Pears and Bananas for Lunch Today!

I really, really need to remember to shut the baby gate before I go upstairs to clean. This is really good news all the way around, though.

1. Matthew actually remembered to peel the bananas before eating them.
2. We're going to get a lot of fruit in our diet today.
3. He went after the fruit and not the cookies in the cupboard above the fruit bowl!

There are days I am glad he doesn't have a twin!

Foreshadowing...

Matthew doesn't like Nolan "touching him." Nolan loves to pat and play like any other almost-six month old baby, and loves Matthew's high pitched whine in response to his pats. And so sibling-hood has begun at our house. With pats by one and annoyed whines by the other. I suspect learning to talk will only offer clarity to the grievances rather than solve them!

In these moments, I see our future road trips to favorite vacation destinations:

Nolan: (poke, poke)

Matthew: "He's touching me!"

Nolan: (stares)

Matthew: "He's LOOKING at me!"

I Have So Much

Sometimes I look at these little guys and can't believe how incredibly blessed I am...

A Montage of Matthew's First Year

As long as the writer's strike continues, I have time at night to make montages! This is one of Matthew's first year:

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I Can't Put My Arms Down!

Ahh, the joys of going outside on a snowy day. The sequence of events generally involves the following:

Put on snow pants: 3 minutes
Put on boots: 10 minutes (they're hard to get on).
Stuggle to pull pant legs over boots: 4 minutes.
Putting on gloves: 2 minutes (Insert the start of annoying whining).
Reach for coat.
Matthew removes gloves.
Nolan starts crying.
Put gloves back on: 2 minutes.
Whining escalates.
Stuff one arm into coat sleeve.
Matthew removes other glove.
Shove glove back on and force gloved arm through the other coat sleeve: 5 minutes.
Matthew now begins writhing contortions as if he's being tortured.
Zip up coat (3 minutes due to writhing toddler).
Put a hat on his head.
The whining is now almost crying. Open the sliding door and throw him into the snow.

Play outside for 15 minutes before Matthew refuses to keep his hat on.

Come inside and remove clothing from a wet, cold, and seething toddler.

On the other hand, the 15 minutes of "outside time" is sheer bliss for Matthew:

Rice Cereal for the Very First Time

After a rather unsure moment with solid food, I think Nolan has found gastronomic delight in rice cereal!

Matthew's Version of Events

I really think we need to go over this particular story one more time....

Why one of the wise men is so angry with the cow, I can't say. I also can't say why one of the wise men is missing. I suspect the construction worker had something to do with it...