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!

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?

Eye Eye Captain?

Matthew had his first boat ride yesterday. My parents got him a life jacket which he had loved to try on, but did not actually want to wear when the time came. So to encourage Matthew to wear the life jacket my Dad wore his in the car from their house to the marina (Matthew remained unconvinced but the rest of us sure got a kick out of it). He was actually crying in this picture because he had to wear the jacket that is why I thought it would be a nice shot from behind. Once on the boat he didn't give the jacket a second thought. Dad let Matthew steer the boat and called him the captain, to which Matthew replied while squeezing his eye with his fingers "Eye, eye Captain".

Bye Bye Mom and Dad

Our big boy had his first sleepover at Mine and Papine's house (otherwise known as Grandma and Grandpa Beachy, we have no idea how he came up with those names). My mom has been asking for awhile now to have him stay and Matthew has seemed ready to go (really everyone was ready, but me). I thought he might get a little upset when leaving, but as you can see from the picture there were no tears (on that side of the camera). According to Mine and Papine he was a great house guest and they all had a great time. He is such a big boy now!

Altered Emma

I don't think I have ever been so excited about a cat surgery (or any surgery for that matter) before in my whole life! Today, Emma was fixed or altered (I think that is such a funny word to use for it, I have been using it ALL week, I generally think about getting my pants altered, not my cat) as they call it these days. Altered, fixed, spayed, I don't care what they call it as long as it stops all of the spraying and whining she normally does (cats in heat are not fun, no object is safe from the spray and no ears, not even ears on a different floor, safe from the loud cries). We found this great low cost place which was such a blessing because there is no way we could have paid for the regular vet costs at the moment. She is a great cat (when not in heat) so it will be super to have her back to her normal self again. This weekend she will be spending some time relaxing in her cage (or her cave according to Matthew) with her big kitty brother Mac checking in on her. Happy Alteration Day (not so happy for Emma at the moment, but soon)!

Chocolate Bagel Recipe

Today after church we were going to Panera to meet some people for lunch. We stopped in at home in between church and the restaurant and I fed Matthew some mac and cheese because I didn't really want to buy him a 5 dollar pb&j (which seems expensive enough for a pb&j that would be eaten, but becomes painfully expensive when it gets thrown away with only 3 bites taken). Then, since he had eaten we could just get him a bagel to snack on. He kinda just wanted to stay home and we were hurrying him out the door and so Erik promises him a bagel, but that didn't really do the trick so he says "How about a chocolate bagel?". I don't really have to tell you that Matthew was VERY excited about the thought of a chocolate bagel. I myself had never really heard of a chocolate bagel, but I kept my mouth shut because it got us out the door.

So we go to Panera (about a 20 minute car ride). We wait for 30 minutes inside and the people we were supposed to meet didn't show up (due to some miscommunication). During this time we realize they don't have chocolate bagels (imagine that). We decided to just go home since our friends didn't show. Matthew starts crying as we are leaving saying "chocolate bagel, please" (50 minutes after it last mentioned, we thought we were in the clear). We distract him and tell him about other great things we have at home to eat which seems to work. Then we drive 20 minutes back home and make a stop, at a store, Erik goes in and comes back with a bag. Matthew is very excited when he sees the bag and says (yes you guessed it) "Yippee chocolate bagel". And, you of course know the bag contained not a one chocolate bagel (mainly because they don't even exist). So, the crying for the bagel begins again. At this point, Erik feels pretty bad because Matthew had been such a good boy waiting at the restaurant and he had promised the bagel. Now this is where I would have just tried some more distraction and brought out some fruit snacks. But not Erik, he decided he was going to follow through with this promise. So as soon as we got home he made a chocolate bagel. I am sure everyone will want to take down this recipe (an instant classic for certain).

Chocolate Bagel

Prep time: 5 seconds

Cook Time: 0 seconds

You will need:

One bagel

Chocolate Syrup

1. Squeeze the syrup onto the bagel.

It probably isn't nearly as bad for you as you think because you won't want to take more than a couple of bites. I know this, not because I tried it, but because even Matthew only took 3 bites. And even though he said "Mmmmm" after every bite I remain unconvinced.

Farewell to Our Favorite Stray

Since January, we have been feeding a stray cat we named Lola. We fed her and played with her everyday. She has been like a third cat to us. I didn't want to take her to a shelter because I was afraid she would just be put down in a couple of weeks if no one came for her. If we didn't already have 2 cats, I am sure we would have taken her in (actually I have threatened Emma on a few occasions that I was going to trade her for Lola). Now I know this must sound like I am some kinda super cat lover, but I am not really. I love my cats because they are fun and really great with Matthew and cause they are mine (yes, I really DO love you Emma) and I just really felt sorry for Lola so I love her too, but I don't just LOVE all cats. Anyway, we did plan on bringing Lola in when we got some extra money to get her fixed and declawed (since she jumped and hung on to our window screens for minutes with her claws, I was pretty sure our slightly new furniture would not survive without a declaw). Unfortunately, our adorable little stray didn't make it in. She never came on Tuesday (instead I found a HUGE raccoon eating her food in the middle of the night) and then on Wed. I saw her on the side of the road. We really will miss her (I would say especially Matthew, but I think it might be especially me). I think even the other 2 cats miss seeing her. Emma normally charged the door when she saw Lola on the other side, she would hiss and carry on (that is a picture of her below looking out, not very nicely I might add, at Lola). I guess Bob Barker is right in telling people to spay and neuter their cats after every "The Price is Right" show because they are lots of Lolas (and boy cats too, of course) out there.

Crazy Cat

So here are some pictures of our cats. Emma is the little light colored cat in the bookcase and Mac is the fat orange one wishing he could fit his enormous body into one of those small heart shaped holes too. This is Emma's new hobby, climbing to the top hole in the bookcase and she just takes in the sights or a nap. I am not sure if the draw for her is her very own little space where no one can bother her (except for an occassional book falling down on her) or being able to taunt Mac. This is not her first trip to the top of a bookcase, however. Last August, she somehow brought down a tall bookcase full of books all on her own. My favorite part of the story however, is not the fact that our little 7 pound cat brought down such a large thing, but that Erik walked into the room and sat at his computer (which he would have HAD to step over at least 10 of the fallen books to get to) and said nothing about it. I walked in and said "Oh, my goodness." and he said "What?", I pointed to the bookcase and said "This, didn't you see the bookcase on the FLOOR????". The answer of course is no, he had not, and I am absolutely positive that in ANY other room of our house he would never have missed such a thing, but it was in the COMPUTER room. The computer, it can suck a man (or at least for sure my man) in, make him forget time, place, or that bookcases do not belong on the floor in the middle of the room. (Sorry honey, it is funny!)

Penguins

Today we visited our aquarium. They just got penguins last week so went to see them. We (I thought it was "we" until we went today and realized I just had my "m" upsidedown and it turned out to be just "me" who was excited) really have been looking forward to seeing them. My Mom went with Matthew and I which was great. At first I was a little worried when we got there and saw 10 school buses. I thought, oh great now little Matthew will never get to see the penguins because it will be so crowded, poor Matthew. Well don't spend even spend a moment worrying about "poor" Matthew, because he didn't even spend a moment looking at the penguins! The truth about Matthew is he LOVES the aquarium and asks to go all the time (in fact he even has an hour long aquarium video of fish swimming around that he asks to watch everyday, it also only cost me 45 cents, definitely not important or completely relevant but I do love to share about unbelievable deals). Fun fact: Aquarium is the largest word in Matthew's vocabulary (2nd largest word: awesome, not really important, but really fun to hear him say).

So just because he loves the aquarium does not mean he likes to walk leisurely and take in all the sights and sounds. I think I can say with confidence that if there were an aquarium visiting race, we would definitely win with Matthew as our leader and guide. They say it takes about 2hours to go through the 2 buildings (more time of course when it is crowded). But I tell you we can get it done in 1 hour complete with 1 bathroom break, 20 attempts to touch a sting ray (and then 2 visits to the hand sanitizer), 30 hello waves to various fish and other sea life, 10 pretend swims on the floor (followed by 10 "Oh Matthew, please don't lay on the floor" 's), taking 15 pictures (not all of which are keepers) and dodging 150 elementary students! It is an action packed hour, but a fun one, and is not recommended for a first timer (or anyone who likes to read informational signs). The great thing is we have a year's membership so we don't feel cheated by our speedy visits (or the fact that Matthew couldn't care less about the new exhibit).

I know you are probably thinking will this post ever end???? The answer is for sure it will, but I just have to add one more thing. Sometimes in one section there is a man that plays his banjo at the aquarium and today he was there. It is not unusual (and by not unusual I mean it happens every time he hears or even thinks he may hear music) for Matthew to dance, but normally very few people are there to see him. Well today it was so crowded but he just started shaking it as usual, everyone young and old alike made way for a proper stage for my young entertainer. Everyone laughed, and stared at Matthew as if he were a new exhibit (I am pretty sure the penguins were jealous) and then, of course, I told my little dancer to take a bow and exit his stage. But he reminded me later while "swimming" with the fish, that he is 2 and he NEVER exits his stage.

Happy Day: Matthew's Medicine is All Gone

Matthew has been on some yucky medicine for the last 10 days. It is supposed to eradicate the staph (which we are praying it really will). He had to take it 4 times a day, every 6 hours, so we had to wake him up in the middle of the night (yucky medicine+middle of the night waking=nothing even remotely close to fun). Matthew is normally really good about taking medicine but giving him this medicine has been a chore (and at times a 2 man job).

We have rewarded (or bribed, but rewarded sounds so much better) him with chocolate milk and gummy bears 40 times(that is EVERY time), set the alarm to wake at 1 am 10 times, chased him down 30 times, held him down to take it 20 times, practically bathed in the medicine 39 times (that is out of 40 doses), reminded him to actually swallow and not spit it out 35 times, got medicine spit into my eye 2 times (it doesn't sound like many but it was enough). And now for the final numer, how many of us are just ecstatic about being done with the medicine and the thought of also being done with staph: 3! So today after the last dose Matthew did a little dancing and got to throw the medicine bottle away! An event we have been looking so forward to!

Dance, Dance, Dance

Matthew's new favorite thing to do when Daddy gets home is dance. Matthew got some way cool American Idol sunglasses in a happy meal last week and he insists on Erik wearing them while they dance. It cracks me up (since, of course, I don't have to wear them and dance). Matthew is very picky also about the kind of music they dance to, it must be fast music. If a song starts out too slow he shakes his head and says "No Daddy, faster". Poor Daddy isn't allowed much of a dance break either. If he sits down for even moment Matthew "suggests" (by pulling on Erik's shirt) that they dance some more! Erik does love it too (not wearing the sunglasses, the dancing).

New Sport

Crib Basketball is the new sport at our house! Matthew got this cool basketball net from Grandma Smith for his birthday in November. He has been playing with it, but he is a bit of a perfectionist, and he didn't want to throw the ball without getting it in the hoop so we would always have to lift him up to shoot. Well he found out now that he can play from the crib where he is a bit taller. He LOVES to play. I love that he loves it except now I can't get him out of his crib!

The Giraffe's Best Day Ever

It must be true that extreme situations can bring people together (or stuffed animals). Today Matthew had to go to the Dr. for another staph infection (a super sore booboo which he has been getting ALOT in the last few months). Well these appointments are not fun and today was the most unfun of all. The Dr. has to get the infection out which involves cutting and squeezing that super sore booboo. Well, somehow this unsuspecting and otherwise ignored giraffe (I am sure if this giraffe could speak or move we would have heard and seen his excitement, disbelief and amazement) was picked by Matthew to accompany him to this appointment.

The giraffe turned out to be a worthy and excellent companion. We were all glad he came. Today a bond was created that will not easily be broken (unless of course another stuffed animal catches Matthew's eye, or more than likely a Matchbox car).
But for today the giraffe will rejoice he was chosen and I will love seeing Matthew being snuggly with a stuffed animal and take their picture numerous times. Will the giraffe be remembered tomorrow for his heroic actions today? Probably not, in fact I think he will be lucky if he can keep riding this best buddy train until dinner, but at least we will have these pictures and I am positive it is the giraffe's best day (or half day) ever!