Baby Bodmann!

Today we went with Aunt Mary to her 20 week ultrasound. We found out she is having a girl! The first granddaughter on the Steen side. We are super excited for Mary and Mark and can't wait to meet her in September!

We found a home!

Matt came out twice while we were out West. He flew out with us to Idaho and then he came back a few weeks later to Idaho to go look out houses. We decided we wouldn't buy anything unless we were totally in love with it. We really thought we would end up renting for our first year out here and then look for a home over the course of the year. We looked at a lot of short-sales, but decided we didn't want to play the waiting game with the banks. We happened upon this home which we both really loved. We had also met with a builder and I was getting excited about being able to pick out my own finishes and the thought of having a brand new home in a great neighborhood was really appealing to me. We decided to put an offer on a home and Matt and I agreed that if it wasn't accepted we would build. To our surprise, they accepted and only countered to change the closing date to a month earlier than we had anticipated moving out. We were able to work things out with Matt's work and our landlord in PA to move out the end of April.







We are really happy to have found this house. The home is basically a rambler with a bonus room above the garage. The previous owners spent quite a bit of money putting upgrades in and making the home look brand new. Neither of us were too keen on fixing up a home, so we are happy to have found a home that is move-in-ready.

Spring Trip Out West

Matthew and I spent a few weeks visiting with family and friends in Idaho and Utah. Here are a few pictures documenting out trip. I am getting super lazy at taking pictures :)

We went four wheeling with the Casos family. Matthew was a good sport hanging out back at base.

Capri and Matthew

Matthew just loves Jericho. He thinks he is pretty big stuff sharing the bathtub with J-boy!

In Utah now: Matthew hanging out with his cousin Ruby who is 4 months younger than him.

Big smiles!

Matthew hanging out with his cousins, the Proulx boys.

Heather's girls: Katie, Brooklyn, and Presley after making delicious chocolate dipped strawberries.

Yes, they were really good!

Had to get a picture with Grandma Shipley!

I was so excited that my trip coincided with my friend, Kristin's wedding. These are girls I worked with at Ann Taylor. Miss them so much!

With the gorgeous bride!

Celebrating Aunt Melissa's birthday at the clubhouse.

Melissa and Sam getting ready to blow out the candles. She's a beauty!

Dishing out the cake.

Getting Acquainted With Snow

We got plenty of snow this week. Not as much as we did last season, but definitely the biggest snow of the year. I decided to put Matthew's snowsuit to good use and go to the park during a lull in the storm. It was super cold and I bundled him up with two layers underneath his suit to make sure he was nice and cozy. His poor little cheeks, chin, and nose were so red that I couldn't bare to keep him out long.

What is with all this white stuff?

MKSIII & MKSIV

I think this was taken right after he stuck his face in the snow. He found out just how cold it is!

Matt making a big snow ball.

Matthew being pulled around on the shovel sled.

Mommy & Matthew

I think I'm ready to be done.

It was just too hard to walk in the snow, so Matthew decided to crawl in it.

14 Months

It feels like we just barely celebrated Matthew's first birthday! Since then he has mastered the art of walking. He is into everything. He is getting pretty good at climbing up onto the couch, onto the bed, and is trying really hard to climb over his crib - I'm really not looking forward to the time when he figures that one out! Matthew frequently throws toys and other objects (including my cell phone) into the garbage can in the kitchen. After seeing mommy and daddy throw things in there from time to time, he's decided that is the thing to do. If only he realized that we are actually throwing garbage in there. Consequently, we have to check the trash several times a day to salvage the toys. He is obsessed with my VitaMix and Bosch mixer. Why are the real toys never good enough to play with? He has gotten really good at putting shapes into his shape sorter he got for Christmas. Matthew is constantly trying to imitate what we say. He is still biting us and loves to bite toes for some reason! The other day he bit me and I said, "Matthew, don't bite me!" He promptly said, "Bite me!" I was laughing pretty hard. This boy LOVES to eat! I really can't think of anything that he won't eat. He loves clementines and oranges. I feel like I am constantly feeding him. He is also at that stage where he will throw his food on the floor when he is done. Sometimes this little boy is a handful, but we sure do love him!

We haven't been very good about taking pictures since we stopped taking the daily photos. So, here is a memory from a year ago when he was four months:



This is my friend, Jessica (who has since moved to New Zealand). We were at Costco in Lancaster when we discovered that Matthew had a blow out! It was really tricky getting him all cleaned up and changing his diaper and clothes in the car while. We were laughing so hard!

Library Time

We finally made it to library time. It is at 11:15 a.m. which is usually right during Matthew's nap time. One day when he decided not to take his morning nap, we decided to get ready and go enjoy reading time instead. There are two older ladies that have been doing this for years at our library. They did a great job of keeping things moving and keeping the kids involved. Matthew did better than I expected. He is quite the explorer and left to check out the rest of the library a few times. We came on a special day and got to meet Corduroy.

Matthew is not shy at all. He was very curious about this bear and was the first one to meet him!

Easily distracted!

Matthew's friend Eliza met us at the library.

Eliza checking out Corduroy.

Matthew's New Tricks