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!"

Ruth the Great!

Last weekend we made the impulsive decision to drive up to Sacramento to see some family and friends. It was a quick but much needed trip for all of us. We got to see old friends and introduce Jonathan to the family! Matt has been enjoying a show called "Little Bill" and on the show Little Bill has a great grandmother that he calls Alice the Great. In order to explain my grandmother to him, we used that as a reference and it stuck. So now, she's "Ruth the Great"! She blushes every time and it's just too cute!

Matt played at the playground near the first house we owned.

Matt continues to amaze us with his sudden desire to explore on playgrounds. We are both still a bit leery about letting him do it without standby assistance!

One of Matt's favorite things to say these days is "I did it by self!" Such a proud big boy!

My mom met us at the playground for a little playtime with the boys.

Ruth the Great helps Jonathan get to his toy that was just too far to reach.

Matt was playing doctor and taking Ruth the Great's blood pressure one morning during our visit. She was so gracious to let us crash at her house during our last minute visit, it was the least he could do to offer his medical services!

Now he's self medicating. That's never good!

She was able to sneak in a little cuddle time while Matt was playing.

A little cuddle time for Jonathan as well.

More cuddle time for Jonathan. But, this cuddle time ended in a bit of a large accident and everyone involved had to change clothes! It was a full blowout just in time to say goodbye and get on the road headed home. What a way to finish the visit. She says we're welcome back though!

We tried to get Matt in the shot, but he gave a pouty lip and decided to hide his face. Jonathan enjoyed his photo shoot. Maybe he knew what he had in store for Ruth the Great!

Silly boys!

I am in a house full of silly boys, and I love it!

We took Matt back up to the indoor playground last weekend. It was CRAZY in there because the weather was a bit chilly and rainy. Matt was reserved to say the least and ready to go eat a little earlier than planned.

Nick and Matt pose with their drinks. Matt is so proud of his big boy drinks these days and he had posed with me for a shot, so he asked me to "take a picture of me & Daddy, Mommy"!

My other goofy boy poses here during a game of peek-a-boo!

Out Front!

Matt loves to play in the front yard these days. He loves going out there to see what neighborhood kids are out playing.

Sometimes he just amuses himself, like when he waters the plants.

This picture says it all. He is having so much fun these days and makes us smile and laugh every day.

Peek-a-boo!

He's checking out the birds' nest up in our eaves. It's right outside Jonathan's bedroom window and is causing a bit of an uproar at times. Matt was trying to figure out where the big bird kept disappearing to up there.

Nick brought home an airplane a few months ago and Matt is very attached to it. Here he is running around the yard flying his airplane.

This one comes with airplane sounds!

Here's our silly boy! He is really into dancing and singing since he started preschool. It is so fun to see all that he is learning these days.

Nick caught a picture of us playing one of Matt's favorite games, "you can't catch me". He doesn't get the whole concept of backing yourself into a corner yet. That's a good thing!