A Very Special Easter

Crucified, laid behind a stone,

You lived to die, rejected and alone.

Like a rose, trampled on the ground, you took the fall.

And thought of me...above all.

HE is risen indeed! Hallelujah!

We began the morning, Sam's first Easter, mine as a mother, with a visit from the Easter Bunny.  I think I'm really going to like that bunny.  He brought Sam new bath toys, some teething rings, egg rattles, and a light up frog.  He really understands my boy!

And, I'm pretty sure I spotted him this morning...right in Anamana's back yard!

We loaded up as a family and went to church where Michael W. Smith was our Easter guest.  The music was wonderful and moving and really helped us focus on the importance and significance of this great holiday.  Thank you Jesus for your sacrifice and may the significance of the cross never be "obscured" in my mind or in my heart.

Suzy hosted Easter lunch at her house where apparently the Easter Bunny had also hidden eggs for all the boys...with money inside.  He knows nothing makes a child smile like a pocket full of quarters!  For a change, we had a catfish fry with all the fixins, and it was YUMMY!  After lunch we all went and hunted for Easter Eggs.

Logan got the hang of Easter Egg hunting and got a bucket full!

 And, who knew that when you turn four, you become an egg hunt expert!?!  

Kayden had two buckets full of eggs by the time the hunt was over.

 Austin stuck with his momma who helped him hunt eggs.

 After the hunt was over, Sam counted his loot with a smile and Daddy caught a quick nap.

But, it was Cameron who was the prize egg winner this year!  

He found the five dollar egg!

 Sam and Grammy couldn't help but laugh when Michael did the 

Karate chop game behind the camera.

And, everybody knows Kimmie always has chapstick on hand when you need it.

From kite flying, to scattered showers, to rockin in the swing after a great meal, this Easter was definitely one to remember.  We are so blessed to have a wonderful family to celebrate our risen Lord with.

Earth Day

Kimmie had a great idea to celebrate and remember Sam's first Earth Day...plant a tree and watch it grow with Sam.  And, even better than having the good idea, she knew where to get free trees!  Lowes gave away one million Douglas White Fir trees on Earth Day, and now Sam is the proud owner of one of those trees.  They recommended we pot the tree for a year and then transplant to the ground, so Sam and Daddy put the little tree sprout in a pot and covered it with dirt.  Next Earth Day, we hope to find our tree a permanent home at CedarRock.  Here's our little man with his tree...can't wait to see what they both look like next year!

Samuel's Blanket

Samuel has a special blanket handmade my his grandmother, Kimmie.  She took the time to make him something special to celebrate his birth.  If you know very much about crocheting, you know is slow and methoidcal, can be very time consuming, and seems to be a dying art.  Sam's blanket from his Kimmie is handcrocheted with time and love.

Kimmie brought his blanket to the hospital to give to him on the day he was born.  We brought him home wrapped in it.  Now, he plays with his toys on it.  He loves it.  Everytime I look at it, I am thankful for special blessings and special people to love and care for Samuel alongside his dad and me.  We are blessed indeed.

Good Wednesday

In a couple of days it will be Good Friday, although I never understood why we call it "Good" Friday.  In my opinion there are several words I could think of to describe the torturous, gruesome, hateful and disgracing death of my savior...but "Good" is not one of them.

But, today will forever be known as "Good Wednesday" in my house, because it will always be the day I remember Samuel saying, "Ma-ma."  Ever since Sam was born Michael and I have had a running bet.  Instead of competing against each other to get him to say our own name first, we developed a new idea.  Whoever's name he said first had to take the other one out to dinner.  So, on any given day you could hear Samuel's competitive mother saying, "Say Dada."  I don't like to lose.  Then, his equally competitive father echoes with, "Say Mama."  Neither does he.

On and on this little friendly competition went...until today.  It was bath time and Sam had just started jabbering a little, and he began saying, "ama."  Since Daddy was out of town, I said, "Samuel, say Mama."  He looked and me and furrowed his eyebrow a moment...and said, "Mama."  Just like that.  I was so shocked he actually did it; I sat back and choked on my breath for a moment.  Then came a couple of happy tears.  I know he doesn't yet associate that word with me yet, but it was still so sweet to hear.  My father (and Dale Carnegie) always say, "A person's name is the sweetest sound in any language."  I've been called many names, but "Mama" is the best yet!

So, I owed Michael dinner.  He chose Chinese food, and I happily paid the bill.  Best bet I ever lost!

Sam Snapshot: 6 months

Sam had his six-month checkup and shots today.  Daddy was in town, so he joined us for the fun! Not.  I think this was the hardest round of shots I have been through.  Sam has had a nagging cough and now runny nose and eyes and has been just a little cranky lately.  In fact, he actually got a "stinker" report from school last Friday.  Needless to say, he was coming apart at the seams with his 4 shots he got from the nurse.  Daddy came through and took him straight to the car afterwards while I finished paperwork.  By the time I made it to the car, Sam was fast asleep.  Took it right out of him...and me.

The stats from his checkup were:

• weight: 19lbs. 11 oz. (85 percentile)
• height:  27 inches (85 percentile)
• head diameter: 18 inches

Over the past month, Sam has learned some new tricks:

• rolling over like a champ in every direction
• beginning stages of the army crawl, but he can only go backwards
• passing toys from one hand to the other
• sitting up without any help
• eating all kinds of baby food (he seems to love everything except carrots)
• laughing and laughing and laughing at the silliest things
• Oh, and he LOVES Caillou (I think it's that big bald head)

Here's a comparison of Sam and Caillou...practically twins.

Pictures: 6 Months Old

We took Sam to Jeannie Nicholson's house for 6-month/Easter pictures.  He was soooo good, until he was done.  Then it was a crying, drooling, snot-smeared race to pack up and leave.  Here are some of my favorites from Sam's latest photo shoot.

Happy Easter Everyone!  He is Risen!

Sam's New Trick: Snorting

Picture this: cute chubby baby with top lip snarled up toward nose, bottom lip curled down.  Then, once his lips are in position, he then inhales and exhales loudly through his nose at a rapid pace, closely resembling that of a charging bull...minus the steam they add in cartoons for effect.  For all of those who are short on imagination, here's a few pictures to guide your mental image.  He thinks it's histerical, does it all the time!

The Duck Tub

I'll be honest, when Katie, Jessica, and Amanda brought this big blow-up duck tub to my baby shower, I was a bit nervous.  We live in a pretty small house and storage comes at a premium.  I knew I wouldn't be able to use this tub for a while.  He would need an infant tub with soft netting and head support for a long time.  So, until he got older, this tub went in storage.

Well, now he's older, and we got out the duck tub to see what he would do.  Sam thinks it's his own personal Lay-Z-Boy and jacuzzi all in one.  He reclines back and rests his head on the duck tail.  He loves it!  My "Mommy friends" are the best!  They know what babies like!  Thanks again girls!

Church Clothes

Hi, my name is Jennifer and I'm addicted to consignment sales.  It's my sister's fault really.  She has been working and participating in consignment sales since Kayden was knee high to a grasshopper, so I was bound to get bitten by the bug.  Sam is blessed to receive lots of cute hand-me downs from his cousins Kayden and Cameron, but I have picked up some super cute deals at the spring sales too.  Here's a few of Sam's cute new outfits worthy of appearances at church...