Busy Days. . .

Our friend from church, "Granny," who gifted Isaac with a lovely quilt she made especially for him, was brave enough to come visit us in our home. She and her daughter and son-in-law came here for dinner last Friday. Despite the usual Macduff family chaos (complete with Jude's repeated "cock-a-doodle-dos" during the meal), Granny has told me several times since then that she had a wonderful time.

My Uncle Keith and Aunt Leanna came down last Saturday to visit. Isaac really turned on the charm for his Great Aunt Leanna--he was Mr. Smiley Man. Unfortunately, you'll have to use your imagination as to how cute Isaac was that night as our resident photographer didn't snap any pictures because she was too busy helping with dinner serving and clean up.
Isaac was baptized last Sunday. We were surrounded by family and friends as we celebrated God's abundant mercy and grace. (If you're interested in a video of the baptism click here.) We shared a nice time of fellowship at a local pizza restaurant after church. That night we had an early Valentine's Day dinner with my mom and dad. We did not repeat the fondue fiasco of 2010. We doled out the chocolate fondue in individual portions this year, which resulted in a lot fewer arguments.

Matt's Valentine's Day started out with a bang. He had to report for jury duty early that morning. The questionnaire he was required to fill out asked how many kids he had. Matt guesses that he was dismissed so quickly because he answered honestly, "seven." They probably figured he'd fall a bit on the conservative end of the spectrum. The kids gave Daddy a "heart attack" for Valentine's Day.We attended our niece Raphaella's last basketball game of the year on Tuesday. Her team got creamed, but we love her anyway.
We had some good friends over for dinner this past Friday. We fulfilled Paul's wish for a bonfire that evening and Matt and Brian had a very stimulating conversation about fuel cell technology. Yesterday I was blessed to attend a "diaper shower" given to me by the group of gals from the Bible study I attended last year. We laughed,cried, prayed and ate together--just like old times. The kids and Matt attended the monthly Macduff Family gathering while I was at the shower. Joel was amongst those folks with February birthdays and he was pleased to get more cowboy-themed gifts.
Last night my parents came to visit. Grandma Jane gave Joel a couple of foam swords for his birthday. Now when Joel and Jude give each other head thwacks (in brotherly love, of course), there's not nearly as much pain involved. The guys (Matt, Paul and my dad) then went to see the "Duck Commander" talk about his love for hunting and Jesus. They all had a good time, especially Paul. Matt was jealous of the Duck Commander's beard.
After church today, we met our good friends at a local restaurant (they're godparents to Joel and Jude). We celebrated Joel's birthday yet again. Joel's godmother has a talented cake decorating daughter-in-law who provided some awesome cupcakes for the occasion. (She also made Grace's confirmation cake this past summer.) Joel, my "nanimal" loving boy, was thrilled. What could be better than chocolate cupcakes with a menagerie of animals perched on their tops? Probably only the toy fighter plane complete with chain saws that Joel received from his godparents. The "Pajama Bible" Joel was given will be perfect for Monday nights when dad and the big kids are away at their Bible study.
Matt has had an exhausting time at work the last couple of weeks and for now, at least, home life isn't any less exhausting. Is it any wonder this is how we found him at 7:00 tonight?