Water play!

Matt has so much fun in the bathtub. He is learning the concept of blowing bubbles in the water, but at this point has more fun watching and laughing at me doing it than trying himself.

Matt had bath time with his daddy one night, and the next night with me he was driving around his speedboat in the bath with sound effects and everything!

Our little ham, again! He just makes the cheesiest grins for the camera these days!

Matt's old standby is an Oscar the Grouch toy I have had for years from work. He comes with water sensitive spots on him in the shape of garbage (like banana peels and spots of dirt). They wash off with exposure to the water. Matt doesn't try to bathe him yet, but he sure loves to put him in and pull him out of the container and play with the "trash can" as well.

Where's Oscar?

I bet he's inside!

There he is!

Oscar and Matt get all lathered up!

One of Matt's favorite parts of his day is story time in the rocking chair! When Nick's at home, I sit and watch them read their story together. Only these days, Matt is requesting more than one reading, or more than one book. This is one of my favorite parts of the day too!

Picasso in the making

Matt plays with markers at daycare, so we figured we'd try a bit of artistry with markers at home. Good thing we used washable markers! He had lots of fun decorating himself. Surprisingly, he got lots on the paper too!

Playing outside!

Tonight may have signaled the end of outside evening playtime for now because of the beginning of mosquito season! We have had a blast outside with Matt so far this season and can't wait until it's time to swim our afternoons away out back. Here are some pics and videos from the last few days.

Matt goes to get the big bin of bubbles I keep for such occasions. But the bubbles were no match for his mommy's straw cup. He had a little fun feeding himself applesauce before we came outside. We tried on a new hairdo as well! He was plenty wet and sticky by bathtime!

Matt loves to play in the puddles and boy does our yard have some spots where he can play! He stomps through the water, listening to the splashing sounds he can make. He just loves it.

Matt and his daddy walk through the yard, examining the grass along the way!

Matt runs by the camera for a quick photo!

He's on to bigger and better things!

Beans, beans, they're good for your heart!

Matt really loves beans, especially black beans. I ran a few errands after work yesterday and he was a bit late eating dinner. He was cranky and a little upset with me until I put the beans on his tray. Needless to say, I think he cheered up!

Here he is "saying" cheese! It's really just a cheesy grin in response to the camera being in his face AGAIN. He's such a good participant in our Mommy & Matt photo sessions.

Reaching out for the camera while covered in beans of any kind is not cool! The photo session was over at this point. I stripped him down and started the bath right away!

Playing a little b-ball!

Target got us a few times this shopping trip. Although this was really bought for Daddy, Matt and I figured out a place where Matt could practice some basketball at his own level.

The problem with that was, Matt got a bit confused on which ball he was supposed to use for his new basketball game!

Matt claps and cheers for himself when he stuffs his football into the hoop! Is that 2 points?

After that basket, he had a bit of attitude about the whole game, and wouldn't get the basketball no matter how much I asked! What a rascal!

Outdoor Playtime!

We can't seem to go to Target these days without getting something for Matt! This weekend's purchase was a big dump truck. The weather was beautiful on Sunday, so Matt took his own truck for a ride this time.

He rode up and down the sidewalk about a hundred times!

Do you think he's up to something? Not a chance with that angelic face, right?

Driving Daddy's Truck

Matt had fun playing in Nick's truck this weekend. There's not a lot of gadgets in the truck, but Matt managed to find most of them that were within his reach.

Here he is discovering the horn!

He just wouldn't part with his bubble maker, but it didn't hinder his driving one bit!

What did you say?

"The Privilege of Fatherhood"

Matt's proud daddy put together
an incredible music video
highlighting Matt's first year!
Grab the tissues if you're the least bit
sappy like me!

Playtime at the Bergen's

We went to the first cookout of the season this afternoon at Jeanette & Roon's. Although Matt was exhausted afterward, it looks like he had lots of fun! He was a trooper, resisting the afternoon nap completely. The ride home was a bit loud, with Matt squealing and laughing most of the way back, but he made it without his nap and is now in bed for the night!

Matt discovers that a sand table next to a water table can be quite fun when you're learning your shoveling skills!

Matt gets reaquainted with Abby. It seems that their schedules are always opposite and one of them is always sleeping when we get them together. For a bit, they played together today! Notice the sandy water table! Matt had a part in that!

Luke gets adventurous and joins in the fun. Matt & Abby had a blast splashing in the water!

Matt, Abby & Luke still playing in that sandy water!

Matt Learns the Game of Golf!

We were out running errands today, and Nick spotted a beginner golf set and bought it for Matt. We introduced him to it tonight, and he played all evening with it! I had a tough time talking him into going to bed and not taking his putter with him! Maybe we have a pro in training on our hands??? We have a good last name for it!

Here he is hitting the ball for the first time.

Matt discovers hitting things other than the ball is fun too!


Here's some photos from our morning round of golf. I think he's getting the hang of things! Well, maybe a few things are backwards or aimed at the wall instead of the ball, but he's getting better!

Weekend Visitors

My dad and stepmother were in town for a couple of weekends recently and had some great playtime with Matt! He's a bit of a drooler these days, with at least 2 more teeth emerging! His face was also shiny due to a cold he and I both suffered through the beginning of this week. He's still sleeping with his humidifier on and has an occasional coughing spell at night, but all in all, he's doing great and has smiled through the whole thing. One good side effect has been extra hugs and cuddles for "Mama" and "Dada" while he recovers.

Matt hams it up for the camera again!

*See note below about new "ramming the truck into everyone" game he learned from Nick!

Still running into Granny's knee while Grandpa looks on wondering when it's his turn. Don't worry, he did get a turn!

Matt stops for a pose, but he's on to another target with is new truck!

Oh, and if you can't tell, he LOVES trucks! He especially loves the trick his daddy taught him. He rams the truck into you and then expects a big dramatic reaction so he can laugh! He has even started naming his target as he comes charging at me down the hall saying, "mama, mama" and smiling at me! The things boys learn from their daddy!

What a HAM!

Looks like over the last week Matt has discovered his love of the camera.
It apparently doesn't matter if it is still or video.

Here he is showing off his fire truck puzzle.

Look closely at that cheesy grin... there are now 8 teeth!

Another cheesy smile while playing his water drum in the bathtub.

The best is when you capture all of this on "film". We had some fun while playing before bedtime tonight.

Here he is hamming it up for the camera. Notice his George Jefferson impression as he walks holding the purple balls.

Every day Matt plays with all of the different balls he has stored in the basket, and has never had a problem, until tonight!

We have a couple of horns he likes to play, but this new one is his favorite right now. He just won't sit still when he plays. Thank goodness he's getting better at walking. I think he's trying to start a one man marching band! Look at the way he hams it up for the camera once the light turns on! What a silly boy we have on our hands.

Visit to Ohio!

We just got back from a trip to Ohio to see lots of family! We drove all over northwest Ohio, making many stops along the way. We were able to visit with Nick's cousin Eric and his family as well as his Aunt Carlene and Uncle Dave. Nick also got to satisfy his Kewpee hamburger and malt craving while we were there. Matt was an air-travel trooper once again and made it through the four-day adventure with a smile on his face!

The most exciting thing about this trip was that we got to meet family Nick recently found out about and it was a lot of fun getting acquainted and catching up.

Here Matt is posing with his Uncle Shane, who he met for the first time this trip.

Grandpa Marcus looks on as Matt hams it up for the camera with his daddy.

Nick with his sister Kelsey, father Marcus, and brother Shane.

Shane, Nick, and Kelsey

Here's Matt attacking the camera once again!

It was an exhausting weekend for everyone. Matt and Shane caught some shut-eye on the way to the Columbus airport.

Somehow in all of the chaos of taking pictures, Matt's Grandma Karen and I escaped the photos. Maybe next time Karen and I can sneak into a few pictures!

Young Frankenstein

Matt started walking more over the past few days, but tonight he had a night of firsts! He walked across his room for the first time and even learned to stand up on his own! I couldn't believe I caught some of these firsts on video! He's a little unsteady and at times looks like he's having an 80's, running man flashback, but he's definitely walking! I don't think there's any stopping him now. Here you go, our Young Frankenstein!

Young Frankenstein walking

Our tired little walker

More walking & standing up (and falling down to rest)!

Walking the train!

Matt's new favorite thing to do is walking his train up and down the hallway. He just doesn't stop unless we distract him with something else. We thought he would wear himself out, but NO, he just keeps going! He's like the Energizer bunny with that train!

Although he hasn't admitted to walking yet, he will stop with his train when he runs into an obstacle, pick it up, and move it over the obstacle. I guess he doesn't realize he's actually standing up to do all of this. Someday he'll realize it and we won't be able to catch him!

First Steps!!!

This weekend, Matt took his first steps! He started with about 3 to get to me and then about 5 to get to Nick. It was very exciting for all of us! Matt stands so proudly after letting go of whatever stable surface he pulled up on. It's so much fun!

Here he is on camera taking some of his first steps!

He'll be running around before long! YIKES!

Matt's Many Talents

Matt love his playtime up in the loft. He now has tunnels and a tent to go in and out of, as well as a car to use to walk up and down the hall. He also loves playing ball with his daddy. He practices his many talents every day. Here are some videos to catch you up on Matt's latest adventures.

Here he is throwing around the football.
He also likes to play the horn.
He practices walking with his car down the hallway.
But his new favorite thing to do these days is play with his gorilla, Julio.