the big 0-6!

Our little man is a-growin'! Today is his 6 month birthday (don't you just love the t-shirt?). So, here's a mini-update our Sam:

• He is still so very smiley.
• He is able to roll over (at least in one direction), but is usually content to simply look at the ceiling.
• We're still working on sitting up. Spitting up, on the other hand, we've got down pat.
• He has just begun to get fussy when we take away a toy. This has presented some interesting challenges with Kate.
• We've got this little dragon that sings "Row, row, row your boat," and Sam adores it.
• He's eating sweet potatoes, apple sauce, squash and pears. No mashed potatoes just yet, despite Nana's sneaky attempts (love you, mom).
• He and Kate are becoming more and more affectionate with one another...it's a really awesome thing to see and something I'll need to remember 13 years from now.
• He's an okay napper...not stellar, but not terrible either.
• He loves for me to whisper in his ear, kiss on his sweet little neck, and blow raspberries on his belly.

I'm sure there's more, he's a growing boy, after all, and he seems to change every day. His personality is emerging more and more, and he's a doll.

Happy Half-Birthday, baby boy!

early spring

These pictures were taken a few months ago on one of those days where summer felt way too far away. It was Sam's first experience on the swing, and he seemed to just soak it all in.

conversations with Kate

Chatting with Kate while running errands tonight:
Kate: Where are we going next?
Me: Sam's to get a new camera.
Kate: Hee Hee...that's funny. Kate's, too?
Daddy: Yeah, we can call it Kate's, too.

happy easter

Don't poke too much fun at me...I know I'm posting Easter pictures on May 18, that's even late for me! But I'm betting that the cute pictures of the kiddos will make up for it.

We went to an Easter egg hung at a park near Nana and Pop's house. This is Kate's meager little loot. Pitiful. In her defense, there were LOTS of kids.



I've got another one of Sam on the next post down, but I can't help but post two. His cuteness did not disappoint...he was an absolute charmer!

So to ensure that Kate's self-esteem was still in tact after the egg hung let down, we staged another hunt at Nana's house. This one was much more successful.

The whole family!

samuel's first easter!

My handsome little man in sweet baby blue...takes my breath away!

I recently read something from another mom that has me thinking about sin and selfishness and one of God's natural remedies for it all. As I'm writing this, a thunderstorm is lighting up the sky and shaking our house. Kate has been up twice, and Sam, though he seems to be faring just fine through the storm, took a good two hours to settle in for the night. It may sound ridiculous, but I'm actually trying to type quietly so to not stir any little souls. I'm tired. My hair is a mess. My dishwasher is full of toys to be disinfected. My living room rug is littered with Dora cereal, and the cutest pair of pink sun-glassess are sitting on the coffee table in front of me--totally detracting from the Pottery Barn style I was aiming for. But this--the craziness, the exhaustion, the unwashed hair--this is the clear hand of God in my life.

I should clarify--motherhood for me does not equal martyrdom. I do bathe daily, afterall. I sleep a solid six hours most nights. My home is in relative order. I have a home. And lots of laughter inside its walls. So, I'm no martyr. But, motherhood is hard work, although not the kind of hard work I would have anticipated just three short years ago. Waking up at 4 a.m. to nurse a hungry baby is not hard work. Wiping faces and hands and high-chair trays up-teen times day is not hard work. Getting over myself--that is hard work. Getting over my own self-centeredness. Learning that playing princesses with Kate or rolling around on the playmat with Sam is more important than hearing what some talking head on the TV has to say is work. Realizing that chasing my kids and making forts is eternal work and washing dishes is only a temporal chore--this is the real work of my mommy experience. I'm sick with selfishness, and Kate and Sam are my medicine.

I never realized how selfish I am until I became a mom. I knew in an instant that I would give up my physical life for these little people, but it's taken me a bit longer to realize that parenthood requires me to give up something much harder--my everyday life. I cling to my ego, to what others may think of me. I get all tangled up in appearances. I allow myself to indulge in moodiness when expectations fall short or nerves run thin. I get lazy, frustrated, impatient, insecure, uncertain, afraid. But here's what it all comes down to--the chances that I'll ever have to lay down my life for my children are slim to none, thank God. But yet I'm learning to lay down my life for them everyday. To literally lay down the laundry, the remote control, the phone, the attitude, the grudge, whatever it may be, so that I can be the kind of mom that makes God smile. And them, too.

ring around the rosey

We have a lovely little rose bush growing along side our home. I don't know how long we'll have it, though, because Kate loves stealing its petals. I can't complain too much; she's always bringing me her special presents..."flower for you, Mommy!"

bad mommy

I'm so embarrassed. It's been a month since my last post. Poor Samuel. We thoroughly documented Kate's every move as a baby, and Sam has experienced 20% of his life in these last thirty days without a single moment immortalized on the blog. And even now, I can't load any pictures....I'm hanging my head in shame. Forgive me, sweet boy. Your mommy is slacker.
Here's a few highlights from Sam's last month to help ease the guilt:

• He's the sweetest thing. He laughs all the time, mostly at his big sis whom he adores, but the cutest thing by far is when he laughs in his sleep. He'll get to giggling so hard sometimes while sleeping that he loses his paci and wakes himself up.
• He's such a mellow fellow. Stephen thinks he'll be one of those wonderful souls who finds joy in seeing others happy.
• He's so much fun to tickle. I'm hoping the whole tickling-leads-to-stuttering thing is a myth, otherwise we're looking at some steep speech therapy bills!
• He's five months old now and turning into a chunky monkey. I love the fat rolls!

So that helps a little. Not much, but a little. Pictures will soon follow. Stephen is getting me reliable internet for Mother's Day. Ah...so sweet.