End of Summer

Hard to believe that today is the last day of August! Summer is definitely going out in a hot way...it is supposed to be 100 degrees this afternoon! All of the Johnson County pools were closed early this year, so we have been staying cool inside. Zach has 4 new teeth on the top, to go along with the 2 on the bottom. He is already eating a lot of table food, but will be able to chew meat soon :) Matty continues to harass Zach (in a loving way of course)...I thought that the picture below was pretty funny...Zach has a terrified look as his older brother approaches.

Birthday Bash

Today, we went to our neighbor friend Sloan's 2nd birthday party at McDonalds (aka the big yellow M). It was a crazy scene there...little guys running all over the playland, screaming, throwing food...yikes. Little Zach was pretty tired and wanted down in the worst way, but Matty had a good time. He was the only kid there that was dipping his nuggets in the hot mustard sauce (yep, he takes after me). The party ended with a rice krispy cake, yum!

Sidewalk Paint

Matty received some sidewalk paint for his birthday, and we finally tried it out. He had fun using the paint brush and the roller. Thank goodness the paint was washable, he managed to get a lot of it on himself!

Thankful

I am very thankful that I am able to stay at home and raise my kids. Some days are easier than others for sure, and lately it seems that I know more about the shows on Nick Jr and PBS than I do about current events. Before Matty was born, I worked for nearly 10 years in the accounting/finance world. Some of the things I miss most are dressing up for work, traveling, happy hours, participating in fantasy football leagues with co-workers, going out to lunch...just to name a few. However, I also remember how I used to sit at my desk and long to have a child. I always had to listen to co-workers talk about their kids, and I would often feel sad. At one point, 3 of my closest co-workers' wives were all pregnant at the same time, and I had to go to all of the baby showers. Tough. Then, when I found out that I was expecting Matty, I eagerly signed up for VSP at Sprint, which is where you volunteer to leave and the company pays you an amount for the number of years of your service. This was a blessing in disguise, since Matty was unexpectedly born 15 weeks early. Then, when Matty came home on oxygen and monitors, I was so blessed to be able to be there for him 24/7. He was sheltered from every possible germ that first fall, winter, and spring. He had to go to many appointments...pediatrician, NICU follow-ups, eye doctor, and had various people come into our house for OT, parents as teachers, etc. Like I said earlier, I am very blessed that I could stay home with him then and that I can still stay home with both boys today. Lately, I have been thinking of trying to do a little job on the side, where I would be able to work from home. I found out about such an opportunity, and had an interview today. I really shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, but of course I did...it turns out that the opportunity isn't really what I thought it would be...so anyways, I will stick to being the best stay-at-home mom that I can be!

Random Pics

I think that these 2 goofballs definitely look a lot alike here!
They love clowning around together. I am trying to teach Matty not to be so rough with his little brother.

The little guy catching up on his shows!

Busy Boys

Matty and Zach have been keeping busy. We went out to church and out to eat with my family on Saturday night.

Matty made homemade brownies with rainbow sprinkles on top. Yum! And as always, the boys enjoy watching cartoons together as well as playing in the toy room.

11 Months

Little Z turned 11 months old this week! He crawls around with great speed and he really enjoys pulling up to furniture to see what his big brother is doing. I caught him stuffing goldfish crackers into his mouth this morning...he really tries to imitate Matty in many ways!

Soccer Stars

Uncle Richie and Aunt Claudia bought these soccer jerseys for the boys in Argentina. How cute!

Play Dates

My friend Emily is in town this week, so Matty and Zach have been able to play with her daughter Riley a couple of times. Today, we went to the park and went for a walk around the lake. Matty and Riley had fun jumping in the puddles and at one point, he stopped her from getting too close to the lake...so cute! They are just adorable together.