Vacation Highlights: Matthew

Before heading to the west coast of Michigan, Matthew had fun visiting with family. He loved playing peek-a-boo with Aunt Ellen.

As always, Matthew took every opportunity he got to grab a handful of Cheerios, which cracked Grandma Linda up.
Once we had reached the west side of the state, we hit the beaches. Matthew quite literally hit the beach. That sand is hard to walk in!

Also on the beach, Matthew discovered his mission in life: Point out each and every bird in sight and try, try, TRY to catch one! Alas, catching a bird is easier said than done.

When not at the beach, Matthew spent a great deal of time riding in the mei tai. He rarely complained about the free ride, finding that the view is quite good from five feet off the ground (OK, so maybe five feet is a bit generous, but I am WAY taller than Matthew so it probably FELT like five feet to him!)At the cottage, Matthew discovered a little spot that seemed to be created just for him.Forget all those birthday toys, this basket is GREAT!And, of course, a highlight of the vacation for Matthew was his FIRST BIRTHDAY! He started out the day with his very favorite meal of dairy and egg-free pancakes. This kid can pack away the pancakes -- his current record is four full-sized pancakes in one sitting!
We made sure everyone knew that Matthew was one year old that day by dressing him in a special onesie. We finished out Matthew's birthday (and our last day of vacation) by letting both kids run wild at a playground in Saugatuck, where Matthew did his very best to keep up with the big kids. "Just wait 'til I'm two," you could almost see him thinking.

Matthew's party

We celebrated Matthew's first birthday a few days early. As is our family tradition, Matthew was sleep-deprived, clingy and overwhelmed for much of the celebration. (Although I greatly enjoyed catching up with many friends and family!) Mid-party, Matthew fell asleep and woke after most of the guests had departed. Thus, his first taste of birthday cake and the excitement of first birthday gifts was shared with a small contingent of family.

Since Matthew has so many food allergies, I baked his first birthday cake. Here he takes a taste of the dairy, egg and nut-free creation. He liked it! He really liked it!When Cameron celebrated his first birthday, I don't recall him showing much interest in opening his gifts. Matthew caught on right away.
He was spoiled rotten and loved every minute of it.

Day at the Lake

Ahhhh, summer time! We began our vacation by visiting Granma, Granpa, Aunt Beth and Uncle Steve at the lakehouse. Uncle Steve treated us to a boat ride on the lake and offered to take Cameron tubing. I was sure that when the boat pulled away and Cameron was by himself, yards and yards away from us, he would panic. I steeled myself as we got further and further from him but, to my amazement, he did fantastic. He was so proud of himself when we towed him back in, although he did say, "I was SO ready to come back on the boat!"

Cameron also drove the boat ALL by himself! (Thanks, Uncle Steve, for taking over when we careened towards shore!)
It was wonderfully relaxing to sit on the boat, surrounded by blue water and blue skies. It was also so much fun to see my grandparents -- a rare treat!
Towards the end of the boat ride, Uncle Steve asked David if he'd like to go tubing and he accepted. This may seem like no big deal, but here is the back (tee hee!) story:

Earlier in the week, David hurt his back. He claimed to be completely incapacitated and lay on the floor moaning while I took care of the kids, cleaned the house, packed up four suitcases and loaded all of our earthly belongings in the car. He then sat reclined in the passenger seat, moaning, while I drove five hours to Michigan. He hobbled into my parents' house, where my mother refused to let him lift a finger as he was injured. Everyone then took turns sympathizing with poor, brave David.

So, when poor, brave David hopped merrily on the tube and laughed as he bounced crazily behind a speeding boat I quickly lost sympathy for him and started feeling sorry for poor, brave little me. Thanks, Uncle Steve, for revealing the true extent of David's injury.

Didi

When Matthew was just beginning to babble, he'd often say "Dididididi!" One day, without much thought to the future, I said to Cameron, "Matthew thinks your name is Didi! Listen, he's saying your name!" Cameron was astounded and delighted. Every time Matthew said "Didi," Cameron would shout, "That's right Matthew! I'm your Didi!" Well, as you may have predicted, Matthew really DOES call Cameron "Didi" now.

Here's Didi, showing off his signature sense of style in the classic football jersey and sweater vest combo. It's on all the runways this year -- mark my words, you will ALL be buying jerseys and vests this fall.

Matthew's Day

Today Matthew got his fourth tooth, said "Thank you" (DANNKK OOO!) and learned to sign "Read." He's a genius, right? Well, he also crawled under the train table, stood up and bonked his head again and again and again.

Reflections on Brotherhood After Nearly a Year

Cameron: It's harder to be a big brother than I thought. At first I thought it would be so easy. But it's a lot of work!

Awww

Cameron just had a playdate with a friend from school who is just learning English. The boys get along fabulously and they had a great afternoon. As Cameron's friend was leaving he shouted, "Bye Cameron! Thanks me play!"

"Bye! You're welcome!" Cameron shouted back.

Then Cameron's friend, with a big smile, called out, "I love you!"

"I love you, too!" came Cameron's reply.

Awww.