Mr. Independent

Cooling Off

Rusty always has to take a sip

Sam LOVES the slide!

Let's slide again Dad!!

Happy Birthday Ryleigh!

Today, we went to help our friend Ryleigh celebrate her 2nd birthday. Her party was at The Play Place in Ridgeland and a good time was had by all! Sam really enjoyed playing with all of the toys and watching all of the other kids play.

Poor little Sam partied too hard...

Mr. Clean

Happy 3rd Anniversary!

How hilarious is this? 10 years ago this cute 16 year old boy was my date for my first dance - 9th grade graduation. We had only been dating for about three months and barely knew each other.

Three years ago today, this handsome man became my husband. What a wonderful day that was for us - surrounded by everyone we loved.

Happy Anniversary!

Eleven Months Old!

What has Sam been up to lately?

*He is wearing size 4 diapers, 12-18 month clothes and size 5 shoes.

*He has 6 teeth and I'm on the lookout for two more any day now. He has been drooling and gnawing on his hands a good bit lately - poor little boy!

*He gives the best hugs in the world! My favorite is when we go get him out of his crib every morning and he immediately wraps his arms around your neck, lays his head down on your shoulder and pats your back. So sweet!!

*He is still sleeping great and not waking up in the night at all. He usually goes to bed around 8:30 and wakes up between 7 and 7:30. His morning naps come and go but he still takes a good afternoon nap, usually 1-2 hours.

*He is BUSY BUSY BUSY. We have been working on learning the meaning of "No, No" since he feels the need to explore and get into everything. His favorite thing to do is playing in Rusty's water bowl, which is a big no no around here. We always shake our head when we tell him no and lately he will shake his own head when he is doing something he knows he shouldn't....talk about having to turn around so he doesn't see me laugh..it sure is hard to keep a straight face! =)

*He is extremely close to walking..I think. He will walk everywhere as long as he can barely hold on to something - even if it means just touching the wall with a finger as he goes by. He just won't let go - so who knows. I guess since crawling is working out well for him he isn't really in a hurry.

*He is babbling and talking all the time and will try to say just about anything we say. His favorite words are "da-da", "uh-oh", "bye-bye", "outside" and every now and then when he gets desperate for help he lets out a "ma-ma."

*He has started making a fish face, sticking out his tongue/slithering like a snake and clapping on command. It is too funny!

*He can hold up his index finger when you ask him "How old is Sam?"

*He LOVES music and dancing. He can be sitting down or standing up just about anywhere and if he hears any kind of music he breaks out into a dance, rocking back and forth or bouncing up and down.

*He is extremely observant and loves to people watch when we go out to eat or shop.

It is truly amazing and so much fun to watch him learn new things each and every day.

We love you sweet Sam!!

Happy Father's Day!

Dear Sam,

As we celebrate your first Father's Day, I wanted to take a quick walk down memory lane and share with you a little bit more about Dad...

The day I surprised him with this "early Christmas present" is a day he and I will never forget. The look on his face was full of joy and excitement at the idea of becoming a Dad.

For weeks after we found out we were going to have a baby, we talked about names and wondered just who the precious baby in my belly was. Would you be a sports-loving boy or a barbie doll-loving girl? Of course, neither one of us cared as long as you were healthy! The long-awaited day finally arrived in March 2009. Your Dad and I could hardly sleep the night before! Not long after I laid down on the table in the ultrasound room did we hear the great news - a healthy baby BOY!!! Let's face it - your Dad would have been thrilled to have a girl but deep down we all knew he wanted a Sam. A Sam to throw the baseball with in the backyard, a Sam to watch every sport imaginable with and a Sam to raise to be a strong, christian man.

The days leading up to your arrival were filled with lots of excitement, but nothing could have prepared us for the feeling we both had when we FINALLY laid eyes on your precious face. I can promise you, the minute you looked up into your daddy's eyes you had him wrapped around your finger forever - he was in love. I only wish I could have seen him walk out to introduce you to our family - but the pictures will just have to do. Look how proud of you he is! I can promise you that nothing could erase that smile from his face after you were born.

You had to stay a few extra days in the hospital, but he was right there with you every step of the way. He slept at the hospital with me every night so we would have more time to visit you, he checked in on you early in the mornings before he went to work and the minute he got off work he was headed straight back to the hospital to check on you. I even remember him coming to the hospital one day after work with a bag in his hand with a tiny pair of shoes just for you! Of course, they were way too big but he couldn't wait until you could wear them someday.

After they unhooked you from all of your machines at the hospital we were finally able to love all over you and dress you as we pleased. Remember the talk about his sports love above?? He was ready to hold his Rebel man and you were decked out to say the least.

I won't lie - the first few weeks of your life were tough and tiring. Dad had to go back to work a few days after we brought you home but he was always so helpful and involved in taking care of you. I still remember him waking up and feeding you in the middle of the night, even on days when he had to be up at 6 and head to work all day.

He was the first to hop in the tub for your first bath,

and wanted to make sure you got a head start on learning how to play Xbox with him!

But I know he won't ever forget that your first smile was on the opening day of Rebel football, 2009. He knew from that day forward he would always have a football buddy.

During your first few months of life we spent a lot of time at home and he was never very far from your side.

Then the holidays approached quickly and he couldn't wait to take you around for all of our family to see - ready to show off his son.

Look at the snowman he built for you - your very first snow in February 2010.

He loves nothing more than to make you laugh and can usually do so just by looking your way.

You two are pretty silly together and always bring a smile to my face. He especially loves to get you dressed for bed and always remembers to put socks on your feet so you don't get cold in the night!

He gives great rides on his shoulders to make sure you can see everything going on around you

and loves celebrating Rebel victories with you right by his side!

And how can we forget the stories he reads to you before bed? His silly voices and funny songs make you smile.

But really Sam, when I think about it, he always makes you smile - he makes all of us smile. As you can see, he has loved you more than you will ever know from before you were born. He would do anything in this world for you and you are so blessed to be able to celebrate him as your Daddy on this Father's Day.

"Any man can be a Father, but it takes someone special to be a Dad."