I'm the boss

Can you believe that Matthew is already two and a half years old?  Hardly seems that long ago that he went from being Baby Cart to Matthew Sullivan.  These days, he comes home saying all sorts of new things.  He's mastering compound sentences and is paying a lot of attention to the world around him.  His favorite thing to say these days?

I'm the boss.

This sends Luke into fits of anger because Luke believe that Mommy and Daddy are the boss.  Then they argue over this point, which cracks me up.  Because I'm not really the boss... though I do feel like the business manager some times.

His second favorite thing to say is Luke's name... and since Matt can't yet pronounce the letters L or V, what he actually says is "Yukey Skabik."  Or when he's in a rush (or Luke isn't listening), it is Yukester for short.

Matthew likes to jump and climb and have naked runs right before bed.  He's fearless.  Then he rolls off of the couch, bumps his head, cries for a minute, and then runs away again at full speed.  A minute later, he's pulling the bean bag chair out of Will and Luke's room, throwing Luke to the ground, throwing the bean bag on top of him, and then sits on top of it.  Thankfully Luke laughs about this part.

Though he enjoys this game of "Squish Luke," his favorite game at home is Pillow Pile.  For this game, Matt and Luke gather every single pillow and comforter in the house and put it on the floor at the bottom of my and Nate's bed.  Then they fling themselves from our bed, onto said pillow pile.  Sometimes there are other brothers in the way.  Sometimes Otis hasn't picked up on the fact that his life is in danger, and doesn't move out of the way quick enough.   Sometimes they bump their heads on large pieces of furniture.  But that rarely stops Pillow Pile from continuing.

Every now and again, Matt takes a moment to slow down and show his sweet side.  He likes to give Will hugs and kisses at bed time, checks on him when he's crying, gets him a new toy for his tray, climbs up on his wheelchair to say "have a good day at school."

He isn't content playing on the pre-school playground.  He must play with the big kids.  And while on the big kid playground, he must climb on top of the highest, most thrilling monkey bar he can find... and then he must pretend to not pay attention to you as you intently stand underneath him with outstretched arms, just waiting for his little hands to let go.

Matthew opens the fridge to get his own cup of water (it must be cold water).  He pushes a stool to the bathroom sink to wash his hands after using the potty on his own (woo hoo!).  He climbs intently into his big boy bed (converted crib toddler bed), asks for you to fold his blanket into a square (though sometimes a triangle, and sometimes a rectangle), and then place it on his back as he falls asleep.  He climbs onto the kitchen table, gets himself a banana, opens it, takes two bites, and then puts it into the garbage... stealthy... and healthy.

When I drop off in the morning at day care, Matthew insists on walking me to the door.  He holds open the door with a strategically placed foot, then tells me he needs a hug.  Once the big squeeze is over, he makes a fishy face and tells me that he needs a kiss too.  Once that is over, he closes the door and walks proudly into his classroom to start his day.  He then sits around the breakfast table at school, repeating everyone's name and whether they're a boy or a "grill" (as he says).

Oh... that boy.  He keeps us laughing, thats for sure.  Now if only I could convince him not to be completely fearless?