Maxwell's dreams

Tonight on the way home from Kindermusik, we had an interesting conversation with Maxwell. I'll do my best to provide the "transcript" below.
Maxwell: "Daddy, sometimes when I sleep, I have dreams."
Daddy: "Really, what do you dream about?"
Maxwell: "About taking a bath in an elevator."
Daddy: "Oh...and what happens to the water when the elevator doors open?"
Maxwell: "The water goes down the drain."
Daddy: "You mean, it just runs out the door of the elevator?"
Maxwell: "Yeah...but when the door closes it fills back up with really warm water that makes you feel good."
Mommy: "But no one sees you when you are taking a bath do they?"
Maxwell: "No...well sometimes people do."

...and that was the end of the conversation! I am constantly amazed at how a child's mind works. We still have no idea what sparked the thought about dreams in his mind or why he brought it up, but he did! Now, we are praying that he continues to feel like he can tell us anything (well, almost anything) that pops into his mind.

10 WONDERFUL years!

Ten years ago today, I had the privilege of marrying Maria LeAnn Summers, and I must say that I am a blessed man. She is the love of my life, my best friend, my confidant, my encourager, the mother of my BEAUTIFUL children, and more than I could have ever dreamed to have as my wife. I know the words may seem overused in some situations, but they sum up exactly how I feel...GOD IS SO GOOD!

In our ten years, we've lived in two towns (Houston and College Station), we've experienced good jobs and bad jobs, a lay-off and 9 months of unemployment for me (I promise I am employable and have since held a job for 8 years straight!), infertility, much laughter, many tears; we've been blessed with two beautiful boys, Maxwell and Miller, and we have some really wonderful memories together.

While this post is mainly about honoring my beautiful bride, I would be remiss if I did not also thank our families for the heritage of lasting marriages they have passed on to us. My paternal grandparents have been married for 69 years, my parents just celebrated 42 years of marriage (on September 3--happy anniversary mom & dad!), and Maria's parents have been married for 45 years. We look forward to many more years together and to passing along this amazing heritage to our children!

Happy Anniversary Precious! I love you,

Matt

Summer Fun

One of the presents Maxwell received for his birthday is this great beach ball sprinkler. While he enjoys playing with the sprinkler the way it was intended, from the very first time he used it he realized he could also disconnect the water hose from it and have fun with just the hose. Almost every day now I (Maria) hear, "Mommy can I go outside and play with the water hose?" Who knew that a beach ball sprinkler and water hose could provide so much fun?!

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a breakthrough moment...this is Maria's first official blogger post on our family blog. Please congratulate her. --Matt

Miller at 3 months

It is hard to believe that Miller is already 3 months old. Yes, he is sleeping through the night (from about 9 or 9:30 PM until 7 or 7:30 AM) and yes, we are starting to feel human again. We have already started to notice personality differences between he and Maxwell and it is fun to see him grow into the little man God created him to be. Miller adores his big brother Maxwell and will follow him across a room or across the backyard while Maxwell runs around.

He also has quite a smile and will talk to us and even giggle a little if the mood strikes him (case in point about personality differences--at this point, Maxwell would giggle uncontrollably at some of the silly things we would do; Miller just giggles once or twice and stops). He is an absolute joy to have in our family and we love having him in our lives!

Explain This!

The picture below gives you a glimpse into the world we live...if only you could see Maxwell's depiction of what it would look like if he were to actually pump. No need to worry though--we've told him that boys don't produce milk and thus he has no need to pump. He has assured us that he is "just pretending"--oh the imagination of a 4 year old!

Maxwell's Latest Performance

Maxwell came home from school the other day singing two new songs. When I picked him up from school on Thursday he started singing one about Peter Rabbit who had a fly on his ear, flicked it off, and it flew away. The song was cute and made even cuter by the hand motions. After I dropped him off at the house and went back to work, he then debuted another new song for Maria. Thankfully, he was willing to present an encore so I could see and hear it (and capture it on video tape). We hope you enjoy!



NOTE: The word "ungrella" is his way of saying "umbrella". We think it is so cute that we have actually considered using his version instead of the "real" word just so he'll keep saying it! Are there any things you wish your kids still did or would continue doing because they are so cute?

Moms

Today is a very special day because it is a day we specifically set aside to honor moms. With the birth of Miller this year, I have had a number of reminders about why moms, and specifically the mother of my two boys, are so important! With both of our boys, I have seen my wife selflessly give up her own comfort and sacrifice for them both. From not giving up on breastfeeding even when it was painful or took longer than she wanted (with both of them!), to giving up dairy and eggs (have you ever stopped to think of how many food items have those two products in them?), my precious Maria has chosen to serve our family by giving them the very best. I am honored to be her husband and to raise our boys with her by my side. I can't imagine life without her. We love you Maria/Mommy and are honored to bless you today (and thanks to our friend Patrick, who took this great picture today).

Our hearts also go out to all the moms in the world who can't hold their babies today because they are already with the Lord or haven't been sent from the Lord yet (we pray in faith that the heart's desire of these women, to hold their child will soon be fulfilled). You see, for us Mother's Day was a very hard day until we had Maxwell and I can remember one particular year that this day was almost more than we could take. After 2 years of trying to conceive a child, it just didn't seem like it was going to happen. The tears fell hard that year.

So even now, with two children of our own, we often think of all the moms who are hurting today...because no matter how hard you try, when you want to have children and you haven't been able to your family just feels incomplete. So if you know someone for whom Mother's Day is not a blessing because of their unfulfilled longing for children, say a prayer that their heart's desire would soon be fulfilled.

Finally, a special shout-out to my mom, Rita, and Maria's mom, Minnie. Neither one of us would be who we are today without your prayers and love. Thanks for being such great moms!