Bob the Builder!

Matt has a new love for "Bob the Builder". What boy wouldn't love an animated show about tractors, steamrollers, and construction? So, we headed to the Discovery Science Museum for the exhibit on Saturday morning.

Here's Matt driving Muck.

He found Roley the steamroller. He was much more excited than this picture shows. It was tough to catch him on film because he was so excited he didn't stop for very long before he was off to the next thing.

Jonathan was along for the ride and did great the whole time!

Matt discovered many cool things to try out, including imitating other kids.

Climbing in and out of a submarine proved to be fun!

Nick took Matt over to the screen they had set up and here they are on tv. Matt wasn't too sure what to think of this activity. Once Nick put him down he was off and running to the next thing.

He stayed at the rock activity for the most time. They had magnets on the backs so the kids could help build a wall. He just loved the wheelbarrow too!

Outside there was a huge dinosaur the kids could climb and explore. Matt was getting a bit fussy by then, but he managed to explore a bit.

Here's the distant view of the dinosaur.

Happy 4th!

This weekend we had some visitors in town! Our friend Chris came to town with his girlfriend Chivon and we had a great time with them. They took in the beach on Friday morning while we joined in the neighborhood barbecue festivities. We joined back up with them for some dinner with our friends the Davis family and Waylon and Matt got some playtime out back.

When Waylon got to the house, Matt was discovering his new water guns. Waylon declined one when offered. Shortly after this picture, Waylon grabbed a water gun and the boys began squirting everything!

For two boys who are usually hams for the camera, these two look quite confused.

Matt moves in for his usual close up. He loves to look at his picture right after it is taken. What did we do before digital cameras?

Pizza is such a great reward for sharing with your friends.

After the pizza and playtime, the kids got put in bed with their mommies at home with them. Chivon, Chris, Nick & Aaron went to the beach to watch the fireworks. Last year it was a bit foggy so we missed a lot, but this year the skies were clear and they were able to see 3 displays in different areas along the shore.

The next day we all went to the beach so the guys could go surfing. All in all it was a good time for everyone, despite the overcast skies, cool water, and Nick's surfing injury. I guess we're not as young as we used to be!

Here's the pre-injury ride out to the surf.

Matt decided to practice his downward dog pose in the sand.


Matt decided to try out surfing in the sand.

More surfing!

Jonathan napped, ate and grinned while laying on the blanket while we were at the beach. He seemed to have a good time as you can see by his toothless grin. At the time, he had a tooth breaking through! What a trooper!

Brotherly Love Part 2

In the mornings, the only way I can seem to get ready without the boys going wild and being out of control is to sit them on the bed and put on one of Matt's favorite tv shows. Jonathan seems to enjoy spending time with Matt so close to him, and he loves watching tv too. Oh well, it keeps my sanity in check.

Matt's Preschool Graduation

Matt has been in the preschool class at my work and has really enjoyed it for the past 2 months. Last week was the last week of their regular school year and they had a week of theme days as well as "graduation" on Thursday.

This was Backwards Day! Matt didn't want his picture taken, can you tell?

Then, there was Luau Day! He was watching the trash truck in the parking lot before we headed into school.

Matt was a bit emotional come Thursday and the graduation ceremony. He still gets emotional with there are group gatherings, especially when the spotlight is on him (or the group he is in)

The long walk into the classroom was priceless.

After that walk into the room, he didn't really change his expression.

After the pledge, the group sang a couple of songs.

Here's Matt getting his diploma from Ms. Jessica. He really does light up when he sees her in the mornings, but you can't tell that here!

Playing in the new pool!

The weather was a bit hot over the weekend and we decided that loading everyone up to go to the pool wasn't always practical. So, we got a plastic pool for those backyard play times! Matt was loving it, but Jonathan was a bit scared about his brother's splashing, so we sat and watched Matt outside the splash zone.

Forever the goofball!

Bath toys work in the pool too! Matt went fishing once he got in the pool.

More fishing!

Matt recently discovered that saying "cheese" while taking pictures can be quite fun and entertaining!

CHEESE!

Jonathan was just chilling with Mommy on the mat and playing.

If you need a good laugh, just pull up this picture! It cracks me up every time! I'm sure he'll love that picture years from now.

He's so excited when Matt's around. Just look at him watching his big brother.

6 months solid!

Jonathan is now 6 months old and I can't believe where the time has gone! We had his well child check up on Friday and boy is he big! He is now 27.75 inches long (90th percentile), 19 pounds 5 ounces (80th percentile), and his head circumference is in the 97th percentile! Looking back at Matt's stats at 6 months, Jonathan is 1/4" shorter and a whole pound heavier.

We have made a lot of growth in other areas recently. Jonathan just started to find some consonants, finally! His vowels are getting a bit loud these days and we can't wait for a bit more da da, ba ba, and ma ma. He is still not a big fan of tummy time, but we are powering through it and get a bit of propping on his elbows. He is now sitting up by himself and loving it. We have to make sure he has some padding around him, just in case, but he's doing better each day.

We have had such different experiences with Jonathan compared to Matt, especially when it comes to sleeping. We have been rocking Jonathan to sleep all this time, but he's fighting it recently and also spitting out and playing with the pacifier. With the old ways thrown aside, we started to let him cry and figure things out for himself. He is doing well, decreasing the cries and increasing the babbling and sighs between them each night. He even soothed himself into his nap today at daycare! We're on our way!

He started solid foods about a month ago and has worked his way up to 3 meals a day this week. He seems to enjoy it more than I ever imagined. He was getting a bit jealous at mealtimes and staring at our food as if he wanted some for himself, so we started the rice cereal and went from there. You can see he is enjoying the food, and sitting in his big boy chair to eat!

Father's Day

The week before Father's Day, my dad and stepmother came through town for a visit with me and the boys. It was a much needed visit for all of us. It gave me a bit of Matt & Mommy playtime and also gave me some relief while Jonathan began a monster teething week. No teeth poking through yet, but he seems to be drooling like crazy and chewing on anything he can get a hold of these days!

Grandpa and Matt took a rest break from the playground for refreshments.

Matt gave Grandpa his Father's Day present.

Matt's not so cooperative with group shots these days. He was running around the yard. I bet you can't figure out where he was running (just look at Jonathan).

I stole Jonathan's attention for this picture.

Matt stayed in the general vicinity for this one, but didn't look happy about it.

I tried again, but still no smile.

Granny chased Matt around the bases after he hit the ball right to her. His love of playing baseball is growing everyday and he now understands running bases.

Matt turned the tables and chased Grandpa around the bases this time.

Matt just runs around with a smile on his face when he plays outside. It's priceless!

Despite Jonathan's baby acne breakout and scratched up face (from his fingernails I can never keep trimmed enough), this is one of my favorite pictures. It just shows the love and enjoyment our two boys have when they are together. Matt's favorite thing to do these days is make Jonathan laugh. It is so much fun to hear them laughing together in the car on our way to and from work. There's not much better than the sound of your children's laughter!

Fight on, Matt!

Matt has gotten even more into USC, if that's possible. He was recently out back playing while Nick had his music playing. The USC fight song came on and this was the result:

Fight On!

Here's what happened after Matt made Nick well up with pride.
Looking for "BIG TRUCKS!"