Samuel

I am so grateful for our sweet, sweet Samuel. It was a bit overwhelming when he came just 10 months after our wedding day, but I wouldn't change a day of it. He has grown from an adorable baby (with colic) to a handsome young man (without colic!) I just can't thank God enough for this guy and what a gift he is to our family. He has taught us a lot as our first son, helped us a lot as a servant, and made us laugh a lot usually unintentionally.

As for the laughter, my favorite examples follow:
Every mom knows this, but it still surprises me how much time you spend picking out your child's name, and then you can't seem to remember what it is when you call them. For example, when Samuel was 3 and Josh 2, getting their names mixed up was an hourly occurrence. I would start to call Samuel "Josh" then switch in the middle and vice versa. I didn't realize how bad it was until Samuel, who had just learned what a nickname was, told someone that his nickname was Samuel, and his real name was "Ja-Samuel"!

One of Samuel's favorite things to do is to help in the kitchen. He thoroughly enjoys anything to do with cooking or baking. When he was 3, he stopped taking naps. We lived in an apartment so I needed to find a quiet occupation for him while his brothers were sleeping. We started making stuff in the kitchen. I would ask Sam for an ingredient, measure it and then give it back to him to pour in the bowl. Once when I asked for All-Purpose Flour and then handed it back to him to pour, he stood in stunned amazement. He grabbed the bag it had come from and looked inside. "Why isn't it purple?!" he asked. "Because it's white. Why did you think it would be purple?" I responded. "Because it's all-purple flowers!" he said. Even after I tried to explain, he just looked at me like I was the one who didn't understand.

As for serving, he's a real trooper. All I have to do is say "Ugh!" and he's there to help. (It doesn't hurt that he's nosey, too!) Whenever someone at the dinner table mentions that they need salt, milk, a napkin, etc., he's there immediately with whatever they need. To be honest, he inspires me more than anyone in this area. He just loves to help people. The most dramatic examples of his servanthood come when we are sick. A couple of years ago when we were all sick with some funk. Samuel (with the immunity of steel) took care of all of us by getting drinks, changing Gabe, fixing food, getting pillows and blankets, anything we asked! Shortly after, when the little guys were still sick, but Matt had gone back to work, Samuel was still my right hand man. He was bathing his brother when he mentioned that his ear hurt. Since we were going to the doctor anyway I asked Dr. Green to look at his ears. Dr. Green checked him and said he had a very severe double ear infection. I know what those feel like and can assure you, I would not have been cheerfully bathing and caring for my little brothers in that condition.

Thanks Samuel for being a faithful servant, who loves God's word (he's farther along in his Bible reading plan than I am!), worships passionately, serves his family, puts up with a lot of joking from his little brothers, works diligently in school, and makes life more joyful! Happy Birthday, Son!

please comment on things you love about Sam.

Warranty's Up

I'm changing my toddler's sheets yesterday and notice that the crib mattress has an 8 year warranty on it. I remember when we bought that mattress I thought "Why in the world would a crib mattress have an 8 year warranty? Who uses a crib for 8 years?!" Well, now I know. The mattress is over 9 years old and we're still using it!

Welcome . . .

to the Land of Hand-Me-Downs!!

Noah wanted to play outside today in sandals. Last year's sandals no longer fit. So he asks:
"Do I have any sandals in the box?"
"What box?"
"The box in the garage."
"What box in the garage?" (OK, I admit; I'm slow.)
"The box where all our shoes come from."
Yes, folks we have a magical box in our garage where sandals, dress shoes, and even cleats appear just in time for growing feet. (And ironically they look an awful lot like the shoes their brothers wore just a few years ago.) We have magical boxes for coats, clothes, and hats, too!

The Zoo

We went to the zoo this week. Matt hadn't been in over a year so it was his first time seeing the new Kid's Cove. When they showed him the pretend cow you can "milk", Noah briefed him on it.





"It's not a milking cow. It's a watering cow!"


















We learned about the tortoises.

and watched the bird show.

Rub-a-dub-dub Three Boys in a Tub

The Park (II)

A few more pictures because

they're just so cute!

The Park

A trip to the park was on schedule for today. Below are some of my favorite pictures. You should be able to click on them for larger versions! (note I said "should")































Actually, I had more favorites, but I'm having technical difficulties and will try again later!

My Little Nephew!

Here's some new pictures of Paul! Isn't he a cutie?

Our Flower Garden

Mom and Dad came over to help us get a fresh start in the flower garden. Last evening we tackled some holly tree stumps that were cut down before we moved in but keep sprouting. (We'll see in a few weeks how we did.) This morning we planted and mulched. As you can see, we had lots of great help!

Quote of the Week

Noah is really on a roll today!

Me: What are mommys for?
Noah: To love . . . and to keep the house.
Me: Do you mean mommys are for you to love.
Noah: No, mommys are to love me.

Just warms your heart, doesn't it?

Question of the Week

Noah: Mom, if you had two heads, could you remember better?
I guess he thinks I need some help in that department!

Busy Bees

While we were paying for our strawberries, the farmer told us about a swarm of bees that had come in just a couple of hours ago. They came in like a big, black cloud and were looking for a place to "set up housekeeping" so to speak. Fortunately, he has a number of hives set up and had more spaces for them to use. He was going to raise a pallet up to them on a forklift to try to tempt them in - a space for rent!

Spontaneity, Strawberries, and Suzanne

Well, I'm not a very spontaneous person (right Terrie?), but when I saw Shelley's post on ripe strawberries at the Fruit and Berry Patch, I took off. Well, I didn't actually take off. I called my mom to see if she wanted to go - because the only strawberries I've ever picked before were in our backyard with mom or dad; I called Suzanne to see if she would keep Gabe - because he's a strawberry stomper not a picker; I fed the kids breakfast; did the dishes; made some phone calls; dressed Gabe; checked directions; searched for my camera; searched for batteries for my camera; loaded the van with some things I needed to take to Suzanne's house and then (2 hours later) took off!! Talk about spontaneity!

The strawberry patch was perfect. The weather, the fruit, the kids, mom - It was a blast. My favorite part was that Joshua went cheerfully to pick strawberries for the rest of us, even though he doesn't like them. Let me rephrase that - He didn't like them. After we picked for about 10 minutes, Noah and Sam were already asking to eat the strawberries. I told them they could have a couple, but after that they would have to wait until they had been weighed. Noah was praising them so effectively that Joshua just had to try one. The only strawberries he had eaten recently were store bought and not very tasty. He was so surprised when he bit into one that he exclaimed, "Wow, these are a lot better than home-made!" I guess he thought I had made the store bought ones and obviously had not done a good job.

Well, the thing that really helped make the day a success was Suzanne being willing to keep Gabe with Henry and Jonathan for the morning. Not to mention that she also had lunch ready for us when we came to pick him up. Definitely a spontaneous gal!