Merry Christmas to you all

Matthew just loved Christmas this year!!! On Christmas Eve, we had some friends over for brunch which was fabulous---the kiddos did a great job of playing on their own!!! That afternoon, we celebrated Matthew's friend's second birthday! Christmas Eve evening we went to church for an outstanding kid service...Matthew had so much fun! He especially liked the music and glowstick aka candle! He did a great job of sharing his fruity cheerios with his friends around him...way to go, Matthew--we're so proud of you!

Santa Cow

Matthew LOVED going to see Santa Cow at his favorite restaurant, Chick-fil-A this weekend! Santa Cow got many hugs and kisses AND many visits from Matthew!

Frosting Fun!!!

This past weekend, we went to a friend's birthday party and discovered Matthew loves trampolines and red frosting! We also had some friends over to decorate sugar cookies and as you can see, Matthew really enjoyed just eating the cookies :) Like mother, like son!

Yes, it SNOWS in Arkansas!

It is what we once called a "dusting" of snow but yes, in fact, Arkansas does get snow :) We even saw some neighbors sledding! Winter Wonderland???

Lights of the Ozarks

Matthew loved the lights of the ozarks on the Fayetteville Square this year! He especially liked the pony ride and running around the square with his parents chasing after him! What a magical night of all of us :)

Stay Family Pictures

Our good friend took our family pictures about a month ago at the Shiloh Museum in Springdale! Matthew had a great time running around and playing with everything there and our photographer friend did an awesome job of chasing after him to get some great shots that really capture his personality! We love you, Matthew and all of your energy!!!

Matthew Loves Animals

Matthew was invited to a friend's birthday party at Gentry Zoo in September and he absolutely fell in love with ALL of the animals there! I think he got closer than his mommy or daddy did to most animals! Matthew, we love your heart for all of God's creatures!

Hayrides to Halloween

Matthew has discovered how much he LOVES sugar of any kind! Halloween has been a special treat for him!

Matthew's 2nd Birthday Party

Matthew turned two on September 21st! He absolutely loves anything that involves a ball or an animal! He has taken an interest in coloring and still loves to read books, especially Baby Einstein or anything by Sandra Boynton! His true passion is still music! His teachers at Fellowship tell us that he loves to "help" the music teacher conduct class and loves to play any kind of instrument! He also loves to dance around! We love you, Matthew!

While Mommy's Exercising...

On Monday and Wednesday mornings, while I'm participating in Body and Soul at church, Matthew gets the opportunity to be involved in a bunch of fun activities at church that he just loves! Of course, music time is his favorite :) He colored this picture of creation day with purple and green! I just love the giraffe he made :) Our little boy is growing up too fast!

It's raining, it's pouring all the Stay's are playing...

Today, David took the day off from work and we decided to head to Matthew's favorite place...the park! The rain did not slow us down one bit...we had a great time :) We went home soaked and covered in mud!

July...Our Month of Travel--- 2,400 Miles Later

During the month of July, we traveled from Northwest Arkansas to Des Moines, Iowa where we stayed overnight on our way up to Minneapolis! We spent the fourth of July weekend with family and friends! Matthew's Uncle Jeff got engaged the week before we got there and we were able to say Congrats to him and meet Irene! After that, David and I traveled to Chicago while Matthew stayed with his Grandpa and Grandma B (thanks Mom and Dad for our little getaway)! David and I stayed downtown at the Drake Hotel and went to see Wicked the first night we were in Chicago! The second night we spent touring our old stomping grounds in Evanston and met up with a few of our friends! We miss all of you :) We finished our vacation by hanging out with family in Minneapolis before meeting up with some friends in Kansas City! Whew! We had a fabulous vacation and are so happy to be home!

Pinewood Park

Matthew loves to play at the park! This past week, we met some friends at our subdivison's park and pool for the morning and Matthew had a blast both swimming and playing!

Lake Fayetteville

Saturday evening, the Stay family took a stroll around Lake Fayetteville and stopped at Veteran's Memorial Park for Matthew to play! For the first time, Matthew discovered there is more to a park than just swings! It was fun to watch him explore and try new things :)

21 months on June 21st

Our little boy turned 21 months over the weekend...it's so hard to believe that in just a few months, he'll be two years old! Oh my, where has the time gone??? Matthew loves playing outside and loves to go swimming! He likes to ring the doorbell and open and close the door on his playhouse, play t-ball with anyone who is willing, and loves to go over to our neighbors and look at their flag! Friends tell us that Matthew has a very big heart and is very easy going and of course, we agree :) He's such a blessing and we thank God everyday for him!

The Stays in Sarasota

David and I got the opportunity to travel to Sarasota this Spring with David's company! He earned Gold Cup this year so Grandma and Grandpa "B" came and stayed with Matthew while we relaxed in Sarasota! We stayed at the Ritz, ate many wonderful dinners, went kayaking, David went golfing and I went to the spa for the day, we saw the musical HAIR and just enjoyed spending time with each other poolside!

Father's Day!

We celebrated Father's Day by attending church and going out for brunch in the morning at Susan's in Springdale! In the afternoon, David went golfing with his buddy, Chris! That evening, we grilled out, went swimming, and opened presents! Whew...what a day--we had a blast!!! David is the best Daddy to Matthew and such a blessing to him!!!

Wedding in Minneapolis

Last weekend, we traveled to Minneapolis for David's brother's wedding! Curt and Joyce were married on Friday, June 6th downtown Minneapolis! David was so honored to be Curt's bestman :) Matthew enjoyed the ceremony by running around and the reception dinner eating chicken strips and fries! Of course, the cake was his favorite!