Things to remember

When I first started this, I wanted to capture those things that I worried I would forget. Unfortunately, I've been caught up in life that I am not doing as well at the documenting. Matthew has become quite verbal as of late and I wanted to share with everyone some Matthew-isms:

- Yellow Bus - the definition not only for school bus, but any other large van-like vehicle. He LOVES school buses - and the color yellow for that matter. When we flew to Asheville last month, we parked at the parking spot which has yellow buses to take people to the airport. You would have thought Matthew died and went to heaven. He was so excited to be riding a yellow bus - it was all he could say - "I ride yellow bus." And he said it over and over and over and over and over....
- BIG Truck - Matthew is in awe of anything with an engine and he loves to point out 18-wheelers. When we are driving along the highway, you hear from the backseat "Ahhhh! Big truck!!"
- Where'ditgo? - this is said like one word when looking for something or someone and is accompanied by the gesture of putting the hands up and shrugging the shoulders. He can walk around the house like this looking for mommy and daddy or one of his cars
- Numbers and letters - we recently discovered that Matthew can count. One night while at dinner when Marvin and I were having a conversation, he just started to count - 1...2...3...4...5...6..7...8...9...10. Now he does this generally when he's bored - like sitting in the car on a long car ride. I know its just rote right now, but it is cute. When we were hiking in NC, he tried to count all the trees in the forest. I guess we need to teach him how to count beyond 10! As for letters, he can recite the alphabet too - though some days are better than others. And if you catch him on a good day, he may even tell you what letter he is looking at. If he doesn't know, he just says A-B-C! Hey, he knows its part of the alphabet.
-Catching on - I always had friends who said their kids would catch on to spelling of words. We are not to that point yet, but Matthew is rather observant. When we are trying to get him to pay attention and do something, we'll say Matthew, you have to the count of 3 - 1, 2, 3. Now when he wants one of us to do something he'll say "Daddy 1,2,3! Daddy 1, 2, 3!" Too funny!
- Mimi - Mimi must be Matthew's favorite person in the whole world. I don't know if its the undivided attention he gets or what, but Mimi more than any other person will come up in his every day conversation. For example, we took a train ride with my parents and he'll tell people that he rode a Choo-choo train, then he'll say "I ride choo-choo with Mimi." Forget everyone else who rode the train with him. The only person on that train in his mind was Mimi.
- Getting down the gait - Obviously Matthew has been walking for a while, but recently he's been experimenting with his gait. He loves to run and I just love to watch his wobbly unsteady run, but he also tries other ways to get around. Here lately it's been this hoppy, gallopy type of stride. He just bounces along to get where he wants to go. I don't know where it came from or why, but it sure is cute.
- Manners - I am NOT saying I have the most well mannered child by any means. He doesn't always listen and often doesn't behave, but he does say excuse me. Sometimes its cute and in the right context like after he burps - other times its his way of getting what he wants i.e. pushing Mommy aside saying excuse me so he can get to his toy or something. We are working on context, but hey, at least he is saying excuse me!
- The engineer mind - we've always said that Matthew is a little engineer. He observes with great detail and tries to really figure things out. To this, he loves to the action and reaction of things - no door can be left unclosed, no button unpushed etc. But now it's moving into more of the application of putting things together. While at my parents, he helped to assemble my brothers old Brio train track and can fairly easily put together his Mr. Potato Head. What he enjoys most though are buckles. He now has to be strapped in where ever we go because he wants to buckle his harness. We get an added bonus at Costco when he can play with the buckle on the extra seat!

I am sure there are many other things, but these are the few milestones that are top of my mind and I hope that I don't forget.

Beach - tiring, but so much fun

Over Labor Day we took the opportunity to catch up with some family. Ususally, the Reiter Clan gets together, but with all the weddings this year, we opted not to have the big family gathering. With a three day weekend starting at us, we knew we needed to take advantage.

We loaded the care and headed to Houston to see the Kennemers and DiStefanos. With 6 boys between the ages of 8 and 5 months, it was definitely a party. Julie and her family were gracious to host us. While we had grand plans to do and see much, we spent most of our time just catching up. The highlight of the trip (other than getting to catch up on a years worth of discussions) was our trip to Galveston. We were joined by Peggy and Charlie, Lu Ann and Paul, Brooke, Jackson and Noah and the entire Kennemer clan (Julie, Phil, William, Andrew and Carson). The boys wasted not time hitting the beach. Jackson may have had the most fun of all - he was so excited about sheer volume of water and sand. Matthew had a wonderful time though he was really tired. True to his personality, he couldn't take a nap while there for fear of missing something. This mean intermittent periods of rest inbetween playing. We were so excited about how much he enjoyed the beach and look forward to our next visit.

Elmo Love

Matthew has turned a corner. Yes - he's always a joy, but there have been some really challenging times these past few weeks as Matthew tests boundraries and expresses his dissatisfaction with everything being done on Mommy and Daddy's schedule.

These past few days have been pure joy. He is so much fun. We found a great wagon on Craigs List and the family takes a walk every evening to get some fresh air and Matthew gets to play outside while Mommy or Daddy cook dinner. Last night I was giving Matthew his bath and flinched as he splashed me. My goodness - you have never heard such a belly laugh from a little kid. Matthew thought this was the funniest thing ever - serious - he could barely catch his breath. We spent the next 5-10 minutes with him "flinching" as he tried to splash us. Too cute.

This morning he was in the best of moods and was looking for his dancing Elmo. We got Elmo out and he knew just want to do to get Elmo to move and groove. Matthew joins in with his own dancing, twists and turns. At the end, he gives Elmo a big hug. It was just too cute.

We don't know where he got into Elmo, but for now, it's a favorite. I am just so thankful we have such a happy, sweet boy.

What a haul!!!

OK - so I was SO excited about Divine Consign and I have yet to share with everyone the outcome. Despite my best efforts, I was unable to leave work as early as I had planned. I did make it out the door well before 5pm, but not soon enough to be one of the first people in line. I got to the Plano Convention Center around 4:40pm and found myself to be in the 3rd line to get in. Everyone was ready - laundry baskets, wheeled bags, wagons and strollers abound. The stroller didn't work for me last time, so this time I was prepared with a large laundry basket and a rolling duffel. As soon as I got in I went straight for the big items. I was really hoping my learning tower would be there, but it wasn't.

:(

Next - on to the wagons, but each one had a pink tag which meant someone was going to be purchasing it. :( I checked out some art easels, but Matthew isn't quite old enough and then I saw a Little Tikes Basketball Goal ($10). Yes - everyboy needs a basketball goal. I quickly filled out my pink tag staking my claim.

I had a different strategy this time around - I had always done strollers first, then clothes because I was too late for the big items. This time I decided to hit up the toys first. Christmas was on my mind. I really wanted to get some LeapFrog stuff - mini computer or something. They didn't have what I pictured in my head, but I did find a First Touch leapbook. This thing was in perfect condition - came with 6 books and a bag. $35 - can't go wrong!!! While I was checking out the Leapfrog stuff, I saw a backpack carrier for Matthew. Hello, we'll be going to the mountains twice this fall. We'll use it it and for $20, I figured it was more than worth it especially when they are $100+ in the store. On to the toys!!!

Now, Matthew is such a boy. He loves, loves, loves his cars. I found all kinds of cool cars, trucks and things that move. We got a Little Peoples Airplane ($9.50) and a Little People School Bus ($6). These are going to go great with the other Little People stuff I had found earlier this year that he'll be getting for Christmas.

Cars cars cars - We picked up a Tonka Speed and Go Funway ($8), Triple Track Tower ($6), a Fisher Price Tough 'N Rumblin' Front Loader and Tough and Rumblin' Dump truck. I also picked up a few small cars for us to take on our plane trips. A set of 4 stacking/nesting cars for $1.50 - you can't go wrong! I also got a little 3-piece Tonka car set for $2.50!

It wasn't just cars that I was able to pick up - I found a Rolling Crane for $5, a Dancing Elmo (yes, Matthew really likes Elmo now) for $5, a wheelbarrow ($6), a Fisher Price Toby the Totbot ($5), LeapFrog Shopping cart for $14.50 and a Lego table with Legos for $6!!!! Oh - and books and media. I added a few "lift and see" books to Matthew's collection as well as some books on his favorite thing - cars! When they are $1-$3, you just can't go wrong. I packed my laudry basket well and all of this fit - yes - everything - well, for the most part. Now, it wasn't light, but I was able to manage. Thankfully they held the items and I was able to do some clothes shopping. Matthew didn't need much other than PJs and jeans, but because so many of the items were paired as outfits I got a bit more. Matthew's wardrode for the fall is set - though he has a few more Santa outfits than I anticipated. :) Oh well!

While I won't share the grand total - It was great fun shopping and I feel like I got more than my money's worth for everything I found. Granted, some of it needs to be cleaned up and given a little TLC, but I am sure that Matthew will love and enjoy it all.

Giddy

Can I tell you how excited I am for this evening. When I was pregnant, some girls in my prenatal Yoga class turned me onto Divine Consign. This turned me onto the whole idea of consigning in general. Yes - kids are expensive and yes it is frustrating that the adorable outfit you spent $40 on only gets worn twice because when you go to put it on for a third time, surprise, they've outgrown it. Not to mention they toys. You never know what toy will end up being a favorite. (So far we've done well in that department. We may have bought some toys a little too early, but he plays with everything equally today - ok, everything but his stuff animals.)

Wouldn't it be great to be able to find all this stuff for 50-70% - more in some cases? Welcome to my Divine Consign joy!!! So, its basically a big garage sale, but the only items being sold are for babies and kids. I am talking everything under the sun from boppies to clothes to exersaucers to strollers. They have it all. I attended as a first time mom and found tons of great things - I found even more when I went back after Matthew was born. Now I volunteer so I can get into the presale and get first dibs! This is how bad my borderline obsession is - I was dreaming about the sale. The presale starts this evening and I will be going - as well as volunteering tomorrow....In my dream, I stopped by this morning to pick up my wristband and saw that women were in line at 6:30am for the 5pm sale. Of course that made my heart sink as had to head off to work. I know that people are not in line yet, but I do wish I could have gotten a shift that would have put me in the sale at 4:30pm. I have my eye on a few things. Let's just hope that they are still there when I finally get in.

I remember that old Mervyn's commercial - "Open, Open, Open..." That's me right about now!

One more "Not Me Monday" - even though it's Tuesday...

I did not cry as I put away the clothes that Matthew as outgrown. I mean, what kind of mom gets sentimental over things like that. :)

I have to say that I just love the stage that we are at right now. While Matthew definitely tests his boundaries (ie standing up in his highchair), he is so much fun!!! Last night he was in the best of moods. He is getting quite skilled at eatting with a fork and spoon - that is not to say that everything makes it into his mouth, but he tries - and loves to practice. The past few days he's taken to eating off of Marvin's and my plates. Even though he has the same thing I guess it tastes better when he's not eating off of plastic dinnerware. Is this the same thing as the calories don't count when I have a bite of Marvin's dinner at a restaurant? Anywho - It starts off with a point and then a reach to pull the plate closer and finally the sampling of the meal. Usually it's with what ever utensil he has that day, but yesterday it was a Mattie grabbing a fist full of rice and shoving it in his mouth as fast as he could. I couldn't help but laugh.

There is so much joy in the little things. I admit I will give up the struggles that ensue when we try to rinse his hair during bath time - or get him out of the bath all together for that matter, but even with the challenges parenthood is a blast!

"Not Me" Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week. Find comfort in knowing you are not alone!

First off, I am not writing this instead of working! Nope, I am focused on my job and being as productive as I can so I can spend time with my family in the evenings.

This past week I did not ignore Matthew's food allergy and serve him a side dish that was processed on equipment that also processes egg products - just because it was fast and because I knew he would eat it. Processed on products with egg isn't the same as having egg - right?

I did not brush off my child this weekend because I was trying to get work done. I really thought he would be more entertained by daddy than by hearing me freak out when he accidently pressed a button and deleted my presentation.

I did not let Matthew climb to the top of a two story slide and slide down by himself. Afterall, the teacher at Gymboree said kids are 3-4 years old before they have the muscle strength and dexterity to pull up with their arms while pushing up with their legs and really are really able to climb.

I did not forget to change Matthew's diaper for 5 hours because we were so caught up in our schedule. Come on, I am a highly dedicated mom who always makes sure that her kids are clean and dry.

I did not give Matthew a bath in the baby pool. Even though we were in the privacy of our backyard and the water was the same water that we would use in the bathtub, I am the kind of mom who always makes time for the evening bath.

I did not send Matthew to school today even though he had a small bout of diarrhea yesterday because I had an important meeting that I was leading. WebMD BTW said it generally runs its course after 24 hours afterall. If I do get the call from the school that he is not feeling well, I will not be the mama that sticks around work - no, I can promise you I will be there as fast as I can!

Getting cultured

I don't know how Matthew will really remember things, I mean the physical activities, but I but I do know that he is a complete and total sponge. I amazes me what he comes up with. Whether it's asking him if he is ready to see his pal Preston on the way to school and have him say 'Preston' back or watching him stomp his feet, clap his hands, bow, twist and turn as he follows direction to his "Barnyard Dance" book - he is always doing something that I never knew he could do before. This weekend we probably stretched Matthew more than he'd been stretched in a while - exposing him to a whole host of new things.

This weekend we had the pleasure to witness the marriage of a family friend and were guests at the fabulous reception. I love wedding, but have great appreciation for interracial marriages. Not just because I am in one, but because I love to watch how the couples blend their cultures for the wedding. At this wedding we were given the gift of a lion dance. While Matthew did great, sitting at a table while you wait for the formality of a wedding to unfold isn't easy for a 16 month old. After he finished his dinner, Matthew and I went for a stroll and ended up talking to people from the J.K Wong Academy who were performing that evening. They were kind enough to let Matthew get to check out the lion mask up close. Now - I need to preface this to say that Matthew is TERRIFIED of animals. A fake animal appeared to be no different. He was so scared of the lion head that they had to put it on the ground. After I touched it and the students pet it, he finally decided to check it out. Matthew loved the spring balls that were the lion's nose and would stroke the mane. When he got brave enough he even touched one of the eyes, making it close. It was so cute to watch him learn and explore. When the dancers came out, he was in awe. He was moving and grooving to the beat of the drum and was taking it all in! When we went to feed the lion for good luck, he wasn't so happy, but I am sure with time he'll over come these minor fears.

Picasa Web Albums - August 2009 - August 2009

Picasa Web Albums - August 2009 - August 2009

Picasa Web Albums - August 2009 - August 2009

Picasa Web Albums - August 2009 - August 2009

Picasa Web Albums - August 2009 - August 2009

Thank you Christine and Eric for a wonderful evening. We wish you all the happiness in the world and a life time of love!

Just another day

We finally had a weekend that I needed - a down weekend - a weekend with no real plans and nothing we had to do. Given all the time we spend with Matthew, I often find myself wondering (sometimes longing) what we did with ourselves before children. When a grocery trip could be done in 40 minutes because you can divide and conquer and are not dealing with a child who wants in the cart, out of the cart, to push the cart, to be held, to touch everything in reach.

I feel bad that we don't get to see our friends as often any more, but I tell you, more often than not at 9pm on a Saturday, I am snoozing on the sofa. Where did all the energy that would let us play poker til 2 in the morning go?

Not that I am complaining...Matthew slept until 9am this morning, so the whole family got some much needed rest and I watched Matthew have more fun today than I've seen in a long time. He has this new "surprised" look when he's about to do something that he really likes. I am trying to catch it on film, but it's tough! He opens up his mouth wide and pulls his lips over his teeth - it is too funny. He'll do this if we're about to start a new activity - or even turning the page in his favorite book. It's too cute. We started a mini-membership at Gymboree today and I can guarantee that it will to totally worth the time. I can also venture to say that I have never seen Matthew so happy running from activity to activity. It will be a fun adventure for the next month.

On that note, this sleepy mommy is heading to bed.

Sinking revelations

There are so many moments in your life that change you forever - many you don't even realize. The day I met Marvin - I never would have thought 13 months later we'd be walking down the aisle, heck, he never even really did more than say hi that first meeting. Taking my job at Waggener Edstrom oh so many years ago ultimiately brought me here. Having a child of course is completely life altering, but I am talking about the realization that you have to change for the betterment of you and your family.

Matthew has been fighting eczema and we knew that he had some allergic reactions to eggs, so we took him to the allergist to confirm what he's allergic to. Come to find out it is almost everything - eggs, peanuts, treenuts and to lesser degrees soy and milk. Do you realize how much of these foods are in things you eat EVERYDAY? This was my ah-ha moment - our life will change. We can't do the simple and quick anymore.

For example, we can't go to Chic-fil-a anymore (our favorite restaurant right now for Matthew) - the only thing Matthew can eat is the fruit cup. Most things breaded are done so in an egg wash - that means chicken nuggests are out. So many of the pre-packaged foods contain soy and milk products. Wow - this could potentially be a serious lifestyle change.

Our other option is to continue to have him eat the foods in low doses - like a small amount of egg in the chicken nuggets or egg in a cake and handle the reaction. Right now it is manifesting itself as eczema. How far do we go?

I hate to think that he is "that kid" who can't eat anything and always has to have a special snack. I also dread going overboard and becoming some kind of neo-hippy eating only whole vegatables and grains. While there probably is some merit to that, my goodness, I hate to think I am going to spend all of my free time in the kitchen. I am sure we will work around it. Our allergist wants to watch Matthew as he thinks he will be a good candidate for desensitization, but we can't start that until he is 2.

I am hopeful this is something that he outgrows, but in the meantime, the outcome may be a healthier diet for all of us!

Talk Talk Talk

Matthew has been talking for a while - babbling all kinds of stuff as he tells us about his day. He is also showing an increased vocabulary, though he doesn't always tell us proactively what he wants, if you ask him, do you want Milk (and he is thirsty) he'll say milk! He will also point out sounds and noises - dog when he hears a dog barking or airplane when he hears one overhead.

This morning I swear Matthew said his first sentence!!! Marvin is working in a different job temporarily, requiring him to be out the door before Matthew (and often me) is up. Matthew loves his daddy and spends part of the morning going from room to room looking for da-da. We usually give daddy a call, but Matthew is generally too focused on the phone itself to understand daddy is trying to say good morning. We went through the same process this morning, but when it came time to say good-bye, Matthew said "Bye dada. Bye dada." I don't know if it is a real sentence or not, but I'll count it in my book

!

Staycation: Day 5

We broke a major rule of vacation today, we got up early. 5:30am to be exact. That that is really all that early in our normal everyday lives, but when you've been sleeping to 8am, that is big different. Today is the day that Matthew gets his tubes. I was dreading this more than his first procedure in March, but seeing as we can't seem to get over ear infections, it really is necessary.

We did the surgery at the hospital this time and Matthew was a trooper. He bared with us as we got him up early and drug him to a place that was totally unfamiliar. The cool thing about our surgery here is Matthew got a cute pair of PJs and his own school bus bags as a memento.




True to everything we'd been told, the procedure was super quick, but the anesthesia was a whole other story. Matthew did wonderful in March and I expected much the same this time around, but I couldn't have been more wrong. He work up in a very bad mood. He didn't want anything - didn't want to drink, didn't want to sit, didn't want to be held and didn't want down. After 30 minutes we were able to leave and we weren't even a block from the hospital when Matthew was back asleep. In fact, we all took a four hour nap when we got home. Yes - the whole family slept until 12:30pm. It was awesome! I don't remember the last time I slept that late.

The afternoon was fairly low key - Matthew and I went to the mall while daddy got his chance to relax and have "me-time." We did the normal mall stuff - carousel, play area, shop. It was great fun! I'm sad this has come to an end.

Staycation: Day 4

Today it was all about the museum - the Dallas Children's Museum to be exact. Wow did Matthew have fun. He was so into everything! We started the morning walking through the farm. He enjoyed petting all the animals and checking on them to make sure they were all ok in in their pens.

Matthew also got to harvest crops and collect eggs. This was really one of the highlights for Matthew as he just loves bags. The ability to carry around his food was so cool to him. He dropped the bag briefly to write the rocking horse, but quickly got the bag back, added a canteen and found yet another bag. Hmmmm - think we should get him a bag for Christmas.

From the farm, we went to play on the fire truck. Driving cars is a new interest for Matthew - I don't know if it is the fact that we've (mistakenly) allowed him in the front seat to "drive" our car on occasion. After a quick drive it was down the slide and off to the toddler backyard.

Here Matthew got to meet his new friend Lulu. Lulu was much more interested in him than Matthew in her, but he had fun. Matthew navigated "uneven tourain", built a tower and crawled through miniature houses. We even tried to get him to dress up like a frog with limited success.

After all this play we had to go grab lunch. Matthew chowed down on grilled cheese and blueberries. It was the first time we'd seen him really go after a sandwich. After lunch we pressed our luck and went back into the museum to do a few more things. We had to see the bubbles! While it wasn't what I expected, it was SO cool! We were able to get bubbles the size of beach balls created. Matthew was in total awe - and who wouldn't be whent he bubble is bigger than you!

After the bubbles, it was off to the creek. Matthew dawned a smock and played in the water with some pretty big kids, but that didn't detour him. He was right in there with his duck watching him float around the water table. The only thing we didn't get to do was dig for fossils, but at 2pm, Matthew was really getting tired. Hey, there is plenty to do next time!

Staycation: Day 3

What will today bring - bounce houses and splash pads! It was all about physical activity. In the morning we went to Pump It Up Jr, a bounce house for kids between the ages of 1-6. The best thing about when we went was it was limited to kids under the age of 3. Everyone there was Matthew's size. It was great! There as a slide, an obstacle course and bounce house. In addition, there were a variety of cars, trikes and push toys. This is what excited Matthew most. I think he would have been happy pushing those cars around all day long. With a little coaxing we got him to go down the slide with daddy and to race with us through the obstacle course. Matthew loves a good game of chance and it's even better when mommy and daddy are handicapped with bolsters to crawl around and holes to crawl through. As he got more comfortable, Matthew was doing things all on his own. He'd climb up to the top of the slide and go down all by himself. It was a great thing to see!






After a well deserved nap, it was off to a splash pad. We've tried this in the past, but the one we went to was a little too large and a little to crowded for Matthew to really enjoy. We found a few that are in neighborhoods in Frisco, not too far from our house. This was the perfect week to give them a try. We headed out today to one that was just 10 minutes from our house. As we were leaving, I noticed some storm clouds brewing, but shrugged it off. Sure enough it was sprinkling by the time we got to the park - and it dropped almost 10 degrees! As it turned out, the water was a little too cold to enjoy, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the playground!

Staycation: Day 2

Woo-hoo, we gave it a go and boy was it worth it. I was a little concerned that we were taking Matthew out while he was not 100%, but after we got going, you never would have known! Today we decided to head to the Fort Worth Zoo. I had heard great things about it and after doing some research, was really excited to make this our first adventure.



Matthew did sleep in a little, so we got there right at lunch time - for the animals that is. We hit the Primate habitats, but were disappointed that very few animals were out, so on to the next. We got to see the big animals from there - the elephants, giraffes, hippos and rhinos. Matthew was enthralled. He waved to all the animals he saw. It was so cute.




We were so impressed with the layout of the zoo. If you haven't been there - its well worth the adventure. Everything was so clean and there was a ton of shade. While it was close to 100 degrees out, it wasn't oppressively hot. We got to see tigers and even fed the birds. (Matthew was not too keen on that.) After a quick lunch it was into air conditioning - penguins, fish, and reptiles. Matthew's loved the exhibits where you could see under water and was quick to follow any of the animals that were swimming.




We rounded out a day with a visit to the old west where we got to play in a playscape and learn more about farm animals. By this time Matthew was long over due for a nap. We decided to walk back and take a quick spin by the primate habitat and I am so glad we did! We saw quite a few gorillas and even had a few close experiences in some of their "windows."





This was a great way to kick things off. We loved it and Matthew did too!

Staycation: Day 1

I wish we could say that we got off to a great start. First of all, we decided to stay around Dallas this year instead of venturing out of town. Matthew is still a bit young for a big vacation (in our opinion) and we are also trying to save some money to be able to attend a couple weddings out of state.

We have a weeks full of activities planned that take advantage of the area we live in, but found that Matthew was a bit off this morning. He hasn't been sleeping great and he just wasn't his normal happy self. When he didn't take his normal afternoon nap, we decided to head out to the doctor. We were right - something was wrong. Poor kid has yet another ear infection. Because we are getting tubes on Friday, Matthew is getting a high dose antibiotic. Hopefully he'll feel better so we can enjoy the time off

4th of July

4th of July to me is all about hot dogs, fireworks and parades - all american. Matthew is still young for the fireworks part, so we worked on bringing in as much as the other stuff as possible. We started with a Independence Day celebration at the Wiggly Play Center sponsored by MetroMoms. Because I am working I can't always do the things I want to do with this fun mommys group. But, I was off, so we headed out the the play center to meet Chad, Trisha and Carson and burn off some energy. Boy did we have fun! Matthew navigated the playscapes and slide down slides.





On July 4th, we started off at a parade with the Kolb and Joe families. Lots of kids means lots of fun! Matthew had a good time and was such a big boy sitting in his lawn chair for almost the entire parade. He got out toward the end to try to get candy just like all the other kids.






We spent the afternoon and Toby and Karen's celebrating with Family. Matthew had a blast in the pool and fun playing with all his big cousins. Though he didn't stay up long enough to see fireworks, mommy and daddy got to see them on the ride home. Maybe next year. :)

Backyard fun

With all the warm weather we've been having, you have to find a way to beat the heat. We have a baby pool that is now the right size for Matthew. (He didn't quite know what to think about it last year.) We filled it up, brought out some toys and wa-la, instant backyard water park!

It was a wild wild weekend!

While we had a very active - and somewhat exhausing weekend, the biggest part was the celebration of Father's Day. Matthew just loves his daddy. He's always walking around the house shouting "Da-da?!? Da-da!?! Da-da?!?" Matthew knows daddy is always good for a quick wrestle, a swing out front, a walk around the block in the cozy coupe or a welcome shoulder in the middle of the night. Happy Father's Day hon.

While Father's Day was pretty low key - lunch a Marvin's favorite restaurant Lawry's, we had a very busy Saturday. We started out by going to a birthday party for Ashley as she turned 3! Matthew just loved being part of the big kids and seeing the Reiters and D'Agostinos as well as making new friends! We followed the party with a quick trip to the mall to return a pair of shoes. While mommy did a little shopping, Matthew played his little heart out in the play area.



After all that excitement, Matthew needed a nap which he did all the way to Midlothian. We don't get down to Midlothian enough to see Nathan and Lori, so we though we'd stop by and say hello before heading out to the Midlothian Balloon Festival. This gave us an opportunity to introduce Matthew to Nathan and Lori's pets - well a few of them anyway as Miss Lila was off being trained. Matthew got to interact with Bach and the kitty. Even after hanging out for a while, he was never comfortable around Bach. The cat was another story. He could spot her almost anywhere and actually pet her. This is a very big deal for our little guy who is a little afraid of animals.

We headed out to the Midlothian air strip to have dinner and check out some balloons. Unfortunately it was too windy for the balloons to go up, but Matthew did enjoy watching the planes (and now points to the sky anytime he hears and airplane overhead). Matthew had more than enough entertainment with his aunt Lori and uncle Nathan. The bunny ears where a hit! As dusk was setting, we got to see a moon glow. Not as cool as it would have been with all the balloon inflated, but it elicited a quite a few "wows" from Matthew.

Matthew's 1 year pictures are posted!

Yea - between being colds, ear infections and family activities, we FINALLY took Matthew's 1 year photos.



He was 14 months old and I know that he changed alot between March and May, but better late than never.



Karey did a fabulous job and I just love the shots she got.




I think she did a good job of capturing his personality - though some of the pictures here have that "huh" attribute to them. :)



If you'd like to see more, you can go to www.rinkphoto.com. Click on the client proofing tab at the top and the password is amy5.



Which one is your favorite?