Leigh's snack time

Friday was Leigh's special day to bring a snack.   I asked her on Tuesday what she wanted and she said "blueberry cookies".  I asked her if she wanted blueberry muffins or chocolate chip cookies and she said blueberry muffins.  I had to make cookies for a Bible study on Wednesday so I thought I would send cookies and muffins.  While they were napping today, I made muffins.  As a snack I gave them each one.  While I was folding clothes Sara Beth asked if she could have another one and I said sure.  In the amount of time it took me to fold one load and place them on my bed I came back to only 13 out of 24 muffins!  Needless to say two sweet girls didn't need much supper tonight.    I told Zeb this on his way home and he asked me if I got upset with them.  I told him not at all because it was very cute and I wasn't real clear on the fact that  they could just have ONE more! 


The funny thing is that Zeb came home and ate 2 cookies which meant I didn't have enough of those...so I have another batch of muffins in the oven now!

5 months

Sam, today you are 5 months old! Time sure is going quickly!  Daddy would say you are definitely an arm baby--that's true because you have been sick a lot this last month so we have been holding you!  You still aren't 100%, but hopefully when you are you will feel like being on the floor more!  You reach and grab for toys, food, paper, or anything else that I have in my hands.  You love to grab hold of your sisters' hair and clothes.  You are a very happy smiley baby!  Your sisters can get you to laugh so hard and loud!  Your favorite song is "The Wheels on the Bus".  You really like to read and look at pictures.  You like to sit in your bumbo seat.  You eat at 6:30 a.m., 9:30 or 10, 1, 4:30, and 8.  Then you go to sleep and you sleep like a champ when you are feeling good!  Your morning naps are off and on (bc poor thing you are in the car way too much!) and you sleep from 1 to 4ish in the afternoons.

You are getting the old man look because you are rapidly loosing your hair!  Like in the last 3 days.  If you look closely you can see all his hair on his sheets!  The top of your hair and your left side is almost completely gone.  We expect the rest to be gone in a few days.  This is new territory for us.  The girls had tons of hair and didn't loose it!  

When I got out of the shower...

When I got out of the shower...this is what I found--pretty sweet, huh?

Happy Thanksgiving

Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to his name; bless his name.  Psalm 100:4

We had a fun, family-filled day yesterday!  We started off at the farm.  Leigh, Katie, and Sara Beth had some good girl time, but missed Bryson who is recovering from surgery!  Zeb has to work this holiday, but we were surprised and thankful that he was able to make it! 

Poor Sam was a trooper, but he doesn't feel good--again!

Always a highlight--the four wheeler!

My May and Bo Bo on the porch

My two grandmothers--how sweet are they sitting there holding hands!

At naptime we left and headed to the Hensons.  Everyone was there and it was fun (a little crazy with 8 kids 5 and under!), but fun!  As Zeb said we wouldn't want it any other way!

We tried (unsuccessfully) to get a Christmas card picture.  Here are just a couple of the tries--can't wait to see what Honey and G end up with!!!

And Wes found out that G's powder can be lots of fun!

Here are my two sweet girls at their Thanksgiving Feasts at school!

The lunch after

We had the lunch after Sam's baptism at our house.  It was a lot of fun--who knew it would actually be a little too WARM to eat outside on November 21st!

The cake was from That Special Touch in Pearl---yummy!

The kids made turkey cupakes for their dessert--yummy and messy! It didn't matter since they were already very muddy and sweaty from playing in the yard!

baptism

"Everytime we baptize an infant we bear witness that salvation is from God, we cannot do any good thing to secure it, that we all enter the Kingdom of heaven therefore as little children, who do not do, but are done for." B.B. Warfield

Today was a very emotional day on so many levels.  Mostly just because of what we are doing when we baptize our children.  Also, it was emotional because of what all we went through to have this precious boy and because of my grandfather.

This morning, we took 3 vows. 1. Do you acknowledge your child's need of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ and the renewing grace of the Holy Spirit? 2. Do you claim God's covenant promises in his behalf, and do you look in faith to the Lord Jesus Christ for his salvation, as you do for your own? 3. Do you now unreservedly dedicate your child to God, and promise, in humble reliance upon divine grace, that you will endeavor to set before him a godly example, that you will pray with and for him, that you will teach him the doctrines of our holy religion, and that you will strive, by all the means of God's appointment, to bring him up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord?

Pictures of 3 are impossible!

These flowers were in loving memory of my grandfather, who is Sam's namesake.

a couple pics of Sam

I took this picture of Sam as he was enjoying a beautiful Saturday while watching his sisters swing.

Sam's 4 mo pic with Benji that I never posted!

a few weeks ago

M I ...

Thank you Mrs. Connie, the music teacher, for this! I will always remember it!

Trick or Treat

Halloween at our house means dressing up and getting candy-period!  They sure got excited and had a blast!  

Leigh, our comedian, was walking up to the first house, looks in her basket, and says, "my basket hungee (hungry)"!

We ran into my cousins kids Princess Avery and Darth Vader Jake.  SB is keeping a close eye on Darth Vader!

Every few houses they would have to stop and check on their loot!

I know I already posted this pic, but this is what Sam did as we walked our street!

Costume Parade

The girls school had a costume parade on Oct. 29th.  G and Daddy were able to come watch them.

Goldilocks and Little Red Riding Hood

Silly Day

the theme a few weeks ago seemed to fit right in with sara beth--silly!  it is silly to wear three pony tails-a christmas dress that's too small-easter socks-mismatched shoes!

4 months

Happy 4 month birthday, Sam!

You are 25 inches and 12 lbs 9 oz!  That is 50% and 10% on a full term baby chart!  Think he might be tall and skinny like his Daddy!  You are a really happy baby and you laugh a lot now!  You are tolerating tummy time more and more, but still prefer to be on your back.  You definitely roll from your tummy to your back instead of just squirming over! You are decent with holding your head up, but the doctor (and daddy!) just say that's because you were early.  You coo a lot--way more than your sisters did and you can get very loud!   You are hitting all of your milestones appropriately.  You still sleep swaddled up, but you are getting very long for this.  Just in the last few days you have started reaching for toys that are in front of you!  We love you!

I have sat down and thought about posting these pictures of my sweet grandfather for almost a month now. However, the last month has been very hard.  He is suffering so much and it has been absolutely heart-breaking to watch.  This weekend he has been in the hospital for the last time.  They were able to get some of the fluid out of his lungs so that he could talk and we could all say goodbye.  He went home Monday night to hospice care and the continual care of our family.  We love him so much!  He has taught us so much and I will do a post about that soon probably.

I must say, and I think my family would agree, we have had some very sweet and tender moments this weekend.  He has been doing a lot of reflecting and remembering.  Friday, I had a short conversation with him because he said that he had asked Jesus for forgiveness, but he didn't see how God could forgive him.  I assured him that what is in the Bible is true and it says that "All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God" and that "no one can come to the Father, but thru Him", but that Jesus had lived perfectly and died on the cross for us.  He nodded and said he believed this and knew this.  My Dad was able to have two very sweet conversations, one on Saturday and one on Sunday of very similar (but more detailed and I am sure worded much better)!  Brister Ware (pastoral care minister at our church) came twice this weekend also.  I know  we have been praying that he would feel the assurance of Christ during these last few days.  Sunday night at 1 a.m. he woke my mom up (doubt she was actually sleeping!) and told her that he felt that assurance and he had mom call dad to tell her! What a sweet moment!

Monday Sara and I spent the afternoon and evening with him so Mom could go prepare his house for him to come home.  As he was reflecting more he started talking about how he has read the Bible his whole life, but how now, he wished he knew it better.  This just really struck me.  I hope that I take this as a life lesson.  It's too late for him now to learn more, but it isn't for me.  May I really get to know my Lord and Savior through his Word!


These pictures were all taken on Oct. 2nd by Dr. Johann Hsu.  It was Doe and Dub's 88th birthdays. Dub is one day older than she is.  They have known each other 84 years and been married 64. WOW!

This was taken on Tuesday at his house via iphone.