Christmas Reunion 2008

Wow...we were in Mobile for 8 days but it just flew by! We spent Christmas day with my mom's family. It's the first time in 6 years that all of my mom's siblings have been together. It's also 97 years by Mammaw has celebrated Christmas Day. This was a very special time for us all.

The 1st picture is everyone that was at Mammaw's for Christmas except for my Aunt Lee, my cousin Terry and his wife Yvette. My hubby Kevin is in the back row with my Dad and Aunt Donna. Ricky and mom are in the 2nd to last row. The front row is my Uncle Vic, Aunt Deb, cuz Kindle, Mammaw (96 yrs old), my Granny and of course, me...

The 2nd picture is of my Aunt Debbie and Uncle Vic. Aunt Deb is the first of my Granny's children.

The 3rd picture is of my cuz, Kindle and her hubby Ricky. Ricky is a truck driver...Kindle is a dental hygenist part time.

The last picture is my mom and her 3 sisters. From left to right, Aunt Donna, Aunt Deb, Aunt Lee and my mom. This was an emotional day for them all..they were so excited to all be together at the same time.

Thanksgiving in Tennessee

We ate at Aunt DeDe's house. That is Grammy's sister (Deb). We had a lot of good food. Matthew pretty much ate mac and cheese and sweet potatoes...oh yeah, and pumpkin turtle cheesecake. SO GOOD!
Matthew and I helped Grammy put the tree up. When I was growing up, we always helped my Granny put up Christmas decorations and the tree. I'm glad Matthew can be a part of this now. He had fun putting the ornaments on the tree. We only lost one and that wasn't really his fault. Daddy was trying to help him and he didn't want help. Mister helped him put the Angel on the top of the tree. Such a big boy now!

Cool Man!

How adorable is he? He thinks he's so cool in his glasses. He loves wearing them. Not much is new around here. Matthew has been singing around the house along with Polar Express. That's one of his favorite movies right now...along with Cars still. He is awaiting his trip to TN to see his Mister and Grammy. Today is Mister's birthday so he's called to tell him happy birthday. He loves talking on the phone, but is very limited on discussion. Enjoy the pics!

Another Proof of an Artist

OK...he's 3...I know this. This is the first time he's actually tried to stay in the lines. I am very impressed. Angie said he started coloring, looked up and said, "I'm staying in the lines"...so not completely, but better than most. So proud!

Recent Pictures

I absolutely love Matthew's hair long like this. Who couldn't resist that face?!?!?! I love it. We got a pic of him with mommy and daddy...rare things to happen!

Happy Birthday

Family Reunion August 08

We went to Mobile the 19th-22nd to spend time with our family. My Mammaw turned 96 this year. My cousin Kindle's birthday was also on the 23rd, so we all gathered to celebrate life. We were at the Gulf State Park. The cabins were really nice. The pictures below are about our time there.

Granny and Mammaw are in the first picture. With Mammaw down to Matthew it makes 5 generations, how often does that happen these days!

Colby is in the next picture. He is 34 this year. He is my 1st cousin. Can't believe we are all getting this old.

Nana and Matthew enjoyed playing with a net and ball set they had there. Matthew is, like most little boys, obsessed with balls. He loves any type of ball. Papa is watching closely making sure Matthew has as much fun as possible. Nana and Papa are GREAT for that!

Aunt Lee bought Matthew a tent set. It was VERY windy so we just put the tent part up and weighted it down. He loved it so much he ate his lunch in there as well as almost took a nap.

Superheroes

Matthew is all about dressing up now. When he found my hat that a girl at work made for me, he put it on. When he puts it on right, it looks OK, but then he pulled it all the way down. It made me think of the guy on Fat Albert that has the hat all the way down. It was pretty funny.

When we went to Mobile, I got sunburned my last day there. On the trip home, mom gave me a pillow case to drape over my legs to keep the sun off of my legs. Matthew has taken this pillow case and it's now his blankie. He's never been a "blankie" sort of kid, but he carries this thing all over the house and takes it to bed with him. He wakes up looking for it in the mornings. This afternoon, I told him when I was little I used to wear my pillow case around my neck as a cape so I could be superman. He liked that idea. It lasted about 30 minutes before it became a blanket again.

As you can also see, he has gotten a haircut. We buzzed it on the longest guard.
Makes it easier to deal with since I'm not the best at cutting it and don't want to pay $15 every 2 months.

We had to make a trip to the doctor yesterday because Matthew has had a cold all week long. It's gotten worse and he's stuffy and coughing. He weighed 35.5 lbs and he's about 40 inches tall. He can still wear 18 mnth shorts but he's in 3T and 4T shirts because he's so long waisted.

Love ya'll!! Til next time!

My Child is a Genius

OK...we picked Matthew up from daycare and this picture comes with him. Angie asked him when he drew it what it was. He told her it was a bunny on the side of the road. When he got in the car, I asked him again, what did you draw today. He said, "It's a rabbit in the grass"...close enough to what he told Angie...because the side of the road is the grass. Just to see, we got home and I asked him again and he said again it was a bunny. If you look to the left and rotate the picture you can see a body with legs coming out of the back and front like the bunny is running. His head is towards the side of the page, it kinda got cut off when I scanned it. He's 3 ya'll. Pretty good bunny I would say...and imagination. The assignment was creative story. His story was the bunny on the side of the road. Such a proud parent!!

My Baby is 3!!

I made this cake for Matthew's 3rd birthday. I was pretty proud of myself. It actually looks like McQueen. Matthew loved it. He loved eating it too.

We took him to McDonald's for dinner to get his favorite thing-a cheeseburger. We needed to get a few things from the grocery so we went to Meijer where they also have a penny horse to ride. He loves riding that horse. Any time he finds money he says "money for the horsie mommy". So cute!

We let him pick out a toy from the store. Money is tight so we couldn't do a big party or anything, but he picked out these 3 hot wheels trucks. Each one has a little car that goes in the back. He can't wait to get into them!

The past 2 years have definitely been an adventure. I can't wait to see what the next few years hold for him as he continues to grow. I measured him today-he is 40 inches tall and
weighs about 32 pounds. They grow so fast. It's hard to believe I had him 3 years ago.

Til next time! Love you all!

Memorial Day to Now

Grammy and Mister with Matthew. We visited over Memorial Day weekend holiday and we had so much fun!

Matthew had a milkshake gotee after drinking a peanut butter milkshake I made. Both of my guys loved it!

I can't believe my little guy is going to be 3 in a week. He's growing up so fast. Time flies when you're having fun! Things have definitely been crazy over the past month or so, but we're making it. We're going to Mobile in 2 weeks and we can't wait! I know the grandparents can't wait either.

Love everyone til next time!

The past few months

Matthew loves taking pictures. Here he is with his daddy one Sunday before church. My 2 handsome men.

We went to Mobile the last weekend in Mobile because Kevin's Aunt Diane passed away suddenly. Matthew got to spend some time with his grandparents. The first picture is Matthew with his Paw Paw McLendon. They have so much fun together.

The next picture is Matthew with Bubba and Betty. They are my stepdad's dad and step-mom. It was their birthday so we were able to join in the celebrations while we were there. Matthew doesn't get to spend too much time with them, so we're glad we got to see them while we were there.

The last picture was taken today-5/1. I got the camera out to look at something and Matthew started cheesing it up. I couldn't resist. He loves getting his picture taken most of
time. This was just before a PB&J sandwhich...his favorite.

We've had a busy few months with Kevin's surgery and then my knee surgery. Matthew is scheduled to have his 2nd set of tubes put in and his adenoids out on 5/14. Once we get that done, we should all be great!

Matthew had his 1st dentist appointment on 4/30. He did GREAT! I was so proud of him. He got a new toothbrush, which Nana usually keeps him supplied with. He got to pick a toy too-he picked a little bitty Spongebob Squarepants toy and a sticker. The dentist said his teeth were very healthy and spacing was good for his big teeth when he gets older.

Well, that's all for now! Hope all is going well with you all!

Matthew's Toys

Besides eating all day, Matthew loves playing with cars. You can see in this first pic, which is like most pics, he has food on his face. It's really hard to keep it clean because it seems he's always eating. He had just eaten some of a chocolate rabbit the Easter bunny brought him. He ate a PB&J and a poptart before he got the chocolate. He doesn't eat a lot of what mommy cooks, but the fall back is PB&J. Thank God he's not allergic to peanut butter.

Matthew loves any car. He has 2 dump trucks and then these small cars. These are just a few of the many he has and he MUST sleep with them all in his bed or beside his bed. Sometimes I'm afraid he's obsessive compulsive about what has to happen before he goes to bed, but he's goes to bed without much trouble...most of the time.

Not much new has been going on. Kevin is recovering from his appendectomy fairly well. He is still sore, but that is expected with the incisions. My knee is slowly getting better. Today was a cold day and it was stiffer than it has been and a little swollen. It'll get better I
know, just gonna take time.

What a Week

Wow! What a week. Last Saturday, Kevin was complaining of his side hurting. He was running a fever so we went to the hospital. 4 hours later he was admitted for appendicitis. By the time they got him to surgery on Sunday morning, his appendix was perforated, infection had spread, pretty bad. He had to stay in the hospital until yesterday. He is moving around a lot better and is really glad to be home. Unexpected vacation for him. The last picture is what his co-workers sent him while he was in the hospital. They are cookies in the shapes of animals. So far, Matthew is the only one that has had one. I took a bite and they are pretty good. They are definitely adorable!

I had surgery scheduled for today on my knee. Nana and Papa came to stay with us to help me out so the way things played out I am SO thankful for them. Papa has entertained Matthew while Nana has taken care of me and Kevin. Matthew got his first game of Candyland, Memory, Hi Ho Cherry-O, and Chutes and Ladders. It came in the cutest back pack. He has played memory with us, still learning though. He's getting really good with
puzzles now. He has had so much fun over the past 2 days with Papa. He's stealing noses and hiding them and playing peek a boo with blankets. Nana has done ALOT around the house, especially washing clothes which helps me a lot. She'll never know how much I appreciate her help. I know it hurts her too with her knees as bad as they are at times.

I'm pretty awake for having surgery today. I'm not able to put too much pressure on my right left, but I can get to the bathroom pretty well and I'm coherent. The surgeon said everything went well. He removed something that was causing things to shift and pinch and he also told mom that I had a lot of arthritis for someone my age. Guess that'll be something to live with the rest of my life, just like mom. Runs in our family. :o)