Exactly 2 and a half.

Oh man do I love this kid. 

• I love how he says “I – lovef - you Mommy.”
• I love how he LOVES anything and everything BYU and MAKES us do a BYU chant after family prayer.  He really does.  Chris thinks it’s pretty awesome.
• I love how his favorite thing to do is play GEOTRAX with Lukey, or by himself, or with anyone who wants to play and that although the trains are battery operated he’d really just like to push them around himself.
• I love how he can count from 1 to 19 with hardly any mistakes and waits for us to copy each number before moving on.
• I love that he tilts his head to the side when he wants to be silly in a picture.
• I love that he knows how to get out of his crib but he doesn’t until the morning.  Perfect.
• I love that he likes to sleep in Lukey’s bed for his nap… and doesn’t get out of there either.  He’s a perfect little napper.
• I love that he loves Go Diego Go, Little Einstein and GeoTrax Movies more than anything.  Sometimes the second he wakes up he’s talking about watching GeoTrax.
• I love that when I call him, he comes.
• I love that he gets excited about all of his clothes… mostly his BYU shirt, Football jammies, Baseball shirt, BYU jammies and anything that used to be ‘Lukey’s shirt’ – which is practically everything.
• I love that when he has a long late nap he stays up with Chris and I and loves every minute of it.
• I love that when we say “Should we have Popcorn?” he gets excited and says “I turn off the lights!!” because he knows we must be watching a movie.
• I love that he ALWAYS wants the car seat that Lukey last sat in or the one Lukey wants because it MUST be the best one.  If he gets there first then he says “I WON!”   Ok, maybe I don’t love the constant fighting back and forth of the two identical car seats but it does make me kind of laugh.
• I love that he’s talking so much more and making us laugh with the funny things he says.
• I love when he eats… because that’s tricky.  Favorite foods: corn dogs, green yogurt (the key lime pie one), eggo ‘faffles’ with syrup, some cereals, fruit snacks, string cheese, popcorn, chocolate milk and occasionally dinner food depending on his mood.
• I love that he loves routine, and although it takes a lot of patience, I understand his need to have things the same.  Example:  When he wants a drink he runs to the drawer and picks out the sippy cup and which color lid.  Then I open the cupboard and he hands me the chocolate milk powder container ALWAYS saying “so heavy” even if the powder is almost gone and it’s now very light.   Then I fill the sippy cup with milk and chocolate powder.  Then I bring it down for him to look at for his approval before we put the lid on.  He always says, “Cho-cate milk?” and I say, “Yep.” Then HE screws on the lid while saying “That way?” while I nod my head.  Then I shake it up while he smiles and when I hand it to him he says “Dank you” and he waits patiently for me to say “You’re Welcome”.     -- It is EXACLTY like that EVERY time.  If I try to hurry things along and do more steps myself, then I may have a pile of crying Matthew on the floor.  Sometimes these days I say, “Oh, Mommy did it today” and he’s fine with it as long as he can still say the “Dank you” part.  And if I don’t say “You’re Welcome” then he repeats the “Dank you” over and over until I complete the process and he can go.       He also likes to pick out his own spoon and bowl and place at the table.  Very opinionated when it comes to the kitchen and eating.
• I love that he loves to give me kisses.
• I love that he loves to play in the bath with toy cars.
• I love that after I take off his diaper he hurries to STAND UP and wants me to put his diaper on while he’s standing.  It cracks me up.
• I love that he LOVES his toy cars so much.  He loves his ikea car mat and his new favorite thing is to put other toys underneath so the mat has HILLS for the cars to drive over.
• I love that when we’re going to go up the stairs he stops at the bottom and says “I HOLD YOU”.  Then when I pick him up and say “No, I hold YOU” then he says, “Ya, I hold you ME.”
• I love that he likes to climb onto the counter and sit and watch me when I’m in the kitchen.  I remember when Luke used to do that.
• I love that he says “Mommy, link – not ‘LLL’ ”   -- which is what he used to say when he wanted a drink!?  We’re getting closer.
• I love that he’s so darn ticklish under his chin and that when I say, “Matt, look up there” he knows I’m tricking him and holds his chin down tight to his neck.
• I love that when I tuck him in bed he puts his square pillow all the way in the corner and sleeps right next to the side with his blanket up and arms out.
• I love that all the kids say, “Matthew is so cute!”  all the time!  We LOVE HIM!!!