Georgia Baby On My Mind

Potty Training Time...What Fun!

2011-07-27T06:41:00.001-07:00

Boy... am I glad we live in the country. We have recently started working hard with Samuel to potty train. Might I add that this is harder than it seems. I have learned so much by trial and error. Lots of errors I might add. Today he is running around in a pull up, Grandmama's flip flops and a fan around his neck. This sight mad me laugh so I had to take a picture.

Full of Emotions

2011-07-27T06:11:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a summer. You never know when you wake up what the day will be like. On this particular summer day we were going to have Aunt Jill and Ella's birthday party. Of course, we could not have the party on their real birthdays because of busy schedules. So we managed to plan the parties a week later. Mom was going to head to Walmart for the last minute party supplies while Samuel was down for his nap. Just as she left I got a call on my phone. She told me to wake Samuel up and come outside. I was not sure what I would find but I did as I was told. As we walked out the front door, I could barely see a tree that had fallen across the road. Now I am not talking about a twig or a branch I am talking about an entire tree. Seeing this made me have a wide range of emotions. I began to think of someone we could call to help us. There was no way that mom and I could cut and move the tree. Of course, we both thought man I sure wish Dad were here. Not only could he most defiantly move the tree but he would have fun doing it. Since we could not call Dad, we called my brother Cale. He came from work to help. He could not help us out without a tractor so he called a family friend to come help. Roger came but had to go get a tractor to pull the tree off. As he came back down the driveway I filled with emotions again. He was drive a big yellow backhoe just as my father had for years. I had to fight back tears. He of course was able to successfully move the tree. And you guessed right...Samuel wanted to ride. Roger was kind enough to ride Samuel back down the driveway. Again, I fought back tears....if only Dad were still here....Samuel could ride everyday.....

We made it to WalMart and back just in time for the party to begin.

As I was posting this today Samuel so sweetly looked at the picture and said "PaPa". Wow! For a split second I was ready to say "yes baby that is Papa" because it would have been a natural thing to see. And yes, Roger does look a bit like Papa. I again fought back the tears.

It has been almost a year and a half since Dad went to heaven. I think I have done well dealing with all the emotions that come with losing a loved one but somehow I am reminded daily of him and how much we need, love and miss him.

Yesterday, I read the book Heaven Is Real. It was a fantastic book about a four year old boy who went to heaven. I was reassured that I would see Dad again and that Dad would know Samuel and they too would meet in heaven. Man, I cant wait!

Happy 4th!!

2011-07-08T13:21:00.000-07:00

The 4th was a day spent eating, playing, and laughing with family. It was so great to have the entire family together. We had so much fun in the pool that even the watermelon went for a dive in the pool. Boy was that a bust. We were all hoping the watermelon would sink so we could see who could get the watermelon out. Instead the watermelon floated around with us. Oh well...maybe next year. We were going to head into town to watch fireworks but we decided to go buy a few instead. Samuel loved the fireworks. He enjoyed watching them in the sky but loved holding the little sparklers the best. I think he could have done it all night. I guess we will have to stock up for next year.

Did someone say FROGS?

2011-07-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

Samuel is a little unsure about the water this year. He likes the idea of going swimming but once there only likes to sit on the steps. For awhile he was content to sit and splash around...that was until he discovered the skimmer. He now knows that he can find all kinds of insects and frogs. Instead of sitting and splashing in the water he now wants to hold a frog. So.... each day when it is time to swim we get dressed in swimming gear, spray on the sunscreen and get a towel. We sit in the water (on the steps) for a few seconds and off he goes to find a frog. He then comes back with frog in hand to sit on the steps. He will occasional send the frog into the water for a short swim and then scoops him back up. He flips and turns the frog and will sit the frog on the side of the pool. He will repeat these over and over and over again until the poor little frog dies. Then and only then can I convince him to put the frog in the grass. But don't worry...he heads straight to get another one.

New Milestone

2011-07-05T12:23:00.000-07:00

Well, Samuel never fails to amaze me. We were heading to run errands the other day. I opened Samuel's door to help him into the car. As I opened the door, he begins to crawl in. As he was doing it, he said "I do it". I stood back to watch and to my amazement he climbed into the car and into his car seat. I was so shocked! It took me a few seconds to realize what had happened. All I can say is my baby is growing up. How sad!! Although I don't want him to grow up I must admit that it is nice for him to be able to do it by himself.

Important Sayings of a 2 Year Old

2011-07-01T06:15:00.000-07:00

My wise sister keeps asking me if I have written down all of Samuel's cute says. My answer is always...no not yet....I will. She continues to inform me that if I do not I will forget. Well, here goes my attempt to write down the cute way Samuel says things.

"Fip-Flops....I need fip flops...I put fip-flops on." And this continues nonstop until you put on his flip flops. Samuel is in LOVE with this flip flops. He wants them on the minute he wakes up each morning and will wear them ALL day long. He even wants everyone else in the house to put on their flip flops. If he can not find his flip flops that is fine too because he will just find the another pair of flip flops that belong to someone else and put them on. He will clonk around the house until he comes across HIS flip flops. If you remember several post back these same flip flops were the cause of his first bloody nose. These flip flops have been washed twice this summer because of the horrible smell they had and he has almost worn the bottoms completely away.

"I hold keys.....I mash buuuuttons......I beep the horororororn." Right next in line to his love for flip flops is his love for buttons. He loves to hold my car keys and make the horn blow. I love to hear him say "hororororn".

"I ride in mommy's cars." This is Samuel's code for "Please take me for a ride in your car." He always calls a car...cars. I am not sure why he puts the s on the end of it. I try to correct him so he knows how to correctly say the word but I must add that it is so darn cute.

"I need memote." is Samuel's code for "May I please hold the remote." He loves a remote. If you cant see the pattern here I will spell it out for you. The child loves anything with buttons (cell phones, house phones, car keys, remotes) that is an adults. He does not want the play keys, phones or remotes he wants the real things. He knows if it really works or not. He gets really mad if you try to give him the play junk.

"Mommy hold you." I am sure most children say this from time to time. Samuel will say this when he wants me to pick him up.

"I get ououououououout" This is what he says when he wants to get out of his car seat which is normally about 5 minutes into the ride. Boy am I glad we are not making this 3 hour trip back and forth from Ga.

"Bear, Papiece, muuuusic" If you lay Samuel down to sleep, you will hear these 3 things. He must have his bear, papiece and music. Once he has all three, he will go down to sleep without much fight.

911 What Is Your Emergency

2011-06-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

Samuel has recently started having conversations with people on the phone. (Might I add that these conversations are not with real people.) The conversation normally go something like this...."Hey. How are you? What you doing? Good. I at Grandmama's house." He then calls someone else. On Monday, Samuel and I went to visit B. Of course, Sweet Little B allows Samuel to play with her real, working cell phone. I heard Samuel on the phone having his normally conversation. As he got close to me I could hear someone talking back. I put the phone to my ear and I heard someone talking. I was so shocked that I did not give myself time to process what she was saying. I handed the phone to B. She said "Hello" and the lady very nicely says "911 what is your emergency". B was so shocked that she says "Oh, we are fine...no I mean we are REALLY fine." Man, am I glad that I caught him before the police, firemen, etc. arrive at her house expecting an emergency. Boy what a mess that would have been.

North Carolina Zoo Trip

2011-06-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

Boy does she like to have her picture taken!!! I wonder where she gets it from!!! Any ideas......

Samuel's favorite part was the helicopter. He kept saying "I ride the helcacockter". He did not want to get off. I had to pull him off screaming. Thankfully the zoo were not a lot of people there to see this event.

The elephants were my favorite. They played around the most. They both got into the water a played around for a while. Then they both got out and threw dirt on themselves. Too funny! Ella thought it was terrible funny! She is still talking about it.

I have never seen a white alligator before. The sign said it you looked into his eyes you would have good luck. I tried very hard....but he would not turn around!

We had to ride twice! It was so much fun!!!

Here we are riding the train. We tried to take some time to cool off! Boy were we HOT!

Ella posing for a picture. (Sorry this one got earsed!!! I hate it becasue it was a beautiful picture!)

He is all BOY!

Time for fun in the garden park. What a cute theme for a park

Trip to Children's Museum

2011-06-24T08:16:00.000-07:00

Ella and Samuel's special trip with Grandmama was to the NC zoo and children's museum.

Samuel enjoyed riding the car.

Ella had fun playing with the magnets.

Samuel's favorite was walking over the bridge. He must have done this 10 times.

They both enjoyed the music areas.

Samuel could not understand that the air made the ball float in the sky. He was so amazed.

I think their favorite part was the fish. They both just stood and watched. I have to admit. It was pretty cool.

After the day was over, we were all very tired!! They both were very well behaved.

VBS Friday Night Program

2011-06-24T07:58:00.000-07:00

Friday night we had the VBS parent program. Our class was down to 2 children by Friday night. Two of them were sick, 1 child could not come because her mom had to work and 1 had a melt down right before the show. So....Samuel was the only one there to sing. Of course, he did the song very well ALL week however, he did NOT do it for the program. The entire time he kept saying flea song, flea song. So...after My God is so Big we had to sing the flea song.

Ella also did a wonderful job. She smiled so pretty the entire time.

MariAustin did all of her dance just perfectly!!! She puts so much into her dance.

Special Time With B

2011-06-24T07:53:00.000-07:00

Since we have moved back home, we have been able to spend more time with Great Grandmother B. Samuel loves to visit and call B on the phone. On our last visit, Samuel had fun rocking in the small wooden rocker. Here he was giving us his smile for the camera face. Might I add that we got a WONDERFUL meal!!

VBS- New York

2011-06-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

This year was Samuel's first year of VBS. Aunt Jill, Grandmama and I helped with Samuel's class. We had 5 almost 2 year olds. Let me say...this was an interesting week. Jill and I had planned all these cute, fun activities. The children were less than interested and their interest lasted about 2 mins per activity.

Samuel was happy to just open and shut the door all day!

It was so fun to watch him interact with new friends. These two had fun with the pop up game. They both laughed ad laughed.

Now this was the highlight of the week. We had a stick that we carried into the morning rally each morning. The children could not wait for their turn. Samuel's day was Thursday. He was for excited and proud.

Here we go down to the rally.

Samuel sporting his Statue of Liberty hat!!!

Nite Nite Time

2011-06-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

John is a wonderful father he just does not always find certain routines as important as I do. I often send John and Samuel up after dinner to get ready for bed (bath, pjs, teeth, hair, bed, etc). Normally they do a fair job at completing the routine. The other night after about 45 minutes I went upstairs. I assumed that Samuel would be in bed by the time I got up there. However, that is NOT what I found. They were both in the floor rolling around. I guess that is what boys do!!! Samuel was having the best time.

Swimming With Old Friends

2011-06-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago we went swimming with two very good, old friends. My how times have changed. Cara, Kaysi and I have been friends since day care days. We are all grown up with children now, so we planned a day to have lunch and swim.
At first, Samuel wanted to do nothing but ride in the car. Yes...the pink car.

Now, let me set the stage for you a bit. There was a very big nice pool but the children all wanted to get in the blow up baby pool....go figure!!!!

By the end of the day everyone was enjoying the BIG pool and forgot all about the baby pool.

Luke even decided to jump off the diving board. Thanks for the great day Girls!!! And yes Cara we are glad that "your child" can count in Spanish!

John Deere Gator Time

2011-06-24T06:39:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago Samuel discovered Little Cale's Gator down in the shed. In case you have forgotten, Cale is now 9 years old. This means the Gator has been in the shed for at least 5 years. Samuel would not be happy until we pulled the Gator out of the shed. Of course it was very dirty and you guessed it....the battery was died. Samuel could not understand either of these. John and I, with Samuel's help, washed the Gator. We took the battery inside to charge.

After several days of charging...the time came. As you can see he already knew what to do!

Well, that was until he started heading for the rock bench. This meant Dad had to start running.

The rock bench was saved but the golf cart was not so lucky! Thankfully neither the Gator nor the golf cart were hurt.

The Gator was a hit for Samuel. I am sure many fun times are ahead!!

Broken Heart

2011-06-06T17:34:00.000-07:00

Well, tonight was the first time that I broke Samuel's heart. As he has begun to get older I am trying to give him a little more freedom to roam around the house. Normally if he gets out of sight he will bring you whatever he finds. Most of the time he gets someones shoes or phone. Tonight was a different story. Grandmama and I were cleaning up the supper dishes and John was upstairs watching tv. Samuel walked into Grandmama's room and was gone for a minute or two. I walked back to see what he was doing and he was holding an old photograph of Grandmama's parents. He had pulled the pictures off of the cardboard frame. I freaked out. I said his name very firmly. You should have seen the look on his face. He did not know what to do. John and Grandmama came to see what was going on. He continued to be very upset for several minutes. He did not get better until he was able to help fix the pictures. I felt so bad for him. It broke my heart to see him so upset and crying. He would have nothing to do with John or Grandmama. I am sure this will be the first of many times he makes me feel like this.

After he recovered, we went to water the flowers and ride the golf cart. We rode down the Uncle's barn. When we got there the little black kitten came up the Samuel. Samuel wanted to pick up the kitten so I showed him how. He was so proud of himself. When he sat the kitten down, the kitten would come back and touch his pawn to Samuel's leg. It was so sweet!! I think the was a good ending to a not so good night.

Life on the Farm

2011-06-05T20:52:00.000-07:00

Samuel has enjoyed being so close to family and the animals. Here he is pictured feeding and playing with Uncle's goats. Brownie is his favorite!!

We have only been here a week and it seems like our life in Ga is so far away. Today when I was showing Samuel the pictures from his egg hunt at daycare he could not or would not name his friends. Before we left, he could name all of his friends and teachers. It made me so sad. I realized that he will most likely not ever remember his friends and all the wonderful people we met during our time in GA.

Dont get me wrong, I am happy to be back but I do have a empty place in my heart. I met some of the most wonderful people during my 3 years in GA. I would even say I met many best friends. You all welcomed me and my family to a town, church, school, and daycare. I will never ever forget that. I will always be here for any of you who need me. I love you all and hope you will stay in touch.

I will be coming back very soon. I realized I left several items in storage so I must come back to get them. Yes, you can guess where you can find me.....HANNAH's. I will give you a date once I know more!!! Cant wait to see you!!!!!!

Boxes

2011-06-05T20:49:00.000-07:00

During the packing time, I wondered how long it would take for Samuel to realize he could climb on the the boxes. He did discover it! It did not happen until the last week we were in GA. I took this picture to send everyone. He was so proud of himself. I guess he had no choice after all I did pack all of his toys!!! There was nothing left for him to do.

Moving Back Home

2011-06-05T20:46:00.000-07:00

As you all know, we have moved back home to be closer to family. John took a job about 2 months ago back home. Samuel and I stayed in GA until the end of school. Samuel and I drove home each weekend to visit John. Each time he would say.."go see daddy". He was so excited to see him each weekend. I had to include a picture of his happy face.

Balloons!!!

2011-06-05T20:43:00.000-07:00

He loves balloons! He wants to buy one every time he goes to Wal-Mart and Ingles. We have to sneak by them every time. I am thinking we may have to to a balloon themed party this year. I can think of nothing he likes more!!!!

Shopping With Mom

2011-06-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Samuel loves to shop. His favorite part is telling everyone Hi. You have to watch him. He would talk to a stranger. Look at this face. This is his typically smile for the camera face.

First Birthday Party For A Friend

2011-06-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago, I took Samuel to his first birthday party. Well, we have been to family parties but not a friend's party. A little boy from daycare invited him to his 2nd birthday party. I must admit... I was worried. I did not know if I would know anyone. As it turned out I knew several people. There were bounce houses at the party. Samuel had never been in one before. He had so much fun. This may be an idea for his 2nd party!?! We will have to work on his jumping skills.

Dancing

2011-06-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

What can I say? The child loves music. He also likes to dance but dancing is not his thing. I guess he takes after his mother AND father. John likes to blame the bad dancing on me but.... In this picture he was also giving me a kiss.

Dressing Himself

2011-06-05T20:30:00.000-07:00

My sister told me once that you have to pick your battles. I thought to myself...my child will NEVER go in public unless he is dressed perfectly. Boy....was I wrong. We were leaving to go to dinner when Samuel says "BOOTS" when I gave him is boots he then said "HAT". He wanted to wear them both. After teaching 6 year olds all day, I did not have the energy to fight. I said here you go lets go and that is what we did!

Like Father Like Son

2011-06-05T20:28:00.000-07:00

A good friend of ours gave Samuel this lawn mower. We were on the porch with him one afternoon and he started working on it. He kept saying "I fix it" and " I work on it". If you cant tell, he even as a tool in his hand. I wonder if he grow up to be just like his dad?!

Playing the Piano

2011-06-05T20:26:00.000-07:00

Samuel enjoys playing the piano. Who knows...maybe he will be like his daddy. Boy does the child like music. We will have to see about taking lessons soon.

Easter Lunch

2011-06-05T20:05:00.000-07:00

After lunch we decided to take some pictures. However, you will see that it did not go so well.

Thanks Uncle for the bunny!!!

Bubbles!

2011-06-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Samuel has discovered the love for bubbles. Look at his face. I love to see him truly happy. It melts my heart.

Easter Morning

2011-06-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

Samuel waking up to see what the Easter Bunny brought him.

The Easter Bunny has COME!

Playing with Daddy and his new magna doodle.

Candy for breakfast......

Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma and Pa's church

2011-06-05T19:28:00.000-07:00

When we arrived, we were greeted by easter bunnies. Samuel found them very interesting.

He even got to hold an bunny.

Mom and Samuel got to play a game. I think mom got into the game more than Samuel. She likes to win.

Samuel was still after the bunny.

He won a prize for playing a game. He was into the tissue paper.

He has finally gotten into the egg hunt.

Easter Egg Hunt At Daycare

2011-06-05T19:11:00.000-07:00

The pictures are a bit out of order but you will get the idea. I was able to leave school for about an hour to attend the egg hunt. I was so happy to be able to go. It was so much fun to be able to go. I love watching him interact with the children.
This picture was taken after the hunt. The children were all tired by this time. They were ready to go inside for some cool air.

Samuel took some time out to eat some candy. I wondered how long it would take him to figure it out.

Samuel wasted no time filling his bucket!!!

Here We Go!

Spring Break

2011-06-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Over Spring Break, we took a trip to Savannah, Ga. We were walking around one day and found this cool water fountain. The children were running around in the water and we had to have part of the action. He got soaked. I did not have a change of clothes for him so he had to ride back to the hotel in just a diaper. You can see on his face that he had the best time.

After our time in Savannah, we headed to Fripp Island for a few days. We spent time at the beach, pool, and park. His favorite park activity was swinging.

Of course, we had to spend some time in a photo shoot! Mom is stilling trying to figure out how to use the new camera.

First Bloody Nose

2011-06-05T18:34:00.000-07:00

Samuel got a pair of flip flops at the beginning of warm weather. He LOVES them. He ask to wear them EVERYDAY and I admit I allow him to wear them. What can I say.....some battles are not worth battling. One of the first days he wore them he was running all over the house. He tripped and fell. When I went to pick him up, I discovered the blood. The fall however did make him fall out of love with his flip flops. He loves them so much he wants everyone to wear flip flops every minute of the day!!! It keeps him busy finding and delivering shoes to everyone.

Fire Truck

2011-06-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

Friends of ours had a yard sale in our yard one weekend. We spent Friday afternoon and Saturday morning outside with them. One of them was selling this fire truck. Samuel found it very interesting. It did not sale so they gave it to Samuel. His toys are beginning to take over the house.

Smile For The Camera!

2011-06-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

He loves to smile for the camera! I love how he closes his eyes.

Ready To Go!!!... But Nowhere to Go!!!

2011-06-05T17:58:00.000-07:00

Samuel loves his bear and pacifier. Now he has added the love for his back back. One afternoon he walked around the house with his back pack on.

So Much For Child Locks!

2011-06-05T17:46:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, John and I went around the house a put child locks on all of the cabinets Samuel did not need to be in. Well, Samuel discovered the food cabinet. He pulled and pulled on the cabinet until it broke. I walked into the kitchen to find him eating cookies one night after supper. He was so proud of himself so I had to let him eat a few more. Needless to say, I had to go buy another child lock.

A Boy Who Knows What He Wants

2011-06-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

One afternoon, Samuel kept telling me he was tired. I tried to keep him up but while cooking dinner I found him this way. He had gotten a blanket and got into the chair. How Sweet!

Play Time!

2011-06-05T17:21:00.000-07:00

Samuel has begun to enjoy the playground. On Saturday afternoon, we took Samuel to the playground at my school. As you can see by the pictures, it was very cold. I was determined to go since I had promise. At first, he was a little scared of the slide. By the end of the afternoon, we could not get him off of the slide. In fact, we carried him to the car crying and screaming.

Love To Cook

2011-06-05T17:15:00.000-07:00

Samuel enjoys pulling out all of my pots, pans, and cooking utensils. You never know what he will find. The spoon he has here is almost bigger than he is! I don't know WHY I invest money in toys!!!!

Samuel Loves Birds

2011-06-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Samuel has fallen in love with birds. John asked for lots of bird stuff for christmas: bird houses, bird feeders and bird food. Samuel has loved looking at the birds. There for a while the birds were eating more food than Samuel. I came home one day to find that John and Samuel had taken LOTS of pictures of birds on my camera. I must admit...the pictures were very good!

He Is A Boy.......

2011-06-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

Samuel's Grandmama bought him his first pair of boats. Yes, they are camo rain boats. He loved them. He wanted to wear them EVERYDAY. I had to hide them some days. He even wanted to sleep in them at night. In the picture, he was upset because he had to come in from outside.

Where Have We Been

2011-06-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I bet you think we have forgotten you! I must admit....I have been terrible about keeping the blog updated. My goal this summer is to get the blog updated and to post more often. Samuel is growing so fast and I must write EVERYTHING down before I forget them. I was sadden the other day when John asked me what Samuel said when he would walk into his little house. I could not and still can not remember. I am so sad. I did not think I would ever forget anything that he did. I am going to begin using the blog as a sort of journal to help remember all the cute things he does. Bare with me as I get the blog updated and then I will begin posting more current pictures.

2nd Snow of the Season

2011-01-10T19:42:00.000-08:00

We really had more ice than anything so it was hard for Samuel to play in it.

He took a few bits of the ice. He said, "mmmm, cold".

He had a little trouble walking because I had so many layers on him.

He spent lots of time on the ground.

He had the most fun pulling the ice off of my car.

Georgia Aquarium

2011-01-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

Grandmama came to visit and we went to the aquarium. We had a wonderful time. Samuel was amazed. He makes this cute little fish face when you ask him what fish says. Too cute!

Samuel is pointing to a big whale shark above him. He was also able to touch a shrimp, sting ray, and a star fish. We ended the day with dinner at Red Lobster. Fitting don't you think?

1st Snow of the Winter

2011-01-10T19:30:00.000-08:00

Samuel was unable to go out in the fist snow that we had. He had a terrible cold and we did not want to make it worse. He was able to look out the window and put his hands in it a few minutes.

Christams Morning

2011-01-10T19:18:00.000-08:00

Getting Ready for Santa

2011-01-10T19:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas at the Coats's

2011-01-10T18:53:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to do this a little different. We started off with gifts. After opening the gifts and visiting we headed to the church for the Christmas Eve services. After the service, we went back to Mom's for a soup dinner. Each family brought a different type of soup. I think it was a wonderful idea.

Cale started off the afternoon with a poem. The poem was read to honor and remember our beloved Papa.

MariAustin read the Christmas Story for us. They both did a wonderful job.

Samuel's Dedication

2011-01-10T18:36:00.000-08:00

Samuel and Jack were both dedicated on Christmas Eve. It was very special for them to be dedicated together and on Christmas Eve. It was nice to have family there to share in this experience. Grandmama, Uncle Cale, Aunt Jill and family, B, and Mason and family were there to celebrate with us. Unfortunately Uncle Andy was not in town and Grandma had the flu.

Samuel, we all promise to raise you in a Godly home and help you to know God's love.

Fun with Friends

2011-01-10T18:31:00.000-08:00

We were able to spend 7 days in SC for Christmas. It was wonderful to have time to see friends. Since John was sick I did most of the visiting. Samuel was able to catch up with and old friend as well.

Christmas at the Hunt's

2011-01-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

Uncle Andy had to leave before Christmas so we got to celebrate early. Unfortunately, John came down with the flu the Sunday before Christmas. He was in the bed all week and before Christmas Day Andy and Grandma also had the flu. So sorry for the late Christmas gift.
Samuel had a wonderful Christmas. He got the book Brown Bear Brown Bear and brown bear to go with the book. He loves the book. We read it almost everyday. He laughs and dances as we read the book.

He also got a piano. He loves to make it play music.

Samuel was also given his Daddy's wooden rocking chair. He sits in his hair everyday. It is so cute to watch him. He will get a book or a teddy bear and go over to sit in his chair.

However, he loved Uncle Andy's hammer the most. He carried this hammer around all night. As you can see he is in his PJ's but he is still carrying the hammer.

1st Gift of Christmas

2011-01-10T18:11:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Pa gave Samuel one gift early. He got a tent and tunnel. He loved the tunnel but as you can see he has a phone in his hand. He found an old phone that he carried around all weekend. We tried to get it and hide it but he would always find it. He has such a good memory.

Pictures with Santa

2011-01-10T17:55:00.001-08:00

We had planned to go see Santa at my school but I ended up with strep. We promised Samuel we would take him to see Santa. The next weekend we heard Santa was visiting the local mall. We headed off to talk with Santa. I was a little scared Samuel would be scared. However, he walked right up to him and said "hi". Cameras were not allowed so I have no pictures to show you. We did buy a picture but I had to say that it is still in the car. Samuel spotted some fun riding toys on the way in. He stopped a few minutes on the way out for him to ride. He had the most fun.

Its Beginning to Look Like Christmas

2011-01-10T17:30:00.000-08:00

We all got ready one Sunday afternoon to go get the Christmas tree. I had high hopes of going to a tree farm. I remember as a child going to the farm and picking just the perfect tree for us. We would cut it down and carry it to the car. I some what remember taking a hay ride and drinking hot cider. I just knew that was the experience we were going to have with Samuel this year. Well, I was wrong. There was no hay ride, no hot cider, and no walk through the tree farm. When we got to the farm there was about 15 trees to pick from. Needless to say we got less than a perfect tree. However, Samuel had fun!

He was excited to be getting ready for the big trip to the tree farm.

Well, here is the "perfect" tree. If you look in Samuel's had you will see a little tin cup. This was our free gift. He ended up picking up a rock in the parking lot. He still has the rock and tin cup that he plays with often.

He really enjoyed helping with the lights.

This picture is hard to see but here is the tree all decorated.

Christmas Cards

2010-12-05T17:43:00.000-08:00

I just finished this years Christmas cards. I cant wait to see them. I think they are going to be so cute. If you would like a sneak peak, you may view them at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AZsXDZy0aNGbiA. If not, just wait a week and you will get your very own the mail.

Merry Christmas!

Getting Ready for Christmas Cards

2010-11-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

Samuel's 1st Fair Ride

2010-11-25T13:41:00.000-08:00

Thank goodness for MariAustin and Ella. They helped Samuel on his first ride.

Free Holiday Gift Cards

2010-11-25T13:38:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!!!Seems kind of crazy isn't it....but really it's truly just around the corner! Thanksgiving is next weekend and I just realized that I always send out my Christmas Cards that weekend...it's kind of like my goal that helps me remember to do it in a timely manner. I thought I would share with all of you that this year Shutterfly is offering free Holiday Cards from their new and exciting 2010 collection to all bloggers!!! There are tons of cute, classy, and traditional styles to choose from. I have already started glancing through and my decision is going to be hard...however with the addition of our newest little one, I know for sure I will be using some of our new family photos!!If you haven't ever shopped at Shutterfly--check it out for Christmas gifts! I love their photo books! This is my gift each year to our girls. It's a practical way for them to remember their year and they LOVE looking forward to it each year! They also have gifts for grandparents and teachers. Consider the mugs, canvas's, stationary, and calendars! Lots of ideas!
Check out these links!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards http://www.shutterfly.com/home-decor/canvas-wall-art
And by the way..in case you didn't catch it before:
Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010

Lunchtime at Daycare

2010-10-13T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today was spaghetti day at school. Can you image feeding 6 children spaghetti at the same time? I can't! I know how messy Samuel gets.

Breakfast at Daycare

2010-10-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Samuel's teacher was kind enough to take a few pictures of Samuel today at school. These pictures were taken at breakfast. I think their little charis are so cute!

res were taken

Cupckae Fun...Mess

2010-10-13T14:48:00.000-07:00

I found out yesterday that I needed to provide the cupcakes for Samuel's Halloween Party. I was super excited. I looked up cupcake ideas online and came up with all of this exciting Halloween ideas. I went to Wal-Mart and bought all the stuff I needed to make these wonderful cupcakes. Well....needless to say they did not turn out like I planned. Samuel will get just plain cupcakes for the party instead of some cute cupcakes. I just don't think I have the touch. I will keep trying since I have lots of cupcake supplies now.

Where Have We Been

2010-10-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since my last post...several months to be honest. Since my last blog we have started back to school. I am team teaching this year which means I only teach reading and grammar. I teach reading and grammar twice a day. This has cut down on my planning. I don't feel so overwhelmed all the time. There are some down falls but over all I love it.

Samuel started day care again in August. Daycare has been a blessing for us. The day he started back he slept through the night and has done so since. Thank you Thank you Thank you! He is walking and talking. He only says a few words but he says them all the time (hey, bye, up, down, momma, daddy, hey Wilbur, night night). He has such a soft little voice. I love to hear him speak. We are currently working on pointing to the body parts. He can name 6 so far. We work on these each day. He is also learning a few animals. Man, there is so much to teach. I could spend all day just teaching him. He is a bit under weight but we are trying very hard to put the pounds on him. He has had 3 very nasty double ear infections that we are also battling. Over all, he is a very happy baby. We could not have asked for better little boy.

John continues to work at the golf course. He is thankful for the cooler days. He will be extremely happy when he sees snow I think.

Our family seems to be smooth sailing for now. We thank God each day for one another!

I have added 11 new post so make sure you scroll all the way down. You may also need to click on older post to view all of them.

Here We Come Beach

2010-10-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

Samuel was a bit unsure about the water. He just could not figure it out. Maybe next year he will be ready to play in the water.

He however did discover the sand. He had fun playing in the sand. He did not eat too much.

He did not like the big water but he did enjoy the small tide pools. He could walk in and out of the water and run around. We had so much fun with him. We cant wait to go back next year. We did decide October was the best time to go...not to hot..not to cold....just right.

Over the weekend we were lucky enough to take another trip to the beach. We had a blast. We were able to spend time with family and catch up on some much needed sleep. The trip was complete with time at the park, time at the beach, golf cart rides, and lots of eating. We even had a oyster roast and boiled some crabs. The weekend was packed full. It will be hard to go back to work tomorrow.

To Park, To Park, To Have A Good Time

2010-10-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

We have discovered that Samuel loves the park. Well, I guess I should say he LOVES the swing. He had a very difficult time getting him off of the swing. I hope this is not a glimpse of the future.

He was a little unsure about the slide.

Look at this smile! I guess we will be asking Santa for one of these. We already have a big list for Santa!

Family Picture Time

2010-10-11T14:23:00.001-07:00

14 Month Picture

2010-10-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

This smile melts my heart!

Samuel sees a bird!

First Hair Cut

2010-10-11T14:02:00.000-07:00

It took me a long time to get ready for his first hair cut. I don't know why. I guess I knew the hair cut would make him look like a big boy and not a little baby. I made the appointment. all I had a week to think about the idea. I told John every night...I am going to do it...no I am not. I am sure he had no idea what I was going to do when the day finally came. As you can see, I did it. I am glad that I did. It looks so much better. He did really well. In fact, he cried when it was over not during. Too funny!

Before

As you can see we put on a show.

Too Sweet!

After (Front View)

After (back view)

Uncle E and Samuel

2010-10-11T13:59:00.001-07:00

A few months back, I was looking at some pictures and realized there is not one picture with Samuel and his Uncle E. I decided then that I would make sure I got a picture with everyone. I will not let one more loved one leave this earth without a picture to remember them. So Uncle E, you get your very own special blog. We love you Uncle E.

New Baby Jack

2010-10-11T13:54:00.001-07:00

Jackson (Jack) Adair

September 3, 2010

Are We Ready For A Big Boy Bed?

2010-10-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

With the arrival of Baby Jack we had to give the crib back. We were more than happy to give the crib back because we were so thankful to have been able to use it but we were faced with the decision...buy a small bed or put Samuel in the big bed. We decided to let Samuel sleep in Ella's bed to see how he would do. Samuel took his nap in Ella's bed. He did very well but when it was time to put him in the queen size bed at home we just could not do it. He looked to small. He is now sleeping in a portable crib until we think he is big enough to sleep in the big bed.

Sick Samuel

2010-10-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

We are now on our 6th straight week of double ear infections. We have gotten to know the doctor very well considering the amount of times we have seen him in the past 6 weeks. We have had 3 different oral meds. and we have had a total of 8 shots to help get rid of these infections. We go back the 19th to see if we are free and clear of the infections. I almost hate to post this picture of you will be able to see just how sick he has been. This picture was taken one day when I was home with him. He felt so bad and his fever was to high I hated to put him in his crib so I made him a bed on the floor beside me. He felt so bad that he took his nap on the floor beside me.

And We Are Off

2010-10-11T13:02:00.000-07:00

I am way late (August 22, 2010) in posting this but Samuel is finally walking. After spending the weekend with his older cousins he decided it was time for him to walk and that is what he did. He stood up and off he went. We went to buy him some shoes the following weekend. We did not have a lot to choose from but we were able to find 2 pairs in his size. I happen to think he looks very cute in them. He has not slowed down since he decided to walk. He is almost in a little run when he walks. His left arm moves back and forth when he walks. He is so sweet!

Let's Dig Up Some Fun, Samuel Turned 1

2010-07-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

It is hard to believe our little baby is one already. It seems like yesterday that we were rushing off to the hospital. We had a small construction themed party for Samuel.

As you can see, the entire family was ready for the big event. I have been planning the party since I got out of school. It started out small and then it got bigger and bigger.

It was complete with yellow hats for all and small Home Depot aprons for the children. We started the evening with a construction coloring sheet. Then off we went to the dump truck race.

It is hard to say who one. Everyone was so fast. After the dump truck race it was time for the children to make their dolphin coat rack. This project proved to be a bit more time consuming that I had thought. It was good because even the parents go to help. After the building project, it was time to eat. Everyone was sent to get their brown lunch bag and a hot dog. And of course after dinner is was time for ....cake.

Samuel had his very own chocolate cake.

I was super excited at how well the cake turned out. I made the cake myself so I was a little worried at how it would look at the end.

As you can tell, he loved the cake. And yes, it took him a while to go to sleep.

Then it was off to open the gifts. He was not quite into opening the gifts so Mom and Dad had to help. He got LOTS of wonderful things. Thank you all so much . He has had a wonderful time playing with all of his toys. He goes from one to the next then back to the first.

Now it is time to begin planning party #2. Any ideas????????????/

Puppy Time

2010-07-21T17:37:00.001-07:00

No the puppy is not ours. Cousin Cale got Hunter (the dog). Samuel loves the dog. He laughs the entire time he is around the dog. He talks to the dog as well. I wish I knew what he was saying.

Summer Time Fun

2010-07-21T17:32:00.000-07:00

Summer is so much fun because you get to play outside. We can't play outside very often at our house because of the bugs. Samuel loves to swing so when we go to grandparents house we must spend some time on the swing.

Fun At The Beach

2010-07-06T18:19:00.001-07:00

Family Picture Time

2010-07-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

Having Fun with Cousins

2010-07-06T18:08:00.001-07:00

Swimming in the Pool

2010-07-06T18:04:00.000-07:00

Samuel loved the pool. I have to say he enjoyed the pool more than the beach. He loved to splash in the water. He even took a nap or two while the adults enjoyed the water and the sun.

Deer at Fripp Island

2010-07-06T18:01:00.000-07:00

Samuel loved looking at the deer while we were at the beach. It took him awhile to notice them but once he did he was hooked. He loved the birds even more than the deer. He even started to say "buh" when he say bird.

No Pics Available

2010-05-09T17:29:00.000-07:00

Oh well! I guess there will not be any pictures for a while. For whatever reason, my camera works fine until I plug it into the computer. As soon as I plug it in, the power turns off. I am not sure if Samuel broke the cord today while he was playing with it or not. I guess John will have to look at it tomorrow after work. I hate this...now I will not be able to finish my to do list before I go back to work on Tuesday. Man or man. Maybe the fairy godmother will come fix it tonight while I am Alsop. :)

I Have Not Forgotten You

2010-05-09T12:09:00.001-07:00

Where have we been? Many people keep asking me where I have been. Boy...I just don't have time to get it all done so yes the blog has been forgotten for a while. I promise to get the blog updated. I had Friday and Monday off of school so my plan was to get the blog and baby book updated. This may prove to be harder than I thought with a mobile 9 1/2 month old baby. I have to remove his little fingers from the computer about every other letter I type. Man...a lot has changed since I last blogged. Samuel is now sleeping through the night. Yeah! Finally I know what it is like to sleep the entire night. He has no teeth....The doctor says not to worry the time will come. He is crawling all over the place. For those of you who have been to our house he can crawl from the TV to the kitchen. He will now crawl over to a basket of toys and take out all of the toys or crawl over to a shelf and remove all of the books. You can tell where he as been. He leaves a trail. He says DaDa and Ma. Boy, does it warm my heart to hear him say it. He is all boy. He loves to throw a baseball and turn the wheels on his toys.

John has entered his busy season at work. Bless his heart! Samuel and I try to go eat lunch with him on the weekends. In fact we went today and road around on the golf cart with him. Samuel loved it! His little hair blew in the wind.

I am about to wrap up school. The CRCT is over...now I have to wait on the scores. :( I think the children have about 15 days left. I have to work one more week after the kids get out. I must say I will be glad for the year to be over. This has been the hardest year yet..... I pray for a better year next year. I am truly excited about this summer. I get to spend 2 whole weeks at the beach. One week with John's side and one week with my side. It is going to be a blast. It will be so much fun to be surrounded by family. I hope Samuel enjoys it.

The following posts will be backwards from how they happened. I wanted to keep them in order. I may not get it all done today so keep checking back. Hope you understand and enjoy!

Bedtime

2010-05-09T12:08:00.002-07:00

Samuel goes to bed around 8:00ish and sleeps most nights until 6:00 when I to wake him up for a bottle. He then goes back to sleep until about 7:00 when we have to leave for daycare. Thankfully daycare is close!

I just love his outfit. I had to post the picture because John thought the hat was terrible.

Beach

2010-05-09T12:08:00.001-07:00

Over spring break we were able to go to the beach for a few days. On the way, John and I realized it had been years since we had been to the beach. We promised each other we would not wait that long again. We had a blast. Samuel was more excited about the sand and the water. In fact, I dont even know if he noticed it or not. It was way to cold to get in. We had so much fun we already have plans to go back this summer. Hopefully Samuel will get to enjoy the water. If not, he loves the sand and golf cart.

Easter Bunny

2010-05-09T12:07:00.004-07:00

The easter bunny was very kind to Samuel this year although he may have forgotten how old Samuel was. We will have to grow into some of the toys! Thank you Easter Bunny. See you next year!!!!!!!!!!!

Easter Pics

2010-05-09T12:07:00.003-07:00

Before heading off to the beach, we were able to spend a few days in SC with family. It was so good to see everyone again. We were able to attend church at FBC and then have easter dinner with the family. As tradition, we had an egg hunt after lunch. Even Samuel got in on the fun!

Easter Egg Hunt

2010-05-09T12:07:00.001-07:00

Samuel had his first easter egg hunt at daycare. I think it is so sweet that they even include the little ones in the action. We are so fortunate to have a wonderful daycare to take care of Samuel while we work. In fact, he even gets spoiled at daycare. Who would have thought? A good friend of mine from school took these pictures for me since John and I had to work. Thank you Cass! You are the best!!!!!!!

Pork chop Bone

2010-05-09T12:06:00.004-07:00

John could not wait to give Samuel a pork chop bone. It is a tradition in his family to let babies chew on a bone. I finally gave in an allowed John to give Samuel one. Much to our dismay... Samuel was not overly excited. I guess we will have to try again in a few weeks.

Zoo Trip with Grandmama

2010-05-09T12:06:00.003-07:00

For Grandmama's birthday we went to the zoo. We spent the day looking at the animals and we had a picnic lunch. It was so much fun to be outside. I can tell summer is on the way!!!!

1st Trip to the Zoo

2010-05-09T12:06:00.001-07:00

On the first pretty Saturday we headed to the zoo in Atlanta. We spent the day looking at the animals. I guess the trip was more for us since Samuel spent the morning sleeping. When he was awake it was hard for him to see the animals from his stroller. We learned a very big lesson...and that was to carry your lunch with you. Man...the food at the zoo is expensive.

Fun at Dinner Time

2010-05-09T12:05:00.004-07:00

I never thought I would be able to say this but.....One night during supperI dropped some food on Samuel's highchair. You all know what he did. That's right! He put his hands right in it so I decided to empty out the rest onto his tray. We let him play in the food for a while. He had the best time. It was everywhere so we had to head straight to the bathtub.

Bath Time

2010-05-09T12:05:00.003-07:00

Samuel loves his bath. Here are a few pics of him enjoying bath time.

Samuel Loves to Read

2010-05-09T12:05:00.001-07:00

Samuel loves to read. His favorite books are the touch and feel books. We try to read 3 books a day. You know me...I want him to be ready for school. I of course have the best job for buying books. I buy books from Books are Fun, the school book fair, and scholastic book orders. Now I know where all of my money goes....formula, diapers, and BOOKS! Oh well, he is worth every penny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

1st Snow

2010-05-09T11:25:00.000-07:00

Okay! I was so excited about the snow. I waited until the snow stopped falling because my mother always said you had to wait. When the snow stopped, we got all dressed up in our warm clothes. Samuel started crying the minute I started to put all of the layers on him. We carried him out into the snow. The second we walked outside he started to cry again. I let him feel the snow and then we tried to sit him in the snow. He wanted no part of the cold wet stuff. We did mange to get this one picture of him in the snow. One day when he refuses to come in out of the snow I am going to show him that he has not aways liked the snow.

1st Ride on the Car

2010-01-24T14:14:00.000-08:00

Well...it took some work but John finally convinced the little guy at Wal-Mart to give us the axle that we were missing. We got home and finished putting the car together. As you can see, Samuel loves to be pushed in his car. We ride all over the house. He holds onto the steering wheel and even tries to beep the horn. He is so cute. I am not sure who is happier...John or Samuel!!!!!!!!!!!

Now all we need is a big cousin to help push him around. Any takers....................

Wake Up, Wake Up Sleepy Samuel

2010-01-24T14:09:00.000-08:00

I went in to get Samuel the next morning and this is what I found. He was sideways in his crib. As you can see...not one blanket was over him..so much for trying to keep him warm. Look at his eyes! It takes him a little bit to wake up in the morning.

Dont You Hate When Things Do Not Go Your Way

2010-01-24T13:56:00.000-08:00

We got home from Wal-Mart with his car and ice cream. We were all supper excited. Well...as it turned out we were missing one crucial part...the Axle. Why could we not be missing something simple like the stickers. Samuel and John was so upset that they could not put the car together.
Samuel was not too happy to sit on a car that would not move.

We explained to him that we would go back to Wal-Mart the following day to get his axle. As it turned out Samuel fell asleep before he was able to get any ice cream. Poor thing...his 6 month birthday did not turn out to well...mom was late leaving work, missing part to his new toy, and no ice cream. We must do better for his 1 year birthday. I guess this was our trial run!

6 Month Birthday

2010-01-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Last week we celebrated Samuel's 6 month birthday. I took this picture just before leaving for daycare. As you can see, he is not really into taking pictures at 6:45 in the morning. Who can blame him?

John and I promised Samuel to leave work at 3:30 and spend the entire afternoon and evening with him: no cooking, no cleaning, no washing clothes, no bottle making, etc. John did just as promised I however did not leave until 3:45. I felt like a terrible mother! We did do as planned. We ordered pizza and played the rest of the night.

We did make one detour...to Wal-Mart. John decided Samuel needed a little plastic car to ride around in and ICE CREAM.

What You Find When You Come Home From Work-Scary

2010-01-24T13:38:00.000-08:00

I came home from work one day a few weeks ago to find this. Samuel was asleep in the recliner. I dont remember how John said he got this way. It was so cute but a little scary at the same time...1 roll and that is all she wrote however I know John was close by and would NOT let anything happen to Samuel.