Family Fun!

Matthew and I have been busy this week visiting my grandparents, cousin, aunt, and sister!

On Tuesday Matthew and I drove to Arlington to hang out and eat lunch with Grandmomie, Aunt Cassie, and my cousin Melissa. We spent some time at Grandmomie's house where Matthew decided he'd like to take a picture with my camera.

After we hung out a for a little bit we decided to eat lunch at Grandmomie's favorite restaurant, The Black Eyed Pea. Matthew did not want ANY of his lunch, all he wanted were the rolls. So, I had to get a little sneaky by hiding his turkey and green beans inside the pieces of rolls I was giving him. After we all finished eating Matthew enjoyed playing cars with Grandmomie.

When we were finished eating we went back to Grandmomie's house to spend a little more time together before heading home for a nap. Matthew liked sitting in Grandmomie's lap and petting her dog Lucky. The fact that Lucky let Matthew pet him is amazing!! This dog does not like anyone to touch him except for my grandmother. The moment you reach down to try and pet him he runs away.

Matthew has recently started walking everywhere so I took a few snapshots of him exploring Grandmomie's house on his feet.

Around 1:00 we headed home for a nap except Matthew was asleep by the time we stopped at the red light at the end of Grandmomie's street!

On Wednesday Matthew and I headed to my Aunt Piper's house in Richardson to see her, Pawpaw, and Mawmaw. At Aunt Pipers house Matthew enjoyed throwing his ball to Pawpaw but I think his favorite part might have been (unfortunately) discovering the cabinet that had all the dog toys and remotes in it. After he found this cabinet it was hard to distract him with anything else but it was time to head to lunch anyway!

I think Matthew made up for lost food that day! He ate green beans, turkey, cheese, Aunt Piper's roll, an onion ring, and a few of Pawpaws french fries. He was a bottomless pit!! After eating this feast he showed Pawpaw how to roll his cars on the table.

After lunch we headed home!

Today we spent the morning with my friend Meagan and then tomorrow we are spending some time with Janet and Marin Wheeler! This has been quite a busy week but it has also been a whole lot of fun!! Matthew enjoys seeing all his family and good friends (and I do too)!!

Girls Weekend and Happy Feet!!

At least once a year a group of my friends from Pate Rehab. get together for a weekend girls trip. This year Mary, Sarah, Stacey, and I decided to have our weekend in Dallas. Friday night we met up at Manny's Mexican Restaurant in Uptown Dallas and had some really good food. After dinner we headed to our hotel, The Crescent. The hotel was so fancy! They had turn down service and they left a note on our bed telling us the weather forecast for the next day and whether we needed sunglasses or an umbrella. When we first arrived we decided we didn't want to sleep the day away on Saturday (even though we really wanted to!). But after staying up until 2:00ish we decided to just get up when we got up! By the time all of us woke up and got ready it was nearly noon. It was really nice to just get up and get ready! Usually the first thing I do when I wake up is get Matthew fed and ready for the day. On Saturday I had no one to worry about but myself!!

For Brunch we decided to walk to Dream Cafe, which was a few blocks away. There we feasted on Breakfast Taco's, Pancakes, and Fruit. After brunch we headed up to Allen to shop at their outdoor mall. We had a lot of fun looking in all the stores and eating Frozen Yogurt, yummy!!! After shopping we decided we'd like a pedicure after all that walking in the Texas summer heat! On our way back towards downtown we were discussing where we should go and no-one could decide. Stacey remembered the girl who cuts our hair had previously suggested a nail place called the Hawaiian Nail Bar, so we decided to check it out. Man am I glad we went there!!! Here are a few pictures hi lighting our experience.

This is what our feet soaked in at the very beginning. Orange slices, Lime slices, and rose petals!

We each got the Aloe Vera Pedicure and these are all the different scrubs/lotions they used during the course of our 2 HOUR pedicure, that's right 2 HOURS!!!!!

First they put this purple stuff in the water to make the water smell good and soft. After our feet soaked in the water for a bit the nail technician came over and started scrubbing the dead skin off our feet. For me this took a while since I walk barefoot on our concrete floors all day and don't take good care of my feet. I believe Mary said it looked like the lady was "grating parmesan cheese". Gotta love a friend who's honest with ya!!

After the scrub the technician put Aloe Vera all over our feet and legs. The leaves were what was in the bowl of ice on the tray from the picture above. My lady said the owner grows all the plants and makes all their lotions/scrubs and everything is organic.

After she washed off the Aloe Vera she wrapped my legs in warm towels and put my feet in bags of paraffin wax!!

After the paraffin came the BEST part of the entire process....a 20 minute foot and leg massage! She massaged my knee, behind my knee, up and down my leg, my heels, my feet, and each of my toes. I was so relaxed I almost fell asleep!! When our massage was finished we had our toenails painted and here is the final product (unfortunately Mary had already left when we took this picture Sunday afternoon)....

After our A-mazing pedicure we went to dinner and then went back to our hotel and hung out a little more before going to bed. Sunday morning Mary had to leave first thing to get a few things done before she flew out that afternoon for work. So Sarah, Stacey, and I grabbed breakfast at Paradise Bakery before taking Sarah to the airport and heading home.

The weekend was so much fun and incredibly relaxing! I cannot wait to spend another great weekend with great friends!! Rockport perhaps??????

18 Month Check-Up

This past Monday Matthew turned 18 months old! Man, where has the time gone?!?! He is getting so big and is a lot of fun right now. He continues to intently observe people and things around him. He will watch everyone else try to figure things out and then do them perfectly himself during his first few attempts. I thought he would never pull to stand, cruise around furniture, or walk. But one day he pulled up next to the coffee table then walked around it like it was no big deal. A few weeks ago he started walking with Bryan and I coaxing him with his favorite toys and acting really excited as he walked. Then last week as I sat at the kitchen table working on his baby book (yes, I realize I'm behind!) he walked around the dining room and kitchen without us having to bribe him!! Each day he takes more steps than the day before and I know he'll be running around the house in no time!! I'm just amazed at all he has learned in one year! I have so much respect for him and other little kiddo's who have to figure out this world and how everything works!!

Here is a picture with his pediatrician, Dr. Blair, who was just named as one of Dallas' best pediatricians. He's great and we love going to his practice! During the doctor's visit they measured Matthew and he is growing quite nicely. He is 26 pounds 8 ounces (60th percentile), 34 1/4 inches long (97th percentile-go figure!), and his head is 18 7/8 inches around (70th percentile). Good job Matthew!!

Swim Lessons

This past June we were incredibly lucky to be able to take swimming lessons at our local recreation center with a group of friends. Matthew and I donned on our bathing suits, lathered ourselves in suntan lotion, and headed to the pool every morning for a 30 minute swim lesson. There he learned how to kick his feet, make scoops with his arms and hands, and blow bubbles. It took him a few minutes to get used to the water, but once he adjusted he loved splashing around! His favorite was going down the slide! They had a "kiddy" slide that looked like a frog. His face would light up with the biggest grin as he went down and landed in the pool. On the last day we were able to go down the more "grown up" slide, which I was really excited about!! It is a slide that's tall and winds around in circles that eventually dumps you out in the pool. It was sooooo much fun!! My friend Kenee', who was 6 months pregnant at the time, was gracious enough to come sit in the heat and take pictures of us. Here are a few moments she captured....

Matthew "walking" on the wall towards the ladder. Once he reached the ladder he climbed out of the pool to his swim instructor and jumped back in the pool.

After splashing around, Matthew enjoyed eating the bubbles. It was HILARIOUS!! He ate the air like they were cheerios!!

Here's Matthew trying to reach for the toy by scooping his arms in the water.

Our group shot. So many cherished friends!!

Yup, I've done it AGAIN!

When I started this journey I mentioned I'm not the best "journaler", whether online or the good 'ole fashion way. But as Matthew gets a little bit older I look back and wish I had written down some of the funny moments, his milestones, or just something exciting I had done that day. So here's my new resolution....I am going to take advantage of this blog thing! I'm going to do regular updates of our "going ons" and post pictures here and there. I might even post a video - if I ever figure out how! This blog is not meant to be used as a bragging tool, just simply something for me to record our family memories on and a way to share good stories to other family who do not live near us. Recently Bryan and I started sending daily photos of Matthew to our family. While some days are missed, and getting him to pose (or not to pose) for photo's can be daunting at times, I'm really thankful we have made this a habit. I have enjoyed looking back at all the photos and our families are really thankful they get to watch him "grow up" and are included in our daily activities. Hopefully this blog can be used like that as well....hopefully!! :)

So, to start off I'll describe some good memories from today! This morning I woke up to Matthew calling out for someone to come get him. He no longer cries when wakes up and is ready to get up, he yells out "Dada". I'm working on the "Mommy", "Mama", or simply "Ma" but in the morning he calls for his "Dada". He is all about his dad right now and Bryan is loving it!! A few weeks ago when Bryan was traveling Matthew pulled to stand at our garage door, looked back at me, and asked "Dada??" - too cute!!

After getting him ready and myself ready we played with his toys for a few hours. His favorite toys right now are his stackable cups, ACU basketball, ball blower toy (not sure how to describe it), wooden blocks, and a drum that sings the Alphabet and other songs in English and in Spanish. Believe it or not Spanish is his favorite channel and if it is on English he will switch it over himself! So this morning we stacked blocks, then knocked them down, stacked cups, then knocked them down, rolled the ball back and forth, stacked blocks, then knocked them down, played the drum, stacked cups, then knocked them down....... Eventually he became bored with this (go figure!!) so we went outside to swing in his tree swing.

Around 11:00 my friend Janet and her daughter Marin came to pick Matthew and I up for a lunch date. Yummy Cheesecake Factory!!! We decided to splurge a little bit and it was REAL good!!! It always amazes me to watch Matthew interact with other kids, him and Marin have so much fun together! During our car ride they decided to scream out loud to each other, much to our dismay!! One would scream then look at the other, and then the other would scream back and wait for the other ones scream again. They loved it! They were both smiling and laughing during this fun little exchange. Janet and I tried really hard not to laugh, but I will admit it was kind of cute! Since our "no's" weren't working we decided to just ignore them and the screaming eventually stopped...thank goodness!! :)

Here's a picture of Matthew and Marin playing at the Galleria last week

After all the morning excitement, my day ended with laundry, dishes, and errands. However, I did have yummy left-overs for dinner!! Now it is time for bed and I get to wake up and do it all again tomorrow!!

More Updating and Lots of Pictures!!

Well, brace yourselves...I came across a lot of pictures to let you know what we have been doing these past few months. We have been so busy, it's no wonder the blog hasn't been updated!! It is amazing to see how much Matthew has grown in just a few short months! He is now crawling everywhere and just yesterday he tried to pull up to stand next to the couch. I was enticing him with the remote control (he likes to push the buttons). He is eating all kinds of fruits and veggies. We are practicing eating more solid foods such as banana's, steamed carrots, puff crackers, and raisins; however, Matthew is still trying to get used to the texture. He is babbling a lot and will attempt to repeat what you say to him. Most recently he has started to say "Momma"; however, I'm not sure he associates it with me, probably not yet!

The pictures below start from when he was just 4 months old and go up to our Thanksgiving holiday. Enjoy!!!

Here Matthew is at 4 months old wearing his Southwest Airlines onesie

We visited the Dallas Zoo on June 5, 2009.

Matthew decided he wanted to help me cook chicken salad sandwiches one afternoon

Hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma Bellomy (we're not sure what Matthew will officially name them!)

Taken on July 13, 2009

I wanted to get a picture of him in this onesie before he outgrew it!!

Mawmaw (my grandmother) gave Matthew this bear hat before he was born. He was finally big enough to wear it so of course we had to get a picture of him!

June 19, 2009

Matthew's first day in the church nursery. He has so much fun playing with the other kids and being spoiled by the workers!

Matthew LOVES bathtime. He likes to splash.....a lot!! By the end of his bath he's wet, we're wet, and the floor is wet - but it is awesome watching him have so much fun!! If you look closely you might be able to see Matthew's two bottom teeth.

During the Fall season we visited the Arboretum many times. This is a family picture we took on October 24, 2009. I am going to wait to post the Christmas pictures we have taken until our Christmas card is mailed out - I don't want to spoil the surprise for everyone!!

Here is our little pumpkin! Bryan's mom and dad bought him this Halloween costume. Bryan dressed up as a pumpkin when he was little. I'll have to scan the picture and add it to this post later, I'm sure Bryan will LOVE that!!!!!!!

Showing Mawmaw she has a button on her shirt, Matthew loves to play with buttons and other small objects. He has awesome fine motor skills, unfortunately that means I have to keep my floors extra clean!!

This fall we had a great time watching cousin Russell (my cousin) be the quarterback for his high school football team, Martin High School. They played 3 playoff games! We are so proud of him!!

Cousin Russell on the Jumbo Screen in Cowboys Stadium!!

Matthew supporting the team!!

Here is Matthew hanging out with Grandmomie at her house the day before Thanksgiving.

Grandpa Bellomy offered to keep Matthew while I ran some errands before heading out to Abilene for Thanksgiving.

Matthew in his Thanksgiving Day outfit

Matthew enjoyed playing with Uncle Tim (Bryan's uncle)

Matthew wanted to help Uncle Kevin play Boggle

Hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma Stone

With all this activity Matthew needs his rest. It's rough being a kid!!

How is it that time can go by so quickly?!?!

Well, my last post was about Matthew's 4 month checkup and he is now 10 months old so....I'm a little behind!! Things have been really busy for us the last few months, here are a few pictures to fill you in on the details....

~ I was able to spend a weekend in St. Louis with my good friends from Pate Rehab., Sarah, Stacey (baby Diego), and Mary. Sarah lives in St. Louis and Mary lives in Oklahoma so it was good getting together and catching up. We enjoyed an art fair, people watching outside Sarah's window, visiting the arch, and good food!!!!

~Bryan got a new job, he now works at TXU. When he put in his 2-weeks notice he had a week off before he started the new job. So we decided to go to.......

ROME!!!

We left Matthew with the grandparents and took off for Italy. It was a once in a lifetime trip - we had the time, the price was awesome, and Matthew was only 5 months old so he wasn't old enough to understand we were gone. We had an awesome time seeing and learning all the history. We visited the Colloseum, the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, the Vatican City/Sistine Chapel, the Catacombs, and much, much more. It was so much fun but by the end of it we were definately ready to get home and see Matthew!

~Matthew started eating solids. He didn't like it too much at the beginning but he soon got the hang of it and realized there are other tasty things besides milk!

RICE CEREAL

VEGETABLES

FRUIT

~We have had several trips to Abilene to visit Bryan's parents and our good friends Stan and Jessi Bailey. Matthew enjoyed playing with their two sons Brayden and Boston.

~Matthew experienced his first ACU Homecoming!! We had so much fun hanging out with Bryan's college roommates and their families; however, we are missing one roommate and his wife who live in Norway. Here are a few photo's from that weekend...

Our traditional "Family" photo after the parade. I LOVE these people!!!

The kiddos! Helen, Isaac, Brayden, Julianna, Boston, and Matthew. It took a whole lot of singing and dancing to get these poses, they are such troopers!!

The boys: Nic, Bryan, Jason, Stan, and Jake

The girls: Me, Ashley, Angela, and Jessi

Me and one of my favorite little girls, Helen

Okay, well, it's taken me a lot longer to post this than I had planned. I am going to have to finish updating tomorrow. Stay tuned for pumpkin patch pictures and pictures over the months with the family!!