A very MERRY CHRISTMAS

We were happy to get to spend Christmas at home this year. While we missed seeing family and friends in Texas, we had a great time here at home. Willie's parents were here and we got to visit, cook, play and have fun watching Matthew embark on his daily missions. On Christmas Eve we stuffed ourselves with yummy mexican food for dinner which included Chicken Enchiladas, Tamales, Rice, Beans and of course chips. It tasted really authentic, of course our enchiladas were made with tortillas imported from Texas by Nana & Gramps. After dinner, we decided to get on with the gifts. Matthew was not sure what was happening but after the first couple of gifts, he got the idea. It is so neat to sit back and watch his little eyes light up as he saw each new toy. He opened a garden cart full of shovels, rakes and brooms first and set about shoveling the house...


Up next were some great wooden trains and then....the motherlode...his very own toolbox complete with a screwdriver, a hammer and wrenches. From this point on he utilized his screwdriver to open gifts and work on his subsequent gifts. He loves going out in the garage a "working" with Willie and was quite impressed with his tools.

Matthew got some cool new cars that he immediately decided needed to be worked on.

On Christmas morning he discovered that Santa brought him a tricycle...and a potato head family. While he is still learning how to pedal, he loves his trike and scoots it all over the house. We ate another delicious meal of Butternut Squash Chowder, Ham & Cheesecake. YUM YUM

Intently looking at the new stuff under the tree....

Climbing on for the first ride.

Mom says "WAIT, you need to wear your helmet"!

Like every child who has ever had a Mr. Potato Head.....
he just had to try Mr. Potato Head's glasses to see if they fit.

We had a wonderful Christmas and hope that you and yours did too!!

Life is GRAND

Last week Matthew's GRANDS arrived to visit for the holidays.
They last saw Matthew when he was a few weeks old...and quite a little dude.

Of course now that little baby has become a rough and tumble little boy now who loves to give kisses. While the first few days he seemed surprised to see these new people at his breakfast table each morning, he has grown quite accustomed to having two new people so willing to dole out attention close at hand.

This morning he decided to take them to his favorite park.
I am not quite sure who had more fun?

Nana pushed him on the swing....

And supervised his sliding.....

Then they all took a little break together.

After coming home from the park, he decided to
take Gramps for a walk around the neighborhood.
One minute he was in the driveway, the next thing I knew
he and Gramps were halfway down the block...

He has had a great time and I am sure he will be heartbroken when they leave in a few weeks.

The Marvelous Adventures of Muppet

Two weeks ago we adopted a fox terrier mix from the local humane society. My biggest concern with bringing a new furry one home was how they would interact with Matthew. I have been completely won over by Muppet, she loves our little boy and lets him get away with just about anything. I am sure it does not hurt that he feeds her almost constantly....who knew dogs like raisins, grilled cheese, oatmeal and even juice?????

Here they are resting together....

And reading together (GO DOG GO, of course)

And exploring the playground together...

And of course.....looking totally adorable together...

Balls, Lights & Ladders...oh my

On Saturday, we got bundled up and went and got our first live Christmas tree. Quite by accident we found a lot run by a local boy scout troop and picked out a tree that was a but to tall for our living room, it looked around 8 feet tall leaned up against the trailer in the lot but once you stand it is it is at least 10 feet. We modified it and it looks great.

Matthew all bundled up and ready to go...

Matthew climbing the ladder.....

Me and Matthew, post ladder-rescue....

The finished product...

We also discovered a few new fun games....

TREE SKIRT = TUG OF WAR
Muppet, our new dog, is convinced that the tree skirt is actually a tug of war toy...I fully expect to wake up one morning and see it in shreds.

LIGHTS & BALLS = MATTHEW TOYS
Matthew is of the opinion that the lights and balls should be rearranged and keeps pulling them off..silly me underestimated how high he can actually reach.

We are convinced that Matthew is part goat since he loves to climb everything...especially if you leave something within "climbing reach" of him. As I was installing lights, I feel this tug on my jeans and look down to see this cute little red headed boy looking up at me...

Tongue ?!?!?!?!?

Matthew has discovered his tongue....and constantly wants to use it. Willie licked him in fun a week or two ago and now you can not be on the receiving end of a kiss from Matthew without TONGUE!! I was really hoping he would not discover *french kissing* until he was at least 30 and out of medical school!!!

Turkey Trot 2008

We participated in our first Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. This was Matthew's first 5K though he did do a 10K in the womb but I am not sure if that counts. It was a gorgeous clear day and we enjoyed running again.

Matthew about to cross the finish with Dad.

By the end of the race Matthew was more content to push the stroller.

Showing Mom just how fast I can run!!

My two turkeys...

Hope that you all had a great holiday!!

Seattle

A few weeks ago we went to Seattle, WA. What a beautiful part of the country. The mountains and water were gorgeous. A few pics from our trip.

The CUTEST jellyfish ever. You did not know that jellyfish could be cute...did ya??

Give him a few years and he WILL be taller than me....

Riding the monorail.....wheeeeeeee

Burning some calories, walking up to the Space Needle.

As a Grey's Anatomy fan....I felt closer to the show just by being so close to the Space Needle. It is a pretty cool sight and this was the view from our hotel room.

REI

REI is an awesome camping, hiking, biking and outdoor recreation store. We have been an REI customer for years, mostly the Dallas, TX store but we have also spent plenty of dollars in their Boston, Atlanta and now Seattle stores. We absolutely could not go to Seattle without visiting the flagship REI store. Our only saving grace was that we were flying by air so we were severely limited in what we could bring home....thank goodness since Matthew found a canoe that matched his hair PERFECTLY!!

Helping Dad get packed up with our new Nalgene bottles.

Loaded up, bundled up and ready to go!!!!

What...we have seasons?

Being a TEXAN, it is hard to comprehend this notion of seasons, fall especially. We did not go from 80 degree weather to freezing overnight, as is so often the case at home. Our new yard is blessed with a number of trees and we have enjoyed watching the leaves change colors and then settle into a nice blanket of color in our yard.

Matthew has enjoyed helping rake...and un-rake the leaves along with riding in the wheelbarrow.

Playing in the piles of leaves....another fun adventure.

Helping rake.....

Watching Phlip-Phlop lounging in the leaves.

All Done!

Rodeo Time

Willie came home last week with a super cute rocking horse for Matthew.

I think Matthew had as much fun helping assemble it as he did riding it.

He actually got quite angry when Willie took the screwdriver away so he could get it put together. While no one likes to see their little one upset, it is a little amusing to see Willie's temper in such a little guy.

Finally....a ride and a drink!!

Happy T-Day!!

In celebration of Thanksgiving.....hope your meal tastes better than this!!