Samuel's 15 month checkup

Samuel went January 7 for his 15 month checkup. The doctor said that everything looked good physically and he seems to be right where he is supposed to be mentally. He weighed 25 lbs and was 33 inches long. This made David very happy because he is still tall for his age! Maybe my short genes won't mess to up his tall genes! Samuel is really developing a personality. He is very silly and is beginning to use his imagination. We have recently discovered that he loves match box cars. Ma Pat had some that he first showed interest in, so we decided to buy him some. Well lets just say that when it came time for his nap, he was not too pleased to have to put them up. So today we bought him a small Thomas the Train backpack to put them in, even that made him upset at bedtime to put them away! From what I understand, his Grandpa was quite the collector, so maybe it runs in his blood. Samuel has picked up some new words lately as well. Thanks to Mimi, he can say "cracker", "cheese", and "banana"; and Grandma has taught him to throw kisses. Thank you to all who pray for us, we could not raise such a wonderful son if it weren't for the support and prayers of our friends and family!

What, MORNING SICKNESS?!

We are very happy to announce that our family of three will soon be a family of four! That's right, we are having another baby! We are very excited about this time in our lives. With Samuel turning a year old in October, we felt that we were ready to begin to plan for our second. The baby should come around July 28. Everything seems to be going fine and we will know in about one more month what the sex will be, if we decide to take that route. I must say that I am more sick with this one than I was with Samuel, but I know that in the end it is worth it. Please continue to pray for our family as it grows, as well as the extended family. It has been not quite five months since my little nephew Noah died, so this is going to a sensitive time for everyone as well as a joyous. Pray that we may still be able to rejoice in the Lord at the miracles of life that He gives.


These are the first sonogram pictures taken around 8 weeks. The bottom picture shows the heart rate and its location.

Merry Christmas!

We had a great Christmas season this year. As usual, David couldn't wait until Christmas morning to give out our presents, so we did it a week early! This actually worked out well since we were not at home for Christmas. Samuel got a tricycle, which he is too little for so we push him around on it for now. But he loves it!! David got to participate in giving Communion at Acworth UMC at their Christmas Eve service. Everyone was a little sad that Dixon could not make it, but it was good for the family to maintain some consistency through out his illness. On Christmas day we visited with David's family for a while and then we were off to Irwinton for the rest of the day. We are so blessed to have loving families, so we really enjoyed the day!


This is Samuel walking out Christmas morning to see if anything was left for him under the tree!


Of course he had been a good boy, so he found himself playing with a new indoor gym set.


Samuel still is a little young to know what is going on, so his daddy helped him unload his stocking.


Some days it just doesn't get any better than getting the attention of your uncles! Uncle Daniel helped Samuel have a wonderful day by doing the best thing, just giving him playtime together.



Family time is the best!

A Day at the Tennessee Aquarium

I think that we had the most fun visiting with the penguins!



Samuel and his daddy always have a lot of fun together. I think that this picture really portrays the silliness that goes on at our house. David seems to have not forgotten how to be a kid at all when it is time to play. We had a wonderful time at the aquarium, and look forward to many more years of going. Who knows, in a few years Samuel may have to tell David and myself what we are looking at!

Our family got elfed!

Check out our elf family. Just copy the link below:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1118345287

Family Pictures!

We went out to the park in downtown Calhoun to take pictures for our Christmas card. The park had some really neat props set up for Christmas. Samuel really enjoyed playing on the big boxes. Merry Christmas!

"O Christmas Tree! O Christmas Tree!"

David and I got our Christmas tree this past week! Samuel loves the tree and we even got some great pictures of him helping put on a couple of ornaments. He likes to crawl to the bottom of the tree and play with the branches. So we did put a few special ornaments at the bottom so that he can play with them. David did an excellent job of trimming the bottom of the tree, and we both managed to get the lights on!

Grandma Comes to Town

My parents came up to visit for a couple of days. Samuel kept us entertained the whole time. He is climbing on the furniture and finally doing some walking. Daddy held some cheerios in his hand and Samuel followed him all around the living room to get them. He can even do some turns while standing. We told Samuel that the gig is up, we know he can walk! He really is turning into a bright little boy. Unfortunately I only have pictures of my mama and Samuel from this weekend. Samuel is extremely ticklish, so mama was finding all of his tickle spots. Also Samuel was giving her kisses. I will have to get more family pictures up soon.

Some things are better with time

Wow, does time seem to fly by sometimes. I can hardly believe that my youngest brother just turned 18, and even harder to believe that my mother is about to be 50! As children, we expect our siblings to get older as we do, but it always seems that our parents stay in some kind of time warp until one day you realize that they have been aging all the while. I am by no means indicating that my mother, or "mama", is old or close to getting old(even though just the other day she stated that she didn't like this getting old business!) With David's father battling a serious disease, it puts into perspective just how statuesque these people are in our lives. My mama may be turning 50, but with it comes even greater wisdom and maturation. Exactly what I will need her to pass along to me over time as I have already begun to expand my family. My hopes are to one day become the great woman that she has set herself to being: having...a love for the Lord, a desire to obtain knowledge, the kind of patience that exists only in mothers, a deepening love for her husband, the ability to laugh and to cry, and the assurance that she is doing what she thinks is best for her family. A true Proverbs 31 woman is not built over night, but in the beauty of time one is made. The refining process is not always easy, but can always be found beautiful. To my beautiful ruby in the making, Happy Birthday!

Birthday Celebrations at Dante's Down the Hatch

My mother and brother both have November birthdays just a few days apart. So, the family decided to go to Dante's Down the Hatch, a fondue restaurant in Atlanta. Unfortunately we could not take pictures inside, so we took them right before we left. We had a great time cooking our own food and getting to see one another. For me, family time is crucial and I miss them very much being 3 hours away. I know that doesn't seem like a lot, but it is when your husband is the pastor of a church which means no weekends off!! Anyways, below are the pictures, so enjoy!


The Gale Crew!

What a wonderful blessing to be able to have the entire family celebrate the joy of life and the special birthdays of this month!

My daddy and mama are in love with each other more today than ever before. This is evident in there day to day lives. The Lord continues to expand their hearts to hold more and more love continually.

Happy!

We never seem to take photographs with just the two of us anymore! So here is the love of my life and me, happier today than ever before.