Don't throw away this note.

Every day is Christmas at our house.  Although we are trying to do some cleaning and getting rid of things, we are still perpetually in acquisition mode.

Gabe's always getting more toys.  Now Daddy has joined an online video swap club, and I joined a paperback book swap!  Our mailbox is full of packages every day.  I guess Max is the only one who doesn't have a case of the gimmes.

Gabe got two new Ben 10 Ultimate Aliens today.  Here he is winding up Terraspin ...

And letting him go!  It's hard to tell here, but the toy was spinning like crazy in this shot.  Max was pointing and saying, "Oooooo!"

He also got Ultimate Humongousaur.  He's been wanting to get Humongousaur and take him to the "dinosaur museum" (Houston Museum of Natural Science).  When I asked Gabe if he was ready to go there now, he condescendingly said, "I already invited Joe and Grandma.  But you can go too, Mom, if you really want to!"

The UPS man brought something for Dan, so Gabe had me write these notes to him.  We put up the first sign, but then Gabe was concerned that Daddy might throw the sign away after he read it.  Which necessitated a second sign, instructing him not to throw away the first one.  (There was a third sign next to the package in his room.)

I went to take a picture of the third sign but could not find it.  Organizing this room is one of Dan's goals during his week off!

Play date day.

Today we had a play date with Gabe's little friend and his brothers and sisters!  Max and Gabe both enjoyed the visit.  Max stayed entertained with all the bigger kids playing around him!

There was a lot of Wii playing going on ... It is too hot to even think about going outside.

Tomorrow is Dan's last day of work at Rice!  We're so happy he has a whole week of vacation next week between jobs!

Max played on the floor with a chair and a pair of my socks for a long time.  Here he is hanging out with Daddy:

He didn't seem too upset about hitting himself in the face with the video game controller.

My next appointment for screening with gynecologic oncology is scheduled for late October, so there should not be any more BRCA updates between now and then.  I might even have to make it later because of the 90-day waiting period for insurance at Dan's work.  Right now I am feeling this wild urge to hurry up and have one more kid before I part with all my parts.  Yes, I know I'm the only one who thinks this would be a positive thing.  Maybe it's a phase.  But now is the time to think about it, I guess, since once I proceed with all that, the option would be gone forever ...

The Woodlands Mall.

Big two-car family caravan to The Woodlands Mall today!  Mom, Dad, Clari, Yomare, Joe, Maya, Nathan, Gabe, Max, and I all went.  Country folks in the "big city" ...

Guess it's been a long time since our last trip there, because I didn't realize that their play area is for kids 6 and under!  I shouldn't have mentioned that to my 8-year-old, because then he started obsessing about it ...  He got to play there anyway.  (I remember when he was younger, scowling at the parents whose rambunctious older kids threatened the life and limb of my little one!  Guess he survived to be king of the Storybook Tree playground.)

Mr. Fussy Molars-Coming-In took a walk with me.

Buddy financed most of the big fun today.  (Thanks, Dad!)

The big fun included carousel rides ...

Max on a rooster.

Joe picked a horse.

Maya wanted to ride the mermaid horse, but it didn't go up and down like this one.

Gabe complained of some motion sickness from the ride.  I guess he's mine, after all.

The kids chose Chick fil A for lunch.

Then Buddy bought them all toys at the Disney Store.

The babies got down and walked a little bit.

On our way back home!

Max has molars! And Buster gets another shot.

Well, most of my posts are about Max lately.  I do have two children, but one of them chooses to spend most of his days with Grandma and Joe.

The other one is pretty demanding of my attention, most of the time!

Here he is, studying the nasal aspirator.  

You know, I got a good look in the back of Max's mouth today and was surprised to see ... two molars!!  In the very back of his mouth on the left side he has an upper and lower molar.  No wonder he can eat all the foods he does and chew them so well!  Here I thought he was just good at "gumming it!"  

Max likes to pick out travel destinations on the map above the bed.

Today we took Buster back to the vet for more medicine and to buy another shot.

Another shot from me ... I haven't killed him yet!

Max and Mama throw Gabe and Daddy's stuff in the garbage.

Today when we went to the library, I didn't have to present a card to check out my books, or even tell the guy my name.  He said, "I already know it, Mrs. Starr.  You're famous here."  

So, we abuse the library.  We've also just joined a paperback book swap group online, so I've been going through old books to see what I can get rid of.  This spurred an organization project, and I've kept a box for garbage in the living room for the past couple of days.

Well, when Dan got home and he and the boys started playing Wii games, he started asking where the other came controller was.  I sort of ignored the search at first, thinking he'd find it.  He's good at finding stuff.

When he didn't, I started to suspect it might be my fault.  I had dumped the garbage box earlier today and suddenly realized that it was highly likely that Max had added non-garbage items to it.  And sure enough ...

... there it was!  Some of Gabe's other toys were in there, too!

Here are the culprits for the stinky toys!

Oh, and here's Max, dancing to the remix of that goofy news report interview.

Max dancing at Granny and Gramps' house.

At Granny and Gramps' house, Max is most interested in going into the back of the house where the cats live. It's kind of mysterious and dangerous, and the cats hiss at him.  Irresistible!  But the door was closed, so he played with the bunny sculpture instead.

Max can find danger anywhere!  He picked up the bunny and nearly smashed it on his own foot.

Playing in the Lego drawer is part of Gabe's routine at Granny and Gramps'.

Max likes to dance when he hears music.  He decided to give Granny and Gramps a performance today.

He puts his arms out and waves them while twisting his body.  He also does little knee bends and moves his hands up and down.

Pretty amusing when he gets into it ...  He quite literally danced his diaper off, and it fell out the leg hole of his outfit!

As soon as he got back home he dumped out an entire tub of raisins on my floor.  He covered up most of the mess with a pillow case, then ran out of the room.

Here he is, helping Dad and Brian build Brian's carport.

Gabe and Joe have played together nearly every day, all summer long!

Max looks for danger wherever he goes.  It's a challenge staying a step ahead of him!