M.A.X. + 1

Lovely day at the park. 39 weeks and counting!

Eskimo Kiss, Under the Sea

It's been a long time since we've posted anything. The below photo should reveal why we've been a little busier than usual. In addition to cooking up a sibling for Max, we had a wonderful trip to LA for Thanksgiving, hosted the Chou family and Gong Gong for our first Christmas at our new house, and had a fantastic two-week vacation in Scotland and Spain.

While we are excited about the new addition to the family, we are also savoring these last few weeks of having an only child. Three is really a fun and captivating age.

Counting down the weeks until Max meets his new best friend (or so Mama hopes)...

Fall 2011 Pics

Beginning this weekend, we have visitors staying with us every weekend through January 2012! M.A.X. is lovin' it.

We'll try to update this album along the way...

Summer/Fall Highlights

So, it's been a while since we've posted anything. I assure you that cute (and definitely not cute) things are still going on in the world of Our Little Chef. Life has been pretty busy for the three of us and we continue to be grateful for our many blessings.

Some highlights from this Summer/Fall:

~We completed an extensive renovation and moved into our new house! Max loves his new digs, transitioned smoothly to his "big boy bed" (albeit with a few slumbery tumbles), and loves living next door to a huge park (including a bouldering wall), baseball and soccer fields. He was a bit disappointed to learn that our contractors and real estate agent (who were constant fixtures in the house during the 3-month renovation) were not going to be living with us though.

~This summer was the start of a steady flow of visitors. We had a super fun time with the Slater Fab Five, Nai Nai, Ye Ye and Gong Gong. The highlight was seeing all the Ma family for Liz and Adam's beautiful wedding at Chaminade. It was The Party of the year.

~Max turned 3 on September 25! And magically, on this day, too, he was potty-trained. Sometimes miracles do happen. Or, maybe it was just the thrill of wearing firetruck underwear. For his birthday this year, we hosted a breakfast for 70 of our friends and family. Given we were still at the tail end of our renovation, Max was very considerate and chose a construction theme. It was pretty adorable to see all the kiddos running around in their construction helmets. Breakfast would not have been possible without the help of grandparent support though. Nai Nai, in particular, was a superstar. She made EIGHT POUNDS OF BACON.

~Most recently, Max got into the spirit of Halloween this year. It was his first time trick-or-treating, his first time eating candy...and his first time being A Door. His choice.

Snores and Laughter

At 2.75 years, Max has yet to learn about filial piety. He recently started doing ridiculous impressions of his parents. After dinner (and two ice cream cones), we caught him on video doing an impression of Alan sleeping.

And much like his mother, he roars in laughter at himself as if he is the funniest person he knows.

July Traditions

The first week of July is always a joy for M.A.X. as it is kicked off with our annual apricot picking at the Packard Orchard and bike ride to Shoreline Park for Fourth of July fireworks.

This year's July traditions were especially meaningful as they were a welcomed break from the renovation of two kitchens, three bathrooms and a whole lot of floors and recessed lights. But, more on that later. For now, we're still enjoying the sweetness of this year's harvest.

February: Naked Trees and Sunburned Cheeks

For Valentine's Day this year, we visited Gong Gong (XW's dad) in Blacksburg and were happily joined by Mei-Lun (+family) and Michael (+kids). We just wished we could have also seen Jimo, Vincent, Janie and the Chicago kids.

Max had a blast with his cousins and it was quite special to be in Blacksburg for Valentine's Day. He met many of Gong Gong's friends (of all ages) and also sat through his first college-level lecture given by....Daddy! Alan was invited to give a presentation to the Industrial Design students at Virginia Tech.

Following our visit in the mountains of Virginia, we head down to the sunny beaches of Amelia Island, Florida. We were totally spoiled and pampered at the Ritz-Carlton and Max had a blast with his sweet "Texas cousin," London.

We realized on this trip that need to keep up our travel routine so that Max continues to experience different climates and seasons. While we were in Blacksburg, he commented several times, "the trees are naked!" And, on Amelia Island, it was the first time Max was exposed to a warm beach and able to dip his toes in the ocean. The downside were the very strong and sneaky sunrays. Fortunately, with the world's largest sandbox at his disposal, he hardly noticed his sunburned cheeks.