Christmas 2008

First of all, a flashback. . .it was only a year ago that we celebrated our first Christmas with Matthew. . .

Now he is huge, and talkative, and walking all over the place - so much fun. Christmas is just going to get better every year!

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

.......................WAP!

No, I didn't just cyber-slap you. . .we spent the day at the Wild Animal Park with our good friends the Davidsons, and we had a blast! Matthew loved to mimic the birds (the LOUD birds, of course) and seemed to enjoy most of the animals. We even met a new species we'd never heard of before, which looked like a cross between a porcupine and a hedgehog, but tiny. It was called a . . . wait a second, ummm. . .darn - I already forgot. I want to say a Pygmy Madagascan Tenrec - is that right? It was cute. Anywho, it was a little tougher than the trip to the zoo, since he has learned how to walk, he wasn't too keen on being held or staying the stroller for too long - he wanted to show off his skills! All in all it was a great day, and we can't wait to visit the animals again - maybe when Matthew can actually walk faster than a snail - no offense Matthew!

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I wish I knew what sound giraffes make. . .

Matthew was SO excited to sit in his own seat like a big boy! Lorikeet Landing was awesome - there were birds all over us!

Family Photo on the Rhino, of course!

Milestones are Awesome!

I used to be so good at keeping up on the blog. . .what happened? Okay, life happened, I know you all understand. The past month has been great, lots of fun, family & friends, but the most exciting thing to us right now. . . Matthew started walking today!!! Okay, so he's been standing by himself and walking between Josh and I for a little while now, ocassionally from one piece of furniture to another, but today he just took off - it was so awesome to watch! I just had to shoot a little video and post it for family and friends to see - they grow up so fast ;-)

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Are you ready for this? MONSTER BLOG UPDATE!!!

Alright, so much has gone on lately - I could chop it up into different posts, but heck - I'm throwing it all into one! We have had a great past week - really an awesome past YEAR - but before I get to that, we'll start with Halloween! Matthew was a little blue monster, and what a cute monster he was. He was such a champ - he was dressed in the costume Thursday & Friday evenings, and didn't seem to mind at all. We had a costume party with our Growth Group on Thursday, all the kids were adorable. Then Friday we went trick or treating - a few houses in our neighborhood, a few houses in my old neighborhood, a few in Josh's old neighborhood, visited Josh's brother & fiancee and Matthew's great aunt & uncle. A lot of driving around -but Matthew seemed to have a good time :-)

NEXT was Matthew's 1st birthday party! Josh and I slaved away the day before, prepping the house, making electric guitar cookies, hanging streamers, making a cake and cupcakes - then the day arrived and we had so much fun. We are blessed with our friends; they made Matthew's day so special. There are just a few pics here - we were too busy enjoying the party, but Grandpa & friends got pics that I'm sure I'll see soon - I might have to update the post later ;-) One of the pictures, however, is of Matthew's dedication, performed by JD Larson at North Coast Church. It was really special.
Finally - Matthew turned one this past Monday, on November 3rd, a day full of fun and reminiscing over the past year. Each day has been full of surprises - most of them fun, some challenging, but all a wonderful. It's amazing how much he's grown and developed, astonishing that only a year ago he was brand spankin' new. I love being Matthew's mom! Okay, enough gushing - we celebrated by taking Matthew to the zoo. He really seemed to enjoy the animals, and we really enjoyed being with him. Here are the highlights:

My brother, Matthew's Uncle Greg, flew in yesterday to be here for Matthew's birthday. We're celebrating with family later this week. It's been great to see him again - it's been awhile, and Matthew has changed so much. I feel so blessed to have the family and friends I have - I love you all! It's been an awesome past week, and year - I can't see what is in store for the year to come!

PS - to make a long post even longer, here's a cute video to share :-)

Welcome Cousin Kylian!

Josh's sister Amanda & her husband Ryan welcomed Kylian Ryan Hunter in to the world at 4:27am Sunday morning, October 19th, at 7lb 8oz 20 1/2 inches! Josh & I were excited to meet our first nephew, and Matthew got to meet his first cousin last night. He is such a cutie, so tiny! I can't wait to see them grow up together - and all the future cousins as well. Yay!

Pumpkin Pickin', etc!

Today we met some friends out at Bates Nut Farm, way out in Valley Center, to go pumpkin picking at the pumpkin patch! I haven't been since I was young, so I really didn't remember what it was like. There was a petting zoo, a pony ride, a place to feed ducks and geese, a hay bale maze, tractor rides and carnival booths galore. Of course the main attraction, and really the only thing we did today, was go out to the pumpkin patch and pick (or choose, really) our pumpkins! Josh and I got a medium sized one, and Matthew got a mini pumpkin all his own. I look forward to making this a tradition - I think Matthew will really enjoy it in the future - I just hope it's a little cooler next year!

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Not pumpkin patch related, but here's a little video just for fun!

Oops, we did it again. . .

We nerdified our little boy, again (check out Nerd Alert)! So we plopped him in his highchair, gave him lots and lots of cheerios and threw in a Baby Einstein and we went to work - chopping away at his hair. First of all, I looked up tips on how to cut bangs - but I looked it up AFTER I cut them straight across. Then, the back was looking pretty good - just needed a little thinning in the length - but Josh and I had a miscommunication, and, well. . .let's just say the back is a bit crooked now. Oh well, hair grows back right? He has no idea, he's just having fun and that's all that really matters. He's still adorable to me! He was making his silly face when I was taking these photos - I just love his silly smile. I'll have to post a video of it soon!

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A Day at the Aquarium!

This past Friday we had the pleasure of going to Birch Aquarium with our good friends Andrew, Jessica & Samuel. Matthew enjoyed playing with the "lobsters" and pointing at all the sea-life. We had fun just watching him! His favorite, however, was the encased pengiun towards the end - he thought it was great! Lots of fun - we can't wait to go to the zoo on his birthday; he just loves animals!

America's Next Top Baby Model?

I was with some friends the other night, and her daughter was totally posing and showing off for Matthew - so we decided there should be America's Next Top Baby Model! Instead, my friend Heather with her boys Drew & Jake, and Matthew & I, went down to the babyGap at UTC for the Gap casting call! They got their photos taken, and we submitted them online. Wouldn't that be fun? It's not too late if you want to get your photos in online. I think Matthew's a winner! :-)

Then, after the photo shoot, we went down to the little tot lot and played around - lots of fun!

That's all for now. . .a lot more to come soon - Matthew's first nephew, Kylian, is due any time, birthdays and holidays are all coming up fast!

Go, Speed Racer. . .

And he's off! Okay, so not at "Speed Racer" skills yet, but our little guy is finally crawling! He skipped the commando crawl, or rolling on the floor - just went straight from trying to swim frustratedly on carpet, to up on his hands and knees, crawling. Still a little stiff & wobbly, but so adorable (I'm not biased or anything!) Here's just a taste, and some cute pics. . .

I'm so AwEsOmE, I took this picture!

Yo yo, Mattie in the house!

New Friends & a Blast from the Past!

It all started on Tuesday, August 19th. Our good friends Andrew & Jessica had their little boy, Samuel Andrew Davidson, on that day - and just a few days later, we got to meet him - such a handsome little guy!

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The happy family - Jessica, Andrew & Samuel

Uh oh, Josh...holding tiny babies makes me happy...
Then, just a day after we met Samuel, I met up with my friend Kristen, whom I hadn't seen since highschool, 7 years ago! She has a little guy who just turned 1 named Miles - such a cutie! They got to be fast friends, sharing toys - I even think Miles was an inspiration in crawling for Matthew. . .

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We love making new friends!

Another Martha Stewart?!

Okay, so she's much cooler than Martha Stewart - my friend Melissa knows how to throw an awesome baby shower! Everything she touches turns out great - from the baby rattle cupcakes, to the diaper roll cake (thanks to Ana, also) to the letter flash cards spelling the baby's name to tea lights in baby food jars, not to mention the awesome "taggie" blanket she made. . .the baby shower for Ronya and her soon-to-be-born baby Callie was fantastic. Check it out:

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The games, provided by Sarah, were fun as well - not your average shower game, which was a huge plus! I just had to share it with you - and if I'm going to be involved in planning a shower for any of you out there, Melissa's agreed to teach me everything she knows, so you'll probably see these things again :-)

Mohawk Man

Matthew's gonna be a punk rocker! Okay, maybe - maybe not - but he's got the hair! He had the outfit too, but messed it up before I could take a picture :-( Oh well, another time! This ones for the "D" (you know who you are!)

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Cute, Funny AND Smart. . .

The whole package! Or at least I think so :-) Just another glimpse into day-to-day Matthew. . .

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. . .but seriously, what's up with the hair?!

Oregon or Bust!

We just got home (well, Monday) from a week away in Portland, Oregon. We had an amazing time - the weather was perfect, we got to hang out with my brother everyday, the house we stayed at was wonderful and there was just so much to do! We went to the coast and visited Cannon Beach one day, the next we went and saw Multnomah Falls (beautiful) which is right off the highway and we hiked to the top of that, then we were able to have dinner with our friends Bret, Brandie and their son Tyler one night, walk around town and go to the zoo with Josh's old bandmate and friend Davey and his wife Briana one day, and we got to see my bro as a waiter at CPK several times! Matthew was a champ - he slept really well and took the flights great as well. We were truly blessed by this trip! Here are just a few (ok, so maybe more than a few) snapshots to let you in on the happenings of our vacation. . .

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Fun, Fun, Fun!

Multnomah Falls
Matthew's 1st time at the Zoo!

Mama

Okay, so it's not the best clip - but I still think it's darn cute!

Congrats, David!

David, Josh's brother, is graduating from the Police Academy this Monday, July 7th. This past Thursday, they had a pride run that the whole family was invited to participate in down in PB/Mission Bay. It was fun to see them line up and go running on the beach walk, saying things in unison, etc! We took Matthew too, and had a great walk - though we didn't do the full length of it like they did. You can see the pics of that day below, which includes a pic of Matthew with Grandpa Eddie (finally!), Aunt Brittany, and some fun at the pool with Uncle David & soon-to-be Aunt Simone!

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Photo Shoot!

Matthew's Grandma Sandy & Grandpa Eddie recently took Matthew to JCPenney for portraits - so much fun! Here are a few of our favorites.

Thanks Sandy & Eddie!

Big Bear Camping!

This past weekend, Josh and I left Matthew with the Grandparents and went up to Big Bear to camp for the weekend with a group of Young Marrieds at our church. I only vaguely remember camping one time in my life, maybe 15 years ago - so this was pretty much a first for me, and only a second or so for Josh. We had a blast - we hiked, boulder-climbed, jumped off rocks into the lake, mountain biked, bowled and just hung out. And, much to my dismay, Matthew didn't seem to miss us at all :-( He'll be at a "missing mom and dad" stage some day or other! Now we're home and trying to get back into the swing of things. . .it sure was nice to sleep in over the weekend. . .

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Balboa Park, BBQ & More!

I know, I know - slacker Chrissie let WEEKS go by before she posted - what's up with that?! So here I am, posting several in one day. I could have spaced them out, but I just couldn't help it :-) Can't wait to see what else summer has in store; it's only just begun!
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Happy (belated) Father's Day!

Time has just been flying by, and I totally missed posting Father's day! I was hoping to wait until I got a pic of Matthew with Grandpa Eddie, but we'll just have to get one to post later on. Josh had a great first Father's day, and the Grandpa's got their first Grandfather's day too!

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Josh & Matthew - Happy 1st Father's Day!

Matthew & Grandpa Scott
Making the Grandpas their gifts. . .
Finished product!

In the meantime. . .

Alright - I've got a few posts in the works (including a tribute to Father's Day, of course) - but in the meantime, here's a flix for you!

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SHARK ATTACK!?!

Duh nuh. . . .duh nuh. . . . duh nuh. . . duh nuh. .duh nuh duh nuh duh nuh duh nuh. . . . (Jaws)

Ok, so we were trying to give him a mohawk, but bubbles and water just didn't cut it. So the mohawk picture is still in the works.

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Bed head, anyone?

Gummy Grin No More. . .

"Look at me - look at me . . . my first two bottom teeth broke through! What? You can't see them? Ah man, it was hard work!"

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That's right, he has his first two teeth poking through the gums. He's always been a drooler, but now - my goodness, he's a faucet! He handled it really well though - just a little extra fussiness, but nothing much. He took it like a man! Okay, so here's a sweet smiley picture to make up for his funny face above. I made a little wave with his hair too - ha ha - it was fun.

Sitting up is SO much fun!

He's more and more a little boy, less and less my little baby. He's sitting up now, and he loves it. He looks around, reaches for toys, has a blast. Now once he gets the whole movement thing down, we're in trouble. I can tell this kid is going to get into everything! He is such a happy little guy - he was laughing at his daddy when we shot the picture below. The flix are just a glimpse into Matthew's first time at the park - enjoyed the swing (somewhat), but not too sure of the slide yet. . .

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Hot Hot Heat!

So this weekend's heat wave brought us to the beach and the pool for the first time - so much fun! He didn't enjoy it too terribly much (teething, so a bit fussy) - but he splashed around for a little bit. We'll definitely do it more this summer. Yay summer!

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Chrissie & Matthew @ Oceanside Harbor
Josh & Matthew testing the water
Josh & Matthew @ the pool (Matthew's not so sure. . .)
Ok, enjoying the water now :-)