The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

My brother Jared and I went over to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame one afternoon. It was great brother-sister bonding time. Jared is a lot of fun to be around, and going somewhere like this made the afternoon really special. It is a beautiful building just off of downtown Cleveland, right on lake Erie. It isn't far from our house, but I've never been before. We got to see some fun stuff, like various rock band's memorabilia, people's cars, guitars, clothes, etc. We couldn't take any pictures inside, but I would say that it is worth the trip if you are interested in rock and roll, classic rock, or music history in general it is worth the trip.

Family at the park

We had a blast when my family came into town. My dad and brother Jared stayed for one week and my mom was able to stay for two. It was such a nice visit. We were able to keep up with normal business, while also doing a lot of fun activities together. One morning we took everyone to a park that we love. The playground is three stories high and has tons of fun extras like rock walls, steep slides, unusual ladders, etc. We played a lot of TAG (Matthew's new favorite thing in the world- he goes around tagging everyone ALL day), did underdogs, and got in a good workout! I liked so many of the pictures that I couldn't narrow it down to just two or three. Good times...

A new haircut

A few weeks ago we decided it was time to cut Matthew's hair again. As Matt began, Matthew asked him to cut it ALL off. Matt proceeded to cut in really short, but not TOO short. Matthew saw it and said he indeed wanted it ALL off. We figured it is his hair so, Matt went ahead and buzzed it with the bare clippers. Matthew then wanted Matt to use his razor to get it completely bald. (That is where I finally stepped in). We have no idea why he wanted it so short, but it is pretty short. At least he has a nicely shaped head so it looks good. I just told him he would have to remind me to put suntan lotion on it for a few weeks...

Soccer

For those of you who don't know, soccer is a Beecroft family passion. We pretty much let the kids do any activity they are interested in. We like them to pick and choose their activities themselves. The only time we break that rule is when soccer is involved. They HAVE to play soccer. Luckily we haven't had anyone fight us on it so far. Matthew has played on little teams for over a year and he really enjoys it. Last fall he was by far the best in his league and even scored 20 goals one game- we were constantly telling him to pass it and tone it down. This year he moved up a league and hasn't seemed as interested, though he does still enjoy it. He likes playing in the field and in goal. He really likes his coach (coach Ray), also. I took this pics at his game on Sat. (5/17/08) His brothers love to go watch him and they kick around balls at the sidelines. Drew will be starting soon, and we can't wait!

Mother's Day

I had such a fantastic mother's day weekend. Oddly enough, I spent most of my time not being a mother. Don't get me wrong, I love doing things with my boys. They are great and I'm so lucky to be their mom. It is nice to get a break, though. Sat. I ran to and from my self-defense class, so I got to spend the whole morning exercising. Matt was still gone with the kids (to Matthew's soccer game) when I got home so I took a nice hot, quiet bath. Then some friends asked me to meet them for lunch. Anna, Loralee, Lindsey, and I went to cheesecake factory, then walked around the outdoor mall for a few hours. I made it home just in time to grab a movie and then go babysit for the Jenks while they went to a Cavs game. I put their boys in bed and watched a couple movies. It was great. Sun Matt made some yummy stuffed french toast for breakfast before we headed off to church. After church I grabbed some lunch before taking a friend of mine to Urgent care. Darlene is a hilarious person so it was a fun way to spend the afternoon. Matt made the best grilled filet mignon for dinner with cheesy, garlic mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. Darlene helped the boys get me a DQ cake as well. (What can I say, everyone knows how much I love food!) I got a new framed picture from my boys as well. I told Matt what a fantastic weekend it was and he thought we should make a tradition of it. Mother's day weekend every year? Sounds good to me! Matt, honey, you are too great!

Our Guitar Hero

The other day Matt told Matthew that he was a very talented kid. He responded, "Yes I am. I am good at hugs, kisses, and Guitar Hero." It is the truth, too! After practicing for 3 weeks in AZ at the grandparents (where he gets to play a lot more xbox than he does at home because that is what grandparent's homes are for) and playing occasionally since we've been home, I can honestly say that he is really good. He can beat me in battle mode- and he plays on medium! Not bad for a 5 year old. Matt is so proud. Matthew's favorite song is Through the Fire and the Flames by Dragonforce. In AZ he loved playing with his Uncle Jaren and he even got his cousin Jayden to try playing. She seemed to really enjoy it and started saying 'you rock'. Matthew's enthusiasm about playing can be contagious. Since being home he has played a few times with his daddy, but he always tries to talk me into playing because he likes to win. The big question is if anyone knows a university that offers a BA in guitar hero?

Matthew is a genius

Since I am planning on printing this blog at some point for posterity's sake, I thought I should put a note in about how smart Matthew is. He has always been a really bright kid. He spoke early, walked early, played sports early, counted early, etc. But Matt and I have recently been blown away by his math abilities. About a year ago he started doing some simply math (like if we have 4 and we get another one, how many do we have?). But in the last six months he has started figuring out a lot of other things on his own. And he picks up on stuff so quickly like when one of his teachers was counting by 10s one day and Matthew thought it was great. He could do it perfectly from there on. He started adding harder numbers on his own and wants me to ask him math questions. Then he started figuring out that when he is so old, how old everyone else in the family will be. Then he started subtracting harder numbers. Then he started multiplying on his own (he would say to me three threes is nine, or four fives is 20). Then today Matt was talking to Matthew and somehow the question of 1-3 came up and Matthew told him negative 2! We were like WHAT?! I know I mentioned negative numbers to him once a while ago when he asked me what was less than zero, but we haven't talked to him at all about addition or subtraction in negatives! Don't get me wrong, I don't think he is perfect or anything (he still can't really even draw stick people), but he is pretty amazing! The crazy thing is that he started doing all of these things on his own. What can I say? For a person with a math minor (yes, me) that makes me pretty proud!