Birthdays

I got my wish for my birthday...the snow was gone! :) In reality, I think it was almost all gone on Monday, but by Tuesday, spring weather had returned. Too bad we woke up to snow again this morning. :P I shouldn't complain too much, though, because our lawn looks pretty green already; the snow probably won't stick around too long this time either. For my birthday, Greg took me and Max out to eat at the Kaiserhof restaurant out in the Shoppes at Grand Prairie. It's a pretty nice German place, complete with a man walking around playing the accordion. Greg was a very kind husband and did NOT tell him it was my birthday. :D What a sweetheart. Evidently, one of the ladies at the table next to us was also celebrating her birthday, and the man sang to her. So I still got to hear 'Happy Birthday,' even if it was sung to a lady named Diane instead of me. Suited me just fine! Max was an angel at the restaurant, having so much to look at around him. After supper we went to Burlington Coat Factory and bought Max some shoes (tennis shoes and sandals) to wear in Europe and this summer. He doesn't really like them yet, but hopefully he'll be used to them before we leave. I think the best part of my birthday, though, was Greg's gift to me...13 Agatha Christie books! Only 4 of which I had read! What a guy! (Even if he did make some comment about me being a 'nerd' for being so excited about some books.)

I confess...I am a nerd. And I love Agatha Christie. And Hercule Poirot. And even Miss Marple. Yay for mysteries! :D

Nothing super interesting happened this week, except that Sheila got home safe and sound from Germany. Max and I went over to Mom Rassi's one day to help strip wallpaper in my old bedroom (Goodbye, pink hearts and blue bows...sniff sniff). I had an OB appt. on Friday that I waited 2 hours to get in...ick. Thankfully I had one of my new books with me! :) No update on the baby, but I do have a sonogram on Friday. Greg's still working quite a bit, but tax season is over 9 days from today, so I think we'll make it. On Saturday we went to the Gramm Easter at Dad and Mom Rassi's and left Max there while we went to Melissa's senior recital (which was fantastic!). We went back to DMR's for supper, then spent a bit of the evening at Dad and Mom Beutel's with Melissa's family. Sunday after church we stopped by Rob and Marcia's to see their almost-done upstairs (the carpet's in, the trim is on; they are ready to move furniture in!) and then went to Dad and Mom Beutel's for our (Greg, me, Melissa) birthday supper. Actually, Melissa's birthday was yesterday...happy 22nd, Melissa! After supper was the Easter program, so we changed and went to church for that, and after the program headed back to DMB's for cake and cookies. Are you tired yet? After all that running around, I'm definitely ready to stay home today! I need to work on the laundry room and do some general cleaning. I think it's a good agenda for a gray day like today.

Ok. A quick Max update. He's definitely officially walking now; it's amazing to see how much he progresses in just a week! His balance is better, his coordination is getting better (except for when he's tired), and he's more willing to just strike out on his own instead of having to be prompted to let go and walk. He can definitely be termed a 'toddler,' we have fun laughing when he looks a bit tipsy. I sometimes liken him to Tevye's "If I Were a Rich Man" dance from Fiddler on the Roof. Other times he's been termed a 'drunken sailor.' Either way, we've had surprisingly few bumps and bruises...it's not that he doesn't fall, he's just a tough little guy! Here's a small sample of his skills from a week or so ago.

Last week, I was working in the kitchen and Max was playing in the Tupperware drawer (I have one I let him play in). I turned around to get something out of the fridge, and I when I turned back to him, this is what I saw!

It's not enough to just empty the drawer...he just climbed in!

So yes, Max has started trying to climb every once in a while. The end of this video shows a bit of it, too, when he's playing piano from the booster seat. I wonder who taught him that? (Hmm...maybe Daddy?)

Last update today is on Bryce. I got to babysit him a week or so ago and was privileged to hear his first word..."No, no!" It made me realize just how much I say it! He and Max would be crawling around, exploring, and when Max was doing something naughty, I'd say, "Max" in a warning tone, and Bryce would finish it for me, "No, no!" :S When Max got into the CD tower, it happened, and then when Bryce decided that looked fun, too, I had to reprimand him...but he beat me to it! By the time I got to him, he grinned up at me and said, "No, no!" What a cute little stinker...

But that's not all...before he learned his first word, he learned how to shake his head. I really wanted a good video of him walking, but after a couple of tried, realized this would be just as good. So here's Bryce with his first trick he learned...

Happy Monday, everyone!