Maxwell's Latest Performance

Maxwell came home from school the other day singing two new songs. When I picked him up from school on Thursday he started singing one about Peter Rabbit who had a fly on his ear, flicked it off, and it flew away. The song was cute and made even cuter by the hand motions. After I dropped him off at the house and went back to work, he then debuted another new song for Maria. Thankfully, he was willing to present an encore so I could see and hear it (and capture it on video tape). We hope you enjoy!



NOTE: The word "ungrella" is his way of saying "umbrella". We think it is so cute that we have actually considered using his version instead of the "real" word just so he'll keep saying it! Are there any things you wish your kids still did or would continue doing because they are so cute?

Moms

Today is a very special day because it is a day we specifically set aside to honor moms. With the birth of Miller this year, I have had a number of reminders about why moms, and specifically the mother of my two boys, are so important! With both of our boys, I have seen my wife selflessly give up her own comfort and sacrifice for them both. From not giving up on breastfeeding even when it was painful or took longer than she wanted (with both of them!), to giving up dairy and eggs (have you ever stopped to think of how many food items have those two products in them?), my precious Maria has chosen to serve our family by giving them the very best. I am honored to be her husband and to raise our boys with her by my side. I can't imagine life without her. We love you Maria/Mommy and are honored to bless you today (and thanks to our friend Patrick, who took this great picture today).

Our hearts also go out to all the moms in the world who can't hold their babies today because they are already with the Lord or haven't been sent from the Lord yet (we pray in faith that the heart's desire of these women, to hold their child will soon be fulfilled). You see, for us Mother's Day was a very hard day until we had Maxwell and I can remember one particular year that this day was almost more than we could take. After 2 years of trying to conceive a child, it just didn't seem like it was going to happen. The tears fell hard that year.

So even now, with two children of our own, we often think of all the moms who are hurting today...because no matter how hard you try, when you want to have children and you haven't been able to your family just feels incomplete. So if you know someone for whom Mother's Day is not a blessing because of their unfulfilled longing for children, say a prayer that their heart's desire would soon be fulfilled.

Finally, a special shout-out to my mom, Rita, and Maria's mom, Minnie. Neither one of us would be who we are today without your prayers and love. Thanks for being such great moms!

Happy Birthday Maxwell!

NOTE: I originally started this on his actual birthday, May 4 (sorry it was posted late).

Four years ago today, Maxwell was born at 5:52 PM. He weighed 8 lbs 14 oz and was 21 inches long. He was helpless and we were to help him grow and thrive. We have had our fair share of feeling helpless as we have tried to do just that.

Today we had a special day doing almost everything Maxwell wanted to do (you still have to maintain boundaries, right?!). We had waffles for breakfast, Freebirds for lunch, cake after his nap, and time outside with his new birthday presents (most of them were outdoor toys). All in all we had a great day...but that isn't the most important part. We want to share some things that we love about Maxwell--a blessing so to speak.

• We love how loving Maxwell is--he will often spontaneously come to us and say, "I love you daddy" or "I love you mommy". He apparently does the same thing with his teacher, Mrs. Lisa.


• We love listening to him sing and watching/listening to him listen to music. From Watermark/Mrs. Christy to Kindermusik, he is really developing quite an ear for music.


• We love watching him with his baby brother. He really does love Miller and is very sweet to him (we are enjoying it now since Miller can't take toys away from him).


• We love that he loves, yes, I mean loves, his friends. Not a day goes by that he doesn't ask to play with a friend or have a friend come over. Having a brother is going to be great for him as Miller grows up.


• We love his laugh...I mean, when he really gets to laughing, I can't help myself. We also love that he wants so desperately to make others laugh (unfortunately, as a boy, he thinks that sometimes involves words like poop and toot).


• We love that he wants to please people (us, his teachers, his friends)--for now, we see this as a good thing! Our prayer is that this will translate in his life into wanting to please the Lord...and not worry about pleasing man.


• I (Matt) love that he asks me almost every day, "Do you have to go to work today, daddy?"


• We love how passionate he is about everything and how he wants to share it with everyone. Give the boy a new toy/CD/radio/etc. and he wants to take it everywhere with us and show anyone who will listen (and often many who don't listen because they don't know he is talking to them).


• We love how kind he is...when a friend is sick, he wants to pray for them; when he sees one of us crying, he wants to know why; when Miller is crying, he tries to make him feel better by turning on music or making sure Maria knows that he is probably hungry.

After 2 1/2 years of trying and 10 months of pregnancy, we look back on that almost 3 1/2 years of waiting for him and realize it was well worth the wait. If we had conceived at any other time, we wouldn't have our precious Maxwell. Thank you Lord for choosing us to shepherd his heart for you and your glory.

Maroon and White game

Maxwell is finally at the age where we feel like he can go to Aggie sporting events and allow all of us to enjoy them. The only problem is that the events can be so expensive...but not the Maroon and White game! Each year at the end of spring practices, the Texas A&M football team hosts a scrimmage that is open to the fans--children through college age are free and adults are only $5 (compared to the $50 tickets you have to purchase for EACH PERSON, including infants, for a real game). Here is Maxwell decked out in his football jersey (thanks to Dr. Gail Weatherly) on his way to the game.

Some friends of ours, the Rileys, were smart and combined a birthday party for their youngest son, Cal, with the festivities leading up to the game. Needless to say, Maxwell had even more fun at the game because he got to play with his buddy Aiden (the Rileys oldest son). Here are the two of them at the game.

At "halftime", we even got to see the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band perform an entire routine. We had a great time and hopefully next year all four of us will be able to go (Maria stayed home with Miller). I have a feeling this will become an annual tradition in the Upton home since Maxwell talks about the game every time we pass Kyle Field followed by the question, "when are we going to go to the football game again, daddy?"

Miller Update

Miller is really starting to wake up from what I think of as the "newborn sleepies". He is smiling at us, listening to our voices and then following with his eyes, babbling, and even starting to attempt a laugh.

It really is a fun time and Maxwell continues to be so sweet to him. Each morning he tells Miller "good morning brother" and gives him a kiss. Then at night he tells him goodnight and says "Ooo-py" and attempts to hug him goodnight. Here are a couple of pictures of Miller. If you think your screen tint is off a bit and that his lips look blue in the picture with Maria, don't try to adjust the color. We had to treat him with gentian violet for thursh a couple of weeks ago so his mouth was blue for a week.