Summer of Fun

After a week of vacation over Independence day, I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take 6 weeks paternity leave, followed by another week of vacation. It was the fastest 8 weeks of my life! It was great to focus on having fun with the kids and catching up on neglected house projects. Theo and Declan had great times at the State Fair and Milwaukee zoo. To celebrate a great summer of fun, we rented a cabin a couple of hours North of Madison for the last week an got to spend some quality time with the Nelsons and Laura's family. Click on the pictures to see our summer adventures.

July

August

Independence Day Week

We had a great trip to Minnesota this year.  The heat was fine when at the lake.  We all had a great time seeing family and friends.  Click on the picture to see highlights from our trip.

Photos from the past two months

Here are the latest photos from the Matter family.  We've been busy enjoying the nice weather, celebrating Mother's Day and my 35th birthday, going to Washington DC, and watching Declan's latest milestones.  The boys are growing up fast!
- Laura

Second half of April photos

May photos

First half of June photos
 

Declan's baptism

This past weekend we celebrated Declan's baptism. Declan was surrounded by lots of love: besides Mommy, Daddy, and big brother Theo, all of Declan's grandparents (4) and cousins (8) were able to attend, as well as Uncle Ben & Auntie Trisha (also Declan's godparents), Auntie Sue & Uncle Scott, and friends Allison and Nathan. We were blessed with great weather and lots good food. Fun times for all! Thanks again to all who traveled from near and far to be with Declan on his special day!


I also added some new photos to the Easter and April albums.

Happy Easter!

Declan is 2 months old today! Here are some Easter photos and a few from the past week as well.

March

Wow - a month goes by fast! Here are a few photos from March. We've had a fun and busy month. We enjoyed some good weather mid-month and have had plenty of activities and visitors to keep us entertained. Looking forward to more great weather and a busy April!

3 weeks old (and a day)

I finally uploaded more photos from what we've been up to the past three weeks. Declan is doing great... eating, sleeping, and pooping like a newborn. At his 2 week doctor appointment, he had well-surpassed his birth weight... the doctor said he was showing off! Theo is a really good big brother. He loves to help (get me a burp cloth, throw away this diaper). He likes to know where Declan is, and even cried the other day when Jay took Theo to the grocery store, but Declan had to stay home. He's very gentle with him and definitely knows that "Baby Gek-in" is part of the family. Can't wait to watch them grow up together! In other Theo news, he counts to ten regularily (and sometimes adds twelve, fourteen, sixteen, and eighteen), and he sings the alphabet. He also repeats everything I say, so I will soon be learning if there are things I shouldn't be saying around him! So far, so good... in fact, he's extremely polite and says "please" and "thank you" without prompting. Is it possible that this behavior will continue throughout age 2, 3, and 4?? (Parents of toddlers, please don't answer - that was a rhetorical question!)