What a Man, What a Man, What a Man, What a Mighty Good Man!

My man has many great qualities. I know that most of you know just how hilarious he is. So, I will spare you all of the details for another post on another day. But, I will display some pictures of a few of the many characters he has portrayed for his job. They are at the very least entertaining, and for those of you who know Matt will be amused by imagining what he may have said and done while wearing these costumes. Enjoy!
First Round of Kings of Prizes

Matt was the MC at the Christmas party!

About to Make His Grand Entrance as the King of Prizes Again. This king looks different at every appearance he makes, and it seems he now has a pet llama.

Pictures From Today

Yes, Maggie wore two outfits today. Sometimes, I just can't resist putting on an outfit for every mood (hers and mine). Enjoy the pics!

Showered with Blessings!

My cousin and his wife are having a baby boy! We are very excited for Matthew and Kristy to have a wonderful blessing in their sweet baby boy! We are also excited that Maggie will have another second cousin. Since she doesn't have any first cousins, and we live fairly close to most of my cousins, we hope that Maggie is connected to her second cousins. Now, I know that there will be first cousins for Maggie in the future, but I don't think there will be many close to her age. =( Matt and I are both pretty close to at least a couple of our cousins in age, and we have many fun stories to tell of family gatherings from our childhoods. So, we are thinking we will just have to have a lot of siblings for Maggie to play with, and make sure we get together with extended family frequently. Maggie will know her second cousins just as well as her first!
Here are some pictures from the family baby shower we had for Matthew and Kristy:
Kristy and Her Grandma (and Baby Boy Oliver)
Kristy and My Mom
The Men Grillin'
The Taskers (My Cousin Elizabeth's family)
Grandma Oliver's Great Grandchildren

Special Kind of Friendship

I have had two get togethers with high school friends of mine. One was a baby shower for my friends, Christy and Erin, and the other was a dinner at another friends house this past Friday night. At both of these parties, I have been overwhelmed with the blessing of good friends. I love spending time with old friends, and despite the fact that it may have been a while since I have seen them, it seems like no time as passed at all. Partly, I appreciate these type of friendships because I am horrible at keeping up with friends that I don't run into on a regular basis (I am sure some of you know how true that is). But, mostly, I like to believe that the reason these friendships seem to pick up right where they left off is because I truly care about these people, and they do me. Even more importantly, these friends share the same faith and love in the Lord which makes us sisters. It just feels good to be in the company of friends who are also family!
Christy and Erin with their "buns"
Our girl's bible study group in high school. We had so much fun together!

Some of the same girls. We got together Friday night for dinner at Stephanie's. We picked up right where we left off.

Week of Work and Counting Blessings

This week, I worked everyday. It was fun, exhausting, and very reassuring. I now know that I am doing the right thing by staying home the majority of the time. Now don't get me wrong, Maggie did not even notice there was anything different this week. She had a great time spending her days between her Mimi and Papa's and our house. But, by the end of the week, I was going through some major withdrawels. I even had my mom bring Maggie to school for lunch on Friday. The students in my class thought it was because of their great behavior (which their behavior was wonderful). But, in actuality, their substitute teacher was rewarding herself for being brave and working all week while missing her baby.

So, all this to say....I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed Matt and I with the ability for me to stay at home. I love my days with Maggie. It is a sweet, sweet time in life that I am so grateful to enjoy with her.

P.S. My admiration has grown for those mothers out there that work and have children. And, I think you should definitely be able to hire a maid, a cook, and take all of your clothes to the laundry. No time for anything but work and loving your kids!

Fun Times at the Beach!

This past week, we went to Litchfield with my family. It was rainy and cold most of the week, but we didn't mind too much. We enjoyed an hour or two on the beach one morning, and the rest of the time we got some much needed R&R. Here are a few shots from the sunny morning on the beach...enjoy!