2007... come and gone....

Merry Christmas from the Mattes!!! We enjoyed our last Christmas without a child, and looked forward to the next one when Christmas will be even more exciting... but don't worry the lil' girl didn't get neglected at Christmas and in fact made out like a bandit for someone who isn't even here yet... it was a wondefully relaxing day....

2007 has been quite the year in the Mattes house.... and from what has been kicking inside of me... 2008 proves to be even better... here are the highlights....

1. Finding out we were pregnant and counting the days until the lil' girl makes her appearance!
2. Moving to Pensacola..
3. Finding jobs in Pensacola... especially Gary's coaching job...
4. Finally, renting our house in Tampa..
5. NUMEROUS completed house projects... deck... sod... sprinkler system...
6. Trips to Philly, New York, and New Orleans..
7. Engagements, weddings, and babies throughout friends and family...
8. 2 dogs that know they are spoiled and don't know that they are dogs...
9. Celebrating one year of marriage to my best friend in the whole world!
10. Being happy and healthy for another year with so many to look forward to...

SO kill me..

I'm obsessed with my child... and to make matters worse than they probably would be already.. we have an ultrasound school in Pensacola where you can go and get a free ultrasound as many times as you want... so I have fed my obsession and gone to get pictures of our lil' girl... so of course I will share them with you... as I know you will be as obsessed with our child as we are... well as I am...

She is sucking her thumb... so cute!

21 Weeks.. and growing....

Getting bigger...I took this with a self-timer and it was my first try... pretty good for kneeling on the floor... I was pretty impressed with myself....

So I walked into the living room....

and this is what I saw.....
yes, that is my mother-in-law vacuuming our dogs... and they LOVED IT! as you can tell....

WE HAVE TENANTS!!!

As of today, we have tenants renting our house in Tampa! After months of trying to sell the house and no luck, we decided that with a little on the way we should do whatever we can to get our own place before the lil' girl comes... So we put our house up for rent at the end of October and a month later it is rented! Woohoo.. this has to be the best news since finding out we were prego! And it completed my goals for 2007, which i set in July... (1) Move to Pensacola (2) Get pregnant and (3) Sell or Rent our house! 2007 can now officially end for the Mattes household....2008 can only be better since we have a lil' girl to look forward to....

1/2 Way.... Call for help!

5 months.. and half way through this pregnancy thing.. and I must say I love being pregnant.. it is soo fun... (1) New clothes... prego clothes are so comfy and big and wonderful (2) food.. after learning that I am doing perfectly on my weight gain I am confident that I can continue to eat the way that I have and not be too awful.... and the best part is no one looks at me like "wow, she should stop eating" it's great! and please holidays and being pregnant could there be a better match in life! (3) getting stuff... everyone is so willing to help you out and get things for you.. especially my wonderful husband.. he has been the best and will gladly go and get me stuff even when I don't ask! Last night I said I wanted french fries and he OFFERED to go get McDonald's ... i know he's wonderful! (4) the pure excitement of having a baby! since we found out what we are having i think it has only increased my excitement by 1000. I can't wait to see her and find out her personality... man 4 months seems like sooo long!

Which brings me to my call for help... we need a girl name... we had a boy's name picked out and ready to go.. and now we need help... So please give us any suggestions.... Here's my problems:
1. I like names that can be shortened for nicknames.
2. I like names that are or could be last names.
3. The name can't be too girly... no chloe or sophie... our girl will not fit the bill for a girly girl
4. I have a HUGE extended family with so many names....
5. My huge family has a lot of repeat names or names that are similar. so a unique name would be preferred...
6. No over used names Jennifer, heather, or any 80's names.......

So that is your assignment....... HELP!!!

In other news Gary's soccer team has been getting better... last week they had 2 ties and 1 win! The first of the season!!! woohoo! so things in that department are getting better... thankfully!

Just when you thought...

Just when I thought I had this whole baby thing figured out... NOPE... we have thought we were having a BOY but after the ultrasound today we found out we are have a BABY GIRL!!! Break out the pink and ribbons... holy crap the Mattes are having a girl.. We are excited but a little shocked.... As well as most of the people we have told!... who knew? Well I guess the baby knew all along... SHE IS SOOO BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

We here in the Mattes household have had a wonderful Thanksgiving break, especially since we have had an entire WEEK off of school... Kimber, TJ and Alex came into town which is always great, so we had soo much fun with them. And the girls even braved BLACK FRIDAY to go out spend some money and do some shopping. Unfortunately Gary got tonsilitis this week and has been miserable since Wednesday, He is starting to get better but is still pretty miserable. Last Saturday was Alex's 3rd birthday so his grandparents had a birthday party for him on Saturday which is always a blast... Although I think our dogs enjoyed Alex's presents just as much as Alex...


Unfortunately, now we are looking at going back to school tomorrow which none of us are looking forward to but thankfully there is only 3 weeks left until Christmas vacation! Which by the way we will be in tampa for at least part of the time... more than likely we will leave here around the 29th or 30th and then Gary we leave for his tournament in Gainesville and I will be there until the 5th.

Finally, here are pictures of my belly and Kimber's belly(she is due in the beginning of March).

Emily -18 weeks Kimber - 24 weeks

Check back this weekend to find out what kind of critter we have.... our ultrasound is Friday!!!!

Registry...

We have registered.. well I have registered... we are registered at Baby's R Us and Target. The lists are pretty similar but they do have some differences. With Christmas coming I figured this was the easiest way.. since all we want for Christmas is baby stuff......

Moving...

I bet you thought this was going to be about how we have sold our house and are moving into a new house in Pensacola.... WRONG!!! We have no word on our house and no one even wants to rent it apparently... my brother might have found someone to rent it but who knows...

BUT... I felt the baby move this week.. EXCITING!!! it is such an amazing feeling that unless you have experienced it there are no words.. i love it! and now i find my myself putting my hand on my belly just to see what will happen... the baby seems to already love Gary because it seems that whenever Gary is in the room or has his hand on my belly or kisses my belly the baby moves.. which i suppose is a good thing... by the end of this week the baby will be between 5 - 5 1/2 inches and weighs almost 5 ounces and can yawn, twist, kick, and roll... so cute! my belly is definitely a testament to the size of this baby! i think we are going to be looking a Gary baby (8lbs 13oz.) as opposed to an Emily baby (6lbs 6oz.)...

BIG CONGRATULATIONS TO COURTNEY!! I hope I can be at the wedding... either way you will be the most beautiful bride Utah has ever seen!

16 weeks...

4 months down! we have reached the point that there is definitely no denying that i am prego... my belly is popping out ... and as i walked yesterday in the sun my shadow couldn't even hide my belly... its soo crazy... I have been trying to get pictures of the side view but gary has been a little more reluctant to take them... so i will continue my efforts and maybe my mother-in-law will be so kind.... i got to show off the belly i keep speaking of... its only fair..... we had our doctor's appointment today and got a good report the best part was i had only gained a pound!!! i was soo excited... normally when you notice your belly getting larger you believe it is time to start a diet because you have put on a good 5 to 10 pounds which is what i feared... and then they weighed my and only a pound!! woohoo!! which makes 5 pounds total... pretty darn good... in about 3 weeks we have our ultrasound appointment to find out what kind of critter we have.. so keep lookin and i will definitely keep you posted...

we had our first frost this week.. i know weird we live in florida.. but it been freakin' freezing. not to mention that we had two soccer games this week on the coldest nights of year of course... and since they were both losses it only made the cold that much worse... bummer...

Best Invention Ever!

So after speaking with my good friend Jen about the joys of pregnancy.... she suggested that my clothes fitting problem might be solved with the Bella Band... so my interests were peeked and after doing some research (shopping) on-line i made the purchase and waited with anticipation... Yesterday... it came.. Today I wore it to school with my favorite pair of Bermuda shorts.. and I am now in LOVE!!! So if any pregnant people read this or if you know a pregnant person let them know about the Bella Band.. its wonderful.. now i can wear all of my pre-pregnancy pants without buttoning them.. its wonderful!!

In other news I found out that my friend Jessica is 10 weeks pregnant!! I am soo excited.. someone to talk about the joys of pregnancy! Congrats Jess and Matt!

And even more.. Sunday will be Gary and I's one year anniversary!! I can't believe its already been a year! CRAZY! but with two soccer games Friday, a car wash for the soccer team on Saturday, Gary working on the field, and Gary being sick .. I don't know how much of a celebration there will be.. but being with the best husband on earth will definitely make me the happiest girl for the rest of my life! And if the first year is supposed to be the hardest... i think i am going to love the rest of my life!

My secret obsession....

Ok so I think its time to admit to the world the I am completely obsessed with one television show to the point that if I miss the episode I go into work early and watch it online... what show could this be... THE HILLS.... I do.. I do... its soo great and wonderful and I can't get enough of it... If you like stupid reality shows this is the show for you.... warning don't watch it around husbands or boyfriends.. they just don't understand...

In other news... soccer season has officially started.. which means for the next 4 months I will be a widowed wife... I do enjoy the quiet time after school... but I won't enjoy game days when my husband won't get home until 10 o'clock at night... I guess its all in the name extra pay... I mean enriching the lives of young men....

Baby update: The young whipper snapper is now about the size of a peach (I love the fruit analogies they provide....) and half the size of the baby is taken up by the head. The vocal chords are forming preparing for the long days and nights of crying.... and most importantly the outside boy or girl parts are beginning to form... hopefully by December we will be able to know what we got inside of there.... but either way we just want a healthy baby!

12 down...

Now in my 12th week of pregnancy and things could not be going any better... well at least I think so... the baby is weighing in at a mighty half an ounce.. which unfortunately means that all the weight that I have gained has really nothing to do with the baby's size or weight.. oh well.. the baby is also the size of a small lime and has all the features and systems that it needs... it now only needs to get bigger and stronger...

Other than the all consuming baby things are going really well.. my Dad and Stepmom dropped by Pensacola last Sunday for a quick visit.. which was awesome to see them.. we took them to the beaches and of course my favorite place McGuires... a Pensacola standard.. if you are ever in the area.. you first better call me and then we can go to McGuires together... but sadly they had to leave the next morning ... it was fun to see them and nice to see some family... even if it was only for a short time...

I'm totally one of those moms....

It's true.. I have come to terms with it.. and my child is barely the size of a strawberry...

So last night, I started having this annoying pain in my abdomen, so I called the number and asked what to do.. almost in tears... the nurse said its probably nothing, but if its there in the morning call us and we will get you in to check..... Well morning came and the pain was there ever so slightly.. so of course I call panicked that something has happened... I go in and they say that its my muscle... I felt soooooo dumb... but better safe than sorry right???? someone back me up...

The highlight of this trip and paranoia is REALLY good ultrasound pictures, the nurse said they were some of the best (I'm sure she only said that to me)!!! Which brings me to my second point as to why I am one of those moms.... already obsessed with my child.. sorry such is life...

You can see the foot, hand, mouth, nose, and eyes... my child is so advanced!!!

Also, a BIG THANKS must be given to the givers of our first baby presents.... my dad and step-mom and Judge Judy.... SOOO CUTE!!!!

Moving on....and My World

I am happy to announce that I am moving beyond my sleeping constantly phase and moving into the idea that my clothes are no longer fitting me... Yes, I have already made my first and second maternity purchase... last week I woke up on Friday and decided to wear jeans since its casual Friday... and my jeans were a little tight... so I put on another pair that were a little better and by the end of the day I was struggling.. so I went to Oldnavy this weekend and bought maternity jeans that look like normal jeans... like my sister-in-law said there is no point in being uncomfortable in clothes since my body will be taking care of the uncomfortableness....

My students finally realized that I was pregnant.. I guess the sonogram picture on my desk was finally noticed.. and I became a little concerned when these comments came from my kids mouth...
"I knew you weren't just getting fatter" and
"Can I touch your belly?" and
"I knew you were pregnant I can tell a pregnant lady from a mile away"
"So you planned this, right?"

WELCOME TO MY WORLD!! and does anyone else seem freightened by these comments??

In other news the baby is now about the size of a strawberry, it has all of this fingers and touch pads are beginning to form.... CRAZY.. to think about... Next week will be a big milestone in the little guy's life... it will go from being an embryo to a fetus! I know this has now become the baby blog... sorry it will consume our lives for the next 7 months....

BIG NEWS!!!!!!!!!

Well in case you haven't heard... Gary and I will be parents in April of 2008... that's right I am currently 8 1/2 weeks pregnant!!! Needless to say we are VERY excited about it and can't wait to meet the little person.... It's kind of crazy to think that there is a person inside of me.. and more importantly that that little person will be getting bigger very soon... I had my first doctor's visit today and everything is going well, we had an ultrasound done, but the baby felt very shy about having his picture taken so the picture is not so great.... the round circle is the yolk sack and the blob below it is the baby... i know crappy picture but it's there.. i saw the heart beat...

A Visual Recap..

too long...

Sorry it has been so long since my last post thanks for your continuous faithfulness to our blog.. things have been a little crazy around here.. and I think we are finally starting to settle into our new routine in our new city... things are going well here is a little recap of the past month....

Moved to P-cola: Crazy move!! such a long drive sooo much work! We are now living at Gary's parent's house... which is such a blessing!!!! they have been AMAZING to say the least!

Jobs: Gary finally got a job as an adaptive p.e. teacher in Escambia County!!! we were nervous for a while, but thankfully he was offered a job and started working two days after everyone else started!! He loves it. He travels between two schools working with physically and mentally impaired students from pre-k to high school... He is perfect for the job since he loves kids soo much and is so patient with them. HOooray for work!

Vacations: August 15th Gary and I took off from work and went to Philadelphia for the weekend! It was sooo much fun.. we took the train to New York and saw Time Square, the Naked Cowboy, Statue of Liberty (from a distance), the WTC construction site! So much walking but so much fun... the only thing I didn't do was buy a fake purse.. .bummer.. We headed back to Philly to spend time with Uncle Johnny and Aunt Mary and all the cousins! We headed into Philly and got a "steak wit wiz" which to people outside of Philly means a cheese steak with onions and cheese whiz! SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! man I miss them! If you get the chance Pat's Steaks is the place to go.... We went to the historical sights but they were sold out... I know the history teacher didn't go see the historical sights.. but we got there late... Gary got his wish and we went to an Eagles game thanks to Uncle Johnny's season's tickets.. so much fun!!! Finally we went to Keith Urban concert on Saturday which was a amazing and a show i recommend even if you aren't a fan!

School: School started on Monday Aug. 20th with no major problems or issues... as I said to so many "same kids different place" since then school has been going fine other than the overwhelming urge to stay at home all the time and swim in the pool.. but I fear that will not be my situation for sometime... maybe next year I will be teaching on-line school by the pool... one can dream!!! Gary is enjoying his job as well!

House: We have NO good news on the house... oh well.. at least we have a place to live until Gary's parent's kick us out...

So if you are still reading this and haven't switched pages yet... then you must really care about us... so keep reading for more posts and I will try to stay on top of this better.. including pictures from Philly....once I find the cord that will connect to the computer... I think I know where it is.. but its a matter of going to get it.. and having the camera in the same place at the same time..

We Made It!!

We have finally made it to our promised land... Pensacola, Florida!!! We got here Saturday after a VERY VERY LONG car ride with a moving truck and trailer that Gary drove and a car with no a/c that I drove.. I don't know which one of us had it worse. But we are here all of our stuff is now in storage, awaiting the sale of our house in Tampa. Everything is wonderful and we are loving our new city (except for the horrible heat we seem to have brought with us).

Moving Phase I

In resonse to Todd and Jenny(see blog listed below).. I sooo have you beat... this is the state of our house!!! With only 2 more days in Tampa our house has started to disassemble... boxes are filling up and stacks are getting taller... its crazy! Gary and I just look at each other at the end of the night and think it's a surreal experience. I don't think either of us can imagine and understand leaving our house for the last time... but I guess we could always come back... since we will still be paying for the house!

At this point...

I am willing to try anything!!! On Friday I got home from "work"(the summer camp that I work at for only 15 hours a week) to an unusual package in our mailbox. My first thought was, "what did Gary buy off the Internet?" Then I saw it was from my in-laws???? I was even more surprised to open the package and see this....


It says, "Hi kids! Follow the instructions inside the box- I can see you rolling your eyes- but I've heard it works!!! It's worth a try! Love, Mom" So after Gary looked at the box he really did roll his eyes... man she knows him...

3 PAGES OF INSTRUCTIONS!!!!!! Mostly preaching to you, but some instructions.

Gary's mom sent us a mini-statue of St. Joseph, with instructions.

Apparently it is a Catholic belief that if you bury a statue of St. Joseph in your backyard facing the house, then you will sell your house... and like I said.. at this point I will try anything.... we will see! I buried the statue on Saturday and oddly enough the same day I had someone call about the house.. (the guy who came by TWICE to see the house) of course I didn't recognize the number and didn't pickup and of course they didn't leave a message. I guess that could be a good sign though... keep your fingers crossed and your prayers to St. Joseph.

2 Weeks to go!!!

Only two more weeks before we are adios from Tampa!!! And I can't wait!!! Although I have put off packing anything yet I am certainly looking forward to packing up and heading north! And believe it or not I am looking forward to the school year... I know weird!

No news on the house, we reduced the price and still nothing... So it would appear that we are moving to Pensacola with no home of our own... in-laws here were come! Hopefully that will change in the near future.. cross your fingers for us!

16 more days until we are Pensacolians!!

Finally Some News....

It's a good thing that we decided to move to Pensacola because now BOTH, Gary and I have reasons to move.... Gary is the new head coach for the varsity boys soccer team at Booker T. Washington High School!!!

We took a trip up to Pensacola this week for the last time as tourists.. Gary had 3 interviews with schools and one was at Washington. He has some job leads while we were there but nothing definitive yet... keep your fingers crossed that Gary gets a job and that our house sells soon. We haven't had any bids on our house, but a couple of nibbles, keep us hopeful that we will sell our house and that we won't have to live with my in-laws for very long. I'm sure they will be sick of us soon.

I went to my new school and saw my new classroom, I am so happy that I am moving I have a new room that is all mine!!! I am teaching world history honors and American history honors and regular. American History is a new subject for me but I should survive....

Only 27 more days until we are Pensacolians!!!

P-cola here we come!!!

WE ARE MOVING!!!!! We made up our minds and decided that we are moving... even though our house hasn't sold and Gary doesn't have a job... oh well... there goes being responsible adults... Gary and I decided about a week ago that even though none of our plans have worked out and its looking at though our house is not going to sell we are moving to Pensacola.... and I am soooo excited.. I can't wait!! a new city and a new area to figure out.. I can't wait!!! Don't you want to come and visit..... Hopefully we will have a guest room... when we get a house..


In the mean time, I am ENJOYING my wonderful summer. It is so nice to be a teacher and get months of time off!!! I love it... I have completely memorized the television schedule, I sleep in until 8:30 (not sleeping in to most but to me... heaven), I go grocery shopping in the middle of the day, I go out to lunch whenever I want... needless to say I LOVE IT!!! You really must try it.

Our newest story is that whenever our dog Oliver hears the K-9 Advantix commercial he goes crazy... barking, running in circles, and running to the tv screen. So of course being the wonderful parents that we are... we constantly play it when he sleeps.. it's hilarious!! I will try to get it on video.... click on the link to watch it for yourself.


Now to the most important thing!! TOMORROW is my BIRTHDAY!! At 1:16 a.m. on June 16, 1983 the world was blessed to have ME!!! So it sounds horrible to boast about my own birthday but I don't care.. it's my birthday and I can do whatever I want. Just kidding!...

Nothing....

I must say that i am much relieved that school is now officially done... if I knew how I would play "School's Out for Summer"... Since that is what my principal plays the very last period on the very last day. But since school has let out, I must say, I think I have worked harder than when I was working... The past two weeks have been quite busy doing things around the house and enjoying every minute. I must say it is quite rewarding to work on a project and then have it actually be finished. Unfortunately, my list never seems to end and we have had no activity on our house. We did have a virtual tour added to the posting, but no bites... oh well we still have some time.

We haven't heard any news on a job for Gary which is a little upsetting. We have heard rumors that he has the job, but no official word. (this waiting game SUCKS!)

So as the title suggests NOTHING has been going on here... we hope your lives are far more exciting!

On other notes there are only 12 days until the best day of the year MY BIRTHDAY!!!

It's Official...

Our house is now officially up for sale! So now the waiting game begins... With the market so horrible right now Gary and I are sceptical as to the outcome of this whole thing, but we figure its worth a shot... we could get lucky!

To make matters even more complicated.. I have a job in Pensacola that is waiting for me, but Gary doesn't.. so now the questions becomes to move or not to move...Do we move even though our house isn't sold and only one of us has a job, but Pensacola is where we want to live? Or do we stay and keep living in Tampa which we don't like.... Being an adult has its disadvantages... I'm sure this summer will be an interesting one for both of us.. the good news is that we both have jobs here, so if our house doesn't sell then we will be o.k. staying here too.... We just REALLY want to move to P-cola (Pensacola).. But as Judge Judy said.. "if it's meant to be, it will be." And that's the philosophy we are trying to take... even though it can drive me CRAZY!!!!!

Here are some pictures of our house... and the MLS link just in case you know anyone who would like to move to Tampa...

MLS #T2247715 http://kimberlydavey.mfr.mlxchange.com/AWPResults.asp

Birthdays and Countdowns!

33 years ago today in Milton, Florida my wonderful husband was born to two amazing parents!

For the next month and a day we are 10 years apart... yes my husband is now robbing the craddle!! hahaha

I can't believe that I was lucky enough to have snagged him, before someone else did! I can't believe he is mine and that I get to spend the rest on my life with him! I LOVE YOU BABE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

On a side note...
There are only 7 more days left of school until we have a BEAUTIFUL 3 month vacation. Needless to say I am STOKED!

Pensacola and Puppies

After our victory over the deck, we decided we needed a break and so we took a much needed trip to Pensacola. So we packed up the dogs and headed off for our home away from home. We had a blast! Gary had his UWF (University of West Florida) Alumni Soccer Game on Saturday and let's just say it was interesting to watch. Gary had a couple of goals scored on him, including one he scored on himself. But it was fun to finally see him play.

Of course we had fun hanging out with Gary's parents, Judge Judy, Hayden and Jenn, Scooter, and Chad and Stacy. Although we didn't get to see much of them, it was still nice to see them, and hopefully we will be seeing a lot more of them. While we were up there we also had some interesting news. The soccer position at Washington High School is still available and there will be some history positions available as well next year. Which means there is still a chance that we could move up there this summer. But we are will unsure as to whether or not we will get the positions but it definitely ups our chances. So we will wait and see...

Below are some funny pictures of our dogs... for your enjoyment...

Our New Deck!!!!

After one month of hard labor... our new deck is finally finished.. Gary has worked his butt off getting this finished and it looks AMAZING!!! He did sooo much work and it is so worth it. Last night we sat outside with our sons and enjoyed the cool night air without being in dirt! We are now accepting offers for Gary to come and build your deck.... just kidding! We are done building... for now....

Domination and Hypocrites

Pure domination are the only words I can think of to describe the University of Florida Gators and their amazing performance in the past TWO national championship games!! Being that we are Floridians we are of course excited since we were cheering for them. Unfortunately, the Florida Gators are our back-up team. The only fight that we have is over college basketball. Yes, our seemingly perfect marriage is at times upset by the fact that my husband and I disagree on which college basketball team is better. Of course I am a true blue fan and cheer for the Duke Blue Devils and my husband seems to loose his mind and cheer for the wimpy blue of the University of North Carolina. Though the Tar Heels were a tiny bit better this season, we all know that next year Duke will dominate! I must admit that Gary beat me in our brackets, but now college basketball is over and our marriage can continue without further controversy.

On other notes, life is good! There are no complaints. How can I complain when I have a wonderful husband, two beautiful children and a job that will be ending soon! (only 35 more school days till summer!!!) School is going and going, and doesn't ever seem to end. But I must share a story that bears repeating... (this is why teachers are crazy...)

Two students began arguing across the room while they were supposed to working quietly on an assignment. I intervened to get them stop and the final comment by one student was "Don't judge me... you're gay!" Trying to teach them the life lesson, I responded by telling him that what he just said was hypocritical, since he had just judged another student by calling him gay. The student was bewildered by the comment and asked, "What does hypocritical mean?" Another student yelled out, "You know is the big, grey, animal that lives in the water!" Unfortunately it was one of the moments of being a teacher when laughter escapes your mouth, though it shouldn't.

I just thought I would share that story with you...

#1... of ??

So this is the first of many to come.. hopefully... I will try to keep up with this although I fear that our life will not be nearly as exciting as one might hope. But we will see I will attempt to be diligent in keeping it up-to-date. As the picture denotes our most exciting news has been our wedding, which was wonderful and magical and everything you want your wedding to be...

We also have a new puppy!! But now he is not so much a puppy... he's a big dog now and pretty much runs our house. His name is Oliver and he is a golden retriever, just like his brother Cyrus. They are both very good dogs and love spending time with their parents, especially sleeping and taking up the whole bed. These dogs are our children and the only ones we plan on having anytime soon... Hence the name of our Blog... It would seem that there are only two male Mattes' left in the family who can procreate to continue the family name, us and Gary's cousin's Josh and Courtney, so the race is on to extend the family name and we hope that Josh and Courtney are the first to continue the family name.... as we won't be anytime soon...