Remembering Mee-Maw

I feel like we were gone a long time, but we were really only in Houston one night. It was a busy & emotional 24 hours. We semi-caravaned with Bryan & Sarah (I say that because they were a few minutes behind us and ended up having to change a tire...) after church on Sunday to Kingwood. We checked into our hotel and then attended the visitation at the funeral home next door. The flowers were beautiful and we enjoyed watching a slide show with pictures compiled from all the many happy years of my grandmother's life. We then drove to my grandfather's house to eat and fellowship with the rest of our family.

We headed back to the hotel to put Matt down for the evening. It was our first time to have him with us in a hotel and we weren't quite sure how we were going to pull off the sleeping routine. Thankfully, Matthew still loves his pack & play and is a sound sleeper. We put him in bed and then Steven & I hid out in the bathroom until he fell asleep! It worked. Then we watched TV on mute the rest of the evening. Exciting, huh?

The funeral the next morning was lovely. You could see the outpouring of love from all of my grandmother's many friends and family. Zach & Joy, the incredible people that they are, watched Matt & Audrey out in the foyer during the service. I knew that Matt would not have sat still for such a somber occasion & I was just picturing myself running down the aisle with a squirming, whining toddler in my arms missing half the service. But thanks to my amazing friends I didn't have to worry about it. Thank you!!!

After a quick box lunch back at the hotel we drove down to Lake Jackson for the burial. Zach & Joy took Matt with them back to Austin so we didn't have to drag him everywhere with us that afternoon. It was a gorgeous day & frankly one of the nicest days I think LJ has ever had. There were only a few mosquitoes. After the burial we were able to view Mom's gravesite and leave some flowers. I just can't believe how much our family has been through in the past few years. We hugged on each other and then drove over to the Brawley's house for a change of clothes and some refreshment before heading back to Austin. Mrs. B made us homemade cookies! Yum.

I'm so thankful I had the privilege of having my grandmother in my life for 29 years...and that she and my grandfather lived close by so we could see each other often. She loved us all so much and was always so thrilled to spend time with us and in later years to gush over our own children. She and my grandfather were married for 63 years. He was always so loving and attentive to her. I remember spending weeks with them in the summers (just my brother & I) when we were kids, playing cards & watching Jeopardy (she was good!), and playing hide & seek in their house. She loved to entertain, and Thanksgiving was always her holiday. And what a spread; complete with a jello mold and giblet gravy. We looked forward to that Thursday every year. When she hugged me it always felt so sincere and like the love sprung from the very depths of her heart. She had a great laugh I'll never forget, too. Her eyes would sparkle and you couldn't help but giggle along with her. She was a wonderful lady, and she will be very missed.

Dress Rehearsal

Today was a day full of Halloween festivities & football fun. Bryan & Sarah threw a big bash out at their house, and we had a great time. I kind of hate to reveal Matt's costume prior to the actual day, but these pictures are too hilarious not to share. We got out to Leander in time to let Matt play a little while and then put him down for a (very brief) nap. It's hard to sleep with all that action happening around you. The food was delicious, and I ate way too much...but it was well worth it! At one point we got all the kids out in the backyard and "exercised" them for awhile. Somehow I was the target for all the tackles. There was swinging and climbing and running and football throwing.

At halftime during the Longhorns game (that was a seriously tight game..sheesh!) we got the kids dressed up in their Halloween gear. Ava was Atomic Betty, Caroline & Mary Claire were witches, Audrey was a black cat, and Matthew was Nacho Libre.

Why Nacho? Well, it made more sense when he still had his head full of curls, but he still has the chubby body that looks awesome in tights and briefs. And, this may be the last year that I get a say in what he wears; may as well take advantage! I swear he's going to hate me for this one day, but man it sure is funny.

You can see that Matthew was not keen on wearing his cape. I couldn't even convince him to wear it for pictures. Steven forced it on him and Matt let him know his displeasure by spouting tears and pulling at the cape until it released from his neck. I couldn't get a good picture of all the kids together. They couldn't keep still. Matthew found comfort in his blanket as he usually does.

After an action packed day we came home and Matt fell right asleep. I imagine he'll be reciting all his cousin's names when he wakes up in the morning and recounting the good times.

That's Right...More Pumpkins!

We can't seem to get enough pumpkin fun. Matthew has been talking about the pumpkin patch ever since we went last week. Today we met up with Joy, Ava, Alicia, Tyler, & some other fun girls & their babies from their church at a pumpkin patch close to our house. Matt was delighted to see Ava and Tyler, & basically followed Ava wherever she went. Oh how the roles have reversed! Here's some fun ones of the three in a pool of hay. I love Matt's reaction to Tyler's cries.
And then somehow we got them all on a picnic table sitting happily next to each other and actually smiling! What I didn't get a picture of is when Matthew went and sat on a different bench next to Brooke McAfee and chatted it up with her. Too cute.
After purchasing a nice big pumpkin fit for carving we went down the street to a hamburger joint next to Amy's ice cream. I could hardly convince Matt to get in the car because he was so desperate to stay with Ava. He didn't believe that they were going to the same place with us. After much struggle and threats to just take him home, his body finally went limp. Once there, Matthew was too distracted to eat. He ran around the playground and went down that slide at least 10 times. Finally tearing him away from all the friends and fun we got back to the car and had another struggle getting strapped in. He wanted to stay with Ava. Our main problem here was that it was WAY past his bedtime and he was all kinds of grumpy and tired. I guess I shouldn't have kept him out that late past nap time. We came home and he fell right asleep but only slept a little over an hour which is highly unusual for Matthew the sleeper. Might be an early bedtime tonight, we'll see!

On a more somber note, my sweet grandmother passed away early yesterday morning. Although my grandmother may not have known we were there, I'm very glad that Bryan & I went down to visit when we did. It was good to be together as a family. Her services will be held in Kingwood on Monday morning, so we are headed back to Houston on Sunday.

Oh, and congratulations to the Tooleys on welcoming Samantha Joy into their family. What a sweet, baby girl. Have a great weekend everyone!

Could it Really Be Fall?

We're so excited about the zippy weather outside! Such a gorgeous day today. Matt & I were walking into the fabric store this morning and he said, "brrr cold, Mommy!". Hilarious. I'm also discovering that the boy doesn't have much to wear. We'll be doing some clothes shopping in the coming weeks for sure.

Also this morning I was getting myself together and I pulled out my hair dryer as Matt came rounding the corner into the bathroom. Matthew looked at me and said, "Mommy dry hair...patient...few mim-mitts." HA!!! It's almost as if he's heard me say that a few times...hehehe. But I don't think I've ever said that in regards to my hair drying although it does take forever. I usually have to coach Matthew to be patient while we're in the car on a long trip or say, while he's waiting for me to fix his lunch or dinner. It's just funny to hear him repeat it in such odd instances. I was dying. Also leaving me with peals of laughter was watching Matt run to the back of the door to our bedroom where the full length mirror is and give his reflection a kiss. He'd then run up to me and say, "Ma-moo kiss!" and then go do it again. Too funny.

Today my brother and I are heading to Houston to visit my grandmother. She has not recovered well after her gall bladder removal surgery a couple weeks ago, and today she is being moved to a hospice facility. Matthew will be staying at home with his daddy. Those two need some one-on-one time anyway. Matt's been a toot the past couple days. Toddler fits and big feelings. Guess who's almost 2?

Punkins

Today we had a big excursion out to Elgin to visit the pumpkin farm with Sarah, Mary Claire, Audrey, Joy, & Ava. We all piled into the Moran van this morning and headed out to get us some pumpkins and hitch a hay ride. Matthew had a great time running free and playing with his cousins. There were all kinds of animals to look at: a pig, ducks, chickens, goats, rabbits, a horse, and even a llama. Matt tried unsuccessfully to feed the horse with a straw of hay.

We ran through a hay maze and saw lots of grasshoppers and a huge spider. Matt ran through most of it all by himself thankfully because carrying him is quite a load! We went through it once and he wanted to do it again.

Next was the hay ride, and I wasn't too sure I'd be able to meet the nice man's request and keep my child in my lap for the duration of the ride. Aunt Sarah worked her charms and Matt sat contentedly with her. Eventually Audrey found her way onto my lap. The hay ride led us to a little picnic area with a sandbox, a bean bag toss, tether ball, and a corn maze. After tossing the ball around and digging in the sand we tried our luck with the maze. After all that running around it was time for lunch, so we fetched our bags and ate in the pumpkin barn since it was nice and shaded.

Matt scammed Cheetos off Mary Claire then turned his attention to the rabbit in its cage and then the paint brushes. He "painted" all over that barn. A few diaper changes later and a pumpkin purchase and we were on our way home. We had a great time, and I know it's a place we'll have to visit again. Matt fell right asleep when he got in his bed. The kid was zonked.

And yes, I broke out my college overalls for the occasion. Steven couldn't stop grinning.

A Safety Tip

Matthew thinks it's okay to touch things he's not supposed to while saying no and shaking his head. Follow that up with a demented little giggle. It's just so blantantly bad and he knows it! Trickster. After I took this picture he toddled over to me and wanted to "see Ma-moo". I suppose he wanted to revel in his brilliance, but he also just really likes looking at pictures of himself.

On another note I got a report from Matt's teachers at Bible study today that he really likes participating in the music portion of the morning. Apparently they teach the kids (even the little ones) some songs with hand motions, etc. One woman told me that she thought he'd have all the moves down by the time our study was over in Dec. Now that I would love to see. All I can picture is him bouncing in his little squat while flailing his arms about and grinning.

Today I put Halloween M&Ms in my candy jar. It's a very exciting day. Weeeeee!

Doors & a Cat in a Box

Our weekend was pretty much filled with football viewing, lots of food, Tim's birthday celebration, Matt & Ava playtime, and a little Halo 3. I need A LOT of practice on that latter one. Ugh. But anyway...it was nice having Steven home and not having any real plans at all.

The other night we had dinner over at the Rener's and the kids were running around in the backyard. Tim decided to show them how to do a "somersault" or a forward roll as I like to call it. Ava took to it immediately, and it was hilarious to watch. She put her hands and 95th percentile head on the ground and flipped right over like it was no big deal. And thus repeated her new trick over and over again. Matt stood there puzzled for a while and I asked him if he wanted some help learning how to do it. Nodding yes, he toddled over to me and sat in my lap and then arched his back falling backward over me...not understanding that the point is to go forward, not backward. Quite a sight. I finally was able to wrench his body into the proper position and motion of the forward roll, and he thought it was fun but wasn't keen on doing it again. He was more content to run up and down the hill while Tim & Ava rolled all over the place.

Yesterday was grocery day. We have a lot of those it seems. Matt played with all the groceries when we got home like he usually does but then turned his attention to the door to the laundry room. He worked on that doorknob until he had it all figured out. Then he proceeded to open and close the door with the cutest devilish grin on his face all while whispering, "no." I'm surprised it's taken him this long to master the doorknob. I really don't want to have to buy those doorknob covers, but I see them in my future.

Once Steven got home from work yesterday we had a nice time playing in Matt's room. Even the cat joined us. Matt wanted to play with his big box of diapers, and once he had emptied its contents the cat jumped inside. We closed him up in there and then started dangling things at him through the hole in the side. Matt got the idea and then took over for us giggling at the swatting paw poking out through the box. Did he get scratched? Not in that particular instance. Earlier that morning Moses swatted at him while Matt was playing with his collar and pointing to the kitty's nose. Matt immediately came and showed me what the cat had done. So offended of course.

Today is housecleaning and applauding my husband as he fixes our leaky toilet. Go Steven!!! Handy and handsome. I'm the luckiest girl ever.

Matt's Fan Club

Although this picture was taken last week when I had to wake Matt up from his 3+ hour slumber, this is where the boy is right now as I type. That kid is a sleepin' fool and I am so grateful!! He looks so big in that bed...and the chubby, white thighs only add to the cuteness. It looks like he needs a pillow, huh? Not that it would end up under his head after all his tossing and turning.

Today after Bible study I went to pick up Matthew in childcare, and the workers were just raving over what a sweet boy he is. They are always SO excited to see Matt when I drop him off. "Hi Matthew, it's so good to see you today & you look so handsome...he's so sweet and snuggly." One lady I swear is going to steal him. She always asks Matthew if he wants to go home with her. She said to me today, "I was saying to someone earlier that if I was Matthew's mom I'd have 10 more kids because he is such a sweetheart!!" Wow, is she deceived! I know that Matthew is a precious boy, but he also has his push-mommy's-buttons side that he saves for only me. And how sweet of her to think that I would even consider an entire litter of children! My personality can't handle that. Another funny part of this is that my mother used to tell me that all my teachers would tell her they'd love to have a room full of Tricias because I was such an amicable child. She always thought that was so funny. It will be interesting to see if Matt's teachers through the years will feel the same. Some how I think not!

And this is a picture of Matthew and his puppy. Puppy's batteries have truly been exercised the past couple of weeks because Matt has been pushing all his buttons rather frequently. There's certain songs that Puppy sings that Matt likes to hear over and over. He likes "If You're Happy and You Know It", "ABC's", and "Head, Shoulders, Knees & Toes." Doing the arm motions on that last one with him is pretty hysterical. Puppy says, "hug me!" (which is kinda creepy...) and here you can see Matt giving Puppy an enthusiastic embrace. I just love that he got this puppy as a gift when he was born and is just now developing a love relationship with it. It's entertaining to watch even though the repetition of the cringingly cheesy songs is irritating. Hey, it keeps him busy!! I can't complain.

Hamptonville

Our poor Longhorns...they put up a good fight and hung in there for longer than many of us expected them to, but it's still painful to see them lose to the Sooners. Stoops is still poops though for sure. Despite the outcome of the game we had a great time at the Hampton State Fair. John & Alicia always put on an awesome TX/OU gameday party complete with corn dogs. Matthew loved playing with all of Tyler's toys and going from one room to the other discovering the many things that he could get his hands on. He was so entertained that he could have cared less where I was, it was awesome! That way I could pout along with everyone else while watching the game. At one point I tip-toed down the hall to Tyler's room to see what those kids were up to, and they were slowly destroying it. Tyler's toy chest had basically been emptied of its contents.

Matt also loved Tyler's slide he had outside, and his cat Tex. Matt & Ava chased the cat around the yard for a long time until poor Tex, tired of the high pitched "kitty!!" squeals leaped on top of the fence to escape further torture. The toddlers were disappointed to say the least. Thanks Hamptons for all the fun, food and for letting our kids rampage your house!

Sunday we showered Alicia and her soon to be born baby boy, Ryan, with all kinds of necessities and other goodies. Zach was a dear and volunteered to watch Matt for me while I was at the shower and since Steven was working. The kids and daddies were all over at the Hampton's while the ladies were at the shower. I came back and Matt came running in my general direction saying, "Mommy!!!!" and I squatted to give him a hug but he then turned and ran over to jump into Zach's lap and cuddle with him. Uncle Zach is awesome, yeah, yeah... It was pretty funny.

Matt's been on another sleep/eating spree. Pretty much everyday last week he was enjoying 3 hour naps and meals that would never end. I seriously had to cut him off at lunch yesterday. He kept clearing off his plate and I kept giving him more until 30 minutes later he'd nearly cleaned out the fridge & pantry of their sad, remaining contents. We went to HEB that afternoon. This picture is from another day when I asked him if he would try some broccoli. My attempts in the past have been whole-heartedly rejected. I put it on his tray and he said, "try brockee!" and laughed. He held it up to his mouth and then put it down. Another triumphant "try brockee!" and he took a bite. I think he thought that the name of broccoli was "try broccoli", and he thought it was hysterical and so repeated it as he took tiny little bites of the little trees. And so now when he's gotten in his high chair lately he'll ask, "try brockee?" He's such a little clown. And SO much like his daddy.

Bounce With Me

Lately, Matthew has been enjoying the fun that is the stereo out on the back patio. At first he was satisfied with just pushing the buttons and opening and closing the tape deck, but now he wants it on so he can listen to music and change the radio stations. Oh, and adjust the volume of course. The other afternoon we were all out there and Matt decided to test out his moves to the various kinds of music as he channel surfed. Unfortunately, we didn't get the camera rolling until he was basically done with his performance, but you'll get the gist. I like that he says, "good job" when he's done and "music off".

The best part is that I've seen his daddy dance in a very similar fashion. Enjoy.

NRA Poster Boys

Saturday Steven was able to finally quench his longing desire to trample around vast amounts of acreage while taking aim at whatever critters crossed his path. My father-in-law's brother has some beautiful land with a vast pecan orchard out in Goldthwaite, about 2 hours northwest of Austin. Early Saturday morning Steven loaded up with Ken, Tim & Zach for a day of shooting guns and hopefully not injuring each other. And what did the girls do while the boys scampered in the great outdoors? Well, Joy & Ava came over that morning and we took the kids on a walk and then to the park. They had a grand time as usual. After lunch Joyce came over to watch Matthew while Pam & I went to get a luxurious pedicure...so nice. I then made a quick trip to HEB and came home to find Joy rooting on the Longhorns while Matt & Ava were playing with Joyce in Matt's room. Matthew's current favorite activity with Ava is playing in the bed. It's all innocent now, but we're all wondering at what point we'll have to put an end to it. They dance, bounce, run around, etc. in that crib and just giggle like mad. It's pretty funny.

About 7:00 that evening the men returned with tales of their trip and a bit of a gamey odor if you know what I mean. And somehow I got elected to prepare the dove meat that they gathered. I went into my kitchen and sitting in my sink was a Dunkin' Donuts bag containing dove breasts (cleaned, thankfully...no feathers or guts). I wasn't really sure how to react. I asked Steven to clean them and place them in a freezer bag, and as he was washing one he said, "hmm...this one might have a bullet in it." Good grief. So, I've got dove meat in my freezer. It sounds like they all had a great time and an experience that they'd like to enjoy again.

Yesterday morning at breakfast Matthew was sitting in his booster seat at the table like he has been for several days now. He likes to prop his feet up on one of the boards under the table and precariously lean back in his chair. We knew that it was only a matter of time before he tumped over. Well, that morning he did. Steven & I both saw it happen. He fell straight back and his head hit the back door to the porch with a huge thud as the chair touched the ground. It was a frightening sight, and he screamed horrifically. I think he must have been more scared than anything because he recovered pretty quickly and didn't act like he was in any pain. I was expecting a huge knot to appear on the back of his head, but it never did. We dosed him up on pain killers anyway though. I was holding him as his sobs were subsiding and he said, "fall down...(sniff, sniff)... chair" and pointed to it. But, today he was right back to the same thing. I thought that his fall might teach him a lesson. How foolish of me! Now we've situated his chair at the head of the table where there's no board for his little feet to touch. Tonight, I look forward to sweet victory as my fantasy football team will hopefully defeat my husband's team. C'mon Carson Palmer...don't let me down. Go Juggienauts!!!!