In Awe of In-laws

It was brought to my attention today by my wonderful SIL Nick that I have neglected to mention my son-in-law and daughter-in-law in my descriptions of my family. And this is an egregious oversight, because these 2 are very much a part of the family! Nick has been around our family now for close to 10 years - he and Dana met at college when she had barely been there a month. She brought him home to meet us a few weeks later, and we were a bit skeptical at first because she had mentioned to us that Nick was an ATO. Now, back in the prehistoric times when my hubby and I met at the same university the ATO's were not a bunch of guys you would want hanging out with your beloved and only daughter! However, upon meeting Nick we were so glad to find out that he was a very nice, polite, smart and fun fella from a small town in TN. In fact, the more we learned about him the more we liked him. He has fit in with our crazy crew from the start! And when it became apparent that Dana wanted to marry Nick, and he asked for her hand, we were all so glad to welcome him into our family with open arms. Nick is a fantastic father to Ansley and Ellie and loves our Dana with his whole heart - who could ask for more?

A few years after Nick came into our lives, our son Matt brought a beautiful girl named Lexie home to meet us. Now for you mothers of sons out there in blogland, perhaps you have realized that boys don't bring girls home nearly as often as girls bring boys home. For some reason the boys are always hanging out at the girl's house, which means that the boy-moms don't get a chance to know the girlfriend very well. Such was the case with Matt and Lexie, but we knew when we met her that she was a very sweet and bashful girl who made Matt happy. As their relationship progressed and they got married and created their own family with Isabelle and Ava, we have watched Lexie grow more confident in herself and her place in our family. She and Nick are always kidding each other about being the favorite in-law, but the truth is that there can't be a favorite when they are both such fantastic people! One of the things I love about Lexie is her incredible faith, and how she is showing Matt a better way to live his life through her faith in God and His plan. She never thinks she has talents but God has blessed Lexie mightily in so many ways!

So, I am in awe of my in-laws. They have enriched our family with their love and their laughter and their faith, and they have helped provide us with the precious pixie-girls. What mother-in-law is more blessed than me?!? Hugs to you both, Nick and Lexie...

Lana