I used to update on a fairly regular basis... okay, at least once a month, sometimes more. Then something happened and I haven't posted for 3 months! What in the world is going on??? I haven't been going anywhere outside of the normal routine, Matthew isn't in any sports activities yet, no major milestones have been reached. So what was it? I finally figured it out. I haven't been working weekends. I used to do tech support once or twice a month, working 10 hour days just waiting for something to break down, or for someone to push the wrong button and not know how to get back to where they started from. I haven't been doing that for the past few months. So here it is, August 5th, and I am finally stopping to say a few words, and provide some new pictures.
Mother's Day was great! Matthew wanted to get me a flower, so Mom took him with her the day before to get that and a card... he decided that we would celebrate "Boys' Day" as well as Mother's Day, so he got two flowers. Mine is the one on the left, and his is on the right. I asked if I could have the one on the right and the answer was no... he liked that one, so it was his, I had the other one. What a hoot!
Still though, this is the first year where he thought it would be nice to get his momma something, and I got a very happy heart from it all. We also had a dinner at Croitori's that day, so he got to tell everyone else about the fact that it was Mother's Day and Boys' Day. Oh, but it was funny to see the looks on the faces of the aunts and cousins when he told them about it all. After dinner all the kids went down the street to the park for some playtime. I grabbed a whole bunch of pictures that day and put a few of them together.
We've had a fun filled summer so far! Paul came back for Jon's graduation, and an early 4th of July party. (Hence the fireworks picture above.) We visited Scott & Deb to see them (Scott was out!) and the new calves. Matthew really liked to see them, but when they were eating and
butting their heads around... he wasn't too sure about them. He like to feed them as long as Deb was helping, and he was even brave enough at one point to pet one of them!
We had a great 4th of July weekend, too. I managed to make it a 5 day weekend, because I took off Thursday and Friday. We spent time with Uncle Dale, Aunt Lee and Alex.
Grandpa & Grandma W. (Matthew's Great-) were also there. Matthew had a great time playing in the lake, and fishing with Uncle Dale. He got a boat ride, too! He even sat up and ate his meals without too much of a fuss. Imagine, peace at the dinner table. (Of course, it is now a month later, and
that peace really is only a memory! :>) Matthew even got to wear Uncle Dale's shirt for a while, and he found some snail shells in the lake as well. He truly enjoyed his time with family, and I was very happy to spend some time with them, too. My cousin Alex is growing up so fast!
More recently, we took a day to go to Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon. Of course, I wouldn't imagine doing that with just Matthew and I, so we tagged along with my friend Sheri and her family. A full day of fun in the sun. I didn't take too many pictures, but here are a couple that I took near the end of the day. Matthew wasn't too sure about several of the rides at first, but some of them he really liked by the end of the day. The "kiddie" rides were great, except for the roller coaters... he is NOT a fan of those. And while he liked playing in the water, the slides
were definitely a no-go. The train was a HUGE success, and he liked the cars, too. (Of course, I thought the cars were much better when you had control of the gas pedal... now it is all controlled by the ride operator... very BORING!) All in all, though, a great day away from work and taking Matthew on a new adventure. I believe we will do it again next year. Maybe when he is another year older, he will be ready for the kiddie roller coasters, and able to go down a water slide.
A few other odd bits of news... I have a vacation coming up, so that previous post that mentioned the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park??? Yeah - we're gonna see it. We will also be seeing some old friends over the weekend during the M.E.S.S. softball tournament. Karin - are you reading this??? I am going to be in your area the 11th though the 14th (maybe even the 15th) - so let's plan a get together!! Dad taught me how to swing a golf club last week, so this past Thursday I was able to partake in a scrambles golf outing with some partners at work. The team I was on actually used a couple of my hits (one drive and one chip) and we came in 2nd place. I had a TON of fun on the golf course, and plan to continue improving my game. (And on an 18 hole course, with lots of water and woods, I only lost 6 balls!) I think that is about all for now. I'm pretty sure I will be back to weekend work again in the fall, so you should be able to see an update soon about how vacation was. Take care, and God bless! ~ Valerie
I used to update on a fairly regular basis... okay, at least once a month, sometimes more. Then something happened and I haven't posted for 3 months! What in the world is going on??? I haven't been going anywhere outside of the normal routine, Matthew isn't in any sports activities yet, no major milestones have been reached. So what was it? I finally figured it out. I haven't been working weekends. I used to do tech support once or twice a month, working 10 hour days just waiting for something to break down, or for someone to push the wrong button and not know how to get back to where they started from. I haven't been doing that for the past few months. So here it is, August 5th, and I am finally stopping to say a few words, and provide some new pictures.
Mother's Day was great! Matthew wanted to get me a flower, so Mom took him with her the day before to get that and a card... he decided that we would celebrate "Boys' Day" as well as Mother's Day, so he got two flowers. Mine is the one on the left, and his is on the right. I asked if I could have the one on the right and the answer was no... he liked that one, so it was his, I had the other one. What a hoot! 
Still though, this is the first year where he thought it would be nice to get his momma something, and I got a very happy heart from it all. We also had a dinner at Croitori's that day, so he got to tell everyone else about the fact that it was Mother's Day and Boys' Day. Oh, but it was funny to see the looks on the faces of the aunts and cousins when he told them about it all. After dinner all the kids went down the street to the park for some playtime. I grabbed a whole bunch of pictures that day and put a few of them together.
We've had a fun filled summer so far! Paul came back for Jon's graduation, and an early 4th of July party. (Hence the fireworks picture above.) We visited Scott & Deb to see them (Scott was out!) and the new calves. Matthew really liked to see them, but when they were eating and 
butting their heads around... he wasn't too sure about them. He like to feed them as long as Deb was helping, and he was even brave enough at one point to pet one of them!
Grandpa & Grandma W. (Matthew's Great-) were also there. Matthew had a great time playing in the lake, and fishing with Uncle Dale. He got a boat ride, too! He even sat up and ate his meals without too much of a fuss. Imagine, peace at the dinner table. (Of course, it is now a month later, and 
that peace really is only a memory! :>) Matthew even got to wear Uncle Dale's shirt for a while, and he found some snail shells in the lake as well. He truly enjoyed his time with family, and I was very happy to spend some time with them, too. My cousin Alex is growing up so fast!
More recently, we took a day to go to Michigan's Adventure in Muskegon. Of course, I wouldn't imagine doing that with just Matthew and I, so we tagged along with my friend Sheri and her family. A full day of fun in the sun. I didn't take too many pictures, but here are a couple that I took near the end of the day. Matthew wasn't too sure about several of the rides at first, but some of them he really liked by the end of the day. The "kiddie" rides were great, except for the roller coaters... he is NOT a fan of those. And while he liked playing in the water, the slides
were definitely a no-go. The train was a HUGE success, and he liked the cars, too. (Of course, I thought the cars were much better when you had control of the gas pedal... now it is all controlled by the ride operator... very BORING!) All in all, though, a great day away from work and taking Matthew on a new adventure. I believe we will do it again next year. Maybe when he is another year older, he will be ready for the kiddie roller coasters, and able to go down a water slide.
