was coloring a fathers day craft with markers and when he finished, he started drawing on blank paper. He drew suns with happy faces and some with sad faces. He drew one with a grumpy face. I asked why the face was grumpy and he said he was 'not listening to Mommy'. So then I asked him why the next face got a happy face. That one 'listened to Mommy'. :)

"M-C-K-A-Y... ME!'

6-11-10
'O-F-F is off, O-N is on'. Smarty pants!

'Red means stop, green means go'.

When we go in to get McKay up in the morning he has all his clothes, including socks, shoes, and underwear laid out on the floor 'all ready for Mommy'. His shirt and pants usually match too.

At the end of his prayers, McKay prayed that we could go to the park. We haven't been as often since Max arrived. :)

6-4-10
'Me have good idea. Read this book!' or 'play ABC today' (starfall.com)

'Is Baby Max poopin' again?' Usually the answer is 'yes'. :)

6-1-10
McKay was making his 'hugs n kisses' round before bedtime and it was my turn. I had him give me a couple of extra hugs and told him he was the best. McKay said 'no perfect, wrong way' and started over at the beginning. One hug, one kiss, nosey kisses, and 'I Love You Buddy' whispered in my ear. Then he got down and said 'thats perfect'.






McKay knows the vowels are 'A-E-I-O-U'. Yes, he dresses himself.

Just for Fun

Both boys are exactly 1 month.

We Love Daddy

McKay yells "You're the Best!" every morning when Jordan leaves for work and is very disappointed when he doesn't wake up before Jordan leaves. Yes, he is the best and we are so lucky to have him!

Max - 1 Month

Max is one month old! At his appointment he weighed 9 lbs 14.5 oz and was 22 inches long. At his 2 week check up he weighed 8 lbs 1 oz and was 20.5 inches long. So... he gained almost 30 oz and grew 1 1/2 inches in 17 days! Max's vision and development are still ahead of his age. He seems to get stronger and stronger every day. He started lifting his head just before 2 weeks (like McKay) and can see clear across the room already.

A few other things:

• He ooohs and ahhs and we all love to hear it. McKay always acknowledges when Max 'talks' with a cute little laugh and 'oh Max!'
  
• Max gets the hiccups a lot.
• He is a very efficient eater. Ten to fifteen minutes and he is satisfied! By his growth he is obviously getting enough!
• He doesn't like to be swaddled or too restricted.
  
• When he is really really tired He FIGHTS falling asleep for as long as he possibly can. Then he cries hard for a bit, then silence... and he is OUT!
• Max is VERY aware of what is going on around him.
  
• He loves when we talk to him and rewards us with smiles more and more often. He seems to recognize McKay's voice and McKay loves to talk to 'baby Max'.
• I love it when I pick him up and he just melts into me. Sweet Sweet boy.
• He loves music and calms right down when I sing to him. McKay can help him stop crying too but he stops too soon. :) The ABC song and maybe Twinkle Twinkle and he is back to driving trains and cars.
• Max grunts a lot.
• He can 'roll' from his back to his side. YIKES!
  

This one is a bit fuzzy but I ALMOST caught a smile on camera!

This one says it all.

3 Weeks

3 Weeks

It is fun having a subject who holds still, for the most part anyway. So I had some fun taking pictures!

Love this boy!

Love this one too! Gotta take a few of the big brother! Max's eyes look just like McKay's did - dark blue. Maybe we'll have two boys with beautiful blue eyes.

McKay used to sleep with his arms up too.

Everyone who saw Max at church said he looks just.like.McKay.

2 Weeks

Max is 2 weeks! At his check-up he weighed in at 8 lbs 1 oz. He gained about an ounce a day from his last check-up. It is so amazing how he seems to change from day to day. His sweetness only grows and we are treasuring the moments when we 'communicate' through his beautiful blue eyes. His sight and coordination are ahead of where they normally are in an infant at his age. Max has a good appetite. Once he decides he is hungry and starts asking, I have about 10 seconds to start feeding him or he seems to think he will starve. It's nice to be needed! :)

My Mom left on Saturday after being here for almost 2 weeks. She left us with a full freezer and a little boy waiting for July when they all come back again for his birthday. I don't know how people have babies when their Mom can't come help! We really enjoyed having her here and really appreciate all she did for us.

McKay and Nanna Anna created something different with McKay's foam letters EVERYDAY. McKay loved it.

Things to Remember

McKay getting his picture taken of the baby in his tummy, after I had gotten my picture taken.

5-22-10
When Max is crying, McKay likes to sing to him, usually Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He is so sweet trying to help 'Max be happy'. He also likes to help pat Max on the back to burp him.

5-17-10
McKay was talking to Uncle David on the phone and asked if he wanted to play 'I Spy'. David said sure so they played it on the phone. It actually worked out pretty well!

5-13-10
McKay will copy our actions or words we say with a coy little grin on his face. It is interesting to hear how you sound to a 2 year old!

McKay was looking out the window and our neighbors were outside. McKay said 'Mommy, people say 'Hi' to me like this (waving). Makes Me happy people say hi to me.'

5-11-10
As McKay pushed the laundry basket full of clean clothes into the living room for me to fold, he said 'This is hard work Mommy' followed with a grunt as he pushed it the rest of the way.

5-9-10
Happy Birthday Mothers day Mommy!

McKay and Jordan really wanted to give me my Mothers Day gifts before our 9 am church so McKay said HE would get the presents ready. I asked him if he knew where they were and he promptly said 'under mommy's bed'. Oh boy. He knows my present hiding place already! I'm going to have to be tricky and use locks or this kid will never be surprised!

5-1-10
Today after lunch, I was helping McKay use the potty and getting frustrated at his deliberate lack of speed. He suggested 'Mommy take rest, then be happy'. Good idea buddy.

Sorry the picture is dark... I didn't want the flash to wake McKay up. He fell asleep reading books in his room during quiet time.