Almost time for baby...

Less than 12 days until Baby Ally is set to make her debute, so life is a little hectic in the Gardner house. Matt is a busy little man as usual, he is still loving school and talks about baby Ally all the time. I don't think he truly understands that she is coming soon but he knows we are getting ready for her. I am done with work, my last day was Friday and Brian is scheduled to attend the NACA convention in North Carolina later this week, so I am assigned to the couch for rest. The nursery is almost done, pictures to come soon. But for now enjoy some random photos of our little toddler.

 Trying out his tub crayons from GG

 Look mom, I painted my hand

 Trying out Daddy's breathing tube

 A morning of Monkey Joe's wore this little guy out that he couldn't even enjoy his sucker

 Trying out Daddy's I-Phone (don't mind the messy tv screen in the background, gotta love small children)

 Showing off his doodles



Fall Weather, Cardinals in World Series, and a Baby Girl

It is finally feeling like fall around here, well tonight it actually feels like winter. But I am always cold. Game one of the World Series is tonight...Go Cards! We had our 20 week ultra sound today and we are having a girl! Allyson Marie Gardner will make her appearance around March 1st. We decided to use Marie after my mom and we can't wait to meet Ally.

20 Weeks

 The other day we headed to the Magic House for a free PAT night. Matt loved playing with everything, we even went in the hospital and let him practice feeding the babies

 Playing with his hockey guys...notice the pile (he makes them hockey fight)

 Our little hockey player

 Looking in the freezer for french toast sticks for breakfast

 My favorite Buckeye fan

 Testing out Mommy's heating pad, such a little ham for the camera



Our Little Guy

I can't believe how big our little guy is getting. He is becoming more and more verbal everyday. Some of his favorite sayings, "Love you Mama, see you later" (I get to hear this every morning), "Dada, play with you", "Dada, play hockey." He loves his Daddy and sometimes you can hear him say, "Bri, Bri, hi Bri". He loves french toast and fruit snacks and thinks he should be able to eat them whenever. He still loves hockey and it is amazing how well he sits for games, he enjoys going to the rink any chance he gets. Enjoy the random pictures from the past few weeks. 

Watching tv with his "guys"

 Helping me put ice in the drinks, he is learning to count while he does it. :)

 Wanting to go outside in his pj's and my shoes

 Matt helps me set the table for dinner, I put everything on the floor and he sets the table, he did a pretty good job and it is a high top so he can barely reach it.

 Our attempt at a family photo at a pre-season Blue's game

Matt's 2nd Birthday and Soeder Family Visit's

Matt's birthday fell on a Saturday this year and we had some special visitors. My parents, grandma, and sister, brother-in-law, and their dog all made the drive to St Louis to spend the weekend. We had a great time and loved every minute with our special guests.

Matt was so happy to have Louie staying with us for the weekend, after he left he walked around the house looking for the dog for days. And yes, the dog actually stayed in my house (big deal for those that truly know me)

 Ken, Jamie, my Dad, and Brian went to the Brewery for a tour one afternoon

 We can't forget about Ted Drewes, it was Uncle Ken's first time

 On Saturday afternoon, my family took Matt so I could get ready for the party. Matt got to go up in the Arch for the first time.

 The weather here has been hot, so Papa decided to cool him and Matt off in the sprinkler

 Aunt Jamie decided she needed to cool off too

 I just love this picture, look closely and you can see my dad's facial expression (just makes me laugh)

 We headed to Sho Gun for family dinner to celebrate Matt's birthday

 He loved it, they even sang to him

I can't claim these but they turned out so well, I just had to post them.

 Some of the decorations

 Can you tell what the theme was yet?

 Happy Birthday Matthew (my baby is two, where did the time go?)

 Nana and GG enjoying some cupcakes

 He just loved his nerf arrow gun from Aunt Sue and Uncle Anthony (from Ohio), it was the hit of the party



Matt's 2 Year Pictures

A few weekends ago we had a friend of ours take some family pictures. She did a great job and we were so happy with the results. Here are a few of our favorites.

Summer Fun, Father's Day, and Big Boy Bed

Summer in the Gardner house is in full swing. I am loving being at home with Matt, he is getting so big and learning so much. He constantly makes me laugh but also tries my patience (he can be a stinker at times). Only one more month and he will be 2, I can't believe it. The summer is just flying by, the school year will be here before we know it. But for now enjoy the updates.

Oh no, you caught me

Bath time fun
Working on the computer

For Father's Day we went to the Cardinal's game. It was really hot, but we stuck it out until the 7th inning when Matt fell asleep so we decided to head home.

He feel asleep with goldfish in his hands

Our family

This past weekend we hit another milestone in the Gardner house. Matt climbed out of his crib so we had to turn his crib into a toddler bed. We went out and bought a new pillow with sports balls on it and made a sticker chart. He likes the stickers he gets when he sleeps in his "big boy" bed. So far things are going pretty well, he is still taking good naps just takes us a little longer to get him to sleep. I just can't believe he is getting so big.

Helping daddy put his bed together

Showing off his "new" big boy bed