"Hmmm....it's such a nice sunny day and I just don't know what to do with myself....."

"I saw a chipmunk go down this hole, maybe he'll come out and play with me."

"Well, the chipmunk refused to come out, so I guess I'll water flowers with Mommy."

Fishin' Time

Matthew was very thrilled about his new SpongeBob fishing rod. There is a little Plankton you can put on the end so he can practice reeling in the line. He is actually pretty good at reeling it in and then casting it back out. I bet he'll be fishing in water real soon.

Matthew's Relaxing Day With Mommy, Papa, Nana, and Great Nana

We finally had nice weather again so we decided to take advantage of it (you never know with Syracuse-one day it will be warm and sunny and then the very next day cold and rainy). It was fun to watch Matthew play with his toys on the deck while we soaked up some sun.

Nana was the lucky one this time to play mowers with Matthew. It's not that it's not fun or anything, I love playing with mowers with him, it's just that the mowers weren't made for adults thus when we push them we have to bend in such a way that hurts our backs. But the pain is worth the enjoyment Matthew gets out of playing them.

He loved to run throughout the yard and kick around a ball. He would point out all of the dog poopy and say "yucky" and want someone to clean it up. Maybe he'll take after me and be a neat freak! :)

After spending time outside it was time to come inside to do karaoke; come on-what's as fun as playing outside? Singing along to silly songs of course!

Matthew would dance around with the music and "sing" along to the songs. His singing is really just him making sounds into the microphone, but it was adorable and he did seem to try to go along with the music.

Matthew wanted everybody to have a turn, he is so good at sharing.

He finally convinced me to sing with him. Well, to be truthful, I don't sing at all so I was really just holding the microphone up to my mouth for the picture, but it looks like I'm singing!

Nana was able to have Matthew say the ABC's with her. It was the first time he has said them all the way through. I'm so proud of my little man, he's such a ham!

Singing the ABC's

Matthew's Mower

"Ok Mom, because I have my new favorite mower, I guess I'll mow the lawn for you."

"Whew, it's hard work to mow up a hill."

"Almost done, I actually enjoy mowing the lawn with my new mower, just wait until I put the bubbles in it, then it will be super fun!" :)

Doctor Visit

Matthew had his 2-year old check-up this afternoon. Overall he is doing well and is right on track with his age group (even a little advanced in some areas :) ). He weighs 25 lbs 14 oz, which puts him in the 25% for weight and his height is 32 and 3/4 inches, which puts him in the 10% for height. He is actually the exact same height as he was six months ago, but the doctor wasn't too concerned for his lack of growth but does plan on monitoring him for the next few months. He didn't have to get any shots, however, he did have to have some blood drawn which he did not like one bit! Even now, hours later, he still points to the spot and whines "boo boo". I'm glad he had an overall clean bill of health. This picture was taken right after he had his blood drawn so still wasn't a happy camper.

Catching Some zzzz's

Matthew and I take a walk every day (weather permitting) and this was the first time that he has fallen asleep in his stroller during the walk (not counting when he was an infant). He must still be worn out from all of his birthday excitement!

The Masterpiece

Nana drew this wonderful rendition of Matthew with colored pencils and I thought it was so good that I felt compelled to put it on the blog. It is beautiful in the picture, but if you see it in person you can't describe it with any better word than spectacular. I'm amazed at how anyone could draw something like this just from looking at a photograph. She really has a natural talent! Thank you Nana for such a wonderful piece of art!

Papa and Matthew Being Silly

I just love the way Matthew is laughing while Papa is being silly with him. I will be surprised if Matthew gets tired of tractors or sand anytime soon, he has way too much fun with both...especially when he combines the two.

Happy Second Birthday Matthew!!!!

He's 2! Well, technically his birthday is tomorrow, but we celebrated it today. Everyone had tons of fun, especially Matthew. The only complaint I have is that we weren't able to play outside due to rainy weather-oh, and also that we couldn't have everyone here to help celebrate.

The sand/water table was a huge hit and I know Matthew can't wait to play with it outside where he can also play with the water side of the table. Matthew would "force" people to play in the sand (or mulch as he liked to call it) with him, but of course nobody minded. Papa really played with him a lot, showing Matthew tricks like putting sand into the dump trucks and shoveling the sand around.

Matthew knew just what to do when we held the cake and sang 'Happy Birthday'. He blew out the candle (after 2-3 tries) and then proceeded to take the trucks off the cake which he had been wanting to do all morning.

I think Matt and I had just about as much fun playing in the sand as Matthew did! :)

Hmmm....I wouldn't say that he was spoiled or anything ;)

He is getting so big! Before I know it he is going to be taller than me, where does the time go?!

Great Nana enjoyed watching all of the excitement. She really went above and beyond for Matthew's birthday and we really appreciate it, especially Matthew-he's lucky to have a Great Nana like her.

I was surprised how quickly he caught on to riding his bike. He got right on it, put his feet on the pedals and started to go! He still has some practicing to do, but I'm sure he'll be flying all over the place very soon.

He definitely wore himself out this afternoon-note the glazed look in his eyes like he could fall asleep at any moment.

He quickly got his second (or was it his third?) wind and made silly faces while bouncing on his horse, which is also one of his new favorite toys.

He took breaks from all of the excitement at times and would quietly play with his dump truck to build up more energy for all of the playing. He had fun showing Nana how the truck worked and would make 'vroom vroom' sounds as he pushed it around.

Overall, we all had a wonderful time celebrating Matthew's second birthday. I can't believe it has come and gone, my little baby isn't so little anymore.....but I look forward to all of the new and exciting things he does this next year. Thanks to Papa, Nana, and Great Nana for helping Matthew celebrate his second birthday and making it so special. And again, we really missed everyone who couldn't be here.

Yesterday Matthew discovered his new favorite show-The Wiggles. He sits as if in a trance during the show, only breaking his concentration when he feels motivated to get up and dance along to the music. I've never seen him so focused on a television show before!

Just Chillin'

Matthew still had a high fever this morning so I decided to take him to the doctor's office. The doctor is pretty positive that he has Roseola, a viral infection that most children get at some point. He is doing much better and already has a rash on his back and stomach-which is how they tell it is Roseola and it also means that the fever is breaking and he should be all better in the next day or two. He passed out in his car seat on the way home and is now catching some zzz's on the couch-still holding the rubber glove the doctor gave him. Poor Little Man, at least the worst is over.

Happy Mother's Day

In a way this was my first time celebrating Mother's Day because Matthew and I were out of town last year. Matt and Matthew gave me some beautiful roses that Matthew loved to smell. Poor Matthew has had a high fever since Thursday night so I have stayed home all weekend to nurse him back to health and comfort him. However, Matthew was feeling well enough this evening to enjoy a nice dinner out with Matt, Papa, Nana, Great Nana, and me. Being a Mother is the most rewarding experience for me and I feel so blessed to have Matthew as my son.

Matthew decided that he wanted to get himself dressed this morning. He put in a lot of concentration and effort to put his shirt on. He seemed confused that he couldn't get it to go on with the buttons on the front, but he didn't give up and eventually he put it on right. He was so proud of himself, he jumped up and down and laughed, it was so adorable! I can't believe he is old enough to dress (well, try to dress) himself, where has the time gone?!

Trucks, Trucks, and More Trucks

Matthew's new favorite toys are his Tonka Trucks. He will literally play with them for an hour at a time, pushing them around and digging in the dirt. I have lots of fun with him while he plays with them. He usually insists that I play with whichever truck he isn't using and then when he sees me playing with it he decides that that is the one he wants and gives me the other one, and this goes on for as long as we are playing, it's too cute.

I was playing around with different features on my camera, so the next few pictures look funky.

Fun in the Sun With Jazzy and BB

Matthew has so much fun playing outside with Jazzy and BB. He insists on getting inside their fence so he can be with them. They seem to enjoy having a little playmate.

"Jazzy, come and say hello to me."

"Hey BB, I see you!"

Matthew and BB

Matthew was determined to pet BB and say 'Hi'. He was trying everything he could to get to him, and usually BB will come to Matthew when he calls him, but this time he was busy trying to get something he was looking for. In the end Matthew was finally able to pet BB. Matthew has really grown attached to BB and Jazzy over the past 2 years.

Sticker Time!

Cozy Corner

Matthew decided that his new favorite place to play is under the computer desk. He was perfectly content entertaining himself with his dump truck and humming/talking to himself.