This Boy

Have I told you about this boy yet? 

Two of Matt's and my best friends, Chris and Dawn, have struggled with fertility issues over the years. Yet, God saw fit to give them this little blessing:

And later, this one:

As they waited on this little fella, they prayed for him by name. They prayed that God would bless them with a child, a son, who would be named Boaz. 

You may be able to imagine how much our friends delight in their children. They waited for a long time, cried, prayed, waited, hurt deep in their hearts over wanting a child and desiring God's blessing of a special gift. Then God moved. Once and then again. What joy these little ones bring to their parents' hearts. Now, they are praying for another of God's gifts and they are waiting.

In the meantime, I wonder if they had any idea how much this little guy would bring joy to my husband's heart. After a long hard day, especially the particularly grueling ones, Matt peruses his Facebook wall and suddenly I hear him laugh. There are other causes for his laughter at times, but most often, he's seen a new Boaz picture and it brings him joy.

Recently, Dawn needed me. She had to be in this part of the country a couple of days for school and was bringing Boaz. Matt was completely supportive of me taking the day trip to help out (as he always is when it comes to being there for friends--I love that man!), so off I went for a visit with my friend and her boy and kept Boaz when she was presenting the defense of her dissertation. These are some of the sweet pics of me with our little buddy: 

I took them thinking Matt would like a picture of two of his favorite people together. :) After sending him one, I received little response. When I arrived home, he asked if I had any pics of our little nugglar. In retrospect, I realized I was impeding Boaz's charm by not taking shots of him in his natural element. This is a sample of some of Matt's favorite Boaz moments: 

 It all began when B started smoking green beans...

 And then moved on to asparagus...

 The pickle is one of the all time faves...the many faces of Boaz.

The boy caught red handed sneaking his sister's nuggets...Matt dubbed him the nugglar :)

 

Rubber ducky, you're the one...that's not food.

 Lest you think all his faves are food pics...he likes the gut too.

The nugglar strikes again: Matt says he needs a mask and utility belt for all his dipping sauces.

 

It's been said for years the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Apparently, Boaz makes his way to Matt's heart through his own stomach.