Yup. He's a toddler.

Sure, I blog so my family and friends can see pictures of Matthew and have a little glimpse into our life.  It makes being SO far away from EVERYone we love, a teeny bit easier (ok, not really...it's still hard).  However, another reason I blog is to have a keepsake of this time.  To remember all the cute, and let's face it, not so cute, things that Matthew does.  I sucked at writing in his baby book, but I found a program online that allows me to make a book out of the blog.  I am still working on it, but it is going to be an AMAZING piece of art when it's finished.  I've uploaded from the day I found out I was pregnant, up to his first birthday (for the first book anyway).  There is no way a baby book would have as much details, honesty, photos, memories.  I can't wait to get the printed copy and just pour through it remembering everything.  So.  There's that.

Onto the main point of this post--I must also record the devious moments as well.  He may be cute, but he's no angel.  This weekend Matthew thought it would be cool to color on the beige walls with blue crayon.  He made a lovely scribble drawing.  Since mommy did not learn her lesson, today he had a repeat performance.  Matthew and his little friend Keegan were coloring pictures together (on paper!).  Matthew disappears around the corner.  I realize he has a crayon with him at the exact same moment he starts adding to his masterpiece on the wall.  Thanks buddy.

But this next trick.  This one was not funny (despite daddy's insistance that it is, indeed, funny).  In an unfortunate series of events, my evening pretty much sucked.  Matthew and I are playing all nice and laughing, enjoying our legos.  Boss dog gets sick and vomits her neon yellow dog puke on our (already nasty), light colored carpet.  Mommy puts Matthew into the kitchen (it's gated) to keep him away, because, trust me, if I had not, I promise you he would have stuck his hands into the pile of frothy ick.  Boss is baned to the backyard.  Mommy starts cleaning the carpet (only to find we are all out of the good carpet stain stuff), but scrubbing at that stain none the less.  I hear Matthew playing in the kitchen, all is well.  I walk into the kitchen to get a different scrubber, and panic.  Matthew's gone.  GONE I tell you.  Not in the kitchen, which I may remind you, is gated.  Suddenly I see a yellow object walking around on the back patio.  It's dark outside and the patio is puddles of water from rain.  My boy.  My sweet precious boy....climbed through the doggy door and escaped the madness that is our house.  I open the door (the people door), and he laughs and tries running away.  Needless to say, Mommy was not pleased.  Matthew was pretty proud of himself.  And now we've found one more thing to baby-proof.  Oops, I mean toddler-proof.

I am drained.  No more energy left in this body.  Stick a fork in me.  I am so pleased Matthew is in bed asleep for the night. :-)