Toys toys toys

I bought some glove puppets for my class at school and Matt loves to play with them when he visits my classroom. He made his own glove puppets at home. :)

Nothing like a cup of coffee in the morning ... Ok, so I had to be creative with his cups because his protein powder is supposed to mix with 8-10 ounces of liquid and our sippy cups just aren't big enough.

Matthew spent a day with a new friend and she passed along his two new favorite toys - a vacuum and a phone. He can't get enough of either one!

If gloves make good puppets, why not shoes?

When little boys play in the laundry

They choose Mommy's underclothes to walk around the house with and then sit and play peekaboo!
Nap time today had an interesting pose ...

Matt loves reading his books.  I wish I had kept my big mouth shut and let you enjoy his reading in silence.  Sorry, no do overs this time.

Goodbye Summer

My mom has been begging for current pictures, so here is yet another batch from our summer of fun.  Matthew has got the walking thing down and has moved on to climbing.  He just hoisted his little leg up onto the fireplace ledge and carried on with one of his favorite activities (still) - drumming.  He only has on one shoe because he brought it to me just moments before his climb and lifted his foot for me to oblige.
Another shot of my dirt-eating darling.
I decided it was high time we "moved in" to our house and hung up a few pictures and decorations.  This one is my favorite antique store/Goodwill/linen closet combination.
I also crocheted something I wanted to keep.  Matty likes it too. :)
Joshua got a new attachment for his yard tool and hacked away at our monstrously overgrown yard.  This picture does not do justice to the mammoth pile of tree limbs that he lopped off with that bad boy.

So that's it for summer, I guess.  We will be spending the first few days of fall back in so Cal (just can't get enough of my family!).  Joshua is taking one last getaway before he starts back to school.  I started back to work teaching kindergarten one day a week.  It's a pretty unique situation and I am so thankful that it worked out.  I am also teaching dance classes this year, starting with ballet.  I am anxious to see what this old body can do!

Big Day

What a day! My little man has discovered that he can walk all by himself (although he prefers to crawl if he is already on the floor). He also made a big step toward potty training - he signaled to me that he needed to go, so I put the potty in front of him. After a bit of hesitation, he aimed and fired! No luck for #2 yet. I think he is holding it in. We'll get there soon I'm sure.

Summer Fun

Here's a quick update on the happenings around the Hardwick house this summer. Matt is such a boy and adores playing in the dirt. He must also enjoy eating it, because he always does.

Kitchen "toys" are still a big hit. Here is my little guy cooking up some fun.

We started the early steps to potty training. He is kind of freaked out by going pee in the potty, so he covered himself with his diaper and that helped a bit.

I found this drum at the Goodwill which is just perfect for Matt. He plays way too rough for a toy drum. He also practices his standing and squats while playing, although no walking yet. Sheesh. What a slow poke!

Tricks at the breakfast table

Matt is learning so many things it's hard to keep up.  Here are a few tricks after a nice oatmeal breakfast.  Can you tell he fed himself?  The background noise is our fans working overtime to keep the 102 out of the house.  So far so good! 

Keeping Cool

In our crazy 100+ weather we have had to find ways to keep cool. Matthew has enjoyed playing in the bay.  
His favorite thing to do is pick up a rock, lick it, then throw (rather, drop) it into the water.
Even Six the cat has found ways to stay out of the heat.

Story Time

This morning's story was inspired by Shannon ...

Happy Friday!

What is he trying to say?

Matthew has a lot on his mind these days, what with all the reading, toys, music, and walks we've been doing.  He tries to communicate his thoughts with me, but sometimes I just don't understand.  

Dogs Go

Matthew has a new favorite book: Dogs go...  It's a riveting story about the different sounds dogs make.  Here is Matt reading along with me - he actually does very well knowing the sound each page describes.  Since this one is a library book, we may have to break down and buy a copy because he is so cute wanting to hear it again and again and again and again ...

Eating Oatmeal

Did I mention that Matt turned 1?!

My sweet baby boy turned one last month.  ONE!  I cannot believe how fast the year went.  Time really does fly when you are having fun!  We celebrated Matt's birthday at the beach with my extended family.  Nothing special, just a round of "Happy Birthday" around the campfire.  We did let him sample some Rice Dream (rice-based ice cream) the night before (no dairy or wheat yet, so cake was out ...).  He stuck his face in it and then cried because he was cold.  Happy birthday Matthew!  We love you!

Beach Fun

While we were in CA we had the privilege of staying with my cousin and her family at a beach house in Huntington.  Matthew enjoyed reading with Grandma,
napping on Grandma, 
digging with Grandma,
and hanging out with Mom!

Giggles with Grandma

Visiting the Greats and Great Greats

Matt has had the opportunity to get to know some of his great and even great great aunts this summer.  Aunt Beth is quite the entertainer as you can see!
Today we had lunch with my mom's Aunt Donnie and Aunt Stella.  Matt absolutely adored them both and flirted with them all afternoon.
The royal treatment:  Lunch spoon fed while kicking back at the table!
Aunt Beth gave Matty a new hairdo today.  He doesn't look too happy about it!

Busy

Matt has been very busy while on vacation.  One of his favorite things to do has been emptying Grandma's pantry.  Each object gets a "shake test" before being thrown to the floor.
He also really enjoys getting the computer accessories like the keyboard, mouse, and speakers.  He decided yesterday to rip his diaper off, but couldn't finish the task before racing over to the computer desk.
Patty and her girls came over for a swim day.  All three kiddos were busy "swimming" in the boats.
Last but not least, Grandma's recycling bin has provided hours of entertainment.  Yesterday's treasure was a coffee creamer lid/clown nose.  Who needs toys?

Dog Sounds

Matthew is learning new things every day!  The latest is that a dog says "woof woof".  This is not the best video capturing his new skills, but it's the best I've got right now (and you all know if I don't blog when I am thinking about it I don't blog at all ...) so here it is!

Dancing Machine

Matthew has taken after his mother in his dancing abilities.  Here he is rocking out with Grandma to the Eagles.  (In his diaper of course because it is hotter than Haites here!!!)

Vacation Time

Coming back to California always feels like a race to see how many friends and family members we can squeeze in a visit with during our stay.  I think this summer's trip was the big winner!  We were able to fit in a lunch with long-time friends Jason and Coli Jones.
We hit up Arthur's, one of Jason and Joshua's favorite chess-playing breakfast spots. 
Matthew adored Coli and took a not-so-subtle liking to the waitress as well.  He smile a mile wide every time she walked by and even threw down his toys in handkerchief dropping fashion just so she would stop by to pick them up.
I am learning that Blogger posts pictures in the opposite order that I list them, but it will take me several more tries to have it really figured out ... oh well.  This was the night before we left.  We pricelined  a hotel room to avoid the super early morning rush to get ready AND get to the airport on time.  Good thing we did - we barely managed the last part!  We missed the shuttle and had to get a special lift from the hotel.  By the time we checked our bags and Matt's never-ending piles of stuff, we had just enough time to get through security and walk on to the plane.  We had the very last row all to ourselves, which was actually very nice.  Matty slept for an hour and a half of our two hour flight which was awesome!  I hope the trip home is even better since I will be attempting it solo!  

Oh yeah, if you haven't seen me in a while you will notice the much shorter hairdo ... I cut the lengthy locks to donate, although Joshua won't let me send them off until he gets a picture with the extension on his head.  Any day now you should see a snapshot of my hubby with a long ponytail on his head ...

Dear Daddy (Part 4)

Today was crazy hot, so we spent the afternoon in the pool.  Matt "helped" Grandma clean with the net.
Aunt Beth took us to a super fun store called Bass Pro Shop.  Matt had a front row seat on the E ticket ride.
There was so much to see!  We saw displays of stuffed hunted animals, a waterfall, decoy ducks, a fish tank, and so much more!
This mule deer was Matt's favorite.  He stood there for quite a while staring him in the eye and shook his head "no" when I tried to pick him up.

Dear Daddy (Part 3)

CA has so many wonderful flowers to smell!
We had lunch at Aunt Beth's to say goodbye to our Oklahoma family.  Here's cousin Cassie.
Matty and Ryen became fast friends this trip!  Here we are with her and Aunt Mary.

Dear Daddy (Part 2)

Everyone here decided Matty was looking too much like a girl, so Grandma gave him a haircut.  Doesn't he look handsome?
Poolside is the best way to get hair cut in CA.
Matt LOVES this pinwheel and was trying desperately to get to it. 

Dear Daddy (Part 1)

We miss you so much, but we are having fun with our CA family.  We had dinner at Uncle Dave and Aunt Stella's on Tuesday.  This picture is incomplete without you!
Grandma is so in love with her two grandboys!  
Here is our darling boy with the girls... Aunt Jackie, Mary, Shannon, and Cassie.