Weekend Visitors

May was a busy month for us as we had three weekends in a row of visitors!  (I know I'm so late on posting about this.)  I already talked about our friends Brad & Lindsey visiting here.  The weekend after that my cousin, Matt, his wife, Kathy, and their daughter, Kaylee came to visit us.  We packed our weekend full of fun.  It was neat to hangout with their daughter and imagine what Maggie might be like at her age.  :)

First things first, we took them to our small town's farmers market to get their famous cherry limeade.  My husband is always making excuses to go downtown on Saturdays so he can get one.  Ha!  Right near there is an old train station and train for kids to play on.  We had never really checked it out before but having Kaylee with us gave us a reason to.

Kaylee ringing the bell.

Is she not the cutest thing you've ever seen??

I love these guys so much!!

Soon after that we left for the Tulsa Zoo.  We had never been and thought it would be a fun place for a 7 year old.  Kaylee is into collecting stuffed animals from each zoo she visits, so we knew she would enjoy it.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the first really hot days of the summer.  We did get about an hour in before it turned into blazing heat.

Kathy & Kaylee cooling off in the wind generator.

Maggie's first trip to the zoo!

Here's Kaylee & Matt being a little jealous of the penguins.  I'm pretty sure we were all wanting to jump into the water at this point.

Ha!  It looks like Maggie's trying to sunbathe here.

No idea what she's looking at, and no idea what we are posing in front of.

We came back to our house to crash for the rest of the afternoon and soak in some air-conditioning. 

Matt & Kathy also got to get some quality time in with Maggie.

We had so much with with you guys!  Please come back again soon.  Love you so much!

The following weekend our good friends Mark, Emily and their son, Caden, came to visit us.

Of course I forgot to get a picture of Mark!!

We kept this weekend pretty low key since we both had little babies and had to take separate cars everywhere we went because of carseats.  Of course we hit up the farmers market for cherry limeades, then after that we showed them around our office building (which I'm sure was so boring!).   We worked up an appetite so we headed to one of our favorite restaurants, Frank & Lola's, for lunch.

After that we pretty much just hung out at our place and let the babies "play" together.  Maggie didn't really notice Caden was there, but he definitely had fun checking her out all weekend.  So cute!!  Caden is almost exactly 4 months older then her.

Enjoying tummy time together.  Future boyfriend/girlfriend??  :)

We have been having so much with with all our visitors lately.  Who wants to come next?  Any takers??  I still have to post about Maggie and I's adventure to Kansas City for a week while Ryan was out of town (coming soon!).

New Beginnings

 Today is the first official day of my new job.  It will have longer hours, less pay and be the hardest job I've ever done.  But it will also be the most rewarding and important job I will ever do in my life.

Meet my new boss...

She definitely cracks the whip! ;)

After lots of prayers and many discussions with the hubs, we both made the decision for me to stay home with Maggie.  It was certainly not easy to make this choice but one that I think will be best for our family.  I've always wanted to be a stay at home mom but wasn't sure if that was something we could do.  I also loved the company I worked for and the people I worked with.  Six years is a long time to work somewhere, and that sort of becomes your identity.  I struggled a lot more then I thought I would making the decision to leave, especially because my husband also works there.  We would drive to work and have lunch together almost everyday.  I loved sharing that part of our lives and connecting on that level.  It will be something I will always cherish.  Plus, there is always the option to go back when I feel ready.

I asked myself what would I regret more... staying home with my daughter or not working?  I also realized that I could always go back to work but I can not always get back this time with her.  She is changing so much each and everyday, and I don't want to miss one minute of it!  All those thoughts were what ultimately decided it for us.  Yes, things will be a little bit tighter around our household but it's a sacrifice we were willing to take.  I know not every family has this option, and I will not be taking this blessing for granted!

Maggie with my now former boss, saying goodbye.  I definitely teared up a ton cleaning out my desk and saying bye to all my coworkers.  But they are always there and I can still see them whenever! 

To new beginnings! 

Baptism

 Our sweet daughter was baptized this past weekend in Kansas City surrounded by family and friends.  We couldn't be more proud of being Maggie's parents if we tried.  She has been such a blessing to us, and we couldn't wait for the day that we could dedicate her to our Lord and Savior.  

(Be prepared for a picture bombardment!)

We were beaming all day.  Ryan took Maggie on a walk the day before to explain to her what it meant to be baptized and to let her know how much God loves her.  It was such a sweet moment.

She wore the same dress I did when I was baptized as a baby.  My Godmother, Pat, was the one that bought it for me, and she was able to see it worn twice!

The baptism was held at Leawood Presbyterian and pastor, Ryan Kapple, performed the beautiful ceremony.  He was my youth pastor back in the day at Colonial Presbyterian!  I had to hold back tears the whole time!

She did so good!  I was a little nervous as she has been extra fussy as of late.

We promise, baby girl, to raise you to know and love your loving Father.

Afterwards, we had a small get together at my mom's house to celebrate this big day.  The cake was made by the same lady that made our wedding cake.  Yum!

Such a special day!

Aunt Sally feeding her niece.

Proud Grandparents.  I love this picture of Maggie too!

Daddy, Grandpa, Meme & Maggie

Evan, Sally, Emily, Ryan, Maggie, Grandpa, Meme & Me

Three generations

Nana, Maggie, Me and Ryan

Rocky & Pat (my Godmother) jumped into this picture with us.  They came up all the way from Dallas to meet Maggie.  We are so thankful they were able to come.

We are grateful for you two, and Maggie's lucky to have you in her family!

Guys shot including our friend Brad.  Our friend, Emily, made it too but I didn't get a picture with her.

Our little family.

Kisses, spit up and all!

7 Years and No Itch!

I'm finally blogging a very belated anniversary post for my love!  Still trying to get the hang of my new schedule with our new little one.  I promise I will get better at this and back to reading everyone's blogs too!

I really can't comprehend how 7 years have past so quickly.  I guess time flies when you're having fun! :)  This last year was such a whirlwind with moving to Bartlesville, OK, finding out we were pregnant and getting all our last minute trips in before Maggie arrived in March.  I will definitely have to say this has been the best year yet with the arrival of our daughter.  She was an incredible answer to many prayers.  I didn't think it was possible to love my husband anymore but watching him become a father has taken my love for him to all new heights.  My heart melts every time I see him hold, sing, or just stare at his little girl.  I really can't believe that God has blessed me with the most amazing father and husband I could ever dream up.  I am so thanking to be doing life with this man and thank God for him everyday.  The last 7 years have been truly incredible but I know that our best years are still ahead of us... and I CAN'T WAIT!!!

2 Months!

I seriously can not get enough of this girl!  I just stare at her all day and feel like my heart is just going to burst.  I don't feel like it's possible love this girl anymore but it grows everyday. Plus, this girl just gets cuter and cuter!!

It has been so incredible to watch this girl grow and learn.  It seems like she does something different every day!  I just want to freeze time but I also can't wait to see what she's going to do tomorrow.  It's such a weird thing to feel both things at one time.  She just melts me every time she smiles at me or her daddy, and it seems like she's trying to figure out how to laugh too!  You would not believe how much this girl moves and kicks.  I think I'm in for it when she starts to crawl/walk.

I swear this girl smiles but apparently she didn't want to for these pictures.  Ha!

She can sit up better this month and is not sliding down the chair like last time (here).  Ha!

This picture cracks me up.  She's like "Hey man, I need my space".

I just love this girl so much.

I also had to share some fun videos from this past month.  This one is of her holding her head up during tummy time.

And this girl has been rolling over from her belly to back since 7 weeks.  I caught one of her rolls on video below.

Evan & Sally's Wedding

Two weeks ago (first weekend of May) Ryan's little sister, Sally, married her best friend, Evan.  They are the sweetest couple you will ever meet, and their wedding was very intimate.  Absolutely perfect!  It was a full weekend affair with immediate family and just a few of the couple's close friends.  The only problem was the freak cold snap in May!  Oh well, every wedding has their hiccups.  :)

Sally was glowing and just radiated beauty.  Her sweet friends did her makeup, hair and helped her get dressed.

I can't get over how gorgeous Sally is.  Evan is one lucky man!

Sally's wedding dress was actually her mom's but she had it altered a little bit to make it her own style.

Ryan had the honor of driving his sister to the wedding.

I have got to frame this picture!

Bride and Groom shortly after saying "I do".

A perfect union.  I can't wait to see what God has planned for their journey ahead.

Mary, Me, Maggie, Ryan, Emily, Sean, Sally, Evan, Harlan & Susan

The whole fam!

All the above pictures were taken by the talented Elizabeth Koehler.

Rehearsal dinner by the bonfire.

Nana and her granddaughter

Family shot all dolled up.

Me and my baby girl

Maggie's not the center of attention or anything...  :)

Uncle Sean broke his rule of "not holding small babies" that night.  They love each other.  ;)

Maggie with her Aunt Sally and new Uncle Evan.

Maggie was also able to meet her Great Grandpa that weekend too.

It was such a special time with family celebrating the two love birds.  So happy for them!!