New adventure

I know that I still haven't posted pictures of Sam's birthday back in September. They are coming along with many more. Lately any computer time I have managed to steal during Sam's sleeping hours has been taken trying to get ready to start my own little business. Yes, you heard it, I'm taking the plunge and starting "Sarah Lassen Photography". I have just started a blog with some of my pictures and my first photo shoot. Very exciting and fun.

http://sarahlassenphotography.blogspot.com/

Sam at 12 months

Sam hit 12 months of age with 12 teeth and a full 30 lb. He is above the 100th percentile curve for both weight and height. When we are out people frequently laugh at us and say "he's almost bigger than you". This boy is not messing around. He is determined to be able to do all Max can and more. Having been walking since 10 1/2 months he feels pretty confident on his feet and uses his size to get a lot of what he wants when playing with other kids - even ones much older. He doesn't need to hit, scratch or bite to get what he wants he just throws in his shoulder or his head and pushes. He is extremely determined but never malicious in his actions and his feelings are very easily hurt. He only has to be told "no" by an adult or shouted at by another child to be reduced to sobbing tears. He frequently needs to be picked up and comforted because his feelings have been hurt. Max is a major contributor but somehow is Sam's biggest hero. No one can get Sam to smile and laugh like his big brother. Max was always a very jovial baby who was prone to fits of giggles at the smallest thing. Sam on the other hand needs to be really impressed by something to let out an audible chuckle. He does have a great smile though which lights up his whole face. His eyes are very expressive. Sam doesn't speak any English. He would fool a non-english speaker into thinking he is speaking entire sentences but what comes out is non sensical. He will have converstions with himself and anyone else who cares to listen but no real words come out. He also growls A LOT. Sam's favorite things are currently large kitchen bowls to push around on the tile and anything with a plug on the end of it. He also likes to dance to the tune "Hot Dog" which comes on at the end of each Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episode. When he hears it he will stop what he is doing and come running to dance in front of the TV

Summer evening in downtown Lexington

Way back in August

Way back in August our friends Sarah and Matt (Sarah was my house mate at university and she decided to copy me and marry a Matt too) came to stay for a few days. They were on a mammoth bike ride from the west coast to the east cost of the U.S.A. The ENTIRE way on their own pedal power. What an adventure and its all captured on their cycling blog if you are doubtful that anyone would be so crazy. http://www.pannierpeople.typepad.com/
We had a wonderful few days with them letting them eat well and sleep in a real bed.


Trip to Keeneland

Post nap activity

swimming in their "pool"

A visit to the bike shop for a few supplies. Sam and Sarah try out a tricycle beach cruiser.

Inspired by Sarah and Matt, Max hopped on a bike and started to pedal - what a little natural. Note that he is wearing his three favourite items of clothing - Spider Man t-shirt, "Favourite shorts" (in quotations because that's what he calls them) and his football boots.

Max's sunflowers

Early in the summer Max got some sunflower seeds in a party favor bag from Lucas' birthday. I decided it would be a good exercise for him to learn about how things grow so we carefully set about planting them. Max at first wanted to eat the seeds, or "teeds", like daddy does but eventually accepted the fact that we were burying them in durt. He overwatered them and then set them aside. Much to my disappointment he showed very little interest as they began to sprout. Eventually they got much too big for the pots they were in and we took them and planted them in the ground. They started to grow much faster and Max became much more concerned with their well-being. We would always call them Max's sunflowers and tell him that they were going to grow into big flowers and then give us lots of seeds like the ones he and daddy eats. Here they are in their full glory - not quite the 7 foot towering beauties I had seen in my mind but pretty nevertheless. And Max was very proud. Sam took the photo-op as just another opportunity to show off his tummy.

We eventually harvested and roasted the seeds, which were very good. All that was left were the tall stalks which started to go brown. One afternoon while we were all outside Matt decided to mow them down while he was cutting the grass. All of a sudden we hear this death scream and frantic running. Max comes flying over to the mower crying and shouting "NOOOOOOOOO, MY SUNFLOWERS". It was so heartbreaking. Daddy had to apologize and replant the stalks in the ground. He eventually calmed down and now apparently remembers the incident with some fondness. The other day we were pulling out of the garage in the car and Max giggling said "Daddy mow sunflowers.............. Cheeky Daddy".

The history of Max's hair

Maxwell James Lassen was born with a small amount of straight dark hair.
Over the first month or so of life it fell out leaving a tiny amount of blond fuzz.

At 8 months of age Max still had very little hair on his head except for a strange rat's tail at the back. Before our trip to Utah for Christmas 2007 I chopped it off incase it was rumoured that we were taking the Kentucky lifestyle a little far. I called that his first haircut.

Max remained mostly bald up until about the time Sam was born (17 months) and then his hair started to grow in.

By Christmas 2008 he had a descent amount of straight blondish hair.

Once 2009 came around he started to develop a little wave in his hair which gradually turned into a curl.

He came back from England in April looking like he'd had a perm.

It went even more blond in the sun as his skin went darker and we couldn't bear to cut it ...


until it just got plain out of control and we had to do it.

I took Max to a special hair salon for kids where they get to sit in a little car and watch a movie of their choice. He cried - but mostly because the boy next to him was wailing and he thought that was what you were supposed to do.

Then he got to play on the slide

Don't worry, it still has plenty of curl and is growing back rapidly.

Birthday parties

This has been the summer of parties for Max and Sam. It's funny when your two-year-old has a busier schedule than you. Max loves birthdays and wishing people happy birthday. He loves to go to peoples' birthday parties and take presents. Every time he gets a little present he asks "my birthday???". Poor kid, he still has a long way to wait until it will be his big day but in the mean time seems happy to celebrate other peoples' birthdays. Sam is just happy for any time to get together with people and eat cake, or chalk.

Parker Weinberger's 1st birthday

I love the expression on Sam's face in this picture - it is so typically Sam

McKay Cox's 1st birthday

Caleb Nicholls' 4th birthday. Note the amazing Buzz Lightyear cake that Caleb's mom Kauty made.

Max with the big kids

A big bag of lollypops from the pinata

Calor Hicks' 1st birthday

Ava Minx Hamilton and Lulu White's 5th bithday - a wonderful princess party

Max decorating crowns with the girls

Than jumping on the trampoline with his brother and a big metal dumptruck that he kept sneaking on there.

They have also been to Axl Hamilton's 1st birthday party and this weekend have Rylee Romney's 3rd birthday party and Sara Darby's 2nd birthay party to attend. Oh what it's like to be under three and popular.