Thanksgiving and more...

For Thanksgiving we went to Ted & Pat's to celebrate with Corey's family then headed up to the cabin for the weekend. As you can see, Maddox has become quite adventurous lately now that he thinks he can run. Notice the bumps and bruises on his forehead.

I had to get a few shots of Maddox's cute curls from the side and back. I just can't cut them off, so I'm going to have a cute little boy with long hair. Isn't it just adorable!
Here he is checking out what he can work on under the sink.
CURLS! The Great Outdoors! Maddox helped Grandpa Rob, Uncle Kyle, and Grandpa Michelle rake leaves at the cabin.
He was quite the helper picking up what he could.

LEAVES! They threw the boys in the trailer full of leaves where they giggled away. So cute!

Playin' with his cuz. Maddox and Rowan are getting along more and more and are able to play a lot now. Rowan loves to give Maddox hugs and kisses and when he does Maddox just lites up.

After all that cold weather, the boys came in to enjoy some cookies made by yours truly. Yum!

Rowan's best friend! Rowan is absolutely fascinated with Uncle Scott. If he's not up yet in the mornings, he wants to wake him up for breakfast. If he's studying, he wants to go see him. If Scott's not playing with him, Rowan's at his feet asking sweetly to play.
Maddox loves to play with Scott too, but Bumpa is still his all time favorite.

Notice Maddox's skills at putting the rings down the shoot.
See them stacked nicely at the bottom.

Nisswa City of Lights! Friday night we headed to Danny & Mary's cabin to check out their new purchase. It's going to be so fun to have another family up there celebrating. Then we headed to Nisswa to see the fireworks, eat cheese curds, and buy candy.

All snuggled in with Mama in the sling.
Bumpa's attempt at a sling.

Help! I think I'm falling!
Here's the pics from Corey's family. This is all the cousins and their significant others.

And these are all their kids.
Corey's siblings and Maddox.
Family picture!

Chuck was the videographer of the event. We had 22+ people there which was huge for us. I first went to Ted & Pat's 11 years ago and there were probably 12-13 people. Man how we've grown!
Pat has this stuffed kid at the entry way that Maddox was fascinated with. He played and even danced with the thing. It was so cute!

Here's the dancing!

Maddox had a ball playing with his Auntie Jenna too. He spent the Wednesday evening before at Jenna & Andy's too so he's been getting quite use to them lately. We got to their house at 1 am to find Maddox curled up with Jenna in bed. Everyone's a sucker for sleeping with Maddox. Just last weekend Maddox slept with Jenna and Andy on Friday night and with Grandma Michelle & Grandpa Rob Saturday night while Corey recovered from getting his wisdom teeth out. I didn't want him sleeping with Maddox while taking narcotics. Corey took a picture of himself after we left the oral surgeon, but I didn't think I should share it because he doesn't remember taking it and he looks a little rough.

Here's Maddox hanging out with his cousin Matthew born just a couple of weeks after Maddox. It was fun to see them together for the first time since last Thanksgiving. Boy have the two of them grown!
Mister independent! Maddox now loves to do everything himself including handling his own fruit whole. He likes having pears, apples, oranges, etc.

Fun with a cutting board.
Say cheese!

I can play with oven mits.
Oh fun!

Maddox is becoming such a boy lately. He now has 7+ teeth. He's cut 2 top, 4 bottom and 1 molar. He has 3 other molar bulges that are almost through too. He'll pretty much repeat anything you say and is able to recognize most objects that he plays readily. He loves Elmo! Up until now he hasn't really cared much for TV, but has taken a liking for Sesame Street, especially Elmo. Elmo is on his "brush, brush" aka tooth brush and he points to Elmo saying "Elmo" every time he sees it. Along with balls, the tooth brush has become quite the focus too.

Maddox still has an appetite for pretty much anything, but if he's not in the mood most of it ends up on the floor. He got his first cup of whole milk the other day and didn't seem to mind it too much. He still nurses a lot, but it's a great source of perfect nutrition for him.

We're still holding on strong in the apartment, but can't wait for our house!

He's on the charts!

Yes, my baby is now in the 95th percentile for weight! It only took a year. Maddox's official 1 year stats are 27 lbs 9 ounces (I also weighed his diaper and cover which weighs 5.5 ounces, so he's actually 27-3.5), 30 3/4 inches long (75th percentile), and a 19 inch head (90 something percentile). He got his finger poked to check his hemoglobin which was terrific and we'll be getting his lead level back in a couple of days (standard test). He didn't even cry getting his finger poked. What a trooper!

Maddox is walking all over the place and trying to run like crazy. He's all over this apartment! He can repeat pretty much any word that you say. He knows a lot of animal noises and can say and point out his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. He loves to give hugs now and will come running if you put your arms out. He's our little musician dancing, drumming and playing music all the time. He's absolutely obsessed with balls of all shapes and sizes. He still loves to nurse, but is enjoying eating more and more. He tries to be mister independent using his own spoon and fork, but it's quite messy. He's in his second round of swimming lessons at the Wise Swim School and loves it! We're also still doing Music Together class, which he gets more in to every time we go. He's a total social butterfly and full of energy. Going out to eat is now posing to be a challenge since he can walk. He just constantly says "down" and wants to tear up the place. Also, I'm pretty sure he's becoming a curious toddler now. It's happening so fast!

On the house front, the drywall is up and the ceiling is sprayed. Next is paint, cabinets, flooring, and MOVING IN! The estimated completion is January 22nd.

Enjoying the outdoors!

Yesterday we took Maddox outside for a couple of hours to enjoy the terrific weather. Maddox and I spent the weekend at Grandma Michelle & Grandpa Rob's house while Corey went up to Two Harbors hunting with his dad. My parents spoiled us with good homecooked meals and great company. Thanks!
Corey got back in time to enjoy playing outside with us Sunday afternoon. Maddox loved to show him all the cool rocks.
He was also quite interested in what Bumpa and Grandma were doing. They were busy mowing the ditches for the last time this year.
So funny...
So serious...
Just sittin'...
Oh, BIG rocks!
Uh oh, here comes my mama.
Oh no, she got me!
Finally, there's Bumpa.
Thanks for the ride!

Ball anyone?
Daddy, that tickles!
Corey and Maddox got to finally hang out just the two of them Sunday night while I went out to eat with the work girls. They haven't seen much of each other since last Tuesday, so Maddox was really missing his daddy. So much, in fact, that he wanted to be just like him and try on his shoes.

I think they're a little big.
Here's a picture of Corey, his grandma Flo, and his dad up in Two Harbors just before they headed home.
They did their best hunting, but oh dear, no deer...

No luck this year hunting here or up north. I guess they just need their good luck charm back in the woods. I'm excited to hunt next year since it's been 2 years in a row that I haven't been able to.