Watching TV with Dad

First Christmas Tree

Sam got to pick out his very first Christmas tree today! We bundled him up and went in search of the perfect tree. We found one at the Farmer's Market on Old Fannin and he loved looking around at all of the people.

Christmas is always such a wonderful time of year, but this year has already been extra special since we have been able to share it with Sam. We are looking forward to making many memories with him this year and for many years to come!

Our Little Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving from our little turkey! He is so excited to be celebrating his first Thanksgiving and much appreciative to cousin Banks for letting him borrow the stylish "My First Thanksgiving" outfit. We had a wonderful day celebrating with our families. First, we went to Lili and Shuffie's house for lunch. Shuffie cooked some delicious food on the grill and Meme came and joined us. Then it was off to Bobi and Papa John's where Adam and Uncle Eric fried turkeys - so good.

These two look like professionals!

While our turkeys were cooking, Sam spent a little time in the exersaucer and had a great time. He was so proud of himself and looked like such a big boy sitting up in it.

He also enjoyed getting to see Cousin Banks. They had on their matching shirts and pants that Mimi made for them. It was precious!

We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Four Months Old!

Happy Birthday Sam! Could it be that another month has already gone by?! We have had so much fun watching his little personality develop and watching him discover new things. He is still such a sweet boy and loves to smile and laugh. We are looking forward to celebrating the upcoming holidays with him and spending time with our families.

What has Sam been up to lately?

*He went for his four month checkup yesterday and is 16 lb. 10 oz. (82nd percentile), 26 inches long (85th percentile), and his head circumference is 16.89 inches (68th percentile).

*He is sleeping 9-10 hours every night and loves to take a good afternoon nap.

*He has started grabbing at everything within his reach and he can't keep his hands off his bottle when we are trying to feed him.

*He is always so happy to see us in the morning and will flash a HUGE smile when we first go in there to get him - what a great start to my day!

*He has discovered his thumb! He still isn't a real natural but he sure is trying hard.

*He is wearing 3-6 month and 6 month clothes and is in a size 2 diaper.

We love you Sam!

New Job

Right around the time Sam was born I started thinking about the possibility of working part-time so I could spend more time at home with him. While it sounded like a great plan, in reality I knew it was going to be very difficult to find the type of job I was looking for - part-time AND flexible. I searched through Monster, Career Builder, you name it and I was looking for a job on it the entire time I was on maternity leave. My 12 weeks home passed quickly and before I knew it I was headed back to work full-time at Blue Cross. The time away from Sam was hard but I constantly prayed for patience and peace while I waited for the right thing. There were times when I wondered if the right job would EVER come along but in the end I knew I had to quit worrying about it and just wait - I was not in control!

I had been back at work about three weeks when I received a phone call asking me to come interview for a part-time job I had applied for a while back. I was excited but hesitant - surely the perfect job couldn't come along this fast and I certainly didn't want to get my hopes up. I went for an interview the first week of November and knew immediately that it was a perfect fit. The people were wonderful, the environment was relaxed and family-friendly and the position was exactly what I was looking for - I accepted the next week! I will be the Assistant Controller for Pure Water Solutions headquartered in Ridgeland.

My friend Rebekah recently moved back to Mississippi from Dallas and blogged about her new job. I think she summed up my feelings perfectly and I could not have said it better myself:

"Have you ever been so thankful for something that you can't even say anything except thank you? Your mind searches and searches for the words that can aptly describe all the thankfulness you're feeling inside and nothing really comes out of your mouth? I've experienced that in the past week and everything I was thankful for came from the most giving of givers...God.... All of this said...I can only say that I'm grateful. Grateful that God chose to bless me like He has."

I am so thankful for this opportunity, for more time with my precious son, and for a husband who has been so supportive of my decisions. I am blessed!