Birthdays With The Nina's

We got to see both Nina's on or around their birthdays this year. Here are a couple of shots from each special celebration. (Aaron was excited about the cake on both occasions. He is very much a cake lover like his mom! Ut-oh ...)

My mom's birthday was this past summer,





and Dianne's was in the fall.


And here is sweet Madelyn! We're glad she and Martha could come help celebrate Nina's birthday. We always love to see them!


We are so grateful for our wonderful Nina's. I know Mike and I both feel fortunate that our boys have SUCH wonderful grandmothers to love them!

More Family Photos

To view additional family photos by our photographer, please copy and paste this link: http://photosbymaddy.blogspot.com/2010/10/mathis-family.html

Enjoy!

Photo Shoot Preview

Thought I'd post a couple of shots from our family photo shoot yesterday. Thankfully it was a gorgeous day, at a gorgeous park. And our photographer was awesome and very easy to work with. I'd recommend her!

Look Ma, No Training Wheels!

Mike had yesterday off of work and took Aaron out for a little bike ride. This time it was with a full-fledged bike for little people -- pedals, but no training wheels! Mike gave Aaron about five minutes of help before Aaron realized he could do it on his own. He's off to the races! :)

You'll have to come visit if you want evidence (or you can just watch this video.) :)



There goes our little man!

Some Pictures From Our Amazing Trip To AZ

Spending time with my the Gore and Stone families. My sister and her family live in Maricopa; the Stones live in Mesa.


Lucia with one of the Stone children.


Sasha


Lucia


September 11th parade in Prescott


Ditto


Prescott


We loved the rock formations in this city!

We had a blast traveling around the state of Arizona and spending time with Melanie and her sweet family. We were there a little over a week and enjoyed seeing the Gores' beautiful new home. We also fell in love with a cute little town called Prescott. We strolled down to the town center the night we were there to find people dancing to live jazz music. It was almost surreal! We loved the charm, beauty, and relative simplicity of the town. (Not to mention really good shopping.) ;) Prescott was less than two hours from the Gores' home in Maricopa.

The trip coincided with the wedding reception of a friend I grew up with. She lives in Arizona, and her reception was in Mesa. To describe the reception as beautiful would not be doing it justice -- I will just leave it at that! It was a swanky outdoors celebration, and the bride and groom were stunning. I'm so glad Melanie and I got to venture out for a night and go! Thanks to the hubbies for jointly watching the kids for us. :)

Fun trip! We hope to go back again sometime.

Cowboy Lovin'

Grant giving a kiss to his sweet new cousin Sarah. Grandma Stathis looking on.


Cowgirl Leah and Cowboy Aaron posing in front of "pin-the-badge on the sheriff" poster. In addition to that game, the kids played horse shoes. Well, sort of! Top two pictures taken from Traci's blog - thanks for getting the great pictures, Traci!


Aaron with his dad and Grandpa Mathis.

We celebrated Aaron's 3rd birthday with a small cowboy party. We had so much fun, and it was wonderful (as always!) to see family. I'm realizing more and more what a great blessing it is to live near loved ones!

Aaron is fascinated with cowboys and was thrilled to play the part. He donned each guest with a cowboy hat and collapsed before they all left. Ahh, the life of a 3-year-old! We love our little cowboy!

When Baby Grant Smiles

... my heart melts! I seriously don't think I could have asked for a sweeter, more loving little boy. He is now saying quite a few words: daddy, papa, mama, bye-bye, hi, thank you, and uh-oh. I feel like he understands a lot of what I say to him. He is a joy!


Playing in the airport on the way to Arizona.


He also gives great hugs! Here he is with sweet cousin Sasha in Arizona.

Fifteen-Month Stats for Baby Grant

Yes, we're still calling him 'Baby Grant.' Habit I suppose!

Height: 31 1/4 inches ~ 50th percentile
Weight: 24 pounds 10 ounces ~ 50th percentile

Catching Up

Not sure if anyone reads our blog anymore, but I posted a few new entries tonight to try to get caught up!

This summer has been good - and busy! I got a job working at the front desk of a country club-ish gym. It is a sweet job. I just work five hours one evening a week, and I get free access to everything at the gym! It has a wonderful daycare, so I can work out during the day, and it's a very nice, clean facility. It boasts indoor/outdoor pools and tennis courts, weights, machines, classes, etc. I can also put Aaron and Grant in the daycare for free while I work so Mike can go for a bike ride when he gets home from work. Definitely a great blessing.

A highlight of the summer has been getting to see so much family and getting to spend some quality time with my sister Melanie and her beautiful girls. They came to escape the blazing-hot Arizona summer. We spent a week with them at my parents' house, and then they came to Richmond to visit us for a couple of days. Melanie treated the kids and me to a day at the Richmond Children's Museum, which was a lot of fun. Thanks Melanie!! We enjoyed having you and hope one day we can live closer!

Our Little Rainman ...

... who brings us so much sunshine. Mike crafted this adorable list of some of Aaron's habits and interests. He really seemed to capture Aaron as a little boy. I added an item to the end of the list. I decided to post it here, with Mike's permission of course!

---

Just some thoughts, and wonderful memories regarding the one and only Aaron.

1. I love to hear him, no matter what time in the morning, getting up. I sit up in bed and look for him to come into the room. I stretch out my arms to him and he runs over (pat pat pat little steps) and climbs into bed with us. We cuddle up tight. He frequently goes back to sleep, but sometimes says, "Daddy warm my milk up," which I do.

2. Aaron likes gummy bears, chicken nuggets, milk, and especially macaroni and cheese.

3. Aaron likes to play outside on the swing, ride his bike, play with JT and Mitchell across the street, see his Ninas and Papas, go to the pool, play with trains and trucks, run through the hose, and dance when the stereo is turned on. He has a high knee type run that he does when he is dancing. Frequently his brother joins him and waves his arms. Aaron also enjoys singing and playing in the nursery at church.

4. Aaron always runs and gives me a big giant hug when I get home from work. He then says, "Daddy to play with me."

5. Aaron loves to ride in daddy's car. When given the option, he chooses daddy's car over the van anytime. He likes Nina's and Papa's truck most of all, however.

6. Aaron has a thing for elephants, trains, and little people. He thinks all the people in the house are his including the people given to Grant. Luckily Grant couldn't care less, usually.

7. Aaron frequently says, "I'm not a baby, I'm a big boy." His parents always confirm to him that he is a big boy.

8. Aaron always tells me he loves me. In the car he frequently tells everyone in the car he loves them over and over.

9. Aaron is learning to pray and prays for his food, regardless if it's food time or not. He likes to say the prayers.

10. Both his favorite color and flavor is orange. You can win him over with anything orange.

Aaron is awesome and we love him and his brother very very very very much.

Grant Turned One!

Sitting cute with cousin Leah







I'm obviously very behind on my posts since Grant turned one in May and here it is July. But, better late than never!

We had a little birthday celebration at my parents' home with pizza, cake, and ice cream. Aaron and Grant are quite the active duo, and anyone who watches them will agree! Grant is a delightful little boy and is starting to say "hi" and "bye." He also says, "mamama" (Yes, three "ma's.") He also points to his bed now when he's ready to go to sleep at night. If only it were that easy during the day when he and Aaron just seem to egg each other on! :)

Celebrity Run-In

Can anyone guess who this celebrity is? Or what movie she was in? I'll give you a hint: it was a film starring Julia Roberts set in England.

I spotted her in a bakery while visiting a friend in NYC in May. I had to have at least one celebrity run-in while in the city! (Even if some people don't know who she is!) She was very nice and said Julia was delightful to work with! (Important information, I know.) :)

We Miss Our Friends!

We took these pictures just before our good friends Ashley and family moved to Chicago. We miss them sooo much. We had playdates all the time. Ashley was (and still is) a dear friend, and Aaron and her son Oliver were great little playmates.

Ashley is a professional ballerina and is so graceful and elegant. Her husband Brian is a talented graphic designer. We hope they are doing great in their new home and are getting adjusted. We're so glad we had the opportunity to get to know this wonderful family and wish them the very best.

Thanks to Ashley for providing the photos!

Brothers

Camera-ready


Happy


Contemplative

Here Aaron is 2 1/2, and Grant is just over 1. They're starting to interact more and more - for better or worse. I think growing up they will definitely be glad they have each other! They really do bring us so much joy, and we certainly can't imagine our lives without these fun, lovable little boys! They are very busy. Days are especially good when their naps overlap, which is starting to be more of the norm than the exception. We love them!

What A Beautiful Day!

I thought I'd post a more serious photo and a goofier one. We were fortunate to have both sets of wonderful grandparents visit us on Saturday. Can you guess whose parents are whose? We had such a great day! It was a joint celebration of Father's Day and my birthday. Thanks to each of them for making the trip to come visit and for the wonderful gifts. Thanks to Dianne for providing the delicious cheesecake - with a nice helping of blueberries on the side.

We could not feel more blessed for the amazing role models that the grandparents are for our boys. Aaron and Grant adore all four of them, and Aaron always says, "I have two Ninas and two Papas." Yes, Aaron, you do! Thanks again for a great visit! We love you all very much. Happy Father's Day to Mike, Wayne, and Steve!

Grant's Stats

A little overdue, but just wanted to post Grant's one-year growth stats.

Weight: 23 pounds ~ 50th percentile
Height: 2 feet, 6 inches ~ 50th percentile
Head circumference: 47.5 cm ~ 75th percentile (I think)

He's a growing boy, so happy and exclusively walking now! We love our little guy. **Pictures to come.

Our Little Stud

Sweet little Grant turned one a couple of weeks ago. He has been a sheer joy in our family. He claps whenever Aaron dances, he lights up whenever someone smiles at him, and he loves to snuggle. He is super jolly and fun. He cracks up easily. He has four teeth, and his light blond hair is starting to curl in the back ... surprise, surprise. He still charms onlookers with his sweet blue eyes. He's perfect and we love him! Here he is in action!

Cute Aaronisms

Aaron is starting to say the cutest things and ask the sweetest, sometimes funniest questions, so I have to document these for the sake of my memory and for others to enjoy.

- This morning I had on some pantyhose to wear to church and Aaron, pointing to them, asked: "Are those for the pool, mama?" I explained to him that, no, my pantyhose are not for the pool, but for church. He seemed satisfied with that answer.

- The other day I was trying on a pool cover-up at the store (to wear over a bathing suit), and Aaron pointed to it and asked, "Is that for nigh-night, mama?" After that question, I decided I was definitely NOT getting that cover-up! I'm glad he's around to tell me the honest truth! :)

Our Mischievous Little Boys

I walked into the living room today to find Aaron and Grant devouring some delicious ice cream together. Classic that even Grant had a spoon in his hand! At least they were united in their effort. :)

Time for a lock on the freezer?? Oh, the adventures are just beginning with these boys!

And the hunt was on!

We hosted a small Easter Egg Hunt in our backyard yesterday. Our neighbors across the street came as well as another family in the community. We were watching Madelyn for the afternoon while her parents were at "Wicked," so we were glad she was here for the festivity. My neighbor Lisa and I made the Easter bags and we served some refreshments and had fun hanging out outside. We're glad the weather cooperated for us! I do love Easter! (Sorry Aaron's head got cut off in the second picture.)

Four-Generation Picture

What an opportunity to get a four-generation picture! (Aunt Martha, Mike, Grandpa Gibbons, and Dianne with Madelyn, Grant, and Aaron.)

It was so fun to get to spend some time with Dianne during her visit back from Brazil. We're also glad we could see Grandpa Gibbons and Aunt Sharon during their visit from Washington State. Grandpa Gibbons nicknamed Grant "Smiley" because of his almost-constant smile.

Baby Grant ~ 10 Months Old

See what I mean! Isn't this the most lovable little boy? I love how these pictures reveal two of Grant's most notable "qualities": one, his contagious smile, and two, his incessant drooling habit (notice the wet sweater vest.) He doesn't have any teeth yet, hence the continuous drooling action. He is the happiest, smiliest baby. He has also started to "talk" a lot. He has said "mama" a few times with the coaxing of Aaron and me. :) He is very active and wiggly and has a fun, sweet personality. Between him and Aaron, there is rarely a still moment in the home. We have a good time with baby Grant. He is a joy to have in our home!



And he loves his big brother Aaron. Can't you just see the love? :)

Grant's Nine-Month Stats

After evaluating Grant today, the doctor said that he was perfect. :) What every parent likes to hear! He is in our eyes too. ;) Last night after putting Grant to bed, I was actually excited to get to be able to see him and play with him again today. We know we are in a good place, because usually by the end of the day I am exhausted and am not thinking at all about the next day. We're glad that he is growing and progressing well. About his personality, he is quick to laugh, super-smiley, and very happy. He also loves to blow bubbles. No wonder I love being around him! He's very likable and friendly. I love this age! He is so fun.

Poor guy has RSV right now, but we hope he gets well soon.

Head circumference: 46.5 cm ~ 75th percentile
Height: 73 cm ~ 50-75th percentile
Weight: 22.5 lb ~ 75th percentile

We Got A Little Snow ...

These pics are from last weekend's snowfall. Mike says we got up to six more inches of snow yesterday. It's a winter wonderland here in Mechanicsville -- and we are staying put! We look forward to days of sunshine and warmth but are very grateful to have a warm home!

Every Missionary's Dream ...

... to have this kind of an experience! This is a beautiful video about the power of prayer. It has been such a sweet experience for Mike and me to teach Aaron to pray and to hear him say his first prayers to Heavenly Father. Children have so much faith! No wonder we are taught to be like them.

Please watch!

Game Table

I found this great Checkerboard-top game table at a local antique shop. The vendor knocked quite a bit off the price, making this a steal, especially considering the high-quality piece of furniture it is. It's a fun addition to the home! I love the shabby chic look of it. I think Mike likes it ... even though he won't admit it ;)

Vertical Lines

Yesterday I was reading an article about some of the things that 2-year-olds should be able to do at this age. One of them was that they should be able to draw a vertical line. Not a problem! :)



Lovely isn't it!