Sam's Three Month Photo Shoot

Sam is officially three months old and I can't get enough of him. He has melted our hearts and he just belongs...you know?

Michael is the sweetest big brother. He is a huge help to me and I am so grateful to have him as my oldest.

James is a very nurturing soul. He will often be the first one to help Sam when he is sad and he loves to hold and play with him as well.

Anne adores Sam and she sings sweet melodies to him when he gets fussy.

Philip gives Sam kisses all day long and he loves to run to get Sam's binkie when he cries.

I love being a mom of a newborn with big kids in the house. It is very different then being a mom of a newborn with a bunch of little kids in the house.

I prefer this stage of mothering much more and I am so grateful for the opportunity to enjoy it all again...now with more knowledgeable eyes.

Holy Thick Hair Batman!

I bought new clippers this week. It is my third set. The first ones were given to me by a friend and they were on their last leg. So, once I figured out how easy it was to cut my boys' hair, I decided to invest in a brand new pair. Many, many, many haircuts later, the motor on the clippers just couldn't keep up. Especially on James' hair. It would get "bogged down" and make a terrible noise when I tried to run it through his hair.
So, I gave in and invested in a new pair. Here is the result of their first clippings.

The pile on the left belongs to James while the pile on the right belongs to Michael and Philip combined!

Hope these new clippers can withstand the thick hair on my second born.

Six Things I Miss About My Dad...

on the sixth anniversary of his passing.

1. His knowledge of everything mechanical...he knew how everything worked and there wasn't anything that he couldn't fix (or clean for that matter).

2. His love for my mom...my little sister Brenda and I used to fight over who got to sit by mom because we both knew that Dad would always get the other side.

3. His faith...one of dad's favorite scriptures is found in Job 19:25-26 "For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God."

4. His work ethic...he taught me that if something was worth doing, it was worth doing right...the first time.

5. His love of travel...we used to always stop at the most unique places so that a road trip would become memorable. We didn't have a lot of money when I grew up, but vacations were always a priority...even if we had to drive the whole way to California just to go to Disneyland for one day and then drive back home.

6. His love of the arts...dad loved music, plays, movies, art, good books, etc... Matt went to a concert last week and Devin commented that Dad would have loved to have joined him. Devin was right.

I miss you dad.

Five minus two equals missing you

Grandma and Grandpa came into town for Samuel's blessing and when they left they took my two big kids with them. The boys were absolutely ecstatic about being able to go visit at Grandma and Grandpa's house. James was even willing to miss the ever-anticipated field day at school, but I am not sure if it was the actual visit or the unaccompanied plane ride home that they were most excited about.

I am missing Michael's...
Helpfulness...now I have to do the dishes
Obedience...it is amazing how much I rely on my big kid
Hugs
Babysitting abilities
Negotiating skills when it comes to game time

I am missing James'...
Willingness to love on Sam every day
Constant chatter...funny how the things that drive you crazy are the things you miss
Whooshing noises and foot stomping everywhere he goes
Big smile and happy spirit
Good night kisses for the third time at night just to delay the inevitable

I am not missing the extra laundry these two create. :)

For Linda

Seven week old Sam

The flash made him sneeze...I couldn't resist taking a photo of it anyway. :)

Check out that dimple...I could eat him up.

Just Because

I'm going through our pictures and I thought this one was worth sharing. This was taken right before we left the hospital when Samuel was 2 days old.

Perspective

The human body is absolutely amazing and I feel truly blessed to have the ability to create and carry life. This baby took us a year and a half to conceive and I wasn't sure if it was ever going to happen again. I prayed and prayed for this child and was overjoyed when I finally got pregnant.

Then the reality of the pregnancy took hold...morning sickness, tired, achey, moody, and fat... and I turned into a big whiner. And now that it is all over? I feel extremely grateful for the opportunity to have carried Sam and I can't quite figure out why I thought it was so hard.

Perspective is a funny thing.

13 weeks

20 weeks

31 weeks

While in early labor, I had the state of mind to change clothes and get one last shot of my impressive belly. This photo was taken 10 hours before Sam was born.

37 weeks and 5 days

2 days after Sam was born.

Sorry about the pasty face, but I had a gnarly headache from my epidural and makeup was not on my to-do list. :)

My New Do

This haircut was long overdue. It has been six months since my last one and I was feeling extremely frumpy and shaggy. The curls are natural and I am loving the fact that all I have to do is wash, scrunch, and spray with hairspray. Really don't have time for the blow-drier right now.

Two Years Ago

This day is sacred to me. It is the day that we had hoped, fasted and prayed for. It is the day we discovered that we had been chosen to be Philip's family forever. Please enjoy this look back at two years ago...written May 6, 2008.

Philip is ours!!!!!!!!

We just received the call at 9:37 this morning. It was our case worker and she called to say that the committee had decided that Philip belonged in our family! Matt and I looked at each other and we both started to cry and say "yeah!" at the same time. We had kept the boys home from school so that they could hear the news and they were standing right by us when we found out. James jumped in the air and yelled, "Yeah, Philip is ours!" Michael was smiling so huge and we all hugged each other tightly. Anne was sitting in the other room when the call came, but she jumped in the air when she found out that Philip would be her forever brother. Which reminds me, Philip was sound asleep during the entire phone call, completely oblivious that his entire life had changed.

My words are insufficient to express my gratitude to my Heavenly Father. He has guided our hearts and prepared our home for this little boy. I have truly seen miracles in our lives...with our relationships and Philip's development. I know that this little boy was meant to be ours and that Heavenly Father was aware of him and preparing us for him before he was even conceived. I am overwhelmed at Heavenly Father's love for us...all of us. He truly knows us and He is capable of shaping our hearts into so much more then we ever dreamed possible.

Thank you so much to all of our sweet friends and family that have prayed for us during this time. We are so grateful for your love and support. Please know that we have felt your prayers and have been immensely comforted during this entire process.

I am quite literally overcome with joy!

For Now

I am working on the story of Samuel's birth...it's not finished, despite my having started it 4 days ago.

It may have something to do with the fact that we all feel a little bit like this around here.

Samuel at 12 days old