Milestones

Date: December 31st, 2005

Time: 10:30am

I, Maxon Alexander Aasen, took my first steps.

It was one (actually two) small step for me, but one giant milestone for babykind.

Adventures with my G-ma!

Time with Grandma W. has been flying by! We have been so busy!

We have been spending lots of time playing!

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Here we are goofing around in my Buddy Tent. (Isn't she a hoot!)

Yesterday we took Grandma to Cottonwood Canyon.

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It's a slot canyon with a pretty easy entrance, so she could do it with only one arm!

(She's still recovering from shoulder surgery.)

We had fun hiking, looking at animal tracks,

and making our voices echo between the narrow canyon walls.

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It was a good day...

except for the fact that Grandma got a little queasy on the windy, dirt, mountain road!

Holy Balls!

Hello folks! Call me Mr. Crazy, but this new ball of mine is super-fun!

As you my have noticed, the alphabet (with illustrations) is now at my finger tips for easy learning. I suppose I should learn how to talk first!

Well, I hope you like the pictures. I thought I would leave you with a new look I call "I'm learning how to be a little sneaky mom and dad"

The Barefoot Santa Claus

Wow! What an overwhelming day Christmas was!
There were a lot of presents to open.

(I loved ripping off the paper! The curling ribbons and bows were super-fun!)

Thank you so much, everybody, for all of the terrific gifts!

I also had fun playing with my new toys, eating sweet potatoes, and meeting people.

It was hard to know what to do next!

This is me and my new Tricycle! It's pretty tricked out.

I'm sure to be the coolest kid in Tropic!

All in all, I would definitely call my first Christmas a success!

I hope that you all had a great Holiday and that you received more than you wished for!

Joy to the world, and to you!

Merry Christmoose Eve!

This is me and Grandma's special Christmoose.

He dances and sings 'Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer'.

I like to bop to his groovy rhythm! It gets me into the Christmoose spirit!

I decided that we should crawl on over to Escalante to celebrate Christmas Eve by playing around in Devil's Garden. We had lots of fun!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve!

Well, I hope that you are all ready for the Holidays! I know I sure am!

I am starting to get really, really excited.

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Yesterday, Mom and Dad and Grandma and I went to see Bryce Canyon.

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It was Grandma's first time.

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We had a lot of fun wearing our Santa hats and taking pictures and looking at Hoodoos.

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We are kind of a goofy family, huh?

Well, take care everybody! Have a safe and happy season!

She's Here!

My Grandma W. arrived yesterday for a Holiday visit and we are all really excited.

She is our first visitor to Utah!

We have a lot to do and see, so we will keep you posted of our adventures.

Hopefully, it will make you all want to come and see us!

Busy, Busy, Boy!

Well folks, I have been so busy lately! First, I had to tame this horse. (He was quite the wild stallion, and it took a lot of wrangling.) He is now my faithful steed. If you are ever taming a horse, especially a stick horse, I recommend chewing his mane. They seem to find it very soothing.

I also had a lot to do around the house! Dad and I had to fix the bathroom door. Mom accidentally locked it on her way out so we were really stuck! The trouble came when we discovered that whoever installed the handle had put the emergency lock release on the wrong side of the knob! (What a knob!) Also, there were no screws to remove the knob and the hinges were on the inside of the door. Needless to say, it caused us much tribulation. Dad was really glad that I was there to help!

I also made sure to help clean the house for Grandma W's visit. Dad taught me how to use the vacuum cleaner!

I was so proud of myself that I clapped my hands for the first time. Mom and Dad were really excited and so I kept clapping and laughing just to make them happy.

Hey!..It's almost here!

Christmas is coming and I'm really excited! I have some presents under the tree, a santa suit on the way, my first Christmas ornament on the tree (thanks grand A's) and a big appitite for some holiday goodies (I guess I'll settle for some cheerios). I know I don't understand this holiday completely this year, but Mom and Dad told me that next year will be even better! Well, with a week to go I would just like to say... Merry Christmas!!

Hittin' the slopes!

After Mom and Dad looked outside at our 'tropical' paradise, they thought...

"Hey, let's find some snow and go sledding!"

After asking a few townfolk where to go, the answer was unanimous - Red Canyon!

Mom and Dad packed me up with my new sled, and the rest, as they say, is history!

This is me on my first sled ride!(In my new snow suit!)

After a few solo trips, Mom let me hitch a ride on the big sled with her.

I'm not sure yet whether I had fun. Mom and Dad said that I seemed pretty indifferent.

We'll see how I feel after my second trip!

I may become a snow bunny yet!

An Utterly Shocked Elf or, Gimme a Whiskie!

You've got to be kidding!

It's only fourteen days until Christmas, and there are no Holiday goodies?

What's a little elf wannabee supposed to do?

I know! I'll get into the spirit!

With Mom's apron, and a little whiskie, we'll get this season started!

I'm ready to get cookin'!

Look out Hulk Hogan!

Dad and I had a little argument over who would get to wear the grey hoodie.

I'll let you figure out who won!

He came to town!

Today I met another famous person. This guy wasn't from public television, and he wasn't a dinosaur hunter. He was...

SANTA CLAUS!

Now I know what you are thinking, but I really wasn't scared. Santa pinched me! His knee was hurting my butt! I was alergic to his fabric softener!

Okay, he maybe scared me a little bit.

In my state of confusion, I forgot to give him my Christmas List. One of his elves told me that he reads blogs, so...

Here is my list, Santa!

Board Books (I really like babies and animals!)

Shoes (size 5) - especially soft soled since I am learning to walk

A Rubber Ball

Clothes and Sleepers (18-24 months)

The thing that I would like the most though, Santa, is for you to help my teeth come in.

Well, take care everybody... and watch out for Santa Claus!

Back in touch.

Hello everybody! It's been awhile!

We had some trouble with our internet service here, but we are 'hot' now.

Here I am practicing my newest skill. (I have learned how to crawl under things.) I have also figured out how to stand up by myself for a moment or two.

Boy, I sure am exhausted from all of the things that I am learning!

Talk with you soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

These are the things for which I am thankful:

My Mom and Dad

Buddies (Bat-Buddy, Cat-Buddy, Rat-Buddy, and the whole Buddy posse)

Mr. Bear (My favorite Buddy - But don't tell the other buddies!)

Diapers

Orajel, Tylenol and Teething rings (ouch!)

Baby Food

All of my toys (Blocks, rattles, vehicles etc. - you know who you are!)

My crib

Music

Bathtime (Splash!Splash!)

But most of all, I am thankful for you!

It makes me feel really special to know that, even though we are far apart, we can still keep in touch. I am lucky to have so many people who love and care about me!

I love you!

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Party on Max!

I have been to my first dinner party!

Our neighbors had a pre-Thanksgiving dinner. It was really great. I got to meet the other folks on our street. (There are just three other houses.) I met another baby there, too. She is 7.5 months old and even though she was pretty cute, I had to tell her that I already had a girlfriend.

Anyway, I had a good time getting dressed up and meeting new people. It's just too bad that I had to bail on the party early to go to bed.

I'm a shoe-in!

I love shoes!

I love to chew on them, not wear them. I love the way the little rubber ridges feel when I am teething. I love to pull on the laces. I love the smell of the leather. I love to bang shoes on things (including Mom and Dad).

I love shoes!

Speed Racer!

Hello everybody!

I'm having a great day and I hope that you are too!

Gotta be cruisin' - See ya later!

Little Angel in the Devil's Garden

This is Devil's Garden (in the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument).

It is like a great big natural playground.

You can climb all over the rocks!

As you can see, Dad is just a little more adventurous than Mom.

Manhood 101

Yesterday I received an important lesson in being a guy.

We got a flat tire. We were 13 miles down a dirt road in the Grand Staircase. Dad showed me how to change the tire. He also told me that the most important thing is to not run over big nails or other sharp objects.

My next lesson in manhood was that it's okay for guys to give hugs and kisses.

I'm glad that I have a role model like my dad!

Hi-O Silver! (or the not-so-lone ranger!)

Today I rolled into Frontier Movie Town because I heard there was trouble. Low and behold I found a couple of bandits making some mischeif. It's a good thing I had Tonto sitting at the front door to keep an eye on things. I rustled them up faster than you can hum Rawhide. When I took them to jail I found out that they were wanted in a few states, including Minnesota. The marshall wouldn't tell me their identity, but he said "Thanks little ranger, you've saved our town and restored justice to Movie Town. Can I buy you a juice?" Of course, I could not refuse....as long as it was pear.

My next adventure led me to the high, narrow walls of Cottonwood Canyon. Pictures do not do it justice, so you might have to check it out yourself.

Half way through the canyon we spotted some rather large kitty prints. I think they made mom and dad a little nervous, but they were relieved when I told them "Ya ya ya ya ya!" Anyway, we wandered into a couple of dead-ends that were pretty cool. The whole hike was about 2 miles. When we arrived at the truck, we spotted the illusive "Red Stone Cat". It was sitting pretty still so mom and I jumped on for a photo. Again the photo does not do it justice, so you might have to check it out yourself. All in all this place is great! So long until my next adventure!