December Blizzard

Who would have thought that our first blizzard as a family would take place in Baltimore and not Toledo?!?! We ended up with 22 inches of snow last weekend. Luckily, Maxwell's snow suit arrived just a few days before the snow. We got all bundled up and went for a romp in the snow. Maxwell loved it! He likes stomping in the snow and trying to actually kick the snowballs he saw on the ground. It was a little bit too deep for him to get around, but that did not inhibit the amount of fun he was having.

Josh had some exciting news this month. He joined a band and is practicing on the weekends playing electric guitar and singing. He has been practicing a lot and has been able to spend some time developing his talents and teaching Maxwell. He loves listening to his daddy play:)

I have taken on a new writing adventure for the Examiner. I am now the Kardashian Examiner. I write about 5 articles a week. I am still writing as the Baltimore Easy Meals Examiner as well. I have been busy with the December Holiday Guide this month.

We are preparing for Christmas guests coming tomorrow. We will get to enjoy the holidays with Josh's family and have our first and only Christmas in Baltimore.

Family Fun Day

Josh had a few days off work this past week. We took advantage of the extra family time to do something fun together. We all went to The Ultimate Playzone to bounce around. Maxwell just loves running, spinning, and bouncing all around. I think he really loved the slides the best though and so did daddy.

Getting ready for Christmas!

While last year was a big year for Christmas (Maxwell's first), this year seems to be even more exciting!!!! Maxwell loves seeing the lights, the trees, and even Santa! he was a trooper when we took him to sit on Santa's lap. He smiled and seemed to have a good time. Lucky for him, we did not tell Santa that Maxwell pulled down the tree earlier that morning.

Thanksgiving crept up as quickly as Halloween. This year in Baltimore is flying by. We had a fabulous Thanksgiving in Kansas City with the whole Van Gundy family. Emily brought her boyfriend Ben for his first Van Gundy family gathering. Maxwell had so much fun playing with his cousin Jackson. They especially had fun throwing sticks, cleaning the floors with their swiffers, and bowling in the hallway.

Maxwell has added a few new words to his expanding vocabulary. He had been saying dada, mama, football, uh-oh, whoa, and ball. Now he has added Papa and Tessa (his friend here in Baltimore). It is so much fun watching him learn new things.

Maxwell has become quite the little athlete. He wants nothing more than to dribble the soccer ball any chance he gets. He runs and kicks and runs some more! He loves throwing balls, too and playing basketball with the little tikes hoop. He is still rally into climbing and building. This is definitely a boy we have on our hands:) He love wrestling with Auggie and even tries to play fetch with him.

Whoa! It has been way too long since I last posted. So much has happened. Where did I leave off last? I think we were just hitting fall the last time I posted. We learned of some very exciting news late September. We are expecting another baby Nadaud in early June. Maxwell is going to be a big brother!!!!!!

Maxwell had a fabulous Halloween. He was a lion and even learned to say, ROAR!!!! Only a week late for Halloween:) Seema and Karan were in town to go trick-or-treating with us all. We had a great time!

My little boy is growing up!

I never thought we would get here, but my little by is growing up. He is now down to one nap per day. The transition has been a little rough. We are on day number three and Max has been down for over two hours so far. We had a super fun day at Port Discovery Children's Museum with friends. Maxwell played with Calvin, Tessa, and Alex while I chatted with friends.

Still not talking, but definitely busy, Maxwell is a bundle of energy! He loves climbing on things, pretending to do things that we do, and even helping to pick up toys. I think he is going to be a great helper.

Pumpkin picking

Last year was Maxwell's first experience at a pumpkin patch. This trip consisted of positioning him amongst some colorful pumpkins and trying to snap pictures before he fell over. As much fun as this was, this year proved to be even better! Maxwell really got into the whole process. He had fun navigating the straw maze. He was a little cheater and was climbing over the straw bails though. We will have to work on following the rules. We ventured out into the pumpkin patch where he proceeded to pick up small and large pumpkins and hurl them to the ground. Apparently pumpkins and balls are too similar to him at this point. We had a great day and are looking forward to trick-or-treating in a few weeks.

October is here

I cannot believe how quickly fall has arrived! Cool nights and beautiful days make me want to take long walks and cuddle at night. Maxwell and I went hiking today at Oregon Ridge Trail with friends. Maxwell was a trooper even when we got lost:)

We have a busy and fun month ahead. Our upcoming visitors include Yia Yia, Uncle, Bill, Great Yia Yia, and Aunt Mary. We will also welcome Alex and Michael for the Bengals/Ravens game, and then Seem and Karan. I will be making a solo trip to visit baby Mila and her parents in St. Louis later in the month.

Falling into the season

Whew!!!! What a busy end to the summer and fun start to the fall. We have been traveling for weddings and hosting various friends and family at our home. And looking ahead, thing will not be slowing down any time soon. We traveled to Toledo for Carrin and Steve Fergussons' wedding. We were able to see Grandpa and Grammie M., Aunt Katy, Aunt Jess, and Uncle Zach. We also got to spend time with many of our friends.

Last weekend we went to Cincinnati for Kris and Kirsten Brandenburgs' wedding. It was a great weekend. We were able to spend a lot of time with Yia Yia, Uncle Bill, Great Yia Yia, and Aunt Mary. We also got to have a great time with Josh's friends from high school.

Today, Paul Heithaus came to visit and to see U2 with us tomorrow!!!!! We welcome the Christos family this coming weekend and will have fun celebrating Uncle Bill's birthday. The fun just doesn't stop.

Apple Picking

We had such a fun adventure out at Weber's Farm today. They had a great orchard with some low-lying branches just the right height for Buster. He really got into the process. However, he was more interested in throwing the apples on the ground or at the bucket and then pulling the bag out of the bucket. There were chickens, turkeys, and goats. Maxwell was very curious, yet guarded. He rarely shows any fear, so it was interesting to see him flinch when the BIG turkey got a little too close.

We got home and created a fun new recipe for a yummy apple bake:) We will certainly enjoy it for dinner tonight.

Play group for Buster

Finding our way around Baltimore has been an exciting new adventure. we have found great shopping, new restaurants, and so many fun things to do with Maxwell. Since joining the Baltimore Moms Meet-up group, I have made some great new friends. Maxwell has made some new friends as well. We recently joined a new play group that meets weekly. It has been a great way to socialize and to learn so many things from other great moms. I am loving it and so is Maxwell.

End of summer

I can't lie, the end of summer always feel like a sad time to me. I live for the days of gardening outside, laying by the pool, and barbecuing. But this year, I have come to realize how different life is and how summer is not AS significant. I have no garden to garden and grilling is not allowed at our new place. And forget laying by the pool. With Maxwell, it is constant in the pool and often chasing him around it. It is funny how things change so quickly with having a child. But you know, I don't really miss those old things all that much, with the exception of the grilling.

We have been so blessed to have so many people come visit us since we have been here: Grandpa and Grammy M.; Andy and Yanik; Yia Yia; and most recently, Jen, Justin, and Jackson. We have take full advantage of local places and cuisine. From the National Aquarium to the Port Discovery Children's Museum, we have had so much fun! We have really enjoyed out new tradition of eating crabs and making a fantastic mess of things!

I am for the first time actually looking forward to the change of seasons. I have a whole new appreciation for things now that I have a son to teach and nurture with all of the new experiences around him. I am already researching fun new places to explore and fabulous new things to try.

New to this

And away we go! What better way to make a fresh start in a new place than by documenting all of the fun and exciting things we are doing as a family. We have been in Baltimore for about one month and could not be happier with our new home. We have had several visitors, truly helping to make this house a cozy home. We just love it! I am hoping to keep this blog up to date to let people know all about the Nadaud adventures in Baltimore.

Josh is getting settled in his fellowship at Union Memorial. He really loves it so far. He has been able to do some very interesting and challenging cases. He has a great opportunity to do research in this position and has really been working hard.

I have joined a moms group and have already made some new friends. Maxwell and I are trying to be as social as possible. We go on little outings each day. I have also been baking and cooking a lot more. My goal is to do at least one new recipe each week.

Auggie seems to like his new surroundings. He specially loves going on walks with us. It is very hilly and lush in our little area. We hope to be walking a lot more in the fall, once the heat and humidity subside a little.