Rules of the Game (according to Matthew)

The Soccer Player: A good soccer player always brings his left arm across his chest before kicking the ball, the arm is then brought down before the actual kick is attempted. Keep in mind if you are right handed you may use your right arm. I cannot really say how this helps you kick I just know Matthew would NEVER kick the ball without first completing this essential motion.

The Golfer: Well this sport is kind of a mix in Matthew's world. It is played with a golf club that is too large for Matthew so sometimes it looks more like hockey and a tennis ball is hit rather than a golf ball. After the player (Matthew, of course) successfully hits the ball he must bring the club up and blow on it, as if he were blowing off some imaginary dirt.

The Football Player: A good football player always wears his helmet. Matthew's helmet happens to be a fleece winter hat, but he always wears it when he plays (even when it is 98 degrees and he is sweating profusely underneath, our neighbors surely think we are crazy).

The Tennis Player: This one is a little bit older, but it is still just as relevant today, except he is bigger now and no longer allowed to play tennis indoors. The tennis player, according to Matthew, must always wear a hat backwards. No ball can be served until the hat is on just right.

1 wiggly 2 yr old + 1 first time hair trimmer + 3 popsicles=

I attempted giving my first hair cut this morning. It turns out I am WAY better at giving Erik instructions (and gasping and covering my eyes) while he cuts than I am at actually doing the cutting myself. Matthew is the worst at getting his hair cut! In April when my sister was here she was barely able to cut his bangs while we restrained him. When he was younger it was a bit easier, but since he has had painful times with staph stuff at the doctor he is not nearly as trusting as he used to be. It is not a fun activity, it normally involves wails, wiggles, snot, and tears. But this morning I decided I was up for the challenge. For weeks, I have been visualizing how and where I would cut as if I were an athlete visualizing my next big win. The mop on Matthew's head spurred me on, as well as, the thought that if Erik tried and got frustrated he was going out to buy clippers immediately and our son would be near bald by nightfall! After an hour of convincing and pretending to cut with my fingers, Matthew absolutely shocked me by deciding to sit in the big chair (with a popsicle in each hand and watching Diego on tv) to get his hair trimmed. I did say "Oh my" at least once out loud (and I thought it at least 10 times) while cutting the side and afterwords I prayed while I was in the shower that when I came out Matthew's hair would miraculously look as fantastic as it does after my sister cuts it. (If you ever wondered if a skill like cosmetology runs in the family I can, from experience, answer with a resounding no, or at least not in my case) The rating I have decided to give the cut: just ok. I was pretty nervous about how it looked but then I took him out in public and nobody screamed, stared, pointed, or giggled upon sight of him. We even played at the mall in the play area which contained 15 of the most brutally honest type of people on the planet..... preschoolers. A big thanks to all those brave souls who have gone before me (Aunt Terri who has trimmed it numerous times, Grandma Smith and Erik)!!!

A Picture of Me That I Don't Hate

So here it is. A picture of me. I don't like pictures of me. My face always looks HUGE and it always makes me ask the question, "do I really look like THAT??". Whenever Erik takes my picture, I normally delete it since I am the manager of all photos and memorabilia in the family. But I decided to just see if I could take a picture that I don't hate of myself. I am not going to lie to you it took a few (hundred) tries. Matthew was a surprisingly good sport, he got kinda cranky around the 55th shot but we persevered (after I bribed him with a gummy bear). Anyway, for those of you looking for a picture of me, here it is. I am going to continue blogging and putting on pics (of other people) for the next few years and I promise I will always look just like I do in this picture. So if you ever forget what I look like refer always to this post and you can't say I never posted a picture of myself.

2 First Days in 2 Weeks

Erik has started a new job the last 2 Mondays in a row! If you were late to wish him good luck on his new job last week, don't worry you can just use it this week for the new job. Erik has been working at a small start up company the last few months (since the company that had us move here decided to no longer have an office here in TN in Jan.). Well the start up job was not the money we were used to or needed but God provided and we survived. Little things happened to allow us to know it was time for Erik to look for a new job, which he did and found one. It was another sales job that was still not enough money to start with but by the end of the year with commission it would be more than enough (often how the wonderful world of sales works). (Since we were transferred here from VA and kept that pay we are used to a northern VA salary which tends to be a bit more than the salaries around here because the cost of living in this area is lower, thus making it hard to find a job that pays the same) So Erik started the first new job last week. We had decided one of us would have to get a job at night for the first couple of months to get by. On the 3rd day he went out to do some selling and when he came back he was locked out of the office and had not yet been given a key plus the air conditioning in his car went out and it was in the 90's (he was not so happy or dry for that matter)! But it was ok because that night the biggest customer from his previous job offered him a job! Not just any job, but the Director of Marketing position! Praise the Lord! Erik is already enjoying his new job this week (and hasn't been locked out, haha), neither one of us have to get a night job, and we are so very thankful for this new turn of events! Amazing! So here is a picture of Erik on his first day (it was actually of his first first day, the job that didn't last, but he pretty much looked the same this past Monday). He is a tie guy now! I didn't even make him pretend to be talking on his cell phone he already was chatting, but I think it definitely brings out his profressional side (even if he was just talking to a friend).

Paper Trail

I guess this must be what a paper trail looks like according to a 2 year old. This is not the first time that I have regretted having my paper towels hanging on a roller within Matthew's reach. This is the first time however the trail has made it up the stairs which I thought was impressive. Matthew is very good about cleaning he is not the type to spill and run (except of course to run to the kitchen to get paper towels). A couple of times the paper trail has lead me to a mess he didn't even make but he just found and decided to start cleaning it (like a cat mess). What would I do without my little cleaner? He is very particular about where things go. I can't rearrange anything without Matthew finding it and putting it in it's old place. Hmmm I wonder....will his future wife be envied or pitied?