Happy Birthday Matthew!

Today is Matthew’s first birthday and I still can’t believe it. I can honestly shut my eyes and still feel like I’m sitting in the hospital holding him in my arms. I can’t believe how quickly the year has passed. I miss those days and my tiny baby; and yet I’ve absolutely loved watching him grow into a little toddler, running around chasing his brothers. More than anything, celebrating Matthew’s birthday has been another reminder that even though he is only a year old, we can’t imagine life without this precious little boy.

Matthew has been such a joy to have in our home, we love his sweet, happy little personality; and his sometimes impish grin. The name ‘Matthew’ means “gift from God” and I can’t help but think how perfectly his name fits him. He really is our little gift.

We had a pretty low-key birthday party. Sunday with 1pm church is hard on the kids and Matthew didn’t get much of a nap. He fell asleep on the way home and took a short nap after church while I finished dinner and his birthday cake. He woke up not too long after- with a little help from Jacob. We went right into cake & presents because Jeff had to go to a stake leadership meeting at 6:15. We didn’t have much time together, but we still had fun. Matthew loved the presents although he preferred Jacob & Caleb to open them. He would rather eat his chicken nuggets and play with the toys once they were opened. He was excited about them and had fun playing with them.

I made a small cake and kept it pretty simple, it was a double-layer and had some tempting sprinkles and m&m’s on it. I guess it wasn't tempting enough though- I’m still not sure what happened, but Matthew wanted nothing to do with his cake. He thought the candle was interesting and enjoyed watching Jacob & Caleb blow it out for him. When we tried to get him to dig in though, he wanted no part. He didn’t even want to touch it or taste it. Jeff finally convinced him to go for the m&m’s, but after he carefully pulled about two off, he decided that was enough and took off to run around the room.

We even tried to entice him with a cheeto on top

I love Caleb's face in this one...both Jacob & Caleb wanted Matthew to dig in!

I know he doesn’t like to get his hands real messy, but I know he likes treats and thought he would at least try to eat some. Oh well, at least we all enjoyed a cake that was still completely intact. It was yummy, and we all enjoyed it- with the exception of the birthday boy.

It was a fun evening though, and we had a great time celebrating Matthew's birthday. Happy Birthday Matthew, we love you!