I am sitting at the doctors after I just drank some nasty juice. Doing the glucose test and I just found out that I get a shot too. Every time I have a baby - when am I not- there is some new test or procedure. Last time it was HIV testing. Since I have time to kill I thought I'd give an update on my crew.
Ben: Has been busy busy busy. On top of work and church, he is coaching both Kael and Gali's basketball teams. He really enjoys coaching the boys and the girls give him a run for his money with all their giggles and twirls.
Kloey has started the braces process. After 4-5 months of trying to create space she will get braces. This is new to both Ben and I, but Kloey is cool as a cucumber about it. She is sad she can not eat Carmel or salt water taffy for the next 2 or so yrs. She amazing me at how much she just rolls with things.
KAEL is a rock star on the basketball court. He is a natural and it is so fun to watch him. I will confess it's fun to hear the other teams parents telling their kids to get #3! I just sit and smile, thinking that's my kid.
Gali is doing good with basketball. It's fun to watch her not give up and be aggressive on the court. Her last game she shoot a girl a dirty look after they fought for the ball. Her reading has clicked and she is becoming a little reader.
Sadee is so sweet. Everyday at least once she gives my belly a kiss and prays for me to have fun with my baby. She is always suggesting names for this one. The other night I came home after she was in bed and I gave her a kiss. She told me to tell the baby that she loves her.
Kole is one crazy little boy. He loves swords, guns, balls and candy. He loves to dance and growl. He makes me laugh as he shoots bad guys and runs around. He is potty trained and it only took a few days. He was the fastest so far. I am loving the break from diapers for the next few months.
Me: I am pregnant. Things are good so far and this little one has a mean left hook and round house kick. She also is still nameless. If you have any suggestions please share. I am feeling really good and all the pains that I normally have are few and far between. I keep waiting for things to go south, but I really am feeling great.
Deb, I am not sure how to help Zoey with her biting and stuff, I am sure she will grow out of it at some point. :) Ben had suggested to be very consistent with that. Even to the point where other actions go unnoticed. Not sure if that will help. Good luck.
We hope y'all are happy.
Love- the Texas Mathews
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
deb and nick feb 2015
Don't forget to respond, when/if you have time!!!
First, Happy Birthday, Biggest Brother!!! Hopefully you received your card from us!
2nd: I spaced your anniversary, Tim and Jill! Bah! I will have a card in the mail soon. HAPPY 11th!! 11 years with you, Jill! You'd think we were sisters or something!!
3rd: But maybe it should have been first because her birthday was first, Happy Birthday, Becky!! I was LATE on your card. Which is normal for me now. I am sorry I didn't get that out on time. I had it, I truly just hate going to the post office with at LEAST three kids, packages, long lines, etc. Plan on this being a routine with me anymore until my kids are a bit older. So sorry. But you were thought of by, I'm sure, ALL of us!!
I should speak with exclamation points more often!! I actually know a woman who strives to use them at every sentence!! And if you ever met her, you'd know why!! She's a hoot!!
Anyway, US!
Nick: Nick spent an EXCITING time in Oklahoma for the month of January. Normally we try to get him to go visit all the cool things about the area, but he was just so busy! Now he's in West Virginia. He actually gets to work with a few people that he really likes there so this should be a great trip for him. He has had to get four new computers in the last 20 months. The newest is a MAC, which I'm so jealous of! This is a guy who never wanted one and I always did. Tricks of the trade, I understand.
Me: Woosh. Life is busy. We were up to our eyeballs in running noses and crazy breathing. Much better now, I'm hoping. We went to the zoo yesterday because the weather was: 75!! I was sweating in my shorts! Beautiful day. I've had one rehearsal with my choirs and I can already tell how much of a blast I'm going to have.
Claire: Her reading has turned a corner in the last week. I'm so proud of her! She has always been a wiz at math, but now that her reading is catching up a bit there is little to stop this one. Her teacher has asked her to join a tutoring group (hasn't started yet and may not start now) and has been concerned but I'm hoping we pulled through.
Bruiser: Can mostly spell his name!! And almost write it! Hooray! He told me he needs a new Luke Skywalker. He loves school and keeps asking to stay longer. Not sure what he'll say when he experiences all day kindergarten!
Zoey: Turned 2 last week! Her words are taking off! She loves Elsa (I had no idea 2 year olds would care!! It's the song that does it. This girl loves to sing) and received a few outfits from her grandparents/great grandmother that certainly filled Disney's pocket. However, she resorts to biting, scratching, etc even more quickly. I've tried...almost everything...Holding her arms down, ignoring it (even tried ignoring it while she's doing it to me), time outs, yelling (out of frustration, not because it was a tactic), she has even received a squirt of water (after a LOT of thought and tons of peoples' suggestions) etc. Any suggestions?? I'm dying a bit.
Thomas: started rice cereal and LOVES it. Ever since starting, at about 4pm daily, he is prone to MAJOR blow outs and has been moved though diaper sizings and I've thrown away several outfits due to the viscosity and velocity. All the while, smiling.
I love my family!!
How's yours?
LOVE YOU!
bill and rosi december 2014
Hello Dear (Deer) Family
Sorry I have been so late adding my chapter to this family letter. The holidays keep even the old folks busy. I was laying in bed this morning and thought "today is the day" I will write to you. So I got up and made my way to the computer.
Deb, thanks so much for wanting us to stay in touch. It is so easy to let relationships slide. I know that we all love each other!!
Dad and I are doing fine.
DAD: designed a Christmas Card with pictures of all of us
completed over 4,000 indexing names since October (extractions)
clears the dishwasher
workouts continue 3-4 days a week. He has now added lifting weights to his routine
keeps Grandma in tow (that's me)
keeps up to date on the news
ME: writing short letters, folding, addressing and sending Christmas cards
buying and wrapping presents
teaching a few students
puttering around the house (I even cleaned four garbage cans last Monday..yea for me!!.)
decorating the house for the holidays
R.S. activities
completing my book, DVD, CD
I love Christmas. I have been out shopping and running errands the past two days and it is fun to have an excuse to go into beautifully decorated stores. We even went to a floral shop last night. Poinsettias every where. (Not my favorite flower, but still a red splash of Christmas.)
My favorite things about Christmas are the lights, the music and family.
Lights: My Dad, as a member of the Lion's Club in Paradise, would help hang a string of soft blue lights across the street corners each holiday season. The hazy glow of those lights mixed with the white snow was idyllic. I have loved blue Christmas lights since that time. I remember walking home from a friend's house at dark... the blue glow resonating with me and the cold freezing my face.
Music: I recently came to understand the reason I love the old Christmas tunes. It is because the music takes me mentally and emotionally back to my youth in Paradise. Daddy had an old record player and a few Christmas records. Every Christmas I would listen to Burl Ives sing "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas" or Bing Crosby sing "I'll Be Home for Christmas" or "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas". Music was such a big part of the holidays for me. Now when I hear those songs the old emotions come flooding back... memories from 60 years ago.
Family: As a girl I was lucky. My Dad was a successful farmer and we had wonderful Christmases. Christmas, 1957, was different. My Mom had died in May and we were clearly missing the heart of our home. I still wanted Santa to visit, but he left few things that year: a Lone Ranger board game and a blue bathrobe. My memory is not very good, but the disappointment I felt that year resonated for a long time. I loved my Daddy and he and I worked through the loneliness.
Our gifts to you this year come from the heart and we are hopeful that they will be something that will endure.
When I was 13 years old, my Grandma Dunn (the only grandparent I ever knew) gave me a Christmas present which I still treasure. It was a book of her poetry. It's hardbound cover is powder blue and the title is "Life Begins at Sixty-Five". Through her poetry she tells about the people, places and things that meant a lot to her. I knew my Grandma when she was older and had health issues. She had also lost my mother (cancer), a son (WWII) and another son to alcoholism. Her husband had died years earlier. She had had a hard life and did not have much to be happy about. But through her poetry I see her wit, her faith and her strength. I love her and her example.
Have a wonderful holiday, family. Please remember that you are loved and valued. You are 80 percent of our lives. If our prayers have strength, then you are well and happy.
Love,
Dad and Mom
ben and tamme december 2014
So if you want a really good story you need to have been at chick-fil-a with us when Kole was dragging Zoey like "a mustached lion dragging a gazelle though the Serengeti".
If you missed the reference you need to watch Scott Sterling--the man, the myth, the legend. http://youtu.be/
deb and nick december 2014
I've heard of so many families who do a monthly letter. I laugh because one of them is the "Geller Yeller". Too bad there isn't a good one for Mathews. But I'm not a witty person, so maybe someone else could think of a funny one.
I'm just checking in with y'all. I have been thinking about sending out something since Thanksgiving, but keep getting sidetracked. I hope you all (y'all...I always wanted an accent) had a good one. I heard that Tim's family had a great visit with Mom and Dad. I hear Luke's back is AWFUL and he and his family coupled that with a horrible virus over Thanksgiving so I doubt they had a wonderful, restful vacation. But on the bright side, maybe they are the ones who lost the most weight. that was my attempt at being witty. What do you think?
So, here's us:
We spent Thanksgiving with Ben and Tamme and Tawnee (who I'm sure you all have met at some point). Tawnee hosted us and we had a great time letting the kiddos play. My favorite food of the night was the salad that Ben and Tamme brought. I found out (after 3 helpings) that it is a mix from Costco. I'd buy a membership just for that salad! But apparently they have it at Sams now too. Phew! I love Costco, but it was 50 min drive in Colorado. Haven't tried here yet. Nick liked the salad too. Claire ate...almost nothing. Rolls. Zoey and Bruiser liked the sweet potatoes.
Nick: He took the week off after Thanksgiving. He was sick so we didn't do much. We did go to see the Zoo lights and the Houston Space Center. VERY awesome. He is back to work now and was supposed to be able to hang around in the Houston area for the month of December, but he's gone. He just left Fairbanks, TX and is headed to Corpus Christi, which is a huge site. He loves eating out all the time. Poor kid has to come home to my cooking.
Me: I actually have some neat news for me. I just got a job teaching a children's choir for two hours a week. I'm actually very very excited. The lady just called me up (I didn't apply or anything) and asked me. I start in January. I need help with a resume for the website. Bec and Momma, you might need to edit for me...Please?
Claire: Funny story for C. We have been discussing the moon and it's cycle. The other night, we were looking at it.
Claire: Mom! the moon is FULL!
Mom: Hmmm...You think so? I think it's still missing just a tiny sliver. What do you think?
Claire: Yeah, I can see that too. It still needs a little wax.
Made me laugh. She is so stinking smart. I don't expect her to have moments like that anymore. Usually that is something Bruiser says. She stays up with her classes. She is quite a little math wiz. Must be Dad shining thru here. She's very impatient with herself and for her first time ever, she's throwing some temper tantrums. Urgh.
Matthew AKA Bruiser: This kiddo has been so helpful. I have needed him so much. I am grateful for all he does to help his momma. He chooses clothes for himself, Zoey and Thomas almost everday. He remembers socks, diapers, etc. He even helps Zoey get up on beds (so she can smother, ahem, kiss Thomas. That was my attempt at humor again.)
Zoey: She is still hard, but she makes me smile. She LOVES to sing. If she's throwing a tantrum, we can sometimes distract her with a song. She now helps put her diaper in the trash. She also is pretty good at going to time out and will occasionally scream, notice that she did a bad action and put herself in time out. I'll turn a corner and find her sitting against a wall with her arms folded.
Thomas: Nick has decided that all our kiddos need an assortment of nicknames. Animals: Claire Bear, Matthew is Chunky Monkey, Zoey the Zebra, and Thomas the Tiger. And now his kick is nicknames that begin with a B: Bear, Bruiser, Zo Bo and Tom Bomb.
Oooh! My letter was a lot longer than I thought! Phew!
Well, we miss you! We love you! Let us know how you are, if you have some time.
Sunday, October 5, 2014
ben and tamme mathews
Well, I don't want to be the last one to reply. I wouldn't even have a good excuse like Amy, she has family from Australia in town. Half of my crew is in Utah, enjoying loves from Grandma and the cooler weather. Which I am so jealous about. We are still in the high 80-90s. Yuck. Last night we finally had some rain. It was fast and furious, but can't complain when its been forever.
First is Kloey, she is now in the 6th grade. In our little town the 6th graders have their own school. Which is pretty cool, because they start switching classes for each subject. She loves her Language Arts teacher, Mr K. She says she just laughs and laughs in his class. I even got a call from him one day telling me how much he enjoyed having her in class. So cool! She is still reading ever chance she gets and decided to take dance one more year. She will be singing a solo in the Primary Program this year.
Kael is a lot of fun. He is playing soccer and taking piano (along with Kloey). He just loves to be active. We feed the missionaries every week and before dinner Ben and Kael take them on in a game of basketball. I think Ben and Kael have more wins then the missionaries. It is fun to watch him play- any sport. The other day he told me that the "jocks" in 4th grade tease him because he is smart. He said he didn't care, because he would have a better life then them one day. He sure loves his little brother. He is so sweet to him.
Galilee is happy as ever. I love her "everything is awesome" attitude. She is doing soccer right now and loves it. She likes to play goalie, because she stops all the balls. She has a best friend that they love to do things with each other. She is in the 1st grade and likes her teacher Ms Ott. Her and Kael ride the bus in the mornings this year and they think its pretty cool- for now.
Sadee is sassy as ever. She started preschool 2 days a week this year and I think the jury is still out on whether or not she likes it. Her teacher told me that she is an angel and a joy. On Thursday I received a call from the preschool that Sadee's throat hurt. As I was talking to the lady, she tells me that Sadee had a silly smile on her face. We decided to let her ride it out and that she was trying to pull a fast one on us. She is a smart little girl.
Kole, is one cute kid. He is talking more and more and just makes old ladies and girls swoon all over him with his dimples and curly blonde locks. He loves to ride bikes and be outside with his buddy Sadee. I love hearing him yell, sisher!, sisher! throughout the house. He loves to go with Ben everywhere in Big Bertha, our 1987 Suburban. He also loves Kael. He will sit by Kael when we watch a movie and snuggle under the blanket next to him. I love to see their relationship forming.
Ben is busy, busy, busy. He just performed marriages for two kids from our ward and has a 3rd in November. He does a great job. He takes people out to eat so often he is getting sick of it and I think, sounds good to me. While in Utah, he went to Cheesecake Factory 2x in one day. He loves to play with the kids.
Me, I'm just doing the mom thing. Trying make a menu and cook dinner. Trying to get a jump start on Christmas this year. And running these crazy kids around. Wouldn't have it any other way.
We haven't had visitors in, oh, I don't know how long. Time for some.
Love, The Texas Mathews
jill and tim mathews
Hello everyone!
Deb we are way excited for your new moving adventure! The email updates about everyone have been fun to read. Thanks Deb for suggesting we do these again!
We have been enjoying Central California:). Tim absolutely loves his job and is making such an impact for his company. I love that he comes home happy each day and shares such positive news about new things he's implemented and how he's so respected for his knowledge. Such a difference from his other work experience.
Ellie is adjusting to her new school and making friends. She's in the second grade now. She was chosen Super Sailor of the month for September for demonstrating respect to her teacher and classmates. It was so great getting to go to her awards ceremony at school. Elle is doing gymnastics, ballet and tap this year! She has a full schedule but loves it
Liam started preschool this year... He loves it! It's a parent participation school so I get to go into his classroom to be a helper often. Liam is also doing gymnastics. He is doing great making new friends. He's recently had a few play dates without me and he thinks that's pretty cool! He's met a really nice friend that lives close and they have the love of Legos and Superheros in common so it makes for fun times!
Carson is doing well and getting so big! This past week has been rough with him having pneumonia. He's better though. He loves to give lots of kisses and says "DAD" all day long! He loves his daddy!
And me... I'm doing well:) I recently started Real Estate school ( an online program) . I am hoping to be finished in December. I'm also serving on the PTA at Elle's school. It's quite demanding but a lot of fun. I am also volunteering in both Elle and Liam's classrooms...so while I'm away... Little Carson has a nanny once a week that is so great with him! It's good because once I start working part time in real estate he will be used to being away from me a few hours.
We are excited that we will be in Utah with mom and dad for Thanksgiving! It would be great to see u all if any of you can come too! I miss playing board games with you all... A good game of hand and foot sounds fun to me!
Well happy harvest time... Sending our love!
Tim, Jill, Elle, Liam and Carson
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