Thoughts from the week

Here I am! I like playing hide-n-seek


Lucy got her first taste of something besides milk and pickles last week. (Dandaw lets her gnaw on pickles while we are eating - great for teething Mama says.) Lucy seemed to like the cereal and wanted to eat the spoon too!



Loads and Loads of laughs with Lucy! Mama says we have great smiles!



Here I am making a fashion statement of independence - "I am 2 hear me roar!" I put my PJ's on and then added another shirt on over my pants. I'm getting good at dressing myself and mama knows why there are children who walk around with random articles of clothing on - rain boots with church clothes, tutus with jeans, etc. - it's not worth the fight sometimes - and hey - creativity is a sought after virtue.

Lately Mama has been talking about HOPE. I'm still trying to figure out what it is. The word 'Hope' is kind of like the word 'wind' it's something I can't see. Yesterday I asked mama "where is the wind? I want to see it!" She told me you can't see it but you can feel it. She said sometimes she wished she could see some of the things that are invisible - maybe things would make more sense in the here and now. She says we'll have to wait until heaven to REALLY see. I think I'll have to ask Mama about it when I get a little older.

Back to HOPE - well, I don't have it figured out but Mama sure seems to talk about it alot. It means alot to her. Here is what I've gathered. Hope comes from God through Jesus (because the "Bible tells me soooooooo"). Hope is what keeps mama going most days (is it like a snack?) Hope is Lucy's middle name (it must be cute!) and Mama says that without Hope there would probably be alot of homeless two year olds - because HOPE reminds her that I won't be two forever (she says she really does love me but there are some "two" moments that are no fun for her)

Sweet OO-cy

the many faces of our sweet Lucy. She's rolling, scooting, drooling, laughing, chewing and making our lives full of joy!

More cousins

Yesterday my mama's cousin's Angela (mama still calls her Angie) and Abbey came to visit with Angela's new baby Eden. She is a cutie and has a lot more hair than Lucy! It was good to see them - if even for just a little while. Here are some pictures of the two cutie pies and the three of us greatgrandchildren (we're only missing Shay!)

Raining

Last night it rained and I was in the tub singing "It's raining it's pouring the old man is sleeping..."

AND
I've overheard Mama say quite often lately "when it rains it pours" but today I think she needs to change that to "when it rains it pours and then the big limbs fall on your car!"

Friends

Several weeks ago some of mama's friends came to visit. Mrs. Carrie and Mrs. Erika and Ava. I liked playing with Ava (or atleast around her). Here are some pictures. Mrs. Carrie took much better pics but here are some from the day - isn't Ava a cutie!

Matters of the heart

I really like my little sister. Several people have asked how she is doing so I thought I would give you an update. She is almost 5 months old now - cooing, rolling over, sucking her thumb and holding her toes. She went back to the cardiologist a few weeks ago and they had good news - all of the holes that are normal for babies to have (PFO,PDA,etc) are finally closed and she only has one more hole (a VSD) that isn't supposed to be there. It hasn't gotten any smaller but her heart has gotten bigger around it and they are hopeful it will close up all the way. She's breathing so much better (no more tachypnia and other issues related to her heart) and as you can see she is eating just fine too - can you believe we used to have to run her feet and make her cry to get her to eat? I like to help mama with Lucy and I like to help her play (I usually just let her watch me play with her toys but for now that's ok).

The thumb

Country living

I'm liking this farm living (Mama is glad I'm enjoying it). I'm collecting thoughts and will share them with you as we venture through life on the farm. Here goes -

You know you're a country boy if...

• Your mama has cooked more meals shot by your Uncle than bought at Walmart (wild turkey and deer)


• You take your mama out for her birthday ... to Walmart ... and the whole family goes (yes, Walmart is always a generational affair - atleast three generations at a time)


• A trip to town requires a bath and "church" clothes (Anything with a collar is a church shirt to me)


• A tractor, Monster truck, or construction truck siting is the highlight of your day!

"Green acres is the place for me --- Farm living is the life for me!"

Here is the Mixer that came to pour concrete at Uncle CC's house - I was excited to see it but boy was it a hot day! Mama and Uncle CC worked hard to get the concrete in while I played in the yard with my tractors.

Beach babies

I am a beach baby. Several weeks ago when we went to see great mema and papa we went to the beach for the morning. Mama thought I would be a timid (why would she think that about me?) in the ocean and stay in the shallow water - not so. I loved to let the waves pour over me and come up sputtering and coughing...and laughing as mama almost lost it - she seemed to be a little nervous!

We had the opportunity to go back to the beach last week and had a wonderful time again. It was such a great week BUT Mama is even more nervous because I am fearless around water and walked into the ocean up to my neck and didn't want any help. I think Mama is in for a fun filled next 16 years (I turned two at the beach last Monday!).

Building sand castles ..... Not so much fun

Destroying sand castles ..... More fun than building them - AAARRRR!

Playing with my tractors/trucks at the beach ..... Loads of fun - of course

Playing in the ankle deep water or small tidal pools ..... fun for a short while

Trying to swim to Africa ..... Lots of fun - I just couldn't resist

Enjoying serene beauty of the beach ..... no way - too quiet

Loudly greeting all who passed by ...... Certainly, why not?

Wearing enough suncreen to drown in ..... not so bad and quite effective

Laughing, smiling and enjoying life ..... always and especially at the beach

My brown eyed girl

Here are some more recent pictures of my sweet Oo-cy. She is smiling so much, laughing, cooing (she cooed all through church yesterday), gnawing on her hands, blowing bubbles, kicking her feet and she loves to sit up (we still have to help her but she does not like be on her back for long.)

You know you have lots of chub when you have a forearm roll. Mama loves the rolls.

Upclose and personal with Lucy in the baby Bjorn. Mama carries her everywhere in that thing as she plays with me!

My sister and me AND my new red wagon

My great Mema and Papa gave me this wagon for my birthday and I have had so much fun in it. Thanks Mema and Papa! I enjoy it so much - I don't know whether I like to ride it or pull it better. I do like to share it with Lucy - and she likes to sleep in it.

Cousins!!

My cousins, Tori and Jordyn, and my Aunt Jackie came all the way from Germany to visit me on the farm this week. We had SOOOO much fun. I got to show Tori and Jordyn the cows and the horses, we played in the water hose, dug in the dirt, played with my tractors and LAUGHED. I really liked having Jordyn around - she is only 2 weeks older than I am and we are the same size. I like playing with people my own size. Cousin Tori was great too - she sprayed us with water, rode us around in the wagon and helped us play all afternoon. Here are some pictures of our exciting afternoon.

Jordyn and I playing in the dirt near the tractor. She likes dirt as much as me!

Coloring on the porch. We liked the stickers best!

I got a free shampoo from Shiloh - I liked his shampoo better than mama's - mama uses soap!

I showed Jordyn how to feed the horses hay. Jordyn like the horses but she liked the cows best!

The Great Ones Visit

My great Mema and Papa (aka, the Great Ones) came to visit this week. Great Mema brought me a trash truck. I have played with it every day and every day I tell mama over and over again what is in the back of the truck "mama, trash truck - bat, trash, pizza, box, uh-oh it broke - I fix it" I like to say it over and over again to make sure mama hears me!

Here is Lucy with mama, Dandah (Mama's Mama) and Mema (Dandah's Mama). Lucy has no chance but to have a streak of independence with a line of women like this.

Papa's House

People are always guessing who Lucy looks like - I think Lucy looks a little like Papa - especially in the neck/chin area.

Lucy and I are having a great time at Papa's house. I LOVE playing with Papa - he makes me and Lucy smile alot. I also like playing outside, feeding the goats, watering the plants and playing in the rocks with my tractors. If you don't know by now - I LOVE TRACTORS! I also like to "Go Walmarts with Papa?" (Mama says I am a true country boy in the making)

Several other phrases now that I'm talking up a storm -

"Boots on, go outside?","my shoe hurts me", "I need help", "watch monster trucks mama?", "Night-night baby cows (pronounced cows with a 't' instead of 'c') night-night box; night-night shoes; night-night ....."

I am talking so much more and mama likes to help me learn - One recent conversations with mama went like this (I think she smelled something before she even asked)

Mama: "Buddy, do you need your diaper changed?"

Samuel: blank stare

Mama: "Buddy, do you need your diaper changed?"

Samuel: "I go outside?"

Mama: "Samuel, use your words - say "Yes" or "No".

Samuel: "yes or no, Mama"

and one more conversation one night a little later than usual-

Mama: "Guess what time it is (with a relieved look on her face)?"

Samuel: "I go Walmarts with Papa?"

Mama: "No, but maybe tomorrow (with a smile on her face)"

Samuel: "I go church? I wanna see baby cows."

Mama: "No, buddy it's time for a bath and bed."

Samuel: "I NEED tractors"

Mama: "Go get your tractors and hop in the tub"

Samuel: "I hop, mama, I hop"

updates

Here is little Lucy at 6 weeks old. She still doesn't do much but she does wave her arms around. This weekend she started smiling and I think I'm going to like having her interact with me.

She's 1 month old

Today my little sister is 1 month old - boy, time goes by fast. OOhhhhhh!!! AAAAhhhhhhhh!!! She loves to make this face
She can even look at her nose with both eyes!
And for comparison - here I am at 1 month old, August 2005

Little "dear" in the headlights

Most of the pictures we have of Lucy are when she is asleep. Here are a few during her awake time this week - she looks a little surprised by the camera with this "deer in the headlights look".
showing off her dance moves
profile shot
here's me again - this is a better one for grandma to print off!