Matthew's Big Birthday Bash (x2)

We thought we'd share some pics from Matthew's birthday (you got to love baby and birthday cake pics). The first is when we celebrated on Matthew's actual birthday May 26th at home in Washington.

These are from his birthday party in Michigan.

What a blast!! It was great to see everyone back home in Michigan. Matthew, true to form, was a party animal and ran all over the place for six hours straight at the bash. He did finally crash in the car, but was pretty funny that night as he was too tired to move but babbled for about 2 hours straight before going to sleep. I guess he had a lot to tell me about his party.

Happy First Birthday Matthew!!

Who knew that one year ago today that our lives would change so much? Matthew has been an incredible blessing to us and we thank God for every day with him. We continue to pray for his birth parents and will forever be grateful to them for this amazing gift.

On a light note, we started out Matthew's birthday by attending Mass today. We've come to know a lot of the people who attend daily Mass at our church and they were happy to be celebrating this special day with us. They prayed over Matthew and then sang Happy Birthday to him. Then it was off to see dad at work and deliver some cupcakes for the staff at the hospital. After we got home, I started to work on his birthday cake. My friend Joy has started a tradition where she bakes her daughter's birthday cake from scratch every year. Needless to say, she's a better woman than I am. I got about 5 minutes into it and already forgot to add a key ingredient. Baking with a one year old hanging on your leg adds a whole new degree of difficulty to the process. So it was off to the QFC to get a birthday cake. Oh well. Better luck next year.

I've added some recent pics at the end here. A few are from swimming class last week (BTW isn't Scott looking thinner???). And those two top teeth are just about half way in now.

Party Animal

We were off to Phoenix this weekend for my friend Kim's daughter's graduation from high school. It was nice to actually wear shorts as it was 100+ degrees! At Jasmine's party, Matthew was in the middle of everything. He certainly doesn't seem to have a shy bone in his body. He had his first experience with balloons and ice cream and was hooked on both accounts. He also did a little limbo-ing.

By the end of the night, he was one pooped party-goer. I think we're in for lots of excitement with future gatherings.

Fun with Tupperware

Tupperware should really think about making baby toys. I mean for all the money we spend on Matthew's toys, he would prefer playing with a bunch of Tupperware. His favorite thing to do is to babble into a bowl. I don't know if he thinks that he's talking on a "Tupperware phone" or what. But he does it and then laughs like crazy afterwards. It really is the cutest thing.

Go Tribe!!

Matthew's First Haircut

Well, I know it seems odd for Matthew to be getting a haircut (especially since he hardly has any hair), but I think this picture below explains it all...



We've been calling this the baby Terry Bradshaw look. Like the hair growing over his ears? So it was off to the baby barber today. He went to a place called "Wild Child" (what an appropriate name) in University Place. It was a little tenuous at first, but after some video and toy distraction (and a good binky) he did great.

Our friend Crystal is the one who cut his hair. Her daughter, Brody, was in Matthew's swimming class. I think it helped to have a familiar face doing the trimming. Although we've been warned that the second time is actually the toughest. At the rate his hair grows though, hopefully that won't be until next year ; )

The Taylors Are Back Online

We're back....
Well, it's been a very long couple of weeks, but we're moved and starting to get situated in the new house. We're still tying up some loose ends at the condo, so this week will be a lot of running back and forth between the two places. But we turn the keys in on the 30th and will be done with the place.
The new house is wonderful. We're liking it more and more as we are starting to make it our own. We have a little bit of a water view from pretty much every room in the house. So it's nice to sit and drink your coffee in the morning while looking out at the water. We saw a NOAA boat in the sound the other day doing some type of work. And there are tugboats going by all day hauling all kinds of stuff. Our realtor said the occassionally the Navy ships and subs pass thru as well.
Matthew is starting to adjust a little bit at a time. He had an ear infection just as we started the move, got better and now has had a fever for a couple of days. He's not completely adjusted to his new digs, so he's been spending at least part of every night in bed with mom and dad (especially since he's been sick too). The latest news is that he is walking now. He barely crawls anymore. I think he finally figured out that walking is faster than crawling. Below is a pic of his part in the move.....

"Dad, I can get it. Really I can."

Scott and I are doing ok. A bit tired, but glad that the hard part is over and now life should start getting easier. I think that this is one of the most stressful weeks that we've had in a while. But it should all be better from here on out for a while.

I hope all is well with everyone. We'll keep you posted. The updates may be slow at first as I am still trying to unpack with an 11 month old, but I will do my best.

Take care.

Moving Time

Hey everyone. Just wanted to let you all know that we start our move this week. So we won't have much time to give you any updates or post any cute pics of Matthew. This should be interesting moving with a 10 month old who is now walking, but I'm sure that it will all get done somehow. We're hoping to be done in the next couple of weeks, so stay tuned for more updates around then.

No April Fool's Joke

Well it looks like Matthew isn't too far away from walking. He took his first steps last week and is now taking at least a step or two just about every time he's standing. This could be trouble. We're hoping to be in the new house in the next few weeks and will be able to put up some permanent baby gates. Maybe this will slow him down....or we may be dreamin'.

Visit with the Easter Bunny

Sunday Best for Easter

Well I was hoping to have some pics of Matthew with the Easter bunny, but apparently the Easter bunny is having some technical problems. So I will post those pics when we get them. But I thought everyone would get a kick out of Matthew in his shirt and tie.
Unfortunately, Scott has been working for the triduum this year, but Matthew and I were able to attend Mass Thursday and Friday. It was a little tough because Mass started at 7pm, so Matthew was a little out of sorts. But he did great for the most part. However, he had quite a time at Good Friday Mass. He just started learning to wave. So picture this....very quiet, respectful Good Friday Mass. The church lights are all dimmed and everyone is silent as they go up to communion. Matthew, however, thinks that he's the leader in the Easter day parade and is babbling, smiling and waving to everyone and was having a gay old time. It was all I could do to not bust out laughing. What a funny boy!!

Travelin' In Style

We went for a walk on the beach at Point Defiance the other day and tried out our new backpack for Matthew. He seems to really enjoy it. He can get a great view of everything and we don't have to have major arm fatigue by the end.


He must have found it pretty comfortable, because after about 20 minutes or so this was his position.....

Yep, out like a light.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Here Comes Trouble

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

Yesterday was Scott's birthday, so we had a little family time together. I snapped this pic (which I absolutely love) in the morning. We spent part of the morning in Tacoma where we tried a new breakfast place and had a dish called the "Mother and Child Reunion". It was a chicken omelette- very clever. We also spent a few hours at Home Depot planning for the new house. Then it was home just to hang out and play with Matthew. I had some ribs overnighted to WA from Memphis for the big birthday dinner. They also sent some very cute hats which Matthew really had fun with.

Overall, it was a great day. It's amazing how much our expectations of a "rockin" night change as we get older.

Happy Birthday Scott!! We love you and are so grateful to have you in our lives as husband and father. We wish you many blessing for the upcoming year.

XOXOXO

Cheryl and Matthew

Matthew Watching the Birds in the Morning

This is one of Matthew's morning rituals. He crawls up to the sliding glass door and gets so excited when he sees all the birds on the birdfeeder that he starts pounding on the glass. Naturally, all the birds fly away. He goes off and plays for a while, then comes back and the cycle repeats.

Home Sweet Home

Well, it looks like the Taylors are going to be homeowner's again. We signed a purchase agreement on a house and are hoping to close April 9th. Moving again, arrrrgghhh. But this will be the last time for a while. And we're looking forward to being able to make this place our own (including drilling baby gates into the wall). The house is located on Fox Island which is about 10 miles outside of Gig Harbor. We're two blocks from the shore, so Matthew can put on his boots and go collect all kinds of goodies from the water. We're very excited and look forward to making this a cozy place for all of us.

A Great Day at the Zoo

Here's a picture of Matthew checking out the Beluga whale (and the Beluga whale checking him out) at the Point Defiance Zoo.

Practicing My Walking

Happy 3/4 of a Year!!

Who knew that 9 months would go by so fast? Before we know it Matthew will be a year old. Crazy! I can't even imagine our life without him. How did we ever get by without his laughs, smiles and crazy antics? What a blessing this little guy has been. We will forever be thankful to God and to his birthmom for bringing him into our lives.

We Got Some Snow in Gig Harbor!!

Just kidding. This was actually taken at Hurricane Ridge in the Olympic National Park. Scott, Matthew and I went there earlier this week. It was absolutely breath taking. Plus, we saw all kinds of people snowshoeing, skiing, snowboarding and sledding. We're definately up for some sledding with Matthew next year.

Matthew thought that the best part of the trip was ridding the luggage cart at the hotel.
We also got some wonderful news this week. One of my co-workers from Michigan and her husband adopted a baby boy this past week. We're absolutely thrilled for them. Congratulations Greg, Jenny and baby Matthew!!

Like My New Teeth?

Great Valentine's Day Present

Sleepy Boy

As you some of you may know, Matthew has been sick the past few days. The most challenging part of it is that he is having difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep. For a boy who used to get 12 hours of sleep a day, he's now lucky to get more than eight. I put him in his Baby Einstein exerciser the other day while I emptied the dishwasher. He was just babbling like crazy while I was putting away dishes. Then, all of the sudden...silence. I looked over to see this....






Yep, out like a light.

Matthew Testing Out His New Furniture

I'm not too sure about this....

Maybe...

Ok, I like it, I like it...

Mr. Matthew got a new chair last week. It's a little big, but I figure it will last him a while. Unfortunately, other than above, the cats seem to be showing more interest in it than him. Hopefully as he gets older it will get more use.

We've been a bit busy with the boy this week. First teething, then a cold, now an ear infection and diarrhea. Plus he hasn't been sleeping much (especially alone) during it all. However, we seem to be turning the corner today, so life will hopefully start getting back to normal (whatever that is).

The big news for us is that we have to be out of our condo by the end of our lease this spring. The owner's daughter wants to move in, so it looks like the Taylors are out. On the bright side, it is a great time to be a buyer in the real estate market here in Gig Harbor. So we are looking forward to searching for our new home over the next few weeks. We'll keep you posted.

I Love Pizza Crust

Trouble

(this is what happens when you leave your husband and baby alone for a few minutes.

Although, as Scott pointed out, he looks very happy)

Matthew continued his stretch of sleeping all the way thru the night for four nights and then started waking up at 4am again. He now has two teeth coming in though. Both are very stubborn and have only been showing little corners for several days now. Hopefully they will break thru soon and give this boy some relief.

The latest development is the appearance of the words "mama" and "dada". And I think he's finally figuring out who is who. It is very cute to listen to him on the baby monitor in the morning though, chanting "mama" and "dada" until someone comes and gets him out of his crib.