Not the Response He was Looking for

At dinner last night, Erik and Matthew are looking out the window talking about animals and bugs that they see. Matthew says something to the effect of wanting to be an animal so.....

Erik says "What animal would you like to be?".

Matthew replies "A pony".

Erik is a bit disappointed, hoping for a more manly animal. I think it has to do with the word used, a horse would have been alright to say, but maybe a pony was just a little too close for comfort to the girly line (for example My Little Ponies -very girly, if there were such a thing as My Little Horses--maybe boys could have played with them too, minus the long flowing colorful hair, of course).

Erik says,"What about a tiger, Matthew, wouldn't you like to be a tiger? Or a lion? A snake?", obviously trying to sell him on a more manly, no where near sissy, sort of animal.

Matthew answers excitedly "No, I want to be ladybug".

Hugs

Matthew has been very picky about the hugs he receives lately. Sometimes he asks for a BIG hug, and other times a BIGGER hug (pretty self explanatory). At times he asks for a tackle hug... where he comes running at me and tackles me to the ground. I am not sure where he got the tackle hug and I don't mean to brag, but I caught on to that one pretty quickly (after I ended up on the floor a few times I realized that the name said it all). About 2 weeks ago a new hug emerged: the quality hug. What are the qualifications for this hug? I don't know, I haven't figured that out yet (I don't think Matthew has either). I used to foolishly believe that all of my hugs were in fact quality hugs. I guess I was wrong. I am not complaining though because no matter what the name is (BIG, BIGGER, tackle or quality) I am getting lots of hugs just the same!

Excuses, Excuses

Every morning when I get Matthew out of his crib he is soaked! I, of course, know why he is soaked (and I am sure all of you can figure it out too). Matthew, however, seems to think that I am clueless about the origin of the wetness . So, for about the last week he has given me these reasons for the saturation:
1. "My sippy cup got on me, Mama."
2. "Storm, woke me up. Rain got me."
3. "I sweating"
4. "The cats do this, Mama. Emma, that enough."
So, as any good mother would, I got new sippy cups to avoid spilling, checked to make sure the windows are securely closed so that no rain can enter, turned up the fan in Matthew's room to prevent perspiration, and severely reprimanded the cats (who, by the way, aren't even allowed in his room when he is sleeping). But for some reason the soaking wet problem still persists!

It's Baaaaaack!

Matthew's staph has returned and so has the yucky medicine. We were very blessed to have a 3 month break from the dreaded staph.

Before the Dr.'s appointment, Matthew kept saying "Booboo going away, not staph, Mama". If only he had his MD in infectious diseases I would have taken his word for it, but since he is only 2 and has no formal schooling whatsoever (unless, of course, you count Sunday school) I felt obligated to take him to see the real professional for a second opinion. I always feel bad because our Dr.'s office is behind the mall and the library is also in that parking lot, both places he like to go.

So this is pretty much what happens every time on our way to the Dr....
We enter the mall parking lot.
Matthew excitedly says "Playground", referring to the play area inside the mall where he frequently plays.
The Big Bad Mom (that's me, at least that is what I feel like at this point) says "Oh no honey we are not going to the playground right now."
He is obviously disappointed, but all is not lost, we haven't passed the library yet.
Then he says nervously, remembering his booboo "Oh library.". He is staring at me intently waiting for my response or to see which way the car turns, whichever happens first.
As soon as I open my mouth and say "No h.......", he is bawling and repeating his previous diagnosis "No staph. Booboo gone."

So we make it through the office visit with Matthew turning on the water works whenever anyone in scrubs comes near and hiding on the floor in the corner behind a chair for most of the visit. He didn't have to have it cut or squeezed (Praise the Lord!). We emerged from the office holding tight to the things we had come for a prescription, a little plastic dinosaur, and a sucker.
As we are crossing the parking lot Matthew says happily and a bit surprised "Didn't hurt at doctor".

What a relief! I guess he really understands it doesn't always hurt at the doctor's office and he will always remember this moment and not all the crying, cutting, squeezing and pain from previous visits!!! My dreading appointment days are over!!!
Then I wake up from my dream and laugh and laugh knowing full well, this doctor=no pain thinking will never ever be remembered. One can only be this carefree and fearless on their way OUT of the doctor's office.

Unpacking

Did I want help unpacking from our Michigan trip? Of course! This, however, is not what I had in mind.

Michigan

Last week we took a trip to Michigan. We had not been there for nearly 2 years so we were very exicted to be able to go! We got to see so many people, Erik was able to golf a few times, Matthew did plenty of playing, we got to visit the school we attended (Spring Arbor University), and, of course, we played beans! Matthew experienced a slip and slide and sparklers for the first time. It was so wonderful to visit with everyone! Matthew is convinced that there is a party everyday at Grandma and Grandpa Smith's house! He would wake up every morning and fling open the curtains just sure that the driveway was full of cars and people ready to party and he would say "Where's everybody?". We had a great time and we miss everyone already! I took 200 pictures, here are just a few!