MattAndMeag.com

Finding Hope

matt — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:20:15 GMT

I watched this very inspiring video today and it made me think of all the hardship and struggles people went through on 9/11/01. I remember I was driving to school at BYU that morning and heard on the radio briefly what happened. I attended one of my marriage and family classes right after this event happened…what timing. My teacher was Lloyd D. Newel who is the broadcaster of the Music and the Spoken Word, he also provides announcing for the LDS church at the world wide conferences. To sit there and listen to him have a discussion with us about the importance of families and centering our lives around our Savior so that we can deal with struggles that come our way. This was very comforting to me and there was no coincidence that I was in that classroom at the time of the events of 9/11. I will always remember that.

The REAL magic word

meag — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:02:07 GMT

Matt, Maddie, Mace and I went to Dairy Queen to get ice cream recently. Matt and I just get blizzards and then we share them with the girls (we are mean that way). This time Matt got vanilla with Heath bar and I got chocolate with Butterfinger. In the car on the way home I was in charge of giving the girls bites and apparently I wasn’t giving them fast enough for Mace because she started whining, “I want more ice cream I want more ICE CREAM!!!”

So I turned around to look at her and said, “Mimi, If you want more ice cream you need to stop fussing and ask for it like a big girl. You know how to ask nicely. you need to use the magic word if you want more. What’s the magic word?”

Macy stopped fussing, thought for a second, then looked at me hopefully and said, “Chocolate.”

:) She is most definitely my daughter.

Fourth of July

meag — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:38:11 GMT

Our family had the best Fourth of July this year! It started with a ward pancake breakfast at the park. After the scouts presented the flag and one of the young women played the national anthem on the trumpet, our good friend Howie gave a short speech on some of his experiences while serving in the military. He did great! After we ate, we went with some friends to the river to let the girls throw rocks in the water. They loved it!

After the breakfast we went home to relax for a while until it was time to go to our bishop’s house for dinner and fireworks. His daughter and my friend Heidi invited us and it was so much fun! Matt joined the kids at the kiddie table for a little bit.

The little boy is Heidi’s little boy Kaiden. He is adorable! I can’t wait until he comes into nursery next month so I can play with him more. Macy LOVES Ashlynn and sat as close as she possibly could while they ate.

After dinner we played on their playground and rode motorcycles. Matt even drove one. Shocking, I know! Macy did NOT want to ride, but Maddie had her first ride ever, courtesy of Bishop Bird, and she loved it!

Macy spent forever swinging and especially loved when the bishop pushed her REALLY high. She giggled like crazy!

When it got dark Heidi and DJ got out the fireworks. Macy loved them but Maddie couldn’t take the noise and cried a lot. She would relax when they stopped, but when they started up again she would say, “NO!” and start to cry again. I don’t think Fourth of July will be her favorite holiday. :) Our family loved getting to know the Bird family better. It was a fabulous holiday!!

***Thanks to my good friend Rachel for taking all the photos!***

The Aquarium

meag — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:59:14 GMT

My brother Uncle Matt and his girlfriend Jess visited last week. It was a blast! We went to the Seattle Aquarium on Friday.

We all had so much fun watching all the fishies and other sea creatures. Maddie was brave and touched some starfish and a sea anemone in the touch pool, while our little timid Macy just felt the cold water. That’s Jess and Matt on the left.

We watched Olive Oil the octopus get fed her lunch, which was very cool because she turned from white to red while she ate, and then back to white again. She was my Matt’s favorite exhibit.

Uncle Matt and Macy liked the seahorses best and Maddie, Jess, and I liked the sea otters and seals. They are so cute!

It was a beautiful day and so refreshing to experience the coast of the Puget Sound. I love love love the water and all the boats. We survived the sketchy parking garage without incident (luckily) and had lunch at Dick’s after, which is a Seattle institution and so yummy. So much fun!

First Time

matt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:36:00 GMT

I have often hesitated to write about my faith, but given the experience of the past year or so of reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover for the first time with my family, I had to share.

For those of you who have children know that sitting down to read anything let alone scriptures is a difficult task and requires a lot of patience. Meagan and I were determined to take a challenge given by President Hinckley (our Prophet who passed away recently) to read the Book of Mormon.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this book. It brings clarity into my life. It brings the holy spirit in my home. It removes contention from my life. It has helped me be a better Husband and Father. It has helped me to prioritize what matters most in my life.

Applying the principles taught in this book have helped me draw closer to my Heavenly Father. It strengthens my testimony that Jesus truly is my Savior and the Savior of all. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is a companion to the Bible and complements the Bible in helping clarify true gospel doctrine and principles.

I found this video on YouTube today which contains the testimony and teachings of some of the Prophets of the LDS church.

My Dad

matt — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:40:01 GMT

Today is a day of reflection. It’s a special day. It’s Fathers day. I became a Father 4 short years ago. My Dad has been a father for over 40 years. He’s learned some things along the way that have made life easier for all of us. :) I couldn’t have asked for a better father.

Born in 1942 in Pocatello, Idaho. He is the oldest of 5 (2 boys, 3 girls). He is strong willed and has always been a hard worker. I attribute my hard work and work ethic to my Father. He did what it took to put food on the table. It seemed like he was always working, but when it came to us boys playing sports he was always there.

Growing up we had a famous picture of my dad above the toilet that I used as a young man. The frame was made of a wooden toilet and had the following picture of my dad as a very chubby baby.

It’s fun to look back at pictures of my father and see places and familiar things in pictures of where I lived. Like “Y” mountain in the background of this picture:

I grew up in the 80’s and early 90’s when it was popular to have huge hair, my dad followed suit.

(Dave, My Dad, and me)

Whenever my family (my grandparents, aunts, uncle Dave, and my Dad) sat around the table talking about the “good ole days” they always brought up how my dad looked like Buddy Holly, they sure were right!

(Yes this is my dad, not Buddy Holly!)

My Dad loves cars. He has always had quite a few, especially some that he was always working on with a good friend who was a mechanic. There was one car in particular he loved the most. It was his 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible, Cherry Red, with Gold speckels in the paint. It was a SWEET ride. I remember since I was around 12 years old my dad started talking selling the mustang. It wasn’t until I was 28 that he could part ways and sell it! He loved that car!

Surely my Dad is the greatest Dad of all time! He grew up in a family that would eat bread and milk for dinner when there was nothing else to eat. He always has done everything to provide for my mother and my family. I never went without, in fact I was spoiled along with my brothers. Speaking of my brothers, one of the hardest things he (my Dad) has had to deal with is the loss of my brother Kent. Losing him was hard for my Dad to take. I always admire my dad’s optimism and his positive attitude, which has improved over the years. You can blame my mom for that! :) Here is the last picture of my Dad and his boys together before Kent past away, I will always cherish this photo.

My Dad was recently diagnosed with cancer for the second time, luckily it is only in his lymph nodes. My Dad’s optimism will get him through this test. He told me the other day that the church asked if they could have some of the young men come over and mow his lawn for him and he said, “I don’t need help, I can do it myself.” Of course he said it in a much more polite tone. But that sums up my Dad, he’s never going to back down from a challenge, he will always take it head on and with great optimism.

I hope that one day I can look back and see that I did all I could to raise my children in a way that helps them be the best they could be. I will always be there for them, I will always support them, I will always provide for them. That’s all any child asks of their father. Every father has a critical role in their child’s life, whether they see it or not.

The LDS church web site has a fantastic video about fathers that sums it all up. My Dad was one of those fathers that was blessed with a child with disabilities and if it wasn’t for his and my mom’s optimism and willingness to work with Jim to help him develop into the man he is today Jim would probably not have been able to accomplished what he has been able to accomplish. Pretty amazing, my Dad is amazing! I LOVE YOU DAD!

My Daddy’s Hand

matt — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:00:11 GMT

My parents sent me a thoughtful poem that I got through the mail. It has a little hand holding on to a big one. It’s very cool to be a dad. I love my girls and the love we share.

Daddy, take my hand in yours and you will plainly see,
How very much I need you now to love and care for me.
Then as my little hand grows, I will need you even more.
Everything I do in life, I have never done before.
Teach me to be kind and loving, sharing and forgiving.
Show me through your acts of love the pure joy of living.
The years will pass by quickly and one day I will be grown.
I will pass what you have taught me on to children of my own.
Hold me always in your thoughts and remember when we are apart,
The special love between a child and daddy's heart.

My own pace

matt — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:55:15 GMT

My Aunt Jean sent me this quote from an unknown author. She said it reminded her of my family. It definitely reminds me of Madison.

My face may be different But my feelings the same
I laugh and I cry And I take pride in my gains
I was sent here among you To teach you to love
As God in the heaven Looks down from above
To Him I’m no different His love knows no bounds
It’s those here among you In cities and towns
That judge me by standards That man has imparted
But this family I’ve chosen Will help me get started
For I’m one of the children So special and few
That came here to learn The same lessons as you
That love is acceptance It must come from the heart
We all have the same purpose Though not the same start
The Lord gave me life To live and embrace
And I’ll do it as you do But at my own pace.

An update

meag — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 19:52:21 GMT

Hi everyone! We are still alive up here in Washington, I have just severely neglected my blog for a very long time. :) We planted a big garden this year and are so excited to get some veggies from it. We planted tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, green beans, carrots, and peas. It is more work than I expected it to be, but it has also been really fun to watch everything grow! We totally cheated and bought the tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, beans, and cucumbers already started from the nursery. That is totally the way to go!

We also planted dill, parsley, lemon-lime basil, green onions, rosemary, and cilantro in a little planter box so now I have an herb garden right outside my kitchen door. I am so excited for them to get big so we can eat them!

The girls are growing up so fast! Macy has stepped into the “big sister” role lately (even though she really is the little sister).She is the BEST little helper. She helps Maddie have drinks, “reads” her stories, and even bosses her just like a true big sister should. The cutest “big sister” thing she has been doing lately is very sweetly correcting Maddie’s pronunciation, which comes easily for Macy but is more challenging for Maddie. For example, overheard last night at our dinner table:

Me: Maddie, eat some more chicken, please!

Maddie: More tsicken (She signs it too, of course.)

Macy: Not tsicken, Maddie, chi-cken.

Maddie: TSI-cken.

Macy: No, Maddie, not tsi-cken. Say it like this: CHI-cken.

Then of course, I have to join in, so there is a chorus of Ch-Ch-Ch-Chicken heard around the table for the next five minutes. I like to think that maybe someday Macy will become a speech therapist and Maddie is her earliest client. :)

I decided this past week that maybe it was time to try potty-training Macy. Since she is all about the accessories and cute clothes, I felt that the best way to motivate her would be to talk up the big girl panties. We went to Target and she picked out some very cute Hello Kitty panties and panties with little birdies on them. As it turns out, the only way I can get her to actually wear the panties is by putting them on OVER her diaper.

When I finally convinced her that panties are more fun worn without the diaper, she peed on the floor. Twice. And the second time was about 65 seconds after she got up off the potty. But that’s okay, she’ll learn eventually, and when she does I know I can count on her to ~~boss~~ help teach Maddie how to do it too.

Maddie is just about to finish her first year of preschool. She has done amazingly well at school. She loves her teacher and all the fun things they do all morning. Miss Brittany will be a tough act to follow this summer, so hopefully Maddie doesn’t die of boredom staying home with Macy and me for the next few months! She has done so awesome in her occupational and physical therapy with M’Liss lately too. Today she climbed all the way to the top and back down of the 6-foot tall climbing wall! M’Liss was teaching her how to climb down by going up only a little way, but Maddie got brave and wanted to climb all the way to the top. On her way down she climbed (instead of her usual slide) with M’Liss spotting her, and even though her little thighs were shaking with effort she totally did it! Afterwards she was all hyper, like she had a runner’s high from the exertion and was all giggly and bouncing from swing to trampoline to climbing wall.

The girls and I played in the sprinkler for the first time this summer a few days ago and we all had a blast! Maddie would play in the water for a few minutes and then go do something else, but Macy stayed in the water until we turned it off. She had goosebumps and purple lips and the shivers but still wanted to play in the water more!

That’s it for now!!

I love you too Daddy

matt — Tue, 12 May 2009 19:36:25 GMT

As most of you know Madison has down Syndrome. It doesn't define her, it’s just something she has that makes her unique. Meag and I both have come to cherish the sweet moments we have with her where we try so hard to get her to do things, like the first time she walked, or the first sign or word.

Over the past several months when we do the bedtime routine (bath, brush teeth, read scriptures, say prayers) Meag and I will put the girls in their cribs and say “I love you Maddie, I love you Macy” and they both will say “I love you”. Two nights ago after a long day we did the bedtime routine and put the girls in their cribs and I said “I love you Macy…I love you Maddie”. Madison then quickly replied “I love you too Daddy”. She had never said it in that way before. I felt her love that much more. I love being a Dad!