11 months

can't believe in less then 1 month i will be the mom of a 1 year old! this year has really flown by.

the latest guitar picture...it really blows my mind when i look back to the beginning of this tradition and see how much he has changed! wow!

he smiles so well everytime we say "say cheese max!"

thanks g for my pumpkin pjs! too bad i already outgrew them!

taste test: max is really into putting anything and everything in his mouth. he has tried leaves, acorns, rocks, wood chips, hay, and grass...most of the time he puts it in his mouth, discovers that it tastes gross and spits it out. the only bad thing is that since he knows how to spit out food, he does it during mealtimes too!

this is the biggest ball i've ever seen!

1st mcdonalds playland and max loved it! joey taught him how to go down the little piano slide and he just crawled and crawled around...i don't know about all playlands but the mcdonalds on heritage trace has a little kid area and it was so perfect for max and tysen to enjoy together!

pumpkin patch

our 1st pumpkin patch experience was not what i had hoped for....it was super crowded and max was not a fan of the wagons or the pumpkins. we did manage to get a few cute pictures though.

max is starting to get into elmo...i think he just wants to be like his cousin tysen who loves elmo too!

the only decent family shot

see, i wasn't lying...he really hated those pumpkins!

" okay, well, maybe i'll touch one...if you hold my hand mom."

waiting for the hayride with g.

still waiting for the hayride...but we did get to practice our high fives with my aunts and uncle.

finally (after a long wait!), on the hayride!

i can tell by this picture that our family was ready to be done with the pumpkin patch.....maybe it was the crowds, maybe it was max's lack of enthusiasm, maybe it was the 1hour wait for the hayride, or maybe it was the fact that once we got on the hayride, we got stuck. or maybe it was just that we were ready for dinner!

state fair

we went to the state fair on friday with my sis amy, her boyfriend jared, and my dad. we met up with the other vanderveers and had a really fun day! our 1st stop was the petting zoo. right after this picture was taken, i glance over just in time to see max pick up some animal food and put it in his mouth. luckily, it was just a little seed and i was able to scoop it out...and we knew it was time for lunch!

my dad, jared, amy, max, and joey checking out some of the animals.

i love this picture..max has the best "cheese" smile!

us with big tex

joey had fried oreos (twice!), everyone had a corn dog, we all tried the fried butter, and i had fried pecan pie....yummy!

just clownin' around

1st haircut!

max was in need of new do, especially since his famous "spiky" hair wasn't quite so spiky anymore!all set and ready to go!



first and last exposure to the wiggles...he didn't even seem to like it, thank goodness!

he really liked driving the little firetruck!

joey's---errrr, i mean max's reward for sitting quietly...a little video game action.

looking more and more alike all the time :)

what a cutie! he is just so big, i can hardly believe it...

your so big!

max, say cheese and show us how you can use your walker!

(i tried to upload a video but no success yet....)

enjoying fall....

...and praying that the cooler weather will stick around!

max loved swinging at the park with some of his cousins!

taking a walk

max is so happy bc he just had his 1st bites of frozen yogurt!

our little sword swallower (well, sword chewer :)