Life in Myrtle Beach

We have been in MB for three months now. The transition went pretty smoothly, even for Sam. Scott and I are still learning our new weekly routine as he strives to balance work and his last Seminary class (taking online) with family and church planting responsibilities. It's a busy time, but we realize it's only about to get busier when our house has two little boys under its roof.

So far, we have had a few visitors. Pops and Penny came a couple of weeks after we moved. They helped stock the pantry and get things a little more organized. Of course, we made time for fun too...

Sam loves his Grandpops, or as he calls him "Bops"!

Bass Pro Shop offers entertainment.

Papa K and Khaki also came for a visit. We enjoyed exploring the MB State Park and finding a delicious seafood restaurant in Murrell's Inlet.

Papa K and Sam listening to live music at the farmer's market.

Gigi came for a visit too, but my camera ran out of batteries. I'll have to get some pictures from her camera soon.

The last photos are random ones of Sam simply being Sam...

Here he is ready for the first UGA game of the season with momma's flip flops on.

His first Krispy Kream donut. We were at a carnival.

Fun in the tub.

Trying to "help" daddy catch a fly.

Helping mommy in the kitchen. I think there was more batter on his clothes than in the bowl.

35 weeks Prego!

Many of you have been asking for pictures of my growing belly. Scott took a quick photo at 31 weeks (first picture) and again yesterday at 35 weeks (second picture). I have definitely expanded, and continue to do so!

We are so thankful to have found a wonderful practice of doctors here. At my appointment this past week, the doctor said that she thought our little guy has already dropped and is "in position"--head down. (I can tell because it seems like I have to potty ALL the time.) Although this doesn't mean anything necessarily as far as timing, it encouraged Scott and I to be a little more diligent in our preparations. Nesting has seriously set in!

Sam's latest and greatest

I know I promised an update a decade ago, but better late than never...right?

Honestly, the program we use on our computer to upload pictures has not been functioning properly, and it just took us forever to get it fixed. Whew! Now, we are up and running--no more excuses! I have decided to give you a glimpse of some of Sam's latest tricks (I realize he is the star of the blog), and then give a quick recap over the last several months:

Sam has a little bit of his mommy in him: He was helping me take some groceries out of bags, and when I looked over, I noticed him organizing the boxes and lining them against the cabinet. I thought it was too funny, so I took a picture. Later that same day, he was playing with Scott's commentaries on the shelf. We don't normally let him touch the books on the bookshelf, but I could tell his little mind was working, so I let it slide, stood back and watched. He stacked those heavy books up like a tower and then clapped for himself. We got a good laugh.

Sam has given up his morning nap, but every once in a while I can tell he needs more rest. I decided to put him in his crib to read and rest one morning this week, and a few minutes later this is what I found... (I paid for it later when he refused to take an afternoon nap.)

Sam always wants to wear his daddy's belt. It wraps twice around him--he thinks he is so cool!

He is also getting pretty good at feeding himself with a spoon or fork. Here he is eating his oatmeal for breakfast. Funny how I had a hard time getting him to eat all of it before, but now he is so proud that he wants to eat every last spoonful. Granted, not every spoonful makes it into his mouth.

June 2009

I cannot believe we are already at the end of June...

Scott and I are trying to hit some of the hot spots around Raleigh before we move. We had heard great things about the Durham Museum of Life and Science, so we decided to spend a morning there as a family. Sam's favorite part was looking at the farm animals.

A highlight of this month was my friend Holly's wedding. My sweet husband sacrificially used some vacation days at work to keep Sam so that I could fly to Arkansas for Holly's big day. It was the longest I was away from Sam and the longest Scott has ever kept Sam by himself. The wedding was beautiful and daddy survived! I think we all grew in our appreciation of one another over the weekend. And, boy, did I miss my men!

My friend Amy is due to have her baby in a couple of weeks, and she wanted to take her son, Kai, to the children's museum in Raleigh. We have wanted to take Sam as well, so we decided to take a field trip together. Amy and I enjoyed the catching up on the car ride there and back, and the boys had so much fun playing at the museum. It really was great!

May 2009

We love the Sarazen family! Amy and Paul are treasured friends that God has given us during this season of our lives. We were able to take a weekend getaway together to Emerald Isle where Amy's parents have a beach house. It was so refreshing--we felt like we were there for more than just a weekend. Of course, Sam and Kai had a blast in the sand. It was still a bit chilly to get into the water.

We started a tradition last year for Mother's Day weekend: strawberry picking! We went again this year with our same friends, Matt and Kelli, that we went with last year. Sam was quite the participant this year. I think he did more eating than all of us combined...sshhh, don't tell farmer John.

During the month of May, we took a trip to GA for Scott's niece's first birthday party and my cousin's high school graduation. Unfortunately, we hardly took any pictures at all. These are from the park in Papa K and Khaki's neighborhood.

April 2009

April was filled with visitors. My mom came at the beginning of the month and kept Sam for us. Scott and I went on our first overnight trip without our little guy to Asheville, NC. We enjoyed touring the Biltmore and simply being together. We did, however, miss Sam so much that we drove home a little early to see him before he went to bed. Gigi said she had fun with Sam without mommy and daddy around. (Don't worry, we'll let her do it again!)

A couple of weeks later, Scott's folks came up for a visit. We decided to take Sam to the NC State Zoo--I think everyone else in NC decided to do the same. It was quite crowded, but we had a good time. Sam got up close and personal with a chimpanzee, and his favorite animals were the geese that kept pestering us during our picnic lunch.

March 2009

March was quite eventful. We took Sam on his first trip to Snowshoe, WV with Pops and Penny. Snowshoe is where I grew up skiing, so it was really fun to take Sam there. Of course, we didn't put him on skis, but we did take him sledding. He loved it! Penny was very kind to keep Sam in the condo while the rest of us went down the slopes. Besides Sam having a fever for part of the time, we had a blast.

We also found out in late March that I was pregnant! We are thrilled that God is expanding our family with another little blessing! I am due November 21st, which means Sam and his baby brother/sister will be almost two years apart.