Russell Family Ties

Yes...I did take more pictures!

2009-07-15T14:02:00.005-05:00

Matthew showing off his new cowboy hat from the Flying W Ranch. We enjoyed a fabulous chuck-wagon dinner under the Colorado stars!

Matt sat on Santa's lap at the North Pole. The North Pole is an amusement park in Woodland Park. It is set on the mountain and each ride is perfect for small children. Matt even rode the candy cane coaster with me. When the ride was over he said "That was awesome!!"

We spent morning riding four-wheeler trails in the mountains on my brother's Gator. It was so much fun and Matt is still talking about it! It was really neat because we got to see the mountain in a way a lot of people don't. After we finished seeing the mountain on the Gator we took a few little hikes and fished in the pond. Matthew was so excited to use his new fishing rod...unfortunately he lost his lure in the water after only a few minutes!

Matthew LOVES trains so Marc and I splurged and we all rode the train through the Royal Gorge. It was a little pricey but well worth it! The view of the gorge was breathtaking and Matt loved every minute of the train ride!

I love the mountains! Every time I visit Colorado I wonder why I live in Texas! The weather was wonderfully cool each day. (I even had to wear a jacket!) The mountains are always a reminder of God's majesty!

Vacation

2009-07-14T13:45:00.003-05:00

So...last week we took Matt to Colorado to escape the Texas heat! It was his first time up in the mountains and he hasn't stopped talking about it since we returned home. The above pictures are just a glimpse at what we did and saw...

MAY 2009

2009-05-17T17:01:00.002-05:00

Okay...so lately...(as in the past several months...) I have done zero blogging. Sorry about that. I have been taking pictures but for some reason I just never found the time to sit down at the computer and make a post. Hopefully, with summer just a few weeks away I will have more time to blog. Enjoy these pictures from the past few months. I will try my best to post more frequently in the upcoming months. (Somewhere between potty training, picking up after a very active two (almost three year old) cleaning the house, organizing the storage unit filled with school junk and getting rid of old stuff at the house...I will find the time!)

Winter Fun

2009-02-02T20:53:00.003-06:00

I am finally updating this blog! It seems like FOREVER since I have added any new pictures. We have just been so busy with life lately that I haven't had any time to get the pictures from my camera onto the computer for uploading. We have been going to birthday parties, dealing with ear infections and sinus infections, and getting back into the groove of school and work. We found out last week that Marc was not laid off (Praise God!!) and that my sister inlaw and brother are having a baby!!!! Anyway, enjoy the pictures of Matt!!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-28T20:40:00.004-06:00

Family portrait taken Christmas night

Matthew opening presents Christmas morning

My grandma with all her grandchildren and their spouses (Matthew is the first and so far only great-grandchild)

Making Christmas cookies with Mommy

Riding the Christmas Train with Mommy

How the Russell family celebrated the Christmas Holiday...
1. Marc and I took Matt to see the tree lighting on the square downtown.
2. My mom and I took Matt to ride the Christmas Train.
3. Santa stopped by our house just to say "Merry Christmas".
4. We made Christmas cookies together.
5. We saw all of our family (including grandparents and great-grandparents!).
6. Matt sat on Santa's lap at Bass Pro Shops...(the picture was FREE!!)
7. We sang "Happy Birthday to Jesus" (a tradition my grandmother started with us when we were kiddos!)

I can not believe this was Matt's third Christmas! Time flies!! He is definitely growing into a little boy now. He loved EVERYTHING about Christmas! He danced and sang to the Christmas carols, he gazed at the tree and demanded we turn it on every morning, he laughed at our snowman and lights in the yard and LOVED opening his presents on Christmas morning. I love this time of the year and I am so glad that my little boy does too!

Lullaby

2008-12-23T11:10:00.002-06:00

I have been singing songs to Matt since he was born. We sing together all the time but especially at night before bed. Lately, I have been asking him what songs he would like for me to sing to him. He usually requests "Pop Goes The Weasel", "Baa Baa Black Sheep", and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". After singing his requests, I always sing the following three songs "Jesus Loves Me", "How Great is Our God", and a little song I made up when he was born that follows the tune "Are You Sleeping". Sunday night when I started to sing Jesus Loves Me, he sang with me! He then sang the other two songs as well. It was so precious!! My heart melted when he grinned at me and sang the words to the lullaby I made up for him..."mommy loves you, mommy loves you, very much..." It was priceless!

Little Boy's Best Friend...

2008-12-04T20:45:00.004-06:00

Man's best friend is proving to be little boy's best friend too! Matthew LOVES his puppy. (Who happens to be a three your old German Shepard.) I often wonder if she is as crazy for him as he is for her! The poor dog can not just "chill out" when Matt is around. He is constantly taking her ball, her bone, poking her eyes, and pulling her ears or tail. He thinks it's all "fun." She is totally irritated. Thankfully, she has a gentle nature and doesn't seem to mind...too much.

The Signs of Christmas

2008-11-30T12:09:00.004-06:00

Matthew had more fun with the tree this year than ever before! Even though he still doesn't really understand what this is all about he knows it is something fun! As soon as we got the tree set up and the lights plugged in he marched his way up the stepladder to check it all out.

He was so funny with the ornaments. I had to rearrange the ornaments he had so carefully placed on the tree because they were all on the same branch! He was very disappointed when he ran out of candycanes.

Matthew grabbed these stars as soon as he saw them and started singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star."
A picture of our snowman and his candies. As soon as Matt saw it all lit up he became so excited! He didn't know what to look at first. He glanced all over and just shouted "Whoaa, whoaa, whoaa!" It sounded so much like "ho, ho, ho." It was too cute!

Another picture of the front of the house. Marc and I both agreed that this is the best the yard has looked since we started putting lights on the house four years ago. Maybe we are finally getting the hang of it! It only took us a few hours this year to get it all up instead of the whole day. (Do you think it was because we bought all new lights this year and didn't have to make any extra trips to Lowe's?)

Matthew wanted to get on the roof with his daddy so badly!

I tired to keep Matt occupied in the yard while Marc was up on the roof. Matt and I did all the little things like the wreath and the snowman on the front porch. This wreath was pretty big for Matt to carry. At one point he started dragging it up to the porch.

Thanksgiving Blessings

2008-11-30T08:37:00.003-06:00

God has truly blessed my life! I am so amazed at his love for his children. I am so thankful for:
1. My salvation in Christ and his love for me.
2. My wonderful husband who loves and supports our family.
3. My sweet little boy Matthew.
4. My wonderful family. (Mom, Dad, brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents...)
5. My amazing friends.

Pictures

2008-11-30T08:28:00.003-06:00

I thought I would share some recent pictures. The last one is the second time Matt decided to "pee-pee" in the toilet. Notice he still has on his shirt and his diaper! The rest are just fun pictures from the past week or so. Enjoy!!

Daddy's Jacket

2008-11-09T15:42:00.003-06:00

Matt loves to go into our closets and put on our shoes. He has been doing it since he could walk. Lately, he progressed from just wearing our shoes to wanting to wear anything that belongs to Marc. (Especially if Marc is still wearing it!) He pulls his daddy's shirts off the hangers and drapes them over his shoulders and parades through the house. When Matt saw his daddy in this jacket Friday night he just had to have it. He wore it for a good 15 minutes before we finally forced him to take it off. He walked all over the house saying "Daddy jacket. Matt jacket". His latest attempt to steal his fathers clothing occurred last night when he picked Marc's jeans up off the floor and walked into the living room dragging them behind him. He looked up at me and said "Mommy HELP!!!"

Pee Pee

2008-11-02T19:28:00.002-06:00

Okay, so let me first start out by saying I am so sorry I don't have a picture for this post. Marc couldn't find the camera so we had to get video instead. Now let me set the scene for you...
I am washing dishes in the sink (the dishwasher was filled to capacity) and Marc is watching tv. The house is eerily quiet. I walk down the hallway and into the bathroom. Where I find Matthew sitting in (literally!) the toilet. When I ask him what he is doing he looks at me like I am a complete idiot and says "pee pee." Then he casually splashes his feet in the water.
It was the funniest, cutest thing I have seen him do in awhile.
Just wanted to share!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-11-02T11:00:00.004-06:00

We didn't get very many pictures this year of Halloween. Marc brought the video camera to record Matt trick or treating so I didn't take as many pics as I usually do. It was a GREAT night! We took Matt around our neighborhood (Thank you Dad for staying at our house and passing out candy to all our trick or treaters!) and then drove over to Bryan and Amanda's house so they could see him in his puppy costume. (Which he was so excited about before Halloween night. I don't know what changed on Friday night but for some reason he did not want to be a puppy! I had to really fight him to put on the costume. We almost opted for him to wear his jack-o-lantern t-shirt.) He was the cutest puppy on the block. I wish everyone could have heard him say "trick or treat!"

A Visit To The Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T19:58:00.003-05:00

Mom and I took Matt to the pumpkin patch near our house this year. It was a lot of fun. Matt loved the hayride the best and giggled most of the time while yelling out "bumpy", "bumpy!" (It was more fun than last year simply because the weather was so much cooler.) I did manage to coax him into choosing a pumpkin for painting. He was so careful not to get paint on himself...it was very cute! We did get into a little trouble at the petting zoo though...we stepped into some calf poop. Not the best thing that could happen right before we climbed into the car but...we would do the whole thing over again anyway! Happy Fall!!

More Pictures

2008-09-27T21:30:00.003-05:00

I thought I would share a more recent picture of Matthew from the one I posted last week. This picture was taken last Sunday afternoon. I don't really know what we were doing...but the picture is cute anyway. (Notice the hair I had spiked up for church had already begun to fall down. I guess that's what happens when you play outside and sweat all the gel out!)

This house is Marc's new little project. He bought it as an investment. He is planning on renting it out as soon as the current homeowner moves out. I am sure I will have lots of little stories to tell once we become landlords. Please pray that we find nice tenants to rent from us. (And pray that nothing major goes wrong with this house after we officially close on Monday.)

Pictures!

2008-09-21T20:52:00.003-05:00

These pictures were from Matthew's birthday back in August. I know...I was very late in posting them! We had his party at our church's playground. Most of his friends were there it was really a great afternoon. It was a simple party...just cake and presents. After the party we came home to a house full of new toys. Marc and I spent a good hour or more just putting everything together and showing Matt how it all worked. I am still trying to make room for everything! I really need to put some of his baby toys he doesn't use up in the attic.

A Sick Little Boy and A Worn Out Mommy (and Nana)

2008-09-19T21:04:00.003-05:00

The title tells all.
Tuesday night Marc left for the beaches in Mexico (another work vacation similar to the one we both went on in the spring). It was just too early in the school year for me to take off work so I stayed home to care for Matt and teach. Well...Wednesday morning I noticed that Matt felt a little warm. I took his temperature, loaded him up on Motrin and put the poor baby in the car. I was already running late for school so I had to take him to his babysitters (with instructions to call me if he got worse). Things did get worse.
A doctor's visit and hours later we were sitting in the rocking chair with an ear infection. I stayed home the next day (after being up LATE on Wednesday night) and my mom kept Matt the next night and Friday morning so I could go to school and prepare for open house on Monday night.
Wouldn't you know...Marc was on the beach in Mexico swimming with the dolphins and sipping margaritas while I was up all night with the sick child...When do I get my vacation????

Thanks mom for helping me out with Matt. I don't think we would have survived the three days without you! We love you!

Oh, and I promise one of these days I will post some pictures!!!!!!!!

The Lost Toothbrushes

2008-09-11T20:21:00.002-05:00

Okay...I know...still no pictures. I really am sorry. Maybe this weekend I will get a chance to post pic's until then...hope this story will give you a little insight into life at the Russell house these days.

Yesterday morning when Marc was getting ready for work, (I had already left the house for school and Marc was attempting to get himself ready for work and Matt ready for the babysitter's house. Thank you Marc, for always taking care of Matt in the mornings. You are AWESOME!!) Matt somehow got a hold of both of our toothbrushes. Marc saw him run off with toothbrushes in hand while he was shaving.

After putting down his razor he walked down to Matt's room hoping to find the toothbrushes still in Matt's hand. Of course, by this time Matt had already tired of playing with Mommy and Daddy's toothbrushes and was busy playing with something else. Marc asked him "Matt where are the toothbrushes?" Matt responded with his arms up in the air (and very matter of factly may I add) "All gone!" And he went about his business.

Marc never did find the toothbrushes. I wonder if they are in the same place as my missing sunglasses??

Life with a two year old! It doesn't get any better (or comical) than this!

What's Been Keeping Us So Busy??

2008-09-03T20:41:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the lack of postings in August. I have been so busy starting the school year that it seems I have had no time for posting! Hopefully, things will settle down soon and life in the Russell house can get back to normal. (Or at least back to our version of normal!) Here's a sample of what's been keeping us busy since August 1:
1. Inservice, inservice, inservice. Since I changed districts I had to attend both the new teacher inservice days and the regular district inservice. So, I started back to work three days earlier than everyone else.
2. Matt had his second birthday. We had a party at the park with all his friends from our church and our family. It as a great day!
3. School started...I changed grades from prekinder to second. IT HAS BEEN A HUGE ADJUSTMENT. I am grading papers every night, planning every night, and questioning everything I do in my classroom. I feel like a new teacher. But, I am hopeful that I will figure it all out soon. My class is very sweet and they are very independant compared to the kinder and prek babies I have loved for so long.
4. Matt started mother's day out on Tues. and Thurs. So, he too has had to make some adjustments to his routines as well. Which has meant more planning on my part to make sure Marc gets him out the door on time in the mornings.

As soon as I can I will get the pictures off the camera and onto the computer. Thanks for being patient with me!

2008-07-30T17:25:00.001-05:00

Matt's new favorite place to watch tv is our bed! He climbs up the side, positions himself just right between the pillows and pulls the covers down. He then will proceed to ask for the "mote" and "sows". (remote and shows) The other afternoon he spent an hour watching Mickey Mouse in the bed.

Trucks and Cars

2008-07-23T21:05:00.004-05:00

Trucks and cars are suddenly the hottest thing at our house. Matt loves to push them around, crash them into each other, (or the furniture) and make engine noises with his mouth. We were shopping one day at Target and he asked for this truck several times. (I was browsing the toy aisles looking for things I thought he might like for his birthday.) Anyway, it wasn't very expensive so I decided to get it for him. I'm so glad I did! He loves to put small toys in the back and yell out "dump". He laughs so hard each time that he flilngs his head backwards!!

Reunion Weekend

2008-07-23T20:49:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Marc and I went to his ten year reunion. I was able to meet some of his friends from high school that I had only heard about. He seemed to enjoy "catching" up with his old "crew". I spent several hours at the "wives" table chatting with other wonderful wives who came with their husbands. It was decided between us that high school reunions are only fun for those who actually went to the high school and graduated with that group of people.

While we were doing reunion activities Matt spent some quality time with his grandparents. He actually spent the week with them before the reunion. From what they tell me he was a perfect boy while at their house...so...who is the little boy that lives with me?

Lunch Out

2008-07-17T17:52:00.002-05:00

Today, my good friend Jodi and I met for lunch. (Something we rarely get to do...and today we met without the boys...something even rarer.) It was wonderful seeing her again and it was so relaxing having a real grown up lunch! Thanks Jodi for a great afternoon...next time let's get the boys together so they can play!

Highlights from this past weekend...

2008-07-07T22:09:00.003-05:00

Eating Snacks...

This is always a favorite at the Russell house! Matt asks for his "nack" and his "duce" every day. (For all of those out there that don't speak Mattish...that's his snack and juice.)

Drawing with sidewalk chalk...

This was VERY messy, as I knew it would be. But, Matthew loved it! The chalk was big enough for him to grasp with his hands and he wasted no time putting marks on our sidewalk.

Playing with the sprinkler...

Watching the Fireworks...

Matt loved the fireworks. Sorry I didn't get more pictures of this. But, we parked so close to where they were setting them off that we ended up watching from inside the car! Pieces from the fireworks were hitting the car and the ashes were falling all around us. Matt laughed the whole time and said "wow, cool" every time one went off. It was lots of fun watching him have a great time.

We Serve A Mighty God!!!!

2008-07-02T21:44:00.002-05:00

Yesterday afternoon Marc and I were faced with the very real chance that he had cancer. After several blood tests showing the same results his doctors decided to do one last blood test. The results of this last test were AMAZING!! (Even his doctor could not explain the difference.) Somehow his blood counts had gone from 16,000 (way below normal) to well within the normal range. All I could say when we were sitting across from the doctor at his desk was "Praise Jesus!!" I am so blessed to come from a family of believers who will pray for us. Before the last blood test was taken I had called my mom to ask for prayer. We had so many people praying for Marc and for the doctors to have wisdom. (Thank you to all our family and all those people whom we do not know that were praying for us too. We are so blessed by your faith and belief in Christ and the power of prayer!) God was truly at work yesterday on Marc. I know that God was working in this situation. I am once again blown away by God's love for his children. He continues to reveal his mercy and his grace to us. What a mighty God we serve!!!

San Antonio Pictures

2008-06-25T21:01:00.006-05:00

It's 7:30pm and Matt is wiped out after a very full day at Sea World. He fell asleep before the big Shamu show even started.

Just chillin' out in the hotel room...very late at night...

At the entrance to the San Antonio Zoo.

Riding the Ferris Wheel with Daddy.

Feeding the dolphins at Sea World.

Summer Vacation!!

2008-06-25T20:48:00.002-05:00

We took Matt to San Antonio this past week. We were so glad that my brother and his wife were able to come with us. Thanks...for all the help!! Ya'll are the best!!
We took Matt to the Rain Forest Cafe for dinner the first night there. We had never eaten there before but I thought it would be a great place for Matt to eat after riding in the car for several hours. Well...once we got him in the restaurant he loved it. However, he fought us the whole way inside!! Thanks Amanda for "gently" coaxing him in. After dinner we walked around the river and it was well past 11:00pm when we finally put him to bed. He was so SLEEPY. He actually slept until almost 8am which is really late for our little guy.

Big Boy Hair Cut

2008-06-13T13:54:00.002-05:00

Matt has been going once a month for a hair cut since he was a year old. His hair grows so fast! Today, I asked Cara to cut it a little shorter than we have done in the past. I thought it would be cooler for him this summer and easier to manage. It looks so cute!! Although you can't really tell from these pictures...
She cut it shorter and put a little gel in the front. He looked so grown up when we left her shop!

Wow...Look at me!

2008-06-13T13:39:00.004-05:00

We bought this slide for Matt last summer before he could really walk. He didn't get much use out if it last year. I think he was just too small for it. But, this summer he has nearly worn it out! He loves to walk up the rock wall and then slide down. He counts 1..2...3 and then pushes himself down and screams out "Weeeee" the whole way down. He has become quite the climber this summer. I would love to get him a bigger climber but they are so expensive!

Keeping Cool

2008-06-13T13:30:00.002-05:00

It has been so hot this summer! I think we have been outside in the sprinkler and the baby pool almost every day since school let out for the summer. Matt really enjoys the water and it's great because after he's been outside for a few hours playing he gets worn out! He takes his best naps after playing in the pool.

We Hate Being Sick!

2008-05-18T19:32:00.002-05:00

Two weeks ago Matt came down with a horrible virus. I took him to his pediatrician and he said there wasn't really anything we could do since it wasn't bacterial. ( I was so hoping for some antibiotics!!) Poor baby, he ran a fever all week long and it never got below 101. The scariest night was Wed. when after dinner his temperature spiked to 105!!! I threw him in the tub with some luke warm water while Marc called Dr. Conner. We took him to the ER for some blood tests. Nothing showed up on the lab results. So, we headed back home and were instructed to keep his temp. down as best we could. We kept cold washrags under his arms and between his legs most of the night. Thankfully, by Friday he was feeling much better.

Of course, the week after Matt was sick I ended up with pink eye and strep throat!!! It has been the worst two weeks at our house. I am still trying to get rid of my sore throat and the redness in my eye is not much better. I have a few more days left of the drops for my eyes so I am just waiting to see.

Did I mention WE HATE BEING SICK at the Russell house????

Riviera Maya

2008-05-04T13:36:00.004-05:00

Last week Marc and I spent a wonderful week in Maya Riviera Mexico. Yes, I took the week off from school to travel with him. His company paid for our entire trip!! It was awesome!!! We stayed in the most beautiful resort I have ever been in.

One day we traveled to the ancient Mayan city of Tulum and marveled at the remains of the ancient city. It was much more impressive than I had anticipated. The city was built on a cliff overlooking the ocean.

Street dancers in Playa del Carmen.

The picture above is the entrance to one of the restaurants we ate at. The Alux was built inside a cave! The food was not as good as we had hoped for but the atmosphere was well worth the cab ride.

The resort had seven different pools. We spent an entire afternoon lounging by the water. It was so relaxing!!

The picture above is from the lobby balcony overlooking the casitas that we actually stayed in. The restort boasts 401 rooms in the main buiding, 90 casitas and several presidential suits on the water.

Isn't the beach beautiful? We spent two days relaxing on the beach and swimming in the pools at the resort. It's going to be very hard to go back to work now. I feel like my summer has already started!

Isn't he cute???

2008-04-27T14:45:00.003-05:00

I don't know why but I love this picture!! I don't know if it's the cool plaid shorts, the backwards hat or the intense look of concentration on Matt's face.

Matt loves to read and look at books. This book is fun to read with him simply because it has animals that he is familiar with. When he sees the cow (and yes even the horse) he says "boo" (which is his version of moo), and when he sees the ducks he yells out "uck, uck!"

My grandparents gave Matt this little chicken for Easter. He loves it! When you squeeze the belly of the chicken it clucks and that just makes Matthew laugh. Now he can even make the clucking sound back!

Russell Lawn Services

2008-04-27T14:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, we were out in the yard mowing, pulling weeds, fixing the flowerbeds etc. Matthew of course was out with us...(he never misses an opportunity to go outside). He saw the big broom hanging on the wall in the garage and insisted that I get it down for him. Then he began sweeping the grass along the sidewalk. He was having so much fun that he swept the sidewalk in front of our house, our driveway, and all the way to our neighbors front door before I made him turn around. Do you think he will still want to help out in the yard when he's 12????

Easter 2008

2008-04-14T15:27:00.005-05:00

Easter egg hunt at Nana and Granddad's house.

Nana helped Matthew find his Easter eggs.

Matthew quickly gave up the hunt and decided to take a walk with Granddad instead.

Easter morning after church I put these adorable bunny ears on Matthew.

At The Zoo

2008-04-14T15:13:00.003-05:00

First...let me say sorry for not posting in a month! Our computer at home crashed and we had to get a new one...please forgive me!

Matthew feeding the birds in the aviary.

Matthew loved petting the goats. He walked right up to them and said "Moo!"

Grandpa and Gigi walking with Matthew.

We took Matthew to the Zoo last Saturday. He had so much fun just walking around. He wasn't to interested in the animals...except of course the birds and the goats. I think because he just couldn't touch them. If he can't touch it...then he has no interest! It was a wonderful day just being together as a family.

Spring Break 2008

2008-03-21T15:10:00.003-05:00

Playing outside with a friend.

Enjoying a snack together.

Mom, don't make me kiss this baby!

Forget about baking these mom. I just like the dough!

How much longer do we have to wait for these cookies anyway?

Matthew and I spent the last days of our spring break just hanging out. We baked some cookies together and then invited some friends over to play outside. The weather was SO NICE!! I tried to get Matthew to kiss the baby but he wasn't at all interested. On Friday we met my sweet friend Jodi and her son for lunch at McDonalds. I forgot to get my camera out of the car. But, she promised she would email me the pictures she took of the boys. When I get them I will post those too.

Rock-a-bye Baby

2008-03-19T20:33:00.004-05:00

These pictures sum up our spring break week pretty good. Lots and lots of R&R!! (We have done a little shopping...psst...don't tell daddy how much!!) Matthew and I had been playing in his room reading books, building with legos, etc. and I went to go get a drink from the kitchen. When I came back I found Matt in the rocking chair in his room and he was passed out!! I was only gone less than a minute and he had rocked himself to sleep!!! I just had to share these pictures of my sweet little boy.

Let It Snow...Let It Snow...

2008-03-19T20:26:00.003-05:00

It snowed at our house about 2 weeks ago...I know...I have been really bad posting lately!! We had still had school so I had to drive to work and Matt and Marc were still sleeping when I left the house. Marc took these pictures of Matthew. Apparently, Matthew wasn't really sure what to think about all the "white stuff." By the time they were dressed and out the door it had already started to melt away. Oh...did you noticed Matt's bed head??

Playtime!!

2008-02-26T20:11:00.007-06:00

Matthew loves to play with his cars and his Elmo garage. He pushes the cars around and says "vroom, vroom" while he plays. Then he rolls the car through the car wash and always says "uh-oh" whenever the garage beeps.

Matthew LOVES to clean the floor with his vacumes! As you can see, he has two that he pushes around whenever we are cleaning the house. He also loves to sweep with the swiffer sweeeper too!

Hello?...Yes, This is Matthew

2008-02-26T20:00:00.005-06:00

Matthew found the phone on the coffee table and "talked" to himself for about 5 minutes. He rambled on and on while walking all through the house. He was very animated...as he is always is when he plays.

I guess Matthew has seen his mom talking on the phone too much! Lately, he will pick up the phone if it is within his reach and place it between his shoulder and his ear. He babbles into the phone and walks all around the house. He takes it very serious!

Relaxing Weekend At Home

2008-02-10T14:24:00.000-06:00

Matthew took the laundry basket and climbed in! He watched an entire episode of Mickey Mouse Club House in the laundry basket on Saturday morning.

As you can see...he still loves his thumb!

This picture was taken last Sunday during the Superbowl. We had a few couple friends over to watch to game. Matthew shared his table with one of our friends daughters. They had so much fun tearing up our house during the game.

The Russell family spent a nice weekend at home. It seems we have been doing that a lot the past month or so. (Which is not normal for us...usually we are always going somewhere!) I think Matt has really enjoyed getting to play with his toys!

Pictures From This Week

2008-02-01T15:55:00.000-06:00

Last Friday

2008-02-01T15:44:00.000-06:00

Last Friday night Matthew spent the night with his Nana and Granddad. So...Marc and I went with my brother and sister inlaw to new steak restaurant close to town. After a GREAT dinner we came back to our house to play our new favorite XBOX 360 game Rock Band. We can't play it with Matt in the house because we get too loud so we haven't gotten to play it much since Christmas. If you haven't ever tired it you are missing out. It is so much fun! We aren't very good at it yet but it's still fun to make fun of yourself and your friends getting into the music!

Cooking With Matt

2008-01-21T19:08:00.000-06:00

Matthew "drums" on the bowls.

"Just tasting to see if this needs more salt!"

It seems lately that Matt has been doing a lot of imitating. He is very interested in everything Marc and I do or say. One of his favorite things to watch is cooking. Whenever I am in the kitchen cooking dinner he wants to be right there watching me mix and stir. So, no whenever I am cooking, I give him his own bowls, spoons and pots to "cook" with. He has a great time stirring with the big spoons and it keeps him occupied while I am busy with other things.

Matthew Learns To Use A Spoon

2008-01-14T19:40:00.000-06:00

The past week or so I have been trying to teach Matthew how to feed himself using a spoon. He is not an expert yet...but he has gotten a lot better at actually getting the spoon into his mouth. He still can't figure out how to get his food from the bowl to the spoon but once I have done that part for him he can do the rest. As you can see, it is a very messy process! He gets food EVERYWHERE!! Surprisingly, he didn't make that big of a mess with his chocolate pudding. Usually, there is food on the floor, on Matt and on me too.

Spring in January ?

2008-01-05T15:33:00.000-06:00

How does this thing work???

It was a nice spring day in January. So, Marc and I blew up Matt's bounce house. Yes, it was only one of his many, many gifts this Christmas. He had a great time playing in it even if he can't figure out how to jump around yet! He spent over an hour just rolling around inside and throwing the little plastic balls that came with it. It is supposed to be warm again tomorrow so maybe we will get it out again for him to use before the cold weather comes back.

Future Aggie

2008-01-02T13:36:00.000-06:00

My brother Brandon (who just happens to be an A&M graduate) bought Matt this Aggie t-shirt for Christmas. Marc's brother Kevin is also a graduate of A&M. I thought they might like to see these pictures of our future Aggie playing in his "Saw 'em off" t-shirt.

Vegetable Soup!? Yuck!

2007-12-31T20:32:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I have been trying to get Matthew to eat more vegetables. I thought maybe he would eat vegetable soup. I was wrong. He picked at some of the noodles but that's about it.

Seeing Old Friends

2007-12-31T20:16:00.000-06:00

I can't believe how much these two have grown!!

Today we had lunch with some old friends. Actually, the Warrens are more like family than friends. I used to babysit for Elizabeth and Matt when they were much much younger! I can remember when they were both babies and now Elizabeth is a Jr. in highschool and Matt is a 7th grader. (Does that make me old??) Wow! Time flies. I am sure it will not be long before my Matt is in Jr. High. (I don't think I want to think about that for a while!)
It is always nice to get together with friends you don't see often. Matthew was a little shy at first but he warmed up quickly and even played a little peek-a-boo with Matt Warren. Thanks for meeting us for lunch guys! It was lots of fun. We can't wait to do it again!!

And the festivities continued...

2007-12-27T21:28:00.000-06:00

The main event of the night turned out to be Rock Band on XBox. It was so much fun!!!!!

Marc and Matthew on the drums.

Uncle Jay shows all how to really play.

The last Christmas event for the Russell family was on Christmas night. We went to my grandparents house to see my aunt and uncle from West Texas. Matthew was so worn out! He managed to stay awake through dinner and even played Rock Band on XBox before crashing out for the night. Marc and I opened his presents while he slept on the floor.
Thanks for taking care of Matthew for me Kimberly. I wish you lived closer so you could see us more often!!

Christmas Day at Nana and Granddads

2007-12-27T21:12:00.000-06:00

Matthew loves to play with his Uncle Brandon when he comes to town. I don't know who had more fun, Matt or Brandon. I don't really know if teaching a 16 month old to "sword fight" is smart.

Thank you Nana for letting me rest in your lap! I love you!!

Are these boys having a good time? It's not fun waiting your turn...is it?

Thank you Aunt Amanda for helping a very tired little boy open his presents.

Can somebody get me a pillow and my blankie...PLEASE??

After spending Christmas morning with Marc's parents we made the quick trip over to my parents house to open gifts with them. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful presents. We love you all!

A Russell Family Christmas

2007-12-27T20:57:00.000-06:00

How does this thing work??

Hey mom, can I get some help here??

Gigi admiring the family portrait we gave her for Christmas.

Matthew standing with all of his presents that were under the tree. He wasn't sure what to do with all of them!

The first Santa present Matthew saw sitting out was his bouncing and spinning zebra. He wasn't too sure about it!

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

2007-12-27T20:48:00.000-06:00

We are so thankful for the gift of salvation and eternal life that God so graciously gave us through the birth and death of his son. I hope that in the midst of all the presents and lights, and holiday traditions that Marc and I are able to teach Matthew about the true meaning of Christmas and the baby Jesus that was born so long ago. This year we used our nativity scene to tell him the story of Jesus birth (He liked holding the little wooden figurines...and yes, he did put some of them in his mouth...) and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus Christmas night. Hopefully, next year Matthew can sing along with us.

Christmas Eve

2007-12-27T20:22:00.001-06:00

This year, we stayed home for Christmas and our family came to us! It was a wonderful time being together with everyone that we love. Gigi and Grandpa came and spent the night and we all had dinner at Nana and Granddad's house. Thank you Nana for letting Matthew open one of his Christmas presents. He loves it!! After dinner Santa worked very hard putting together all of Matt's toys!

Family Christmas

2007-12-24T14:21:00.000-06:00

We celebrated Christmas on December 23rd with my maternal grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. As always, it was wonderful just being together. We have gotten together to celebrate Christmas as a family for as long as I can remember, and even now that most of the grandkids are married we still somehow manage to all get together around Christmas.
Of course no Knott's family Christmas would be complete without the exchange of gifts. My grandparents gave Matthew a new CARS ride-on toy that he loves! He spent the entire night sitting on or pushing the car around. Thank you so much great-grandma and great -grandpa for the cool car!

The North Pole of Texas

2007-12-22T21:38:00.000-06:00

Last night, Marc and I took Matthew to Weaver for the Christmas Train. It is the neatest thing! A family in Weaver created the train several years ago and it has grown over the past 10 years or so into this North Pole Wonderland. The train ride is completely free for children and parents. Let me just say that for a small town...it is HUGE!!
So...we get there a little before 7 not expecting a line...(just what were we thinking!!??) and waited and waited and waited to board the train. At 7:30 we had only moved maybe 20 feet in line and Matt was getting very tired and very, very cranky. So....long story short. We took some pictures and went home! Okay, not the best parenting move I know...but...Matt won't remember right?? We will have to take him again next year. Yes, next year we will ride the train no matter how long the wait.

Playing at McDonalds

2007-12-22T21:27:00.001-06:00

On Friday Matthew and I met my friend Jamie and her daughter Jolie at McDonalds. Believe it or not, it was Matt's first time to play in the "playland". Let's just say it was an experience for him and for me too! Jamie and I had a chance to talk and compare baby stories and our kiddos had a blast playing together. I think we spent almost 2 hours at McDonalds. I think that would be a record for me at any fast food restaurant. We had so much fun that we are planning on doing it again. At the end of the day, Jolie tried to kiss Matthew on the cheek. He was not impressed.

Random Pictures

2007-12-16T20:08:00.001-06:00

I thought I would post these pictures of Matthew doing things around the house. He is becoming quite the little toddler these days. Enjoy!

A Visit From Santa

2007-12-16T20:00:00.000-06:00

We took Matthew several weeks ago to have his picture made with Santa. He was not excited to see the "jolly old elf" at all. In fact, he kicked and screamed so bad that poor Santa could not even hold him! So, we both ended up being in the picture with Santa.
So, fast forward a few weeks later...
I am fortunate to be involved with a group here in town called Mothers Club. One of our fundraisers this year was a visit from Santa. My dad happily volunteered to play along as Santa. So, I thought maybe Matthew would do better with his Grandad playing Santa. He was a little bit calmer but still not too sure about the man in the red suit.

Outside Lights

2007-12-09T13:57:00.000-06:00

These pictures are a few weeks old. Sorry. We've just been so busy lately! Marc did put lights up on the house this year. He worked all day trying to get them up. They look really good at night when they are all lit. This year, I think everyone on our street has lights up. It looks awesome! Matt loves to go outside and look at all the lights.

Oh Christmas Tree!

2007-12-04T19:38:00.000-06:00

Well...the house is finally all decorated for Christmas! The lights are up outside (thank you Marc for doing an awesome job with that!), the tree is up, and the stockings are hung on the mantel. I guess we are ready for the big event...except of course for the shopping.
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I love it! This year I tried to make it a family affair. Unfortunately, Matthew was not all that interested in putting on the ornaments. He thought it would be more fun to take them off as Marc and I put them on. (Note to self...don't let a 15 month old help with the tree.) It was a lot of fun keeping him occupied and distracted from the tree. Now that it has been up for a week or so he doesn't even really bother it except to remove a few candy canes that we left within his reach.

Thanksgiving Day

2007-11-25T20:35:00.000-06:00

This year we were lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving Day with Marc's parents, my parents and my grandparents in Longview. It was so nice all being together for the day. It made it super easy on all of us. It was a little cold outside for me but Matthew loved it! He would have spent the whole day out on his Grandpa's deck if I would have let him. Thank you G.G. for the fabulous turkey!!
PS...I don't know why I look angry in the picture. Brandon, I know I wasn't mad at you.....

Turkey Time

2007-11-18T19:35:00.000-06:00

Today we had an early Thanksgiving with my grandparents at their retirement home. This is their first Thanksgiving since they moved from their house. I was so glad that everyone was able to come and spend at least a little time eating lunch with them today. I know it made them feel good with all of us there. In fact, the staff at the retirement home had to set up two tables for our family. I think there were 18 of us there!
Matthew spent most of his time sitting in my Aunt Margie's lap. (I think she may be ready for a grandbaby of her own! Hint...hint) He actually got to sit at the "adult table" the rest of us grandkids were at the "kid table." When do you outgrow the "kid table?" I think in our family the answer is never.

Trick or Treat!

2007-11-06T18:04:00.001-06:00

I am finally posting pictures of Halloween! Yes, we did take Matthew trick or treating even though he had no clue what was going on. He was the cutest little monkey on the block! Don't you think?

Halloween Carnival

2007-10-28T15:04:00.000-05:00

Matthew spent Saturday night with my brother and his wife Amanda. They took him to a Halloween Carnival at their church. According to Amanda Matt's favorite things to do were bobbing for apples (which he didn't actually bob for apples but instead had a great time splashing in the water) and throwing ducks in the pool! Apparently no one cared that he threw all the lollipops out of the haystack or that he would grab prizes out of the prize bags and throw them (innocently I'm sure) at the sweet people working the games. Everyone loved him...(who wouldn't love my sweet little boy!?)...besides he was the youngest child there! Thanks Aunt Amanda and Uncle Bryan for letting Matthew spend the night with you. I know he loves you both and he had a fantastic time at the carnival.

Visiting The Pumpkin Patch

2007-10-21T17:09:00.000-05:00

On Saturday we took Matthew to a pumpkin patch so he could choose his own pumpkin. I am trying to convince Marc that we should carve it into a jack-o-lantern. (So far he is not in agreement.) But I think Matt would love watching his dad carve a face in the pumpkin...not to mention how much fun he would have playing with the messy pulp! Of course, anyone who knows Matthew also knows that he does not like his hands to get messy.
Anyway, we had a great time at the pumpkin patch. Matthew loved petting the animals. They had a piglet, a goat and several others. We also took him on a hay ride. His favorite thing was playing peekaboo between two trees. Before we leaving I let Matthew choose his pumpkin and of course he chose one of the biggest they had.

Matt and the Laundry Basket

2007-10-16T20:02:00.000-05:00

I just thought I would share these pictures of Matthew playing with our laundry basket. It may be his new favorite toy. Whenever I do the laundry he likes to pull all the clothes out and climb in.

Visiting Great Grandparents

2007-10-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

Today I took Matthew to see my grandparents. We do not get to see them as often as I wish we did so it was a real treat for them and for us too. Matthew was a real show off at their house. He showed off his cool dance moves and played all his favorite games. His great grandpa even shared a bowl of ice cream with him. But, his favorite thing to do at their house was to ride on his great grandma's walker. Grandpa sat him on top and pushed him all around their house. He loved it!

Fun At The Park

2007-10-02T13:03:00.000-05:00

Matthew's babysitter called in sick this morning. So, I got to spend the entire day with my little doodlebop! Matthew and I spent part of our time at the park. We have a GREAT park in town that has lots and lots of shade trees and plenty of equipment for children to play and climb on. Matt of course is not really at an age where he can fully enjoy the park and sometimes I (being the wonderful mommy I am !) forget this and try to get him to do things he is just not ready for. For example I tried to walk him through the castle type structures. He wanted no part in this and was content to just walk in a circle around it. When I would try to force him through the structure he would fall in a fit of utter frustration and look up at me with this "leave me alone...I know what I am doing face." When I finally gave up and let him do what he wanted we both had a wonderful time. His favorite thing (other than walking in circles) was the swing. He has always loved the swings at the park. (So much in fact that we bought him his own swing this summer for our yard. It did not last long. The dog ate it. Along with a bush, a plastic bowl I left out side and countless other objects.)

Matthew's First Hair Cut

2007-10-01T11:27:00.000-05:00

I took Matthew to get his first hair cut on Thursday. He was such a good little boy the whole time Cara was cutting his hair. He just sat in the chair and talked to himself in the mirror. I kept a lock of his little curls to save in his baby book. I miss those curls already! It really took some of the baby out of him once those curls were gone. I can't believe how grown up he looks now.

I finally did it!

2007-09-30T15:36:00.000-05:00

After almost a year of reading my friend Jodi's blog I am finally caving in to all the pressure and starting my own. You don't have to beg me anymore Jodi...I did it! This blog will be a way for friends and family who are not as close as I wish they could be to catch a few glimpses of life with the Russell's. My precious little boy will be the show stopper on this blog and most of what I share will be about him and his adventures as he continues to grow from a baby and into a toddler.