We have a mover and a shaker on our hands folks! Started walking November 1st.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m3yGM_DWGqs
11/3/10
10/30/10
Happy Halloween!
There is no better way to do Halloween than to have In-N-Out burger cater the annual Trunk-or-Treat Party. As usual it was a huge hit & much better to have actual trunks decorated this year! Big turn out and the boys had a blast.
Our haunted trunk-dinner. You can't really tell, but the boys picture in the background has glowing eyes, & the cup & fork are "floating" in the air. Dad made the window fram and chairs for me.
Thomas, Rosie, the Engineers & Grandpa
Tate was scared & fascinated with this skeleton. He kept wanting to go back & stare at it. 
This trunk was a prize winner. Its' head moved.
Engineer Max & Snow White Sienna
Going through their loot.
Thank goodness Max caught a Pre-trunk-or-treat nap on Daddy :) 
Mike & I were too tired to go through their candy tonight, so we'll take out our parent-tax tomorrow. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
10/26/10
So I just need to put the disastrous 8 weeks that was the end of September, all of October and the first 2 weeks of November behind me. 1 vent to get it all out and be done with it.
Sad:
- Mike had to have in an in-grown toe nail removed for the 2nd time!
- I got ecoli & was sick for 2 weeks. Most likely from Disneyland where I had been 4 days earlier.
- The root canal I got a few months ago apparently didn't take. Who knew that could even happen? After 9 appointments to have my bite adjusted the Endodontist finally agreed to remove the cap and look to see if anything was missed. Ya' think? So I had to have a 2nd root canal on the same tooth. Pleasant.
- The 1 wart (I know, eww gross) that was on the bottom of my left heal is now 4 warts. Commence 4 weeks of going in to Podiatrist to have heal treated with acid and scraped. Can't get my heal wet which makes showering and trying to enjoy the 90 degree weather difficult. Finally decided to have the surgery to remove them. Instead of 4 more weeks of acid & scraping.
- Mike lost his job. The division he works for is closing December 1st.
- We were invited to my sisters in No. Cal for Canadian Thanksgiving, the day before we were to leave the our dog Boo jumped off a chair & tore her ACL. $3200 later she was home with stitches and the cone of shame around her head. There went any savings we were counting on.
- Its nearly impossible to keep a dog immobile for 4-6 weeks. All she does is whine try to jump out of her pen.
- It rained for close to 7 days in a row. I was ready to shoot myself on day 3 of staying inside all day watching Thomas the Tank Engine. Let alone trying to run errands & unload 2 kids in the rain.
- Cable went out for 4 days. Of course it did.
-I got a cold, followed by both boys having a cold. I'm better, they have had the sniffles for over 10 days.
-Max has shifted to be a bit whiny and aggressive towards his brother. I debated & delayed too long on the preschool thing so he has no friends for play dates since they are all in preschool or sick. We finally applied at a few & fingers crossed we get in somewhere.
Happy:
- Mike found a good Podiatrist to take care of his toenail once and for all.
-Luckily I got ecoli on a Tues. Mike was able to stay home for Wed/Thurs then my sister came Friday afternoon & took the kids Mon/Tues. Also, my Dr. happened to put me on the right antibiotics to treat ecoli before lab results came back & even though I thought I had a kidney infection.
- The 2nd root canal still not taking, but it is less painful.
-Thankfully Mike just found a good Podiatrist & we have insurance to treat the stupid tumors (as the podiatrist calls them). I got it wet anyway when I went swimming in my sisters pool for Canadian thanksgiving.
-3 weeks after Mike lost his job, he got another 1 within the same company. Hooray!
-We were still able to go to my sisters for Canadian Thanksgiving because our fabulous friends who were going to watch the dogs still agreed to do it. Thank goodness for her experience as a vet tech!
- The boys are sort of fascinated by the large pen we set up in the dining room for Boo. So it sort of entertains them. Plus we got tranquilizers. (Sadly, just for the dog.)
-At least it wasn't raining any more when the cable went out so we could go outside and play.
-This time of year everyone has the sniffles. At least they don't have fevers.
-We bit the bullet and got a KIDSPACE membership to entertain the boys outside of the house. The very same day we found out Max got into Pasadena Christian Preschool 2 days a week. Just the right amount of time for him & me :)
Let's just say we're glad that the last 8 weeks has past, holidays are around the corner & it can only get better. Right? (seriously, I'm asking. Please tell me it will all be better.)
Sad:
- Mike had to have in an in-grown toe nail removed for the 2nd time!
- I got ecoli & was sick for 2 weeks. Most likely from Disneyland where I had been 4 days earlier.
- The root canal I got a few months ago apparently didn't take. Who knew that could even happen? After 9 appointments to have my bite adjusted the Endodontist finally agreed to remove the cap and look to see if anything was missed. Ya' think? So I had to have a 2nd root canal on the same tooth. Pleasant.
- The 1 wart (I know, eww gross) that was on the bottom of my left heal is now 4 warts. Commence 4 weeks of going in to Podiatrist to have heal treated with acid and scraped. Can't get my heal wet which makes showering and trying to enjoy the 90 degree weather difficult. Finally decided to have the surgery to remove them. Instead of 4 more weeks of acid & scraping.
- Mike lost his job. The division he works for is closing December 1st.
- We were invited to my sisters in No. Cal for Canadian Thanksgiving, the day before we were to leave the our dog Boo jumped off a chair & tore her ACL. $3200 later she was home with stitches and the cone of shame around her head. There went any savings we were counting on.
- Its nearly impossible to keep a dog immobile for 4-6 weeks. All she does is whine try to jump out of her pen.
- It rained for close to 7 days in a row. I was ready to shoot myself on day 3 of staying inside all day watching Thomas the Tank Engine. Let alone trying to run errands & unload 2 kids in the rain.
- Cable went out for 4 days. Of course it did.
-I got a cold, followed by both boys having a cold. I'm better, they have had the sniffles for over 10 days.
-Max has shifted to be a bit whiny and aggressive towards his brother. I debated & delayed too long on the preschool thing so he has no friends for play dates since they are all in preschool or sick. We finally applied at a few & fingers crossed we get in somewhere.
Happy:
- Mike found a good Podiatrist to take care of his toenail once and for all.
-Luckily I got ecoli on a Tues. Mike was able to stay home for Wed/Thurs then my sister came Friday afternoon & took the kids Mon/Tues. Also, my Dr. happened to put me on the right antibiotics to treat ecoli before lab results came back & even though I thought I had a kidney infection.
- The 2nd root canal still not taking, but it is less painful.
-Thankfully Mike just found a good Podiatrist & we have insurance to treat the stupid tumors (as the podiatrist calls them). I got it wet anyway when I went swimming in my sisters pool for Canadian thanksgiving.
-3 weeks after Mike lost his job, he got another 1 within the same company. Hooray!
-We were still able to go to my sisters for Canadian Thanksgiving because our fabulous friends who were going to watch the dogs still agreed to do it. Thank goodness for her experience as a vet tech!
- The boys are sort of fascinated by the large pen we set up in the dining room for Boo. So it sort of entertains them. Plus we got tranquilizers. (Sadly, just for the dog.)
-At least it wasn't raining any more when the cable went out so we could go outside and play.
-This time of year everyone has the sniffles. At least they don't have fevers.
-We bit the bullet and got a KIDSPACE membership to entertain the boys outside of the house. The very same day we found out Max got into Pasadena Christian Preschool 2 days a week. Just the right amount of time for him & me :)
Let's just say we're glad that the last 8 weeks has past, holidays are around the corner & it can only get better. Right? (seriously, I'm asking. Please tell me it will all be better.)
10/20/10
My Max is 3!
When you woke up this morning at 6:15 you came to Mommy & Daddy's bedroom door & I wished you a Happy birthday. You said "Why THANK YOU Mommy!". How can you already sound so much older? When Daddy asked you how old you were, you answered "4 1/2". Random. That's certainly not the "3" we've been practicing for days.
Some Max facts:
- You love to talk on the phone and call GiGi almost every day. Sometimes you start naming off your aunts, uncles, cousins & Mugga to try and get me to dial them for you. We've never caught you at it, but will often find you talking to some of them on the phone & have no idea how you were able to turn the phone on & dial it.
- You learn songs so quickly its amazing. The end of August, after listening to "Follow the prophet" 1x through, then watching Mommy & Mugga sing it you joined us in the chorus. Songs might just be the key to teaching you anything!
- I love how you raise the pitch of your voice when you are sweetly talking to Tate.
- You use the phrase "I guess" a lot and we have no idea where you got it.
i.e. "I'll go to bed now mommy, I guess." "I guess I'll watch my show now" "Tate wants to go swimming with me I guess".
- Thomas, Thomas, Thomas. You are still obsessed with all your Thomas & Friends trains. Almost every conversation turns to Thomas & almost every toy is named Thomas or Percy.
- You are very polite. You always remember to say THANK YOU & are very good at PLEASE. Sometimes you even throw out a BLESS YOU when someone sneezes or coughs.
- You are struggling with sharing- particularly with your brother. If he has it, you want it & almost always try to pull the old "I was playing with that!" Yeah, like 2 hrs ago. We try to get you to trade him for it, but time-outs are still a-plenty these days.
- When someone gets off the phone you are quick to ask "What did they say?". Usually telling you that they asked how you were doing makes you happy enough not to ask for more details.
- You say your bed time prayers on your own now. You never forget GiGi, Pop, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Krista, Carson or Macie. For some reason you have to be reminded about how thankful you are for your own immediate family. Dinner prayers are often said much more quietly then bedtime prayers, but we can usually make out "bless the food".
-Bargaining is your M.O. For example, If we say NO or LATER when you want to do a computer game, you say "How about you do your computer Mommy, then I do my computer?"
- When one parent says NO, you go ask the other, or any other adult around. This shopping for answers can get pretty annoying, but I do recall trying it myself a few times in my younger days.
- You are still a huge Daddy's boy. When Daddy is home, you can't let him out of your site. Most of the time you wrestle or build trains. But some days I think Daddy is thankful that you go to bed 1 1/2 hrs after he gets home from work. You have a TON of energy.
We love you so much Mr. Max,
little prince, hubba bubba, mighty Max, Mr. Man, buddy, & lovey.
Opening your present from GiGi & Pop this morning
With your presents. We opened them before Daddy went to work & to entertain you today in the pouring rain!
10/4/10
Some new 1sts for Tate
Black eye. Did he get it by...
A. Crawling over to Uncle Ryan for hugs and instead getting hit by a swinging nail gun.
B. Pulling a stool down on top of him which in turn banged him in the eye.
C. Falling down the stairs at Aunt Krista's and taking out a couple toys on the way down.
(This is actually taken on day 3 of healing. It looks much better)
Hair cut. Did he cry the whole time, or...
A. Crawling over to Uncle Ryan for hugs and instead getting hit by a swinging nail gun.
B. Pulling a stool down on top of him which in turn banged him in the eye.
C. Falling down the stairs at Aunt Krista's and taking out a couple toys on the way down.
(This is actually taken on day 3 of healing. It looks much better)
Hair cut. Did he cry the whole time, or...
A. Only cry at the end because Max started crying thinking we were hurting him.
B. Start crying soon after mommy started the haircut and blocked him from walking away in the walker.
C. Cried only for a minute, but not from the haircut. Cried because the dogs startled him barking at some squirrel. 
Standing. Was the 1st time he stood...
A. Showing off at his cousins 1st Birthday party.
B. While sneaking away one of Max's prized toy trains & holding it out to taunt him, he let go of the chair not realizing he had let go.
C. Letting go of the couch to reach for the dog who ran away.
1st taste of Pizza. Why did we wait so long for him to try pizza?
A. I have no idea why he hadn't tried it before this summer.
B. Max had an allergic reaction to pizza so we waited until he was almost 1 to try it.
C. This is actually the 1st time he ATE it. The 1st time we gave it to him he threw it on the floor.
Still can't believe its been a year!
9/22/10
A recipe for good parenting
How to break your 1 year old from waking up every morning between 2 & 3 for a bottle.
Night 1-
1) Make sure baby is particularly tired before bed.
2) Snuggle baby & sing songs.
3) Give baby an extra large bottle before bed to make sure he is extra full.
4) Quietly walk away & close door. Baby may fuss for a couple minutes before falling asleep.
5) Ignore the first sounds of crying at 2:20 a.m.
6) Continue to ignore crying at 2:45 a.m.
7) If baby is still crying at 3:00 a.m. send daddy in to give him back his pacifier which he has obviously thrown out of the crib & try to lay him back down.
8) Continue to ignore the crying at 3:30 a.m.
9) Breathe a sigh of relief when crying stops at 3:40 a.m.
10) Be happy when baby wakes at the reasonable hour of 7:00.
Night 2-
(repeat steps 1-8 from above)
1) If baby is still crying at 3:45 a.m. send Daddy back in to try pacifier again. Also give baby a dose of Tylenol.
2) At 4:15 a.m. Mommy & Daddy should start arguing about this ridiculous idea & Daddy should concede to getting up at 2:00 a.m. for the rest of his life to feed baby (which will become toddler, child, boy, tween, teen, man. But Daddy will still be feeding him.)
3) 4:30 a.m.- When baby stops crying, Mommy & Daddy have a brief discussion about how painful this was but they are glad its probably gonna work after tonight.
4) At 4:45 a.m. when baby starts crying again, Mommy & Daddy start crying.
5) 5:00 a.m.- baby quiet, try to relax and forget that older brother usually wakes up between 6-6:30 a.m.
6) 7:00 a.m. Mommy lays on couch comatose while big brother watches cartoons & baby sleeps peacefully.
7) Go get baby at 8:00 a.m. when he wakes up. Feed him breakfast and notice while he is eating the 2 new teeth that have broken through- 1 on top, 1 on the bottom.
8) Look closer at baby's mouth and discover there are also 2 more teeth just about to break through.
9) Insert a huge amount of Jewish guilt, mothers guilt, and any other kind of guilt you can think of and cry with baby while you give him more Tylenol.
Now that's good parenting.
Night 1-
1) Make sure baby is particularly tired before bed.
2) Snuggle baby & sing songs.
3) Give baby an extra large bottle before bed to make sure he is extra full.
4) Quietly walk away & close door. Baby may fuss for a couple minutes before falling asleep.
5) Ignore the first sounds of crying at 2:20 a.m.
6) Continue to ignore crying at 2:45 a.m.
7) If baby is still crying at 3:00 a.m. send daddy in to give him back his pacifier which he has obviously thrown out of the crib & try to lay him back down.
8) Continue to ignore the crying at 3:30 a.m.
9) Breathe a sigh of relief when crying stops at 3:40 a.m.
10) Be happy when baby wakes at the reasonable hour of 7:00.
Night 2-
(repeat steps 1-8 from above)
1) If baby is still crying at 3:45 a.m. send Daddy back in to try pacifier again. Also give baby a dose of Tylenol.
2) At 4:15 a.m. Mommy & Daddy should start arguing about this ridiculous idea & Daddy should concede to getting up at 2:00 a.m. for the rest of his life to feed baby (which will become toddler, child, boy, tween, teen, man. But Daddy will still be feeding him.)
3) 4:30 a.m.- When baby stops crying, Mommy & Daddy have a brief discussion about how painful this was but they are glad its probably gonna work after tonight.
4) At 4:45 a.m. when baby starts crying again, Mommy & Daddy start crying.
5) 5:00 a.m.- baby quiet, try to relax and forget that older brother usually wakes up between 6-6:30 a.m.
6) 7:00 a.m. Mommy lays on couch comatose while big brother watches cartoons & baby sleeps peacefully.
7) Go get baby at 8:00 a.m. when he wakes up. Feed him breakfast and notice while he is eating the 2 new teeth that have broken through- 1 on top, 1 on the bottom.
8) Look closer at baby's mouth and discover there are also 2 more teeth just about to break through.
9) Insert a huge amount of Jewish guilt, mothers guilt, and any other kind of guilt you can think of and cry with baby while you give him more Tylenol.
Now that's good parenting.
9/5/10
The EH team part 2
Hopefully I paired this down a bit better than the last post :)
Day 4- Horseback riding at a stable owned by my Mom's cousins. It's the only 1 inside Waterton park and they've owned it for years. Mugga & Grandpa watched the little kids and took them on pony rides while those who wanted headed out on a 2 hr trail ride. Then some good ole'fashioned competition with Family Olympics. Team Brownstein would have taken it if Grandpa would have cheated like I told him ;)
Day 4- Horseback riding at a stable owned by my Mom's cousins. It's the only 1 inside Waterton park and they've owned it for years. Mugga & Grandpa watched the little kids and took them on pony rides while those who wanted headed out on a 2 hr trail ride. Then some good ole'fashioned competition with Family Olympics. Team Brownstein would have taken it if Grandpa would have cheated like I told him ;)
Not even a little afraid, unlike his brother who would not even pet one.
We now call him Mountain Man Mike. 
This is the way the ladies ride, the ladies ride, the ladies ride... (Me, Jana & Kim) 
I love the height G-pa got with his whip cream- you can see it in the air above him. Plus he caught it!
I love the height G-pa got with his whip cream- you can see it in the air above him. Plus he caught it!Chad totally blowing his whip cream catch. 
Day 5- Crypt hike for the brave, so Mike went golfing & I stayed home with Mugga, Aunt Kim, Max, Tate & Jaxon. Max had fun playing with Jaxon all day plus we hit the shops in town and got some killer new jammies eh?
Day 5- Crypt hike for the brave, so Mike went golfing & I stayed home with Mugga, Aunt Kim, Max, Tate & Jaxon. Max had fun playing with Jaxon all day plus we hit the shops in town and got some killer new jammies eh? Max & Jax having breakfast.
Canada, Eh?
6 Days of fun finally caught up to Max. 
Day 6- A quiet day that included a trip back to the shops with everyone who was jealous of the Brownstein's awesome jammies & we picked up a few gifts we had our eyes on.
6 Days of fun finally caught up to Max. Day 6- A quiet day that included a trip back to the shops with everyone who was jealous of the Brownstein's awesome jammies & we picked up a few gifts we had our eyes on.
Mike wearing the coyote he hunted down. Just kidding.
They have special bear-proof garbage cans. Didn't stop these bears from trying.
Day 7- Everyone headed back to the states at their various times to catch flights, drive, etc. Our flight was not 'til 3 out of Kalispell Montana so we stopped at Cameron Falls & then a Bear Reserve in Kalispell. The black bears are literally feet away from you (and were all born in captivity, not captured).
Brownstein Family at Cameron Falls 
Max at the Black Bear preserve scouting out the bears. 
We loved seeing everyone and can't wait for the next reunion in 2012.
We vote for a Caribbean cruise!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)