Michigan Trip

We went to MI for a week and we, of course, had a great time. We got to spend lots of time with family. We also got to visit Ann Arbor, Erik got to do some golfing, Matthew got to play in the water park Grandma set up in her backyard with his cousins, we ate lots and lots, and I got to visit my best girl Rachel from Spring Arbor (I somehow didn't get a pic of her though, how sad). Matthew also got to go bowling for the first time which he has been begging to do.
Last year I think between Erik's mom and sisters and myself we took about 400+ pictures. This year we kept feeling like we were slacking on the picture taking but still ended up with at least 300. This is hands-down the most photographed week of our year, but we really only get to see each other once a year so we have to make up for that by taking a ton of pictures. (Don't worry I won't share them all)

My New Favorite and Zoo Pics

We went to the zoo about a month ago and for some reason I am posting this now. We have this great little zoo near us. It is pretty small, but cheap and Matthew thinks it is great, so I do too.

This is my new favorite! They are both looking and smiling at the same time! Amazing!

Matthew was a bit cautious about actually touching the animals. Erik took him a few weeks prior on his own and Matthew wouldn't even step into the petting portion, he told Erik it was closed and so they couldn't go in. I think it is possible he maybe remembering a segment from America's Home Videos where there were several clips of crazy things happening to kids at petting zoos.

Matthew wild creature extraordinaire telling us all about animal paw prints.

Baby Sister

According to Matthew he has a baby sister. **Before anyone starts thinking this is my way of saying I am pregnant, it's not, even though we would be absolutely delighted, there is no #2 yet.**

Just a few short months ago, Matthew was completely against siblings. I would say something like "Wouldn't you like to have a baby brother or sister someday to play with?" and he would always say something like "No thank you Mama, I am the only one."or "Please don't talk to me about babies.".

One day Matthew and a friend were playing outside and the friend was talking about his new baby brother. Matthew didn't really appear to be listening but he went immediately to the garage and got his old baby stroller out. He pushed it around the front yard for a half an hour talking about how his baby sister was in the stroller and how he was taking her to the aquarium and how she loved the fish. When it was time to go inside, Matthew asked if he could bring his baby sister inside I said no the stroller needed to stay in the garage. I thought this would probably be the last time he would speak of baby sister.

The next day we are getting in the car headed off to Walmart when Matthew spots the stroller and says "Oh there is my baby sister. Can she come to Walmart?" I say, "No, baby sister needs to stay here. She probably needs a nap anyway." Once we get to Walmart (45 seconds later...such a LONG trip) Matthew is talking to everyone in sight as he always does. For some reason he decides the subject for the day should be his baby sister. So he tells everyone..
"I have a baby sister at home."
The strangers smile and say "Well that is nice."
"Mama says she has to stay out in the garage though, she isn't allowed to come inside. I wish she could come inside. She is taking a nap in the garage right now."
The strangers' smiles fade and they look at me. I quickly explain before anyone can whip out their cell phones and dial up child protective services that his sister is not real.

Weeks later, baby sister is still a major part of our lives. He still pushes her around outside and we have taken her for several walks around the neighborhood. His old room still has the crib in it so that is baby sister's room. He found a teething fish toy and said "I need to put this in the fridge for my baby sister. She will like to chew on it." So for the past week he has put it in and taken it out of the fridge several times a day. Matthew has picked out new bedding for her in the Pottery Barn catalog (he claims she is a big fan of the fish set, sorry baby sister we don't actually ever buy anything from PB, we just like to look) and he has shopped for toys and clothes for her at Target. Baby sister is so lucky to have such a dedicated big brother.

Yikes!

I HATE snakes. Let me explain, I REALLY HATE snakes. I am not scared of snakes because I think they will kill me or anything I just hate them. I think I hate the way they slither the most. I have hated snakes for as long as I can remember, even snakes on tv. I have to put my feet up when I see a snake on tv, and it isn't like sometimes I put my feet up or most of the time I put my feet up, it is EVERY time. Now I am not the kind of girl that is scared of all bugs, spiders and all things creepy and crawly. I feel that my hatred of snakes is completely Biblical. I mean it wasn't a spider that tempted Adam and Eve.
Recently, things have been a little too snakey for me. While walking with Matthew the other day I saw I snake slithering in a neighbor's yard. I was pretty proud of myself because I was very calm and thanked the Lord above that there were no snakes in my yard. I mean snakes can't come in my yard, right? This yard was clear on the other side of the subdivision from mine, my side of the sub is most definitely snake free. In fact, I thought maybe it was the neighbor's snake and they just let it out for a morning slither in their yard.
Then 2 days ago there was a story on the news about a mom who walked in to her baby's room and found a snake wrapped around her baby's leg while the child was sleeping in the crib! They think the snake was in the mattress! Yikes! I actually saw the snake on the news, so for the last few days I have been picturing that horrid thing in my bed slithering to my leg.
I wish that this were the end of the snake stories, but it only gets worse. This morning as Erik is walking out the door he points to the sidewalk and says "Megan, do you see what that is?" just as a gigantic, horrible reptile slithered into our bushes. Yes, it was a snake and it was in my yard!!!!! Ok, ok it wasn't gigantic, but it was definitely horrible and it looked exactly like the snake from the news that has been haunting my thoughts at night. I get freaked out just typing it. A snake in the yard I spend hours in. Erik said it went into the neighbor's yard, which gives me such peace because I am sure there is some invisible snake gate to keep it in the neighbor's yard and allow it never to return to ours. Then Erik reminds me that we really need to weed that section in the front where the snake was. I don't see myself doing that anytime soon. Is there such thing as snake repellent?

Runaway

The Boy was zooming his car around the dining room table.
Mom says to Boy: "Please don't zoom your car on the dining room table. Any other table will be fine, just no cars on this table."
Boy continues zooming as though Mom had never spoken.
Mom says: "Please take your car somewhere else."
Boy walks away with an angry look on his face.
30 seconds later, the Boy returns with arms crossed and says: "I gotta get outta this house."
Mom says: "You've gotta get out of this house? Why?"
Boy says: "Because you told me about my car."
The Boy takes a few steps toward the door.
Mom says: "Where will you go?"
Boy: "I don't know, someplace."
Mom: "Who will take care of you."
Boy: "I don't know."
Mom moves toward the door and unlocks it.
Mom:"Well I don't want you to go, but I guess your mind is made up."
While opening the door for the Boy, Mom says: "Be safe. I love you."
The Boy looking confused, slowly closes the door. His whole face starts to change. With wide eyes, a gigantic smile and nervous laughter in his voice he says: "I was just betending (pretending). I am not willy (really) leaving. I am not angry, you just asked me a question nicely. I was just betending (pretending). "


Whew, that was a close one!

Matthew's Fashion Do's and Don'ts for Summer 2008

DON'T wear anything with a tag.

DO buy tagless or make someone (like your mom) cut out the tags in ALL of your clothes.

If your mom forgets and leaves even one tag on you can remind her with tears and frantic words like "Oh no, it has a tag"or simply "Emergency".

DON'T ever let your feet be naked, wear socks at ALL times.

I really can't stress this one enough. Even if you are not wearing pants or underwear; socks are essential.

DON'T ever wear shorts to bed.

I know it is very tempting to wear shorts to bed, especially when nearly every pj set comes with pants and shorts to match so that you could wear either. I know it is tempting to wear shorts also when it is 105 degrees in your house and you sweat profusely all night, believe me I know. Be strong, fashion is of the up most importance, even while you sleep. Remember the socks too, no one should ever sleep without socks.

DON'T wear sandals (unless your mom threatens you with a time out).

With sandals you can't wear socks which conflicts with rule #3. Also, if you have followed this blog for awhile you will remember mom has a hard time putting those things on the right feet anyway.

The final rule for summer fashion is....

DO realize any attire is appropriate for weight lifting.

Lifting in a t-shirt, underwear, and socks only is ok. Really you can even lift while you are on the potty half naked. So this last rule is really that there are no fashion rules when it comes to exercise.

Sickness, Sunburns and Storms

Last Wednesday afternoon when Matthew woke up from his nap he was burning up and his voice was a bit raspy. He was a little cranky but when I asked him what hurt him he said "nothin". Later though he came to me completely distressed, tears streaming down his face saying "Every time I talk my mouth turns into a grandma mouth and not a Matthew mouth". The next day he had his "grandma mouth" again but no fever. Just to clarify neither one of his grandmas have a raspy voice so I am convinced this idea that grandmas have raspy voices must have come from tv or something. He kept telling me he wanted to go see his Dr. at Target and get some tasty medicine. Of course, our Dr. doesn't work at Target, he was referring to the pharmacist I think in an attempt to cut out the middle man (the Dr.) and just get straight to the medicine that makes him all better. I didn't take him to the Dr. and on Friday he seemed fine. He told me upon waking he was "just a yittle bit sick". I found that to mean he was sick enough to have his sick suckers (these really cool throat soothing suckers made for little kids, I wish I would have invented that) but well enough to resume all other normal activities.

Friday night he woke up a few times and did some crazy screaming and he would not tell me what was wrong.

Saturday we had tickets to JFest, which is this great outdoor all day Christian music event. It was lots of fun. It was however the hottest day we have had yet, which means Erik and Matthew were drenched with sweat by the time the first band reached the chorus of their first song. My dad brought his binoculars which Matthew claimed immediately and barely let go of them for the remainder of the day. Matthew liked the music but did complain to me a couple of times that "the music notes were getting inside of him", but apparently that isn't a completely horrible thing because he did some dancing, played a little air guitar, and especially liked the stuff that was "rocking out" a bit as he would say. Later that evening once we were home Matthew's eye started looking a little different and oozing some yellow goo. Erik and I also noticed we had acquired a bit more sun than we had thought. We realized that one of us may have completely forgotten to put any sunscreen whatsoever on his/her legs and due to the way this person, whose identity will be kept secret, was sitting half of his/her legs were blazing, bright red and the other half white as white can be (in case you were wondering this particular look makes people, even complete strangers, laugh). We were all ready for sleep, but sleep would be hard to come by this particular night. Matthew was up screaming a few times, his eyes were all gunked up and swollen nearly closed, he threw up in his bed and had a bloody nose. Then, of course once he finally was sleeping for a few hours there was a very loud thunderstorm that woke him. By 4:45 AM I was quite ready to just give up on that night and start our Sunday extra early.

By morning, Matthew was looking pretty piratey with his one eye nearly closed and I had read that if the eye is swollen you should seek some medical attention so since our Dr. doesn't happen to be open on Sundays we tried out one of those Minute Clinics in CVS. So Matthew has a sore throat, ear infection and pink eye and we got prescription drugs to put into every hole on his face. The eye drops are miraculous, his eye looked nearly normal by the time he went to bed that night and there was no screaming in the night so I am guessing his ear is feeling better too. I fear his throat may never feel better if better means he can no longer have his sick suckers.

I have taken so long to write this post that I now have some new news as well. Erik is sick. He went to the Dr. I made a second trip to the Target pharmacy this week. He has strep throat. I think I need a sick sucker.

Workout

A few months ago I purchased a gigantic workout ball. I must admit that I was very excited about this purchase. The workout method looked way too fun to be painful. I felt like I had found the perfect way to get in shape. And, of course I saw Dwight on "The Office" using one ("forget everything you know about ab workouts"), so needless to say I was sold. This gigantic ball workout had everything I was looking for; something fun that I would actually look forward to and of course abs of steel.

I have yet to receive my abs of steel. It is for sure my fault though because I have not been so great at actually doing the workout. It was becoming like all my other workout videos, you know the ones where I think about doing it but then I decide I will just go for a walk instead. That I think is the gigantic ball exercise creator people's fault because it was not nearly as fun and painless as I anticipated. I mean my abs hurt the day after! So my new idea was to do the workout with Matthew because he would think it was great fun (also then I wouldn't have to do it during the precious nap, yeah that was my main goal-don't use up the precious nap hour).

So I got Matthew excited about it. He got out this big ball he has, it is not of course meant for working out, but since he is light it works. So we did it. Matthew is actually suprisingly good at following the workout lady's instructions (in fact, I think he did way better than me). I had to take a few pictures of him, which of course turned into him taking 578 pictures of me. I had to delete most of them because they were not flattering as he took most of them from behind me while I was on the ball. It was a blast. So it turns out the gigantic ball workout is fun after all, I guess I just needed the right workout partner.

The only picture of me suitable for public view. Also please notice above that Matthew's socks do not match and know that is all my doing. He complained for about 15 minutes about the socks but I finally convinced him it was ok.

Hallmark's Got Nothin' on This Kid

I never know what Matthew is going to say. He is always coming up with new phrases that always lead me to ask "Where did you get that?". Don't worry it really is never anything bad, just mostly surprising and humorous especially coming out of the mouth of a 3 year old. This week he has been on a roll with the sweet words. I guess someone tipped him off that Mother's Day is coming up.





All of these comments occurred after I helped Matthew in some way:

"Thank you Mama, you are a superhero."

"I can fish now because of you, Mama. I couldn't have done it without you."

"You still got it, Mom."


Last weekend I went to woman's conference at church when I got home on Saturday afternoon he came running to me and said "You're home. I missed you. I was so worried." (yeah I don't leave that much)



Yesterday while I was helping him with his shoes he moved a piece of my hair to the side and said "There you go, now you look just like a princess." (On a side note, I would hate to not share that after he said this princess bit he touched his own hair and said "There now I look like a tackling football player")

Watch out for this face....

Unfortunately we are still fine tuning the potty skills here in the Smith house. Well let me correct that some of us are still perfecting those skills, but 2/3 of us have it down pat. I must admit when people told me that potty training boys can take "awhile", I never imagined "awhile" would be this long!

He really is doing well for the most part, however we do have a poo problem. The poo never makes it to it's desired destination (or should I say my desired destination for it). At first Matthew was oblivious to the fact he had a poo problem, he was not bothered at all by toting around a pound of poo in his pants. He appeared to be completely shocked when I would mention the contents I found in those pants. I could have said, "Oh Matthew I just found a mama dog and 7 newborn puppies in your pants." and I would get the same reaction-complete surprise and shock.

We have now reached a new era in which he is very aware of what he is carrying around and is even bothered by any and all contents. From what I read this is good news (cause knowing is half the battle, right?), we are making some kind of poo progress. So he now hides while doing his duty. He will say something like "Oh I need to go upstairs to find something".

Of course, the silence warns me that something is amiss after he has been upstairs for a few minutes because he talks CONSTANTLY, except when engaging in naughty, time-out worthy activities. Then as I walk up the stairs I hear a door close. I walk into his room to find it empty with his closet door closed and the light on...hmmm I wonder where he could be. As I apporaoch the door I hear him say to himself "She's coming, I will be safe in here". I open the door to find Matthew as pictured above with his hands on his ears, apparently talking to his hands saying "keep plugging, keep plugging....". The first few times I would say "Why are you plugging your ears?" and he would say "I don't want to hear you tell me about my stinky pants." As you have probably guessed this has now happened so many times I no longer ask any questions, I know all too well.

I'm it! I have been tagged.

I have been tagged by my best girl and old (she herself is not old, although it is kinda funny to think about a young person moving into their college dorm to find their roommate is this really old person with false teeth and gray hair, wow that is funny, but it didn't happen to me) roommate, Rachel (http://www.huntforrachel.blogspot.com/) from my college days at SAU. Thanks Rach! She even said some nice things about me on her blog like that I was cool and funny, actually, not just funny, VERY funny (yeah she really did put very in all caps check it out if you don't believe me). What a nice gal she is!




Here are the rules of the game...

1) Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog

2) Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.

3) Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

4) Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.



My incredibly interesting facts:

1. I CANNOT dance. I know there are a alot of people out there that make this claim, but I am really serious. I do not own dancing feet. Walking feet...yes, Tapping feet...yes, Running feet...at times, Happy feet...absolutely, Dancing feet....NOOOOO.

2. I went to 4 different colleges. I switched my major a few times and I have loads of credits, but just 1 degree. My Dad still refers to me as the college gypsy.

3. I am a weeny tiny, if I may steal Matthew's adjectives, bit cheap. I see pennies leaving my pockets when the heat or air kicks on, the refrigerator door is open, or the water is unnecessarily left running. When Erik asks me where I would like to go for a nice meal out I suggest Taco Bell (free Mountain Dew refills, baby).


4. I may have been the only teenager ever to not want to get my driver's license. I was perfectly fine with the idea of my mother driving me around everywhere, FOREVER. My parents MADE me get my license. During driver's training I would be so nervous my skin would get all red and blotchy and I would ask my instructor if my driving time slot could be at a quarter to never. What a weirdo!


5. Every night before I go to sleep I must check (at least once, sometimes twice) to make sure the oven and stove top are turned off regardless of whether they had even been used that day.

6. I absolutely love consignment shops and yard sales.

7. I have been informed that I am a moment killer, especially during movies. If there is a tense, sad, or sentimental moment I must kill the mood by cracking some sort of joke. I guess I should just stick to watching comedies.

I'm tagging...
My BFF Kate, the queen http://www.heartsonthehomefront.blogspot.com/

Multiple Personalities

These days Matthew is rarely Matthew. He spends most of his day pretending to be other people (or animals): Diego, Charlie, a lost puppy, Daddy, or a wild creature guy to name a few. That is great, right? I mean it shows he has a wonderful imagination. It is really great except lately I have been given the supporting actress role in every scenario. Which really in and of itself is not a huge deal if the scripts didn't come every five minutes and the director was not such a perfectionist.
His favorite at the moment is being Charlie and I play his little sister Lola. This is from the books and show appropriately named Charlie and Lola. I really do love Charlie and Lola, the show is hillarious and I have been known to watch it without Matthew. The problem is that this requires a British accent. If my accent slips a bit Matthew gives me a gentle reminder, "Um Mama, I am Charlie and you are Lola, but you are sounding like Mama. We will not be able to be Charlie and Lola if you don't talk like Lola."
When Matthew is Diego I am his older sister Alicia. When he is his Daddy I am Bob, Erik's boss. The lost puppy or kitty scenario is really best for me because it is completely unscripited. And sometimes I get to be an animal myself which requires no words at all. I am very well rounded. I must admit though, the acting can be quite draining and I have at times turned down a role or two (an hour).
It is really a win-win situation though. Matthew is entertained now and later when the time comes for me to return to the work force and if for some reason teaching doesn't work out for me, I always have my acting to fall back on.

Dot Com

Matthew has been very interested in the internet for the last few months. His Papine (my dad) shows him speed boats, airplanes, bugs, cars, and big trucks on the internet. Recenlty, he learned that you can find information there. While we were reading "Finding Nemo" he became interested in anglerfish and was asking me questions about them (which I of course know nothing about it, except they are pretty ugly according to the Nemo movie and book). So I said "Sorry honey I don't know anything about anglerfish, but we can look on the internet tomorrow and find out more about them."
As soon as he woke up the next morning he says "Let's check on the innanet for anglerfish. Go to anglerfish.com."
That is how it all started, now he wants to seek the information highway for all of his many questions.
Outside he says, "Mama, what is this bug's name."
I say "Hmmm, I am not sure."
He says, "Oh we better check on the innanet on bugs.com"

At my parent's house while washing his hands he smells the soap and asks "What kind of soap is this, Mama."
I say, " I don't know."
He say, "I think we should check on the innanet. Can you go to soap.com?"

Our neighbors have a pool which he can see from his room. They currently have an inflatable alligator by the pool. Matthew is very intrigued by the alligator.
He says "What is that alligator doing over there?"
He didn't even give me a chance to respond. Maybe he has realized I don't always have the answers.
"Come on, let's go check on the innanet. Just click on alligator.com"



Thank you, wise "innanet" for having all the answers....so I don't have to.

My Very Own Boy Band

Everybody has to Answer to Somebody

Matthew was hugging Erik yesterday morning before he left for work..
Erik: "Bye, buddy. Be good for Mama today, ok?"
Matthew: "Ok, bye Daddy. Be good for Bob your boss."

New Camera Man: A Picture Essay of His Favorite Things

Matthew has a new passion for photography. I thought it would be selfish of me not to share some of his recent photos. His favorite time to pursue this endeavor is during my shower when he is supposed to be staying out of trouble and watching tv. One day last week I came out to find him with the camera and 40 new pictures taken! Here are just a few....

Here is a picture of rocket.
This is me walking into the room, no doubt saying something like "What are you doing?". I later found another one of me and let's just say I deleted very quickly and will from this moment on check my pics very carefully before showing them to anyone!

What we have here is the cat's back and tail. I have several of this cat from this angle and others that are not as flattering.

The rocking chair on the front porch

This is Diego, of course, and what looks to me like the top half of a tapir.

Yet, another picture of Diego on tv. I have about 20 of these. If you have not seen this particular Diego just let me know, I pretty much have a frame by frame of it on my camera.

Pantry Fun

At our house, the pantry isn't just a closet filled with food...it is a closet full of fun. It isn't just a door I open to find a snack, what's for dinner, or to make a grocery list. In fact, the door stays open pretty much all day unless Matthew is sleeping or hiding in it. I am pretty sure it is Matthew's favorite room in the house, if it were considered a room that is. So here is just a glimpse of the fun we have with our pantry and it's contents.



On this particular day, our canned goods gathered on the table (with Matthew's help, of course) for church. I am very glad that our canned goods would go to church and even more delighted that Matthew would invite and take them there. However, since they cannot walk and the one who invited them often forgets to take them back to their home, I would be ok if their church attendance were sporadic.

No, this is not a picture of Matthew competing in a "chubby bunny" contest, but by the looks of it he would be quite good at that. This contest's name is something like "stuff as many marshmallows in your mouth as fast as you can before you get caught". Matthew normally asks to eat marshmallows and I normally say no (that is probably why he took matters into his own hands). He now adds after asking "Marshmallows don't have too much sugar in them Mama." Which is true comparitively speaking...like compared to a chocolate covered donut with sprinkles on top, marshmallows don't have too much sugar.

Erik says to me a few nights ago, "Megan you might want to go to Walmart tomorrow. We are down to only one dinsaur in the pantry."

BIG Snow in the South

It has officially been FOREVER, since I posted last. It is not that our life has been free of humor or activity I just was too lazy to write about it. Anyway, tonight here in TN we are receiving winter-like weather. In fact, we have a winter weather advisory currently in effect. It stopped snowing 3 hours ago leaving us with a light dusting of snow (possibly an accumulation of half an inch). There is absolutely no snow on the roads. EVERY school within a 25 mile radius has been cancelled for tomorrow. I saw on the local news that people were flocking to the stores at first sight of snow to stock up on essentials (milk, beer, cigarettes and bread..not necessarily in that order, but it was the order that the cashier interviewed used). Dearest family and friends do not worry about us, we have a couple of days supply of bread and milk (and we can live without the other 2 local "essentials").

The Party

On Saturday night we attended Erik's office Christmas party. Just getting ready for the event was enough to convince me I am most definitely going to be sick all Saturday nights next December, so I will regretfully be unable to attend the joyful Christmas party of 2008. I am not one to normally worry about what to wear, but I was on Saturday. This was our first Christmas party with these people and actually the first time I had met any of them.
I asked Erik a couple of weeks ago what I would need to wear. He asked around and the women said in the past they had worn dresses some years and other years just dress pants and a nice sweater. So it was decided I would wear my dress pants and sweater. The closer the event got the more I worried about whether my attire would be nice enough. I mean Erik was going to wear his suit, the event was at a country club. So I, of course, was freaked out by Friday. I purchased a nice button up shirt that was a little extra dressy I thought. I didn't try it on because Matthew was SO ready to go. So I try it on that afternoon in the comfort of my own home and it is so very cute, so I am absolutely delighted. Only one small problem, it was a little snug in one area which would have been fine for one night, but once washed and worn it would look like those buttons were about to burst (not the look I am generally going for). That night Erik gets home from work and I show him my purchase and he doesn't think it is dressy enough. So after dinner and getting the little one off to bed I venture back out into the sea of Christmas shoppers to see if I can find anything to wear. I thought this would be a simple chore. Boy, was I wrong! I went to the big mall instead of the closer small mall. I generally remember mall layouts and what is where after visiting a mall one or two times, but this mall has the craziest set up, I have been there several times and still cannot figure the place out. That, of course, means I did numerous laps around the two story shopping area. I found NOTHING. I thought the mall closed at 10 (I later found out it was 11, can you believe it) so at 9:45 I gave up and ran into the store where I had bought the shirt earlier and got a bigger size. Yes, I know it was still the one Erik didn't think was dressy enough, but I was just relieved to be going home.
The next day Mom and I had a Christmas bazaar all day where we took Creative Memories stuff to sell, so I didn't get a chance to try on my new attire together. I decided to wear the nice sweater I had originally planned for the party to the bazaar all day. As I am about to step out the door for the bazaar Erik says "Are you sure you don't want to wear that sweater tonight, it looks good". Is there anyway I would change what I was wearing at that point? No way! So I go to the bazaar and come home, get Matthew something to eat. I wanted to give Matthew a bath too before we left, so I took him upstairs. Of course, he needed to go to the bathroom. His potty seat was downstairs so I decided to just sit him on the potty without it rather than run downstairs. I have done this numerous times before but of course this day of all days, he sends pee shooting all over the bathroom and on me. I just laughed because I was wearing the sweater and some jeans-- no problem it's not like I was going to be wearing that to the party! As our departing time is drawing near I get dressed and find the new shirt looks goofy and is too big. Mom let me borrow some other things, so I am not completely panicked until I try them on and they all look awful on me. So 30 minutes later I am walking out the door in (drum roll please) the original dress pants and sweater. That's right, I shopped and worried for hours only to attend the all important party in the old dress pants and the pee sweater that I had worn all day.

Brainy Booger

Matthew comes walking toward me the other day with something tiny on his finger.
The young boy says "Look at this on my finger Mama."
I, as the mother can only wonder and ask while he is still quite a ways off "What is it?". I like to ask him before I see it for myself so I can direct him to the trash can (since he generally shows me things that belong there) before it ends up in my face.
He says "It a piece of my brain."
I say "A piece of your brain? Where did it come from?"
He answers "My brain coming out my nose."

Big 3

Matthew turned 3 last week. I still can't believe he is 3! He told me for weeks that for his birthday he wanted a cake and the "shake and go track... the cars go fast and crash". Well he got what he wanted and then some. It took 3 dedicated adults, 6 AA batteries, a screwdriver, a pair of scissors, and an hour and a half to get all of his presents out of the packaging and into proper working order. My living room is still covered with toys. In fact, Matthew still thinks his party is going on. He will come and ask me "Do you want to join my party, Mama?". It is hard to say no to that and plus new toys are always fun! Who knows how long this party will last!

Death by Chocolate

These pants were brand new (not consignment store or hand me down new, the real new). Unfortunately, their first time out the wearer of these pants had a chocolate shake (which was more like ice cream) and a very independent and stubborn spirit. Death by chocolate is real. I have washed these pants 4 times and some chocolate still remains.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

So Erik has a Playstation 2 and he plays football, hockey, or golf on there from time to time. Matthew has a controller too that he plays with. He has a blast playing (or pretending to play anyway). These sports games are all made by EA Sports so when they first come on you hear their slogan "EA sports, it's in the game".

So every time Matthew sees one of these games or sports on tv he repeats what he believes the slogan to be "EA sports a silly game".

Skeletons

For the last month Matthew has been very interested in skeletons. I think it all started with dinosaur books, they always have the skeletons. He has a book all about skeletons that show different animal skeletons and human ones as well. He talks constantly about his skeleton. In the book at the beginning it says something to the effect of, if you did not have any bones you would be as shapeless as a jellyfish. I know this without looking because Matthew tells everyone this little fun fact. This is what he says to nearly everyone within shouting distance "Hi. My name Matthew. If I didn't have my skeleton I be a jellyfish". I am really quite proud of him for remembering everything I read him. It is however a funny thing for a nearly 3 year old to talk about, not to mention he does not say skeleton perfectly, so when he says it people look to me for a translation. Being the only known translator of Mattish, I am obligated to say "Hi. My name Matthew. If I didn't have my skeleton I be a jellyfish" in perfect adult English. Some people look at me like they think I just made up the skeleton part myself (it would be really funny if I did make things up in translation, I don't but I may start).

Matthew has been very excited seeing Halloween stuff in the stores because of all the skeletons. My Mom even found him a skeleton shirt last week that glows in the dark. This Halloween was the first year Matthew dressed up. I had gotten him a Thomas the train costume a couple of weeks ago on sale (YES!!!). So we dressed him up and took him to a couple of houses in our neighborhood. He knocked, said "trick or treat"and "thank you", went "whooo-hooo" when anyone asked him about his costume, told one lady her candle inside of her house smelled good, and kissed a couple of dogs. When we got home we sat outside and handed out candy. Matthew decided he would like to wear his skeleton shirt. I thought he would just enjoy seeing it glow in the dark and have fun seeing other kids dressed up. He decided to run around the yard saying "boo" to all the kids that entered. He made sure he said "boo" to everyone (even the parents driving by slowly watching their kids) and often added "I a skeleton, I spoooookyy". Most of the kids were older and just laughed or pretended to be scared. It was pretty funny. Our neighbors across the street always have a big spooky set up, they go all out, so it was fun being across the street having my little spooky skeleton make everyone laugh. I think I may rent him out next year!

Scary Is....

The way your child can act at times (you know the kind of behavior that makes you want to shout "Who are you???") and then complain that their ear hurts (4 days after finishing antibiotics for an ear infection) . You think "Oh, I guess the ear infection didn't clear up, back to the doctor. This explains why he has been acting like *that* child every time we are in public and cries at least 3 times a day claiming I have hurt his feelings."

Even Scarier.....
Going to the doctor convinced you have it all figured out only to hear "His ears look great".


There goes that excuse!


** That child by definition, is any child that you saw in the grocery store, restaurant, family gathering, etc.. pre-parenthood (or even as a parent of a newborn) that behaved in such a way that everyone was sure to notice and made you think or even say aloud "When I have kids they will never act like that!".

Putting #2 in it's Place

We have been working on this potty training stuff for a little while now. You know, low pressure a few times a day. Matthew always goes (#1) while on the potty (unfortunately he also still goes in his diaper as well). This week we have been trying more often (it seems like ALL we do). And he did the all important #2 on the potty! I was so excited and, of course, told him time and time again how proud I was.

Same day an hour later we are shopping at Target. A woman smiles at him and he says "I went poo poo on the potty", she snickers and replies "Good job!". I shoot her a "I-am-so-sorry-my-son-is-telling-you-about his-bowel-movement" glance and we move on.

We check out and the cashier is very friendly and she talks to Matthew. She says "Did you look at all the fun Halloween things?" Matthew does not reply with a yes or no but with "I went poo poo on the potty". She starts clapping and congratulating him as do the 3 other kind women waiting in line behind us. Talk of his potty achievements definitely trump Halloween talk. As soon as we leave the store Matthew says "The ladies like me, Mama".

Many hours later Daddy comes home and we decide to treat ourselves to a little dinner out (you gotta love a dinner out). The waitress asks "Can I get you guys anything?"
Matthew replies (yeah, you know his line by now) "I went poo poo on the potty."
Only the waitress didn't hear him and has taken a few steps from the table, so she says "What honey?"
Matthew, of course then belts out his line of the day "I WENT POO POO ON THE POTTY".
Well if you are ever out to eat and would like to grab the attention of ALL of your fellow restaurant patrons, then by all means use these words of Matthew's. We did indeed capture every one's attention. The young waitress, barely able to contain her laughter manages to get out some sort of congratulatory phrase and Matthew also receives smiles and nods of approval from the inhabitants of nearby tables.

Later that evening I was talking to my mom (I of course told her the big news) on the phone and she said to be sure to pass on their congrats to the little potty user. I get off the phone and tell him how proud Mine and Papine (grandma and grandpa Beachy) are of him and his recent achievement.
He looks at me and says "The whole world proud of me".

Wild Creatures

Matthew is very fond of "wild creatures" and has been for most of this year. He has been talking about "wild creatures" since March I think. I don't know where these words came from. I certainly didn't teach him to call any living non-human thing a wild creature (I do seriously suspect Diego had something to do with it though). We have spent countless hours searching for these creatures outdoors. Thankfully bugs count, so they aren't too hard to come by!



Matthew has recently fallen in love with the tv channel Animal Planet. He loves watching anything on there (even shows with snakes much to my dismay). So last week he saw the show with Jeff Corwin. There was a big tiger and the man was talking about his paws and pads, fur, ears, and all the other parts. So my little Jeff Corwin calls me over to view our very own snoozing beast: Mac the cat.



Matthew (or little Jeff) says: "See the wild creature. He in his cave sleeping."
He picks up his paw and shows me, "See he's paw and he's pads on he's paws." The beast sleeps on. So then Matthew goes for the tail, "This is he's long tail." Then he tries opening the beasts mouth. The beast wakes and starts walking away. Matthew says in a whisper while crawling on his hands and knees "Let's follow him." We trail him for quite some time with Matthew's "spotting scope" in hand (not because we need it or that it would even work if we did need it, but because wild creature hunts require such equipment). Whenever the creature stopped Matthew explained more of the beast's body parts until we had pretty much covered it all. It was very informational. We are very thankful to have had such a cooperative creature to work with because we know others (ie..Emma the other beast that resides in the Smith house) would not have been nearly so accommodating.





I love the way Matthew's little mind works. And I absolutely adore an African safari that can take place in the comfort of my own home.