The Sweetest Thing!

Shelby just woke up and called her daddy to tell him that he's a great daddy.  What a sweet little girl!

Tummy Time

This little girl seems to tolerate tummy time much better than her big sister did!

Too Cute Not To Post

Hiking in Heber

We did some hiking in Heber Springs today.  We hiked this particular trail while camping last year.  Shelby did even better; she is becoming quite the outdoorsy girl!  Channing carried Katelyn in the Snugli.  She got pretty fussy whenever we stopped moving.  We're wondering if it was because she was facing Daddy's chest.  Hope that's it...we want her to enjoy hiking too!

Reading Together

I am thankful that both of our girls enjoy books.  Some friends from church gave Katelyn this book that will "read" the book for you.  Katelyn loves the illustrations, which are actual photographs rather than drawings.

Tuckered Out

Shelby still takes a nap most afternoons. Usually, she'll sleep an hour or so and be ready for the rest of the day.  Today, though, I noticed she wasn't her usual perky self.  I sat down on the couch with her, and turned on the television for her.  This is what happened minutes later.

Katelyn at Three Months

Little Miss Creativity

Shelby has been incredibly creative lately!  She likes to make "people" using her beaded necklaces and other toys.  Here she is laying in the floor next to a recent creation.  She used both pieces of a plastic hamburger bun for eyes, and plastic potato chips for the shoes.

Daddy's Girl

Shelby loves her daddy to pieces.  She will go on and on about how wonderful he is, how cute he is, and how she loves being with him.  I am so thankful that these two are so close!  What a blessing it is to have a husband who is so good at being a daddy to little girls!

Katelyn's First Baby Doll

Isn't this such a sweet picture?!  Shelby picked this little doll out for Katelyn while I was pregnant.  It has been a huge hit so far.  Katelyn holds this little doll like this pretty much every time it's in the swing or bouncy seat with her.  I think this girl is going to love dolls just as much as her big sister does!

My Greatest Joy

It is such a joy to see these two girls together! They obviously love each other so much. Watching my girls interact is definitely one of the greatest things I have ever seen.

Shelby loves playing with Katelyn!

Here's how I found Katelyn and Shelby this morning...

Sweet Smiles

Shelby's New Piggy Bank

Shelby got a new piggy bank while we were in Memphis.  She's been using my old Cabbage Patch Kids one.  We'd decided that the CPK's eyes were "creepy" and had put the bank in the closet a while ago.  Shelby picked out this cute one at Target.  She is so excited!!

The First Mathis Great-Grandchild

Justin's baby, Layne Ashton, was born on June 16.  Layne looks a lot like his daddy, and is one precious little guy.  Brook and Layne came for a two-week visit.  We all got together at Nunda's to see Brook and meet baby Layne. 

*Justin left for Afghanistan the week before Layne was born, so he has only seen pictures of his son.  Please pray for this sweet family as they are separated.

Cousins

Katelyn and Morgan

Layne and Katelyn are only a month and a day apart!

(Katelyn - 5/15 and Layne - 6/16)

Shelby, Layne, Katelyn, Morgan

Papa's Baby Girl

Our Little Fish

Shelby loves going swimming these days!  Too bad Aunt Nunda and Uncle John don't live closer.  We would be there every weekend if they did.

Visiting Friends in Heber Springs

The girls and I visited a good friend of mine and her children today in Heber Springs, since they were in town visiting Annie's parents.  The kids played great together, as usual.  Annie and I even had a chance to get away from the house by ourselves for a little bit.  It is such a joy to be with this dear friend, and see our children as friends too!

Pray for Justin

Justin is serving in Afghanistan right now.  He left in June, and is scheduled to be gone for a year.  Please be praying for Justin's safety.  We appreciate your prayers!

My Favorite Four Year Old

Katelyn is Two Months Old!

Princess Party

Shelby as Snow White

(This is the dress Aunt Nunda got Shelby for Christmas)

Brianna and Shelby

Mallory and Shelby

Craft time with Ms. Dixie and Natalie

Weekend in Texas

We spent the past couple of days in Texas, visiting Channing's family. Katelyn had a cold, and we ended up coming back this afternoon rather than tomorrow morning, as she was really having a rough time. Unfortunately, leaving earlier than planned meant we didn't get to see everyone. Channing's mom had a wonderful barbecue dinner planned with most of the family, and moving it to lunch wasn't convenient for everybody. We hope to see Channing's brothers, and some other family members next time. 

We did get to spend a good part of yesterday with Channing's dad. Kim took the day off work to spend time with us, which we really appreciated. Katelyn loved meeting Memaw, Popaw, her aunts, and several cousins. Shelby certainly enjoyed being with everyone too!

For some reason, I'm not able to put enough space in between these pictures for captions. So, here goes an explanation for all of them...(1) Shelby gets a big kick out of Popaw's beard. It's longer everytime we see him! (2) Katelyn started getting fussy, so Popaw started singing old hymns to her. I think she liked it, because she wasn't fussing when he was singing. (3) We were so glad Chan's sister, Kim, spent most of Friday with us! Shelby loves Aunt Kim to pieces. (4) Kim's daughter, Tara, came over both days we were there. Shelby thinks her cousin is pretty great! (5) Aunt Angela gave Shelby a "horsey-ride" all over Memaw's back room. I heard her laughing over and over! (6) Memaw, Chandler (Tara's son), and Tara hanging out with Katelyn

Sisters

Shelby and Katelyn are already buddies! Shelby loves holding, talking to, and playing with Katelyn. And Katelyn loves watching her big sister. I get such great pictures of the two of them. They are precious!

All Smiles

Katelyn is such a happy baby! She smiles so often, melting everyone's hearts.

Sleepy Katelyn