Mattox ~ 18 Months

Oh how is it even possible this little man is already 18 months old?  Time has really flown by this year.  As usual, this age is probably my absolute favorite with children.  They are just learning so much and developing their own unique and fun personalities and haven't developed the full toddler tantrums of two and three year olds.  I just cannot picture my life without this fun little guy, and I am soaking up every minute that I get to spend with him.  I am so thankful for these days and getting lots of one on one time with him while big brothers are at school.  He reminds me so much of his big brother Evan at this age.  They both shared the same big beautiful smiles from daddy, adorable and vibrant laughs, big serious blue eyes that never miss a thing, and independent spirits that just want to do everything by themselves. 

Our little American boy celebrated Independence Day.

Oh I just love this happy boy!

He finally let go and started walking on his own at 17 months, and he barely slows down all day.  I just love watching him toddle around the house and get into all kinds of mischief.

He prefers playing with any objects that are not his toys.  He loves getting pans out of the cabinets in the kitchen, bottles and containers from my bathroom drawers, and any of big brothers' things.  He carries off and "hides" my cell phone a lot.  Today, Daddy found it inside the remote caddy in the living room. 

He loves to throw ANYTHING.  He has developed an appreciation for a ball, but he isn't picky.  He will throw anything.  And yes, sometimes it does hurt when he throws objects at you.  Haha! 

He is just so loving and sweet and loves giving kisses and hugs.  I love the sweet little loving sounds he makes when he is giving love to us or to his teddy bear friends.  He loves his little stuffed friends. 

He can get a little wild at bedtime and has a hard time settling down to go to sleep, especially if big brothers are around.  He still takes a bottle of milk at night, but it doesn't always work to settle him down. 

He eats just about anything although lately, he doesn't always want to eat meat.  It seems to be a texture thing as he will pull it back out of his mouth and either play with it or just throw it on the floor.  I am hoping that is just a little phase he is in.  Sometimes, he eats it and sometimes he doesn't.  Pasta, with either cheese or tomato sauce and meat, is probably one of his favorite meals right now.  He also loves when I make us grits and eggs for lunch.  He is also very independent and loves to feed himself. 

Pizza!  He doesn't actually eat pizza a lot and usually prefers pasta when we go eat at a little pizza buffet in our town.

He really loves his big brothers and just wants to be with them all the time.  He follows Brody around and tries to snuggle up next to him to watch TV.  Brody isn't always accepting of this attention and will often get up and go to another room.  I don't really understand it because Brody was the snuggly, cuddly baby who also loved to get close to his big brother when he was that age.  I thought he would appreciate the attention Mattox gives him more, and I hope this changes in the future.  Evan, on the other hand, is always ready to snuggle and love on his littlest brother.  He loves that Mattox is so much like him.  Just this weekend when the boys stayed with Grandma, Mattox kept trying to climb up and lay with Brody on our bed to watch TV with him, and Brody would get up and move.  Finally, Mattox got tired of this game and went upstairs to sit with big brother Evan and fell asleep in the chair with him.  Thank goodness for Evan!

We love you, beautiful boy! 

Brody's 1st Fairy Visit

So it is time to do another first tooth fairy post.  The first post was back in April 2013 when Evan finally lost his first tooth at over six years old.  I expected Brody would lose his first tooth significantly earlier than Evan because he got all of his teeth really early and really fast.  He had almost all of his first teeth before his first birthday except his canines and molars, and he got those shortly thereafter.  However, I didn't expect to see his first tooth loose way back in July on his first day of kindergarten.  It took a while for that tooth to come out though, and he was already getting its replacement before it finally came out on August 4th.  We were getting ready to head out the door to go to school that morning, and I checked his tooth one more time after he put his shoes on.  It was just barely hanging on, and I was afraid he would either swallow it or lose it.  He was very patient while I worked gently to get the tooth free of the gum.  It did bleed quite a bit, but he didn't seem to be bothered by it and was excited to see the tooth out.  Of course, he was also excited about the potential of a tooth fairy visit that night.  Of course, she had to come through for him and left him a nice letter and certificate for the momentous occasion.  We also managed to sneak a little picture of her visit just like with big brother Evan. 

So proud holding that little tooth.

You can still see that little permanent tooth that came in behind the baby tooth.  I think it will be a good thing if his permanent teeth come in a little farther back on the bottom because he has had a little under bite that I hope will be corrected.

The little tooth fairy who came to visit and exchange a tooth for some treasures.

And she couldn't have found a more thankful recipient.  He loved his $2 and his letter and certificate. 

Now, we are currently waiting for his second tooth to come out after being barely loose for weeks.  The other permanent tooth is also already in and I am worried that we may need to get the baby tooth pulled at the dentist because it just isn't making progress.  He has an appointment in a couple of weeks so we will see.

Just July {2016}

Oh July!  What can I say?  When I saw this post pop up somewhere (either Pinterest or Facebook) this month, I immediately thought of you.  You weren't our most exciting month.  We were just trying to get used to going back to school and all that entails.  It was too hot to enjoy being outside much.  But that's life, right?  Like this post says, one minute it is amazing and wonderful but the next it is awful or just ordinary and mundane.  Sometimes ordinary and mundane just gives us a break and a chance to rest.  So this post mostly documents the ordinary and mundane moments of life. 

On the way back from Asheville, we stopped to have lunch with Papa in the little diner that we enjoyed last year when we stayed in Marion. 

Brody got hold of my phone and had some fun.  He and Papa became superheroes (or bandits?) and then Papa and I got some cool shades.  Daddy and Mattox just enjoyed eating some watermelon.  I don't know what I would have done this month for pictures without Brody.  He really captured a lot of our month.

Brody and I taking selfies while waiting for our dinner one night at Moe's, our favorite Tuesday night kids eat free place.

The boys enjoyed some coloring time together.  Doesn't that look peaceful?  Yeah, right.

Oh this little man.  He's like a wild lion on the prowl at night after his bath.

On the night before the boys' first week of school, we hit the pool one more time.  Brody was demonstrating how he can put his face under water.

And for one more summer treat, we took the boys to see The BFG.  Evan had just finished reading the book very quickly.  This was a very unusual treat because we went to a regular movie theater at night and paid those exorbitant prices.  That is not a normal occurrence for this family.  We love our cheap theater and can usually wait longer to see movies.  Mattox loves helping Daddy drive the car in the neighborhood on the way back from the pool.  It is within walking distance, but we don't like to have to drag all the pool necessities on the walk so we usually drive.

Brody captured Evan and Mommy resting on the couch.  Mattox was starting to climb out of our living room barricade so we had to change our plan.

Chick-fil-a Cow Appreciation Day!  We decided to try dressing like cows in the morning and going for breakfast before school to avoid the crowds.  It was really nice.  I understand that Chick-fil-a did have to change this policy a little and only give you sandwiches and main entrees free and not whole meals because that has become a lot in recent years.

Mattox still makes the cutest baby cow and enjoys eating his meal now too.  He could still wear the 12 month onesie I used for him last year, but it was pretty snug.  I love his little tail.

With back to school in full swing, it looks like we have been eating out a lot.  After Brody's first staggered start day, he had another day at home.  We decided to hit the road with Daddy for a quick work trip to Southern Pines where his last teacher's academy would be held.  We ate lunch at an old favorite from Charlotte, Hickory Tavern.  While our service wasn't the best, we still enjoyed it.  We are actually excited that we are getting one in our little town soon.  It is almost built.  Yay!

These boys have really been enjoying bath time together lately.  I even broke out the regular camera to capture these moments.  

Brody captured the fun of a Mexican feast at our local Mexican restaurant.

More pool time. 

Oh I just love this pretty wet head.  He has the prettiest curls when his hair is wet, but when it dries it just goes wild.  I know we are going to have to break down and do the first hair cut soon, but I am not excited about it.  Brody looks like he was just enjoying lounging by the pool, but he was actually pouting about something.

Aveeno Baby!  I think he would make the cutest baby model. 

Their favorite toy is always a bucket.

Not loving the new baby proofing gate.  He now has free reign all over the living room and bedrooms, but this helps keep him out of the kitchen areas when we aren't in there.  He wanted to get to Daddy and his "baba" which he still gets at night.

We were pretty happy with this new addition.  We finally ordered a frame for our new family portrait with Mattox.  It hangs where our old one hung which we had to relocate.  I hope to one day have a big space to hang all of these portraits together. We ordered the large frame and mat from Michael's with a 60% coupon deal, but it was still pretty pricey.

The boys all gave Daddy big hugs before he left us for the week to do his last teachers' academy.

Brody enjoyed his first "real" day at school on Monday and brought home lots of treats from The Kissing Hand. 

Since I had to do the first full week of school solo, I treated the boys to dinner at Carolina Ale House in Cary that offers $.99 kids meals and then to Rita's for dessert.  Brody was being a character and wanted to have pickle eyes.

Mattox loves big brothers, and he loves just climbing up to sit beside them.  Brody isn't always welcoming of this attention, but he can always count on Evan.  They are really like two peas in a pod and are so similar these days.  Brody was taking a picture of Mattox VERY CLOSE, and the flash would have blinded him if I had not quickly covered his eyes.  Mattox looks so cute "reading" a book.

Daddy tried to get some kisses from Mattox when he got back home.  Mattox likes to give big open mouth kisses.

I think he has just gotten even more pretty in the last year, and I love this comparison.

We took the boys to another movie at the cheaper theater and finally saw The Jungle Book.

Oh, I just love watching this sweet boy play.  He is so busy all day.  He was enjoying eating his first turkey and cheese sandwich and loves feeding himself.  We also made his own art project to go along with the ones big brothers painted last month.

Eddie took the big boys to a Holly Springs baseball game.  We have a summer college team that plays in our new sport's complex.  Our team is the Salamanders.

They met Sammy Salamander.  It was a very hot day so they didn't stay for the whole game.

Evan got to walk in with the Cub Scouts.

And you can just never get enough of this cuteness.