What does a frog say?

RIBBIT, RIBBIT!

Here are a few pictures of our little tadpole... Happy Friday!  :)

About to go out for a stroll

Thanks Aunt Net and Uncle Schon for the cute get ups :)

Bath froggy

Matus Family Christmas

Last weekend we went to Spring to celebrate Christmas with the Matus family.  Julie and Wes hosted a nice get together with some extended family and Ethan was able to meet for the first time, his Uncle Ben, cousins Dominik and Anthony, Troy's cousin Janice and Uncle Jake and also Troy's Uncle Wayne.  Unfortunately Ethan was not the happiest baby on the block so Troy, Dominik and Anthony opened Ethan's Christmas presents while Janice consoled Mr. Fussy Britches :)

The nephews were so excited to meet their new cousin!  They both held him and entertained him with his toys... they even had to come over on Sunday before we left to hold baby Ethan one more time! We missed Aunt Lynette and Uncle Schon and hope to see y'all soon.

Here are a few pictures from our get together! 



Mommy, Daddy and Ethan

Daddy, Dominik and Anthony opening Ethan's Christmas presents :)

Dominik entertaining Ethan with Sophie the Giraffe!

 Three generations of Matus men

Grandma and Grandpa Matus with all 3 grandsons

Cousins!



To download these pictures and see more photos from our trip, check out the photo gallery--> http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/sharing/shareRedirectSwitchBoard.jsp?token=863498748212%3A299950681&sourceId=533754321803&cm_mmc=Share-_-Personal-_-shareCopyLink-_-Sharer-_-Top

Splish Splash!

Bath time is SO much fun these days!  Ethan loves the water and has learned how to kick his feet and splash the water.  Even if he is fussy, he turns into a happy little fellow when we put him in the bath!  It's one of my favorite parts of our day!

THREE Months

Happy 3 months to the little guy!

Having a baby changes everything...

That's what the Johnson & Johnson commercials say and it's so true!  We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary yesterday which included no fancy dinner, romantic evening out or even make-up.  Instead we spent the day at home playing on the floor with our sweet baby and ended the day eating a schmorgesborg of leftovers and toasting our life together with a bottle of champagne and fancy crystal flutes while wearing matching grey sweat pants and white t-shirts... ha!  :)

The day was perfect though and Troy surprised me with flowers and a beautiful bracelet.  We also exchanged roses for the second time since the first rose ceremony at our wedding.

Rose Ceremony

In the past, the rose was considered a symbol of love and a single rose always meant only one thing - "I love you." So it is appropriate that for your first gift - as husband and wife - that gift would be a single rose. [exchange roses]

In some ways it seems like you have not done anything at all. Just a moment ago you were holding a single rose - and you are still holding a single rose. In many ways, a marriage ceremony is just like that. For yesterday, you were a man and a woman deeply in love; tomorrow, you will be a man and a woman deeply in love. But something has happened here today; something mysterious and sacred and unexplainable.  For today you have stood in front of your friends and family and God and committed yourself together in a ceremony and commitment of love.

My request is that no matter where you are, that each year on this date you exchange a rose as a remembrance of the love that brought you here today - and also as a recommitment of your vows to each other.

To close out this posting, I am including one additional excerpt from our wedding ceremony that stands out to me this year in particular:

These hands holding you on your wedding day are the hands of your friend, young and strong and full of love for you as you promise to love each other today, tomorrow and forever.
These are the hands that will work alongside yours as together you build your future. 
These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and console you in grief.
These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes, tears of sorrow and tears of joy.
These are the hands that will tenderly hold your children.
These are the hands that will help you to hold your family as one.
These are the hands that will give you strength when you need it.
And lastly, these are the hands that even when wrinkled and aged will still be reaching for yours, still giving you the same unspoken tenderness with just a touch.

It is an understatement to say that a baby changes everything, but in reflecting on our years together we agree this has been the BEST year yet.  We feel truly blessed!

End of sappiness :)

Owl Decal

This is what I was working on this weekend...

I also have a cork board and some shelves and pictures to hang on the other walls but haven't gotten to that yet.  More pics to come when it is all finished!  :)

He's Rolling!

Ethan, Ethan, he's our man, if he can't do it no one can!!!  Our little guy is rolling over...  He uses a lean approach instead of the push approach I was expecting, but he gets the job done!

On Saturday while I was upstairs working on the nursery, Troy and Ethan were downstairs playing.  Troy would prop Ethan up on his arms and help him to roll over.  That afternoon Troy told me Ethan kind of rolled over by himself after being positioned optimally by Daddy.  I saw it for the first time yesterday and he needed a little less help than the day before.  Today he was able to move his arms on his own to get positioned and roll himself over.  I thought I might be saddened by the achievement of this first milestone, but really I could not be more proud of the little guy!!!  He rolled over twice this morning and I caught both on video so here they are!

Here are just a few other fun videos from play time yesterday.