Dear Matthew,

What I want to tell you today is so important.  I tell you every day, probably 50 times a day but I haven't officially counted, how much I love you.  I am so incredibly in love with you it is unbelieveable.  In the morning, when I start to hear your sweet morning sounds (and before they turn into the loud screams of "get me outta here!!"), I open the door to your room and am greeted with the most animated amount of joy.  Really- if people ever feel down about themselves, all they need do is greet you in the morning.  You smile, no you beam, and no matter how groggy I am, you light ME up with your amazing optimism and excitement of what's to come.

I love watching you grow and learn.  Today I took your pants and shoes out to get you dressed and you pointed to your shoe and said "shoe."  Then later we were driving somewhere.  We stopped at a light and you pointed out the window to a bunch of balloons and said "boon."  These are words I never even knew you knew.  I told Daddy later and you would have thought we had won the lottery to watch my excitement over your sudden ability to speak these words.  "He said shoe! Can you believe it? He saw the shoes and said shoe!"   You recieved similar reactions from me the first time you ate a whole bowl of yogurt, with a spoon, all by yourself!  Geesh...can't wait until you catch your first baseball or ace a test in school.  I sense my pride in you will only grow and grow.

Sometimes, you challenge me.  You are a monkey, who likes to climb and get into things, so yes, sometimes, you challenge me.  And by challenge, I simply mean frustrate. Oh I know all the things you do are all a part of your active and inquisitive personality.  But when I have to tell you 15 times NOT to open the movie cabinet doors, or NOT to climb on the table, frustrate me it does.  I get over it pretty quickly though when you flash me your adorable smile.

Oh how you laugh!! It is so catchy.  Sometimes I do something silly over and over just to hear those infectious giggles.  Last week it was putting a bowl on my head and acting surprised when it fell off, and last night it was laying my head on your belly pretending it was my pillow.  You laughed so hard I had to remind you to breath.  I love these moments.  Cherish them to no end.

We are packing up this house and getting ready to drive to Texas, find a new home, and continue this amazing life with you.  Although this house has been home for almost 2 years, I am ok leaving.  However, as I sit here typing this I look around and oh the memories this home is filled with.  This is the home we brought you home to, from the hospital on the 4th of July.  Boss didn't know what to think of you and your crying.  Fireworks that night were a celebration of you and your life, in my mind anyway.  I see the spot we always had your swing in.  I can roll over in bed and still imagine your tiny, swaddled body laying in the pack-n-play next to me.  I would wake up and peak over at you with this tiny flashlight I had and just smile.  You were so beautiful.  You ARE so beautiful.  It's so beautiful the joy you have brought to this family.

Matthew, my son, I love you. 

Love,
Mommy

Well.

Excuse me if I haven't blogged in a while.  Matthew and I were on a very fun vacation to Florida.  While gone, we found out we're moving to Houston (yay!).  We got back on Wednesday and found out Friday that we'll be leaving in a week. Oh yes, I do mean leaving to drive to Houston.  We don't waste any time apparently.

I really, really want to tell you all about our trip, but I just don't feel like writing a whole lot.  So, for now, I will tell you it was FUN and give you some pictures to enjoy.  Hopefully later I can fill in more details.

Lounging in the lego box

With Babci

                                  

All bundled up for florida weather!

checking out It's a Small World

Watching the animal kingdom parade

With his cousins

Meeting Donald Duck

Me and Matthew on Dinosaur ride

Zane and Matthew

Being shy for Daisy

Erika and Zane

Erika reading to the boys

Matthew's favorite: Fish!

Going into Disney

Matthew meets Tigger

Having fun with Mickey

Minnie and Matthew

Finally a nice day to play outside!

Wee!!

Rose and Matthew

Rose and Zane

Zane eats (or should I say wears?) pizza!

Sharing? I think?

More fish

One foot two foot, red foot blue foot

These are the kinds of things that happen to me.  I have no luck when it comes to health and wellness apparently.  I battled a rather painful foot problem for just under a year.  Plantar fasciitis.  Not fun--I had it in both feet and thus had multiple shots to my feet, stretching exercises at home and finally, physical therapy.  Annoying to say the least.  The only cardio I could do was the bike and, well, we don't have one, so you can imagine the exercise that was done--none!  Well, my feet finally heal up this fall and I'm completely pain free for the first time since October 2008!  I start doing more activity.  All is well.  Then, December rolls around and I fully implement a great workout plan--Matthew's naptime sends me to the treadmill or the workout videos! It was so great--I lost weight and I felt great.  Then, one day I'm out walking with a friend and I start having this excrutiating pain on the TOP of my foot.  After 2 weeks of shooting pain anytime I put weight on my foot, I was back to the foot doctor.  This time, stress fracture.  Lovely.  Even more lovely is the clunky boot I have to wear for 3 weeks.  Good news is, my foot barely hurts when I walk with the boot on.  But, no exercise until it's healed and then I'm supposed to take it slow so I don't re-injure it.  This, my friends, is not fair.

In fabulous news----Matthew and I leave for Florida tomorrow morning! We have lots of fun things planned, and my friends arrive Saturday.  I am super excited about our little getaway.  Not super excited about the flight, but I am armed with all kinds of activities and snacks to hopefully keep the kid busy. 

I will be the girl hobbling around Disney in a boot.  Fabulous.