1st trip to the beach

I loved the beach as a kid. So we jumped at the chance to take Matthew when Pop-Pop invited us to go with him and G-ma to Myrtle Beach in mid-May. We were quite excited about Matthew's first trip to the beach. Brian and I discussed all the things we hoped to cram into the long weekend - walking the beach, going on the pier, building sand castles, swimming in the pool, going to to boardwalk.

Matthew's 1st glimpse of the ocean

A visit to the aqauarium topped our list. Matthew loves to look at the fish at Wal-Mart, so we knew he would love a trip to the aquarium.

We felt like it was a little pricey, but once we got in and walked to the first exhibit we realized it was well worth the price of admission. The look on Matthew's face when we walked up to the animatronic T-Rex was one of pure amazement.

We actually had to visit the dinosaurs again on the way out of the aquarium. Matthew enjoyed seeing the big fish and walking through the underwater tunnel.

He tried desparately to touch a sting ray, but his arms were too short.

After we finished in the aquarium we fed some fish off the dock at Broadway at the Beach (and some ducks as well). Matthew gave them all of his goldfish crackers (is it canabilism for fish to eat goldfish crackers?)

After dinner out at Planet Hollywood (deep fried lasagna - need I say more), we went back to the hotel so we could take a walk down to the beach. Matthew was a little tired, but one look at the giant sandbox rejuvenated him.

He ran, jumped and played in the sand. He looked for shells (there were very few). And he walked down to where the waves were breaking on the beach. He got surprised and a little wet when he got too close. We only played for about an hour that evening, thinking we would have plenty of time the next day. A long night of Matthew's cold symptoms intensifying and poor sleep told us that we probably wouldn't cram as much into our long weekend as we had hoped. A morning of shopping at the outlet stores completely wore Matthew out.

He didn't even want to play when we got back to the room. After his nap, he still wasn't up for anything. So we stayed in. That night his fever climbed over 102, so first thing in the morning we drove back home. (A trip to urgent care when we got home revealed a very severe case of croup.) Even though we didn't play nearly as much as we had hoped and the sun didn't come out at all, we still enjoyed Matthew's first trip to the beach. I loved the beach growing up. It is amazing how something you've seen before (the ocean, the sand) or done countless times before (visit an aquarium) take on a whole new meaning when you do them with your child. It is like experiencing things for the first time all over again when you get to do them with your little one.

Family fun

We had a quick trip to Ahoskie so we could take a large (4 generation) family photo with my dad's side of the family. It was a hectic trip (we were there less than 24 hours) but the resulting photos and fun were worth it.

We didn't get a single family photo where every person was looking at the camera (it is hard to coordinate 22 people at once). But we did get quite a few photos that turned out really well.

By the end the kids just wanted to run around, which yielded some good candid shots that I captured while our photographer was taking posed pictures of the grownups.

Moments like these make me wish we were all a little closer so Matthew could play with his cousins more. I have countless childhood memories of riding bikes, baking mud pies and hunting shark's teeth with my cousins. I want that for Matthew.

I also realize how blessed Matthew is to have 5 great grandparents to love him. I can still recall going to my Grandma Katie's house and getting a homemade biscuit out of the basket in the corner kitchen cabinet (the only great grandparent I have memories of). I pray that when Matthew is my age he will be able to lovingly recall each of his great grandparents with specific memories because they all lived long enough for them to be firmly implanted in his mind and heart.

Saturday in the Park

It was as hot as the Fourth of July.

We have been enjoying the weather (even though it is a little hot for my liking). We have made several trips to area parks. Matthew enjoys playing on the slides, swings and jungle gyms.

He likes walking around and looking for bugs, lizards, and other critters.

He most of all likes the sand and mud (just like a little boy).

We braved the crowd and the heat one Saturday morning and went to the park where Brian used to work to check out the new features. Pullen Park is Raleigh's oldest park (I think.) We took a ride on the train.

Matthew rode a little boat all by himself.

We really had fun feeding some baby geese and avoiding the wrath of their protective parents.

Easter

This year for Easter (or Resurrection Sunday as would be a more appropriate title) we were in the Ahoskie area. Matthew got a little fishing pole to celebrate from Me-Ma and Pappy.

Matthew got to experience his first Easter egg hunts this year. He had one at daycare early in the week. He found the most eggs in his class according to Mrs. Katie. We went over to Katrina's house so that Matthew could hunt eggs with Liza, Ethan, Bentley, Candice, Levi and the whole lot of the Stanley crowd that was in Murfreesboro. Of course Matthew acted shy at first, so he wouldn't hunt eggs very well. But he had Uncle Jon-Jon wrapped around his finger and pulling him along in a wagon while Matthew pointed to eggs.

He warmed up finally and played house with Liza and ran around the yard.

On Sunday, he got a chance to hunt eggs with Ayden, Katie and Shelby.

He was much quicker on the hunt this time. All the cousins had a blast.

After finding all the plastic eggs (which was pretty amazing considering how many Heather hid) they ran around the yard with Brian pretending to be super heroes.

I am so glad that Matthew enjoyed hunting eggs with his cousins from both sides. I know that hunting eggs doesn't really fit in with the reason that Christians celebrate the holiday and I will teach Matthew why we celebrate and what the resurrection means. But some of my fondest memories from childhood are hunting Easter eggs with my cousins, hiding Easter eggs for my younger cousins, dying eggs, eating one of those nasty cellophane wrapped colored, hard marshmellow eggs each year to see if maybe the taste had improved from last year (we saved those eggs each year to hide the next year because no one would eat them), counting the eggs to see if we had found them all and finding the missing egg in August.

Happy Birthday Matt-Matt!

Today we celebrate two whole years with Matthew. I cannot believe how quickly these past 24 months have flown by. I shouldn’t be surprised. Everyone warned me at how quickly he would grow up on me. And the days probably go by so quickly because each day with Matthew is an absolute joy! I am not doing a very good job of squishing him small. From the day he was born, he has been a happy child with ability to melt everyone’s heart and put a smile on our faces with those sweet little dimples of his. I just finished writing his birthday letter. As I sat reflecting on all the changes and milestones of the past year I am utterly amazed. He is getting to be such a big boy. I am so proud of the little man he is becoming. He has grown from an 8 pound newborn to a 26 pound toddler.

I have watched him grow, so far, into a very curious, healthy and intelligent boy. I can't quite believe that it has been two years since he came in to the world crying and red faced. It may be one of the biggest clichés but it still feels like it was only yesterday and it seems hard to remember any time before we had him. I feel like he has always been here with us and I can't begin to imagine our lives without him. Two years ago today I held him snuggled up in my arms. He was a perfect fit that day for my arms, like God made him just the right size for me. And oddly enough, two years later he is still a perfect fit. Now it takes two arms to hold him and his legs hang off my lap, but when he snuggles his little head on my shoulder, he still is a perfect fit.

Seeing him grow into a toddler has been a real pleasure; I've enjoyed every minute of it (even the frustrating moments too). He loves to explore outside and play pretend with his stuffed animals and chug chugs.

He always makes us laugh. He is growing and changing so fast. Only two short years (only 6% of my life) and yet... two whole years! I think only a parent can understand how a length of time can seem so long and so distant and yet have flown by. I remember so clearly the doctor's appointment when I watched him on the ultrasound, and the sigh of relief that so far this pregnancy was going well. And then 39 long/short weeks later, finally seeing his perfect little face and holding him in my arms. I remember bringing him home, watching him grow filled with anxiety and wonder and pride, seeing him learn to crawl, start to speak, take his first steps...and all of that was just in one year. And now he is two. His life is no longer measured in months or weeks; when people ask how old he is I can finally just say two, instead of doing the math in my head to figure out how many months he is.

So what is new with my two year old since my last update? He is starting to drink out of a cup with no lid (he still has accidents occasionally, but he is getting the hang of it). He is talking more and more – and even in complete sentences! He wants to be outside all the time. He loves to throw rocks in the creek in front of our house everyday. He hunts for bugs and caterpillars and frogs and crayfish and lizards – just like a good boy does. He is actually starting to sleep all night long, and in his own bed on top of that. Some nights he still wakes up and needs comforting. But it is getting better and he can put himself back to sleep a lot of the time now. He wants to know what everything is. He knows all of his body parts – even elbow and chin. He knows a lot of the basic colors. He is learning shapes like oval and triangle. He can recognize some numbers and he counts. He does better counting from 5 to 12, than from 1 to 4. He tries to say his ABCs, but they don’t always come out in order. He loves to put money in his piggy bank. He is not an angel. He spends his fair share of time in time out. He has his daddy’s temper and both our impatience. He can throw a fit with the best of them when he doesn’t get his way. He can be so defiant sometimes and he really tests our patience on those days. We know he is just trying to learn where his boundaries are, but sometimes we get so tired of saying no. As soon as he realizes that he has gone too far, he immediately starts apologizing "I sorr Ma-ma" and he gives me a hug. It is so hard to maintain my sternness and make him stay in time out when he is trying to be so sweet. But I am learning that sometimes parents have to do things that are hard. I understand now what my parents meant when they used to say that spanking hurt them worse than it hurt me. It breaks my heart to have to spank him sometimes.

Today he is two years old. So big. Though he is still mommy’s baby and always will be in my eyes and my heart. I love him more than words can express. Two years ago today he came into my world red faced, and crying, when I heard that beautiful cry I was his.

2 years and 9 months ago he was created to be the amazing, strong, resilient, tough, beautiful, perfect, cute, sweet, smart, and wonderful little boy that he is today. This little miracle means so much to me. I am in awe of the amazing Lord who created Matthew and who gave him to us. I thank Him every day for my Matt-Matt.