What a great few days...

We have had a great few days with Mr. Markus (actually, all of our days with him are great, but the last few have been extra special).
On Thursday, MJ and I had the opportunity to get together with a dear old friend of mine, Tami, for coffee. We had a neat time of fellowship and catching up, and MJ was a champ while we chatted and drank coffee. After our coffee date, MJ and I headed to a doctor's appt for me in Seattle (no, I am not pregnant :) ) where, even though we waited for 40 minutes to get back to see the doctor, MJ was happy as a clam. He was in the Bjorn, and I think he smiled at every person we walked by. I can't tell you how many people at the hospital commented on what a precious and happy baby I had. My doctor even called in another doctor and staff member to see him. After our appt, we headed to downtown Seattle (my favorite place) to walk around in the sunshine and shop. We bought daddy a present and MJ some winter things. All the while, MJ continued to smile at every passerby. Again, many people commented on MJ and his happy disposition. I realized what a ministry of encouragement this little dude of ours already has, and it warmed my heart to no end. After a great day in Seattle, we returned home to welcome the Clay family for dinner and games. They are a delightful family that we grew close to in Lynden and miss terribly. We had an awesome time passing MJ around (he got lots of hugs and kisses) and catching up on life. This is a family that I look to as a model of what I would like ours to be like. The siblings esteem and encourage one another and respect and love their parents. They are a family that LOVES to be together and really prefers each other. Their daughter, Cami, a high school freshman, stayed us while the rest of the family headed to a hotel. I can't tell you how refreshing it was to have breakfast this morning with a young lady that 1. is pursuing the Lord and 2. calls her mom her best friend. It was a delight to chat with her and fall in love with her and her family even more. The rest of the family joined us for more fun and games and hugs and kisses and cuddles after breakfast. Jim and Megan are two people that really get what it means to serve the Lord and serve their family, and they are a tremendous encouragement to us. Their boys are super fun too, and it was fun to watch Mark enjoy them and know that he will enjoy Markus like that too when he is older. We were sad to see them leave. After they left, MJ took his second of two TWO HOUR NAPS today- this in and of itself is a miracle. When he awoke, he was super smiley and we had some wonderful M, K and M time together. It's amazing just how much joy this little man brings to our home.
I leave you with a few photos of the little guy sitting on his own-he is doing so well with this! Thank you Auntie Anna for the adorable outfit! Also, the pic of him sleeping with Mark is very grainy because I took it in extremely low light and then photo shopped it so you could actually see it. I just really think it captures a precious moment between the two of them. Tomorrow, MJ turns 6 months... it's going so fast.