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.

Christmas in Sacramento

For Christmas this year, we joined my mom's side of the family out in California. It was quite an adventure with a 4 hour plane ride out to Sacramento. Nick and I spent the entire time preventing Matt from exploring the two ladies in front of us. To be fair to him, what toddler wouldn't want to reach out and grab a Santa hat or two? They were also conveniently leaned back in their chairs, practically in our laps! It was an interesting flight.

We made it to Sacramento and off we went to visit friends and relatives. We saw my good friend Kerri and her family.

Then, that night it was off to see our old friends Christina & Matt. We got to meet their son Grayson and visit with their 4 year old Balin. It was great to see them and see the boys playing together!


The next night was Christmas Eve and we went to Kathy & David's house for a large family gathering that is always full of fun! Matt was a bit tired by that evening as you can see in the pictures! He wasn't quite his usual photogenic self that night, but he made it through, playing a bit before heading off to another slumber started in the pack 'n play.

Matt & his daddy!Matt & his mommy! Matt was trying to escape this shot!

A quick family photo before Matt crawled away!

Here we are with Matt's Great Grandmother! He was immediately drawn to her when he met her, reaching out from his daddy's grasp to hug her. This picture was a few days later, and things were a bit crazier as our Sacramento visit unfolded. I believe bedtime was about 5 minutes after this picture!

All in all, Matt was a trooper! He survived two 4 hour flights, visits to 6 different households, and his first nights being interrupted from sleeping in one pack 'n play only to travel home in a carseat to lay in yet another pack 'n play to finish his night. It was wonderful to see everyone, but we are glad to be settling in at home again.

Thanksgiving in Dallas

We headed up to Dallas for Thanksgiving with my dad & stepmother and my brother and his family. It was a good visit, although short and tummy filling! Matt had a good time playing with his cousins. Well, he really just played near them and took a good long nap between meals!

Here's Matt with his favorite guy in the whole world! Mine too!

Matt and his cousins, Ethan, Chase, Blake, and Grace. We blinded them with the sun before taking this picture, so unfortunately there are only about 7 eyes open in the bunch!

A family photo on a windy and sunny day.

This time we joined in the picture with my brother Steve, his wife Kim, my dad, and the kids. This time, the kids can see!

Matt got to celebrate his birthday again, thanks to my stepmother Debbie. She got him a cake and everything! He was a bit tired after a trip to feed the ducks and the family photo shoot, but he was a trooper!

See, he managed to muster up the strength to try icing again! I think he remembered how much he liked it last week.

After birthday cake and a Thanksgiving feast, Matt needed a good dip in the tub! On the way out of town, we stopped off at Lisa & Todd's house to meet baby Joshua! He's such a cutie! Lisa and I met in the first grade. Boy has it been a long time! Can't believe we're all grown up with kids now. Seems like just yesterday the boys all had cooties, right Lisa?

Matt's 1st Birthday party!

Matt's birthday party was so much fun this weekend! He was quite the trooper and we are so thankful to all that were involved in his big day.

I tried my hand at decorating the cakes for his first birthday. Here's how they turned out.

Open flame + sugar = danger! We had to blow it out fast!

Here's his first bite of icing. As you'll see, it was over from that first bite!

He is so sweet, he is sharing his cake with his nana.

Clapping over the excitment of a sugar rush!

Amazingly enough, he took his afternoon nap, as scheduled. He also went to bed that night at his regular time and slept all night. I don't know how, after devouring about 1/3 of his cake! We sure got lucky.

Watch his video as he discovers cake for the first time.

Lew (March 31, 1993 - November 10, 2006)

Friday, November 10, 2006 marked a sad day in our lives, when Lew, our trusted companion of nearly 14 years, passed on. He was a true friend who will never be forgotten and will forever remain in our hearts.

Independence at its best!

Matt discovers yogurt! He pretty much stole the container out of my hands, and within minutes poor Lew, our dog, had it all over his head. Matt was a mess too!

He's so proud of his yogurt mess!

Here he is drinking from his pumpkin cup on Halloween. His nana sent him that! He loved it, and the yogurt he spread all over his face before that too!

He sure does like to feed himself! Unfortunately, we have to shovel as much into him before he decides we are no longer allowed. Otherwise, much of it ends up on his face and his tray, not to mention on Lew!

He is learning the art of scooping. Unfortunately, he has learned the art of dumping, so there's not usually much left to scoop!

Halloween fun!

We dressed up at work and the kids from the daycare went trick-or-treating around the clinic, so Matt & I were able to get a picture together! He was roasting and couldn't wait to be out of his costume! He was a trooper, though there were no smiles caught on camera.

After a very eventful day for a holiday he doesn't understand yet, we took it easy at home. I tortured him a bit by putting Peter Pan's hat on him! He tried to pretend like he didn't notice.

I think he noticed now!

He's become quite the drooler this week. I just discovered he's getting his 5th tooth! No wonder he suddenly squeals like someone's pinching him!