Recent Xander Photos

Xander's Chair

We recently went to the doctor with Xander for his two month appointment.  It turns out that he has the motor skills of a four month old and is very strong for his age.  So we decided to let him try out his chair.

Xander the Handy Man

A friend bought this tool belt before he was born and we decided it was time for him to try it out.  We thought the results were really cute.

Xander Dressed for Winter

It got really cold here in Pinon right before the beginning of spring so we had to bundle Xander up before we could take him to the babysitter's house.  Of course we had to use his biggest and warmest coat.  Created a bit of a funny look didn't it?

Xander the Cat Rider

Shadow the Cat is a good sport.

Xander at 3AM

R2D2 and Turtle

Adventures in April and May

Sorry it has been awhile since we posted new photos or updates, things have been a little crazy.

Xander has discovered mirrors. On a Sunday after church I placed him in his chair in front of a mirror in the living room. He realized that he was looking at himself and started laughing hysterically. I was able to capture this picture to the right of his smile in the mirror.

 It is hard to believe that my baby boy is almost four months old. He has grown so much and amazes us each and every day. Xander got to go on his first family vacation with Brent and I to Camp Verde, Arizona. We spent one night in a local hotel, visited the state park, and made a special trip to "Out of Africa" Xander slept most of the time but he loved watching the bear show. We had so much fun celebrating our one year wedding anniversary and Xander's three month birthday.

Xander at the local Saloon for dinner. Everyone thought he was the cutest thing they had ever seen. He is showing off his tongue. 

Xander loves his daddy very much. They love to take naps together. Most of the time they fall asleep while mommy is cleaning the house to get out of helping her (that's right, I caught you two). Everyday I am so grateful for Brent and the love he has to offer this family. We are truly blessed. 

Brent and I have had several very busy weeks. After "Out of Africa" we went on a business trip to Las Vegas for an accelerated school training. We ended up having a lot of fun. We decided to go to see a show together to celebrate our anniversary with just each other and saw the cirque de soli show Ka. It was incredible and Brent liked it because it was based around Japanese culture. Unfortunately while in Vegas we received some very tragic news that one of the students at Pinon High School was killed in a car crash. This struck the community by storm and we dealt with the crisis management when we returned. In addition to Vegas Brent and I accompanied 37 seniors to Phoenix for a senior class trip. We took them to a water park, the Hard Rock Cafe, and the Arizona Mills Mall. It was nice to have some fun, even though we were still working. We came home on Saturday evening and were not expecting what came to us on Sunday.

Sunday morning Brent had an interview with Stake Presidency for the Branch President calling. Not only was he interviewed, he was called, chose counselors, and they all were sustained today during church. It was very hectic and unexpected. We had been mentally preparing for this for a long time but we were not expecting all of the emotional components that came along side the calling, especially when it all happened in a short period of time. I know that Brent will do a great job.

Our Little Man is Growing Up

So much has happened in the past several weeks and there is much more to come. Xander is getting ready to turn four weeks old on Monday and then he will be a month old on Thursday. It is incredible to me that nine months goes by so slowly and then once your little bundle is here you just want time to slow down. 

For Valentine's Day Brent and I had a somewhat peaceful dinner at home with Xander. We decided that since there is really nothing to do in Pinon that we would celebrate on Friday. We asked Emma and Tommy to watch Xander for the day and they were more than willing. Brent and I got up and headed out to Snowflake for the day, we decided to go to the temple. We left @ 6 AM and got there around 9:30 AM, which worked out perfect because we got distracted and lost like four times. While on the way to the temple I received a phone call from one of my jobs that I applied for recently requesting an interview. I was super excited about this phone call, it shows promise and that all of the applications are finally paying off. Brent and I went to a session together and then walked around the temple. We then headed over to a local restaurant and had a nice meal together. On the way out of town we picked up ice cream and headed back to Pinon. Friday was perfect and it was a much needed day off. Thank You Emma and Tommy!

That night Brent and I decided to hang out with Xander. Lately we have been having kitten problems. Hope is getting ready to get fixed but has decided he needs to claim his house by peeing everywhere. Brent and I decided that the only option we had was to lock him up in a separate cage whenever he starts peeing anywhere in the house. At first we thought it was Hope being jealous of Xander, but lately every time we sit down with Xander the kitten curls up right next to Xander and when Xander moves the kitten readjusts to be right next to him. I love all of my boys!

I am very proud of Brent. He was discussing with several ladies that we work with how much he helps me at home with Xander. The ladies were really impressed how much he helps me. Our instructional coach commented on how she barely can get her husband to help without kicking them. It is really appreciated, especially on days like today. Brent woke up when I got up to feed Xander, changed his diaper, and changed him into his Sunday best. We slept in a little late so Brent decided that him and Xander would venture to church together to priesthood. My handsome men.










Brent and I like to dress Xander up in a wide variety of clothes. We think our little boy is so cute and handsome and we like to show off his wonderful clothes.

"Nuts about Grandma"

Little Bear

Our adorable monkey

Three Weeks Old

A lot has happened in three weeks in our family. My mom flew home a week ago leaving Brent and me to discover parenthood on our own. Xander also had his two week follow-up with his doctor. The doctor was really excited that he had put 9.5 ounces back on and had grown 2 inches.

This week has been really rough. Xander hit a growth spurt and became really fussy. He has also discovered that daddy and mommy are suckers and when he cries we will come get him. Xander and I also experienced what life would be like without Brent, and let me tell you that it sucked. Brent had to travel to Prescott, AZ for the state wrestling tournament. After regionals last weekend he only had one student that qualified, but he took two so the student wasn't lonely. His student placed 4th in his weight class. Brent was gone from Wednesday-Saturday and finally got home around 11 AM. Brent basically got a mini vacation so when he got home I declared him Mr. Mom for an evening so mommy could get some sleep. Brent stayed up all night with Xander, did the 1 AM and 4 AM feedings and then passed out. I got some sleep but enjoyed watching and listening to Brent take care of Xander all night.

The next couple of weeks have a lot of excitement coming our way. I have two weeks off to myself with Xander and Brent. For Valentines Day Brent and I have decided to spend in the temple in Snowflake. Tommy and Emma are going to babysit for us. I am very excited to go to the temple with Brent. On February 24th my sister, Michelle, and nephew, Leland, will be flying into Flagstaff. We are going to spend the weekend in Flag so I can take care of some errands and get the kitten fixed. We are then going to come back and hang out in Pinon until Dad and Donna get here on Sunday or Monday. Everyone is going to stay until March 5th and then head back to Pinon. My father is SUPER excited to meet his grandson. He is so energetic that when we talk on the phone I understand nothing that he says.

Brent and I have decided to spend spring break in UT with his family. His parents tried so hard to come down and see their grandson but it seemed like there was something holding them back every time they turned around. They eventually decided to stay in UT to help Keith and Shawna with Luke and the girls. They only have to wait four more weeks to see Xander and by then he will be big and healthy and I think I will be freaking out a little less.

One Week Later

It has been one week since Xander entered into our lives, and what a week it has been. We spent all day Thursday shopping because who knew that I would deliver a baby under 8 pounds, so known of his clothes fit him. Xander, only being three days old, got a whole new wardrobe of newborn clothes. And even then we could still fit another baby into some of his outfits. We chose to stay in Flagstaff until Friday January 27th due to my health and Xander had his first appointment that day anyways. We went to his pediatrician who gave him his first exam and said that he was in perfect health. After Xander's appointment we headed to meet Emma at the airport because Tommy came out to Pinon for three weeks. We did a little shopping at Sam's Club and then started making the long drive home. We bundled Xander up and put him in his car seat.

For weeks Brent and I had been debating on how to drive home. The dirt roads have gotten really bad with all of the rain from the fall and Brent did not feel comfortable taking the roads with a new born baby. I wanted to take a dirt road home that has some bumps, but overall is pretty decent because it drives right past the mine and I figured that it would be the smoothest of them all. Brent won the first debate and I gave in to taking the six hour drive home. On our way home I started hurting from my stitches and Xander started getting restless. We decided to pull over at the Hopi Cultural Center for a bathroom break. I finally convinced Brent that if one of us sat in the backseat and held Xander's head we should be fine on the dirt roads. We took a dirt road home. Xander did really well on the dirt road and started to fuss the last five minutes because he was hungry. I knew he would be one tough baby (Brent, the wife is always right!)

During this past week Xander has defiantly captured our hearts and can get us to do whatever he wants when he wants it. Waking up at night has been rough, but both Brent and myself have established a baby routine making things so much easier. Xander has already grown so much, he is also very strong. After only one week he is trying to hold his head up and roll over. When he grips your finger he tightens his little fingers so hard that you have to pry them loose. We also find it very funny that our one week old son loves hand mittens, socks, and shoes. We put a frog outfit on him, shown in the picture, and then decided to put mittens on him. He left them on for about 12 hours and if you took them of her cried. 

On Sunday we went to church for the first time as a family. Everyone at church was amazed at how small he was. We were amazed at how well behaved he was. He did not cry once. When he started to fuss Brent scooted over immediately, rocked his car seat, and he stopped. I could feed him and burp him during sacrament without him crying once. Going to church as a family, and with my mom, was the happiest moment of the week for me. Brent was glowing with happiness and enjoyed showing off his new family. 

Brent had to go back to work on Monday, but was excited to show some of his pictures off to his students. I had to stop in to finish something up and the students were so excited to see me and pictures of the baby. After wrestling, Brent came immediately home, picked up Xander, and started reading a book to him. He told me that one of his goals is to come home after work everyday and have father son reading time. I am so impressed with Brent. He is an amazing father and Xander knows who he is my the sound of his voice. His eyes widen and he starts to smile when he hears Brent's voice. Brent is very supportive and caring. Xander and I are both so blessed to have such a wonderful person in our life. 

Xander Michael Paul Maynard

Well, this started out as Pam's personal blog, Halfway Around the World.  She used this blog and I had my own personal one called Out Here in Pinon.  We decided to start a family blog together.  It's only fitting therefore that our first blog together is about our first son, Xander.

Pam and I don't waste much time in life, a friend once said that we had crammed five years of life into a few months - that was back in 2010 before we were even married.  So you can imagine then how many years of life we've been living since then.  We were married on April 23rd 2011 and we have been living very happily together as man and wife.  Xander was born exactly nine months from our wedding date.

A lot has been going on in our lives.  We had a fantastic wedding and an incredible honeymoon.  Work as always has been a large part of our lives and perhaps the biggest stress factor in our lives.  Here are some snapshots of our family pre Xander.

On January 23rd at 5:15 pm Xander was born weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounces and laying a whole 19 inches long.  His mother Pamela Maynard was induced that morning.  Things were progressing quickly.  So quickly that she was only in labor for four hours and wasn't given any pain meds, she did the birth completely naturally.  Pam has made it very clear that she will never ever do that again.  Everything happened so quickly that as far as I'm concerned they should just do the shot at the same time that they are inducing.

 Here he is only minutes after birth.  Not sure how he feels about the nurse quite yet from the look on his face.

 This is one of the first pictures of Pam's Mom holding dear Xander.  The two of them bonded instantly thanks to Xander's raspberries.  Xander has inherited his mother's tongue, much to Grandma Jane's delight.

 Emma Siddall was able to come and help out with the birth and was very good to have in our corner in our moment of need.  Thanks Emma.

 This picture is not of the first time I held Xander.  While people were helping Pam I was helping the Nurse with Xander.  This is however the first or one of the first pictures of me holding Xander.  This picture wasn't taken until a little later on the 23rd when things had calmed down a bit.

 Xander likes to be held but really isn't very picky of how.  He rested his head on my stomach while I read and played music for him on the kindle fire.  He was content.  I was content to be with my son and Pam got to sleep for awhile!

 Xander is a wonderful baby boy who likes to stick out his tongue and wiggle his fists.  He was extremely alert for most of the first few hours after being born.  He loves music.  Whenever Pam's classes were bad he would kick in the womb.  Now we play music for him and he makes it clear to us what he does and does not like.

Our burrito baby.  Because of his size and the way we've been wrapping him up that has become his nickname - Burrito Baby.  We love you Burrito Baby aka Xander.