We had almost all of the family together. Once we got to the Easter egg hunt Maddox and I put our game faces on. I tried to coach him up and let him know that this was not the time to be nice and let other kids get all of the eggs. This was the time to go all out and show the other kids that he was a force to be reckoned with. It didn’t work.

He did exactly what he did last year. He casually walked from egg to egg (if someone didn’t beat him there), picked up the egg and inspected it, then gently placed it in his basket. He looked good doing it though.

Good times…definitely good times.

We bought him a bed, which we like to call the “big boy bed”. After he went to sleep we put it together and placed it by the tree. When he woke up Christmas morning he ran into our living room, paused, saw the bed, then ran and jumped on it…then started saying “my big boy bed…I wuv it”. It’s so amazing how something so simple can mean so much to a child. Being a parent can be a constant reminder of how we take things for granted at times.

Another big moment was getting him to sit in Santa Claus’ lap. He was excited about it until we got in line and saw Santa Claus. We, as any good parent would do, bribed him into following through. Once he sat in his lap he was good to go and even told Santa that he loved him.

Every moment was perfect!

By the way, the “big boy bed” is still practically brand new…but mommy and daddy’s bed has exceeded its’ capacity.

As far as the party went, the plan was to have some of the family over. To my surprise Jennifer thought she would be a little sneaky. While everyone depressed me more with a Happy Birthday song, Jennifer came from behind and ever so gently placed a pie on my face…oh wait, did I say ever so gently? Whatever! The pie reached speeds up to 35 mph when it hit my face…causing discomfort (especially in the nose area) for days after.

Her birthday is right around the corner!

Maddox got lots of cool things…guitar, harmonica, swing set, motorized golf cart, table and chair set, and toys, toys, toys galore! It is now unofficially Toys-r-Us at our house

The random pic of Jarod and Maddox in the big box was from Pee-paw and Ray putting together Maddox’s new swing set that he got.

I can’t believe another year has past and our baby boy is another year older! Happy Birthday Buddy!!!

We also took a glass-bottom boat ride where we saw dolphins, sharks and sting rays…and Maddox even got to be the captain of the ship and drive for a while! Scary…I know.
The next day Will, Cole, Ray and myself all went para-sailing…which was so fun!

It was a great vacation that we will remember always!

In Maddox’s mind, it’s all about quality, not quantity. The good thing is that our church tries to make sure all of the kids get eggs. When you look at it this way, Maddox is way ahead of the game. He slowly finds the good eggs, then when it’s over, some of the other kids have to give up their eggs so that Maddox can have more. My son is a genius!

The bad news is…well, there is no bad news. We’re talking videos, famous quotes by Maddox (we call Famous Maddox One-Liners), pictures, and so much more! Over the next several days we will publish a new post to our blog every day until we are completely caught up. Once we’re caught up we will resume our normal schedule and keep you updated on a random, yet frequent, basis. So, stay tuned because tomorrow the journey continues!

We’ve missed you guys!

When you are looking at the blog you will see a post (i.e. “23 weeks old…our bluebonnet baby“). This has not changed. Keep reading…

At the bottom of each post you will see a link that says (click here to read more & see pictures). In the past, I posted all the pictures and little blurbs on the home page. You will now have to click the link to see everything. Or, you could click the post title (i.e. “23 weeks old…our bluebonnet baby“).

The other change is the addition of the “Popular Posts” section on the right. This will just give you an idea of what people are checking out.

That’s it. That’s all that was changed. No big deal. You should actually be thanking me. This will be a little more exercise for you because it will involve more clicking! Now put on your sweats and head band and begin the workout!