Friends

One of the best parts of our ward is all the kids around Matthew's age. Two of his favorites live 10 minutes away, and came to visit the other day.

They love to blow bubbles (using a fan is the best way to cheat)

I love Matthew having someone to amuse him besides me. And their mom is an awesome friend.

Salsa and Other Canned Goods

We have fresh vegetables galore from our CSA. It's that time of year when I put away for winter. I have been busy canning salsa, hot sauce, more salsa, green beans, pickles, and chicken. There's something so satisfying about seeing this:

Become this:

As anyone knows, this is tiring business.

First Train Set

Matthew is all boy. He loves things with wheels. He loves to watch the police cars outside the window. He loves to watch ambulances and firetrucks go by. He loves to walk by the fire station and see the trucks. He loves to play with the Thomas the train set at the library.

One day, while we were downstairs, he stumbled upon the train sets I *had* set aside for Christmas.



At least there is still one left for Christmas.

First Red Sox Game

Red Sox Versus the Orioles:

Matthew sported his gear: (Thank goodness for hand-me-downs!)

We were lucky and no one sat in the two seats next to us, so Matthew was able to rotate between our laps and a chair between us.

He cheered and clapped:

We shared cotton candy (and binky):

And the Red Sox won! We were able to see a Home Run, a successful field dive for the ball, and a fantastic dive over the wall (he didn't catch the ball, but A for effort!) We didn't stay the whole game as 2 1/2 hours in the game was only starting the 6th inning (and was 2 hours after Matthew's bedtime). It ended up being a 4 hour game, and the final score was 18-9.

Puffy Goldfish

I love my kitchen. I love baking and creating things. I love making store bought things at home just to prove I can. Today's project: Goldfish crackers



So Yummy!!! So Easy! I will be making these again. Next time I will be rolling the dough thinner (I don't think I got it down to 1/8") so that the fish are flatter. But puffy fish are wonderfully tasty. I used a sharp cheddar and the flavor is great.

Hurricane Matthew

Awhile back the Northeast was threatened by Hurricane Irene. We were lucky, and besides the couple of small branches in our yard, and the couple of days without Nick since he was at the hotel to be a point of contact, the closest damage to us was the tree that fell on the dumpster down the street.

Daily, we deal with a different kind of mess. One that Nick has taken to calling "Hurricane Matthew". He can take a room from clean to dirty in less time than it takes use the bathroom.

Chloe

We added a new family member.


Matthew loves her. And since she tolerates him and Stitch, we'll keep her.

Shoes

When you come to my house, you may be greeted by this:


It's not that we like to keep shoes all over the place. We like a neat and orderly house. However, that desire is often in direct opposition to a force of toddlerhood:


Determined to follow in Daddy's footprints. Literally.

September 11

10 years ago:

I was at work at Red Lobster getting the dining room ready for lunch. I was vacuuming booths, making lemonade and iced tea, and making sure that the servers (which included me) would be set up for success. I was listening to my walkman radio (remember those? Pre-Ipods?).

The news broke in with reports of the towers being hit. I didn't get it at first, but I went and talked to my manager. We didn't have a tv at work, so I went back to cleaning and listening to the radio talk about what was happening. When I realized it was airplanes, I called my mom. My dad was scheduled to fly home from out east, and I wasn't sure where. He was fine, just stuck. When the other manager came in, she filled us in on more details. We opened at 11, but it was obvious that lunch would be slow, so I headed volunteered to go home.

My husband of 5 months wasn't home, so I went to my moms. She had the tv on, and for the first time I was able to see what had happened. When Nick was finished work, he came over. By this time we were a little tired of the same things being said over and over and over. It didn't feel like anything new was being discovered at that point. So Nick and I took my 3 year old brother over to the park. It was refreshing, and rejuvenating. After all, he had no concept of what had happened.


When I made this page, back in winter 2001 I wrote: The Day that changed a Nation. How little did I know.
Pre-9/11/01: I could meet my dad at the gate when he was returning.
Post-9/11/01: I had a hard time meeting him anywhere near the airport.
Pre-9/11/01: Canada was a birth certificate away.
Post-9/11/01: Canada was a passport and 8-10 week waiting period away.
Pre-9/11/01: I wasn't concerned about what I packed.
Post-9/11/01: I check my liquids, and prepare for a fight over formula going through the x-ray.

These are just 3 ways I can think of my life changing. Everyone has their own opinions, and mine is that a 3 ounce liquid restrictions isn't keeping the terrorists away.


So, for today, I'm going to try to remember that feeling I had spending time with my brother and husband at the park. My dad will be on a plane again, but only to Arizona. Hopefully, my husband and I will be at the park again, but with our son. And Canada? Well, it's now a passport (for me and Nick), and a birth certificate (for Matthew) away.

Aquarium

Until I take the time to reinstall, and relearn how to use my Photoshop Elements, you'll have to suffer through many pictures.

We headed to the Aquarium on Wednesday, September 7. We scored our library pass which meant cheap tickets.
Upon our arrival, Matthew discover the tank outside with seals. Which lead us to consider the question of why exactly we bought tickets?

Once inside, Matthew found more fascinating sites. First was the penguins.

Then the Shark and Ray touch tank. Matthew was a little short, so his Daddy helped him reach. He liked the idea of splashing the water. He liked that the Rays swam close by. He wasn't so sure about the actual touching though.

He liked the middle tank that is 3 floors tall as long as the fish as big as him went by. If it was the smaller ones, he wanted nothing to do with them.

He found the second touching area, but he was content to just watch everyone else touch. I liked the animals that camouflage really well. That's a sea horse, not a plant.

We finished the day with lunch at Faneuil Hall, and then headed home in the rain.

Travelling to the Aquarium

The day started off foggy and gloomy. We parked at a hotel in Boston and took a boat. Matthew had to stop for a snack along the boardwalk to the boat pickup. We always manage to "Stop and smell the roses" now that Mr. Independent likes to walk.

What a bargain! $1.70/adult each way. And Matthew enjoyed the water. Both watching it with Daddy, and looking out the windows inside the boat. We were the only passengers on our boat, so Matthew had a great view.


The Leash: Everyone has an opinion on leashing a child. Mine is: if we are going somewhere super busy and full of strangers, and I want him to be safe, I have two options. One is a stroller, one is a leash. (Yes, I can have him hold my hand, and typically he does while we have the backup of the leash. But hands get sweaty and slippery, and once I lost my brother at Disneyland because of that). Since we were headed to the aquarium and I wanted him to be able to explore, and not have to push an empty stroller after him, We decided to go with his monkey friend. And I'm glad we did!