Awesomest Maximus Hot Stuff

We have made it to Gammy and Poppy's house where MJ discovered the joys of barreling down the street at full speed on a big wheel. It brings back a flood of memories of my trips down the very same hill. MJ declared this the awesomest maximus show of Hot Stuff. When the big wheel failed to perform to his standards, Mini Me as Mike referred to him (he couldn't have been talking about a Mini Kelly could he?) crossed his arms in anger and frustration. I was waiting for something about "This Damn thing" but he never said it. See, each generation is better than the one before! And eventually the show went on.

And this one was a double feature. Awesomest Minimus rode as well!And check out that leg, what style!More shows are scheduled if you wanted to catch one live.

Kelly

Seeing Purple!

Congratulations MJ on earning your Purple Belt!

MJ had a belt test today where he retired his Orange belt... ...and put on a Purple belt! He has learned so much in the months since he started. He really enjoys going and is now trying to convince me to join with him. This is a fantastic program and of all the things I will miss about being in Newport, this will rank among the top. Go Odgy!!

Practice Practice Practice

In preparation for our Hilton Head vacation MJ has been practicing on his bike so he can keep pace with his cousins. This sort of crash course (no pun intended) was obviously demanding more serious protective gear. MJ got a new flaming helmet that made him feel tough.But the look wasn't complete until his goggles were secure on his face!

He graciously shared his old helmet with Annabelle...

...as well as his expression...

We're making progress in baby steps.

Kelly

More from Annabelle's Birthday

After Annabelle attacked her cake we retreated outside to burn some energy in the inflatable pool. MJ kept it interesting with three smaller girls to watch out for!

I got to have my picture taken with the birthday girl. I don't usually find myself on this end of the camera! :)

We then went inside for more cake. This time we sat on chairs and used forks!

Aunt Julie took the chance to get a pic with the birthday girl too! I think this might be what Annabelle will look like in 24 years! Poor girl! Haha!

Annabelle then got to open some gifts. She enjoyed pulling the paper off but surprisingly enjoyed the contents much more!
Since MJ clearly hadn't had enough sugar, he and Gammy stripped the lollipop boquet of two blue flowers and got matching blue tongues!

Oh, you haven't seen the boquet yet. It was really cute. Here it is hanging out with the cake. I will definitely make this again.

It was so nice to have so many people travel to see Annabelle for her birthday. It really made the day special. So thank you!

Kelly

It's Official...

Annabelle is ONE!!!

Her party could only have been made better by having the rest of our families there. Otherwise it was perfect. She had a nice large cake to attempt smashing.

At first we thought Annabelle would not live up to our expectations. She got a little spooked from the birthday song and all of the attention...

Clearly we had nothing to worry about!

She really enjoyed both the smashing and the eating of the cake!

At times she even double fisted!

And when all was said and done she crawled away...to the bath...and left us to clean up the scraps!

Guy Camping

The boys went camping on Monday for 2 days. MJ called it Guy Camping and made sure to bring his baby doll! He made friends with some fish that he called his "New Buddies!" Apparently he was sad to leave them. Although he declared "Fish are Friends, NOT FOOD!" they tried to fish but with little success. Thankfully MJ is four and easily satisified. They caught a red and white bobber and he was thrilled! After MRE's, Smores, Jiffy Pop and playing war by the campfire they came home. Annabelle shook with excitement at their return. I just shook when I saw their laundry! :) Since I'm hoping to convince Mike to post on here too I'll start this off by signing my blogs. We'll see how that goes! :)

Kelly

Annabelle is turning ONE!

I can't believe a year has already passed and I still look pregnant! Haha, kidding, sort of! But my baby is growing up so fast. She's already making requests to talk on the phone (she asked to call MJ and say "hi" while he was camping. She talks non stop although we only really understand "Feed me now you slow people!" We're preparing for her birthday party on Sunday. Right now the house is a sea of fondant, cookies and cursing...hehe, I kid again, sort of. We'll post pics for those of you who couldn't make it. Thanks for checking out our new family blog! You can still see larger albums and more video on our website www.zaiko.aboutmybaby.com.