Morgan's Three Month Pictures

Jack Loves His Puppy

Snuggly Brother

Bowling with Ray

Always a Helper!

 

Sam has been such a great helper with baby Morgan.  He is always willing to lend an extra hand, whether it be holding her while I warm a bottle or bringing me a burp cloth or bib when an unexpected spit-up occurs.  I have been so thankful and appreciative for all he has done to help make our "new normal" easier for the whole family.  

 

Thank you, Sam!  You are a special guy that I'm blessed to call my son and Morgan is blessed to call her big brother.

Swimming with Cousins

Late this afternoon Banks, Hayes and Didi came to swim with us at our neighborhood pool.

 

Silly guys!

After working up quite an appetite from swimming, everybody came back to our house for some Chick-fil-A.  The cousins had to have a quick huddle in the driveway between swimming and dinner.  They are always up to something! :)

Morgan's First Manicure

Lili is the manicure and pedicure expert around here, especially when it comes to babies and little people.  Morgan's nails have recently gotten pretty sharp and she has been scratching her own face some when she gets tired and starts trying to rub her eyes.  This morning I decided it was time to take a trip to Lili's house so she could give Morgan her first manicure.  Thank you, Lili, for doing something that make this Mama very nervous.  You are a pro!

Smiles for Daddy

Morgan always has lots of smiles for her Daddy these days!

We Finished!!

Adam and I have been working on this puzzle of the Las Vegas strip for what feels like forever!  It has completely taken over our kitchen table so for the past few days we have worked really hard to finish it up.  Tonight we finally finished and were only missing 6 pieces out of 2000.  What a great feeling to finish this big thing!

Afternoon Ponderings

Table for One

Sam spent some time at Lili's house today and Jack stayed at home with me and Morgan so each of the boys could have some undivided attention.  While Morgan napped, Jack decided he wanted to eat his lunch and was insistent that he did so on a small tray in the middle of the living room instead of at the kids table.  I actually think as much as Jack liked having all of my attention, he was still a little lost without Sam and didn't feel quite right sitting at "their" table to eat his lunch without his brother.

Southern Baby in Seersucker

Sam's Five Year Checkup

Today I took Sam for his five-year-old checkup with Dr. Adcock.  It has been a much-dreaded appointment around our house because of the shots Sam had to get before Kindergarten starts in a few weeks.

 

In hopes of adding some fun to his day, I took him on a date to McAlister's before his appointment.  We had a fun lunch outside on the deck and even got to watch some of the ducks playing in the lake behind us.  

 

This was the face that kept staring back at me as he nervously sat in the clinic's waiting room.  Nothing I could say or do was going to convince him that it wasn't going to be as bad as he was thinking.

 

The checkup went really well and then the dreaded shots came at the very end.  Since Didi is Dr. Adcock's nurse, she was the one that had to give Sam his shots.  She gave Sam the choice to have a different nurse give him the shots if he didn't want her to do it, but he chose her.  I think it was comforting for him to have someone familiar giving the shots, even if he knew they were going to hurt.  He was adamant that he didn't want to lay down, but instead wanted to sit up and watch as she put the shots in his leg.  (Is he really my child?)  He sure knows what he wants, though, and successfully sat up and watched the entire thing without shedding a tear.  He did great!

 



As if the relief of having the appointment behind us wasn't enough, we further celebrated with a trip to Toys 'R Us to pick out a prize.  Sam chose a remote-controlled Dusty from the new Planes movie. 

 

We ended up making the best out of a day that Sam had been so worried about for quite some time.  I enjoyed the time with my big boy and was so thankful for a great checkup.  You were so brave, Sam, and I'm so proud of you!

Happy 5th Birthday, Sam!

This super cool guy woke up this morning as a five year-old.  How can this be?

 

We skipped right over eating breakfast and went straight to the fun stuff...presents!  We blindfolded him "cowboy style" while Adam went to get his last/main present.

 

It's a new bike!

 

 

He was so excited and had to give it a spin right away in the living room.

 

A little bit later in the morning, Lili and Shuffie came by to deliver Sam's favorite breakfast (donut holes) and some gifts.  

 

He was beside himself when he opened the new catcher's gear he has been wanting for so long.

 

 

 

You look awesome, Sam!

 

Tonight, Adam and I took Sam on a special outing, just the three of us, to eat at his favorite restaurant, McAlister's, and then to see the new Planes Fire & Rescue movie.

Sam Milner, you will never know how much you have blessed my life.  You were placed into my arms five years ago, immediately grabbed hold of my heart and you have never let go.  I am so thankful for the privilege of being your mother and I enjoy each day we have together.  You are so kind, so smart, so funny.  You can throw a ball better than just about anyone else your age.  You love a good game of baseball.  You are wise beyond your years.  You take such good care of your little brother and sister and I am so proud of you.  Don't ever lose your wonderful smile, a smile that lights up your entire face and makes your blue eyes sparkle.  Don't ever lose your passion for life, a passion that makes every day with you exciting.  And most importantly, don't ever be anything other than yourself.  You are wonderfully made and a blessing to all.  We love you so much, Sam.  Happy Birthday!

Cowboy Sam Rides into Five

Today we had a party at the Mississippi Agriculture & Forestry Museum to celebrate Sam's 5th birthday.  I don't think I will ever forget how much I worried the entire week before the party due to the ominous weather forecast.  I knew it was completely out of my control; however, the 100% chance of rain on the day Sam's birthday party was supposed to be held outside was a bit unnerving.  About twenty-four hours before the party, the rainy weather started to move through faster than expected and it turned out to be a rain-free, perfect day.  The rain had cooled things off a bit and it was overcast and not too hot. 

 

 

Lili & I arrived at the museum early this morning to setup all of the decorations and food.

"Yee-Ha..It's Party Time"

 

Here comes cowboy Sam and his best brother.

 

 

 

Daddy got all three kids dressed and arrived at the party with a few minutes to spare.

 

We were so excited when the birthday boy arrived!

 

 

Sweet brothers.

 

 

Morgan was dressed for the occasion and ready for her first party.  Pretty cowgirl!

 

 

 

Sam was thrilled when his party guests started arriving.  Our neighbor Semmes and Sam held up their "guns" for a quick picture.

Kaley came to help Sam celebrate...

 ...and so did Lawson and some other fun friends.

 

 

We decided to get the party started by first riding some horses.  My boys and Semmes led the way!

 

Lookin' good, Sam!

 

 

 

 

Jack was hesitant to ride at first, so he just sat back and watched the others ride for a while. 

 Didi & Hayes

Banks riding his horse.

Hayes was all smiles about having a turn.

 

 

We finally talked Jack into riding.

 

 

He really liked it once the horse started moving.

 

 Our sweet little neighbor Spencer even rode, with a little help from his Daddy.

 

Sam's friend Landry was such a cute cowgirl.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Little sister was curious about those big four-legged things walking her brothers around.

 

 

 

Tyler and Doug went around a few more times before it was time to move on to the next adventure. 

After the kids finished riding horses, a train came to the back of the property near the pavilion to pick everyone up and take us to ride the carousel near the front of the museum.

So much fun!!

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While we rode the carousel, Lili stayed back at the pavilion with Morgan so she could finish her mid-morning snooze.

 

 

After riding horses and the carousel, these cowboys and cowgirls had worked up quite an appetite.  We served hotdogs, chips, and fruit for lunch.

After lunch it was time for cake and presents!

Sam loved his cake and couldn't wait to blow out his candles.

The wind was blowing pretty good and that made it a little challenging to light the candles.

 

I finally got all five of them lit and we sang to the birthday boy.  Make a wish!

Thumbs up for some yummy cake!

I love a good icing mustache.

Sam's friends and family showered him with so many nice gifts.  

 He couldn't wait to get home and try everything out.

 Party favors

 

 

The two littlest guests were just about worn out by the end of the party. 

 

 

Morgan (2 months) and Brody (4 months) 

Sam and Jack went to the nearby barn to check out the animals before we loaded up to go home.

 

 

After we cleaned up our mess at the Ag Museum, our families came back to our house to open more presents and play for awhile.

 

The great-grandmothers took some time to check out Miss Morgan.

 Mimi & Morgan 

 

 

After playing and presents, the four cousins changed into their bathing suit and we spent the rest of the afternoon at our neighborhood pool.  When we finished swimming, we went back to our house to eat pizza and watch TV before bed.

 

We had a full day of celebrating with so many sweet friends and family.  Thank you to everyone that helped make Sam's special day perfect.  He loved the time we spent at the Ag Museum and told me that his favorite part was getting to ride the horses.  Happy Birthday, Sam!