last stop: New Beginnings

Hi Friends,

How was your weekend?

This was our LAST weekend before Mommy returns to work after maternity leave (TODAY).  Dread, she says!  If you are a working Mom ... how did you feel after maternity leave?  This time is much worse she said (well probably because she's been having so much fun with me and Sissy!!!) ... for various reasons.  But we won't go into all that (at least not right now).  We (Sadie and I) wish we could be with Mommy on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday ... etc and don't worry - we will fill you in on KLG and Hoda after school.

So this week on our blog it is mostly about some new beginnings ... what new beginnings are you looking forward to (or in our case - dreading) this week?  This year?

And as far as what we did this weekend ... nothing TOO out of the ordinary except Daddy and Mimi completed the Chevron Houston 1/2 Marathon on Sunday - CONGRATS!  We are very proud of you! I've been working on my running skills too - so I may be there soon.

Saturday we spent some time with Gramby and Pops (they helped us with things around the house, and we went to Ikea.  Mommy's least favorite place!).  And Sunday was the Chevron Marathon and the last Texan's game ... sigh - until next year.  We weren't able to go to the Chevron Marathon to cheer on Daddy and Mimi this year because the weather was too bad.

But we will leave you with a few fun photos from this weekend ... the first one is of us (me and Sadie) with new blankets from Gramby's friend K - aren't they awesome??  Thank you!  She also sent me a monkey.  And the second photo is of Daddy after his 1/2 marathon - sleepy much?  Caillou was sleepy too.

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Mommy says: How can I POSSIBLY leave these adorable babies?  I say, umm I am not a baby, Mommy.

Congrats, Daddy!

-Mad Max

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

last stop (again): Max's "Where The Wild Things Are" 2nd Birthday Celebration (Part II)

Hi Friends,

How are you doing today?  What are you looking forward to this weekend?

Now we are bringing you the second half of my super Where the Wild Things Are 2nd Birthday Celebration.  Be sure to take a look at Part I if you haven't already (it gives the back story on the party, quick location change, shows the decor and details, and more).

All Images: Mad Max and Family

This is where I am thinking ... who the F are all of these people in my house.  And why the F am I dressed like this?

Where The Wild Things Are ... ?  Making art of course.

We weren't really prepared to feed a bunch of small children IN our home.  But really - who ever is ... ?

Do you make art activities are your birthday parties?

Check out my wolf tail!

Instead of making mischief in my wolf suit... I held on to Daddy and Mommy for most of the party - FOR DEAR LIFE.

My super party guests drew in / wrote in / signed my Where The Wild Things Are book.  How do you collect messages and memories at your parties?

It says 2!  Mommy taught me that I am two now!

Do you realize, Mommy, I did not wear the wolf suit / crown for a reason?  And now look at you.

Happy 2nd Birthday to me!  Last year I cried when we sang Happy Birthday and ate cake ... this year I was less dramatic.

My new SKUUT bike!  And my FIRST bike at that.  See how the photo is blurry?  This is what happens when your train wreck Mommy has cake and blurs the lens.  Lovely right?  We didn't notice until the next day when we were taking photos.  Oy.  We'll share more photos of my bike soon.

And finally ...the last two photos are of my Super Sissy and her Super Friend O (they are nearly the same age!) - ignoring each other and than a movement shot.  And you can also see Mom's cake aka the blurrrrrrr - sorry!

Oh wait ... we are NOT done.  Finally ... my favorite part of the party - the MAX BOAT.  Enjoy some photos of some of our party guests in the boat!  This wasn't everyone, but it was at least several of the WILD monsters.

-Mad Max

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

last stop: Max's "Where The Wild Things Are" 2nd Birthday Celebration (Part I)

Hi Friends,

How was your weekend?  What did you do?

First, Happy 2nd Birthday to ME today (and Happy 11 Week Birthday to Sissy)!  Mommy wanted me to share a look back ...

Image Credit: Erin Carlyle Photography

Super Mad Max nearly two years ago today (newborn photos by Erin Carlyle Photography).

Image Credit: Erin Carlyle Photography

And here I am over a year ago (photos taken before my birthday).  Photos by the wonderful Erin Carlyle Photography.

So how are we celebrating today?  Well, I'm having a fun-filled day with Mommy, Sissy, and Gramby today.  We'll share more soon!

But we also celebrated this Saturday - my WILD RUMPUS "Where The Wild Things Are" 2nd Birthday Party!  In this blog post, I'll share some on the decor, and in a separate post I'll share more photos on the actual party and guests.  Too many photos to share! 

All Images Below: Mad Max and Family 

Where The Wild Things Are is one of our favorite books so Mommy and I picked this theme for my 2nd Birthday Celebration - plus the main character's name is MAX.  Is this one of your favorites too?

First, I should note ... that there was a HUGE last minute change in plans because of the weather.  My party was suppose to be in Hermann Park near the playground area under a pavilion.  We were really hoping for nice weather (but just in case we built a boat ... no, joking), but it was very cold and rainy.  Even though the pavilion was covered, it just would not have worked out at the park.  With that said, Mommy wasn't really prepared to host it at our house (a small townhome - not fit for a party of almost 50 with kids especially!) .. not prepared as far as prep, decorations for the home, or entertaining us WILD children.

BUT ... with that said, the party turned out really great!  We hosted it in the garage (with the cars out of course) - art making activities and on the main living floor.

Photo above: Me (cranky after my nap with my paci and Caillou) in my Where the Wild Things Are Max costume (Pottery Barn Kids), Daddy, Mommy, and Sissy.  Sissy also had a Wild Thing "I love you so ..." onesie (Etsy), but you can't really see it in this photo.

And what was one of my favorite parts of my party?  MY MAX BOAT!!!  Can you believe it?  Gramby and Pops made it all on their own.  Impressed, no?

It was made out of a cardboard box we received at Christmas, and the other supplies are from (mostly) Hobby Lobby and Lowes (and supplies we already had).  What do you think?

A special thanks also goes out to Gramby, Pops, Mimi, Daddy, Viola, Mandy, and Jessicana for helping Mommy and making sure the party was a great success!

Food table!  So of course if we knew the party would be inside we would have thought of wall decorations instead of wedding photos and such ... but that's okay, Mommy.

We bought printables from by Sonny and Co from Etsy.  We loved them!  So we used the colors on the printables as our main party colors (although we didn't really use the green / blue too much it is hard to match).  For the food Mommy picked WILD green, yellow, and brown snack food (fruit, veggies, and crunchies - chips, crackers, etc.) since our party wasn't during a meal time.  My Gramby also made (brown!) coffee cake, and Mimi made (yellow) crown cookies.  Thank you!

Closer image ... 

Credit: Table Cloth from Party City and other paper products from Arnes Warehouse.  Other decor is mostly from Hobby Lobby, and Gramby helped paint the boat and add a sail.  The Max doll is from Amazon, and the monster mask is from Oriental Trading (we included the monster mask in the gift bags!).

The food is mostly from HEB.  The amazing cake (every loved it!) is from Whole Foods Market.  We bought my cakes from Whole Foods last year too.

Mommy was in a desperate hurry with the last minute prep at home and taking photos before people arrived so we might not have the best photos (see the apples are still in the bag!).  But we did our best!

The yummy Whole Foods cake was vanilla icing and chocolate cake.  I actually ate it and didn't cry this year!  So if you are thinking about buying a cake ... and want it to be affordable too (and delicious) with good ingredients, consider Whole Foods!  Mommy made her own cake decorations - printed on cardstock.

Gramby made my small Max boat to be a table centerpiece.  And she made it to be like the large one.  Isn't it great?

You can also see a photo of me in my Max costume with Daddy.

We have some leftover gift bags so we should take some photos of the gifts to share with you.  But what types of items did we pass out to our WILD guests?

Where The Wild Things Are coloring sheets (you can easily find them on Google), Monster Plate Max (Craft Kit), Drawing / Writing Booklets (so guests can create their own Wild adventure), colors, and small guests (under 3) also received a monster bath toy.  We found the booklets and colors on Oriental Trading and the bath toys on Amazon.

Our Wild party guests signed my Where The Wild Things Are book, and this table also featured our delicious marshmallow pops.  Have you made those before?  They were fairly easy to make (with the help of Elizabeth, Viola, Mandy, and Mimi!).  All supplies were bought at Hobby Lobby.  We are looking forward to trying more adventurous pops in the future.

This crown goes to my Pottery Barn Kids costume (I refuse to wear it... doesn't go well with my Scotch), but don't worry - Mommy put it to good use.  Wait until you see those photos.  I also had a change of outfits (of course)... My 2nd Birthday personalized shirt and bib are by Little One Boutique.  Mommy found them last year on Etsy!  Sissy will have to get a birthday set from them sometime later this year.  We highly recommend!

There wasn't a whole lot of decor downstairs and at the art table because we were prepared only to have food tables, but that's okay.  The kids really enjoyed making their art!  Gramby made this centerpiece with items we already had at home.  It fits well with the theme, of course!

Stay tuned for Part II of my 2nd Birthday Celebration!

Did you celebrate anything this weekend?

-Mad Max

PS: Be sure to find us on Mad About Town.

next stop: The City (and Newborn) That Never Sleeps

Hi Friends,

What are your plans this coming weekend?

Mommy (and Sadie) and I are suppose to do our 3rd Annual Christmas Shopping (Houston Galleria) and Chuy's trip with Mommy's friend, J.

But our biggest plans are our first trip to New York City for our 3rd Annual Houston Rockets Road Game trip (Houston Rockets versus the New York Knicks ... bringing Linsanity back).  Be sure to read about our two previous trips: San Antonio and Oklahoma City.  We are huge Rockets fans, and we can't wait until the game.  We are just awaiting the arrival of our Harden beards.

Not only are we excited about the game ... but it's our (Mad Max and Super Sadie) first trip to NYC, it's during the holidays, and we get to see Tia Tam and Uncle M.  Mommy use to live in NYC, but she's really excited to show me all the IGHTS (lights... I guess that can also be sights).

Mommy and I worked really hard on our plans for our trip - baby and tot friendly.  Here are some ideas ... hopefully we can fit in everything Mommy wants us to see!  (We'll have a bigger re-cap of course after our trip).

Central Park Zoo (The featured zoo in Madagascar!)
Central Park Carousel (I love carousels.  Do all Super Tots feel this way?)
FAO Schwarz (The best toy store in the world ... Mommy loves to visit this store!)
Department Store Holiday Windows (Daddy's kind of shopping.  No spending - just look at the windows.  Not to be missed during the holidays in NYC.)
Rockefeller Tree (I'm not sure the Rockefeller Tree can rival Tia Tam's tree lighting though! ... more on that in a few.)

World Trade Center Memorial (Have you been to the memorial yet?)
American Museum of Natural History (Mommy is most excited about seeing the dinos with me and Sissy.)
Macy's Department Store Holiday Windows
Houston Rockets versus the New York Knicks Game

DUMBO Brooklyn (One of Mommy's favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods.)
Brooklyn Bridge Park (And one of Mommy's favorite parks.)
Jacque Torres Chocolate (Mommy and I love chocolate, and she said we can't go to Dumbo without stopping here).
Brooklyn Transit Museum (Thank you - A Cup of Jo - for this idea.  I love choo choo trains!)

Union Square Holiday Market (Mommy said this is one of her favorite parts about the holidays in NYC.)
Times Square (Mommy said this is one of her least favorite places on earth, but she really wants to show me the LIGHTS (IGHTS) and sights.)
Children's Museum of Manhattan (We probably won't make it here, but if we have time it's on our list.)

Whole Foods Market (We love Whole Foods Market (as you know ...) so Mommy knows where all of the locations are ... we will probably go to Whole Foods each day!  Not only can we get a meal, but we can get snacks while we are there.)
Ess-a-Bagel (The best bagels in the Big Apple.)
Peanut Butter and Company (Mommy and I are obsessed with peanut butter, and she said this place is very fun for Super Tots.)
Katz's Deli (The REAL and ONLY Katz's Deli, Mommy says.  And she won't quit talking about her potato pancakes she wants ...)
Sugar Sweet Sunshine (Mommy's favorite cupcakes in the Big Apple.  I love cupcakes too!)

Image Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

The photo above is of Super Sadie (very very newborn Super Sadie).  She was already gearing up for the Big Apple out of the womb!

Image Credit: Tamra S

Photo above ... Tia Tam and Uncle M are really gearing up for the holiday spirit for me and Super Sadie.  It only took them 1,000 days, 100 hours, and 10,000 lights to finish Giles the 4th.  I wonder if you can see it from space?

So what do you think about our list?

Are you traveling for the holidays?  Traveling at all with tots or babies?  Traveling to NYC?

-Mad Max

PS: Be sure to find us at Mad About Town.

Max's Weekend Update: We saw IGHTS IGHTS IGHTS!

Hi Friends,

How was your weekend?  What did you do?

As usual, Mommy jammed packed as many things as possible ... our "weekend" was off to a great start on Friday because I celebrated my last monthly birthday before I turn two - Happy 23 Months to me.  We celebrated by just staying home, but we made a Gingerbread House.  Do you make one each year? It's a tradition that I'm starting with Mommy.  We found our Gingerbread House Kit at Target (for only $10.00!), but Mommy said next year she will probably buy a pre-made Gingerbread House at Whole Foods and buy our own decorations to decorate the house.  I guess Mommy didn't have fun putting it back together after it collapsed once.  Didn't read the directions, did yah Mommy?

All Images Credit: Mad Max and Family / Tara J

Mommy said "this is what happens when a toddler decorates the Gingerbread House ..." so you are saying it's pretty impressive, basically!

Weekend Update: 

This past weekend I went to a PJs and Pancakes Breakfast Birthday Party for a friend from my music class.  Isn't that a fun idea?  Oh, and I got my first KISS at the party.  It was hideous.  I didn't even KNOW HER!

Mimi came to visit me and my sister on Saturday, and then I went with Mommy, Daddy, Sissy, Gramby, and Pops to meet SHAN-TA (Santa).  We also went to Lights in the Heights.  On Sunday we went to down to visit with Gramby and Pops again.  What did you do this weekend?

Whole Foods Market Citrus Challenge

CITRUS SHOWDOWN BATTLE OF EPIC FLAVOR

Satsuma versus Clementine

We also are participating in a CITRUS SHOWDOWN this week (thank you, Whole Foods Market!). Have you been to Whole Foods to check out their satsumas versus the clementines?  Run, don't walk ... to check them out!  What do you think?  Satsuma?  Or Clementine?  Or both?

We'll be featuring them this week on our blogs - including taste tests from family and friends, recipes, and more!  In the meantime, be sure to read more about them and check out recipes and other ideas.  You can also enter to win (by tomorrow) your own case of citrus.

So which one did I prefer?  What do you think ... ?

Clementines!  Did my Mom ... or Dad pick the same one?  What about my grandparents and others?  Stay tuned!

Photo with Santa at Fundamentally Toys in Rice Village

So what did I think of Santa this year?  Well, you are seeing how close I am getting to the guy.  Do you think it's an improvement from last year?  I think Super Sissy did pretty well her first time.

Dinner at Blackwalnut Cafe.

And then ... our 3rd Annual Lights in the Heights outing (this time with Gramby and Pops)!

So what do you think ... ?

How was your weekend?

-Mad Max

PS: Be sure to read us also on Mad About Town!