Oklahoma is the place to be!

Maggie is having withdrawal--after spending a great weekend with her cousins Izzy and Max, she is missing them bad. The two of us traveled to Norman, Oklahoma to spend some quality time with our favorite Searcys. Michael was gone for the weekend and Andrew got to have some alone time at home in Texas. Maggie had such a great time with her cousins. She adores Max and Izzy. Max and Maggie, being only two months apart in age, are so fun together! They have such personality and spunk. It's funny to see what they pick up from each other too. Max likes to declare himself a "Hot Man." Maggie is now walking aroudn the house saying, "Max is a hot man--I'm a HOT GIRL!!"

It was just me, Amie, and the cousins. Oh, and some great dinners courtesy of Amie! Yummy! Now, here's a little fact about me--I don't cook. Not at all. I can't cook. Don't like to cook. Slightly embarassed that I don't, but, well, it is what it is. But Amie? Girlfriend can cook. She can whip up some potato pancakes and sloppy joes and make them a meal that leaves you wanting more (and trust me, I did). Oh, just delicious.

I am so lucky to have Amie as my sister-in-law. She and Andrew are 18 months apart in age. They are complete opposites in personality, with her the outgoing and him the introverted. And yet, they have a really good relationship. They can go months without talking, but within minutes together they can slip into a comfort like no other. I have joked over the years that they have their own language. The two get to talking and telling stories--they don't even finish their statements. They talk in half sentences and laugh like they completely understand each other. All the while, the rest of us are left looking on not understanding what just happpened or why it was so funny.

I have the deepest respect for Amie. She is an amazing mother, supportive wife, and an inspiring person all together. She is fun and funny, yet gentle and kind. She's creative--making books with her kids pictures, putting together a family scrapbook with questionnaires for all the family members, and finding fun activities to do together as a family. In her church, she is a leader of the "young women's group," leading the girls ages 12-18. I had the chance to sit with teh young women on Sunday morning. These girls were completely at ease and comfortable with Amie. And you could tell that she genuinely cared for them.

If that weren't enough--she has created a toddler music time at the nursing home! Genius really--as Amie is a children's music teacher with fun songs and manipulatives, Amie has a great repretoire of tunes. She has a group of friends that come to the nursing home once every two weeks for a thirty minute toddler music session. Maggie and I went yesterday morning. As we walked in, about two or three older ladies were sitting on the couches in the main sitting area. They immediately perked up at the sight of Maggie and Max, and one exclaimed, "Oh, the babies are coming today!" Within a few minutes, several more ladies from the nursing home began filing in to sit around the living area. They were giggling at Maggie and Max and declaring them the cutest children they had ever seen. Amie set up her stuff for the music time, and other children started arriving. By the time music time began, we had a group of about ten or twelve older ladies, walkers parked to the side, and more than ten little ones under three. The kids danced and sang while the older women laughed and smiled. It was a magical thirty minutes. And all because Amie thought to bring that program.

So you see what I mean? A pretty incredible woman. I'm lucky to know her. Lucky that I have the chance to spend time with her talking about just about every topic. I'm glad that we have a mutual respect for each other and a special bond that I hope will continue way into our friendship. And I'm thankful that she is not only my SIL, but my friend.