4th of July

It was another fun filled, action packed Independence Day in Cottonwood. Jeff kicked off the day at 7am with the neighborhood 5k run. Max and I cheered him on....from our front porch...in our pajamas. Then it was on to the parade. We got to watch from a friend's house. Max knew before the parade began that a fire engine was going to be in the parade so he was on high alert for any sound that might be a siren. The fire dept. did not disappoint this little guy! A fire engine AND a brush rig?! Little boy heaven. He was so excited he literally couldn't speak... or move when they drove by.

Enjoying a pre-parade donut

 Max heard sirens way down the street and knew what was coming.

 Very seriously waiting.

 "Fire Engine!"

 Giving a timid wave after much prompting.

 When finally he came out of his fire engine induced trance he was able to enjoy the rest of the parade, including lots of candy and beads.

 After the parade we headed to the pool for an afternoon of swimming with friends and (what seemed like) 1,000 of our neighbors. Max has been very eager to try out his new swimming skills. In fact, it was a big day of firsts for him. He went down the water slide and jumped off the diving board!! Both in daddy's arms, but it was still a big deal in Max's world!

Maybe next year we won't be too tired to make it to the fireworks.... maybe.

My mom was also in town last week. Here is a picture of Nana and Max at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. Max is doing his classic not looking at the camera move.

Can't wait to have Nana and Papa in town again this weekend!

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day was spent at home hanging out this year. Max is so lucky to have a daddy that will play trains and cars for long periods of time with him because his mama gets really tired of it after about 5 minutes! Here are a few pictures of Jeff and Max spending some quality time together.

Indulging in one of Max's specialities....

and one of Jeff's.

"Can I knock it down, Mama?"

 This is certainly Max's favorite part of the building process.



*Thank you for ignoring/ not judging our messy, bare walled playroom!

A Morning in the Garden

Max and I spent the morning at Cheekwood Botanical Gardens. Max loved running through the paths and stopping to check out fountains, streams and waterfalls. The highlight of the trip was the train exhibit. I have a feeling we'll be making a trip back just for the trains.

Water Garden

Pointing out the fountain.

This was a really peaceful space....until Max arrived.

 For some people this water garden might be an ideal place for quiet reflection.

For Max it was an excellent place to play with matchbox cars.

This is his excited face.

And it's as close as I could get of a picture of him looking at the camera.

 Getting a close look at the stream.

Checking out the trains. He wanted to touch them so badly!

He loves to look at things right at eye level!

Observing the Japanese Garden

Family Reunions

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Cincinnati. We were so lucky to be able to spend time with all of Jeff's family and my family. Michael and Rana even braved a plane ride with the twins! It was so much fun spending time in a city that we love surrounded by all of the most important people in our lives.

I had to take Max to Ault Park!

He loved the steps and fountain.

"It's a waterfall!"

We had a picnic with Jeff's family on Saturday. Max and Chloe always have so much fun together.

Max and Aunt Liz, or as she is affectionately called, Aunt Whizz.

Eating chips is obviously more important than smiling for the camera.

Two thirds of the pregnant Bantas.

All three of us are due within 3 months of each other!

On Sunday we had a party on the Drake side welcoming the twins.

They were quite the hit!

Baby John Michael

Baby Olivia

 Brushing up on my bottle feeding skills.

Max loved the babies. He was very interested in them and kept saying "Aww, so cute!"

HOWEVER, he definitely kept checking to make sure Nana and Papa didn't forget about him!

Happy baby. Happy Nana.

 Ahhh, sleeping baby.

Can't wait to have my own baby boy in a few months!

John Michael x 2

Happy family

Proud parents and grandparents

I had hoped to get a picture of the whole Drake family or one of Max with the twins, but taking a picture involving two babies and one toddler proved to be impossible. Maybe next time!

Big Brother

Max is going to be a big brother! Our BABY BOY is due in October.
We couldn't be happier!

We are now taking name suggestions- for both the baby and the blog!

Happy Mother's Day!

Celebrating Mother's Day with my favorite little boy!



Easter Weekend

It was a warm and sunny Easter weekend here in Franklin (sorry to make you jealous Ohioans). We spent most of the weekend outside enjoying the weather and hunting for Easter eggs. We had a neighborhood hunt on Saturday and the Easter Bunny brought eggs to hunt on Sunday. Max still loves hunting for eggs, but now the biggest enjoyment is in the candy inside the eggs. I knew it would happen!

Headed to the neighborhood Easter egg hunt.

Max's age group got to hunt for eggs on the playground. At the whistle to start the hunt, Max ran at full speed onto the playground, one of the first kids there, leaving Jeff and me way behind. When he got there he quickly scooped up two eggs into his basket, and then, he wandered. He wandered around that playground, stepping on eggs, getting side swiped by eager 2 year old hunters as if he had no clue what his purpose on Earth was. No amount of direction from us could get him to pick up another egg. It was hysterical. At the end all his little friends had 8-10 eggs, one proudly announcing that she had 16. Max had 2. Oh well, he was happy to eat his candy, put down his basket and play on the playground. Time to dye eggs.

Checking out the finished products.

This look says, "I'm touching this egg even though I've been told 27 times not to."

Easter morning picture with Daddy...

(too busy playing with new trains to look at the camera)

...and Mama.

Backyard Easter egg hunt He was totally in his element with no evidence of the cluelessness from the previous day's experience.

He had to check each one for candy and then eat the candy before putting it in the basket.

Enjoying the spoils of his labor.