3 Years Old

It's hard to believe, but Matthew is now 3 years old.  Life truly does go by so fast once you have kids - and it's so hard.  I love watching him grow and learn, but it all seems like it's going too fast.  Yes, these toddler years are hard and there are days that I'm beyond exhausted, but it is SO worth it!  Warning - this will be a long post :-)

~ You are 31.4 lbs (50th percentile) and just over 3 feet tall (60th percentile).  You're wearing 3T clothes and size 7.5-8 in shoes. 

~ You are about 99.5% potty trained.  You still have accidents during the night, but you're getting better!  I love seeing you run around in your "big boy" undies.

~ You are the very best big brother!  You have always loved your brother, Samuel, whether we were visiting him in the NICU or you're playing with him on the floor.  You love to make Samuel laugh and have started asking to hold him more often.  I can't wait to see the two of you playing more as you get older.

~ You played soccer for the first time this summer through the Arkansas Soccer Club and LOVED it!!!  I'm so excited that you're getting into sports.  Next up is Tee Ball at Burns Park!

~ Telling stories has become your favorite thing to do.  You crack your daddy and me up when you tell them.  It's fun to see your imagination/creativity develop through your stories.

~ You rarely take naps now, but still have a "rest time" in your room each afternoon.  I promise, you'll miss naps one day.

~ I'm planning to work with you more over the next few years on identifying your numbers and letters.  I'm in no big rush since you won't start Kindergarten for another 3 years, but you're ready to start.  You love it when you see an "M" - you say "that means Matthew"!

~ You like going to Sunday School at church.  You've just moved up to a new room and you now get to do worship in a big room with other kiddos.  You're not a fan of that part, but you like playing in the classroom.

~ You've had many firsts over the last year - rollercoaster, water ride, circus, magic show, baseball game, boat ride...love seeing you experience new things.

~ Some of your faves - swimming, playing outside (mowing, riding bike, scooter), reading books, cars, puzzles

I jumped on board with all of the other mommas and started a Birthday Interview with Matthew this year.  I found a "20 Questions" book online that will keep all of his interviews in one place.  It's set up so I ask him the same questions until he is 18.  Here we go...

What is your favorite color?  red & blue

What is your favorite toy?  puppy dog & tiger 

What is your favorite fruit?  peaches & pears

What is your favorite TV show?  Mickey Mouse Clubhouse & Chick and Friends

What if your favorite thing to eat for lunch?  chips

What is your favorite outfit?  night-night clothes

What is your favorite game?  baseball

What is your favorite snack?  cookies

What is your favorite animal?  giraffes & elephants

What is your favorite song?  Jesus Loves Me

What is your favorite book?  "God" - bible stories

Who is your best friend?  daddy & mommy

What is your favorite cereal?  "daddy's cereal" - Chocolate Mini Wheats

What is your favorite thing to do outside?  play soccer & throw Bella's frisbee

What is your favorite drink?  milk & water

What is your favorite holiday?  Halloween & birthday parties

What do you like to take to bed with you at night?  puppy dog

What is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast?  muffins

What do you want for dinner on your birthday?  chocolate pudding cake

What do you want to be when you grow up?  fireman

Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew!  We love you and can't wait to see what plans God has in store for you!

Branson 2015

We spent a week in good ole' Branson, MO in mid July with my family and had a blast!  It was so nice only having to drive 3 hours with the boys!  We stayed in an adorable house in the Stormy Point Village.  The only disadvantage were the amount of stairs since it was a 4 bedroom house and was 3 stories.  My legs were sore after a week, but it was worth it!  

We made so many great memories, especially for Matthew!  Our first stop was to Silver Dollar City.  We took the double stroller and brought all of our new gear that would keep Samuel cool.  He was more fussy that what I'd expected, but I think it's because the buckle of the stroller hit right over his g-tube and must've been uncomfortable.  Other than that, he did great!  Matthew had a blast trying out new rides and taking in all of the new sites.  He, of course, was hesitant about any big or loud rides.  He mainly stuck with the kiddie hot air balloon ride, the play area at Fireman's Landing, the Tom & Huck ride that gets you soaking wet, and the River Rapids ride.  It was so much fun seeing him try so many new things. 

We had a 2 day ticket to SDC, but decided Samuel would sit the 2nd day out.  He stayed at the condo with Mike and my dad while the girls took Matthew back.  Matthew was much more adventurous this time around.  He went on the train, the log ride (his fave), Fire in the Hole, the elephant ride, tea cups, and the pirate ship swing (least fave).  Really, he was satisfied as long as he was able to get wet during a ride.  This will be a must whenever we go to Branson in the future.  I have a feeling it will just get more and more fun for the boys.

Mike and I planned a special outing with Matthew to the Dixie Stampede.  It was amazing!!!  We highly recommend this for everyone, even little kids.  Mathew was mesmerized for the entire hour and a half show - even with him having to sit in our laps.  Plus, there was enough food between Mike and I that he could just eat off of our plates.  It helped, too, that our waiter was awesome and would sneak Matthew some extras :-)  It's definitely worth the money!

On our last night we took the boys to a little amusement park that had go carts, bumper boats, and other activities.  Matthew road in a go cart with Mike and the bumper boats with me.  I pulled the short straw on that one because we got soaked!  The best part was that this little park was right next to Andy's Ice Cream - score!  Before leaving, we had to go to the dinosaur mini golf course.  Matthew didn't last very long, but it was fun!  Samuel did well in the stroller, too.  

I know we will have many trips to Branson in the future - I've grown up going there myself.  Love making these memories with my boys!

I'm starting with pics of our condo because it's awesome!  It's an adorable village with individual houses, a water park, restaurant, and more!  Get ready for some picture overload - Enjoy!

 Our bedroom + Samuel

 Entrance to Matthew's room downstairs

 Matthew LOVED his pirate room!  Mike and I switched off sleeping with him since he was 2 floors away from us.

The downstairs living area

 Our first day at SDC!

Samuel enjoying the gel pad & fan his Aunt Carol got for him to keep cool!

Matthew's 1st ride - Hot Air Balloons

Day 2 at SDC

He loved sitting at his own desk in the old school house

Riding the SDC train

At the Dixie Stampede checking out the horses before the show

 

They don't skimp on the food - they even gave us extra with Matthew

This was probably Matthew's fave - Ride Makerz at the Landing!  He made his very own Tow Mater Firetruck Monster Truck!

 Testing it out...

 He was so proud!

 Sweet Samuel was exhausted by the end of the week

 Matthew chose to go to the Dinosaur Mini Golf place - he didn't last long

Such great memories!

Orange Beach 2015

Back in May we went with the Fleisher family to Orange Beach, Alabama.  We stayed in a high-rise condo that had gorgeous views of the ocean.  It also had a private beach with an amazing pool area for the kiddos - including a water slide, lazy river, & splash pad.  This was perfect because Matthew wasn't a huge fan of the ocean or the sand and Samuel was able to hang out under the shaded sections by the pool.  

I was definitely anxious about this trip because it was our first time so far away from home since Samuel has been home.  We had to make sure we had enough O2 tanks, extra nasal cannulas, extra dots, extra everything!  I also had a list of all hospitals and clinics in the area just in case something came up.  By the end of the week, we had a little routine down to make sure we could spend some family time by the pool each day.

Apart from spending our days relaxing at the beach/pool, we took the boys to the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo.  Matthew had a blast feeding the animals while Samuel slept.  The funniest part was when a goat literally grabbed the feed bucket out of Matthew's hand and ran off.  He wasn't sure what to do, but his Uncle Jim came to the rescue with a new bucket.  The girls were also able to do a little outlet shopping at Tanger in Foley.  I spent my birthday money easily :-)

All in all, it was a great trip and both boys did so well!  Mike and I were even able to sneak away for lunch by ourselves one day!  I know I'll be anxious traveling with Samuel until he's off O2 and (hopefully) once he can get rid of his g-tube.

I'll start off with pics of our condo.  I successfully didn't get any on the trip, so these are from the website - 

 

This was our room - to the right there is a full wall of windows with a small balcony and a perfect view of the ocean and into Gulf Shores.

The balcony went all around our unit since we were on the end, so we had amazing views!

This shows the pool, lazy river, and water slide from our balcony.

 Samuel's 1st dip in the ocean - not a fan

This was my view most mornings!  It was perfect having a covered patio by the pool.

 Love my little fish!

 lazy river