It was bound to happen...

Elliott scratched Rhys.  Apparently Rhys was trying to grab Elliott (big surprise) and he got a quick swipe in return.  Katie said he cried for a few minutes and then spent the rest of the afternoon chasing after Elliott!  So much for learning a lesson. 

You can see the marks under his right eye:

As a side note, can you believe how "old" our baby looks.  We were saying today how he's much more like a toddler than a baby.  Crazy.  We're getting excited to celebrate his first birthday.  Surviving ones first year of parenthood deserves a celebration for sure!  :)

Brian

I wanted to write this post on Sunday (Brian's birthday) but the computer was occupied by none other than the birthday boy himself.  Anyone who knows Brian at all, knows how hard he works and his birthday was no exception.  Of course I was disappointed to not spend more quality time with him on the big day, but it comes with the territory of being married to someone with such a strong work ethic.  And, though I complain, I'd much rather a little disappointment here and there than be married to a slacker.

One of my team members recently asked me for some marriage advice (her wedding was impending).  I said something along the lines of "don't sweat the small stuff."  (I told her that Brian's tendency to leave the counter covered in bread crumbs drives me bonkers, but I'd choose a kitchen full of bread crumbs over life without him in a heartbeat.)  I wholeheartedly believe this but my best advice is this - marry someone you like (hopefully she is, but just in case I offered the other words of wisdom).

Plain and simple, I like Brian.  A lot.  As I've said, before he's my favorite person.  He's easy to be around.  He's fun.  He's generous and kind and authentic.  He's a great conversationalist.  I know how lucky I am to be his wife.  I try my best to express my love and appreciation for him daily, but I welcome the formal opportunity of his birthday to make sure he knows how much I value and appreciate him.

Brian's birthday falls two days after the anniversary of Mat's death.  Remembering and grieving for Mat on the 21st just makes me want to celebrate Brian that much more on the 23rd.  My life is infinitely better because of him and I am so very, very grateful for his birth.

Happy birthday, husband.

Mat

Three years ago today our friend Mat died.  While running a marathon with his wife and her sister, he was stung by a bee, suffered anaphylactic shock and never recovered.  He was 28-years-old.  I hesitate to even write this post because I fear that everything will sound trite and cliche.  But I'll do it anyway because I want to keep his memory alive. 

We miss Mat. I thought that the missing feeling would shrink someday, but it really hasn't.  Without Mat in it, the world will always feel a little duller and smaller - as it well should.  Thinking I'd miss him any less at some point in the future was just wishful thinking.  We've learned to live with the missing, but we don't miss him any less.    

The third or fourth time we hung out with Mat I specifically remember thinking, "wow, Mat is as good a guy as Brian."  For me, that is the ultimate compliment... and he deserved it.  Mat was a genuinely good person.  He had a great sense of humor, he was completely comfortable in his own skin, he was quirky and unique, and he loved life.           

All of those qualities, plus the many more that are harder to define, are the reason we gave Rhys the middle name of Mathew.  We want Rhys to be his own person, and know he will be, but we're honored to have Rhys carry Mat's spirit on in some small way.

Mat would adore Rhys.  No question.  He would love his mad scientist hair, chubby knees and sweet personality.   

Mat and Greta knew without a doubt that they wanted children.  He would have been a terrific father and going through the journey of parenthood together would have been such fun.  That's another thing about missing Mat.  We don't just miss what was.  We miss all that should have been. 

We love you, Mat.  You'll never be forgotten.

 
       

Long Beach

Our long weekend at Long Beach was not stellar.  We loved seeing the family, but Rhys was starting his teething adventure and just generally "off", so it was less than fun for us.  We never quite got it together enough to even get our camera out of the car.  Fortunately, Auntie Megan took lots of great photos.

Sweet cousin Norah was kind enough to let Rhys hold Baby Laila. 

Norah was a big help in pushing Rhys in his stroller.

Rhys had a lot of a fun playing in the sand.  It was probably his best 40 minutes of the trip.

I was so pleasantly surprised (and shocked) that Rhys did not feel the need to eat any sand.  It certainly went everywhere else.

Uncle Mike teaches Rhys how to chill on the beach..

We all look a little tired....for good reason.

Norah was tough enough to swim in the frigid ocean.  Brian and Rhys opted for the tub - Norah was happy to swim there too!

Rhys watching some TV.  Can you tell that we don't let him watch at home?

The weather was less than ideal on Sunday.  It was our final motivation to head home early.  Here's to next year!

 

Teeth

Rhys is finally getting some teeth.  It's taken nearly 10 months but he's making up for lost time by getting four at once (two top, two bottom).  He's had his fussy moments (sometimes longer) but for the most part he seems to be coping ok.  It helps that we are not afraid to administer Tylenol or Motrin.  I used to be really anti-pain reliever.  I cannot remember why.  I love the stuff now (for him and me).

We haven't captured any great photos of the teeth, but I did want to share these photos of Rhys' favorite sitting position.  Apparently I used to sit this way all the time when I was younger.  Who knew something like that could be genetic?

       

I Do

I have fallen off the blogging band wagon.  Why, you may ask.  Is my child not cute enough to write about?  Heck no.  Am I too busy whipping up home-cooked meals for my husband?  No.  Am engrossed in some incredible, thought-provoking novel?  Nope.  Am I figuring out what I want to do with my career?  No (but I should be).  I haven’t been blogging because my few minutes of spare time have been sucked into the vortex of Netflix TV.  I wish I could say that it was at least “good” TV, but no.  I have spent more time than I care to admit watching Say Yes to the Dress.  For those of you who are unfamiliar it’s a show that features brides shopping for their wedding dresses.  Yep, that’s it.

The only reason I can give for my lame obsession is my still-alive disappointment over my own wedding dress purchase.  I loved the dress, but the store ordered the wrong size and it was a nightmare trying to get it all fixed (and it never really was quite right).  My true regret, though, is how I handled asking the store to correct their mistake.  I had every right to be ticked and demand they do whatever it took to make it right, but instead I was passive and meek and barely said a word.  My conflict avoidance tendencies run incredibly deep.    

Every year I ask Brian if he wants to renew our vows and every year (all four of them) he's said no.  I think he has a sneaking suspicion that it's not about renewing our commitment, but rather about the dress.  He's right.  Anyway, until he says yes and I can have a whole new dress buying experience, I will live vicariously through the Say Yes to the Dress brides.  They are neither passive nor meek and the dresses are gorgeous (and incredibly expensive).  

Lucky for you all our internet connection was not working well tonight so, though I tried, I was unable to download an episode.  As such, you get to see some cute pictures of our boy!

Rhys' first dip in Lake Washington.

Brian can't wait to take Rhys swimming.  If it's in a cold lake, that'll be a father-son event with Mama on the sidelines.

Getting ready to take dad out for a run.

Our nanny is on vacation this week so Rhys is getting some quality time with the 'rents.  Dad and Rhys went to visit Great-Gramma Grace on their day together.