My Sweet One Year Old

Can you believe it? Madelynn Joy turned one on Monday! My sweet little baby is growing up so fast. For several months Maddie has been the world's fastest crawler, and on her first birthday she began to walk! She holds her sweet little arms in the air as she waddles across the room. I am so blessed! Little Nehemiah Taylor will be here in a few weeks and I am awestruck that our great God would bless my amazing wife and I with our wonderful life and our beautiful children.

This is a picture of Madelynn and I at a park called Rock Glenn in Canada. We have had a busy summer and it is quickly coming to a close. Blogging is again in my vocabulary! I am excited to share all the Lord has been doing lately in our lives. Kelli and I celebrated 4 years of marriage on August 14th! I am the luckiest man in the world. Thank you Lord for your goodness.

Be Joyful Always

How is it that my little baby girl can get so sick and still be so sweet and fun? Maddie Joy has had a double ear infection and tonsillitis for the past couple of days. She has had a fever anywhere from 101 to 103.9, and yet she still smiles, laughs, and attempts to act normal in spite of how she feels. I never thought that my little girl would begin to set an example for her daddy at such a young age. Whenever I get sick, I complain and need 100% of everyone's help and attention to get me through the time that I am sick. I guess the question is, "Who is really the baby?" Anyway, Madelynn is doing fine today and I praise God for healing her little body. 1 Thess. 5: 16-18 says, "Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God will for you in Christ Jesus." The last thing I am is joyful when I do not feel good, but I have been challenged this week by my sweet baby girl's smile during her sickness, to be more aware of my attitude. God is good!

The Love of My Life

I know for several months I have shared and bragged on 2 of the many things that I love in my life: Madelynn Joy and my little Italian sports cars. Please don't be mistaken...Kelli, my wife, is truly the love of my life. Sometimes I just want to pinch myself to make sure that I am not in a dream. This August, Kelli and I will have been married for 4 years! However, I have known her for over 15 years! I remember telling my cousin when I first saw Kelli and her sisters, "Wow, Kelli is definitely the most beautiful." Who would have known that 12 years later she would be my bride? I am so blessed!
I have the most amazing wife in the world. She is the most fun, easy-going, lovable, and exciting person to be around. She loves the Lord and is full of life! Her joy is obvious, and her smile is the most beautiful I have seen. You can get lost in her big blue eyes, and her laugh is contagious. She never meets a stranger and loves each person she meets. She is truly one-of-a-kind, and I have the privilege of spending my life with her! God is so good. I love you Kelli! Thanks for putting up with me and for being the most incredible wife, mother, and friend a man could ever ask for.

Go-Go-Gadget Arms

It is hard to believe that our sweet baby girl is already crawling, pulling up on things to stand, and getting into anything and everything she can reach or grab. Wow, do babies grow up fast! Madelynn Joy is the fastest crawler I have ever seen. You can blink and she is already across the room. She also has what I call a "Go-Go-Gadget reach". This little girl can reach just about anything if she twists her body a certain way. Kelli and I are really gonna have to child-proof the house soon. For example, Kelli found Madelynn behind the TV a couple days ago! It seems like she stays under our coffee table, or most recently, stands holding the side of it grabbing everything she can reach. How do you help but smile when you see her sweet expression as she has accomplished reaching everything on the coffee table?
Last night, I took Kelli out to dinner for Mother's Day. We took the first available seating and were blessed after a few minutes to be seated in a booth. The only problem was that they do not allow high chairs beside the booth for traffic reasons, so Maddie Joy had to sit in her first booster seat. We barely secured her little body, but we successfully made it through dinner with no major spills or catastrophes. Until...I was holding her in the booth as Kelli was getting her things ready to leave...and then...it happened...Madelynn's Go-Go-gadget arms reached past me and grabbed my 3/4 full cup of coffee and spilled it all over us! It was not scolding hot, but it was pretty warm as it soaked my left leg, the bottom of my shirt, the table, and of course, Madelynn's left leg and tennis shoe. Thankfully, we were not burned! It was a little embarrassing walking out of a nice restaurant soaked with coffee, but I was still a proud Daddy carrying my baby girl with the same leg also soaked with the same coffee.

Oh brother, can I still get most of the attention???

It's true! Sweet Madelynn Joy is going to have to share some of her attention with her little Brother, Nehemiah Taylor. We found out that we are officially having a boy this past Thursday. Praise God! I do think that Madelynn is going to have a difficult time sharing her spotlight. She loves attention and gets it wherever she goes. If it is not her sweet contagious smile, it is her loud boisterous voice. She never meets a stranger! I cannot believe how blessed I am! Now, I have a "little Miah" who will be here in September.
Kelli and I have talked about names for a boy now for a couple of years, and we decided against having a Jeremiah Taylor Oliver II or a Jeremiah Taylor Oliver Jr. So, we opted for Nehemiah Taylor! Our sweet boy has a strong Bible name and still carries his dad's middle and last name. I still can't believe it...a girl and a boy 13 months apart in age. The love that Kelli and I have for our children is already overflowing! God is good.

"Fix It Again Tony"

I always said that I would never own a Fiat Spider simply because of its high maintenance factor. They have actually been nicknamed, "Fix It Again Tony", or as I call them, "Fix It Again Tomorrow". Either way, Fiats are known for their little electrical problems and reoccurring mechanical issues. I guess you can say that they can be a bit temperamental. Above is a picture of Betsy, my 1979 Fiat Spider 2000. I have owned Betsy now for almost 8 years, and surprisingly, she has been a good and dependable daily driver. There is just something about how these little Italian sports cars drive. They are quite peppy, good looking, and just plain fun to work on.
Fiats have been a large contributor to my learning patience, dealing with people or things that require high maintenance, and my ability to manage the many things in life that are temperamental. If you are impatient and need help in that area, maybe you should consider buying a Fiat. They are a blast to drive and a pretty cool way of learning how to deal with the challenges of life that require patience and perserverance.
By the way, I am grieved to say that Betsy will go up for sale in May. She has taught me a lot over the past 8 years, but it is time to pass the baton to someone else who needs to learn these lessons.

From Sitting Up to Saying, "Dadda"

Isn't it amazing how quickly babies learn and grow? I am truly wowed by Madelynn's continual advancements. She just turned 7 months old on March 18th, and she already sits-up, rolls over, and can say, "Momma and Dadda". I have to humbly admit that she did say "Momma" first, but as of this past Monday she has added "Dadda" to her sweet little vocabulary. I think that it is safe to say that our little girl just might be a surgeon or maybe a lawyer someday. Her dexterity is very above average and her speech is ever improving! Did I mention she is only 7 months old? How did I ever deserve the privilege of raising this sweet little blessing?