January Birthdays

January is a busy month for birthdays in our family. Matthew on the 3rd, my mom on the 20th, Eric on the 24th, and my Dad on the 26th. We had a family dinner tonight to celebrate them all. Here are some highlights.

Ashley was unbelievably patient during her hours long hair appointment. She was able to nap through part of it. Alex is buried underneath.

Jim & Sue

One of the birthday boys!!

81 years young!!

Ben & Megan doing nails. Megan has her left hand in the Nail dryer. She loved that!

And, the crazy, happy birthday song. Megan is getting herself a drink and missing the song...so we waited.... and waited......

UU PreK Celebrates Chinese New Year

Today we celebrated Chinese New Year at our Unitarian Church. We had a great time. Eric and Mary Alice get all the credit for making the dragon. They did a wonderful job.

Here are a couple of cute, short videos.

Making Ice Cream

This is what is going on at our house today.

Mr. Bear's Visit

Mr. Bear Comes to visit because Megan Ling is the Star of the Week!

My Weekend at Megan Ling’s House

By Mr. Bear

On Friday, I bumped home on the bus behind Mr. Ron’s seat. Megan Ling’s mommy brought me and my bag into the house. Megan ling changed my clothes, and showed me her new bookshelf that Mommy bought to keep her music and books on. Megan Ling and Mommy put it together and put her CD player on top. Then we said hello to her brother, Matthew and sister, Mary Alice. We played with their gerbils, Coal and Marble. Then we ate dinner. It was leftover night. I ate apple and cheese and Megan Ling ate noodles & sauce and a zucchini burrito. Then we got ready for bed and Megan Ling put my PJs on. She brushed my teeth and we read about my adventures with Mrs. McGirr’s Stars. It was hard to sleep because Megan Ling’s daddy was practicing his Spanish on the computer and Mary Alice was mixing a cake. Megan Ling fell asleep right away though because she was so tired. One of her cats, Jasmine, slept on the chair with us in her room.

On Saturday, Megan Ling woke up early and dressed me. She noticed my sweatshirt was ripped by my zipper and she and her mommy fixed it with duct tape. After breakfast, we took Matthew to get a haircut. He looks good. We enjoyed a good nap in the afternoon while Mommy & Mary Alice went ice skating. Then we helped Daddy fix the snowblower. While Mommy made meatballs, Megan Ling had a birthday party for me. She made me a cake with candles and wrapped me a present. Next, she and Mommy took me for a walk in her doll stroller. After that, Daddy and Matthew went to a Lacrosse game and Mommy, Mary Alice, Megan Ling and I went out for Chinese Food. I was all tired out at the end of Saturday and could not wait to get in my bed. Mommy read more adventures about me and I fell asleep.

 

Today is Sunday. I have had an unusual day. I woke up with a cold, a runny nose and a headache. I told Megan Ling that I didn’t feel well. Mommy had me stay home and rest instead of going to church. So after a breakfast of noodles and chicken wings, I climbed back in bed and slept. In the afternoon, I went to see Dr. Megan Ling and Dr. Matthew. I learned that I am 12.5 inches long and I weigh 6.5 ounces. Dr. Megan and Dr. Matthew discovered that I have an ear infection and a touch of the flu. They gave me some medicine and told me to drink lots of water and rest. Then we drove Daddy to the airport because he was going on a trip for work. We had to stop at Wegman’s for some groceries, and then had pizza for dinner. Megan Ling is going to read to me before bed. I am glad there is no school tomorrow so I can have another day with Megan Ling.

Well, today is Monday. We stayed home all day and had fun in the house. We dressed dolls, painted, played with playdoh and Megan Ling’s doll house. We listened to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom on tape and looked at books. Mommy noticed my pants were falling down, so she sewed in new elastic. In the afternoon, Matthew and Megan Ling took me sledding on the stairs. Unfortunately, I fell off the sled and had to go to Dr. Matthew again. He said I would be okay, but his partner, Dr. Megan, said my arm was broken. Dr. Matthew made me a cast to wear until it heals. For some reason Megan Ling wanted to put me in timeout, but Mommy said we don’t do that to guests. What a fun and silly visit this has been.

Rachael & Ian Looking Good

Cousin's Rachael & Ian are going to the Winter Ball at their school. They look amazing!

Friends

Megan Ling has had a few girl friends over to play. I was not together enough to remember to take a picture of all of them, but I got these sweet pictures. She is doing really well at learning to play interactively with other children her age. It's a little challenging, as Megan Ling's attention span is not long for play and she needs a little structure and lots of practice. She is getting it though. All the kids want to play with her in school and she is getting invitations to so many parties!

Here is another set of friends. An odd sort, one might think, but Mary Alice is taming them together so nicely. She is a true zookeeper and walks about the house with the two gerbils on her shoulders running back and forth around her neck. She builds amazing things for them to climb in and play with. Same with her hermit crabs. She's amazingly attuned to the needs of animals.

Matthew turns 15

Fifteen years. Where does it go so fast? A baby in the womb, a baby out, a growing boy, a teenager, a young man. Oh, the pride in my heart for all that he was, is and will become. Matthew, I don't tell you often enough how much my heart swells with love for you. Thank God for the day you were born. I dreamed when I was pregnant that we should name you Matthew, and when I looked it up I found it meant "God's Gift" and I was pleased.

Here is a walk down memory lane.........

Have a Happy Birthday, Matthew and may all you deepest dreams and hopes come true.