Grandpa and Abuela Visit!!

My parents came to visit us for a few weeks and it was so much fun! Pretty much the moment they walked in, Max imediately started showing off for them, by doing somersaults, spinning, jumping off the couch and such. I think Skyping with my parents helped so much for Max. I believe he recognized them and knew who they were, so he wasn't too nervous or shy when they came. Max warmed up to my mom so quickly. It wasn't long before we were able to leave Max with my parents and go on a date, which was nice. Unfortunately, Max took a bit longer to warm up to my dad and it wasn't until a few days before they left that Max was finally able to start holding my dad's hand and playing with him. I think what really did the trick was my dad letting him "drive" his car and then playing trains with him. So next time we see them, that's something my dad will have to do at the beginning of the trip so he can get the most out of their time together. We moved Max's crib into our room and I was quite surprised how quickly he adjusted. The only thing was, he began waking up SUPER early every morning because he was so excited to see us right there in the same room.

Hoopfest
Hoopfest is the largest 3-on-3 basketball tournament in the world. Spokane hosts it every year. They shut down all of the streets downtown and set up over 300 courts. It was stormy the whole day and raining on and off. There was a HUGE crack of thunder that echoed between the buildings. Max was so scared, but very quiet when it happened. He had me pick him up and then wanted Bryan to come in too and just wanted to be held between the two of us. I've never seen Max scared this way before.

Arrival

 Max taking advantage of the air mattress before Grandpa and Abuela arrive.

 I guess he likes his new stroller.

 Poor Abuela found out quickly that you can't do something like this with Max unless you plan on doing it over and over again.

 Max really enjoyed playing on the air mattress.

 Bryan and Grandpa pushing Max back and forth in the kitchen.

4th of July

 I was spraying Max with a spray bottle and he loved it!

 For the 4th of July we went a park in Liberty Lake and Max had such a good time playing on the play structure. We got there way too early and left before the bands began playing. The fireworks didn't start until 10pm, so we didn't make it for any of those either.

 I hope he keeps the blue/grey eyes! Bryan's are green and mine are hazel.

A toddler's point of view.

 There was a splash pad at the park that I didn't know was there, so Max had to ride home in just a diaper, since you can't really keep the kid away from water.

 Max giving Bryan a shave.

Manito Park

 Illegally feeding the ducks.

 The gorgeous rose gardens! I couldn't help, but take a bunch of pictures.

 The Japanese Gardens.

 This is the coi pond that Max jumped into and ruined our day with. There are areas that gradually lead into the pond and the moment I let go of Max's hand, he literally jumped in. We had to take off his pants and sandals and carry him the long trek back to the car (since we neglected to being the stroller, which became a theme this trip).

Max got so spoiled while my parents were here. They bought him a train set and table from Craigslist. He is OBSESSED with it. He probably played with it for at least 2 hours straight after we set it up.

 Max's work of art. He still doesn't use his hands for finger painting, but loves painting with a brush.

 Every time we got in the car, my dad couldn't help, but let Max drive when he asked.

 Eating yummy pizza at The Flying Goat. I don't know why we don't come here more often.

Coeur d'Alene

This happens every time: at the beginning of a vacation you think, "we have plenty of time to do stuff!" So you don't do hardly anything in the first week. Then by the end of the vacation, you're running out of time and you barely did anything on your list!

 We managed to squeeze in a trip to Ceour d'Alene. The weather was so much nicer there!

Riverfront Park

We also managed to go down to Riverfront Park downtown. We weren't so fortunate with the weather. It was miserably hot and humid! It was hot at the beginning of my parents arrival and at the end and decent in between.

 I tried many times to get a group photo of us taken throughout the trip, but no one was interested. Finally, everyone obliged.

Last Day
I tried getting a picture of Max each with Grandpa and Abuela, but I think he kind of knew something was going on that day and wasn't cooperating. Max cried hard when they left and he realized he wasn't going with them. Max really grew to love his grandparents, which is all I could hope for. I can't wait for the day that we get to live closer and I hope that day comes soon!