Our friend Randy hung out with us for a few days after he finished tech school.
He and Matt had great fun being weirdos.
Then my friend Maria and I spent a long weekend in MN...
...and came back fully loaded.
Modeling some summer clothes. Amazingly enough, we've had LOTS of opportunities to wear summer clothes--the weather has been sooooo nice!
This year for the triple birthday celebration (Mabel, Dave, & Becca), we enjoyed a SCRUMPTIOUS buffet with a variety of dessert options. The cupcake in a cone with TONS of frosting seemed just right for Mattaya.
She enjoyed it VERY much. :) And, really, she didn't get as messy as we had anticipated.
Although cleaning her up was a 2-parent job (with which she wasn't particularly impressed).
Later that afternoon, Boppa enjoyed his birthday Angel food cake with strawberries (and mini-eclairs...which had chocolate on top...which made the unchocolate birthday cake acceptable).
And Becca enjoyed her birthday cake, too.
And so did Mabel (notice she's having just a sliver...and we let her get away with it, because it was her birthday after all). 
This is the-blur-that-is-Mattaya exploring her mattress that would be put on the big-girl bed that Daddy made for her while I was in MN. As the law of gravity and children would have it, she did do a face-plant off the end of it. She responded by crying and saying, "honey, honey" (which means someone is hurt or sad and needs a hug).
Exploring the new big-girl bed.
We take this route to the playground FREQUENTLY...and Mattaya OFTEN notices this rock which is visible but stuck in the concrete.
Learning to climb ladders...yikes!
This kid loves to be dizzy, hence the closed eyes when we swing.
Most of the homes near the playground have at least 1 dog, which is VERY distracting to Mattaya, who LOVES "goggies".
While we consider her to be pretty bright, she needs to learn several times each trip to the park that she cannot climb up the slide. However, I suppose she gets points for determination (and I don't doubt that it will eventually pay off for her when she DOES finally make it UP the slide.).
This step stool is Mattaya's favorite thing at Grampa Lee & Gramma Cate's. She spends a lot of time climbing up and crawling back down, and she just LOVES to sit there to eat her snack. :)
"Bibbity, boppity, boo!"(magic wand compliments of Boppa Gary & Gramma Ham)
Reading "Frit" (i.e., Clifford, the big red dog) with Grampa Leander.
One of Mattaya's new dresses from Indiana. I apologize for the blurry picture (a common occurrence, as you may have noticed). The child is ALWAYS moving! This was Father's Day, a Sunday when Matt had to work, so I was trying to get the picture on my own. I played "catch me" with her...I'd try to get far enough ahead of her and whip around and focus and take a picture before she caught up...not terribly successful, but I TRIED!
So maybe she does sit still for a COUPLE seconds...
Thankfully Matt was able to leave work for lunch long enough to enjoy the Better-Than-Anything cake he requested for Father's Day!
Julie enjoys wearing (for the purpose of making fun of) Dave's hat. :)
Mattaya enjoying her big-girl bed in her Indiana pajamas.
Each morning we need to peek out the window to see if our backyard neighbor has his tractor sprinkler going...exciting stuff.
Another game of "catch me" to try to get a picture of the outfit Grampa Gary picked out...
On our way to the playground...
Swinging is so much more exciting with your eyes shut.
"Who me?"
We have to be pretty sneaky with the camera anymore, because if she sees it, she comes running saying "Teeeeeeez!" She's pretty sure that if she can get her eyeball on the lens, she gets to take the picture.
"Keek!"
Reading "Frit" (i.e., Clifford, the big red dog) with Grampa Leander.
One of Mattaya's new dresses from Indiana. I apologize for the blurry picture (a common occurrence, as you may have noticed). The child is ALWAYS moving! This was Father's Day, a Sunday when Matt had to work, so I was trying to get the picture on my own. I played "catch me" with her...I'd try to get far enough ahead of her and whip around and focus and take a picture before she caught up...not terribly successful, but I TRIED!
So maybe she does sit still for a COUPLE seconds...
Thankfully Matt was able to leave work for lunch long enough to enjoy the Better-Than-Anything cake he requested for Father's Day!
Julie enjoys wearing (for the purpose of making fun of) Dave's hat. :)
Mattaya enjoying her big-girl bed in her Indiana pajamas.
Each morning we need to peek out the window to see if our backyard neighbor has his tractor sprinkler going...exciting stuff.
Another game of "catch me" to try to get a picture of the outfit Grampa Gary picked out...
On our way to the playground...
Swinging is so much more exciting with your eyes shut.
"Who me?"
We have to be pretty sneaky with the camera anymore, because if she sees it, she comes running saying "Teeeeeeez!" She's pretty sure that if she can get her eyeball on the lens, she gets to take the picture.
"Keek!"(peek)
"Hat."
"Off."
Mattaya meets green onions.
"Hm. Interesting..."
"My tongue...it feels..."
One day after Mattaya's nap, I found her teddy bear stuffed behind the headboard of her crib. I asked her what was up with that, but she didn't answer me. A few days later, I SAW her do it and heard her say, "Eat. Mmmm!" Apparently this is the bear's highchair.
Mattaya has officially mastered the climbing of the ladder.
"Whee!"
This day felt wicked-hot. By 9:30, she was totally overheated, so we headed home to cool off.
We didn't have a pool, so I put some water in a storage container. Mattaya didn't hesitate to step right in...
...and lie right down!
Some may call this a pitiful sight, but we so appreciate that Mattaya is at an age/stage/temperament that she doesn't care that she doesn't have a real, big, fancy pool. She had a GRAND ol' time!
This girl loves to make a "dash" (splash)!
The "hat" was her idea, and she actually kept it on most of the time we were out there!
She was so excited to have a "baff" outside. :)
Mattaya was allowed to enjoy a mint Oreo at a friend's BBQ. Can you see the guilty pleasure written all over her face? ;)
"I do believe I could eat another one of those."
The fake belly laugh has become a common occurrence. It typically indicates that either (1)others are laughing and Mattaya wants to join in the fun, or (2) that the rest of the group isn't paying NEARLY enough attention to Mattaya.
This day I got brave and took Mattaya to a different playground nearby. She thought it was pretty fabulous, but I was pretty nervous because it quickly became apparent that the equipment was designed for OLDER children. So I didn't get as many pictures since I was a bit more "hands-on" that day.
My baby climbed WAY up high and slid down this ginormous dino slide! (No, I'm not exaggerating, I'm just zoomed in.)
Mattaya so enjoys playing outside and almost never wants to come back INSIDE...but we can entice her (yes, that may be code for "bribe") by telling her she gets to wash her hands.
Some of you already know and understand Matt. (I think I've got the "know" part, but I'm still working on the "understand" part.) Most of you are probably familiar with the fact that Matt is a 9-year-old at heart...so he found it EXTREMELY funny to "surprise" Randy as he exited the restroom. *sigh* He's my husband, and I love him. Matt--not Randy.
It seems she's growing in independence every day...finding both froggy boots...
...putting them near the wall so she can hang on...
...lined up and pointing the right direction...
Nevermind the right/left thing...I said "independent", not "brilliant". ;)
Still enjoying our Tadoodles on the rainy days.
The new camera came equipped with infrared/night vision stuff (told you I'm not techie), so Matt's been trying it out on Mattaya when she's sleeping (this is no flash).
And the fishy says...
"Hat."
"Off."
Mattaya meets green onions.
"Hm. Interesting..."
"My tongue...it feels..."
One day after Mattaya's nap, I found her teddy bear stuffed behind the headboard of her crib. I asked her what was up with that, but she didn't answer me. A few days later, I SAW her do it and heard her say, "Eat. Mmmm!" Apparently this is the bear's highchair.
Mattaya has officially mastered the climbing of the ladder.
"Whee!"This day felt wicked-hot. By 9:30, she was totally overheated, so we headed home to cool off.
We didn't have a pool, so I put some water in a storage container. Mattaya didn't hesitate to step right in...
...and lie right down!
Some may call this a pitiful sight, but we so appreciate that Mattaya is at an age/stage/temperament that she doesn't care that she doesn't have a real, big, fancy pool. She had a GRAND ol' time!
This girl loves to make a "dash" (splash)!
The "hat" was her idea, and she actually kept it on most of the time we were out there!
She was so excited to have a "baff" outside. :)
Mattaya was allowed to enjoy a mint Oreo at a friend's BBQ. Can you see the guilty pleasure written all over her face? ;)
"I do believe I could eat another one of those."
The fake belly laugh has become a common occurrence. It typically indicates that either (1)others are laughing and Mattaya wants to join in the fun, or (2) that the rest of the group isn't paying NEARLY enough attention to Mattaya.
This day I got brave and took Mattaya to a different playground nearby. She thought it was pretty fabulous, but I was pretty nervous because it quickly became apparent that the equipment was designed for OLDER children. So I didn't get as many pictures since I was a bit more "hands-on" that day.
My baby climbed WAY up high and slid down this ginormous dino slide! (No, I'm not exaggerating, I'm just zoomed in.)
Mattaya so enjoys playing outside and almost never wants to come back INSIDE...but we can entice her (yes, that may be code for "bribe") by telling her she gets to wash her hands.
Some of you already know and understand Matt. (I think I've got the "know" part, but I'm still working on the "understand" part.) Most of you are probably familiar with the fact that Matt is a 9-year-old at heart...so he found it EXTREMELY funny to "surprise" Randy as he exited the restroom. *sigh* He's my husband, and I love him. Matt--not Randy.
It seems she's growing in independence every day...finding both froggy boots...
...putting them near the wall so she can hang on...
...lined up and pointing the right direction...
Nevermind the right/left thing...I said "independent", not "brilliant". ;)
Still enjoying our Tadoodles on the rainy days.
The new camera came equipped with infrared/night vision stuff (told you I'm not techie), so Matt's been trying it out on Mattaya when she's sleeping (this is no flash).
And the fishy says...(These pictures were taken during Mommy's mini-vacation.)
Infant tub revisited.
As a vehicle.
Infant tub revisited.
As a vehicle."Whee, whee, whee!"
As a personal playground...
...for all sorts of acrobatics. Seriously, what goes through her mind?
Takin' a break to check out the grocery ads.
"I like ketchup."
And she had some lessons on how to dip things in the ketchup (heretofore she has simply eaten preferred condiments with her fingers).
"Wop."
As a personal playground...
...for all sorts of acrobatics. Seriously, what goes through her mind?
Takin' a break to check out the grocery ads.
"I like ketchup."
And she had some lessons on how to dip things in the ketchup (heretofore she has simply eaten preferred condiments with her fingers).
"Wop."This is an instance of Mattaya's asking to sit on a LAP. However, instead of a human lap, she would like to sit on the teddy bear's lap.
Looks pretty comfy, right?
"How you doin', Bear? You doin' alright?"
Mattaya rewards the bear for his service by serving him a snack. He must sit in the booster chair and wear a bib, of course (those ARE the rules).
While Mommy was gone in MN, Daddy (with help from Boppa Dave) was working on a toddler bed for Mattaya.
She enjoys coloring at Leelee's breakfast bar (probably because she gets to sit on a big stool). She's even been really cooperative about cleaning up the crayons when she's done!
Gotta love that psychotic belly laugh. ;)
And that cheesey grin!
"Okay, let's get serious. We've got work to do."
"This one is garbage..."
When Mommy got back, she wanted to reveal all her "treasures"...but Mattaya was only interested in the shopping bag that had a rubber ducky on the front.
Then Matt painted the bed.
We find it somewhat hilarious when Mattaya wears her visors as tiaras.
One day, a package arrived from Indiana with LOTS of new clothes...
Mattaya helped unpack the boxes.
Mattaya recently discovered a whole new world exists on the countertop...the stool is her new favorite climbing tool.
Daddy just loves when his girl wears a polo.
The "Teeeeez!" face.
We tried to give her a nectarine for snack, but it was just too much of a slippery mess.
Mattaya still LOVES to wear her "hoot".
This day was beastly hot, so we thought we'd treat her to sprinkler time. She enjoyed it SO much last time, but she wanted nothing to do with it this time.
"I'm outta here."
So we decided to go next door to our neighbor's 40th birthday party. They had rented this inflatable slide that was over 2 stories high and SOOOOOO steep that it would warm the backside of its intrepid sliders. Mattaya didn't mind the ride down on Daddy's lap, but the chaos and noise of the other partiers was just too much.
She was excited to discover this large ball, but she was too overwhelmed to PLAY with it. Needless to say, I took her home after just 15 minutes of heat and noise and commotion.
Such a honey-bun snuggling with her teddy.
We set out garage saling one Saturday morning for something in particular which we did not find. However, we did come home with this highchair for dolls...which Mattaya was sure was a tunnel through which to crawl.
Her shoulders are actually a bit too broad to fit through the "tunnel", so she really has to squeeze.
If squeeze she must, then squeeze she will...because this girl LOVES to crawl through tunnels.
Triumph.
All dolled up and ready to go visit with Uncle Larry and Auntie Cindy who were here visiting from MN.
A close-up.
Looks pretty comfy, right?
"How you doin', Bear? You doin' alright?"
Mattaya rewards the bear for his service by serving him a snack. He must sit in the booster chair and wear a bib, of course (those ARE the rules).
While Mommy was gone in MN, Daddy (with help from Boppa Dave) was working on a toddler bed for Mattaya.
She enjoys coloring at Leelee's breakfast bar (probably because she gets to sit on a big stool). She's even been really cooperative about cleaning up the crayons when she's done!
Gotta love that psychotic belly laugh. ;)
And that cheesey grin!
"Okay, let's get serious. We've got work to do."
"This one is garbage..."
When Mommy got back, she wanted to reveal all her "treasures"...but Mattaya was only interested in the shopping bag that had a rubber ducky on the front.
Then Matt painted the bed.
We find it somewhat hilarious when Mattaya wears her visors as tiaras.
One day, a package arrived from Indiana with LOTS of new clothes...
Mattaya helped unpack the boxes.
Mattaya recently discovered a whole new world exists on the countertop...the stool is her new favorite climbing tool.
Daddy just loves when his girl wears a polo.
The "Teeeeez!" face.
We tried to give her a nectarine for snack, but it was just too much of a slippery mess.
Mattaya still LOVES to wear her "hoot".
This day was beastly hot, so we thought we'd treat her to sprinkler time. She enjoyed it SO much last time, but she wanted nothing to do with it this time.
"I'm outta here."
So we decided to go next door to our neighbor's 40th birthday party. They had rented this inflatable slide that was over 2 stories high and SOOOOOO steep that it would warm the backside of its intrepid sliders. Mattaya didn't mind the ride down on Daddy's lap, but the chaos and noise of the other partiers was just too much.
She was excited to discover this large ball, but she was too overwhelmed to PLAY with it. Needless to say, I took her home after just 15 minutes of heat and noise and commotion.
Such a honey-bun snuggling with her teddy.
We set out garage saling one Saturday morning for something in particular which we did not find. However, we did come home with this highchair for dolls...which Mattaya was sure was a tunnel through which to crawl.
Her shoulders are actually a bit too broad to fit through the "tunnel", so she really has to squeeze.
If squeeze she must, then squeeze she will...because this girl LOVES to crawl through tunnels.
Triumph.
All dolled up and ready to go visit with Uncle Larry and Auntie Cindy who were here visiting from MN.
A close-up.(She's all Matt on this one!)
Daddy humored Mattaya this afternoon with splash time...unfortunately the tub he used was even SMALLER than the one Mommy had used...which made Leelee and Cindy think Mattaya was THE most deprived child in the US (or at least in Minot).
One foot...just about all there's room for! ;)
But she thoroughly enjoyed it and had no idea she was so deprived!
One morning, we had a super interesting thunderstorm with some unusual clouds.
Downtown didn't see a bit of this storm. Once I got a mile or two from Base, all was dry and calm. Weird.
Boppa & Leelee were more on the ball and had a pool for Mattaya.
All together now: "Teeeeeez!"
Contemplating. What, I'm not sure...
Strutting her stuff.
Trying to get a belly comparison, completely unaware that I'm not giving a good view. *sigh* And I swear that little girl sucks it in for the camera!
God bless Uncle Larry for providing a solution to our shelf snaffu. Now they are finally being stained and clear-coated so they can FINALLY come home!
Happy 4th of July!
Daddy humored Mattaya this afternoon with splash time...unfortunately the tub he used was even SMALLER than the one Mommy had used...which made Leelee and Cindy think Mattaya was THE most deprived child in the US (or at least in Minot).
One foot...just about all there's room for! ;)
But she thoroughly enjoyed it and had no idea she was so deprived!
One morning, we had a super interesting thunderstorm with some unusual clouds.
Downtown didn't see a bit of this storm. Once I got a mile or two from Base, all was dry and calm. Weird.
Boppa & Leelee were more on the ball and had a pool for Mattaya.
All together now: "Teeeeeez!"
Contemplating. What, I'm not sure...
Strutting her stuff.
Trying to get a belly comparison, completely unaware that I'm not giving a good view. *sigh* And I swear that little girl sucks it in for the camera!
God bless Uncle Larry for providing a solution to our shelf snaffu. Now they are finally being stained and clear-coated so they can FINALLY come home!
Happy 4th of July!I promise her hair was cute to start with...but she sat there and banged her head on Mabel's sofa repeatedly until it looked crazy again.
This precious child routinely requests bubbles then looks the other way.
This precious child routinely requests bubbles then looks the other way.(Notice that Daddy and Mommy FINALLY bought her a pool.)
Some friends joined us for a 4th of July BBQ. Mattaya was so happy to have someone to play with in the pool!
Learning to climb trees at Gramma Leelee's (sometime before the 4th of July...not sure how these pics ended up here!).
"Thanks for the lesson--I'll take it from here."
Sooooo out of order. *sigh* This is the pool experience at Leelee's. She's thoroughly enjoying her audience.
Her hair didn't quite survive church, but her daisy/polka dot dress from IN did! Thanks, Boppa Gary and Gramma Ham!
Cheesey, but SO lovable!
She NEVER sits and smiles for us! I guess we'll have to send her to Leelee's for pics more often. ;)
On the move...that's more like it. ;)
One of Gramma Ham's picks.
For the 4th, Boppa Gary & Gramma Ham sent a balloon bouquet...
...with chocolate at the bottom! I noted that the card had only Mattaya's name on it, but I was certain they wouldn't dangle chocolate in front of a pregnant woman like that. And at least I was willing to share with Mattaya! Matt was just planning to divvy it up with me! ;)
Mattaya spotted the balloons immediately when she came down from nap time.
She didn't waste any time--she started to explore the amazing "balls" that could float in the air right away.
She very much enjoyed the balloons and the ribbons and the stars...and she had not a clue that there was chocolate connected to it all. :)
Some friends joined us for a 4th of July BBQ. Mattaya was so happy to have someone to play with in the pool!
Learning to climb trees at Gramma Leelee's (sometime before the 4th of July...not sure how these pics ended up here!).
"Thanks for the lesson--I'll take it from here."
Sooooo out of order. *sigh* This is the pool experience at Leelee's. She's thoroughly enjoying her audience.
Her hair didn't quite survive church, but her daisy/polka dot dress from IN did! Thanks, Boppa Gary and Gramma Ham!
Cheesey, but SO lovable!
She NEVER sits and smiles for us! I guess we'll have to send her to Leelee's for pics more often. ;)
On the move...that's more like it. ;)
One of Gramma Ham's picks.
For the 4th, Boppa Gary & Gramma Ham sent a balloon bouquet...
...with chocolate at the bottom! I noted that the card had only Mattaya's name on it, but I was certain they wouldn't dangle chocolate in front of a pregnant woman like that. And at least I was willing to share with Mattaya! Matt was just planning to divvy it up with me! ;)
Mattaya spotted the balloons immediately when she came down from nap time.
She didn't waste any time--she started to explore the amazing "balls" that could float in the air right away.
She very much enjoyed the balloons and the ribbons and the stars...and she had not a clue that there was chocolate connected to it all. :)
