Samuel is 2 Years Old!

What in the world?! How is my little baby already 2 years old? Not only do I feel like I was just writing a post about Samuel turning a year old, but I honestly feel like it was only a few months ago that I was in the hospital giving birth to him (Well, I was in the hospital just a few months ago giving birth to Benjamin, but it really feels like time has flown!)

What a GIFT to us our little guy is! God did not have to give us a little boy that is so full of life, energy, joy, hugs, and kisses. He did not have to give us a little boy that would challenge us in the ways he does that bring us closer to Him. He is so gracious and kind to give us what we do not deserve and to bless us beyond our imaginations! 

Joshua and I think our guy is so cool. He brightens our days and makes us laugh. Like I said, he challenges us and in those challenges we draw near to each other and near to our God. Each day I'm reminded of the lovingkindness that God shows us and how I am to reflect that in my parenting of both Samuel and Benjamin. I'm so grateful for a Heavenly Father who loves me perfectly, disciplines me perfectly, and leads me perfectly in my sanctification. This is the type of momma I want to be to our sons and I pray that in these past two years, I have grown to be more like Him.

Two years ago, a little person changed my life forever and I am forever grateful for the smiles, the tears, the laughter, the challenges, the joys, the precious little moments, and all that comes in between. 

Samuel guy, WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH and are thankful to God for giving you to us two years ago!

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Benjamin - 6 Months Old!

I can NOT believe it has already been a month since my last blog post. That is embarrassing. I've had such great intentions to post photos, stories, recipes, and thought-provoking articles :-P Oh well, good thing it's not my income-producing job. I'd be in big trouble! 

But one thing I do tend to remember is the monthly birthday of our little guy, Benjamin (and the BIG T-W-O coming up in a few days of our precious Samuel!!!) Each month that passes, we are more and more grateful for this wonderful blessing. Benjamin brings us so much joy with his sweet spirit and happy disposition. God has truly blessed us by giving us our little family of four. 

Benjamin is growing so fast! He is fully on solid-foods and eating like a champ! He still enjoys his nursings, but is eager to get in the big-boy food. He is such a snuggler and giggler. He makes us all laugh with his cuteness :) He's starting to experience life as the "little brother" as Samuel finds every opportunity to include him in his rough-play and also his loving kisses. Ahhh so blessed!

Here are a couple pictures I took and edited with Adobe Lightroom. I *heart* Presets!

Enjoy!

Until Sunday (Samuel's 2 Year Birthday!!), God bless!

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Benjamin - 5 Months Old!

Our sweet baby Benjamin is 5 months old today! Where in the world has time gone? They say that the days are long and the years are short, but I honestly feel like every day is too short to enjoy this bundle of awesomeness! No, really. I wish I could press the pause button on life with my two amazing little boys. They are both growing up way too fast!

Benjamin continues to impress us with his mild-manored ways. Of course, we do know that he is yet to become mobile and that changes everything in an instant. But we are thoroughly enjoying this stage of cuddles and giggles! It is so very precious to us!

With two teeth and a track-record of great eating, this little {big} guy is just about ready to start solid foods. I have introduced tastes to him {carrots, pears, cereal, etc.} but solids are not a regular part of his diet yet. I know he's going to LOVE eating more and more {like his big brother}!

Benjamin smiles all the time! Even when he may be having a hard day {TEETHING}, he can't help but smile when he gets a glimpse of his momma, abba, or brother! It is so tender & sweet!

We thank God for the blessing of Benjamin Henry and can't wait to see how he continues to grow!

Lovin' rice cereal!!

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Love is...

My last post was pretty pitiful. I felt like such a failure until the Lord encouraged me through a lovely friend that I need to show myself GRACE when it comes to this whole photo challenge. It is called a challenge, but I'm supposed to be having fun and creating memories! So this week was a lot less about the pressure of keeping up with the list and more about capturing great moments and trying to being creative :) 

Here, there are only three days from this week that I decided to include in this post.

"Love is..."

"Perfect"

and 

"In your hand"

Of course, I don't really believe that love is a McDonald's breakfast, chocolate donuts, a box of chocolates, and Roses. However, the man who I love more than any other human in the world decided to surprise me with these yummy treats on Valentine's Day. He really does know the secrets to my heart :) He went out before I even woke up and we enjoyed these yummy treats before the day started with the boys. I loved it!!!

And "perfect" was last night's YUMMY, YUMMY banana split that I shared with Joshua! We went out to a great dinner with my parents as they were in town, and then made a pit-stop at Graeter's.

Lastly, "In your hand." Nothing, in all honesty I'm learning, is really in my hands, but for the sake of a photo, I decided to hold my sweet Samuel's hand. Love it.

THIS is love. My precious gifts from God. {Photo credit: Paige Roach}

Had to throw this pic in. My parents came for a visit to Louisville and it was such a nice time. It was short, but sweet. They are getting ready to celebrate 30 years of marriage coming up in March! Love.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

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Photo-a-day? What?

Sigh. 

I have failed at my attempt to take a Photo-a-Day. Or at least to post them. I have been pretty good {ok, maybe 75%} at taking the Photo-a-Day from the list that this website has made. However, I have miserably failed at editing and sharing the random photos I have captured. Instead of a fun challenge that gets me taking pictures with my DSLR {or sometimes my iPhone}, I feel enslaved to this list and then guilty/sad/annoyed/frustrated when I find another day pass that I haven't been faithful to this challenge. 

Grr. I strongly dislike this predicament that I'm in. I LOVE capturing every day moments, which I believe I do, especially with my iPhone. But, I don't like the list. My husband has encouraged me to keep going and not worry about the photos that I haven't taken. . .

So, I think I'm going to TRY and continue this challenge but with less pressure. I hate quitting when I've started something, so I'm not saying I'm quitting, but I'm not going to get bent-out-of-shape when I don't have my blog updated every Sunday with 7 different photos from the week. I'll probably post my favorite from the week and store the others in a file. 

Just had to put that out there. 

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Samuel - 22 months!

Today, Samuel is 22 months old!

What a HUGE blessing this little guy is! He is always keeping us on our toes and helping us grow in love and patience ;) He still LOVES his Monkey, all types of food (especially yogurt and ice-cream!), and being tossed around by his abba! He enjoys touching the screen of all electronic devices and playing the instruments on momma's iPad. He has recently enjoyed Thomas the Tank Engine toys and loves banging on the snare drum that he got for Christmas (just like his grandpa).

This kid never stays still and has the energy of the Energizer Bunny. Although it can wear momma and abba OUT, we just LOVE our active, precious, sweet, persistent little boy! He brings so much joy to our lives as he learns, plays and grows! 

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Benjamin - 4 months old!

I can't believe my baby is already 4 months old! I definitely think this is when babies begin showing more personality and are so much fun to love! We love this little guy and can't imagine life without him. He is such a joy and brings smiles to all our faces. Samuel is just LOVING having a little brother around and takes every opportunity he can to pet Benjamin's soft, little head. It's so cute to watch Samuel love his little brother. 

Benjamin is doing so well, growing fast, and getting well-acquainted with the world around him. He is 18.9 lb. and 26.25 in.  BIG boy just like his big brother! We will start on solid foods soon and I just know he's going to be a fan. Looking forward to this new stage but it does make me realize how fast he is growing up! {Sigh} He is also sleeping wonderfully, giving us a good 11-12 hours a night. This is so helpful to allow more rest for momma and abba!

Benjamin is such an easy-going little guy. Napping pretty well {for the most part} and nursing even better! He holds his head and upper body up very well during tummy time which is probably why he has begun rolling onto his back in the middle of the night. He looks like a little turtle, helpless to flip himself back over. :)

We are so grateful to God for this little guy and look forward to seeing how he grows and changes.

{Had to throw in one of this handsome fellow stuffing his face with popcorn ;)}

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