The blizzard of 2010

What a week! The snow started falling Thursday morning and it didn't stop until late that night. There was 12 inches of snow by the time it was over! I was excited to see the snow when I woke up Thursday and I showed it to Matthew. He was repeating "snow" and he was a little in shock at first since this was the first time for him to see it lately (the first time he was 9 months old on a ski trip but he doesn't remember it)

After Matthew ate breakfast and dressed, we played in the snow outside. I was getting excited putting on his shoes and I squealed a little and Matthew let out a big squeal. He loves to go outside and check out new things. He enjoyed walking on it. He said "match, match" as he pointed to the trees. He is learning when things look similar, they are a match. He was probably talking about the trees looking a like because the snow covered the branches.

On Friday, Matthew's daycare was closed because everyone thought the roads would ice over. However, it turned out the roads were not bad - just slushy. Our electricity went out in the middle of the night and when we woke up on Friday, the house was starting to feel cooler. Andy immediately shoveled the walkway and the neighbor's walkway to prevent it from icing over. We went to eat breakfast since some areas near us had power/heat. As soon as we came back home, we built a snowman. We started a fire but we couldn't really get warm unless we were wrapped in blankets. After Matthew took his nap, we went to the mall and enjoyed some tex-mex. Matthew was having a great time hanging out with mama and daddy. At one point, he was walking between Andy and I and he was holding each of our hands and he just looked up and smiled.

Our electricity came back on Friday evening around 7pm. We were so glad. You never realize how much you need it until it's gone. The snow weighed down the tree limbs that ultimately fell on power lines. There were 200,000 people in Dallas without power on Friday. The rest of the weekend, we enjoyed the heat and just relaxed at home. The snow started to melt Saturday and our snowman was almost gone Sunday night. It sounded like rain because all the snow was melting and dripping off the roof.

Potty Time

We officially introduced Matthew to the potty at home this weekend.  The teachers at school have worked with him for the past couple of weeks but no pee in the potty so far.  We put his little blue potty next to the toilet in our downstairs bathroom.  Matthew gave a big smile when we would sit on the toilet at the same time that he was sitting on his potty.  He likes to take off his clothes and sit there for a minute but then he says "all done" and he is ready to go play.  He tries to put things in his potty because I think he is not quite sure what is supposed to go in there.  For example, he put his socks and then another time he put his diaper in it.

Matthew had a good week at school.  He made the cover of his school's newsletter.  His teachers are just smitten over him.  Ana Paula came over and babysit for us a couple of days this week since I had bookclub on Wed and Andy was out of town for work.  And then Friday we went to a Maverick's game.  Matthew loves Ana Paula and he usually never cries when she comes over but lately he has been more attached to mama than usual.  He screams "mama" and puts on a big crying fit when he hears knocks at the door because he is afraid Mama is going to leave him.  Ana Paula has been teaching him spanish and Matthew is picking it up.  Now mama and daddy need to learn spanish so we can keep up with Matthew.

The weather in Dallas has been chilly with temperatures in the 40's and 50's but the wind makes it feel colder than normal.  It's also been raining a lot this past week.  Winter is almost over in Texas so it will be nice when the weather warms up in the next couple of weeks (we hope).  

Who's the boss?

Hi Mama, I'm cute and I know it

Look at me

Twisting and turning in the chair - how fun!

Matthew actually said "stuck" at this point

Riding the train with Daddy in the mall

Matthew is pointing to the mechanical animals in Rainforest cafe

Matthew's personality is coming out more as he is able to talk more.  I will get one of his backyardagan songs stuck in my head and start singing it and Matthew will say "Mama, shhh"  for me to stop singing.   It's funny to see.  And he likes to say "Mama, come, choo choo" and "Mama, come sit" while he pats the chair or his riding horse rody.  Every night, I give him a bath and we read several books.  Then I take him on to the balcony "banc" where I sing twinkle, twinkle little star and point at the stars and moon.  We can also look into the neighbor's yard so Rusty will come with us to see what's going on with the dogs next door.

On Tuesday night, Matthew started running a fever so I took him to the doctor Wed morning.  They checked his ears and it looked like a possible ear infection so they gave him antibiotics.  I was not feeling well myself with a cough so I stayed home Wed and Thurs with Matthew.  He started to act like himself on Thursday evening so he went to school on Friday.  Luckily, Matthew did not get the stomach bug that is going around or the swine flu.  The dr tells me that the swine flu will peak again in Feb and March.  Great.

Matthew and I enjoyed our time together at home.  We went to Bachman lake while waiting for his prescription at be fulfilled and he loved watching the planes land at Love field.  He also saw some ducks, kayaks with SMU rowing teams, and cyclists/runners.  He enjoyed being outside for a little bit.  And he really enjoyed the strawberry milk shake that I splurged on him.  

We were able to go to dinner Friday night to Campisi's.  That's always a nice treat after a work week.  Earlier that day, Matthew got a "bobo" above his lip because he was spinning around in circles at school to get dizzy and then he fell and hit a table on the way down.  The school said that he cried at first but everything was fine after a minute or so.  He was probably more scared than anything.

On Saturday we headed to Grapevine Mills mall.  Matthew liked getting out of the house.  When I would go into the dressing room to try on some jeans, Matthew would take off his shoes and socks mimicking me.  If he could take off his pants, he would have.  It was so funny because I went into the dressing room 3 different times and Matthew seemed to enjoy it since it was something new to him.   Matthew was a little scared of the alligator and snake at rainforest cafe but he was intrigued.  He really enjoyed the ride on the train with Daddy.  He didn't want to leave.  But he feel asleep in the car as soon as we were out of the parking lot.

When we arrived at the house, we had a hard time getting him to take a nap in his bed since we woke him up to get him out of the car.  I took him out of the crib and let him play because he seemed rested and ready to play.  But he was fussy and crying over every little thing so we put him back in the bed to take a longer nap.   He really fights taking naps with loud screams.  The terrible 2's are upon us.

Ana Paula came over to babysit for us Saturday night so we could go to dinner and catch a movie.  Matthew was still a little fussy and cried when Mama left.  He usually doesn't cry at all when AP comes over.  He kept it up on and off for a little while when we were gone but then out of the blue he just starts giggling and having a good ole time.  

On Sunday, he slept in until 8am.  It was wonderful!  We did the usual - took a walk to the park, ate grilled cheese and soup for lunch, played at home, and visited the senior citizen home.  We missed church because we woke up too late.  Taylor and Kristy and their 2 yr old, Arden, came over Sunday evening to play and hang out.  Matthew didn't want to share his toys.  He kept saying "mine" but he eventually warmed up to the idea of a playmate.  When they walked in, Matthew was screaming "Mama" with tears running down his face because Andy was trying to play with him for a while.  It was a big tantrum and they said "It isn't anything we haven't seen before"  I just laughed.

 

January in Texas

Giggling with Daddy

About a week ago, the weather was freezing.  This week, we experienced 70 degree weather - That's a Texas winter for you!   I was struggling to find clothes for Matthew that would not be too hot.  Most of his 2T clothing are winter clothes.  Matthew had a good week.  On Monday, Andy took him to the doctor for a follow up appointment and everything checked out well.  Ms. Krystal said that Matthew is talking more in school.  They gave him a ride in the red wagon and he was waving and blowing kisses to all the teachers and kids.  The teachers thought Matthew was so cute and they had a big smile telling Andy the story.  

In the mornings, Matthew watches his backyardagans while eating breakfast.  He will play a little before going to school with daddy in the big SUV.  He likes sitting up high because he can see everything.  He points and says "Truck" as they pass by trucks.  In the evenings, he is usually hungry so we feed him right away.  He gets to watch another backyardagan episode during dinner.  Then, he's ready to play.  "Mama, come, choo choo"  I usually eat my dinner while sitting in his little chair next to his train set.  He doesn't like to play alone too much.  And that's fine with us because we enjoy spending time with him.  

We tried to go out to dinner on Friday night to Fernando's, but it was crowded and Matthew was hungry so we just went home.  We were a little disappointed to eat in but that's how it goes these days.  On Saturday, Matthew was up at 6:30am like clock work.  We played hard and I took him for a walk at 9am because he was bored already.  Andy took Matthew to the YMCA to the daycare while he worked out.  Matthew loved playing with the other kids.  I went to the mall and enjoyed shopping by myself (the first in a really long time!)  Then, Matthew and I visited my friend, Patricia, and her new baby, Lucas.  Matthew just looked at the baby and said "baby".  He wasn't quite sure what to think about it all.  He enjoyed playing with their dog, Oliver.  While I was holding Lucas, Matthew was getting jealous of my attention.  He started testing me by touching this glass decoration when I told him not to.  Patricia picked him up and gave him some attention and then he was happy.  

We went to dinner with Kimberly, Jeff, and James (4 months younger than Matthew).  We ate at 5pm to make sure we were done by the boys bedtime.  We tried a new place, Victor Tangos, and recommend it.  I was impressed that Matthew made it through dinner.  There was so much going on that Matthew was watching the bartender shaking drinks and just people watching.  On Sunday, I slept in while Andy got up with Matthew- that was nice.  Then we ate breakfast at Angelas.  Matthew took a long nap and then  I took him to volunteer at the senior citizen home. The old people love Matthew and enjoy seeing him grow up.  He was a little shy at first.  Matthew was in a great mood the entire weekend.    

    

Happy Birthday Andy

Matthew is getting taller

Matthew's favorite - Puzzles

Playing catch with Daddy

Having fun in the covers

Matthew looked like a janitor because he had the overalls and he was using the broom

Andy's birthday was Tuesday so we celebrated it on Saturday by going out to eat at Andy's favorite restaurant - Bob's Steak house.  Ana Paula watched Matthew Sat night.  She speaks spanish to him (at our request) and he was disagreeing with her on a few words.  She would say "Luna" for moon and Matthew would say "No, Moon"

Matthew can put together most of his puzzles by himself.  He likes to play with balls and sweep the floor, too.  When he is in my bathroom, he will take my jewelry out of my jewelry box and then put it back.  He found another zippered pouch with odds and ends and he enjoyed taking each piece out and putting it all back when he is done.  He likes to throw things away in the trash - most of the time it really belongs there but sometimes we have to fish things out of the trash.

Andy took him to the park on Saturday and Matthew burned lots of energy going down the slide and swinging on the swing.  We are glad that the weather warmed up so Matthew can enjoy the outdoors.  He loves going outside and even says "outside".

We let him watch his DVD player in the mornings and he usually gets up at 6:30am and requests his show - The Backyardagans - by saying "Back"  

New Words: What Happened?

Matthew is speaking more words every day.  He can form sentences but you have to listen hard to realize he is actually saying something intelligently.  He started saying "Uh-oh, What Happened?"  It's the cutest thing.  I guess I say "What Happened?" after he says Uh-oh.  

Ms Krystal, his teacher at school, has been impressed with it, too.  She thinks he is getting ready to be potty trained so she started introducing him to the potty this week.  They don't want to rush into potty-training but they introduce it when they feel the kid is ready.  

Matthew will pull on my pant legs and say "Mama, come, choo choo" to tell me to come into his playroom and play with his train.  Andy thinks it's funny.

Over the weekend, Ana Paula babysat for us while Andy and I went to the Cowboys game.  We had a great time, especially since the Cowboys won.  The temperature was in the 30's and it seems that we encountered another sinus cold on Sunday.  Andy and I had it worse than Matthew with a sore throat and cough.  We feel like we are constantly sick!  Matthew has a molar coming in the bottom left.  He was fussy Saturday and would not take a nap (longer than 30 minutes).  Once I realized his tooth was cutting into the gum, I gave him some tylenol and he was in a much better mood.  Only 2 more molars left to go after this one!

We bought an SUV.  After our Christmas experience, we decided to get a more comfortable ride for Matthew and Rusty to enjoy some road trips.  On Saturday, we drove it around and Matthew watched Sesame Street on the DVD with headphones.  He loved it!

Happy 2010!

Matthew's new toy train set

Dallas replica at the train exhibit

Matthew watching the trains

For New Years, we went out to a Greek restaurant with Taylor and Kristy.  We ate a casual but delicious dinner and then we went to a party where we rang in the new year.   But at 12:01 we were ready to head home and get some sleep because we knew our toddlers would get us up bright and early.

Andy and I made a long to-do list so we have been trying to get things accomplished around the house.  We put together Matthew's Christmas gift - the train set.  He loves it.  Every day he wants to play with "Choo Choo"  Of course, it only keeps him occupied for 5 - 10 minutes but he still likes it.  Before we put the train together, I took Matthew to see the train exhibit at Northpark mall.  He didn't really smile because he was so serious watching all the trains.

Andy's New Year Resolution is usually the same every year- Be Healthy - work out and eat right.  He is super-motivated this year because he has his 20-year high school reunion.  My resolution is to have a positive attitude and seek the good in a situation as well as transition to a new job within AA.  I am on a rotational program so I will be moving around in the company in April.  I also promised Andy that I would track our financials at the end of the year so I plan to complete that in 2010!

As I look back at 2009, I remember the important events and trips:

• We enjoyed watching Matthew grow from a 9 month old baby to a toddler (1-yr birthday in March, baptism in June)
• Matthew took swimming lessons for 2 weeks in July
• We celebrated Papa Snider's 60th birthday in Austin
• We took a family vacation to Vail, Colorado in Aug
• We traveled to Michigan for Easter, 4th of July, and the weekend prior to Thanksgiving to visit family
• We helped Aunt Lori settle in Scottsdale with a couple of trips
• We visited Albuquerque during the balloon festival
  
• We celebrated Christmas in Victoria

We made so many great memories in 2009.  Matthew is getting a lot harder to travel with now that he is more mobile and demanding.  While we may not travel as much in the new year, we hope that 2010 will be even better!