Eyes Wide Open

Four of us recently stepped out of our comfort zone and went into a mens mission to serve dinner.  I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived, but what I found humbled me beyond belief.  We served 134 men.  The men ranged from teenage to an elderly man who must have been in his 80's.  We were complimented and told God bless more times than I can count.  I saw men who were simply thankful for food set before them and others who were grateful for a friendly smile.  A few were silent and chose not to speak, but others would probably have loved to chatted for hours.  My "vision" of a homeless man was forever changed.  I never felt unsafe or unwanted.  I truly look forward to going back. 

It's the Simple Things

 The best toys in life, aren't really toys at all!  I could have saved a fortune on toys if I would have just gone shopping in my own house!  Chrissy was able to visit with baby Makayla today.  During the visit, Mattie got a kick out of a simple shopping bag.  Oh, and do you like her Mohawk?  She pulled her hair bow out and this is what happened.  I promise we don't leave the house looking like this!

A Whirlwind of a Season!

Met Santa...Year Number 2....As you can see, not the biggest fan!

 Christmas Morning, a bumble bee pillow pet....what more does a little girl need?

What's that?

Ohhh, a dinosaur! (with Grandma in the background)

Ahhh,  Grandma and Mattie Kay bonding!

And finally, "the gift" of 2010!  "Aunt Sara and Uncle Mike" MADE Mattie Kay a doll house.  They estimated that it took between 80 and 100 hours!  This child is LOVED!



She's a boating girl!

Today we introduced Mattie Kay to a lake trip! Friends from church were so sweet to invite us to Cheney lake with them. Mattie Kay did great! She didn't mind the speed or the rocking of the boat. We slowly introduced her to the water and she wasn't sold on it at first. As long as she could touch the boat or was being held tight by daddy, everything was fine! I call our first lake trip a success and loads of fun!

The Incident of the Purple Egg

This is Nolan. Nolan is a precious little guy. He is also very creative. What I quickly learned this past weekend is that Nolan does not like me. He sees me and cries and does not care for me at all. And I am okay with that. Sometimes, its okay to be the bad guy. You see, its all because of a purple egg. I blame the egg. This past weekend, his mommy was holding Nolan while we were chatting away. His big sister was playing with Mattie while I held her and that left Nolan out of the mix of conversation. Katie (mommy to Nolan) asked Delaney where her purple egg was (a fun little plastic Easter egg that was very shiny and purple)? I happened to look down to the ground and saw half of the egg. At the same moment (in some sort of slow motion), Katie and I looked to Nolan and saw a bright eyed, bushy tailed little guy with his mouth as wide as it could be showing no teeth at all, just a bright shiny purple egg. In the swiftest of fashion (that i truly believe only a mommy could move), Katie squeezed her finger in his mouth (where it was very full of bright shiny egg) and luckily was able to pop it out after about two attempts. My poor little heart raced away and we were all relieved that the egg no longer occupied Nolan's mouth. Not a moment later, I see the same bright egg making its way to his mouth again, so I grabbed it from him and said "no no no" (of course in a very friendly but firm fashion). The same precious little creative guy looked at me in the most disgusted manner and began to cry. A few moments passed and as soon as he saw me again, the tears welled up again. You see, its okay in my book to be the bad guy and for Mr. Nolan to not like me. I would much rather have Nolan alive and breathing (and scared to death of me and the shiny purple egg) than to stop breathing. Yep, I'm the bad guy. And that is OKAY.

What a Weekend!

Heck of a weekend! My bestfriend from High School (Chrissy) got married Saturday! It was a busy few days! We were able to have lunch and do girlie things like pedicures on Thursday, decorate on Friday and get her hitched on Saturday! Fortunately, I did NOT go into labor! Luckily for me, she understood why I couldn't be a bridesmaid (it was a Catholic service, so it was longer).....on Saturday I was 13 days from my due date and enjoyed sitting with her family for the service rather than standing! It was a gorgeous wedding and of course she made a beautiful bride! Wishing her and Matt a wonderful new beginning together!