More Than Mini Blinds

Boy Oh Boy!!

2012-02-04T13:29:00.000-05:00

Dear Baby,

I wanted to tell you about the day we found out you were a boy. We were so excited for that day to come. There you are right there in that picture below. We love you so much already and can't wait to meet you in person. We think having another boy in our family will bring great fun and excitement. That January afternoon couldn't have been more perfect. It was beautiful and sunny outside. Your big brother Samuel stayed with some friends while Daddy and I went to check in on you.

We celebrated afterwards with a Sonic drink! Daddy and I got talk about what life would soon be like with you in our family. We think you will love your big brother, and you guys will have so much fun playing together one day.

Daddy was really excited to be having another boy. He can hardly wait to meet you.

We went and picked up your big brother and took him to the park to play. He knows you're in my tummy and talks to you all the time. He mostly says, "Hi Baby!" We told him he was going to have a baby brother. We're not sure he understands yet, but he'll be plenty excited when he sees you.

I think Daddy was having a lot of fun at the park too. You'll find out soon enough that he's great fun to play with.

Your big brother will have lots of things to teach you, like how to dig in the sandbox and climb on things.

Mommy's belly is growing bigger all the time. That's because you are busy growing and changing inside of me. We pray for you daily and know that God is knitting you together right now by his perfect design. He knew you way before we did and has a great plan for your life.

You have many adventures ahead of you with your dad and your brother. It won't be long until you'll be right in there with them sharing in the fun stuff that they do like climbing, wrestling, and playing chase. Well, sometimes mommy participates too. :)

We topped off our day of celebrating you by eating one of our favorites: Mexican Food!

We love you, our sweet baby boy!

We're Getting Our 2nd New Carr!

2012-01-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

We found out on October 19th that we have another little life preparing to join us. We're very excited to say the least. I wasn't actually planning to take a home pregnancy test that day, but decided to on a whim. You know you have a toddler and this is your second kid when you don't even have the chance to hang around to see if the two pink lines pop up. I had to leave my stick on the bathroom counter to clean up a two year old covered in peanut butter then come back a few minutes later and bingo! I couldn't wait, so I called Tyson at work just as he was going back in to finish teaching his class. I think he was a little overwhelmed at first, but it quickly turned to excitement for him too. This puts our littles at being about two years and nine months apart. :)

As I type this I'm almost 15 weeks along. Things have been going well, and as you can see we had an ultrasound to confirm the due date when I was 11 weeks 4 days. Things are looking good, and our estimated due date is July 2. Who knows, we may have a little Independence Day baby... Since Samuel was six days late, I have no expectations for this little one coming exactly on the 2nd, or 3rd, or 4th...or...

I'm thankful for a healthy pregnancy, but once again I didn't escape the nausea! I'm sipping on ginger ale at this very moment. If I remember correctly it didn't go away with Samuel until I was around 17 weeks. Nights are the worst! In a way, it's a blessing because at least Samuel is in bed when I'm feeling so rotten. Call it strange, but the only thing I've found that relieves it somewhat is eating popcorn. Most evenings I have a small bag of popcorn and a glass of ginger ale. Weird, I know.

We have decided to go the birthing center route with a midwife again. Although it was difficult (beyond my imagination!) we can't deny that we had a great experience and still value all the benefits of having an unmedicated natural birth. Don't get me wrong, I've gone back and forth in my mind and I don't judge any moms that choose the hospital route. I've prayed that God would lead us and show us along the way if we need to choose otherwise, and I believe He will.

Thanks for sharing in our joy over our second child. I'm already imagining the joy he or she will bring. Samuel seems to be excited so far. He knows there's a baby in mommy's tummy. Sometimes he'll come over and lift my shirt up and say, "Hi, baby, hi!" and kiss my belly. It's very sweet. Let's hope it stays that way! I think it will.

We do want to find out the gender and hopefully we will in a few more weeks. I sort of think it's another boy and Tyson swears it's a girl. We truly will be excited either way. I would love for Samuel to have a little brother to play with and I'm comfortable with boys, but I know we would totally fall in love with a little girl too. We'll know soon enough!

Sweet profile

This is looking down at the baby. Is it me, or do y'all see a little something? Supposedly boys and girls all look the same at this stage. Hmm...

A Lot of Catching Up to Do

2011-12-08T15:16:00.005-05:00

It's been way too long since I've written. I miss my blog, and have had several posts written in my head lately. The best way I know to catch up is to post a bunch of pictures of what's been going on and start writing. Samuel is changing so quickly, and he's so much fun that I don't want to let the time go by without documenting some of this. So there. I'm back.

The Crib Days are Over... It's official, we had to take the side rail off the crib. This was one transition I was holding out on as long as possible (for my own convenience!). It all started on a Saturday morning when we were greeted in our bedroom by a little voice that said, "I cwimb out of my cwib." Hoping it was just a fluke, we kept things the same. After a couple of more mornings and naps of finding him at our bedside with similar greetings, I was still in denial so I just lowered the rail thinking I'd at least reduce the chances of a broken limb or something but still keep the "crib." That lasted until I actually saw the process of him climbing in and out with my own eyes. Nuts! After that I decided to take the rail off and do the conversion to a toddler bed. This was in the evening on a night that Tyson works late, so I was by myself. At first, Mr. Samuel acted like a big shot about it and was all excited climbing in, climbing out. Chest puffed out. Big boy. However, to my dismay when it came time to actually go to bed, he completely freaked out on me. Complete hysterics, uncontrollable. Finally, I pointed to the bed rail leaning against the wall and said, "Is that what you want? You want the rail back?" "Yes!! Rail!!" Sigh...I'm tired, I'm by myself, my kid is losing it, and I proceed to put the rail back on which involves tilting the crib on its side for starters. Twenty minutes later the rail is back on, and he's happily going to bed. That was an eye opener. My outgoing, extraverted, adaptable child likes sameness and security. I chose to re-think things in the morning. I quickly made my way out to the store the next morning to buy the safety rail you see in the picture. This was our solution. It's safe enough for him to climb in and out of but offers that little boundary of security he wanted. He's doing just fine except for the fact that he gets up EVERY morning between 6:00 and 6:30, and now we can't just listen to him talk to himself in his crib for a while. We find him standing at our bedside saying things like "Here I am!" "Let's watch a little TV," or "I want a snack." Help!!!

Getting Our Christmas Tree... This month has been full of fun and surprises for this two year old. He's made this season even brighter and merrier for us. For the first time, the wonder of Christmas is on his radar. We ventured out to pick our tree on December 1st. We picked one from a tree farm called Pop N' Son. The picture above is in the car on our way. He was very excited.

So were we. When we let him down he took off racing through the trees like it was a maze. There was another family there with a little boy around 5, and Samuel kept chasing him. It was hard to look for a tree and keep an eye on the little kid in the red vest.

Let's get this one!

We found a winner!! Let's take it home!

This is the tube they slide the tree through to fit netting around it for the ride home. It looked like a fun tunnel to someone I guess.

Trimming it up and getting ready to load.

They had a giant inflatable snowman. It was huge!!

Samuel was in awe of this whole process. We were so busy getting ready for Africa last year and he was a year younger that we didn't focus much on the usual Christmas traditions. He was bouncing off the walls with excitement when we got the tree in the living room. He wanted to "help" with the lights. He loved looking at all the different ornaments too. Tyson's dad and step-mom gave us the neatest train that goes around the tree. That was the icing on the cake! You can see it a little bit in the picture below. It makes music and Santa waves.

Last Friday night we went to a Christmas Party for Tyson's work. The whole family was invited, so we all three went. This is Tyson and Samuel before we went. Don't they look handsome? When we told Samuel we were going to a "party" all we heard until we got there was, "Party! We go to party? When we go to party?" I didn't realize how much parties mean to this kid. When we got there, he was just giddy. The excitement went on all night, and when we left he said, "I had fun at my party." Oh dear! On a side note, I've been trying to put some focus on the advent season and counting down to Jesus' birth, so Samuel will learn to enjoy the true meaning of Christmas. I'll post soon about a couple of activities we're doing. Anyway, I was trying to explain to him the other day that it will be Jesus' birthday soon, and he quickly interrupted me and said, "We need cake!" I suppose we'll be making a birthday cake for Jesus. :)

His First Parade... To keep in step with the Christmas spirit we went to our little town's annual Christmas parade on Saturday. We live so close to the downtown area, we just walked. This was Samuel's first ever parade. I think it now ranks up there with parties! It may be better than parties. He came away with pockets full of candy and got to eat two lollipps while we were there. When do you ever get to see Santa and the Chick-Fil-A cow within minutes of each other?

I think he was trying to dance along with this drill team. Needless to say the parade was a hit. To be honest, I was kind of tired and tempted to blow it off, but I'm glad we went.

He loves to sit in front of the tree and watch the train every night.

I hope this finds you and your families having a joyful holiday season. I was reminded today that my true joy and all my hopes and dreams can all be found in no one other than the One whom we're celebrating ~ Jesus!!

Our Little Cowboy (and a cat's worst nightmare)

2011-10-19T08:48:00.002-04:00

Tyson took Samuel out to practice riding last Friday afternoon. A friend from his work has a horse and has invited us out to learn more. This time it was just Daddy and Samuel. From the looks of things, he had a great time.

Tyson knew I would say something when I saw this video of Samuel riding with no one holding on to him, and of course that was the first thing that came out of my mouth. What?!?! After the initial shock, I was pretty proud of my boy for his bravery and balance. :)

Again, my initial response to this video was, "Did you wash his hands afterward?" I need to chill! The kid has no fear, and that cat was a very good sport (thank goodness!). Note Tyson encouraging SJ to get the cat!

Look, Dad!

HAPPY 2nd BIRTHDAY to Our Samuel {24 Months with 25 Pictures}

2011-10-09T15:10:00.001-04:00

4 Days old

One Month

Two Months

Three Months

Four Months

Five Months

Six Months

Seven Months

Eight Months

Nine Months

Ten Months

Eleven Months

Twelve Months

Thirteen Months

Fourteen Months

Fifteen Months

Sixteen Months

Seventeen Months

Eighteen Months

Nineteen Months

Twenty Months

Twenty One Months

Twenty Two Months

Twenty Three Months

2 YEARS OLD!!!!

We love you, little boy!

Where My Help Comes From

2011-10-08T12:17:00.001-04:00

As I was driving down the road earlier, this old hymn came on the radio. It really hit me in the heart, so I came home and found it on youtube and thought I'd share.

There's a line in the song that says, "Here I raise my Ebenezer."
I wondered what "my Ebenezer" meant and found that it's from 1 Samuel 7:12 "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, "Thus far has the Lord helped us."

Thank you, Lord for that reminder today. I needed it!!

Visit to a Village

2011-10-06T23:49:00.001-04:00

Julie, the leader of the preschool where we were in Mozambique, invited Samuel and I to join her one afternoon to go visit some of her students in their homes in one of the villages nearby. There are around 47 different villages surrounding the preschool, clinic, and compound where we stayed. We gladly accepted her invitation and went along. Samuel noticed the difference and was a little reserved for the first...two minutes!! After that, it was just another day of fun and exploration for the little guy. The homes were mainly made of mud with thatched roofs, and the people spend most of their time outside. We first visited a sweet little girl and her mom. They kindly offerred Samuel a little stuffed animal. It was the only thing that resembled a toy anywhere around. Of course he wanted to take it with him, but I kindly thanked them but wouldn't keep it. I quickly figured out also, that once we visited the child's home they then wanted to come with us to the next house. Therefore, by the time we were leaving we had an entourage of 10 kids with us! So fun! (See the last photo)

At the second home we came to, these two little boys were playing on the reed mat with a broken cell phone which Samuel promptly bent down and helped himself to.

Then comes along the helpful little girl who's tagging along from the first house to intervene and take care of the situation. All the little girls wanted to hold Samuel and take care of him. They gave it their best, but it was like trying to herd a little cat! They're all so used to care taking from such a young age. It was very common to see girls as young as eight years old carrying a baby on their backs.

I found out later this plant that he is pulling on and trying to climb through will blind you if a piece breaks off and gets in your eye. Thank you Jesus for your mercy! It was planted all the way around this family's home like a fence. Come to find out it's an attempt to protect their property from trespassers. If you look closely there are chickens on the other side pecking around. He was trying to get to them. I think they had already run from him once.

Come back Samuel! Get away from the poisonous plant, please.

About that time, I was ready for a couple of moments of sanity, so I packed him back up on my back. These precious little girls were having so much fun. They love posing for the camera.

More fun posing.

There was no shortage of "help" with Samuel.

Before we left the second home, Julie told me to wait a second because the family mentioned something about a chicken. Sure enough a few minutes later the father emerged with one of their live chickens to give us as a gift! This was a huge honor b/c food is scarce and they so badly wanted to show their appreciation to Julie for all that she does for their children through the preschool. They would not take no for an answer, so off we went with our live chicken. Do you see the little girl holding it in her left hand by it's feet?

On to the next home with the chicken in tow. That poor chicken was just a squawking and carrying on. It got swung around a few times then cradled like a baby doll once too.

I cannot remember the little girl's name who has hold of the chicken. It's starts with an M, but I just can't think of it. She was so funny. She took full responsibility for the chicken and wouldn't let any of the other kids help her. She was really proud.

Here are all of the children that ended up with us by the end of our journey. They were walking us down to the main road where we would turn and walk back to the compound. I was taking the picture and Samuel was on my back. That's Julie with the children. They love her so much and she adores them. Our plan to visit a couple of kids turned into an entire afternoon in the village visiting multiple families and walking along with lots of precious souls. It was a privilege and an honor. My heart was full of joy and gratitude as we walked back home.

One of the Longest Days of My Life!!

2011-10-03T14:42:00.004-04:00

This past Friday (and Saturday) have to go down in my history book as one of the longest day(s) of my life thus far. I knew it was one for the memory books as it was happening figuring it would all pass soon enough to look back and laugh at (sort of). I'm not quite to the laughing stage yet... Let me break it down in timeline form:

Preface: Samuel and I spent a wonderful 9 days with my family in Texas. We did make one trip to a pediatric clinic over an infected thumb nail cuticle (nice!) and a cold complete with fever. It didn't stop him or me from having a great time though.

Here we are saying our goodbyes. Bittersweet. Going to miss my parents but excited to get home to Tyson/Daddy. Right?

Here goes...

10:30am - Fun car ride to the airport with Poppa

11:30 - eat lunch at the airport. Notice Samuel won't touch anything. Not even tortilla with cheese.

12:00 - run into great friends boarding the plane. We all sit together and I brag on what a great traveler Samuel is.

12:30 - Take off and notice Samuel uncharacteristically cranky and doesn't seem to feel well (besides the cold). Keep chatting with friends and trying to make the best of it.

Here's where the ~~fun~~ drama begins!!!

1:15 (in flight) - Try to offer Samuel another snack and he THROWS UP all over me and himself. Thank you Lord it didn't get on my friends! I clamor for wipes, use a blanket, and the flight attendants bring us a trash bag and tons of paper towels. I'm clompletely covered in kid vomit and the smell is overwhelming. I have extra clothes for S but not for me. Get Samuel changed while in my lap and try to recover.

1:45 - Throws up again! This time I had the trash bag ready, but still more gets on me. Completely surreal! At this point my friend digs a clean blouse out of her carry on and I head to bathroom to change shirts. Now I have a a clean shirt with vomit all over my pants. Better than nothing!

2:15- Pukes one more time! Another save with the trash bag. I'm overwhelmed!!!

2:30 Plane lands. I apologize profusely and thank my friends for all the help. We say our goodbyes. They're at their destination. Samuel and I have an hour to change planes. Did I mention I have no extra clothes, ran out of wet wipes, and my cell phone has one bar ( I left the charger at home). I start texting my husband in faith that the phone will stay alive, buy some sprite, water, and wet wipes. Go to family restroom, change a diareah diaper, and try to get the vomit out of my pants.

Now we're on eastern time and it's 3:45 - Find a little corner to park the stroller, set up Elmo on the laptop, and give the poor little guy some sprite and water through a medicine dropper. He's completely pitiful at this point. Get my composure (I want to burst into tears) and board the next plane.

5:00 - Board the plane. Let the flight attendant and pilot know my kid is sick and have a row to myself. Hold Samuel as still as possible and have the trash bag ready. He sleeps but is burning up with fever (102.6).

*Note: I think the pilot was rushing the flight. We took off at a crazy speed and never slowed down. Went straight through some storm clouds to land. Crazy turbulents! and we arrived 15 minutes early!

5:50 Samuel throws up all the sprite and water I've given him and is listless. I'm panicked. Plane lands. Sweet family rushes to my aid and helps me carry everything. I'm texting Tyson who's been in touch w/ our doctor.

6:20 Get in the car with T. Samuel perks up a bit when he sees Daddy. I smell like throw up and cry on the phone with my mom. Our pediatrician has said to take Samuel home and she'll call us at 8:00pm. Love her!!! We get the sweet boy home and put him in front of a video with towels all around while we unload the car. He throws up again at 7:45.

8:00 Dr. M calls to get the scoop. Tells us to go to the ER after I tell her there's been no wet diaper in hours, etc. Dehydration! Tyson's gone to the store to get Pedialyte and crackers.

8:15 T gets back and we load up for the ER.

9:00 check in at the ER. S has a fever of 102 and is dehydrated.

9:25 They give him medicine for nausea

10:00ish He gets blood drawn and IV fluids.

(I'm loosing track of time at this point...)

10:30 I'm feeling a little queasy.. Yes, you read that right!

11:30 I run for the restroom in the pediatric ER. It's my turn!

2:30 am Saturday - Blood tests came back normal. IV fluids are in. Another dose of anti-nausea medicine given. It's official, I now have the stomach virus and we're on our way home.

2:45 - I'm now vomitting into the puke pan given to us at the hospital and we're turning into our driveway. I'm having to say, "Mommy's fine" in a sweet voice between gags to let a worried Samuel know that I"m okay.

3:00am - tuck Samuel in. Tyson sleeps on the sofa, and I proceed to run for the toilet every 30 minutes for the rest of the night.

10:00 am - We're all up. Samuel looks great, and I'm out of it. Tyson takes care of us both and is hoping for the best.

Another side note - My poor parents and Tyson have all gotten the evil bug too. So sorry we left you with such a parting gift.

That 36 hour adventure was definitely one for the books! We're all on the road to recovery and I guess I'm almost ready to LOL! Gotta love the adventures of motherhood.

Thank You For Our Friends (Samuel's Prayer)

2011-09-11T23:15:00.000-04:00

I love this kid. Have I said that before??

Tonight while we were eating at the dining room table, Tyson and I were chatting about something when we saw Samuel bowing his head down and talking very softly. Tyson noticed before I did.

All the sudden I realized he was praying. We both got quiet so we could hear what was being said, and through all the jabbering we heard in the sweetest voice you could ever imagine...

"Thank you for our friends." Priceless.

Look What I Came Face to Face With...

2011-09-08T13:40:00.001-04:00

A Black Widow spider!!!

I was pulling the water hose off of the holder in the backyard this morning. Right when I took my hand off the hose I looked up and there it was on this wooden post. Yikes! Who said Africa was dangerous???

Clemintina

2011-09-03T09:10:00.002-04:00

I met Clemintina and her mom the first week I volunteered in the clinic. A sweet little girl with cerebral palsy and other developmental issues. She has especially limited mobility with the right side of her body. We sat on the cement floor on a mat as I demonstrated to her mom how she could do some slow gentle stretching and play little games with Clemintina to help her stretch her muscles and increase her coordination. Clemintina fussed a little and didn't show much expression. We were able to place some small objects in her hands and get her to look at them. We also just spent time encouraging mom and going on over her little girl. We encouraged her to come back again the following week for more time to meet together instead of waiting for two weeks. After she left we commented that she would be a good candidate for introducing to therapeutic riding with the horses.

Fast forward to the next week...Tuesday afternoon Clemintina and her mom arrived to the clinic for more services and therapy time. Heide asked her mom if we could take her out to introduce her to the horses, and she reluctantly said yes. As Heide held Clemintina in her arms and got closer to the horses, I could see mom's blood pressure rising. She wasn't so sure about this. I don't blame her! I stood close to her and reassured her as Heide lifted her sweet little one up on onto Ellie (the horse).

At first we gently laid Clemintina on her belly over the horse's back. Tyson was there helping as well. It was so fun to do something like this together. This was one of my favorite moments the entire month! To watch what unfolded over this fifteen minutes or so was so priceless. Minute by minute that this child was on the horse she became more alert and alive than any of us had seen her. She began to pick her little head up and look around.

Heide continued to work on some stretching while she had her up there. The longer she was up there the more her body relaxed. Next we wanted to see how she would do in a sitting up position. Her little legs were just too stiff and tight to straddle the horse so we propped her up in a "side saddle" position. Look at her picking her little head up and looking around!

As she sat up on the horse, her dispostion continued to blossom before our very eyes. You can see the joy on Sarah's face that speaks a thousand words. As we were all getting excited I looked over to check on her mother, and she was standing by but didn't really seem a part of what was going on. I wanted her to feel included in the process, so I got someone to encourage her to participate by calling out her daughter's name, so she could see that her mom was watching. Oh my goodness! When that mom began to wave and say, "Clemintina, Clemintina!..."

Her little ears perked up to the sound of her mother's voice. She began scanning the crowd for that one voice. When their eyes met my heart melted.

She lifted up her left arm and began waving to her mom. The wave turned to smiles and the smiles turned to all out laughter! The more mom waved and called her name, the more she smiled, laughed, and waved! And the more my eyes filled with tears!

It was like a fountain of joy bubbling up in all of us to see this mom and child interact in this way. It was a beautiful thing. As they were leaving we encouraged her to come back again in a week instead of two weeks, and she said, "Can we work with the horses again when I come back next week?" Ha!
This was just as beneficial to the mom as it was to Clemintina, I believe.

"Let the Little Children Come to Me..." ~Jesus

2011-08-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

Four days a week the grounds outside of the clinic you see in this picture are full with Moms, Grannies, and other caregivers with their babies waiting to be seen by one of the three nurses inside. Many of them traveling long distances in the backs of trucks, by foot, or in a crammed minibus to get the care and resources they need for these little ones.

The clinic is aptly named the Makomborero Nutrition Center. Makomborero is the Shona word for "Blessings." Blessing is an understatement for what this clinic is and what the three women inside are doing on a daily basis! The babies they see and serve are from moms who are HIV+. Many of the mothers have already died and are brought to the clinic by their grannies, fathers, aunts, or other family member. Some of the babies are also HIV+, and many have multiple disabilities. Depending on the family's needs, they come once a week or every other week.

Depending on their needs, the clinic has to offer - powdered milk, oil, sugar, dried beans, and corn flour. When the families arrive the babies are weighed on this scale to track their growth. Once given the milk, many of the babies begin to gain weight rapidly while others do not. Just from my short time working in the clinic I quickly observed how very different each and every circumstance can be. Sometimes the stories and suffering can be overwhelming. Things that are hard to even imagine let alone be a reality. My level of admiration and respect for what these nurses are doing is so incredibly high. They are true heroes. They are literally in the throws of life and death on a daily basis. I learned so much from them.

Here's Heide (the nurse, not the African woman). Oh how we love her. Our hearts collided with hers from the very beginning. Here she is seeing a granny with a little baby. This baby's mom had passed away already. Heide was doing a well baby check and getting ready to give the granny more powdered milk to take with her. When I found out how old this baby was, my jaw dropped....

This is the sweet face of a 6 month old boy. Yes, you read that correctly. Six months! It's obvious he's not gaining but granny insisted he guzzles down the milk. After watching him drink the milk from the bottle it was obvious there were some real feeding issues with his sucking and swallowing. We did our best to give her some practical ideas to help and gave her a different nipple for the bottle. It made me realize how very blessed we are here in the west with our limitless supply of resources that we so often take for granted. Something like this here is such a simple fix with medication or changing formula or trying a different bottle, etc. However, the simple teaching we were able to give about how to hold the baby while feeding him, how to hold the bottle, burping him, and other suggestions that seem common place were informative for her and could be detrimental for his well-being.

This granny was truely doing the best she could with what she had. When we finished meeting with her. She snuggly wrapped the baby and carried him on her back for their journey home. She smiled as she got ready to go. I'm not sure what she was carrying in the bag on her head. I pray that things are going better and he is gaining.

There are four Mozambican women who also work in the center to help keep things running smoothly. They are all so kind and hard working. They bag the milk and other dried foods for the families to take with them. These are bags of dried beans ready to be taken for older babies or mothers who are breastfeeding for their nutrition.

This sweet mother was waiting outside the clinic for her turn to be seen by one of the nurses. I was able to pray with her before she went in. She was worried about her little girl who was not feeling well.

Here are the bags of powdered milk. *Breast feeding is always encouraged first, and many mothers will breast feed (if they are healthy enough) for the first six months. Even moms with who are HIV positive can breastfeed if they do it exclusively without switching back and forth to milk or formula. The nurses are trying to educate moms on this. If a mom is breast feeding, the center will encourage this by giving the mother vitamins and food for her nutrition.

Here is a father bringing his little one and waiting for his turn. He was very proud to have his picture taken with her.

Such a sweet face.... I thought her eyes had a special sparkle in them.

Here is Sarah, one of the nurses. She's awesome! How I admire these women for their servant's hearts, warrior spirits, and compassion for these people. There are around 900 babies enrolled in the program. One day I was there, they saw 113 babies and another day they saw 98. Wow! Darn, I didn't get a photo of Jacque, the other nurse who actually started the program. Can't believe I didn't get her pic. She taught me a lot about the culture and the lens through which many of the people view things. They were all so welcoming of me coming in the clinic and we had lots of fun together too.

Here is one family coming to see Heide and one mom getting ready to walk outside.

Here I am in action with one little boy. His name was Mataus "Matthew." His granny brings him. He has cerebral palsy. We would put a mat and a blanket down on the floor in a corner of the clinic for a space to work. In this picture I was showing the granny how she could lay Mataus on his tummy and roll up a blanket under his chest to give him some support. His neck muscles and torso were very weak.

We put some interested objects out in front of him and he was very happy to look around. I also showed her some stretches she could do with him. Notice that right hand curled up? Look at the proud look on Granny's face. In this culture many times anyone who is "different" is not included in the rest of the society of village. Therefore, it's considered shameful to have a child with a disability. These children are often not recognized or treated the same as others. To give them special attention, recognize their strengths, celebrate their improvements, and praise the caregivers is revolutionary and life giving!

*Me, Mataus, Dorca (she works there and translated for me), and the granny

This mom was leaving. The bright colored material she's wearing and carrying the baby with is called a capalana. Most babies are carried on the front or back with them, and they are used as blankets and wrap around skirts as well.

------------------------------

Volunteering at the center was a highlight for me on this trip. It felt like it was there waiting for me. There is no shortage of babies and caregivers who need help. To be able to offer love and hope to these hurting people brought so much joy to my heart. It was hard to leave. To only be able to work with these babies a couple of times knowing I may not be back for months made it hard to leave but motivating to go back!!!

------------------------------

Has any of this moved you? Made you wonder how you could help? Stirred you up a bit? You can be a part in a very tangible and real way. It's spelled M-I-L-K!!! It costs around $11,000 USD a month to buy milk and keep the clinic running. The clinic runs strictly off of donations, and many times they have seen God provide in miraculous ways. It's a walk of faith though to trust for the $ to buy the milk, and so many little lives are depending on it. If you would like to make a contribution towards milk for the feeding program, please send me an email and I will let you know how you can do that.

More Africa stories to come....

Life in Africa

2011-08-23T22:35:00.002-04:00

I thought I would begin by sharing a glimpse of what our living situation was like while we were in Africa. It was actually much more beautiful and comfortable than what I had myself mentally prepared for. We lived in a compound so to speak with eleven or twelve others. A few people have their own little homes and others have dorm type accommodations. We had our own small living space with our own bathroom. It was perfectly fine with plenty of privacy. Samuel's travel crib worked great too. The building in the picture above was the main kitchen with the veranda off the back. It also had an outdoor brick oven for cooking and grilling. We all ate dinner out there every evening together.

This scripture verse is etched in one of the steps.

it reads...

The fruit of that righteousness will be peace;
   its effect will be quietness and confidence forever.
My people will live in peaceful dwelling places,  in secure homes,
   in undisturbed places of rest.

That's exactly what we felt there - peace. Life was so simple. No TV. Limited internet. We were far removed from so many distractions we often face. It was refreshing! The beauty of simplicity came alive. Good rest. Good food. Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Flowers. Trees. People. Relationships. Love!

Samuel had a big time. He was in heaven with all the people and animals. This is him standing on the veranda looking out across the compound. Beyond the fence, you can see for miles.

There were several dogs. They're all healthy friendly dogs but great for detecting snakes and unwanted trespassers. Thankfully we never saw a snake while we were there. I was always scanning the ground just in case though. The dog's are supposedly pretty good at finding them first and signaling by barking. This dog's name was Samwise aka "Sam." These two Sams got along just fine. Samwise was more than patient with the other Sam as you can see.

I didn't do a great job at getting many pics of the group, but this little boy was a sweetheart. His family is part of the team there and Samuel just loved him. Their family has one other boy a little older and they've adopted a little Mozambican girl who's two years old. Neat people who are making a huge difference in the area.

Daddy and Samuel enjoying the cool mornings. We were up with the sun and the roosters most mornings and went to bed rather early. We found ourselves enjoying this schedule. It was winter while we were there which meant it was in the high 40's at night and got up to low 80's some afternoons.

Tyson is helping build a fire in the outdoor wood burning oven.

This was another great friend we made. Her family has also been living in Africa for years doing great work. They're getting ready to build a secondary school for the teenagers in the villages nearby. Samuel just loved her and her family too. We all did, but they were all so open and sweet to Samuel. It warmed our hearts.

This path was right next to the compound and we enjoyed several early morning walks and afternoon hikes up through there. Tyson enjoyed jogging that trail often too. I (Gina) hiked with a few people one afternoon to a waterfall that's a mile or two through the bush. Beautiful!

That poor cat!

Can you see the cat in this picture? Hint: Look in the green chair. Run kitty!

One challenge we had was figuring out how to juggle caring for Samuel and managing the rest of our time. Even though it seemed fairly safe with room for him to run around, we still didn't feel we could take our eyes off of him for long. Watching him was constant and exhausting at times. It was a real team effort for Tyson and me. More than when we are at home for sure. I captured this photo of Tyson sitting out doing a little reading because those times seemed few and far between.

There was one washer that we all shared, and we hung our clothes on a clothes line. Don't I look domestic?? I came to enjoy hanging our clothes out. It was quite therapeutic. The African sun dries them quickly too. :)

This little house was for the 3 pet rabbits and several doves. Samuel was doing his daily check on the little critters. Between the dogs, rabbits, cats, and horses (we'll introduce them soon) there was no shortage of entertainment and excitement for Samuel.

This was a typical seen in the afternoons just before dinner. Dogs running around and the children playing. Our life for that short month was oh so sweet. It had it's difficulties and inconveniences and

challenges for sure but there was a peace and a refreshment as well. There's more to share about the rest of our time in Mozambique but I wanted to start with where we lived and what it was like. This was a little peek inside...

We Are Back!

2011-08-20T07:53:00.001-04:00

We arrived home from Africa on Saturday afternoon. It wasn't the arrival we were expecting. Our flight from South Africa landed in New York where we would connect on to our home destination, and by the time we got there I mentioned to Tyson that I wasn't feeling quite right. We both agreed it was probably exhaustion from traveling for so long. We traveled straight through (which I will not do again w/ a toddler). Crazy!! I think it had been 30 something hours of travel by this point. Anyway, I quickly realized I was feeling more than just exhausted. It quickly went from body aches, to chills all over, to fever, and by the time we landed at home I didn't think I would make it off the plane. I had a horrible headache and could hardly think straight. Long story short this moved into vomiting and "the other" for around three days. I promptly began taking medicine to treat malaria. I couldn't keep the medicine down, so we had to get a prescription for anti-nausea meds which did the job and helped me sleep. We're not 100% sure it was malaria. So far all tests have come back negative, but it's fairly safe to say that's probably what it was. Whatever it was. I've never been so sick! Needless to say, our arrival back to the states was like one big blur! We've been blessed to have friends watch Samuel and bring us meals. I'm now feeling a thousand times better. Just getting my strength back. Funny thing is I hardly remember getting a mosquito bite. They're really not bad there this time of year. I guess it just takes one.
Thanks again for all of you who were praying for me and for us during our whole trip and while I was sick. It feels so great to know we are covered in prayer. I was feeling really discouraged during the illness and just felt like I was in a fog, but a couple of mornings ago we started worshipping in our living room and speaking life over me and our home. Oh how quickly the darkness left and the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit and resurrection life of Jesus came flooding in! We are victorious in Him!

Our trip....was wonderful on so many levels. Samuel was so adaptable and seemed to enjoy himself and everyone else the whole time. He had lots of great space to run and play outside and he loved everyone there so much. He even learned a few phrases in Portuguese that he would use with the Mozambicans. "Hi", "How are you?" "I'm fine." So cute! There were lots of animals around too that kept him busy. Sweet dogs, one cat, two horses, and a couple of rabbits. He was in heaven! Tyson and I jumped in and helped where needed with the clinic, the horses, building, prison ministry, training and English teacher and whatever else came up. We spent a good bit of time simply building relationships with the team there as well. It was good. We want to go back! More pics and special stories coming soon!

Day One Travels = Long but good

2011-07-19T14:16:00.000-04:00

These pictures are in no particular order, but they capture our first day of travels. Yes it was looong, but couldn't have gone smoother. Samuel did awesome! Our internet time is short, so we'll write more details soon. We're in South Africa tonight and leave for Mozambique in the morning.

Here We Go....

2011-07-17T20:36:00.000-04:00

We're packed and in a few short hours will be headed to the airport. The "countdown" sort of got away from me this week. You were right, Shanna! Now here we are, ready to go for it - four 50 lb. bags, two backpacks, one carseat, one stroller, one travel crib, and camera bag later. We're off to bed and hoping to catch a few z's before our taxi service arrives. Thanks everyone for your prayers. We'll be in touch along the way. Love you all!!

We've seen Him in the Details- Countdown to Africa (4 more days)

2011-07-14T09:15:00.001-04:00

This tent/travel crib has a little story behind it. As we've been figuring out what we will need to bring with us, we learned there would be no crib or pack in play where we'll be. For our own peace of mind and stress reduction we really wanted to have something crib like for him to sleep in while we're there. At first we just planned to lug our 30 pound pack n play with us to get the job done. Then the more I thought about it the harder that was looking in my mind considering everything else we'll be bringing, so one morning early I did a search online for "lightweight travel crib." By the way, not much comes up.

However, this Graco Pack n Play "Sport" came up but was very scarce not to mention expensive. As I kept reading I found out they are no longer sold in the US (only in Europen and Canada). It did get rave reviews and many people were looking for one. I saw one on ebay and none on amazon. I think the one on ebay was in Europe. Did I mention it folds up really quickly and only ways 12 lbs.! It has it's own little carrying bag with a strap.

Obviously, you see we're now proud owners of one. So where did we find it? and how much was it? After finding this rare gem online, and searching as many places as I could to no avail. I said to myself, "What are the odds I'll find one posted on C's list in my area?? Pretty small I'm sure." I was willing to give it a chance though, and low and behold not only was there ONE listed, it was about five minutes from our house for a fraction of the price I was seeing anywhere else. The woman had listed it just two days prior. I had the thing in my hands about two hours after I began searching. We were amazed. This was about six weeks ago, so we've been having Samuel sleep in it as his main crib to get used to it. We thought it would be great for there to be as much "familiar" for him as possible when we get to Africa. He loves this and sleeps like a champ in it. He calls it "payhouse" since it has a tent cover on top.

This little story has been really encouraging to us as we've been preparing to go. It's just another way we've seen God in all the details. It makes me more certain that He cares even about the tiniest details in our lives. I'm sure he's not worried about where Samuel will sleep, but cares enough about me to say, "Look, I'm going to take care of you" when I needed a little affirmation. Gives me the faith to keep moving forward. Four more days!

They Made It - Countdown to Africa (6 More Days)

2011-07-12T21:51:00.000-04:00

Our passports with our visas stamped inside completed their round trip visit to the Mozambican Embassy. We're ready! It seems like things are falling into place. I'm so tired tonight, I'll try to share more tomorrow. :)

Let the Packing Begin- Countdown to Africa

2011-07-11T17:23:00.001-04:00

One week from today we will be on a plane six hours into our fifteen hour flight to Africa, so today begins the daily blog "Countdown to Africa." I hope to kick the blogging into full gear beginning today and through the rest of our trip.

We asked some friends to watch Samuel for a few hours on Saturday and got serious about packing. This is what our living room looked like as the packing commenced. The whole time we were packing we thought we were allowed to check one fifty pound bag each (Me and Tyson), so there was tons of organizing and strategizing going on. We actually managed to a.) stay friends and not become enemies and b.) do a darn good job. The funny and great thing is that after we felt we accomplished this goal, I called the airline to double check and we're actually allowed two fifty pound bags each since it's an international flight. I do have one more airline to double check w/ before I can really breathe a sigh of relief, but I'm hopeful.

After packing our clothes we're madly in love with the vacuum pack bags. Those things are life savers!
They're somewhat expensive, but they do their job well. Let me tell you. See the sweet baby doll in the photo below? She's going to the preschool in Africa along with the rest of those craft supplies.
We volunteered to take as much as we could fit for the folks already there and had a great response from friends. We've got lots of goodies to share when we get there. We mainly have simple items like craft sticks, stickers, and crayons. In my opinion, it's almost cruel to show up with anything more elaborate that the children would get to play with briefly and then not have the means to continue getting. You know?

Can you see the excitement on my husband's face?? Okay we're waiting and praying for our visas and passports to return from the Mozambican Embassy in DC. Long story short, I sent the wrong return envelope, but got it all straight late last week. Expecting UPS ASAP!! I know it will work out. These things happen.

Check back tomorrow as the countdown continues...

"Shakin' the Feet"

2011-07-04T21:32:00.002-04:00

Listen to him towards the end and you hear "shakin' the feet!" We're plenty entertained around here.

Newborn Photography

2011-07-01T07:38:00.000-04:00

My good friend, Jackie recently had her fourth child. Yesterday, on his one week birthday I had the opportunity to practice my photography skills on sweet John Andrew. So precious!
I think so far, newborn photography is my favorite. Any of you expectant mamas in the Raleigh area, let me know if you're interested. I'll be available once we get back from Africa. Enjoy admiring this adorable little bundle. :)

Little Learner

2011-06-15T07:59:00.000-04:00

I've been looking for a while, and I finally found this cute little table with two chairs for a dirt cheap price on c's list. I knew he would love it, and I was right!

We have it in his room for now. We tried it out in the kitchen, but he still falls occasionally trying to get into the chairs. It's a little less traumatic on the carpet!

I'll find him sitting at the table all by himself thumbing through books or playing with his puzzles. It's so sweet!! Am I an early childhood teacher at heart or what? We're getting more into coloring and playdough these days too. I'm having so much fun with this kid!

It's Official

2011-06-02T21:35:00.000-04:00

We purchased our airline tickets for Africa today! Done deal! We are a little less than six weeks away from going. Wowsers! All my fears have definitely turned into excitement at this point. I know we will face some challenges (15 hrs. on a plane with a toddler for crying out loud! Pun intended), but the good things God has in store for us will outweigh them all, I'm convinced.

Last Year's Garden...

2011-05-29T08:18:00.000-04:00

Is this year's dirt box!!

I guess we'll be buying our tomatoes, squash, lettuce, and cucumbers at the Farmer's Market or the grocery store. After planting a garden last year and realizing how much water, time, money, and maintenance was involved we came to the conclusion that it just wasn't going to be in the cards for us this year.

We tried. We really tried. I wanted to be the "organic, live off your land" nature family. Once again I have to chuckle thinking about our learning experiences last summer as rookie farmers. I think I'll keep all of our laughable blunders between us. There were plenty! Let's just say by the time we paid our huge water bills all summer for the crop we harvested we would've done better buying truck loads of produce! LOL

Fast forward. Dirt has been used to fill in holes around the yard and little boy in the pictures is enjoying the box for all of his scooping, pouring, digging, and dirt eating desires. I wanted to fill it in with sand (and we may). However, Tyson says sand boxes are just great big litter boxes for the neighborhood cats and chigger bites waiting to happen. Goodness, did he have to snuff out my sand box excitement like that? Either way someone is enjoying himself often in the dirt on a regular basis and I've moved on from the fact that we didn't turn out to be super gardeners.

Risk

2011-05-18T08:05:00.000-04:00

I found this quote about risk a while back and saved it. I can't imagine why I've been thinking about it lately. Maybe packing my kid up and taking him with us to a third world country where there are all kinds of diseases, deadly snakes, witch craft, and other dangers has caused me to think about it. I don't know...

ONLY A PERSON WHO RISKS IS FREE

by Author Unknown

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.

To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.

To reach for another is to risk involvement.

To expose your ideas, your dreams,

before a crowd is to risk their loss.

To love is to risk not being loved in return.

To live is to risk dying.

To believe is to risk despair.

To try is to risk failure.

But risks must be taken, because the

greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.

The people who risk nothing, do nothing,

have nothing, are nothing.

They may avoid suffering and sorrow,

but they cannot learn, feel, change,

grow, love, live.

Chained by their attitudes they are slaves;

they have forfeited their freedom.

Only a person who risks is free.

I just love this! It's so true. I was being a little sarcastic above about all the dangers of Africa, but seriously I have off and on struggled with overwhelming fears about those things. I always come back to the same conversation in my head that goes something like this, "What am I going to do? Stay home and play safe. Miss out on all that God could have for us because I want to be in control? Live in regret and always wonder what could have been? Decide that these uncertainties hold greater value than relationships and people?" Then the answer becomes clear - No way! It is truly life giving to reach beyond what I can grab onto. Beyond what I can do myself. This actually gives God the chance to be who He says He is in our lives. I'm always so tempted to have a Plan B just in case God doesn't come through.

Like I shared earlier, this season of preparing to go to Africa has exposed my heart in many ways, and God has already so specifically spoken into those. There was one week that I was obsessing about the risk of getting malaria while there. I was spending hours looking up tons of info. and letting it have large chunks of my thought life. Obsessing! It reeled in my head most of the night one night and the next morning Psalm 91 came to mind. I've read this psalm a thousand times because it is so reassuring of God's protection, but this particular morning one single verse jumped out at me. Psalm 91:3 - For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence that stalk by night... Wow! It not only said I will deliver you, but I will deliver you from deadly little bugs that stalk in the night which is when malaria carrying mosquitos are most prevalent. Sounds like I wasn't the first person to have this concern, and God loved me enough speak to my specific fear. I felt such peace and the Father's love that He cared about my heart and what I was struggling with. From that moment on this obsession about malaria lost its power. When it does try to creep up, I have this moment and this verse to meditate on. This is just one example of the ways I've experienced God's faithfulness during this process. I think God wants to be my Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C.

I often read the devotional, My Utmost for His Highest. This one is called "Reaching Beyond our Grasp." I love his line that says, "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's heaven for?"

Stay tuned, I'm sure there's more to come...

What's that risk that's calling out to you? I dare you to take it.

A Trip to the Stawberry Patch

2011-05-09T22:12:00.001-04:00

We took a trip to pick strawberries last week. My good friend, Shanna, her mom, and her little ones met us there. The weather was perfect and we all had a great time. Porter Farms is only about 15 mins. from our house which was nice. I hope we can go back one more time before the season ends.

I thought Samuel would eat the Strawberries as fast as he picked them, but he didn't eat a single one while we were there. You pay a set amount, they give you a bucket, and you go fill it up. Fun!

Sweet Elisabeth had fun too. Her Grammy was visiting from out of town, so the two of them had a big time together.

The picture below more accurately describes what went on. The long straight rows were much more tempting than the strawberries for one certain person. Up and back, up and back... "Samuel, come back." "Samuel, come to Mommy." "Samuel, over here." You get the picture.

He idolizes his four year old friend, Jonah. Needless to say, he didn't let him get too far out of his sight.

I think I was actually too out of breath from chasing my boy and grabbing strawberries to get a photo of our bucket actually filled up. So much for strolling leisurely through the field admiring the plump juicy berries one by one. It was more like look with one eye, track your kid with the other eye, chase when needed, and manage to snag some berries to throw in the bucket. Can any of you relate? Watching Samuel's enthusiasm and having such a great time with the whole experience was well worth the cardio workout that it was for me without a doubt!

Finger Painting 101

2011-05-06T22:35:00.001-04:00

The day arrived when I felt brave enough to introduce finger painting to the little artist. I put one of my aprons on him that I had from my teaching days. Okay, so the apron was more to satisfy my desire for cuteness than my concern for his clothing.

We actually survived with minimal damage, and he only tried to eat it once.

He quickly caught on to the whole "use your index finger as a paint brush" technique.

Hmmm...looks like painting the table could be fun too.

This just opened up a whole new world of gift options for Daddy and the grandparents.

What a masterpiece!

A-F-R-I-C-A

2011-05-05T13:36:00.001-04:00

Our news that I left you hanging with ~~yesterday~~ two days ago is that we're going to Africa this summer! It's a long story, and we've had the chance to share it with many of you, but this is the first blog post about it. We are planning to spend four weeks in Mozambique this summer volunteering with some folks who have been there many years. Our hope is that we will get a feel while we're there if this is a good fit for us on a more long term basis. The opportunity to go to Africa opened up to us several months ago, but the idea of going overseas was born in both of our hearts many years ago. I suspect the idea has been in God's heart even longer. Tyson has his story of how this type of calling was planted in him and I have mine. Since our paths first crossed almost five years ago this was always a common thread. Now we're so excited that the time has come for us to embark on this adventure together as a couple and as a family.

My "More than Miniblinds" explanation alludes to the fact that our hearts have been restless - longing for more. I do want to say that I'm in no way down playing or minimizing the importance or value of making a difference right where you are on a daily basis. Too me, that can be more difficult than heading off to a distant land. Just wanted to share my thoughts on that before going any further.

Back to how this all came about - We began wrestling with our restlessness and praying for direction. We had a few of our own ideas but they quickly fizzled out. Finally we began to rest in the fact that at the right time we would just know, and there need not be any striving or fretting.

That's when we were delightedly blindsided with an invitation to come to Africa and check it out. The peace we had when praying about this was clearly that "peace that passes understanding." It's what I have to hold on to on the days when I think we must be out of our minds! Proverbs 3:5-6 comes in handy too: "Trust the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your path straight."

What will we be doing in Africa? Good question. We hope to simply get to know the other workers and serve them wherever needed to begin with. Four weeks is a short time in the scheme of things, but we feel it will be enough to get a confirmation one way or the other if we are supposed to go back or not. There is already lots of great work going on there that we will get a glimpse of. There is a feeding clinic for babies that is feeding around 700 babies weekly. They provide powdered milk to care givers, weight checks for the babies, and other care. I'm not exactly sure to be honest. With my background in working with special needs babies this could be an opportunity to identify babies who need extra help and encourage their caregivers. We also know a preschool has been pioneered and it's thriving. I've been in frequent contact with the woman who started it and I'm excited to serve where need there too. I believe the opportunities will be endless for Tyson as well through the avenues of sports, prison outreach, ESL...Honestly, we won't know until we get there. I almost feel presumptuous mentioning what we will be doing because I'm sure Africa will change us more than we will change Africa. We can have our little ideas, but God is writing our story and He's all about the journey. I heard the quote once, "The journey is the destination." So true! We heard. We're trusting. We're going. We're on the journey!

Sooo...The plan is that Samuel, Tyson, and I will be leaving on a jet plane sometime mid-July. Passports - check! Shots - check! Many other preparations are coming along as well. We will keep you posted as things progress. If you would like more information or feel led to partner with us financially please contact us via email: www.ginaandtyson(at)gmail(dot)com and we will be more than happy to share more with you and let you know how you can make a tax deductable contribution. Even more so, we would welcome your prayers for us as we take this plunge into deeper waters of faith and trust.

Life Around Here

2011-05-03T08:23:00.002-04:00

I thought I'd write a post about the general happenings of our life lately (in no particular order).
We are glad to say that Samuel is feeling MUCH better after almost a month of continued illness. Little did I now when I wrote this post what was in store for a few more weeks. It all started with a minor cold. No big deal. The next thing we know an ugly stomach bug shows up. This was a brand new and not fun at all experience for us. The kid threw up all night long non-stop and then throughout the day. I got so fearful about dehydration I was beside myself. After a couple of days the vomiting subsided. Then the poor guy started having issues from the other end for a good week. Not to mention, Tyson and I also got the bug - just not as severe as Samuel. Okay, so we see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's looking like the worst is over. No sooner did he begin to look and act well did he come down with a high fever topping 104+ degrees. This was also a first. At this point, I'm beginning to get a little paranoid as to why he's getting one virus after the other. My doctor assured me he was fine but that his immune system was already low, and he probably just picked up something else from who knows where. The fever saga went on for another good week that included abnormally low body temps. as well. I guess we've been over all the illness for going on a couple of weeks now and boy am I thankful. This was a real growing experience for me. I can so quickly jump to panic mode in situations like these and become very anxious fearing the worst. Not good! I don't want to be this way and this was an opportunity to really seek the Lord and ask for His truth in the situation.
He is answering that prayer and I am so thankful. I am choosing to believe and know that I can trust Him in any and all situations. A trusted friend shared this website with me
(www.thefathersbusiness.com) and some incredibly encouraging prayers of blessing that are really transforming this area of my life. Sometimes, I think God uses our circumstance to expose what is already in our hearts because He wants us to find truth and freedom in those areas where we need it. Tyson and I joke that we thought we were perfect and had no issues until we got married. Ha!! We've done a great job at helping each other realize just how needy we really are!

We're also wrapping up a bathroom remodel project. We had to completely gut our master bathroom last fall after we had a plumbing problem and found black mold everywhere. We gutted down to the studs and started over. I'm waiting until we're completely finished to post some before and after pics. This has been a looong project, but we can see the finish line! Can't wait to show you guys.

We had a great weekend with our NC family a couple of weeks ago. We spent time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Now we're anticipating a visit from our Texas grandparents in a couple of weeks. Can't wait!

We've got another bit of news to share, so stop back by tomorrow or read our "about" page down to the bottom if you want to know what it is.... You think I'm pregnant don't you? :)

"Tootle"

2011-04-27T21:25:00.001-04:00

We had a special surprise on the trail in front of us as we were finishing our walk a couple of mornings ago. The teacher in me gets excited when Samuel gets to see the "real thing" after only knowing something by pictures in a book.

Samuel needless to say got really excited too when he saw the turtle. He said, "Tootle, tootle!"

I had to get him out of his stroller to get a closer look. Had I not intervened he would've been holding and hugging the little reptile.

The really cool part was when we kept walking we saw another mom and her son coming towards us holding the tiny baby turtle. I told them we had just passed another turtle and they said they were sure this was it's baby and she was probably looking for it.

We followed them back around the corner and watched as they put the little baby down next to it's Mommy (so we think).

Where's Samuel?? (Wordless Monday)

2011-04-11T09:17:00.000-04:00

An Unwelcomed Visitor

2011-03-23T12:51:00.002-04:00

I am very glad to see last week in the rear view mirror. We were the first ones at our pediatrician's office last Tuesday morning after being up all night with a throwing up toddler. Mr. Stomach bug paid us an unwelcomed and unexpected visit beginning with Samuel, moving on to me, and rounding out the visit with Tyson! We couldn't keep so much as a dropper full of pedialyte to stay down with SJ. This was our first experience with this type of sickness and it was quite scary. My biggest fear of course was dehydration. Once we got back in the car from visiting the doctor, Samuel was out, but he wouldn't let go of his Sesame Street book. :)

The little munchkin lived in his PJ's for a few days. It's taken a solid week to get completely over it. Within 24 hours of Samuel showing symptoms it was my turn next. I began throwing up Wednesday night and felt awful into Thur. Thursday morning Tyson and I had to find some humor in something by this point and I looked at him and said, "I'm giving you till Friday." Sure enough he became part of the club.

A billion loads of laundry...

Gatorade...

Jello...

Ginger Ale...

Elmo marathon....

And another knotch on our belts of parenthood.

Look at all those teeth!

Did you know?? Rota virus or other stomach viruses can be spread up to two weeks after you've gotten it? The key is good hand washing! If you don't wash your hands good after changing a diaper or going to the bathroom you can spread it even if you're feeling well already. The germ lives on up to two weeks. Of course eating or drinking after someone can spread it too. I just thought I'd share this because it's made me think twice about getting us out and around other children yet out of consideration. It's a scary thing when our little ones get this sick because they can dehydrate so quickly. Thankfully we're all feeling much better and I'm sure this isn't the last time we'll experience something like this but hopefully it won't be anytime soon!!

Bus, Bus!

2011-03-18T07:07:00.001-04:00

We live right around the corner from a large middle school which must bus a million kids in and out everyday because we have a parade of buses file by our house around 7:00am and 2:30pm. The 2:30 bus parade (as I like to call it) occasionally turns into about 10 minutes of free afternoon entertainment for Samuel and me. This photo is of Samuel standing on our sofa peering out the window "waiting" on the big event. When they start to file by he breaks into a very excited "bus, bus!! jabber, jabber, jabber, bus, bus!!" I want to catch it on video soon because it's so cute!

Climbing to New Heights

2011-03-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

The other day when Samuel was watching his beloved Elmo video I looked over to find him comfortably lounging in our recliner. This was his first time to climb into it on his own.

As you can see, he was rather proud of himself. I think he used a toy to stand on to climb up into the chair.

Once he realized I was taking his picture he got very silly and started bouncing all over the place.

But before long, it was back to Elmo...

This Speaks for Itself

2011-02-11T13:50:00.001-05:00

I was acting silly and making Samuel laugh really hard. At the end when I was trying to wind it down a bit, he looks at me and says, "Poo Poo." Sure enough the little rascal did his business as soon as I got him down from his high chair!

Publish Post

16 Things We Love About Our Boy

2011-02-09T22:54:00.000-05:00

Here are 16 things we love about you, Samuel in honor of the 16 months we've known you so far (in no particular order)...

1.) Can we say personality?
2.) Your sweet little voice
3.) The way you say "Hi!" when you wake up and we go to get you
4.) The way you watch videos with your hands behind your back
5.) Your sweet heart wide open when you say "huuug!"
6.) The way you clap twice for yourself when you've accomplished something
7.) The way you toddle all over the house with random objects in your hands
8.) The way you sit for ages and look through books so intently (with your cute little ankles crossed)
9.) The way you say, "Amen!" when we finish praying.
10.) Daddy loves the way you crawl up under him when you guys are wrestling.
11.) Mommy loves your kisses (and Daddy does too!)
12.) Your enthusiasm
13.) Your chubby cheeks
14.) The way you smile with your whole face
15.) Your spirit of adventure
16.) Last but not least, We love you for being YOU!!

"Samel"

2011-02-02T09:21:00.001-05:00

Samuel just started saying his name a few days ago. He pronounces it "Samel" as in rhymes with "camel." It's the cutest thing! He'll be 16 months in a week and he's like a little sponge taking in everything around him.

Hands Behind the Back

2011-01-27T14:27:00.000-05:00

This is the latest position the little guy chooses to assume as he watches his videos.

Those little fingers are tightly clasped behind the back. Keep in mind, this is strictly for video watching only.

Peanut...Peanut Butter...Jelly!

2011-01-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

Well, I've introduced him to what is now a regular part of his lunch these days - the peanut butter and jelly sandwich! Since introducing this guy to peanut butter and being relieved that he's not one of the many kids now days showing up with a peanut allergy P, B, & J has become a favorite for lunch. Can you tell that he likes it?

Let the Pendulum Swing

2011-01-18T20:32:00.000-05:00

Seriously?

How can one go from contented...

to happy...

to hysterical...

to ecstatic... in a matter of seconds???

I think it's called toddlerhood!!

Reflections on Christmas Part 2

2011-01-07T12:24:00.001-05:00

We're generally not at home on Christmas Eve, but this year we were. We didn't fly out until Christmas Day to visit family (flights are cheaper). With that being said, we finally had the opportunity to join some folks we know who have been celebrating Christmas Eve at the local men's shelter for the past several years. This is a pretty large shelter for homeless men in the city. I was excited for us to be able to do this, but a little timid at first not knowing what to expect. Looking back, I'm so glad I didn't let my reservations or skeptisicm get the best of me. Tyson, Samuel, and I headed into the shelter around 7 pm. We checked in at the front desk then headed down the hallway. The shelter was full with men lining the hall way on benches, some laying on bunk beds in large rooms off to the main hallway, and others sitting around in the dining hall ready to participate in the festivities. My uneasiness quickly faded away as I looked at these men. My heart was imediately softened and came alive ready to love. Guess who had the best time of all? A certain little one year old who softened hearts and brought lots of smiles to many faces that night. It's amazing how children, especially babies can melt the hardest of hearts. As far as Samuel was concerned we could've been at Disneyland. He had the time of his life. He smiled and jabbered at each man there. When we put him down he toddled all over the large room up and down the rows of men sitting at the tables patting some on the knee and looking each one in the eyes. I would watch their faces as he approached them. Even the most angry or downcast cracked a bit of a smile. We read the story of the birth of Jesus from the book of Luke and shared stories of God's hope and deliverance. We had a small band lead us in several upbeat Christmas songs. At the end we offered to pray with any of the men who desired prayer and passed out simple gifts. One experience that especially stands out to me was when I was following Samuel keeping an eye on him as he continued to march around the room passing out smiles. One hispanic man held out his arms to pick Samuel up. This man was quite filthy, had long hair, wreaked of alcohol, and was obviously a bit intoxicated. As long as Samuel didn't appear fearful or uncomfortable I decided to let the man hold him. He reached out and I gave him the look that it was okay to hold the baby. As Samuel went into his arms tears welled up in the man's eyes. In broken English he said, "He reminds me of my son." I said "where is your son?" "In my country," he replied softly. Then he looked at Samuel and said, "I love you." Keeping my eye on Samuel who is still obviously not concerned, he leaned in and laid his head on the man's shoulder. Wow! Who knows when the last time this man had received a loving touch or hug from anyone. I felt like God used our little baby to give him a taste of unconditional love and it flooded my soul with joy. My prayer for Samuel is that he would always have eyes to see past the externals and into the heart. For that matter, this is a prayer for myself. I can learn from him!
On the way home, Tyson and I agreed that our hearts were full and alive! I hadn't been a part of anything like that in so long, I had forgotten how life giving it is to get outside of myself and be a part of something greater.

Reflections on Christmas (keeping it simple) Part 1

2010-12-30T10:24:00.011-05:00

We decided (as a couple) to keep our Christmas traditions as simple as possible this year for a variety of reasons. Therefore, we decided not to drag out all of our decorations or even get a tree for that matter. We didn't buy many gifts and cookies didn't get baked. Before you start feeling depressed, let me say we didn't have a feeling of "bah humbug" at all. A few of our reasons included the fact that we were going to be out of town beginning Christmas Day, we're remodeling a bathroom which has required much of our time and money, and we could picture our tree getting pulled down and ornaments being drug all over the house for a month! You'll have to keep reading to find out why the photos contradict what I'm saying. Little did I realize how much more that less would actually be!

I realized a week or so into December how much more I was really enjoying this time of year. Here's what I mean:

- The Christmas section at Home Depot has never been more exciting. Samuel and I circled the cart twice just to enjoy that giant snow globe one more time. :)

- The glow and smell of our Christmas candle never looked brighter or smelled more cheery.

- The Christmas cards and photos of friends and family lined up on our mantle never brought more joy.

- I was not stressed or exhausted over shopping, baking, or wrapping gifts.

I can hardly explain it, but taking all of the expectations of what Christmas is supposed to be and what we're supposed to "do" brought a freedom to truly savor the simple things and realize the beauty in them.

I love how God works. He's not often early, but He's never late either. We weren't devastated over not having a tree for goodness sakes, but it's a fun part of celebrating for sure. Typically we like to pick out a real Christmas tree each year, but like I said we decided otherwise this year. A week before Christmas Tyson and the neighbor were dropping off a load of construction debris (from the bathroom) at the county landfill. As they were leaving a local tree farm was dumping perfectly good Christmas trees that no one had purchased and asked Tyson if he would like to have one. Personally I had no motivation to put it to use at that point, but on Christmas Eve I looked outside and Tyson was putting the tree in the stand and wrapping a few lights around it. Tyson wanted Samuel to be surprised when he woke up from his nap and he was! His eyes were big and he went straight to the strand of lights to inspect them.

I looked at Tyson and saw how much joy it brought him to prepare the tree and have it sitting there for Samuel and then watch Samuel's eyes light up with delight when he caught a glimpse of it. In that moment I was reminded of how our Father God truly desires to give his children good gifts and I realize so many times I deny him that opportunity by fulfilling my desires in ways I think are best instead of leaving room for Him to do something beyond what I could ever come up with myself.

Truly, less (of me) and more (of Him) is where I find real life!

Giving Thanks with Family

2010-12-19T11:38:00.001-05:00

We had a great time celebrating Thanksgiving with Tyson's family this year.

It was nonstop fun for Samuel with his grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins.

Tyson and his mom share their love for NC State and we enjoyed watching football with her.

Samuel ~~played with~~ followed cousin Bella as she set up a "restaraunt" at CiCi's fireplace.

Samuel enjoyed getting right in on the action with his big cousins, Ethan and Gavin. Tyson would wrestle around with them and Samuel was not intimidated a bit. When Tyson would get on all fours as the boys were jumping on his back, Samuel would get under Tyson like he was participating. It was so cute, but I didn't get a picture of it. Darn!

We began getting into the Christmas spirit with the PJ's. The hat only stayed on momentarily - long enough to get this pic. He was exploring the bag of cars and trucks at Nana and Papa's house.

This is sweet baby cousin, Kenley Micah. Samuel was relatively gentle with her. He called her "baby."

An annual tradition in the Carr Family is to break out the shotguns and shoot clay pigeons. Tyson's dad organizes this. It's mainly the guys, but the girls are welcome to shoot too. Even Samuel got his turn - just kidding!!! We came out when the guys were done to check things out and have some fun.

Fun family pic with Samuel and Annabella.

Papa took the two little ones for a ride on the four wheeler. I wasn't outside for the big event, but I heard Samuel was just sort of "along for the ride" this year. Maybe next year he'll find it more exciting.

Aunt Jadon with her baby girl having some fun.

Papa and gang!

I do this everytime! I tend to get more pics of the kids than the adults. I managed to somehow miss getting any pics of Aunt Erin, Uncle Paul, and Nana. I'm surprised there are any of me. I'm usually behind the lense instead of in front of it. Either way, we so enjoyed the time spent with each person. We commented that it felt like we had quality conversation with everyone. Did I mention thanks to Nana and Papa Carr, T and I even went to movie? It was a great Thanksgiving and we have so much to be thankful for!

Food for Thought

2010-12-18T12:51:00.001-05:00

Some friends of mine recommended this book to me a couple of months ago, and it has really re-shaped my view of what judgement is and how my judgements so badly warp the way I look at things.

The book is called How to Stop the Pain, and I have it listed on my sidebar as one of the books on my nightstand. If you've taken a close look at my booklist you probably saw the stark contrast between "Busy Bees, " "Pajama Time," and then..."How to Stop the Pain." What can I say? We've got a wide variety of reading material around here. Anyway, back to the book...I'm not finished with it yet, but thought I would share a few lines that have really spoken to me so far. The second chapter is called, "What is Judgement?" This guy's definition is one I've never heard before.

He says, Identifying what someone did is not judgement; that is merely observation. It is when we asume to know why a person did what he did that we have entered into judgement.

Only God has the right to judge. He alone knows why people do what they do. We do not know, nor is it our place to judge why. In many cases, people do not even know why they do what they do...God is the only one who can truly know the heart. When people assume to know why, then their reactions are not based on reality; they are based on judgment. That judgment causes confusion, pain, and loss.

Here's another section in the chapter: The moment you attempt to determine why another is doing what he or she is doing, you have given it significance. Keep in mind that nothing has power to hurt you until you attach significance to it. Another person's actions are only as significant to you as the judgements you pass on them. The judgment you make is based on your decision about why that person did what he did. The degree of pain or insult you experience from the actions of another is based solely on the judgment you pass. And the judgment you pass is your assumption of why he did what he did.

Here's another dinger! Simply giving up the right to judge would break the cycle of pain and torment while salvaging many valuable relationships.

Is there anyone else that resonates with this? My family is probably saying, "Thank goodness she's reading this!" Ha! Just the simple definition of judgment being when we decide we know why another person has behaved a certain way has been transforming the way I look at all my relationships (my spouse, my child, family, and friends). It's so easy to think we're "perceptive" or "wise" when in actuality we're making judgements about others and inflicting pain on ourselves.

I was trying to think of an example to share with you of something lately that's happened that's given me the opportunity to give up my right to judge. Okay, I just thought of something. We were recently asked by one friend, "Are you going to the party for ...?" (some other friends of ours) I said, "No, we didn't know anything about it." My first reaction (on the inside) was to let myself get really hurt and offended and go down the trail of wondering why they wouldn't let us know about it. Then I made a conscious choice not to decide why we weren't included in the get together. It's amazing how free I felt after that. I truly never gave it another thought. For all I know they tried to get in touch with us, but even then it's really not my place to decide. I can think about these friends and not feel any offense. I don't know what's in their hearts and it doesn't change my feelings towards them. This is just one way I see this truth about judgement filtering through my life and relationships. Then of course of course this shines the light on the countless time I've judged Tyson and decided I knew "why" he did this or that. Come to think of it I judge myself quite often too. My prayer is that the truths I'm reading about in this book wouldn't merely be information on a page, but that it would become a reality in my life. I would love to hear your thoughts too if you'd like to share.

Little Helper

2010-12-16T15:47:00.000-05:00

I'm on a roll with getting videos uploaded. This was too funny not to share. This will probably backfire on me at some point!

Little Talker

2010-12-16T14:42:00.000-05:00

Hoopster

2010-12-15T10:37:00.000-05:00

Samuel can now make a "basket" in his Little Tikes goal. He especially loves to play with Daddy.

He looks so tough shooting hoops in his reindeer PJ's.

Exploring Can Be Dangerous

2010-12-13T21:49:00.002-05:00

The events taking place in the picture above led to the nice little boo boo under the eye in the picture below.

The first pic exposes my laziness in shoving things under Samuel's crib. Actually, I decided to keep his little suitcase handy from Thanksgiving since we'll be packing up again for Christmas. In the mean time, Mr. Busy found himself digging around under there. Before I could be of any assistance in pulling him out, I heard some comotion followed by a red face and a little screaming.
Apparently on the way out from his journey under the crib he collided with the suitcase or some other random object I had stashed and ended up with a bruise and a little scratch under his eye. You never know around here. I'm learning daily that childproofing is not a one time event.

Reading Corner

2010-12-10T10:12:00.000-05:00

I made Samuel his own little reading corner this morning because for the past few days he had been taking all his books and sitting with them behind the rocker. I've kept a big basket of books next to the rocker from my teaching days mainly because we're limited on storage. He hasn't really gotten into any of these books up until now because he's had other baskets of board books that were more his speed.

After several days of finding the little rascal hunched down behind the rocker with scads of books around him I decided to pull the rocker out a little, bring his board books over, and make it his reading corner. Let's just say, he's still back there as I type. He-loves-it! You can see he's "reading" to himself in the photo above. :)

Now I'm looking for a little chair his size to put back there. We put his booster seat on the floor for some reason recently and when he figured out he could climb in and out of it there was no stopping him. He got so excited that there was a chair on the ground that was his size we couldn't get him out of it. This is what first got us thinking that he would enjoy his own little chair.

The Difference a Year Can Make

2010-12-01T21:44:00.000-05:00

I found this post from December 4th of last year of a video of Samuel's first airplane ride. What a sweet tiny little thing. As I watched the video again, I chuckled to myself thinking about our upcoming flight to Texas this year for Christmas. In one year's time the sweet little newborn is now a prime candidate for a "backpack harness." I used to think it was odd to put a "leash" on your kid, but I've had second thoughts picturing us waiting around in the airport.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

The Little Pack Rat

2010-11-22T08:02:00.000-05:00

What Does...

A Wet Wipe

Some sticky labels

A Plastic Peg

This clear ball

And this wooden block have in common??

According to Samuel, they all go well stuffed into the top of the above gumball toy. We were cooking dinner last night not paying complete attention to "Mr. Busy" who had lots going on too (apparently). Later, we looked down and found a nice variety of items stuffed into the top of this toy. We cracked up as we pulled each thing out one by one. I joked with Tyson that he had inherited his pack rat tendencies. As a one year old I guess you never know when you may need an extra wet wipe or sticky label.

I Heart Fall...Food!

2010-11-19T08:32:00.000-05:00

Here's my disclaimer up front - When I say I make "pumpkin" this or "pumpkin" that just know that the pumpkin came from a can of pumpkin puree. I just can't bring myself to buy, clean, scoop out the guts, and cook the inside of a pumpkin just to add it to something else. Okay there, now that I got that out on the table let's talk about these pumpkin chocolate chip muffins I baked the other night. I found the recipe here at Allrecipes. It made enough batter for me to pour into one loaf pan for bread and a six cup muffin pan. They were super easy to make and turned out very moist and tasty. The pumpkin and chocolate are a great combo. They're not exactly low-fat or low-carb but if you're a fan of pumpkin foods in the Fall you should give this recipe a try. I would love to hear about it if you do!

Last night I had a butternut squash in the fridge that I knew I needed to cook soon. I don't have many variations of cooking butternut squash in my head, so I went back to my trusty Allrecipes site again and typed in "butternut squash" under ingredients and scrolled through until I found this recipe for Turkey Chili with, you guessed it, butternut squash. We loved it! It didn't require any packets of seasoning. Just some chili powder, cumin, salt, and garlic. It had a great flavor. I was afraid it was going to be a little bland or boring but that wasn't the case at all. It called for a can of green chilis. I didn't have that on hand but did have a can of Rotel original which worked just fine. Guess who else ate it up? For someone who's proving to be a bit picky, he loved this. I've made a mental note to pick up another b-squash. I've found another veggie he'll eat. Yes!

Have a great day! We've got sunshine here. I think we'll go for a walk this morning.

It Just Keeps Getting Better

2010-11-18T08:37:00.000-05:00

This little guy is 13 months old already. We are having the time of our lives with him. It's something new everyday with this kid. I took these pics last weekend. I sat him on this sofa outside and he thought he was big stuff. Of course I had to snap the pictures while making sure he didn't dive head first onto the ground at any given moment. All boy!! He was back and forth, up and down, and all around on this thing.

Samuel is really getting more and more into "Dada" these days. Today, when he heard the back door opening his face lit up, he jumped out of my arms, ran to the door, and said "Dada!" During the day, I hear, "Dada" this and "Dada" that. He's loving his Daddy! We've also counted about 15 words he can say or use on a regular basis. Let me see if I can recount here - (mama, dada, ball, shoes, up, bath, Jezzi (the neighbor's dog), Nana, Papa, CiCi, No!, bye-bye, hi, nose, eye, uh-oh, yucky!). He's also figured out how to throw things in the trash can. We know where to look if cell phones or keys come up missing! It's so sweet, he says "baby!" when he sees himself in the mirror or in a photo.

He still loves to play with any and all types of containers. He will amuse himself for 15 minutes taking lids on and off of plastic bowls. We love to watch his face because it's obviously a very serious job he has. He can stack blocks these days too. We have a few wooden blocks and some peek a blocks that are clear with little objects inside. At certain times he can stack several of them. He's very careful and gets the block situated just right in his hand before he puts it on top. When he's successful he squeals with delight then knocks them over of course.

The little feet you see in this photo never stop moving I might add (unless of course he's sleeping). He's on-the-go. A man on a mission. I looked down at him last night playing on the kitchen floor and thought how great if was that he really never gets bored at this age. There's constantly something to explore and discover. I didn't say his explorations are always convenient for Mommy. I'm not a fan of his recent toilet bowl explorations or using the plunger as a pull toy. Nevertheless, he's amused.

We've reached a major milestone with nap and bedtime. His sleeping through the night (or lack of) is nothing to brag about, but what we're thrilled about is that we can lay him down awake in his crib and he will go to sleep on his own. He has to be somewhat sleepy already, but he will do it. I am so relieved about this one. At one point I was picturing us having to rock him until he was 12! It's the little things.

This smile so melts my heart. I am so very thankful for the little person Samuel is. We do have a great connection and bond. He is a joyful fun loving baby. He still loves for us to say "Where is Samuel?" Then he comes around the corner and says "Hereheis." That's here-he-is but he thinks and says it like it's all one word.

I didn't pose him with his legs crossed. This is a common way that he sits, especially when he's watching a video or looking at a book. He crosses those little ankles. I know you want to squeeze the chubby little hands don't you?

Oh, the wonder in your eyes. I look at you in awe that you're here on this earth with us. God breathed a wonderful spirit, soul, and personality into your little body. I'm utterly amazed!

We love you so very much!

New Name, New Look

2010-11-16T11:37:00.023-05:00

I'm back! I finally put my thoughts and ideas to the blog. The new title has been in my head for two years now. Nothing like a little procrastination. You can click on the "Gina" link to find out what in the world mini blinds has to do with anything. Of course I will still be posting pics of our favorite little boy in the whole world, but I've been wanting to add a little more of our life on here for a while. Even though I do ~~most~~ all of the posting and this is sort of "my" blog, I hope it can more widely reflect the journey God has our family on as a whole. Who knows, maybe Tyson will surprise you guys with a guest appearance sometime. This is a work in progress, so keep checking back!

In the mean time, let this little guy put a smile on your face.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-03T07:50:00.000-04:00

Not So Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-18T16:46:00.000-04:00

I've decided to just start typing anything and everything (well maybe not everything) I can think of that's been going on with us. It's been a long time since I've just written an update. I thought I would weave these pics in that I took the other day at a park near our house where we go often for walks and such.
Every time we walk this part of the trail I look at that little red barn and think how cute it would be in the background of a photo, so one evening I got Sam Jam out of his stroller and let him toddle all over the grassy field to his heart's content. So there you have it. Here are my shots with the red barn I'd been wanting to capture. Okay, back to what's been going on with us...

Samuel just turned one on October 9th and we had a party for him here at our house with family and a few close friends. He had a great time and so did we. I know his first birthday was more for us than for him. I was really reflective the month leading up to it on what we were doing a year ago. Me SO pregnant and all of us anticipating his birth. Then the birth itself was such a monumental experience that I've yet to really write about it ( I still may write out my full birth story soon). Sorry guys. I'll warn you first. :) I'm just so thankful for God's faithfulness and kindness to us in so many ways. It's been a stretch financially for me to stay home with Samuel, but truly all of our needs have been met in abundance and it has stretched our faith as well. I don't regret one minute of the time I've been able to spend with him. Even the multiple night wakings! Did I just say that? Yes, even the multiple night wakings. What precious moments in hindsight those are rocking and snuggling with that little one. I wouldn't trade it. I can say this now, you know, since he is sleeping through the night and all. ;)

We just took him to his 12 month well baby visit. My mom was able to come with us, so that was special. He weighed 21 lbs. 13 oz. and was 29.5 inches long. His weight is now in the 40th percentile and his height is in the 50th. On the other hand...the precious boy has a big head!! I'm not sure what the measurement was, but he's in the 70th percentile for head size. I think he takes after Mommy. Sorry Boo! :) I switched pediatricians after feeling like just a number at our former clinic. I really like the new office and the doctor took tons of time with us. It didn't take her five minutes to say, "Mom, you do know he has you wrapped around his finger don't you?" To which I said, "Yes, I do realize this." Don't worry ya'll, the boy will be disciplined, but the truth is he does pull on my heartstrings. I can't help it! After that, he fully entertained the lady and demonstrated everything he knows from saying "woof, woof" to waving and clapping. She said he seemed to be a typical courious little boy and didn't show any signs of being too hyper. She also said she could tell he was an extravert and that he seemed very secure and confident. That made me and Tyson feel great, of course. I'm going forward with almost all of the vaccinations. I've been on the fence about a few, but it's highly likely we will be doing some travel internationally and I don't want to take any chances. Many diseases that are almost non-existent here are still quite common overseas. He got his MMR vaccine at this visit and also had his finger pricked to check his iron and lead levels. His iron level was slightly low, so they recommended vitamins. Guess I should have thought of that. I've not given him much meat and I think maybe that's why his iron levels were low. I've tried him on a little organic cows milk lately and it didn't seem to agree with him, so we're back to strictly breastmilk as far as milk goes. Maybe I'll try again later or try some other type of milk. I'm so happy we made it a full year with breastfeeding. He's now eating all sorts of table foods, but still nurses too. I'm not panicked about weening him. I figure sometime before he's five will be fine. Just kidding!!

On the home front we were forced into a bathroom remodel situation that we hadn't planned. Long story short, we found a leak that had been happening over a long period of time under our shower that caused mold and rotted the subfloor. Next thing we know we're ripping out the entire bathroom and staying with friends for a couple of weeks. The bathroom is now mold free and everything else free. It's gutted down to the bare bones. Our next door neighbor, who is a retired brick mason and a jack of all trades came to our rescue and has been a huge help with it all. He's willing to help us put it all back together, so he and Tyson will do most of the renovating. Thankfully we have another bathroom to use in the meantime and good friends who are willing to help us. The whole situation reminded me how thankful I am for our close knit group of friends we live in community with. We had no problem imposing our selves on one couple who we stayed the two weeks with. They graciously said "come on." We actually lived with them in the past when we were single (I'll have to share our love/how we met story) sometime. Made me miss living in community actually. Have any of you ever lived "in community" so to speak? I never thought I'd be the type but once I got a taste of it, I know it's definitely something I could do again. As if marriage isn't enough to expose your selfishness. LOL In the midst of all the bathroom issues my photography business venture has slowed down to a creepy crawl. I'm reevaluating the path I want to take with it too. Not sure if strictly being a photographer who takes pics of families and children is the path I'm being led down. More on that to come.

Lately I've picked my One Year Bible up again and have been reading through Jeremiah. Not exactly "easy reading" to be honest but I grab on to the tasty nuggets that do jump out at me and try to chew on them a bit. "I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?" That line seemed fairly plain and straightforward. In light of any circumstances we may find ourselves in I am comforted to know that I can hear the voice of the Lord whispering in my ear, "is anything too hard for me?" Happy Wednesday everyone!!

This is What Happens....

2010-10-13T21:49:00.000-04:00

when I ask my husband to watch over the pancakes for a few minutes. I come back to a giant pancake the size of the griddle with my initials made out of blueberries. Gotta love it!

Happy Birthday to our Samuel James

2010-10-09T08:18:00.000-04:00

I'm up early reflecting on what was going on a year ago at this time. At exactly this time I was in VERY (that's even an understatement) active labor getting ready to lay eyes on our firstborn in just a short time. I just can't believe one year has gone by. We're getting ready to celebrate with our family and a few close friends, so I better make this short for now.

The verse that comes to my mind this morning in thinking about God's amazing kindness to Tyson and me in giving us Samuel is James 1:17 that says, "Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow."

Dear Samuel,

You are such a precious gift to mommy and daddy. I smile just thinking about you. We marvel at the great things God has already created in you. You are so full of life, love, joy, and personality (big time!). You bring us lots of laughter on a continual basis. You love balls, books, and dogs to name a few! You say "woof woof" all day long. Your adventurous spirit is already quite evident and you are a definite people person.

We love you so very much and can't wait to watch you grow and change into the person you were created to be.

Love,

Mommy

Saying "bath"

2010-09-24T23:22:00.001-04:00

Saying "bath", originally uploaded by gmdeggs.

He says "baa" for "bath" now. It's one of his favorite activities (besides playing w/ the toilet when I forget to keep the bathroom door shut). We were playing in his room this afternoon and before I could blink he had my cell phone and toddled into the bathroom and held it over the toilet. I grabbed it quickly and let out a big sigh of relief. I fully expected him to drop it in and say "uh-oh." Whew!

11 Month photos in the backyard

2010-09-23T11:30:00.001-04:00

Here are a few shots of our little guy I took the other morning in the backyard. It was just cool enough, so I put some little jeans on him. He looked so adorable toddling around in the grass if I do say so. :)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-22T10:17:00.001-04:00

Hard "Work"

2010-09-21T22:51:00.000-04:00

Small Places

2010-09-17T09:10:00.000-04:00

I've noticed Samuel loves to fit himself into small places lately. The other day at a friend's house, I was using this plastic dish to hold some of his toys and he took the toys out to fit his chubby little frame into it. He sat there for a few minutes and played. He also loves to crawl into corners or under chairs and tables. I love it when he gets situated and then peeks out to give me a big grin.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!

2010-09-09T10:32:00.000-04:00

We love you too, Papa!! (Tyson and Gina)

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-01T08:42:00.000-04:00

Meniscus

2010-08-27T10:04:00.000-04:00

Our dear friends (and I hesitate to say friends because they are like family to us), Scott and Becky Lycan are living the majority of the year in South Africa doing some amazingly loving work among the people there. They have started a non-profit called Meniscus. I met Scott and Becky through Tyson who has been very close to them since his college days. Scott actually performed our wedding ceremony. Needless to say we look up to this entire family and admire them on so many levels. Okay, so I thought I would copy and paste a portion of a recent newsletter we received updating us on all the life changing things they have going on in the townships of South Africa. One project I personally want to share with you is something Becky has been a key part of, and that is Project Hands of Grace. Project Hands of Grace was developed to help women acquire skills in sewing, needlework, crocheting, kitting, weaving, and business skills. The women make homegoods, clothing, and other unique items to sell in Masoyi township and other places. I actually have a few of these items stateside and photos, so let me know if you would be interested in purchasing any or have ideas for a venue to sell them. One thing that really touched my heart is that many of these women are older "grandmother" types who have lost their own children to HIV/AIDS. They are caring for their orphaned grandchildren. Some have HIV/AIDS themselves and they walk a remarkably long distance to meet with the sewing group each week. I believe there have been enough sewing machines acquired now for each lady to use one. Here are some photos that Becky sent. I just love them.

This woman's daughter died of HIV/AIDS and she is now taking care of her grandchild.

Here are the women gathered around the table working on their projects. You can see the joy and pride on each of their faces as they work on their creations.

Here are the details from a recent email outlining the other projects going on there:

Litsemba “Hope” Community Center

With the completion of the center building, training and program development are in final stages for the following ministries to begin work:

A Pregnancy Care “Options Center” in cooperation with Youth for Christ South Africa. This ministry targets young people dealing with pregnancy, providing community support, training, and skills development in areas of basic decision-making, goal setting, pre-natal care, sexual integrity, HIV/AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases, personal ethics, healthy parenting, gender roles, becoming a good spouse, marriage building, nutrition, and goal setting.
An After School Tutoring for students in grade levels 10-12, focusing on math, science, and English.
A Micro-Enterprise Development program in partnership with South Africa’s Phakamani and Opportunity International which identifies and equips local entrepreneurs in small business development. This program helps individuals prepare business plans, makes low interest micro-loans, and mentors through the first two years of the business start-up.
LifeSkills for Success offers training in self-esteem, goal-setting, job application and employment preparation, managing health and money, writing a business plan, and assertiveness training. This program is a collaborative effort with Youth for Christ and the RSA Dept. of Health & Human Services.

Total cost to renovate the Litsemba Center in preparation for the programs: $19,600 USD + 1400 volunteer hours. Your support has provided Meniscus the ability to directly contribute $2,600 USD + 900 volunteer hours towards the completion of this project.

We are in urgent need of funding for our portion of facility & program costs. $250 USD per month enables existing projects to grow and new programs to launch from the Litsemba Center.

Discipleship and Leadership Training

25 young adults are now being trained in the Discovery Bible Study method, basic micro-church planting and discipleship. These young leaders are being released two-by-two to go into the community, find people of peace, and begin planting small, reproducible, gospel-sowing groups that meet local needs. DBS groups meet weekly four days a week. Becky and Scott Lycan do not lead these groups, but serve as strategy coordinators and “aunts & uncles” within these groups. Just this week a new DBS has started in our own neighborhood. Both neighbors are recently unemployed and realized that this is a time to draw close to God. They knocked on our door and asked us to help them!

Feeding Projects

Meniscus partners with South Africa’s Mamkulu.org to provide food staples for local children (particularly orphans and vulnerable children) who are unable to qualify for government programs, typically because they lack proper paperwork –parent death certificates, birth certificates, immigration & health cards, etc.

Project Hands of Grace

Meniscus partners with this non-profit women’s sewing guild which empowers women to feed their families, learn micro-enterprise skills, and develop a strong community of faith and mutual support. A Discovery Bible Study group meets weekly after every sewing group gathering. Fifteen women are engaged in the Masoyi work, and over 100 family members are being feed. A second Grace project site will be launched within the next month.

Second Harvest

This seasonal gleaning program through which local farmers and produce distributors supply free access to fresh fruits and vegetables has provided over 6 tons of food to needy homes, especially targeting widows, ‘grannies’, orphans and vulnerable children. A recent donor contributed an additional 4 ½ tons of dried beans. All gleaning to-date been through volunteer efforts led by South African partner Kobus DeWit. However, this work has been temporarily suspended for lack of finances for transportation.

Needless to say they are making a HUGE difference there and at the same time their needs are real and substantial. If this touches your heartstrings and you would like to support them in this valuable social justice, community development endeavor it's super easy to go to www.meniscusinc.com and donate through paypal. Think about giving a one time gift or even sending monthly support. Most of us can't pack up and move to Africa (although I wouldn't doubt it if we do at some point), but we can support the efforts of those who are directly pouring out their time and energy to help the poorest of the poor.

By the way, I would love to hear your comments after reading about this. What stands out to you most? Do you have a heart for the poor or for social justice, microbusiness, etc.?

Closing out the Summer - Concert Style

2010-08-26T16:49:00.000-04:00

We ventured out last Saturday night to the last summer concert at a lake park near our house. It was a beautiful evening minus the heat and bug factor.

I couldn't even tell you the name of the band, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.

Naturally the best part of the evening was watching Samuel live it up. He bounced and danced to his hearts delight.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

What caption would you give this photo?

First Steps

2010-08-23T14:57:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was two months to the day that this little All-Star began crawling, and he took the most steps he's ever taken. I think it was about 3 or 4. I grabbed the camera and took these pictures while Tyson cheered him on. We told Samuel he had a deadline to meet because a friend at work told Tyson that she had figured out that most babies walk exactly two months after they crawl. It looks like the friend at work's theory is pretty true. By the way, we were just kidding about the deadline. ;)

I love his little feet. They're so fat right now and he curls his toes to keep his balance.

Whoa! Keep it steady little guy.

He even paused to politely acknowledge his "Mamarazzi."

Good job Buddy!!

Introducing...

2010-08-21T11:00:00.000-04:00

This dream is finally becoming a reality! It's been a long time coming but "Gina Carr Photography" is taking off! I had my first official portfolio building photo shoot yesterday with precious baby Lydia. We had a great time and fought through the hot and humid weather to capture some priceless photos. The start up process has and is taking a lot longer than I ever expected but I'm beginning to see things coming together and it's so rewarding. I think the fear of the unknown and fear of failure has kept me from moving forward all this time, but taking little steps of faith here and there has helped. I've got lots of ideas for adding to and taking the blog in a new direction, so stay tuned. Here's a sneak peak from my time yesterday with this sweet baby girl and her mommy...

_____________________________________

Honey, What's That?

2010-08-13T13:59:00.000-04:00

As usual, our precious little one woke up around 6am for the day on Monday morning. He was probably especially eager since it was his 10 month birthday. I thought I would be writing to you about that, but this takes precedence. Here's the scene: Samuel is looking like an angel sitting in his bedroom floor quietly thumbing through his basket of books. He looked engaged enough that Tyson and I could manage to get to the coffee pot, pour ourselves a cup of coffee and stagger into the living room. I kept one ear tuned in to any pitter patter coming from Samuel's room in case he suddenly decided the return air vent or bathroom toilet was more exciting than his basket of books. Okay, so back to the living room...the two of us are just trying to get both eyes open and nursing our cups of coffee. I was sitting on the loveseat and Tyson on the sofa. All of the sudden something cought my eye from across the room. I didn't have my contacts in yet, so it looked to me like a large dark brown "something" stuck to our two inch blinds on the window to the left of our fireplace. All I could mutter was, "Honey, what's that?" After I got those words out I sort of froze in place. Tyson stood up and leaned towards the window. I'm thinking frog or small bird at this point. Even though neither of those are what you expect to find hanging from your living room window blinds either. Tyson clarified for me. "It's a bat!" I was up off that loveseat, grabbed the computer, grabbed Samuel and locked us all in our bedroom in about 2 seconds. You might be asking why I grabbed the computer. Some of you know already. G-O-O-G-L-E! Here's what we frantically typed: "How do you get a bat out of your house?" Long story short, Tyson had the bat and got it out a few minutes later. He just walked up to it (it was sleeping), grabbed it w/ a towel and took it outside. This made me chuckle, the instructions said to talk softly to the bat. You've got to be kidding me! I did ask T if talked softly to him when he came back. He said he didn't have to. I guess the little bat was sleeping so soundly he didn't realize what was happening. We're thinking it came through our chimney and out the front of the fireplace. We have the vent shut, but apparently the little dudes can flatten themselves and get through tiny cracks. Great! I taped a large piece of cardboard over the front of the fireplace just to make myself feel better for the time being.

Not exactly what we expected to wake up to and definitely not what I'm hoping to find again any time soon. My adrenaline is pumping again just thinking about it.

Signing "More" for the First Time

2010-08-03T23:28:00.000-04:00

We've been introducing the sign for "more" to Samuel for a little while now, and a couple of days ago he really took off using it during meal times. I used signs alot as a developmental therapist with most of the children I worked with and found it really helpful. Many people are skeptical of teaching their children signs for fear they'll just rely on the sign instead of speaking, but research shows the opposite. It can actually enhance language development and take a lot of the frustration out of communicating w/ your baby. What I've always found to be amazing is how much is in those little brains waiting to come out! The approach I've always used is to introduce one sign at a time until they master it then move on. I wait until the opportunity arises then model it. Playing with bubbles and meal times are a great way to introduce "more." I would put a few puffs in front of him and when they were gone I would say "Do you want more?" and do the sign. Then I would take his hands and help him sign more and quickly give him more puffs (or bubbles or whatever). I'm not trying to act like the expert. I just thought I'd share the process for any moms out there that would like to give it a try and wondered where to begin. Here's the downside...once they learn "more" it becomes their universal word for "give me that now!!" Oh well. I'll just introduce the sign for "no." :)

Look at Me!

2010-08-02T13:50:00.000-04:00

It seems like lately Samuel is doing something new on a daily basis. It's so exciting. Here's what I can think of for this week: He's leaning in to "kiss" us when we say "give me a kiss!" Oh my goodness, I squeal with delight everytime. He's standing on his own more and more, trying to clap, and he's beginning to wave "bye bye." His clapping and waving is proving to be consistent w/ how he does everything else, very shall we say passionately. He claps his hands as fast as possible and waves his arm like a speed waver. Oh boy...

Here's a short video of him standing and clapping. Excuse the fact that I sound like the biggest dork ever. I just get so excited. I can't help it.

We love you all!

The Boy's First Boo Boo (Mommy's fault)

2010-07-30T23:56:00.000-04:00

The good news: I took these really precious pics of the boy at the NC Arboretum. I have a new lense for my camera that I was getting acquainted with.

The bad news: I was so busy clicking away, I didn't anticipate him leaning forward and tumbling on his face. Hence the "boo boo" on the nose in the picture below. It scared me to pieces and I felt like such a bozo for thinking I could prop him up there by himself!

Samuel's First Haircut

2010-07-13T21:40:00.001-04:00

We decided to go ahead and get Samuel's first haircut after repeatedly being told out in public that "She's so cute" and constantly being tempted to put his hair in a pony tail to keep it out of his face. I was thinking we would let it grow until his first birthday at least but it just became clear that it was time. We took him to a salon I've been going to that's really close to our house. He did great!

Tyson sat in the chair and Samuel sat on his lap. I took pictures and danced around with an animal puppet on my hand and a big smile on my face to give the little guy the impression that all was well.

Oh yeah, I took a bunch of pictures too.

I had the camera in one hand and the puppet on the other. I just turned in whatever direction needed for Sydney to cut his hair. He never cried at all.

This pic cracks me up. He looks like he's done this before and is fully cooperating.

Priceless!!

We love his haircut. I'm very glad we did it. We can actually see his cute little face, and I think he looks more like a little boy. I did get a little teary eyed when I looked down and saw all of his hair on the floor. We put a few locks in an envelope to take home with us.

Nine Months in the Womb and Nine Months Out

2010-07-09T21:27:00.000-04:00

Our baby boy is officially nine months old today. I was reflecting on the fact that he's been here exactly the length of the time that we waited for him to get here. Tyson remarked that the pregnancy seemed alot longer than this past nine months. I agreed! I've been working on so many other things lately that the blog has gotten little to no attention, so I thought in honor of today being a special milestone I'd just start writing all the things I could think of that we are enjoying about Samuel right now.

Let's see...He's been officially crawling since June 22. It went from a side crawl type maneuver to a full on crawl pretty quickly. It seems like simultaneously he started pulling up on everything in sight, and now he's even cruising along the furniture. One thing that especially gets me is the way he gets himself down when he's been standing up at a piece of furniture or toy. He very slowly and methodically squats himself all the way to the ground and then plops at the very end. It's the cutest thing ever.

He's taken a few falls already and scared this momma. A couple of days after this all began he pulled up on the front of my dresser one morning using the drawer pulls to stabilize himself. I was just a couple of feet away getting dressed when he lost his balance and ended up with a big goose egg on his forehead. I think he cried for a total of 30 seconds before wanting down to keep exploring. I was more upset than he was and forget putting ice on it. His long wild hair came in handy that day because it covered the battle wound on his forehead right up.

Samuel still loves books. He has a couple of baskets full in his room that he can get to and he loves to dump them all out and go through them one by one. I've noticed that when I read to him he grows fond of a book over time. It's the ones we repeat over and over that he really loves. Brown Bear, Brown Bear is still a favorite. Here's another really sweet part of our day. We read three books everynight before I put him to bed and I always end with his book, Sleepy Baby. It's about four pages long. The baby takes a bath, puts on pajamas, reads a book, and goes night night. Keep in mind, by the time we get to this point in our routine Samuel is usually really sleepy and ready to nurse before he falls asleep. When the book says, "It's time to say goodnight sleepy baby" he turns and nuzzles his little head up next to me like he's ready to go to sleep and he knows we're finished reading.

It's priceless. I know I've mentioned me and Samuel alot, but Tyson very much has his own special moments with him too. In fact, he puts him to bed mostly on the weekends and sometimes for his naps and has a totally different style than me. However, Samuel knows the difference and is comfortable with it. He loves his Daddy so much. "Da, Da" is his favorite word these days, especially in the mornings when he wakes up. Daddy's usually the one to get him out of his crib and he's greets with lots of squeals and "Dada's." When he hears music he loves to bounce up and down to the beat. Loves it! I'm definitely thinking about taking him to a little music class in the Fall. Not only would he love the music but he would love the social interaction. I would consider myself an introvert. I love to be with people, but I have to recharge by having alone time. Not this kid.

At least so far he is proving to be quite the extrovert. It seems when we get out and around other people or have friends over he lights up. He smiles at everyone and at least right now he will let new people hold him. I don't think stranger anxiety has made an appearance yet.

He loves to be outside too. We have a red wagon we pull him around in when we're out there. He's content to sit in his wagon and hold onto a toy while we water the garden or work on something. His little pool is a favorite too. Most of the time it's Tyson who gets in with him. Needless to say we love this kid to infinity and beyond. We love his carefree spirit and tender heart and pray that the Lord would continue to give us all that we need to guide him and teach him and help him grow.

We love you Samuel!

Little Sleeper

2010-06-12T22:48:00.000-04:00

We've been going walking several mornings a week at an awesome park/lake with a paved walking trail. Depending on when we get out the door, it usually runs into Samuel's morning nap time.

Thankfully he's become a great rider in his stroller and he'll go ahead and drift off to sleep while we're walking.

Since I know it might turn into "naptime," I let him hold on to this soft giraffe ( I think it's a giraffe) for comfort.

Little Angel!!

2010-06-12T22:35:00.000-04:00

Does this picture not scream, "You guys better get to babyproofing!"??

Waking Up Happy

2010-06-08T13:52:00.000-04:00

It's always a joy to hear happy sounds coming from Samuel's room after a nap. That's not always the case, but it was today. I grabbed the camera because he kept peeking at me throught the bars on his crib. The top pic is my favorite. I love the expression on his face.

He loves to scrunch up his nose and smile.

Peek-a-Boo!!

Random Thoughts from a Coffee Shop

2010-05-31T17:21:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here at a coffee shop close by our house, just ordered a Papa John's pizza for pick up, and will be heading home in just a minute (picking up the pizza first). I've been out for a couple of hours having a little "me" time. I had to go to the Apple store and buy a new power cord for the computer since the precious little baby in the above photo used the end of the cord that plugs in to the computer as a chew toy the other day. Apparently so much saliva was involved that it shorted out permanently. To the tune of $79.99 we're back in business and I've learned my lesson. I'm supposed to be teaking a break and here I am browsing through all of my photos of Samuel picking out my favs. I posted this one for the fun of it. You can just see his little heart shinging through in this one. So pure and wide open. I love it! We took him on his first camping trip over the weekend. He had a great time and so did we. I'll post some "camping" pics soon. Well, I just received my second phone call from the homefront and the pizza is ready so I better pack up and get out of here.

Blessings!!

Dog Sitting

2010-05-27T21:13:00.000-04:00

We dog sat for some friends this past weekend. "Teak" was a good girl and Samuel loved her.

He really wanted to get his little hands on her.