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Sunday was Blessing Day for Samuel.  And it was so nice.  In our church, babies are brought before the congregation and given a blessing by a priesthood holder (typically their father).  Derek gave a beautiful blessing and talked about Samuel’s name and the Samuel’s in the scriptures that we hope he will emulate.  Because Derek had early morning meetings at the church, I was on my own to get us ready and to church by 8:30 am.  And wouldn’t you know, I was early (starting at 5:45 am helped)!  And we were all dressed (at least I think we were)!  Here are some pictures.  The blanket was lovingly made by Grandma Kake (Kay Lawson).

My boys all have "dude" nicknames that Derek and I use to distinguish between them.

Jacob = Big Dude, Caleb = Middle Dude, Samuel = Little Dude

Little Dude turned 2 months old on Thursday.  He’s so fun right now…smiling at all of us and trying to make little noises…finding his voice.  It will be imperative for survival in this house.

He’s weighing in at a good 50% average for weight…11 lbs 8 oz.

He started out as my longest baby but is now only in the 25th percentile for length…22 1/2 in.

And that head…well, it’s a good 90% as expected.  Better to think with, we think.

Poor little guy had 5 shots and we were in the car all day running errands, soccer practice, meetings at church, etc.  He probably thought his world was ending that day…so used to being at home where it’s comfortable.

Me and the big dudes went on a "mommy/son date" last night.  Left Derek and the baby here at home.  I enjoyed the escape and realized again that I like them, I really like them!  Sometimes that gets lost in the day-to-day, but we had a pleasant evening together, which was nice.

Closing for now…

Been thinking about music this morning.  I am a late-bloomer when it comes to the whole IPod, ITunes revolution.  But in the last few months I’ve gotten HOOKED.  Was downloading some songs this morning.  I’m really quite boring when it comes to my musical palate (come on, I buy my clothes at Costco, what do you expect?!).  Here’s a glance at some of the artists on my ITunes phone (don’t have a real IPod…but sure love the phone/music combination):

Rob Thomas, Cyndi Lauper, Natalie Grant (a Christian artist whose voice I love), Enya, Tim McGraw (duets with Nelly and Faith Hill), Yo Yo Ma, Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan, etc, etc.

And in the car, the boys and I are obsessed with Rascal Flatts and John Mayer (Continuum).  Can’t get enough!  "Turn it up, Mom!"

What’s on your IPOD?

I threw two cans of corn, a can of black beans, and 1 and 1/2 cups of salsa in the crock pot today with 4 chicken breasts, and boy, is it yummy.  Served it with tortilla chips and a green salad.  The chicken is very tender.  My family loved it!  The crock pot is my best friend these days.  Will try this one again.

I have always loved to compare and contrast…one of my favorite activities in school.  And so with three children of the same gender, it is no surprise that I must do some comparing and contrasting…especially with baby pictures!  Each of these pics is taken 4 days before their 2 month b’day.  Why, you ask?  Because that’s when I snapped the photo of Jacob, not knowing then that it would start a trend.

Caleb continues to marvel at the miracle that is, Samuel.  Twice last week he said "Mom, I just can’t believe we have a baby of our very own."  And "Mom, does he get to stay for forever?!"  It is so cute to watch him and Jacob with the baby.  They wake up every morning delighted and tickled to see Samuel.  I love that his newness has not worn off on them.  He’s a smiley little thing and is trying to "coo" at us.  We made our debut at church yesterday and are back in full swing with errands and other "chores" this week.  I’m still up every 3-5 hours at night, which is tiring.  We go for his 2-month check-up and a whole round of shots on Thursday.

We laugh and say it will be like Pavlov’s dog…SMILE, FLASH.  SMILE, FLASH.  SMILE, FLASH.  Poor kid can’t smile without a camera in his face!

If this doesn’t make you go "ooh" and "aahh", you need to seek professional help!

Is he the cutest baby ever?!  What a smile!

Ok…let’s get back to being serious…

And just because we love it when he makes funny faces…

Look at those cheeks! 

So there is a variety show coming up at Jacob’s elementary school.  The first 30 kids to sign up are the kids that will be in it.  Jacob has expressed strong interest.  This conversation is word for word how it happened today…no joke.

M: "Buddy…you should do your new piano piece…the Tchaikovsky one!"

J: "Actually, mom, I was thinking I should do karate with sticks." (he’s dead serious)

M: "Uh, bud, I think that might be a little dangerous…plus, you’re not trained in karate.  What if you played the Star Wars piano piece?"

J: "Well, mom, I think it would be better if I danced."

M: "Danced?  What kind of dance?"

J: "Like this." (he proceeds to perform his best break-dance, twirl-on-his-fanny moves.  he’s dead serious)

M: (trying not to laugh) "That’s awesome, Jacob.  You’re such a good dancer.  But you haven’t had to work that hard at dancing, you’re just naturally good.  You’ve worked so hard at piano, I know people would enjoy hearing you play." (I should win diplomatic mother of the year for that one.)

J: "Well, I could do my trampoline flips.  Oh, wait, how would I get a trampoline there?"

M: "Riiiggghhhtttt."

J: "Ok, mom, I’ll play the piano."

M: "Great idea!!!" (with a smile)

Love that kid!

I’m really stretching it with this title, but bear with me…

FAME

Wall of FAME, that is.  I’ve been wanting to frame, and hang, our in-house "masterpieces".  I found this spot near the kids’ room.

1.  Jacob’s version of a Van Gogh, on sand paper

2.  "Colorful Cruise Ship" – winner of an "Award of Excellence" for PTA’s Recollections contest

3.  Caleb’s "Four Seasons"

**Sidenote: Jacob’s art has been selected again to be showcased…this time in the Youth Art Show in March.  What a gift he has!  He definitely doesn’t get it from me.

FORTUNE

We had the good FORTUNE of having a mini family reunion here on Sunday.  My cousin, Kate and husband Michael, my aunt Lisa and cousin Caroline, and my Dad and stepmom all crossed paths in Dallas this weekend and we got to spend a couple of hours together.

We also got to meet our new cousin…sweet little Mary Madison (Kate’s daughter) who’s 3 months.  What a treat!

 

I love that distance and time away never seem to dampen the affections shared in my family.  A true blessing.

And finally, just an update – Samuel is consistently grinning at us and trying to "coo"!  Even in the middle of the night, I just can’t resist that gummy grin.

TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES!