Superhero Matthew and his Sidekick Matthew Baby Bunny Rabbit to the Rescue

It has been a while since I've had a birthday to blog about. Happy Birthday Matthew, aka Matthew Baby Bunny Rabbit. On Friday 23 November we celebrated the anniversary of the arrival of the baby in the blue blanket. Matt is my "baby" brother, and the only boy. Can you really call him your baby brother if he is officially 24 years old? I think he'll always be my little brother to me. I am one of a select group of people who call him Matthew. He is Matt to the rest of the world, but I just love his full name. Matthew still lives in our hometown. So here are a few of my favorite Matthew stories.

Now, you ask me, what is up with the Matthew Baby Bunny Rabbit commentary? Being an ideal older sister I was known to say things like "matt is a baby" or "matt the brat". If you don't keep the baby aware of his status you aren't filling your natural born role, right? Well, as little girls and boys we all have our favorite doll or stuffed animal. I remember several of mine - my Holly Hobby doll and my "Dolly dolly". Matthew had a stuffed rabbit when he was about 4 years old. Obviously this rabbit needed a name. Matthew decided to be a good daddy and name his child after himeself, and Matthew Baby Bunny Rabbit was born. That name still brings a smile to my face. He still has it somewhere, and MBBR is a sacred item – an artifact that will live on as a legend!

Another of Matthew’s nicknames is CHeese Ball. I don't actually remember this, however, everyone in my family knows the story. We were out staying with my Aunt Barbara and Uncle John and their kids after my Grandma Martha (or perhaps it was Nanny) died. All of us "older" kids were upstairs playing together and doing whatever it was that we did. Once again, Matthew was about 4 years old. Matthew was downstairs with my parents and my aunt and uncle. Uncle John was lying on the couch, and there was a can of planters cheese balls (remember them) on the other side of the room. Uncle John asked Matthew for a cheese ball, thinking he would bring the can, or at least a handful. Matthew brought him a single solitary cheese ball. THis was hilarious, and typical of a child that age. Needless to say, the rest of the night Uncle John would bark out "CHEESE BALL" and Matthew would run over and give him one solitary cheese ball, giggling and grinning the whole time. For years to come Matthew would get a canister of Cheese Balls for Christmas – a special gift from Uncle John to him.