Still Here...Barely!

Wow, I used to be quite the blogger. Not so much these days. I'm just trying to make it day to day right now it seems. 2 kids, teaching school, a husband with a crazy work schedule, Tyler playing baseball, Alabama football games, and did I mention a 2 year old??? Seriously, life is crazy busy but it is good. Maybe I'll catch up on blogging one day. Maybe not. I hope I do! For now, here's a picture of my two boys. Love the picture, hate the background, but it's what I have from last Saturday. Roll Tide!

School's Out for Summer!

School's out for summer! Yay! Hopefully I can get back in the blogging mode now that I will have a little more time on my hands the next two months. Since I'm so far behind, I made a recap video of this past school year. Enjoy!

Note: I'm not all that happy with the size of the video after I uploaded it to the site. On my computer, it plays full screen with excellent resolution. If you want to see it bigger, you can click to download the video but then the picture quality is diminished. Still working to see what I can do...

It's Baseball Time!

Spring is probably one of my favorite times of the year. Jason and I both grew up playing baseball/softball so we are always excited when baseball season rolls around. This is Tyler's third season to play and he absolutely loves it! This past week we had our first two games. Although we have lost both games so far, both by one run, Tyler is doing an outstanding job. He is doing a good job hitting the coach-pitched baseball and he is making lots of outs when playing pitcher on the field. He likes to field the ball and then run after the guy running to first and tag him out. I think his favorite part is celebrating after he makes an out! We are very proud of our little baseball player and glad he enjoys playing the sport we both grew up playing.

Snow Day!

Snow was in the forecast all week, but when we woke up on Friday morning, there was no snow. Tyler was disappointed that it didn't snow, but he was excited about his Valentine party that day. We headed off to school but, shortly after being there, the snow began. We all had our Valentine's parties and then we were let out of school early. We came home, took naps, and woke up to a yard full of the white stuff! Tyler and Matthew had a fun time playing in the snow. They had a snowball fight with Payton, Ben, and Natalie, and built a snowman complete with candy for the face. Matthew decided he had to have a sucker of his own once I got one out for the snowman's nose, so he sat on the doorstep with his sucker in his mouth and watched the snowball fight. Tyler, on the other hand, did not slow down. He even managed to play basketball in the snow. What a fun winter's day!

Matthew's 2nd Birthday

Matthew celebrated his 2nd birthday with a dump truck themed party at our house after Tyler's basketball game on Saturday morning. I found the invitation below at this great site and I edited it with a picture of Matthew and our party information. I was so excited to find this free Photoshop document online and am grateful for the photographer who was willing to share her fabulous work!

Several family members and a few friends came over to celebrate with us. Matthew had a fun time at his party. Cake time was probably his favorite. He liked the attention of everyone singing Happy Birthday to him and he knew exactly what to do when it was time to blow out the candle! After cake, Matthew went and got his blanket out of his bed and was ready to take a nap before present time. What a creature of habit! Luckily, we made it through opening presents before nap. Matthew was so excited about all of his new toys. Happy 2nd Birthday, Matt!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

On February 6, 2008, at 10:56 am, Matthew made his arrival into the world. Originally due on Valentine's Day, Dr. Heath finally agreed after I begged to be induced a week early. After delivering an 8 lb, 9 oz baby, we were all glad he was born a week early. This sweet, lovable little boy has definitely lived up to the Valentine's Day due date. He loves to give hugs and kisses!

If you remember, Matthew was one sick little boy a year ago. After having tubes put in his ears, adenoids taken out, and being diagnosed with a temporary underdeveloped immune system, he has recovered, his immune system has developed, and he has returned to being a happy, healthy little boy.

Matthew is so much fun to be around. He makes the silliest faces and says the craziest things. He loves to sing (his favorite songs at the moment are The Wheels on the Bus and Baby Bumblebee) and he loves to dance. He can often be found dancing in his car seat to any song that comes on the radio. He loves his big brother, although he doesn't always like to share his toys with him!

Matthew still likes to eat and he likes to sleep. His favorite foods are mac and cheese, fruit snacks, bananas, and oranges. He has finally started drinking milk and will usually drink one or two sippy cups full each day. This is a huge change from a year ago! Matthew is a good sleeper, overall. He likes his routine, including nap time and bedtime. He usually sleeps from 7:30 pm until around 6:30 am each day. We could not ask for a better two year old.

I thank God every day for blessing me with my two little boys. I cannot imagine life without either of them. Happy 2nd Birthday Matthew!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day started out around 7 am when we woke both boys up to see what Santa left for them. Tyler was super excited about seeing what Santa brought. Matthew, on the other hand, didn't understand why we were waking him up so early. He will grow to understand how busy our family stays on Christmas. Santa brought Tyler a goal post, a punt snapper set, Florida Gator football men, Tennessee football men, and a Nintendo DS. Does anyone see a sports pattern emerging here? Santa brought Matthew a car/train table, a drum, a truck, a cash register, and a car/driving toy. If Tyler's theme was sports, Matthew's theme this year was definitely "things that go" (cars, trucks, and trains). After the stockings were unpacked and all of the toys were opened, many of our family members came over to our house for Christmas breakfast. The boys had a fun time showing off their new toys. After breakfast, it was time to open presents with Granna and Pop-Pop and Uncle T and Haleigh. Matthew was over the whole present thing by this point so Tyler helped him open his gifts. Tyler got a new bike, which he is scared to death to ride right now. I'm sure he'll warm up to it soon and will be riding circles around us in no time.

Matthew got a riding lawn mower and was not a bit afraid of his new toy. He hopped right on and rode around the house cutting grass. My two boys are complete opposites when it comes to things like this. Tyler is more of a scaredy-cat whereas Matthew is fearless. While Daddy and Tyler played with his new toys, Matthew and I were able to get in a quick nap before heading over to Mimi and Perry's house to celebrate Christmas with my mom's side of the family. We had a birthday party for Jesus complete with birthday cake and, for the final time, the boys opened lots of presents. For the first time all Christmas, they opened some winter clothes just in time for more cold weather to arrive. I must say thank you to Mimi and Perry for Tyler's mini-sandbox set. I've always wanted a sandbox inside my house...ha, ha! No, it's really not that bad. Tyler has enjoyed playing with it and hasn't made too big of a mess thus far.

I must say this Christmas was the busiest we've ever had. Maybe it was the quick trip to Disney World right before Christmas or having two kids going non-stop for several days in a row. It may have been the busiest but it was also one of the most fun. We are so blessed to have two happy, healthy little boys and a family to celebrate with!