A Good Week

TOUCHDOWN MATTHEW

We had a great week in the Chenery household. Matthew is still working on three molars which should cut any day now. Another cut a few weeks back. He seems to be happy and fine with it with the exception of some foods which hurt to chew. He continues to run all around the house and chases the dogs with all new meaning. We took a short trip to the Ettwein house to visit with baby Kendall on Wednesday. She was born last Sunday and was a whopping 9 pounds 2 ounces and 23.5 inches! Much, much bigger than Matthew at birth. Matthew took it upon himself to flirt with Brian's mom and Erin while I held Kendall. Matthew did very well while I was holding her. He was curious when she cried or made little baby sounds, always coming over to check it out. At one point he places his hand on her head as if trying to comfort her. I was happy to see that he never got jealous of her.

Yesterday Ryan and I went to East Lansing for the Notre Dame/Michigan State football game. We left the house around 10:00 a.m. to tailgate with friends and returned about 10:00 p.m. It was a beautiful day and a great ballgame. Since we were gone, Matthew played all day with Aunt Sarah! They got to enjoy the nice weather with a walk around the neighborhood and Matthew did a nice job of running Aunt Sarah all over the house. I think she was a little tired when she left. We have four more home games this season, so Matthew ill get to enjoy four more Saturdays with family.

We woke him up this morning around 9:00 and went out to breakfast as a family. This was a first for Matthew and as always he enjoyed it. As usual we have another busy week ahead of us. With each passing week we see more changes in Matthew and the things he is now able to do and want to do. He is becoming more daring with himself and tries new things all the time.

We took a few photos of Matthew in his new MSU jersey. Though it is a bit big on him, he is still cute! Enjoy

We LOVE Orajel!

Matthew has been very fussy and crabby since getting home today and it wasn't like him. We just figured it was a mix of the Monday sleepies and he was probably hungry. Well after dinner he was literally digging at his top gums and low and behold half of his first molar has cut through his gums. We just realized the LOVE for Orajel! He is back to himself...well until the jell wears off :)

We Love You!

We would like to wish a very Happy Grandparents' Day to all our grandparents. Matthew is fortunate to have his Grandma and Grandpa Genisio, Grandma and Grandpa Chenery, and Grandma and Grandpa Reslock as well as his Great-Grandparents the Chenerys, the LaMantias, and Great-Grandmas Merril and Genisio. We hope you all have a wonderful day and enjoyed the photos we sent. Matthew, Ryan and I love each and every one of you! Thank you for everything you have done for us.

First day of school!

Today I went back to work with kids and it was a wonderful day. Just by the vibe I got today, this is a completely different class and is going to be a good year. Matthew was all smiles when I dropped him off at Deah's. We are very fortunate that he has not had any separation anxiety yet (keep your fingers crossed). Deah has a nice large window in her family room that Matthew walks over to and watches me drive off. That breaks my heart, but I know it is what we have to do. After being home for the summer with a walking toddler, I could not do it for a living. I enjoy my two roles and I know that going to Deah's is very good for Matthew.

Nothing is all that new with Matthew and his development. His walking has improved immensely. He only crawls or bear crawls when he is in unfamiliar situations or on a incline. Other than that he is very content with walking. It is nice that he loves the grass too! He cut another tooth a few weeks back, so now he has eight! He still loves everything we feed him, which is SO nice! I put some updated photos on our website of Matthew in the recent weeks. Enjoy!

Sleepy Monkey

Matthew has had a good week getting back into the swing of things at daycare. When I picked him up today, he was a bit tired, so I knew my time was limited to get him home and fed before nap time. As he was finishing up his lunch he started to close his eyes while eating and then fell asleep right in the high chair! Enjoy the movie!

On a side note...Congratulations to Aunt Sarah and Uncle Cory, they bought a house today! It is not just any house, it is the house Ryan and Sarah grew up in! Go figure...it hasn't rained in about a month here and the second they get ready to start moving it pours rain all day! What luck!

Lions, and Tigers, and Bears...Oh my!

We had a very busy and productive weekend! On Friday, I drove up to Grand Rapids to see Abby and her gorgeous new house. After lunch we took Matthew to John Ball Zoo! He had a blast. It is a very different zoo than Binder Park. It is very compacted and the exhibits are very close to each other. This zoo offers many different animals than Binder Park too. We saw flamingos, pelicans, lions, a tiger, camels, bears, and penguins to name a few. They have a cool sting ray petting zoo, but Matthew nor I wanted to brave that one. We will wait for our next trip with daddy. They also offer camel rides, which looked fun for Matthew in a year or so. They have this excellent children's areas with a ropes course and petting zoo. I really want to go back and try the zip line over the forest, that looked really fun! Matthew was the most fascinated with the tiger, the bears and the penguins. The tiger was moaning/growling and pacing back in forth, so she was very easy for Matthew to see. One of the bears was also pacing and Matthew kept laughing like it was one of his teddy's. In the penguin encounter Matthew got to watch the penguins swim underwater and right at him. All in all it was a great day.

On Saturday we went to the Brink's house to celebrate Brady's first birthday! We got to see some old friends and their children and took the kids on a pontoon ride around the lake. They boys are getting to be the age where they can interact more with each other and play together. After Brady had some cake he was drinking out of a sippy cup and he and Matthew were hitting their cups together almost to say "cheers"! It was the best weather for the lake.

In a way I am back to work. I have a Mark Dressel writing workshop all week, so Matthew is getting back into the grove of daycare once again. Next week he will go for half days so I can get my room set up and ready before I officially report back on the 27th.

We hope you enjoy the pictures of John Ball Zoo!

14 months old!

Matthew is 14 months old today. WOW! He has gained such a personality over the last few months. I love how he LOVES his books, especially all the new ones I just got him from my book show. I love how he gives wet, open mouth kisses and then giggles after. I love his smile. I love how he cuddles and wrestles with the dogs. I love how he walks around the house with his shoulders shrugged and his hands held high for balance. I love how he says Mom and Dad. I love how he jumps in his bed and smiles every morning with excitement. I love how he plays with his friends. I love how he eats his vegetables and tosses some to the patiently waiting dogs. I love how he pulls my shirt when we are on bike rides. I love when he lets out little giggles and laughs when we are driving through town after he sees something interesting. I love how he comes to us for a small hug and then goes off to play again. I love his infectious laugh and how he thinks the smallest things are funny. I love how he rubs his blanket on his nose when he is tired. I love how he splashes in the pool and bathtub. I could go on and on about the things I love about this kid. We are so very lucky to have him as our son and I can't wait to find all the other things I will love about him.