Heavenly Days

Sammy was Baptized into our church on the 14th. It was such a special event. My Mom and Brother were able to come out which made if even more wonderful. They got in a couple hours before. It meant so much to us that they could make it. Mom and Jimmie gave talks, Me and Mom sang "A Child's Prayer" and Sam Sr. performed the Baptism. It was really emotional. I was so proud of Sammy and his decision to follow Christ's example. It was also so strange that he is eight and not a little baby anymore.

Before his Baptism Day I had family members write down their testimonies and thoughts about their own  baptisms and put it in a book for Sammy. It was sweet to see him read it and feel so much love and support from his 20 plus aunts and uncles and his Grandparents.  I love our big HUGE family:)

I brought my camera to the baptism and then completely forgot to take pictures. Tragedy. Here is right when we got home...Sammy had already changed into his play clothes, doesn't he look perfect:)

The sweet book for Sammy

 This was about one minute after Jimmie arrived. She was completely smitten the whole weekend. If Jimmie was in the room she had to be in his arms. So sweet.

 Some friends for cookies after the baptism.

 cuteness.

 Grandma and grandkids.

 I let the kids stay home from school because Jimmie and Grandma could only be there for 2 days. We went to the Zoo and it was AMAZING! No one was there and all the animals put on a display for us, like they were starved for attention. It felt like our own personal Zoo!

 They were getting tired near the end. It looked like they were posing so I had to take a pic.

 The cheetahs were in love with us, or they were hungry.

 viv and jimmie.

 boys with a lot of hair

 viv and jimmie.

 monkey boys

 S'mores in the backyard.

Yeah, the weekend was pretty much heavenly.

Viv is 1 !!!

 My Dearest Little Vivienne,

You have been in my life for one year and I can't even believe there was a time I didn't know you. You are everything sparkling and happiness. The day of your birth was one of the happiest days of my life. Your Dad and I were laughing and talking and just so happy waiting for your arrival, wondering what you would be like, who you would look like. That was until the epidural stopped working:) I held your Dad's hand so tight as I labored to bring you into the world, he brought me so much strength. I can't even remember the pain now, because the joy of having you here, finally in my arms, was so all consuming. Having you was one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. You were so close to heaven. I couldn't have anyone turn on the TV or play music for weeks after you were born, your spirit was so peaceful and strong. I actually didn't know babies could be like you. So peaceful, calm, and content. Mom's that have babies like you have it so easy...haha.

For the first month of your life you slept on your Daddy's chest. Neither one of us could be far away from you very long. Your favorite place to sleep now is in between us with some part of your body touching both of us. Your head on one of us and your feet on the other. I LOVE IT. I am a really light sleeper so I don't sleep very well in this position, but I won't move you because every time I wake up I look at your face and I giggle with happiness, you're round cuteness is too much.

You love your brothers, and they are smitten with you. They love to take care of you and hold you. If I need to do something they are happy to jump in and read to you or try to teach you to walk. You are definitely learning to hold your own among them. If they are playing something without you, you'll just charge right in usually knocking down whatever contraption they've made. If they try to keep you out, you'll have none of it. Your first words were Dada, Mama, Bye, and now you've started saying "No." I know it shouldn't be so cute, but it is seriously amazingly adorable every time you say it. Then you'll smile like you are the cleverest baby in the world.

I cannot handle your smile. So much cheek and cheese. It makes me crazy to look at you sometimes because you are so beautiful.

I love your soul. Your relatives describe you with words like, "wise", "a healer", "she just knows," you have something so unique about you that is hard to describe. You just know things. You know how to make people happy.


I am obsessed with you, everything about you. I can't believe I get to be your Mom on this Earth and that Heavenly Father entrusted me with you.

 My Viv, my buddy, I love you forever, I love you for always.

Mama

From your Papa:

The best way to describe Vivienne is a little princess. Sounds cliche
but from the day she was born she did what she wanted and we all loved
her for it. As a newborn all she did was sleep. More so that any of
our other babies, and so much that we thought there was something
wrong with her, but she just wanted to sleep and we all loved her for
it because it meant we could just hold her and look at her cute little
face. As a little baby she was always mellow, but full of smiles and
we all loved her for it. All the boys fought over who got to sit next
to her in the car, who got to hold her next, and who she loved the
most. She has been a horrible sleeper, she wakes up every few hours in
the night and demands to be fed and we love her for it. I try and
appease her and rock her back to sleep so we have become "buddies"
some nights, but most nights Kim gets all the loving from Vivi. 90% of
the mornings I am all by myself on one end of the bed, Vivi is
sprawled out horizontally covering one half of the bed, and Kim is
barely hanging on to the last two inches. She is learning to say words
and she can very audibly say "no", but she doesn't yell it or say it
in a demanding way, she sounds like a sassy diva and we love her for
it. Only a princess could make such a negative word sound so cute. She
loves snuggling with certain people and if she wants to snuggle she
makes it known and we love her for it. She attached to Jimmy when he
came to visit and snuggled right in to his shoulder and wouldn't go to
anyone else. When I get home from school/work she always demands to be
held and played with. She says what she wants, she sleeps how she
wants, and she gets what she wants, and we may be spoiling her rotten
but we love her for it. Happy Brithday to my one year old sassy
princess.

Potter Party

Sam has been reading Harry Potter to the boys before bed every night so of course they are completely obsessed (which I love). Sammy asked for a Potter Party which was SO FUN!!! Sam is always in charge of games and I am in charge of food and decor. We love throwing parties!!!

 Sammy said he really wanted chocolate frogs and I happen to find a frog mold the night before. blessings. We also had pumpkin pasties, cauldron cakes, herbology bites, Bernie Bott's every flavor beans, Ollivander's Wands and Polyjuice Potion.

 Our train platform 9 and 3/4.

 Our Hedwig.

 Just some Magical Parents with weird and serious (Sirius) faces.

 Polyjuice Potion. Sam had some dry ice in his lab that morning. blessings.

 The students listening to Sam's riveting Potions Class.

This is a video of part of the potions class. I love my husband. Yes, we are nerds. PS some of the kids were nervous about the frog, but it was fine:)

 Thanks to Lisa for these awesomely gross Potion ingredients. Totally made Potions class amazing!

 Playing Quittich on mops and brooms.

 I don't know why all the kids gathered so close, but this was present time.

 Whenever there are any little girls around I rarely hold Viv.

 This was our family party. Sammy really wanted a Cookie pizza with ice cream frosting and candy as toppings.

Just Henry being cute.

 Sammy's big Southern breakfast.

Big Boy Sam is 8!

I seriously can't believe 8 years ago I met you for the first time.  When you were born you had breathing problems because the cord was wrapped around your neck 3 times. They let me look at you for 3 seconds before they whisked you away. In those 3 seconds I memorized every inch of your face, not knowing how long it would be before I saw you again. Your Dad never left your side through all the testing and bilirubin lights. He stayed by you and talked to you and sang to you. You two have always had a special bond that brings me so much joy.

The days after I had you I would just cry all the time. Happy cries. I remember specifically holding you and singing you your song "First time ever I saw your face" and just bawling. I couldn't believe you were mine. They had to keep pricking your heel to check your jaundice levels. I remember waiting in the Waiting Room at the Hospital and hearing you cry in the other room where your Dad had taken you in. I burst into tears with everyone watching me thinking I was crazy, but I couldn't bare to think you were in pain. One sad cry I remember was when I thought I had lost all your baby pictures and I called the photo software company bawling hysterically about what happen. Whoever was on the phone that day must have thought I had lost my mind.


You were a beautiful baby, you loved people and were very social. People would stop me all the time and say what amazing blue eyes you had. You've always had tons of energy and an inquisitive mind. I love the questions you ask and I try to find ways to answer them that are age appropriate:) You love everything Nature and Animal, just like your Dad. I love how you can catch lizards and will hold snakes with no fear.

I love how you get hooked on things and have to learn everything about them. When you were 2 years old you knew every Thomas the Train engine there ever was and would carry around this crumpled paper that had all the trains and would memorize them. I wish I still had that paper, it was so worn and taped in a million places. One of the best compliments you gave me at that time was "Mom, you are the most beautiful train." Now you memorize Harry Potter Spells and Animal Facts. Love it.


I love that you say things like, "We haven't talked in a while, do you want to snuggle?" Is there anything better than that?

You've always been very verbal and could speak really well at a young age. I love hearing you use big words while speaking your little person thoughts. They are so precious.

I love your sense of humor. You are always coming up with Knock Knock jokes and funny cartoons. I love when Me and your Dad are talking late at night and I here from your room "Nice one, Mom."

You, your bros, and your Dad wrestle constantly. When I tell you guys to stop fighting you say, "but Mom, we like it." I never know when to step in and when to let you duke it out. You are all puppies. When Luke beats you, you say things like "Good Job Luke." I love that you encourage your brothers.

You are so sweet with your baby sister. I love how you just want to make her happy. You don't try to pass her off to me when she is crying, you want to bounce her and make it better.

Can you tell that I love you, always have, always will? I could write a novel on all the ways I love you. Thank you for still letting me cuddle you, even though you are huge.

Happy Birthday, my sweet, adventurous boy.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Your Mama

8 years of my little buddy Sammy

I always wanted to be a Dad and I have always love playing with kids.
I have a better time with kids than I do adults most times. When Sammy
was born it fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine of becoming a father.
Now I could wrestle with someone whenever I wanted, I had someone to
play baseball and legos and video games whenever I wanted and could
have fun making someone laugh. Fortunately Sammy has always been up to
playing whenever I want to. He has never told me "I don't want to
wrestle Dad", or "Dad, will you stop playing with me already" so I
have constantly just played with him. His playful nature and silly
ways have made him into a smart, witty, 8 year old that I look forward
to playing with the rest of my life. Here are some of my fondest
memories of Sammy

His first ear infection when he cried all night and after I gave him a
blessing he finally just rested in my arms for the night.
As a 2 year-old he would shoot baskets and call it "shoops"
Going for walks around the block with him in my baby backpack while I read
Swimming in the pool with floaties when he was less than a year old
His obsessions with the latest toys (blues clues, thomas the tank
engine, cars, Wall-E, batman, pokemon, harry potter)
I like it when he says "nice one dad" when I tell a joke that he gets
playing baseball in the back yard
everything is fun with Sammy!

I LOVE SAMMY I can't believe he is 8 years old already.

heart,
Sam Sr.

If you have a memory of Sammy that pops into your head I would love to hear it!!!!