THE MATTSONS

2010-05-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Steve ran (and finished) his first half marathon. He came in at 2 hours and 8 minutes. The race was at Thanksgiving Point and since they gave all the participants and their family passes to the gardens for being in the race, I made him walk around for a good 3 or 4 more hours later that day. I know, too bad he didn't marry a nice wife. Of course it was the busiest Saturday we have ever had starting with his race at 7:00am, which we wanted to see him finish, so we got over there at about 9:15 and waited to see him come in about 15 minutes after we got there. Then, I had to get back to the community center where I work twice a week in trade for Mikayla and Zachary's gymnastics tuition. Next, it was back to back soccer games for the 2 older kids followed by the trip to the Gardens at Thanksgiving Point, The Dinosaur Museum and Farm Country. What a fun-filled day of stress. We had a great time with the family, but I hope some Saturday I wake up and say "Hmmm, what should I do today?"

Strawberry Jam

2010-05-08T18:00:00.000-07:00

I made strawberry jam and preserves this year for the first time. There was a great deal on strawberries, so I thought "Why not?" So with my mom's help, I was able to put up 16 jars of jam and 6 containers of preserves. Why, you might ask, do I need so much jam? I have one PB&J lover named Conner and I think Luke is following in his footsteps! Between canning, crocheting, sewing, gardening I have become quite domesticated - I know, I've come a long way since high school. I guess that's what happens when you "get" to stay home all day. But, I wouldn't trade my stay-at-home mom job for anything!

2010-04-29T20:11:00.000-07:00

Suddenly, I have no time to blog anymore - life is too busy, i guess - so just a quick note that Luke had his first birthday last week. He tried to touch the candle on his cake, so I calmly moved his hand, but everyone else screamed "Luke, don't touch that!" causing him to cry for the rest of the evening until I put him to bed early. Sundays are so long for him with church to interrupt his nap schedule. So, needless to say, I got very few pics of him and his birthday party.

Peek-A-Boo

2010-03-26T11:57:00.000-07:00

Luke's favorite thing to do is climb stairs. Ever since he learned, he has done nothing but crawl to the top and then crawl back down again. Every step he crawls up, he stops and puts his head down and looks at you on the side or between his legs. It is his own version of Peek-A-Boo. He makes us laugh on a daily basis.

2010-03-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

9 kids + 4 adults = one amazing time at the play "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie". We first took the kids out do dinner where we let them get all their energy out so they would sit still at the play. I know - we're brilliant - and it worked like a charm. The kids loved every minute of the play and had a great time being on the front row. It was really cute and they loved getting to meet the mouse and boy afterward!

Luke's First Haircut

2010-03-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

Well, it finally got long enough for a hair cut. Luke was somehow managing to grow a mow-hawk all by himself. He had this crazy long hair right in the middle that kept growing and his sides just stayed short. It was so cute, but it was time to cut. Now he looks like a big boy and we just can't get over how handsome he is.

2010-02-19T16:00:00.000-08:00

Zachary has been in basketball for the last couple of months and has really had a lot of fun with it. He got his very own basketball for his birthday in December from his Grandparents and loves to bounce it everywhere around the house (at the expense of his mother's sanity). He has 2 of his buddies from his neighborhood on his team and has so much fun with them! His jersey is number 23 (Micheal Jordan's number) so we told him he has some big shoes to fill.

Valentine's Day

2010-02-18T09:29:00.000-08:00

We all got into the Valentine's Day spirit by starting the day with heart-shaped pink pancakes for breakfast Sunday morning. I tried to do a heart braid in Mikayla's hair (doesn't look too bad) for churh. After church, we made valentines cookies - and somehow I managed not to get the camera out and missed some photos - oh, well, what do ya do? It was a fun day for everyone and we hope you all had a great one too!

2010-02-17T12:00:00.000-08:00

I signed Mikayla up for basketball this year (without her permission) and although she had to be bribed to go to the first game she admitted to me that she enjoyed it. Since she is not the aggressive type, she was off to a bit of a slow start, but has quickly learned to adjust and now it is fun to see her get rebounds and make baskets.

luke vs. dash

2010-02-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

And they're off . . . our new "puppy" (or at least that's what he thinks he is) versus Luke. Dash is definitely bigger than I had hoped for at this age, but the kids are sure having fun with him. Poor Luke is not going to stand a chance at learning how to walk with Dash running around bumping into him. But, I can't complain, he has been great with the kids this far and he is finally house trained!

sledding

2010-01-16T11:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Amy and I took our kids sledding on Friday and we had a blast. It was so warm out and the kids loved going up and down the hills all afternoon!

2009-04-27T08:21:00.000-07:00

Luke was born on April 19th. He was 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 19 inches long. The doctors were getting ready to send me home at 8:00 and good thing they didn't because he was born at 8:40 - without a doctor, just lots of nurses rushing around trying to deliver him in the 12 minutes after my water suddenly broke. It was a crazy night to say the least!

My kids were so funny - Conner asked me why my belly was so big still ("didn't the baby already come out") - Zachary - after weeks of asking him pick stuff up off of the floor for me - asked me if i could bend down yet - Mikayla just can't get enough of him and always wants to hold him.

2009-01-09T13:38:00.000-08:00

Mikayla and her friends at their dance recital -aren't they cute?!

2009-01-05T11:41:00.000-08:00

About a week before Christmas, we spent the evening baking cookies and then started singing Christmas songs and who should just come walking through the front door, but Santa Clause himself!! The kids were so excited they didn't even know what to say!

2009-01-05T11:33:00.000-08:00

Zachary turned 5 last month and invited 12 of his closest friends over for a party! We made gingerbread (graham cracker) houses, played games and had cake and ice cream. It was so much fun (for him)!!

2009-01-05T11:28:00.000-08:00

We won't let a little snow stop our card game!

HALLOWEEN PICS

2008-11-13T16:55:00.000-08:00

Conner would only be spiderman even though he was that last year, and conveniently lost the mask a few days before.

Zachary was the cutest ninja ever!!

Mikayla was so excited to be a cheerleader this year. She has been planning it for months. It's what she says she wants to be when she grows up. :)

2008-09-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

Girls Week Out!

2008-09-08T13:42:00.000-07:00

Some of my girlfriends and I ditched the kids during the first week of school and went to Hawaii. You could tell we all needed a break, becuase the whole way to the airport we did nothing but complain about our kids. But after leaving them for 6 days, we couldn't wait to see them again! We had so much fun swimming, hiking, snorkeling, and just hanging out. I even tried snuba, which is a cross between snorkeling and scuba diving. It was a much need, much deserved vacation and I can't wait to back some time with Steve. Who, by the way was in India the whole time I was in Hawaii!

2008-02-29T19:41:00.001-08:00