Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Day Steven & I tried out something new. We did the Turkey Trot for the first time that morning, and it was a very enjoyable experience. We are not runners by any means, so we were glad to find out that most of our fellow Austinites on the race with us weren't either. So, we enjoyed our 5 mile jog/walk around the UT campus. It was a beautiful morning. Yes, Will was in his Halloween costume. It was the warmest thing I had for him! The boys both did really well. Matt only asked to get out once and walk and that lasted all of 2 minutes and he was back in the stroller. He was happy to sit in the stroller and gorge on snacks. Will slept and then peacefully looked around and clapped. Steven & I were very glad we did it; not only did the exercise feel good but it was all for a good cause as well. I think we may have a new tradition on our hands.After we got cleaned up we headed out to Bryan & Sarah's house for Thanksgiving dinner. Sarah's parents were there and Zach & Joy joined us as well. Sarah made a beautiful meal that was so delicious and we enjoyed it all evening.The kids thoroughly enjoyed playing with each other as usual. Matt & Caroline chased the bunnies around in the back yard for a long time. He loves them. I'm glad he can go visit them at their house. Matt did pretty well hanging with all those girls. It gets a little sketchy for him once they get out the dress up clothes and play princess or baby. At one point I know there was a wand fight in the back yard. I think Matt was the target. I'm thankful that boy is easy-going. He will be thankful when Will gets bigger and little Henry gets into the mix.Ava put on some very impressive performances in the living room. She likes to sing her own songs that she conjures up in her head complete with arm movements and twirls. Naturally, Matt didn't want to join in but he did his best to irritate her and get in her way. Her stage was centered around the ottoman and he kept moving it or sitting on it. She was annoyed to say the least. It was comical.While we were stressing over the UT game the kids watched a few movies upstairs. They were so cute all cuddled up together. I miss seeing Audrey's sweet face in that mix of cousins.
Our Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was a really nice day with our friends and family. I am thankful for all the amazing people that God has placed in my life. I am so blessed!

Festivities

Friday at Matt's preschool they had a Thanksgiving feast complete with a small program of the children singing, or shouting a few songs. I think maybe the performer has come out in Matthew just a little bit now. In past events similar to this he has just stood there and wiggled around but not sung or done the dance moves. This year he gets it. And I love it. I'm still working on uploading a video I shot of it. Hopefully I can get it to work out. Cuz' it's funny, y'all.Saturday morning we got to celebrate Ava's 4th birthday at her house with lots of her family and friends. Joy made all manner of delicious breakfast foods, coffee and hot chocolate. Matt was most excited to gobble up a chocolate iced donut with sprinkles. Then, there was a game centered around donuts. That's a game that a guy like Matt can hang with. And excel at. The kids were instructed to eat their donuts without using their hands. It proved impossible for this 8 and under crowd, so everyone resorted to holding onto the string above and then munching. Matt was an animal. He destroyed that thing.Will of course was spoiled and got handed from one set of loving arms to the next. That boy seriously made the rounds. He even got second breakfast from Rachel. I'm pretty sure he polished off whatever was on her plate. It was soggy and wet outside so we had the pinata beating in the garage. That made it extra fabulous! Ay, ay, ay! Ava's cousin, Cole, was the one to finally finish it off. Matt is still not a natural athlete. Bless his heart. But, the boy can knock out a beat on the drum set! Heh.After that fun we all gathered round and sang to Miss Ava and enjoyed some wonderful birthday cake. It was a sugar-filled morning and a great party. I can't believe these kids are 4!In other news, my dear, darling husband shot an 8 point last Thursday. He's so proud. And our freezer is about to be bursting with deer meat. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Chuck

Staying with tradition, Joy & I took Matt & Ava to Chuck E. Cheese this morning to celebrate their birthdays. I didn't even tell Matt about it until this morning. He was beside himself with excitement but was able to patiently wait out the morning until it was time to go.Matt was definitely more interested in the games this year. In the past he has spent most of the time on the playscape, but this time around he liked the little rides and the games. I love his face in this one...too cute!Matt got plenty of tickets to get a fancier prize but all he really wanted was taffy and a lollipop. I had to pull his arm to get him to pick out something more. He ate the taffy right on the spot. The kids were really cute. They happily played until their tokens were out, we got their prizes and then left. They had a blast. See you next year, Chuck!

These two

Matthew has decided recently that William can be fun to play with. He's watched Will scoot his way into the kitchen and pull out food from the pantry shelves. He also watched Will open the bathroom drawers and pull out all manner of soaps and toiletries. Those of course are all items that Matt has found fun to play with over his 4 years. The other day they were both in the bathroom together and Matt kept pulling out more things for Will to look at. He did a good job of separating out the no-no's like nail clippers and sunscreen. They happily played in there for a long time. The kitchen is the same way. Will gleefully mouths anything that Matt hands him, and Matthew has a ball hand selecting items for him to play with. He'll also open up Will's snacks and sprinkle some on the floor for him. William, of course, adores anything his brother does. Will started crawling away at one point and Matt said, "Wait, Will come back!" That was funny to hear because in the past few weeks he's not been very happy with his little brother getting into his Halloween candy or messing with his new toys. I think he may be having a change of heart. Makes a mom happy.We have really been loving this cool, sunny weather. We've been through our first jug of apple cider already. We've got a great week to look forward to: Matt's Thanksgiving feast at preschool, Ava's birthday party and Longhorn football!!!

Spoilage

Wow. Let the celebrations continue! So, Matt's actual birthday was Monday and we couldn't ignore it even though we'd already thrown a big party for him. It was also a preschool day, so I took the remaining birthday cupcakes up to his classroom that morning for him to share with his school friends. He told me everyone sang him happy birthday and that the cupcakes were really yummy.After Matt's nap that afternoon we decided to take him to the toy store since we still hadn't gotten him a birthday gift. I know, as if a birthday party with a bounce his house isn't enough. He ran all over the place and played with all manner of things. He finally landed on a really cool cement truck. We found out that you can put dry pinto beans into the drum and they "mix" as you turn the crank and then pour out the chute when you turn the crank the opposite way. Matt has LOVED it. He does not love it though when his brother touches it. At all.After that we met up with Steven's folks and Tim & Pam at Phil's Icehouse for some tasty burgers, or corn dog if you're Matt. Before dinner there was lots of play. The men tried their best at shuffleboard. Matt only hit me once in the head with that huge pole. I consider myself lucky. William got his first taste of hamburgers and sweet potato fries. He liked it! So much so that Steven nor I could shovel food into his face fast enough. Then sweet, lovely, awesome Pam treated us all to ice cream. Thanks, Pam! You're the best. Matt's choice: vanilla with gummy bears. Mine: vanilla with junior mints. Yum!! Will began to squwak as he saw us all shoveling deliciousness into our mouths, so I had to share some with him. Again, I couldn't spoon it into his mouth fast enough. He was a little peeved when I ran out. It was then time to come home for bedtime. What a day!Today I took the kids to Central Market. First of all, I LOVE that place and it makes me happy just to walk around there. But, as we were checking out I happened to pick a register where the cashier recognized us. She was remarking how she hadn't seen us in awhile and how Matt had gotten so big. She asked if Matt had had a birthday since she had last him. Matt grinned really big, held up three fingers and said, "I've had three birthdays!!" The lady and all those behind us cracked up. And what a true statement that was--Friday when my Dad & Ann were here, Saturday was his party, and Monday was his real birthday. Man, no one loves that child.

He's 4!

Matthew Thomas is 4 years old! Crazy. I remember holding him in the hospital feeling such intense love for him immediately and at the same time wondering how in the world I was supposed to take care of this hungry, huge bundle. We've been celebrating Matt's birthday for a few days now. It began on Friday when Dad & Ann drove up to visit with us. They brought Matt (and the rest of us!) a cupcake and gifts and we had a little birthday celebration.Knowing Matt's love of maps and roads they gave him this awesome rug that features all the states and several interstates. He loves it! His cars have ridden all over those roads already. We had a great time with Poppi & Grann and were sad to see them go.Saturday was the big party day. The bounce house was delivered that morning, and Matt sat at the back door and stared as they set it up. It had a slide attached to it so it led to hours and hours of fun.I don't know of any real injuries, thank goodness, but I do know that I found a few new bruises on Matt's legs and arms the next day! There were lots and lots of kids bouncing around in there, so it's bound to happen. Matt did come and tattle on one of his friends quite a few times that wouldn't stop tackling him. He was a dirty, sweaty mess by the end of it all. He was having a blast.For lunch we had some awesomely delicious Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets and sandwiches with fruit, veggies and all of Matt's favorite chips and dips. He requested a Curious George cake, so I did my best to comply. I must admit it's not my finest work...it was probably the toughest cake I've had to decorate, but it certainly tasted great.Once again, Matt grinned all throughout the singing of happy birthday. He did sing along a bit at first, but then sat back and soaked it all in. The kids ate cake and then bounced some more. People then began to leave in order to catch a nap for their worn out children (you're welcome!). We bounced some ourselves and watched the end of the UT game.Matt got to open his presents and was showered with all kinds of things that move, books, robots, Yo Gabba Gabba paraphenalia, etc. He had lots of help from Ava & Josh who were still hanging out with us. This year Matt knew that the cards said Happy Birthday Matthew and could read it. Hilarious.Our fatal mistake may have been missing naptime that day, but we decided to keep bouncing and power through the meltdown. He only had one fit where he was denied a second helping of cake and then when he was disagreeable about taking a family picture. Steven wrestled him into submission!It was a wonderful, fun day and I know Matthew loved every minute of it. He is adored by so many! What an incredible blessing that boy is. God has given us an unbelievable gift in that child. He has brought us such joy in his 4 years, we can't imagine life without him. He has such a happy, easy-going personality and loves, loves the company of others. He still lets me snuggle him every now and then so I feel like he hasn't grown up too much yet! Happy Birthday Matthew!

Halloween

Thursday afternoon while Steven was home we found the time to carve our pumpkin. Matthew helped for all of 5 minutes and then lost interest. He liked scooping out the seeds but didn't have the patience to sit and wait for his daddy to carve out his masterpiece. Steven's artistic prowess shined once again, and he carved a good looking jack o' lantern that Matt decided to name Thick. I think first it was Thickee and then he shortened it to Thick.Thick ate dinner with us every night for a few days until he started to stink a little. Matt asked if we would still have Thick for his birthday and the reply was no. Thick went outside this morning to be sacrificed to the squirrels. Good luck, Thick.Saturday morning we got to celebrate Brooke's 3rd birthday. It also happened to be a costume party, so the kids got to break out their Halloween costumes. It was a beautiful day and was perfect for all the fun outdoor activities that Holly had arranged. There were even some toys out for the wee ones. Will loved it.When it came time to open gifts Matt sat in Travis's lap and watched girly gift after girly gift be opened. He certainly wasn't lunging forward to get his hands on any of them. It was a great party! We came home after that with the intention of letting the kids get a nap in before the evening's festivities. It took Matt a long time to settle down but he finally fell asleep. Thank goodness he did...he needed that energy.Once everyone was awake we headed out to Bryan & Sarah's house. They had a HUGE party going on there. Kids everywhere. Will was afraid of some of the costumes--his little face wrinkled up and the tears started to flow. Matt ran all over the place with all the other kids and had a grand time. Here's Will and his cousin, Mary Claire.We even got a family portrait!Matt was dying to go trick or treating. He was asking all night when it was time to go trick or treating. Once the sun went down we all headed out. Matt was all over it this year. He knew exactly what to do and wouldn't let anyone get in his way. He was out to get as much candy as he could--I think he would have visited every house in the whole neighborhood if we'd let him. He was literally sprinting from house to house. We were in a pack of bigger kids, too, and he was doing his best to stay at the front. He'd elbow his way to the front of the group once they reached a house. It was hilarious. The kid is serious about candy. With all that running he was sweating underneath that monkey costume but he didn't seem to care. Thankfully it was a cool evening. He did well saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" but wasn't entirely consistent. It was so funny watching him. At one point we broke away from the herd to visit this house with the blow up ghost. All night I couldn't help but think how big he is now. He was running up to these stranger's houses by himself and ringing their doorbells and asking for candy. Will stayed behind at the house with Tim and Pam and entertained them I'm sure! When we finally made it back Matt had a full pumpkin bucket of candy. We came home and put the kids down (who were both glad to see their beds) and the rest of us stayed up to watch Texas beat OK state. It was a great, great day. I can't wait to see what Will thinks of it all next year when he gets to get his hands on some of that candy!