Our little Monkey

This past weekend was full of fun events and visitors...  My mom (Gigi) decided to drive up to see Sam in his first costume.  We took him to our church's Party on the Block.  Sam enjoyed seeing his friends looking silly, going on the hayride, and having his first taste of cotton candy (shhh!).  He was the cutest little monkey you ever did see...  I did not hand craft his costume like my mom used to do for me, but I can take credit for his banana--i thought he needed a prop!  On Saturday, my mom and Aunt Amanda were a huge help with Sam as I participated in the seminary's annual Craft & Bake Sale.  Because we were so busy, the weekend sadly flew by.

Sam and his buddy Josiah.  

(This is the little guy that I keep two days a week.)

Sam loves his Gigi...  

He's already counting down the days 'till Christmas when he gets to see her again.

Wow, seeing Aunt Amanda twice in one month was a treat!

I was so excited when we came across this monkey costume.  

It's perfect for Sam--he loves bananas, and we think he is more curious than George!

The Rafferty Girls: Abigail (alligator) and Katie (frog).

Traci (Abigail and Katie's mom) leaned over to me during the hayride and asked, "Do we do this for the kids or for us?"  I smiled and quickly replied, "I think for us."  

Carrie and Barrett (turtle).

The Pumpkin Patch

These past few days have been gorgeous here!  

We decided to take advantage of the weather and go to our favorite farm: Vollmer Farm.  In the spring, that's where we like to go to pick the best strawberries.  And every fall, we have gone to their pumpkin patch to pick out our prize pumpkin.  This year, of course, it was extra fun with Sam.  He enjoyed examining the pumpkins, 

going on a hay ride, and goofing off with his mommy and daddy.

Lately, Sam has been using his tongue to do everything.

This is the pumpkin Sam picked out--it's just the right size!

Isn't this neat--a pumpkin house!

Yee-haw!

Sam and his daddy on the "hay ride"...  

It was a little chilly on the ride, but Sam didn't seem to mind.

A pumpkin tree!

Enjoying the Fall!

Fall is absolutely my favorite season...

always has been, probably always will be!  

There's just something about the changing of seasons, 

the brilliant colors that fill the trees, and the refreshing crisp air.  

Not to mention candy corn, caramel apples, pumpkin patches, 

and football!  

Last weekend, we traveled to King, NC to visit my

 Aunt Amanda and Uncle Wayne.  The weather was gorgeous!

Sam really enjoyed rolling in the grass and playing with the leaves that have already fallen to the ground.  He liked the leaves so much that he even tried to eat them.  I guess that's the stage he's in--everything goes straight to his mouth.

On Saturday, Uncle Wayne and Aunt Amanda took us on a tour of Mt. Airy where Andy Griffith is from.  We even joined in on the Autumn Leaves Festival that was going on downtown.   

Of course, no matter where we go, Scott somehow always finds a local bakery...  He has a sweet tooth for homemade treats.  This time, he bought a cinnamon roll the size of my head! 

(Ok, so I'm exaggerating a little bit.) 

Sam had so much fun hanging out 

with Uncle Wayne and Aunt Amanda.  

(Thanks again for being so hospitable during your birthday weekend.)

God's creation is amazingly beautiful!

On Sunday, the three of us took off for Hanging Rock State Park and went on our first family hike!  Sam loves to be outside (he gets that from his mommy and daddy), so he didn't seem to mind the bumpy ride up the mountain.  He was taking in all the sights and sounds along the way, even talking back to the birds.  Scott and I have always enjoyed hiking, so this was a nice treat for us too.  We had to take advantage of being close to the mountains!

The long trek up the mountain wore Sam out... 

He decided to take a nap on the way back down. 

Georgia

Our trip in a nutshell...

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Rest

Last week, my sweet friend Amy kept Sam for a few hours while I ran some "mommy errands".  She has a son, Kai, who is about 31/2 months older than Sam.  (They are good buddies!)   I glean from the lessons she learns through each new stage Kai goes through, knowing that Sam will soon be entering the same one.  Amy is patient with my many questions about schedules, baby food, teething, etc.  On this visit, we chatted about training our children to rest.  She shared an article that was passed on to her which basically talked about starting a quiet time with your children.  

The author writes: 

"One of the best things I ever did was start a quiet time with our son when he was about five months old.  I would hold him on my lap and gently restrict his movements into a small range by holding his wrists loosely.  He could move but not a whole lot... For the first few days he was really mad! He would scream and I would whisper, "rest", and, "I love you", when he took a breath." 

The author goes on to say that after a couple of weeks of doing this daily, her son's crying and protesting stopped, and he learned to come to a rest and actually began enjoying their quiet time together.  (This training is helpful for teaching young children to sit in your lap quietly and contentedly during occasions such as presentations, gatherings, and church.)

Although I think this is a great idea to try with Sam, the reason I am writing is not to share mommy advise, but to share what the Lord is reminding me as I process this idea.  I am your typical Type A who tries to keep everything neat and in order. (Ha! When you become a mom, this is thrown out the window!)  I am currently a bit overwhelmed with the responsibilities I am balancing--most of which are non-negotiables.  Most days, as soon as my feet touch the ground, I am running around from one thing to the next.  And, if my feet aren't running, my mind is.  Most nights, I stay up trying to catch up, only to subtract hours of sleep and add more to the to-do list.  Sound familiar to anyone?  :)  

Last night, as I anxiously laid awake in bed, God brought to mind the above article and my conversation with Amy as if to whisper, "Dear child, My desire is for you to rest...I love you."   Tears flowed.  I am like that 5 month old that screams inside if I am "restricted" from accomplishing daily goals or personal deadlines.  To sit still would take more than holding my wrists loosely.  In the midst of chaos, I have always had a difficult time letting things go in order to stop.  Even my sweet husband's head spins when he tries to keep up with my scattered steps and thoughts.  When the weight of every day life seems too heavy to bear, God says STOP and rest!  It is then that we realize that our strength does not come from endurance and repetition.  It comes from resting and allowing the Lord to work through us.  When we are weak, He is strong!

Lord, thank you for loving me enough to speak truth into my life.  Teach me to rest!  Even when the world around me is spinning, teach my heart to be still. I recognize that there will always be more tasks to do and more errands to run, but help me to stop and bask in Your presence.  May I not forsake my quiet time with You each day. 

[Photos from our trip to GA will be coming soon for those of you who prefer pictures of Sam over the ramblings of my words...]  :)

More firsts!

This week, our little man not only perfected his crawl, 

he decided to start pulling up!  

When I go into his room after he wakes up from a nap, 

this is what I see...

Although I'm having a hard time believing my little baby 

is doing big boy stuff, I'm so thankful he 

continues to develop and grow.  Life is precious!  

I can never get enough of this smile, 

especially when it appears as mommy approaches.  

Yep, he's gonna be a momma's boy!

This is the face I get when Sam does not get his way.  

I feel like I am constantly saying, "no sir", "no touch", 

and just to reinforce it over and over, "Sam, mommy said no"!  

It's wearing me out. 

This whole training and disciplining thing is harder than it looks!

I keep another little guy on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

For the first time, Samuel blatantly expressed jealousy when 

I fed and played with Josiah.  

He would crawl to me, pull on my shirt, stare at Josiah, and cry.  

These red eyes are a result of Sam's tears of jealousy.

Sweet son, you are going to have to learn 

to share your mommy sometimes...  

When it rains it POURS!

Funny how life can move along pretty smoothly, 

and then WHAM--the floodgates open!   

In July, our computer crashed.  A week later, we went to Georgia for a wedding Scott was in, then spent the rest of that week vacationing in Hilton Head, SC with my family.  The day after returning from our trip, we moved!  (Note to self: never plan a vacation right BEFORE you move.)  Of course, it took some time to get settled into our new home.  We finally bought a new computer, and just recently got internet working.  Whew!   

I acknowledge that it has been two months since I last posted.  I also acknowledge that most of you who read our blog are more eager to see pictures of Sam than anything else.  Thus, I decided to simply post a few photos from these last two months instead of trying to fill in the gap with all the gritty details.  Sam continues to grow at a rapid rate, faster than his mommy's heart desires. It seems like he pulls a new trick out of his bag every day.  Most currently, he is becoming a pro at crawling and trying to use a sippy cup.  His eyes are still as blue as ever and his smile is just as sweet!

Sam LOVES water, so bath time is always fun! 

"Look Mommy, I found a hole in my tummy...?"

Scott's roommate, Scott Coleman, got married in Statesboro, GA.  It was a beautiful affair...and fancy!  Papa K and Khaki came to help take care of Sam during all the festivities.  It was wonderful getting to see so many old friends, most of which we had not seen since our wedding three years ago.



Look at these GA boys!  

After the wedding, we drove to Blackshear to visit with Chris and Kami Roberts.  We were able to meet both of their sons, Joshua and Kellen, for the first time, and they got to meet Sam.  It was a sweet reunion!

Sam enjoyed being at the beach again, especially since he could sit up on his own.  His favorite part was eating sand and giving 

"Sam love" to Gigi.