Matthew cracking up!

Matthew was sitting on his daddy's lap and was kissing his legs and I told him, "No, don't do that. Hairy legs are gross". Right before he was about to do it, I said no, and he laughed and squealed like he knew exactly that I was telling him not to do something. This went on for 4 or so minutes. He was testing me, slowing putting his mouth next to daddy and waiting for me to tell him no, and when I did exactly what he knew I was going to do, he went bananas!

A White Christmas

In Florida that means going to the beach. It was a much cooler day than when Aunt Lori and I took the babies last week, but was sunny and clear. It was actually downright cold when the wind was picking up. But I LOVE the beach when the sand is cold, and so did Matthew. This boy loves, loves, loves playing in the sand. This time he remembered he doesn't like the taste of it.




We packed a cooler, had our blanket spread out, an umbrella up, and plenty of people. Granna, The Tyus Three, Marc and Amber, and Matthew and I made the trip this time. While the others took the babies for a beach stroller walk, Uncle Dave and I broke 200 consecutive hits on the paddle ball (in much easier fashion than when Daddy and I did the same feat). Matthew was all smiles when he came back from his walk, so cute all bundled up and in a winter hat- at the beach. Noah stayed warm in one of two Tiny Bear suits. I thought Matthew might need one, but his little body was toasty every time my ice cold hands checked him under his shirt.





Marc and Amber couldn't stay for too long due to their flight back, but anyone knows any time spent on the beach is heavenly, especially on a clear day. Lori and Dave and I stayed with the babies, who ended the day with peaceful, warm, snuggly breastfeeds. They both crashed for short naps after that and when it was time to go, they slept on the way back from the beach.


Matthew also tried zucchini for the first time, and loved it! We used his Christmas present from Uncle Marc and Aunt Amber, a squeeze bottle with an attached spoon. This thing was so easy to use. I only needed one hand and it made very little mess!

Matthew's first Christmas

We have had a great time with family this year. I can't think of a more fantastic way to celebrate all our blessings this year than to have done it with all my special people. Alex was working on Christmas Day this year so we planned to do our Christmas celebration on the 26th. After a midday Ultimate Frisbee game with Alex, me, Lori, Dave, and Noah we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church and heard a great message and sang some old favorites with a new spin. Marc and Amber flew in from Texas on Christmas Day and so I thought I'd be alone most of the day with Matthew while we waited for our Christmas Day a day late with Daddy... but then we got news that Matthew's Moran Grands were changing their schedule and were going to come for Christmas. We were really excited that both sets of Grandparents would be able to see Matthew on his first Christmas. I spent the Day with MamaAdina and Grandpa Neno, talking about family heritage and playing with Matthew. He had a great day and the next day we headed over to Granna's house.

We met Daddy and everyone else with breakfast that Grandpa Neno brought from Mimi's, and then spent the morning playing board games, hanging out, and opening presents. We laid pretty low on presents this year, just feeling already so blessed and having received the gift of family who traveled to see us this year. The babies got the bulk of the presents which was great. And just in time too-- Matthew is getting so smart and strong that he was in need of some new toys! He loved opening his presents. He got a bunch of nice things from some of MamaAdina's clients including a rocking horse, a high chair, and some winter clothes. The Moran Grands brought a TRAIN for both Noah and Matthew. This is one cool gift! The Tyuses gave us some really neat books, including "Tiny Bear", a bear who tells Bible stories. Granna added some cool car toys and some plush toys with TAGS all over them. Matthew can't get enough of tags! After presents we enjoyed Granna and Lori's Christmas dinner, Honeybaked Ham and Turkey, sweet and mashed potatoes, green beans, cornbread casserole, and a 7-layer cold salad. Dave and Lori worked on desserts, a Pecan Pie and a Carrot cake! It was a great way to enjoy all Matthew's grandparents and some of his aunts and uncles, and his best bud, Noah.

The next day we went back over to Granna's house to open presents from Marc and Amber that arrived too late for Christmas due to a PO Box mishap. These two were WAY generous with their gifts this year. They got daddy some new racquetball gear, Matthew got some bibs and a portable feeding jar with an attached spoon and a Babies R Us Gift card, I got a beautiful hand-made frame with some scriptures written on it for all life's needs, and Maggie got home-made dog biscuits lovingly made by Marc and doggie-cousin, Billy. We played Yahtzee later that night, teaching Lori and Dave for the first time, and then taught Marc and Amber Backgammon.

Needless to say Matthew has slept like a log all week. I love my family and even though so many of them live far away now I feel closer to them than ever. We have so many blessings that bind us together.

Here are some pictures of our Christmas

Matthew and Noah hit the beach

Aunt Lori called and suggested a beach day, something we as sisters do often and well. We used to go so much when she lived in Bradenton and was just minutes from the beach. Since we both had a lot of time off we would go and just sit, talk, and read, eat a little, and throw a frisbee. The last time we went to the beach we both were about 1/3 to mid-way through or pregnancies. We were long overdue.

We packed the car, with both car seats and were off with the boys, without any extra hands from daddies or grandmas. It worked out perfectly. The day was gorgeous, about 80 degrees and sunny, slight breeze-- couldn't have been more perfect conditions. When I realized my beach umbrella was in Alex's car at work I was a little worried about how it would turn out. We figured we'd be able to find some shade under a pier or something and as it turned out we were able to sit beside an unused lifeguard tower and, unlike all the other beach goers seeking out the sun in December, we were perfectly happy to shade our babies and their virgin skin. They napped on the way there and were bright eyed and ready for the beach by the time we got there. They had fun playing with some toys on the blanket for a while, then we decided they needed to shed the shirts, feel the cool surf, and explore the sand. Noah loved the waves on his little toes, Matthew was all about the sand. He mashed it between his little hands, didn't take too long to make its way to his mouth. At first he was ok with it, then after a heaping handful of sand decided it wasn't as yummy as he initially thought. I was smart to bring a bottle of water and some clean washcloths to get that yuck out of his mouth. After that I decided if he had a pacifier in his mouth he would leave the sand out of his mouth- and he did.





After some lunch for the babies and some Publix subs for the mommies we laid the boys down for some quiet time. I was ready to leave thinking nap time would come in the car, but that persistent Aunt Lori wanted to try to put the boys down for naps on the beach. It really didn't take too long before they were napping away. Matthew looked so peaceful with his arms up behind his head, with the wind blowing his hairs all over the place while he slept. They didn't sleep too long, but long enough to give Lori and me an extra hour or so at the beach.

I couldn't believe how well they handled being out of the house all day. They were happy the whole time, and LOVED the beach, both of them. They looked at the water and the vastness of the beach, they liked the coolness of the sand, and the breeze against their faces. It makes me sad that I didn't take Matthew more often when I was out of work, especially since this fall has been warmer than normal. Although now that he sits on his own it is easier to plop him down on a blanket or the sand and let him entertain himself for an hour or so! Aunt Lori and I are looking forward to another beach trip before 2011 closes, one with the whole family. That way we'll have extra hands to carry more toys, a cooler, and a beach canopy! And of course so everyone else can enjoy these baby beach bums as much as we did.




And just like every kid who has ever had a day at the beach, the boys were zonked out on the car ride home, slept well all night and even more the next day.

More new foods

We made avocado this week. I was excited about this because I had read that babies like it, that it is easy for them to eat, has a mild flavor, and is a superfood. Matthew wasn't too impressed. He ate some but not with the same enthusiasm as the sweet potatoes. I was all set to try it again, but on the second day the avocado puree had discolored and was a very unappetizing brown. I wasn't sure I wanted to feed him this version of avocado, so I tossed it, reading later that it is normal to brown and there are some things you can do to prevent it so much. I might try it again later, and will likely add apple, pear, or peaches to the avocado to help him with the taste.

So today was butternut squash day. This one looks and tastes yummy to me. It reminds me a lot of the sweet potato he enjoyed so much. He loves it. Squash was a very easy food to make. I will look forward to making this again, and adding other things to it to make it more interesting.

Next up, peas!

Mobile Matthew

He's getting there. Not crawling yet, but he is getting stronger everyday. He is strong enough to get himself into a crawl pose on all fours, he just has to work on the coordination of his hands. His legs are moving forward, but then he face plants.

He had fun watching daddy crawl around the room as his demonstration.

Matthew and Noah meet Santa Claus

We were invited to a Children's Christmas Party at the home of one of my favorite school families. They originally invited our family, but since Alex was working and Aunt Lori is in town I decided I would ask if Noah could come too, and of course they said sure. We also brought Granna along, for one thing to add an extra set of hands but more importantly because she couldn't miss her grandboys seeing Santa for the first time.

That's right, we didn't have to wait in a long line at the mall, and we weren't forced to buy the overpriced and iffy-quality shot from the mall elves. Instead Santa came to this party, and not only that he brought a gift for every kid at the party! Santa called out each child's name and then had a gift especially selected for them. All the kids got to sit on Santa's lap. It was really sweet, the boys held up pretty well, and we had a really nice time. I am so thankful for the good people God has blessed my life with. What a special family The Dugans are, to invite us over for Christmas cheer and to buy gifts for some 30 or so kids!

Here are the boys opening their gifts from Santa- Smart Phones!