Saturday Soccer

One of our favorite Saturday afternoon activities the past month has been going to watch the Emmaus soccer games. Usually we meet Grandma and Grandpa there and have lots of fun playing, running around, kicking our little soccer ball, eating snacks...and oh yeah, watching a bit of the game!

Helping Grandpa get the game ball

Getting a 'Grandma flip'. He loves them!

Zach being cute

Work

Morning cup of coffee...Checking my email
What a busy schedule...

The past few weeks...

We have had a fun few weeks. One beautiful Sunday afternoon we took the boys to an apple orchard that was having a fall festival. Elias loved the big boy toys. Zach just enjoyed being out.

Elias in the bounce house. He was one happy boy!

Zach can't wait to get in there with his big brother

An Iowa boy

This tractor driving is serious business

Brothers!

Reading

One of my fears of having kids was that they wouldn't like to read. We heard much advice about reading to your children daily and exposing them to lots of books....believe me, I know, I am a reading teacher! Well, Elias has proven that he loves to read. He often brings books to us to read to him. Recently, he has started to read 'all by himself'. I love to see this!

Reading his Bible one morning. He loves that book already!

A little time with Daddy.

I can't wait to start reading novels to him at night. I love this little guy!

Weekend In Wisconsin

We took a road trip to Wisconsin this weekend. Ben was speaking at a church in Wausau Sunday morning so the boys and I tagged along. We drove up Saturday afternoon and spent Saturday evening with a very nice couple from the church. Elias and Zach fell in love with Ms. Becky and Mr. Phil, especially Mr. Phil. Elias even chose Phil to read a story to him over Daddy!

Sunday, we went to church and then out for lunch with some friends of my parents from years ago. After lunch we headed out to Marathon City (population 1200) to see one of my childhood homes. It was fun to visit and drive through the little town.

Red brick house. It looks a little smaller than I remember.

The barn. We played in here all the time. There used to be a treehouse right behind it that overlooked the cow pasture. So many good times!

Terry and Nancy DuFour. They knew me when I was smaller and cuter (and talked more:) )

Enjoying the ride home...

"How much longer?"

Poor Elias, he doesn't like to sit for too long.

He finally found a good book to read to help pass the time.

Almost 7 Months

It is hard to believe that Zach will be 7 months on Monday. The time has flown by. He is such an easy going baby, fussing only when he is hungry, tired or needs a diaper change. His favorite friend is his big brother Elias, who he ALWAYS smiles for (even when Mom and Dad can't get him to smile). He is becoming mobile, rolling and scooting all over the floor. He even is sitting independently...at least for a few minutes. What a big boy!

I have been getting a bit of grief from a few family members (Grandma and Grandpa) that there are not too many pictures of Zach around. Well, I finally got some. Here they are.

What a grin!

Ready for my cereal and veggies!

Shoes

Last week Elias got new shoes. There is a story behind these shoes...but first I want to remember his old shoes. Sandals bought by Grandma at the beginning of the summer. Sandals worn everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE! The great thing about these sandals is they could get dirty, muddy, sandy and stinky, and all I had to do was wash them. They cleaned right up, except for the 'stinky' part!

Hiking shoes

Sand shoes

Water shoes

They were great shoes...we miss them. But with the cooler weather coming (and the 'stink' growing) it was time for new shoes.



That is right folks, he has WIDE shoes. Boy was it tough to find a pair that fit. After visiting 3 stores, trying to stuff his feet into shoes that didn't fit, Elias crying to get them off, we finally found this one pair. Nothing else to choose between. This is what he gets! Grandma and I might have to make a trip to a big city to stock up on shoes for the poor guy.

Last Summer Outing

The boys and I had a treat. We got to go camping for 1 night with Grandma and Grandpa. Now when I say camping, let me explain before you start to think that we are crazy to take 2 little boys. We went to the campground in Decorah (only 2 hours away) and stayed in a very nice trailer. We ate out the whole time, so we were not really suffering. Elias loved the outdoors and kept us all busy.

Elias and Grandpa feeding fish at the Fish Hatchery

Throwing rocks in the stream

Enjoying the 'Big Kid' swing!

Bonding with Uncle Jibber (we don't hold hands with too many people!)

A "BIG" Week

The theme in our house this week is "Big Boy". Elias is becoming a big boy. First, the paci...

About a month ago, Elias had his 18 month check up. The Dr. said he looked great, except for his mouth. Due to his love for his paci, Elias was developing a ridge in his mouth caused by sucking. The Dr. strongly encouraged us to discontinue paci use and as he put it, go "cold turkey". Since we were leaving for vacation the next day and wanting to enjoy our vacation, we let Elias keep the paci while we were gone. Well, we got home this week and last night was THE NIGHT. After dinner, Elias threw his pacis away, saying a good "bye bye" and headed outside for a popsicle. When bedtime came, he asked for his pacis but was told that they were "bye bye" and "all done". The first few minutes were great...and then the crying started. To his credit, he only cried for 1 hour 45 minutes, after which he fell asleep, exuasted and slept through the night! Todays naptime and bedtime have been much better. What a big boy!

Now for the second....Elias got his first haircut today! That is right, 19 months and no haircut. The 'wings' were starting to get really long and he was beginning to look a little girl like, so we thought it was time. Since Ben has always gone to a good, old fashioned barber and has said that Mathew men will only go to barbers, off we went to Daddy's barber, Fred. Elias did a GREAT job, no crying or fussing...and Mom did pretty well too!

Fred the barber. Note the long hair!

A little smile, but at least no tears
Elias checking out Fred

This haircut is serious business

A great smile

Admiring his new look

A big boy now

Canada 08

We did make a trip up to Canada this summer to introduce Zach to Ben's family. We spent alot of time playing with Ammachi and Appacha, and the cousins...but we didn't get too many pictures.

Zach's favorite pastime...and Appacha's too!

Like father, like son...

The Mathew men in plaid

An afternoon nap at camp

Elias loved looking at the 4-wheelers...and was so excited to get a ride!

With his namesake, Davey Elias...

Elias Grooving

It doesn't happen often, but when the beat is right, Elias can lay down a mean groove!

Slip n Slide

There is a hill behind Grandpa and Grandma's house...great for a slip n slide, or so thought the adults! A slide was bought for the kids to enjoy, and they did, but not how we thought!

Elias did slide down a few times, after slipping and falling while walking across

Playing in the water was much more fun...

The water was a bit cold!