next stop: Happy Halloween!

Hi Friends,

First, we want to say that our thoughts and prayers are with Auntie Tam (and family) in NYC and everyone else affected by Hurricane Sandy.  Auntie Tam (as of Tuesday evening) is without power, water, and wine.  That's much like Tiny Sadie being without her pampies and Mommy.

Were you affected by Hurricane Sandy (directly or indirectly)?

... and on to more positive things, Happy Halloween!  How are you celebrating this year?  Do you have any traditions?  Mommy said we get some Halloween treats for Halloween, and she also hopes we go trick or treating as a family.  We'll see.  I've been sick so it depends on if I recovered or not!  I have a costume and everything.  You can see my "Max" from Where the Wild Things Are costume at this blog post.  Mommy and Sissy also have shirts to match my costume!

And speaking of Halloween style, enjoy some more photos below!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Do you like (one of) my Halloween shirt (from Target)?  You can also see my ca-coo (pumpkin) shirt on my Dewberry Farm blog.  And Gramby and Pops came to visit this weekend and brought us Halloween treats - thank you!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Here is the Halloween outfit that Mommy got Super Sadie (onesie and tutu from Target)!  Just wait... she has another one to share soon (from Gramby and Pops).

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Super Sadie got fun Halloween treats too!  Thank you.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Do you have a favorite Halloween or Fall treat?  Our favorite treat (well anytime of the year, really) is chocolate!  And as we mentioned recently ... we received some nice Whole Trade chocolate from Whole Foods.  Mommy really gobbled it up!  Melt.  In.  Your.  Mouth.  Do you have a favorite kind of chocolate?

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

And do you have a favorite Halloween or Fall drink?  Okay so hot chocolate may be more of a "winter" drink ... but Mommy definitely loves hot chocolate anytime it dips below 80 degrees in Houston!  Whole Foods also treated us to this Whole Trade drinking chocolate.  Yum, says Mommy (and therefore, Sadie).  Have you tried any Whole Trade products yet?

We can't wait to hear about your Halloween!  Do share!

-Mad Max

Tuesday's Tots and Wee Ones: Our Little Friend, Lucy

Hi Friends,

Please welcome our guest blogger today from Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender.  Thanks for joining us, Rosemary and Lucy!

If you would like to guest blog with us, we would love to have you.  Just leave a comment below or email us at madmaxandfamily (at) gmail.

Hello Mad Max and Sadie Lovers!

Lucy and I are so honored that Tara asked us to write a guest post again while she and Sadie are getting all settled in.  Even though it seems like yesterday, Lucy was born 6 months ago on April 25. We thought we would share some moments from Lucy's first week during Sadie's recent time home.  We can't wait to see pictures of Sweet Sadie!

Image Credit: Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender

This is Lucy's first day home when she was 3 days old.  She's all bundled up in her purple and white coming home outfit.  I can still smell her new baby scent.  There's nothing quite like it, is there?

Image Credit: Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender

Lucy quickly took to her swing.  This was a welcome break to us as new parents!  Miss Lucy has always loved to eat, and the first week the only break we got from feeding was when she would sleep.  She is still a big fan of the swing - thank God this one goes up to 30 lbs on the weight limit.  We want her to be a happy, swinging girl as long as she can.

Image Credit: Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender

Lucy's first flower delivery!  I love how her little feet are sticking out of her Marc Ecko gown.  Even in her first week, she was a little fashionista!

Image Credit: Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender

This is Lucy after one of her first pediatrician appointments.  There are so many appointments in the first 2 weeks of life.  We love this Dr. Seuss sleeper we found and hope that a little brother or sister will wear it one day!

Image Credit: Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender

This is one of our all time favorite Lucy pics.  Her personality was already starting to come out!  She still gives me the same look when she's telling me what she thinks about something!

Image Credit: Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender

And last, but not least, Lucy meeting Marley, our dog.  Marley was our first baby, so we let her give her approval to the new member of our pack ........

Image Credit: Roses, Rosemary, and Lavender

........ And of course she did!  Our two girls get along famously now!

Sadie, Lucy and I are anxious to see pictures of you and of your big brother Mad Max!  We wish you a very happy first week, and we hope you let your Mom and Dad get some rest.

Hugs and Love from Tennessee!

Mad for Monday (Max's Weekend Update): It's Hard Being One Week Old.

Hi Friends,

How was your weekend?

We have more than a weekend to catch you up on ... we have two weekends, my Super Sister - Sadie's BIRTHday, and everything else in between!  Mommy and I will have to spread everything out over the weeks to come.  Please be patient with us as we are adjusting to being a Family of Four (our focus this week on the blogs) and new schedules.  Sweet Sadie (per our doc) is even too young to sleep train yet.

First, for those of you that don't follow Mommy on her personal Facebook account (or our Mad Max and Family Facebook) or Twitter, here's just a tiny bit on Super Sadie.  More to come!

Happy BIRTHday Sadie / Happy One Week Sadie:

Sadie June was born on Monday, 10/22/12 at 7:45 am (c-section started at 7:30 am ... they don't mess around, do they?!).  She weighed in at a tiny 6 lbs 7 oz, and she was 19 and 3/4 long.

Gramby, Pops, Auntie Tam, Mimi, Grampi, and of course - Daddy, and me, Mad Max were all there to welcome her.  Happy BIRTHday Super Sadie.

Not only that but today is her ONE WEEK BIRTHDAY!  Stay tuned for a Blog Celebration on Friday about her One Week Birthday (photos included).  Here's an iPhone pic from the hospital, more to come:

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Past Week Overview

We have so much to fill you in on from this past week (and we'll fill you in over the coming weeks).  First, our weekend before last - last weekend as a family of three (and our adventures) and Auntie Tam's visit (and more adventures).  Then of course Super Sadie's BIRTHday, their hospital stay, coming home, and our first weekend at home.

Looking Back ... End of Soccer Season

We had such a great time the weekend before last on our last adventures as a family of three (plus fetus Sadie).  We started off the weekend with my last SoccerTots class of the season.  It was actually suppose to be THIS weekend (and Daddy and I were really looking forward to class), but I got (and still am) sick.  Boo - cross your fingers and pray that I get better soon, and that I don't get my tiny sis sick!  Enjoy some photos from my last soccer class.  I can't wait to join again in the Spring!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Big Brother Max and Little Sister Sadie

I love my little sis!  More photos to come soon.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

So how was your weekend?  What did you do?

-Mad Max

PS: Read about our adventures on our Houston Chronicle Blog too ... Mad About Town.

Fall Family Tradition: Dewberry Farm

Hi Friends,

Do you live in or around Houston?  Have you been to Dewberry Farm yet?

We had so much fun a few weeks ago on our visit, that we decided it is a new Fall Tradition for our family.  I can't wait to "really" take my Super Little Sister, Sadie, next year.  I can't even pick a favorite part because I had so much fun at each part of the farm that I cried when we had to leave that area.  And it wasn't just me that had fun - Mommy (and Sadie), Daddy, Gramby, and Pops had a blast too.  I think our experience is best told through our (many!) photos.  Thank you Dewberry Farm!  We had such a wonderful time and experience.  We can't wait to visit again next year.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

The whole family (including Super Sadie) at Dewberry Farm!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Fort DewHickey: Daddy and I went down the slide twice.  It was so much fun!  Train Wreck Mommy was a bit terrified to go down it with Sadie.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J 

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J 

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

This is the entrance to the Punkin Hollar.  It's a must see!  All of the pumpkins are glowing in the dark. It was hard to capture great images in the dark so you must go see it yourself.  I like to call pumpkins ca-coos because Gramby taught me that scarecrows are well scarecrows aka ca-coos.  And to me, pumpkins look like scarecrows so it just makes sense!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Texan pumpkin at the Punkin Hollar.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

So apparently the slide at Fort DewHickey was just a warm-up for this one: Sliiide Mountain.  Super Sadie, let's go down this slide together next year!  No?

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Flower Pickin'

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Corn Maze aka (possibly) Home of Aliens!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J 

Pops and Gramby are staying close on our heels in the Corn Maze.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

We were sure to bring our super Radio Flyer wagon to Dewberry Farm.  If you have a wagon (and little ones), we would highly recommend it!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Cow Train: Don't you wish we had this ride at home, Daddy?

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Can you see me?  In the Pumpkin Patch?  I'm in my pumpkin aka ca-coo camo.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

I got several sweet pumpkins from Mommy, Daddy, Gramby, and Pops from Dewberry Farm.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Yee haw!

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

See my face above?  That face was in reaction to those crazy chickens (photo above my close-up).

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

I had a great time with the snow cones at the end of our visit.  Dewberry Farm has lots of great eats and treats to choose from.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Speaking of treats, while Mommy was buying some fudge, I took a load off on this horsey chair.

Have you been to Dewberry Farm?  If so, tell us about your visit!  If you haven't been, it's a must stop each Fall!  Be sure to check it out (be sure to check it out before it closes on November 11th).  You can also prepare ahead of time by looking at their website: Dewberry Farm.  You can also find Dewberry Farm on Facebook.

We would list everything that Dewberry Farm has to offer, but there really is too much to list.  And you should also consider Dewberry Farm for your Christmas tree.  Check out their website for more info.

And if you aren't in Houston, do you have a place near you that is similar?  We would love to hear about it!

-Mad Max

Fun Friday: Fun with a Newborn

Hi Friends,

How was your week?  What adventures do you have to share with us?

Houstonians: Don't forget!  Today is your last day to enter for your chance to win a $50.00 giftcard from one of our fav places: Whole Foods.  We encourage you to enter, share with others, and check out their Whole Trade products.

So how do you have fun at home with a newborn?  Or how do you have fun when visiting a newborn?

We're going to look back at just a few of my photos from my first month home and share some of our fun with you.  We had lots of fun at home because we didn't want to be exposed to the nasty elements out and about.

Looking Back: MAD MAX

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

I had lots of fun times in my Super Lambie Swing.  This is one of Mommy's fav photos from when I was a tiny one.  (You can read more about where we got our Lambie Swing in our post yesterday).

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Activity Time would often involve my play gym.  I work out.  We would also spend a lot of time reading on the floor.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Mommy and I spent a lot of fun (eating, reading, and apparently sleeping) time on my Super Rocker (don't you love our Super Rocker we got from Baby's 1st?).

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

One of the best ways to have activity time with me / a newborn was crazy visitors!  The wiser ... (We got our Lamb Seat - Fisher-Price Little Lamb Infant Seat from Target).

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

And the younger ones.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

And of course probably my favorite fun time of all was (and still is) chatting with Auntie Tam!  She lives far away in NYC so we have to video chat (Facetime) often.

How do you keep yourself and a newborn entertained?

-Mad Max

PS: You can also find us on Mad About Town.