Keen Up

I love this. Matthew has become more and more of an imitator of what Steven & I (and strangers as well) say and do. It can be all at once hilarious and then scary...because it is a direct reflection of ourselves. It's unbelievable what he picks up on and how his little mind processes things. So this is a photo from yesterday just before lunch when I was running around doing I don't even remember what, and I saw Matt squeezing his arm in the small opening in the child-locked cabinet under the kitchen sink. He pulled out my dobie pad, and I almost went and snatched it but thought better of it and just watched him. He rubbed that scrubber on every square inch of cabinetry, refrigerator, dishwasher, etc. in that kitchen. I tried not to let him know I was watching because that usually ceases any of his imaginative play. He was happily talking to himself, and I heard the occasional sing-songy "keen-up!!" as he was busily cleaning the cabinetry. Once I ran over to take a picture of him he looked at me in anticipation of being chastised I could tell and he gripped harder to the scrubber. I just laughed at him and applauded his cleaning efforts.

He also has some noteworthy phrases as of late that leave me wondering where in the world he picked them up. Okay, some of them I know are from me. But still. It's funny. For example:

"oh goodness!", "hey dude!", "oh man", "oh no guys", "how 'bout" (that one he gets from me...I say that while rifling through his books making a bedtime reading selection), "that's so funny", "stop it!" (that he learned at the gym child care today...thanks, guys), etc. Little parrot.

And then there is one of my favorite times of year; yes I love the holidays of course...but I'm talking about that special time of year when Central Market sends out a coupon for free stuff. I love shopping there anyway, and it's so easy to spend the $40 or $50 they require to qualify for the product advertised on the coupon. Last year I got a very nice Wustof chef's knife (so did a few of you others out there I know!) and some cool salad tongs. And yesterday I just went and got my 3 piece paring knife set! Is it ridiculous that I get excited about "free" kitchen odds and ends? Probably so, but I just love the stuff. And a side note on that particular visit: I got some cashews in the bulk dept. because Matt loves them & I thought he could munch on them while we shopped. I sat the opened container in front of him and he happily munched. We rounded the corner to the dairy section after a few minutes and he laid eyes on the wall of milk. "Meeeyulk!!!" he shouted while twisting his body around so he could point to it and giggle while his sweeping arm sent the container of nuts tumbling to the floor. Ugh. Thankfully, it somehow landed on its bottom, and a bunch of them were in Matt's lap so I was able to salvage most of the nuts. But there I was picking up cashews off the floor of the grocery store while my son worried about all the stray nuts while still exclaiming about the milk, yogurt and coffee creamer in his view. It was an awesome afternoon.

Matthew Funny

Just look at that sweet little boy. Yesterday Matt & I came home from the gym to find Steven in the back yard fighting the on-going battle that is the Leaves. He raked and mulched and vacuumed the whole yard. Matt had fun crunching around in the leaves and posing for the camera. We used to have a tradition in his first year of life where we'd place Matt in front of the tree in the back yard and take his picture every month. Well, we haven't done that since he turned 1. And now that he's 2, this is Matt with his tree:

Matthew does lots of silly things that cracks himself up and he'll giggle & laugh and say, "Ma-moo funny!" Here he is attempting to throw his big ball...and you can probably guess that the ball went backward rather than forward. He loves to flop on top of that ball on his belly and roll around; always tumbling to the floor. He'll kind of bounce a little and then fall off, it's awesome.

And then there's Matt's latest infatuation with Lincoln Logs. We play with them multiple times a day and build lots of cool log cabins. Steven always works hard using all the pieces to make luxury log cabin structures and Matt just comes along and knocks it all down in peals of laughter. He's also enjoying hanging from his crib. He calls it "Ma-moo upside down!" and arches his back with his head tossed back. He thinks it's hilarious.

And then I like this one where he's eating a roll at Ava's party last week. Notice that he's stabbed the entire roll and is taking a large bite. Since Matthew recovered from his stomach bug he's been cramming in the food. The past couple mornings he's woken up saying, "Breakfast!!! Eat!" Normally he runs around a good hour before he's ready to eat in the morning. And now I can't get him to stop eating and begging me for food all day long. This after his 2 year check up at the doctor where we found out he's 33 lbs. (90th percentile!!) and 33 in. (25th percentile). He must be spurting again. As a result, we're headed back to the store today.

Celebrations

Matthew thoroughly enjoyed helping Ava celebrate her 2nd birthday. Ava's biggest and most emphatic request for her birthday was to go to Chuck E. Cheese, so we joined her there on Wed. afternoon. The kids were equally elated and overwhelmed at the sights, sounds and activities around them. Matt's favorite was skee-ball; he kept climbing on it trying to crawl his way up to the top. He liked throwing the balls too. He also liked the playscape that he was really too little for, but I crawled up in there with him. Sometimes it's good to be 4'8". Ava had great success and was awarded hundreds of tickets which landed her some cool prizes to take home. I loved that she wore her crown the whole time. And that she continued to wear it all throughout the weekend. Hilarious.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving over at the Rener's house with Bryan, Sarah and several other Rener-side family members. There were 2 turkeys (one fried, one roasted), numerous delicious sides, and desserts to complete the food coma. Matt slept through the meal, but enjoyed some turkey later that day. He also enjoyed playing with his cousins and all the other adults there. He ran around the yard, drew on the marker board with Ava, ransacked the play room, and put a good dent in Ava's stash of raisins. Sadly, the stomach bug was passed on to the Moran family and some of them were still recovering from it on Thursday. Mary Claire was wiped out. The rest of us watched football and later laughed at each other as we all attempted Guitar Hero.

Friday was Ava's birthday party! Matt loved all the balloons scattered on the floor and seeing what new toys Ava got. Ava enjoys playing games, so Joy headed up a few little kid games that they all could participate in. Matt didn't grasp the rules of duck, duck, goose and didn't understand that he needed to stay seated until deemed the goose...so, he mostly ran around the whole time. He did better with red light, green light though because he had Caroline holding his hand and helping him out. He had a delighted grin on his face the whole time. Ava got a cool new tent for her birthday, and all the kids had fun with it. That's going to provide hours and hours of entertainment. Happy Birthday Ava!!!

Yesterday we helped the Rener's eat some of their massive amount of leftovers and spent the afternoon playing Guitar Hero again. It's addictive, people! Joy's sweet mother and grandmother watched Matt & Ava for us that evening so we could enjoy some shopping at the Domain and a yummy dinner at Carino's. And now I've had so much food this week I feel like I'll never have the need to eat again. And I've got a date with the gym tomorrow. Currently, I'm watching my pitiful fantasy football team crumble under the pressure of the first round of playoffs and anticipating congratulating my foe, Zach. Better luck next year I guess.

The Greatest Loss

I don't even know what to say. And thinking about it just makes the pain sting even more, but I must share with you what I've witnessed this past week. On Wednesday my precious 2 year old niece, Audrey, was killed in a tragic accident involving a vehicle. I won't go into details as to how it happened because it makes me sick and it's unnecessary; just suffice to say that Wednesday was the longest, most terrible day I've yet experienced.

However, I have seen quite a beautiful thing throughout all this tragedy. The body of Christ has truly been at work, and I have witnessed His infinite love and compassion that surpasses all our understanding in the actions and words of His body of believers. I can't even describe to you the scene at Bryan & Sarah's house over the course of the week. People were flooding in and out, bringing armfuls of food, gifts for the girls, flowers & notes, and praying over Bryan & Sarah. It was incredible. And ALL the family on ALL sides gathered together. I've been so proud of both Bryan & Sarah and how they have handled their current circumstance with such grace. The Lord has truly been lifting them up and using them as a powerful witness of His glory. If I may share:

"As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights. He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. You give me your shield of victory, and your right hand sustains me; you stoop down to make me great. You broaden the path beneath me, so that my ankles do not turn." Psalm 18:30-36

There's a site you can go to to see pictures of Audrey and her family and to sign a guest book and leave comments if you desire. http://www.mem.com/Story.aspx?ID=2142434

Audrey brightened our world. We always joked that she was going to be the clown of the family because she just smiled and laughed all the time and made everyone around her laugh. She always said the funniest things. And so loving. Sarah & I exercise out at the Quarries together and would put Matt & Audrey in childcare together; whenever I'd get done and come down to pick up Matt, Audrey would come running over to me and give me a huge hug and kiss even though I was a sweaty mess. She'd say, "Look Matthew! Tricia's here! I help you find your shoes, okay?" She and Matthew were very close, and Matt talked about her all the time. For the longest time he would call all three of the girls Audrey. Being the youngest of 3, Audrey was told what to do quite frequently by her sisters. But, Audrey was able to employ her mothering skills on Matt. She even attempted to pick him up one time that resulted in a big goose egg on Matt's noggin. That girl was a climber, too. I remember watching her in the church nursery and she scaled the changing table in seconds flat; I don't know if she was even 18 mos. then. Watching her sing and dance was a hoot, too. What a ham she was. We put her to bed one night at our house while Bryan & Sarah went out, and I laid beside her in bed until she fell asleep. She scooted over and snuggled up close to me clutching her little blanket and sucking her thumb. It was so sweet to listen as her body relaxed and she finally surrendered to slumber. As the Moran family was leaving Matt's birthday party last Saturday Audrey went around to everyone and gave us all hugs and kisses. She shouted, "good-bye everybody!!!" while waving frantically and being ushered out the door by her parents. That was our last image of her. Audrey Kate was a blessing to us and we'll miss her everyday.

I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers for Bryan & Sarah and our family. Thank you for your notes and cards, and thanks to those who travelled to Austin for the memorial service. It really means so much. Our family has been through so much, and the coming weeks and months are going to prove to be difficult so we covet your continued prayers.

So what has Matthew been up to? Well, he caught a nasty stomach bug that's been floating around. With classic timing, the vomiting began in the car of course. And it only continued. Steven detailed the car seat while I dodged more vomit and cleaned up my sobbing baby boy. He kept saying, "all done, all done! Yucky!" You could tell he was trying his hardest not to puke because he didn't like it. While still strapped in the car just after the expulsion he was saying, "wash hands, wash feet!" And we couldn't help but laugh. Steven is back at work today and I am still cleaning up messes. Hopefully Matt can make it through this nap without losing his lunch. Ugh. Here's Matt with his pedialyte popsicle.

Enter the 2's

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!!! Sorry I've been a little out of the loop, but we've had birthday festivities to plan for and celebrate. Our baby boy turned 2 years old on Friday, and we can hardly believe it. We had his birthday party yesterday evening, and I'm pretty sure Matt had a fantastic time. At moments it was a bit overwhelming for him...you could tell by the bewildered look on his face, but overall I know he thoroughly enjoyed the attention and spectacle of it all.

We had some snacks & watched the kids play inside and outside. They blew bubbles and ran all over the yard and took turns in the swing. Then we watched Matt open his mound of gifts; it really was ridiculous, but boy do we have some fun, new stuff to play with now! Matthew couldn't even keep up with what was being opened. He didn't understand that once he opened one gift there were still more to come. He'd toddle off and start playing with something he'd just opened and I'd have to plead with him to come back and help me open some more. I tell you who I didn't have to plead with for help though...everyone else! All the other little people gathered around me to where I was surrounded, thrusting gift after gift at me while busily ripping open paper and removing tissue paper from bags. It was a frenzy! But, I needed their help because if we'd waited on Matt we'd have been there for hours. He got all kinds of fun stuff: a bowling set, a little xylophone/piano combo, lots of new books, big trucks, a grill that talks, a huge stuffed horse, a Thomas the train, a talking sit & spin (can't wait to see how he likes that!), a John Deere wagon, etc., etc.!!! The boy was spoiled to a huge degree. I don't think he understood it was all for him. Let's just say I'll be putting a few things away to pull out for a later date.

We then came inside for dinner. I fixed some Italian fare for us all since Matt is a pasta lover. I made Matt a cake in the shape of a train. The best is that when he looked at it the day before and the day of his party he'd say, "tractor!" and I'd have to correct him and then he'd say, "choo-choo train!" Too cute. I know he liked it because he kept wanting to look at it and get his hands in it. I also made some red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting...YUM! We all sang happy birthday to Matthew, and it was so fun to watch him grin from ear to ear and scan the whole crowd around him. His little head was on a swivel just admiring all the singing, smiling faces gazing at him. He was eating it up. He kept saying, "blow candle, blow candle!" so we finally did. Then he wanted to do it again. Alas, that is not how it works! He got settled in his high chair and was handed a generous portion of cake which he delicately ate with his fork. He had some serious blue teeth from that frosting, it was awesome.

The crowd began to disperse as out of towners hit the road, and the kids ran around like mad and enjoyed Matt's toys. Matt asked for his blanket finally and once he had it in hand he stumbled around completely exhausted. He rested his head on my shoulder and then lunged toward his bed as I was praying over him and telling him night-night. I'm pretty sure he fell right to sleep. In further honor of Matthew and to keep the party going, we played some Guitar Hero. It was a great day, and one that I'm sure Matt will be talking about for weeks to come.

This picture is from the other day when I was trying to keep Matt busy while I was getting ready. I got all of Steven's hats out of his closet and Matthew enjoyed putting them on me and then on himself. And of course he had to admire himself in the mirror and laugh hysterically. Cutie. I can't believe I have a 2 year old!

Birthday, Babies & Football

We have had a nice weekend. Well, I guess the best we can have without Steven around. He's working, so Matt & I have been entertaining ourselves with all kinds of activities. Yesterday morning we went to Brooke's birthday party and helped her celebrate her 1st year of life. Matt enjoyed checking out all her toys and visiting with their cat. I think Brooke had a good time, too, she was excited about the new toy phone she got and then smearing her cupcake all over herself. Classic.

On the way home Ava fell asleep before we even left their neighborhood, and Matt chatted it up while alternately sucking his thumb. Once home, he racked out for a few hours. The Reners stayed and watched the Longhorn game with me. What a stressful game...and I can't believe we pulled that one out!

At halftime we all went up to the hospital to feast our eyes upon the newest Hampton little boy, Ryan. He's precious! We agreed that he looks a lot like Tyler but not as hairy! Teehee. Just walking through that hospital gave me flashbacks of this time 2 years ago. Matthew has changed so much! It's hard to think that he was once a tiny little newborn because he has morphed into a busy & boisterous toddler. Once again, Matthew did not appreciate me holding the baby. He felt threatened. He whined and said, "hold you Mommy!!" even during Zach's best efforts to entertain him. Welcome baby Ryan, and congratulations John & Alicia & Tyler on your newest addition!

We came home and fed the kids some dinner, and then the Reners headed off to another birthday party; this one of the adult variety. Ava stayed behind with us, and the kids ran circles in the backyard giggling and stumbling. We also enjoyed cracking open pecans that were littered throughout our yard. Ava would stuff her mouth full with pecans to where she couldn't even speak and then bring me more to open and feed her. So funny. She also enjoyed handing Matt rocks while he was in the swing and then pushing him. Matt thought it was fun too.

Exhausted, the kids both went to sleep with a nary a peep. Matthew made it until 7 this morning (new time!) and I was thrilled. Hope tonight will be the same. We look forward to HEB this afternoon and Steven home with us this evening. YAY!!!

Nacho Trick or Treats

Matthew had a great 2nd Halloween. I wasn't sure if he'd tolerate his cape, but Zach grabbed it and tied it around Matt's neck and it worked just fine. Yay! Because really, the cape is the best part.

Matthew posed with Atomic Betty but wasn't too keen on holding her hand. Later, we walked down to one of Zach & Joy's neighbor's houses for a little neighborhood gathering in their backyard. It's always interesting to see what parents pick out for their little ones' costumes. My favorite was probably a little boy who his mom said he was supposed to be dressed as a 70's disco guy, but really looked like a lame rip off of Elvis in the 70's...not to mention the kid refused to wear his wig; go figure! There was also a man there that was dressed as the Man in the Yellow Hat from Curious George, and his son had on a monkey costume. Now, this man had taken the time and effort to spray paint his pants and hat bright yellow (he said it took him 2 nights) and commented that they were somewhat stiff. HA!

I love this picture of the kids on the porch swing holding hands. They're staring into space and could care less that their hands are touching. I love how slouched and relaxed Matt looks and his chubby belly hanging loose. Awesome.

We gathered up a group who was ready to go trick or treating and headed up the street back in the direction of the Rener's house. Matthew was so cute, he'd say "trick or treat!" while walking up to a house but not once the door was opened by its owner. So funny. I loved watching him stand there with his bag in hand and reach out for candy and then put it in his bag. He had no idea why strangers were freely giving him candy at their doorsteps. Thankfully, too, he doesn't really know what candy is yet and therefore didn't demand to eat it all evening. It's the last year for that though I'm sure.

We made it back to the Rener's and had some tasty chili dogs and put our exhausted children to bed. Then we played some Halo and rocked out to Guitar Hero III (Tim's b'day gift)...we're such nerds. But, all the kids that came to their door that night made some kind of comment. My favorite was a little girl of probably 8 years old who said, "is that Guitar Hero I or II?" We replied, "III." She said, "oh wow!" and ran back to her parents waiting in the car. You know she was pleading with her parents to get her the new one so she could be cool like us old folks. Ha!

Matt's on another sleeping binge since we got back from Houston. The other day he'd been sleeping for nearly 3 hours and I heard some chit chat coming from his room. I walked in there and it was all quiet. He was laying down with thumb in mouth, and he then looked up at me and said, "No!!" in this terribly pathetic whine while shaking his head. I asked him if he wasn't quite ready to get up and he didn't reply. I walked out of his room and left his door open and went about my business expecting him to call for me any second. Nope. He slept for 30 more minutes. Yesterday he slept for another nearly 3 hours so we didn't even have time to carve our pumpkin! I guess it will function as a decorative pumpkin this year. And, after yesterday's excitement he slept until 8 this morning. So nice. I know it won't last long though because this weekend is the dreaded daylight savings time change. We'll see how we do.