2nd Birthday

Barrett turned 2 years old last Thursday! On his actual birthday, my mom came into town and took us to the Dallas Aquarium - it was pretty packed, but much neater than I expected and certainly a hit with Barrett.

On Saturday we had a little party for him with my family. My parents and Ryan and his family came down to help us celebrate

Barrett is obsessed with alligators (thanks Grandma Wood for all the great alligator presents!!), so I decided to try my hand at an alligator cake for him this year. It was my first time working with fondant, so I was a little nervous, but I was really pleased with how well it turned out.

Happy Birthday buddy!!

The Many Faces of Matt Wood: Wedding Guest

I am probably the only person who finds this funny, but for some reason, I find it hilarious. Matt came to bed last night and asked, "Have you seen the wedding pictures from Travis and Lauren's wedding yet? ...It's a little awkward how many pictures I'm in." I had not yet seen them, but I just had the pleasure, and he was right. Apparently he was sitting in just the right spot for the photographer to catch him in the shot as the bridal party came down the aisle. It isn't the pictures themselves that are so funny, but the volume. This is only 5 out of many...

Am I the only one who thinks this is hilarious? If so, it is a result of my keen ability to detect awkwardness a mile away.

Fort Worth Zoo

We took Barrett to the zoo for the first time this morning, and it was perfect! The Fort Worth Zoo is really incredible - Matt and I were both really impressed, and so was Barrett, naturally. Some pictures...

This picture makes me so happy. I love my boys so much.

Barrett's favorite animal is the alligator. He stood in front of this guy for several minutes stomping his feet and yelling, "Wake up, Alligator!"

Kangaroos

There's a fantastic bird enclosure filled with tiny tropical birds that will hop and fly right up to you. Barrett and Matt loved feeding them seeds - if you know me at all, you know that I was very jumpy in there.

Couldn't miss this, though; he was so happy in there, it was precious.

Snow Pictures

So big

Now that he's putting phrases and sentences together, he just seems like such a little boy. He likes to say "I love you," and he says "bless you, Mommy" after I sneeze. He says "thank you" any time I hand him something. My favorite, though, has got to be during our prayers - any time I pray now, he starts singing "Joy joy joy joy" (down in my heart). And I will look up at him and say, "where?" and he points to his chest and says, clear as day, "in my heart." Love love love this little guy.

Matt Wood, Sellout

Not too long ago, I filled my ears with music by new artists that had not yet found their popularity. According to the wife, I was one of those people that turned their noses up at the thought "music on the radio."

As I sit here typing this post, I am listening to, and loving, Adam Lambert's "Whataya Want From Me." For those still too cool to know who he is, he is the 2009 American Idol runner-up. If you read those two previous sentences closely, you'll notice some sharp contrasts to the former version of myself detailed in the first paragraph.

I don't know what has happened to me. If you organize my iTunes playlist in order of "play count", you'll find "Just Dance" by Lady Gaga at #1, followed by a couple of Kanye West songs and more Gaga at spots #6 and #7.

I could blame it on the extra responsibilities I've taken on in the past couple years - getting married, having a kid, etc. But that's misleading and the easy way out. It probably started back in college - when I had multiple arguments trying to convince people that "How You Remind Me" by Nickelback was "an undeniably catchy" song.

I guess I just have to face the Lady Gaga music and realize I've changed. I've sold out. I've gone pop. I'm sorry I've failed all of you.

A Post That No One But Me Will Care About...

Tonight, I am saddened. The Eagles lost their opening playoff game for the first time in the Reid/McNabb era. To top it off, the loss came to the Dallas Cowboys (a team I hate).

In the closing minutes of the game, I started to feel a sense of a nostalgia for Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook. Most likely, they will be let go in the off season. The youth movement for the Eagles will prevail. Now, with all the young studs they have on their lineup, the transition should be smooth and the Eagles will most likely continue their winning ways. However, McNabb and Westbrook have been familiar faces to me over the past decade. I will miss them very much.

It's a time of change. Last year it was Brian Dawkins, now it's McNabb and Westbrook, and Sheldon Brown will soon follow.

Silly, I know, but I love my Eagles.