Let’s Get (Re)Acquainted

So I've joined the blogging world. I figured it would be a good way to keep up with the ever-changing and evolving lives of friends and family, and let you in on some of the moments of our family as well. I may or may not be very good at keeping up with it, but I'm going to try!
For starters, I'm going to use this post to catch you up on the more mundane aspects of our lives as a family.

Susan & Matt: Our story is a funny one. Well, maybe it's only funny to us. We originally met in 1999 while I was at a party my parents didn't know I was at (sorry Mom!). I had a boyfriend at the time. I'm not sure if Matt knew that or not. If he did, it didn't stop him from sitting next to me on a couch, talking with me, and proceeding to put his hand on my knee. Can you believe it?! Well, I immediately removed his hand and said, "Um, I have a boyfriend." He scooted a little farther away and said, "Oh it's cool. It's cool. We can just talk." Which we did. But we didn't see each other again until...
About 4 years later, I was dating the same boy as before, and Matt was working at Taco Bell with a friend of mine. I was waiting in the lobby for them to close the restaurant so that we could get to my friends' party (another party? surely not! HAHA!). Matt says I looked lonely and kind of sad sitting out in the lobby by myself. I don't remember feeling that way. Regardless, he threw a couple Hershey Kisses at me to cheer me up. I still have them. We had an instant connection and within months we were inseparable. We were married on June 11, 2005. We're currently living in Pembroke, VA, but we hope to get back into the Blacksburg/Christiansburg area in the next couple years.

Susan: I'm currently working at Virginia Tech in the Hokie Passport Office. I've been working there for about 5.5 years now. I like my job, and the people I work with, and I don't see myself going anywhere anytime soon. I turned 28 in July. I enjoy planning parties, especially bachelorette parties, bridal showers, baby showers, and kids' birthdays. I hope to do it a bit more professionally one of these days. Most of all, I enjoy being a mom.

Matt: He's been working for Quality Carpet Cleaning for about 7(?) years. He's an extremely hard worker. The company is responsible for cleaning several apartment complexes in Blacksburg, so they are at their busiest during the Summer. I think Matt is still searching himself for his true calling, and I know he'll figure it out eventually. He turned 30 in May. He enjoys playing the drums (just like his dad!), but he hasn't been in a band in awhile. I know he'd love to get back into it SOON. He's a FANTASTIC husband and father.

Abbey Louise: She was born in March of 2007. Abbey never went through much of the "Terrible Twos" but she is definitely a Defiant Three. She pushes her limits and thinks much more logically than I think a three year old should. She is full of love, laughter and kindness. Oh, and little mischief and attitude too. And I wouldn't have her any other way. Right now, some of her interests are: singing, dancing, reading, playing with her little sister, animals, pretend-play, Wonder Pets, Blues Clues, Imagination Movers, and Dora the Explorer (I don't care for Dora, but as parents we make sacrifices right?). She loves most fruits and vegetables, but getting her to eat any kind of meat that isn't in nugget or hotdog form is a challenge. Since she was born, I've called her my little bunny rabbit, and I think that describes her personality fairly well. She hops from one thing to another quickly and with enthusiasm. She's bubbly and cuddly. I'm still wondering how she got to be such a little girl and not a litle baby. Every day she appears more grown-up and it's going by too quickly!

Natalie Marie: She was born in June of 2009. She is fearless, strong-willed, and short-fused. She also loves to give hugs and kisses. She's my little bear cub. Full of cuddles, but watch out for claws! She is much more determined that Abbey was at her age. She loves playing with her big sister and learning from her. You can just see her saying to herself, "I know I can do that!" as she watches Abbey. She went from crawling to practically running within months. She's a good eater, but does NOT like many vegetables. She enjoys playing with the cats, playing with Abbey and Abbey's toys, looking at pictures, dancing (she can really shake it!), and playing in the water. Words she can say: Mama, Dada, Sissy (she can't do "Abbey" yet though), kitty, hi & bye (and waves too), woof woof, moo, and baby. She can show you where her eyes, teeth, fingers, hands, belly button, hair, ears, nose and toes are. She can follow directions very well. She understands A LOT more than she can say. She likes to look at books, but only on her own time. She doesn't sit and let you read to her unless she wants you to. Her favorite books are the ones with real photos of people or animals, and she also loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear.


And that's our family in a few short paragraphs! I hope to update often with much more interesting posts. I'm really hoping to capture and record some good memories, and funny things that these girls of mine say and do. I hope to entertain you as much as they entertain me every day!