Samuel LOVES his Uncle John

A couple weeks ago while I was in Savannah with my college friends Samuel and Ryan played the bachelor role! On Saturday, while Ryan was at work, John and his friend Melissa cover to hang out with Samuel. Melissa took some fun pictures of their time together!

Every time John walks in the door Samuel runs up to him saying "John hug". This is the usual result! John is so great with Samuel, we love seeing the two together!

Having a very serious conversation!

Samuel LOVES to put together puzzles!

his Grandaddy and RuRu gave him this puzzle his first Christmas.

Playing cornhole! Very talented!

I just love this sweet boy!

Playing at the Park

After Ryan got off work today we headed to the park. It was EXTREMELY comfortable, given our recent hot weather! We had a great time following Samuel around, realizing what the dare devil he really is and just laughing a lot together! Looking forward to fall and enjoying some more afternoons as a family of 3! We do love our time together! I know this is a picture overload, but it was hard to choose just one!

Samuel climbing the big kid ladder! Probably in the midst of saying "Mommy help"

He was a little unsure at the beginning, but after daddy's help realized he could do it on his own! We certainly have a little monkey on our hands!

So sweet!

Posing with mommy! After I sat down I realized it's hard to climb on playground equipment when pregnant!

He LOVES to say cheese, but doesn't always look at the camera! This was after he said cheese while looking away!

He would get to the top and then look at me and say "Mommy Jump!". Ryan got a few good mid-air pics!

My two sweet boys! They play so well together! I just love it!

Samuel wanted to climb the wall...Ryan tried to help him and this is what happened! I think Samuel really just wanted to be at the top with daddy!

Our buddy Oliver

Our dear friends, the Laniers, have a son named Oliver that is just a few months older than Samuel. He was diagnosed with a genetic disorder about a year ago that also causes seizures. We have seen Oliver go through a lot in the past year. This sweet 2 year old is having brain surgery today and we would love for you to join us in prayer for his surgeons, his body throughout the surgery, and for Andrew and Stephanie as they wait to hear how their beautiful boy is doing. This is the first of 2 surgeries over the next 2 weeks. We will let you know how he is doing throughout this time! Here are a few pictures of him with Samuel over the past couple years!

At Samuel's 2nd Birthday Party in the bouncy house

January 2010. They were so little and chubby! So sweet!

Fall Festival 2010 at church! I just love watching these boys together!

Girls Trip to Savannah

I had a great week last week with some dear college friends! We all headed down to Savannah for a couple days of relaxation, lots of laughter and some quality time! I miss seeing these wonderful women and will miss them even more as we continue to spread across the globe! Whitney finally found her way to this side of the pond and Anne is moving to Colorado in just a few short weeks! One last hoorah was definitely in order!

Whitney and Hannah creating "bellies" of their own! I just love Whitty's pose!

Up close, and a little too personal! I love this sweet girl! Glad to have you back in the states!

The group! We missed you Becca!

Of course we had to take a crazy picture! Whitney and Hannah added a bowl and a soccer ball to fit in the rest of us with babies in our bellies! We had so much fun!

The Splash Pad

We went to the Splash Pad today for the first time this summer! It is hard for us to get out there and sometimes we're the only ones and others there are 50+ kids...so it's always a gamble! We had a great time and as more kids showed up Samuel had more fun trying to escape! I love watching him explore new things! Samuel certainly does love water and his friends! A great time was had by all!

At first there was a little trickle and Samuel was letting it fall into his mouth...all of a sudden the water blasted out and got him! He recovered quickly and was on to the next thing!

Letting the water drip down on his hands

Caroline and June catching water! They had so much fun running around and under the water! It was so cute to watch!

Getting more bold grabbing for and running under the water

Samuel and Charlotte catching water in their buckets

I didn't have any swim diapers, so this poor kid's diaper was HUGE by the time we left...check out those saggy britches!

Getting an Oil Change

Uncle John came over today to borrow a few tools to change his friend's oil in her car. We were heading out for a play date and Samuel decided that John needed a little help! Before I knew it Samuel was actually lying on the ground under the car with John. I couldn't get my camera out fast enough! Samuel sure does love his Uncle John. The rest of the morning he kept asking for John and wanting to give him a hug!

Play Date

Since it has been blazing hot we decided to have some of Samuel's buddies over for a water play date! We filled up the pools, water tables and hooked up the sprinkler! All together we had 13 kids, which was a bit crazy, but super fun! Samuel was mostly interested in the snack table and the swing set, he often gets a little weird when we have lots of people over (even though our backyard is HUGE). He stayed away from anything with water and mostly stuck to himself! We all still had a great time, and by the end of it all there was a lovely breeze and it wasn't unbearable out there!

Samuel going down the slide. If you look closely you will see his mouth is full of snack!

June was hanging out in the car, and Caroline decided she wanted to join her!

She was eventually somewhat successful, and as you can tell June wasn't to excited to have less space

Swings, slides, and toys galore! There was something for EVERYONE!

Ben and Anna playing with the pirate table

Is there a difference?

Several people have been asking me if this pregnancy has been different. Am I smaller or larger than last time? Are my cravings the same? All those wonderful questions that we get asked as we go through pregnancy! So here it goes!

This pregnancy had DEFINITELY been very different. I was sick ALL DAY with this little guy during the first trimester and even more so the first few weeks of the second trimester. I am definitely feeling better now! I am not 100% (you be the judge) but by looking at the two pictures below, I feel like I was a little bigger with Samuel at this point...strange because usually the 2nd is bigger! I am measuring right on target though, so I'm definitely not complaining! With Samuel I didn't want strawberries, wanted greasy/nasty fast food (thank goodness that is over...ate more McDonalds in those months than I did probably in my whole life!). This time I haven't craved the greasy food (except for breakfast) but can't stand corn on the cob, and struggle sometimes to eat a salad, but otherwise everything tastes good! Weight gain is about the same. I have gained 4 pounds as of now and at this point with Samuel I was about 6...nothing to complain about!

I am definitely not paying as close attention to everything about this pregnancy as I did with Samuel...something about chasing a 2 year old around all day makes me forget sometimes that I am pregnant! I have a sweet friend here that is pregnant and due 2 days before me, so she is often my calendar (I always ask her "Shaunna, how far along are we?"). She informed me just the other night that we are coming up on 6 months this weekend, so that's good to know!!! It does seem to fly by faster the second time around, I guess I just have other things to focus on as well as this baby!

We still haven't settled on a name, but don't you worry...we are keeping it a secret! You'll just have to wait til this little guy arrives to know who he'll be! Just a little something for Ryan and I to be excited about and that is just "ours".

Samuel at 6 months

Baby 2 at 6 months!

Water Fun

While Daddy and Pops play some golf Samuel and I decided to have some fun of our own! I filled up his pirate water table, baby pool and plugged up the water ring. We ran around and played for a while until Samuel decided it was still just too hot. We got all dried off and he said "water mommy". I decided we could go for round 2 when the guys come home!

Samuel needing a turn filling up the pool! He just waved the hose around, but was really excited to help!

Throwing the "bees" (frisbee) into the sprinkler! He was very proud of himself!

It took some coaxing and mommy doing it first to get Samuel to jump into the water, but he had a blast going in and out for a long time!

Nursery basically complete

Well the nursery is basically complete. We will probably transition Samuel into the twin bed first and then over to his bunk beds. Most likely this will happen once we get back from visiting friends in September. Then we'll change the crib back to the higher level to get ready for baby #2! I think this brings my projects to an end...now to organize the stuff in the attic!

The original view of the thrift store bed I found.

Painted and ready to go into the room.

The artwork on the wall was an old pallet that our kitchen manager saved for me! I saw a friend do this and LOVED the idea...just glad I found a place to do it myself!

View of the room from the door. The twin bed just needs a bed skirt and we're good! The side table belonged to my grandfather's great aunt and uncle. The artwork is the pallet that I salvaged and the blanket on the rocker is one that my grandmother made for Samuel.

View in front of the closet at the foot of the bed.