Remembering Buddy

I have been putting off writing this because I know it's going to make me sad.  Last Thursday morning, my cousin, Buddy, was jogging before work and was struck by a truck and killed.  It was a hit and run which made me very angry.  I don't understand how someone could just leave after hitting a person with their truck.  I found out yesterday the person who hit Buddy took his own life.  Very sad...that family also is need of prayers.

Buddy was such a wonderful person.  He was a great friend and a fantastic dad.  He had 4 kids ranging from 5-13 years old.  It pains me to think that these kids will no longer have Buddy in their life.  I can only hope that they will remember what a great man he was by looking at pictures and hearing stories about him. 

Within the past few years Buddy and his family moved to Texas and I was able to see them more often.  We went to Sea World together and Morgan's Wonderland was one of their favorite places.  We also got to spend Thanksgiving with them.  So I am thankful for the time we spent together.

Needless to say this past week has been very emotional.  We went to Ft. Worth for the service and also to support Heather (Buddy's wife) and the kids.  Buddy's company flew in Buddy and Heather's families from AZ, paid for hotels, catered a lunch after the memorial service and so much more.  They definately proved to be more than just a business. The people in Buddy's community have also been wonderful helping out and doing whatever needed to be done. It was amazing to see all the people at the memorial service, there were hundreds of people.  That in itself shows what an impact Buddy had on people. 

One positive thing that came out of our trip to Ft. Worth is that I got to see family that I haven't seen in about 10 years.  Also Max got to play with cousins (2nd or 3rd cousins not really sure how that works) that he otherwise wouldn't have met for maybe another 5 or 10 years.

 This was a lesson in not taking family for granted.  You never know when something like this might happen.  I think there have been talks going on in planning the next family reunion.

Love you Buddy!  We miss you already.

Father's Day Weekend

Any holiday with us turns into a whole weekend of celebrating, sometimes with holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas the celebration can last almost a week since we are blessed to have so much family so close.

On Saturday JR wanted to see Rock of Ages.  So we dropped Max off with Gaga (JR's mom) and went to see it.  It was an okay movie, the story line could've been better, but I loved the music!

 After the movie we picked up Max and went over to Grandpa and Grandma Jill's house. As soon as we got there Max was ready to get into the pool.  So we got into our swimsuits and cooled off.

Mommy and Max

Flying through the air!

Max made grandpa do this many times.

Swimming with grandpa.

After all that swimming I'm ready for a snack!

After we ate dinner Max was ready for his next favorite thing...driving his truck!

                                                Blowing kisses bye bye as he drives away.



After a busy, fun-filled day Max was out before we got home.

On Sunday Max, JR, and I went to breakfast at Magnolia Pancake Haus.  It was delicious!  Max loved the pancakes.  I don't understand how my child is underweight he's a VERY good eater.  It must be all the running around he does...Anyways, after breakfast we ran a couple of errands and relaxed at home per daddy's request. 

Overall, it was a great weekend!!

Doctor Visit

Today was Max's 15 month check-up.  Since he was getting shots, grandma met us there for support.  The visit started off happy while we were in the waiting room watching the fish swim in the aquarium.  Once we were called back the tears started flowing...

Who likes being weighed anyway??  Max came in at 22.8 lbs and 30.5 in.

Taking his temperature. 

Poor baby knows what's coming...I didn't get any pictures of him getting shots, as you can imagine it was a little crazy at that point.  But afterward he did get a special treat to help calm him down.

Doctor visits are never fun when you have to get shots, but we survived!

New Beginnings

So I've jumped on the bandwagon, I've started a blog.  I figured the summer would be the best time to start one since I'm not working and have a little extra time to do "fun stuff".  So yesterday was the first river trip of the summer.  Max, mom, and I met some friends at Landa Park.  We found this cool little swimming hole that was perfect for Max.  It was freezing cold, but Max didn't seem to mind the chill.  Max was intrigued by another little boy who was jumping off of the edge.  After a few minutes of studying the little boy Max decided he was ready to try it on his own!  I will say he is a quick learner and now has a new trick to do at the river or swimming pool.

Here's Max enjoying some watermelon after a fun afternoon of swimming.