Who's that baby? Part 2

Everyday, I see Brennan and Samuel changing so much and I look back at pictures of Samuel as a baby and even Brennan when he was newborn and am amazed at how much they have changed. I am also struck by how similar they look; I mean Brennan really looks like Samuel when he was a baby. I definitely see differences also, but am completely amazed at how these two brothers really do look alike. During my pregnancy I often wondered if this baby (Brennan) would look like Samuel or different. I mean my sisters and I have some similarities, but I wouldn't say we look alike. So, who is that baby? Can you tell which one is Brennan and which one is Samuel?

As I look at their similarities in appearance I can't help but wonder if their personalities will bare any resemblances to one another or not. I can already tell you that Brennan is a very different baby than Samuel was, but a lot of that may have to do with him being our second born, but 3rd child in the house. One major difference is that Brennan nurses only when he is hungry. He doesn't nurse for comfort or to fall asleep; he nurses when he is hungry. Samuel on the other hand would nurse, and nurse, and nurse some more if I would let him. He nursed for comfort, he nursed when he was hungry, he nursed when he was sleepy, I think he even nursed when he was bored. Brennan also will play by himself for longer periods of time than Samuel ever did. Yet, once again...Samuel and I were alone together all day long and well, I had the time to just sit and play with him. Brennan, poor guy, has to play by himself sometimes while I tend to the other two!

With all that said, they are both wonderful boys...each unique and beautiful in many different ways. Samuel is really so sweet. He is starting this new thing where he will come up to me and say, "I love you too!" without me saying I love you first. It is great...He still loves books and loves to rhyme. His knew favorite is a tribute to my grandpa Spelbring who taught me it a long time ago. It goes like this, "Gean Gean made a machine. Joe Joe made it go. Art Art let a fart and blew it all apart. Boof!" I know my grandpa is smiling in heaven when he hears Samuel's sweet voice saying this funny little ditty. I will have to get it on video soon. Don't worry though; he also loves the tradition nursery rhymes from Mother Goose.

Brennan is growing like a weed. It's hard to believe he is 4 months old already. He loves to grab things and is really good at getting them in his mouth. During tummy time he is almost inch worming. He will get up on his knees a bit, which makes me nervous...crawling I think is just around the corner for him, Yikes! He loves to watch Samuel and Lola and often they are the ones that make him smile. Samuel the other day came up to him while I was holding him and gave him a hug. When he pulled away he said, "EEww, vomit!" Brennan had a little wet spit up on his bib and Samuel had laid his cheek on it while giving him a hug. It was too funny.

Well, hope you have fun trying to figure out Who's that baby?

Who's that Baby?

Brennan loves to look at the baby in the mirror. He doesn't quite know yet that this baby is him! He sure loves to smile and flirt with that baby. Anyway, hope you get a kick out of Brennan laughing and smiling at the baby in the mirror.

Before I was a Mom

My mom sent me this "poem" in a forward, and well I really liked it...thought I would share for all those moms out there. That goes out to all the moms in Romania taking care of all those beautiful children who do not have their biological parents to take care of them...I love you gals :)



Before I was a Mom, I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby. I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous. I never thought about immunizations. Before I was a Mom, I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night. Before I was a Mom, I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep. Before I was a Mom, I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put her down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom. Before I was a Mom, I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy. Before I was a Mom, I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Samuel...In the Night Kitchen

"Did you ever hear of Mickey, how he heard a racket in the night and shouted "Quiet down there!" and fell through the dark, out of his clothes past the moon and his mama and papa sleeping tight, into the light of the night kitchen?"

excerpt from "In the Night Kitchen"

Samuel, Brennan, and I went to the library a couple of weeks back and along with us came the kitchen whisk. Now, if you know Samuel some of his favorite play toys are kitchen utensils. For example tonight he was playing with the whisk, a little tea basket for brewing tea, and an empty plastic jug. It is funny because he actually asked for the "thingy to make ceai" (the thing to make tea) to play with. It was up in the cabinet out of sight. Well, the librarian saw Samuel and his whisk and thought he might enjoy a book called, "In the Night Kitchen" written by Maurice Sendak. I was surprised that she chose this book because the week before we had borrowed, "Where the Wild Things Are," which is another one of his books and Samuel really liked it. She
"warned" me that there was nudity in the book. I could have laughed out loud...she doesn't know that our Samuel loves to be naked, and not just naked, "butt naked" according to him :)

This book has become a hit in our home. Lola and Samuel both love it! Scott and I think it is too cute...I was surprised to read that it has been a controversial book over the years, with librarians going to the extremes of drawing underwear on little Mickey's bear butt! It is funny because in many ways Samuel is our Mickey. He loves to be naked and he loves the kitchen. If he had his way he would be naked all day. The day after Thanksgiving he was supposed to be taking a nap and I open the door only to find Samuel with a bare behind and his underwear thrown on the floor. I almost started laughing, maybe I did...(John, Kristen, Carrie, did I laugh?) Anyway, it is often a struggle to get him to wear clothes.

Here is our "Mickey" naked with whisk and jug in hand, cheesing it up!

If you want to see some more go to this link...
In the Night Kitchen - Google Book Search

Thanksgiving has come and gone and it's hard for me to believe that already Brennan has experienced so many firsts...first Halloween, first snow (which was yesterday, so pretty), first smile, and now his first Thanksgiving. He is getting so big and his personality is starting to shine through. He is such an easy going baby for the most part, except he is such a fidgety nurser...he will only nurse if he is hungry and even then it isn't always a relaxing experience. Samuel would nurse and nurse and nurse and nurse some more if I would have let him :) Brennan loves to be cuddled and he will just look up at me with the sweetest little smile. When placed on his belly he will turn his body, sometimes in a half of a circle turn by moving his arms and upper body. Believe it or not, he was getting up on his knees; he is strong. Anyway, our Thanksgiving weekend has been a bit hectic since Lola and Samuel have been pretty sick, but we still managed to see some family and eat a lot of turkey and pumpkin pie, Yummy! Here are a few picks of our Brennan Marian's first Thanksgiving!

Brennan with his cousin Erin...she is soo good with all the little kids!

Brennan with Great Granny Mary

Brennan with Kristen, uncle John's favorite gal :)


Brennan with his Mema!

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold,

Her early leaf's a flower; But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

by Robert Frost

I adore Autumn; I can say that it is my favorite season of all. All the beautiful changing colors of the trees, the crisp air, trips to the pumpkin patch, considerably less bugs, trick-or-treating, and just a feeling of nostalgia that overcomes me during this time...this is what I love about Fall. However, it comes and goes so quickly that I sometimes feel as though I didn't stop and enjoy all the beauties it has to offer. In our back yard we have a tree, Maple (i think), and it turns the most brilliant golden yellow. If you stand under it and look up, it's as if you are looking into a sea of gold, sparkling with sunlight. It is magnificent and the camera can't catch the true glory of it. This golden sea is there for but a couple of days; if we are lucky a week. Then it is gone...all the leaves have fallen to the ground. The beauty of fall lasts but minutes compared to the other seasons. I think in many ways this is what makes it so very special...because it is so fleeting.

This is how childhood is and life in general. However, childhood has been on my mind. My children are growing up so quickly and the time truly does fly. Scott and I were watching videos from a year ago and just to see how much Samuel is talking and how he has grown and changed is amazing. Lola has also changed . She was so chubby when she came to us and barely talking. Now she talks in English and Romanian and has grown tall and slim. It is hard to believe that Brennan is the same baby we brought home only a little over two months ago. He is smiling, cooing, rolling over, lifting his head and chest off the ground, and now weighs 17lbs. The beauties of childhood are fleeting. As with the beauties of Autumn I have not taken the time to just stand under the golden sea of leaves and wonder at the beauty of it all. Why does life have to seem so frantic at times? Must keep to the schedule, supper, baths, books, bed, housework, and oh... when all I want to do is snuggle with Samuel on the couch and let him fall asleep in my arms...but we all know what that would lead to :)

Robert Frost was right when he wrote "Nothing Gold Can Stay." Childhood is gold; it is often our finest hour and it only stays but a short time...

Here is our photo tribute to Fall and to Childhood...may it help us remember the beauty of them both long after they are gone.

Samuel at the Pumpkin Patch...wearing his red cowboy hat that his mema got him!

What handsome sunflowers!

My mom with all her girls...she may not be a queen, but she should be treated like one!

Samuel resting on his "mountain."

Painting his pumpkin.

"Happy Halloween!" from our little bear and our little firefighter.

Brennan with his Tati.

Playing in the fallen leaves...yes he is in his pajamas :)

Wonderful red of Autumn!

My Boys!

I love saying that, "My Boys!" It is sweet in my mouth. Here they are all three of them and boy am I blessed!

Winnie the Pooh or Winnie the Poo?

Winnie the Pooh...how funny can a yellow, honey eating bear be? Well, the other day Samuel and Brennan and I were sitting in the living room waiting for Lola's bus to come and Samuel was talking to Brennan and showing him a baby rattle. Then he asked, pointing to Brennan's bib, "What's that?" On Brennan's bib was Winnie the Pooh. Our kids aren't exposed to many cartoon or t.v. characters; so Samuel wanted to know who this was on Brennan's bib. I told him that it was Winnie the Pooh. He looked at me with a half cocked smile, like you're joking right. Then he said, "Ursul (bear) has to go poo, poo?" It then occurred to me that we often refer to going poop as poo poo or caca. He thought the bear had to go poo poo. I just laughed and told him that was the bear's name, "Winnie the Pooh Bear." Too cute...he makes me laugh. He really has a good sense of humor and imagination. It made me think that I need to write some of this down before I forget it all.

Some other things I don't want to forget about Samuel are:

-he loves to play on the couch...i mean this can entertain him for hours. He makes mountains out of the cushions. He pretends that it is a train, semi-truck, fire engine, or a boat. He also makes bridges out of the cushions. He loves to use his imagination and gets pretty upset when it's time to put all the cushions back on and turn it into a couch again.

-being naked...if he could be naked all day long he would. He says he's "nakey" and just runs around free as a bird. The other day he was riding this toy horse (the kind that's just a stick with a horse's head) completely naked. Scott and I just laughed so hard seeing his little naked butt galloping around the house.

-he is "bebelusul mamei" (mamma's baby). If you call him a big boy, he will correct you and say no I'm bebelusul mamei. or if Scott says he is bebelusul tatei he will say, "no I'm bebelusul mamei."

-he often says this or that toy or stuffed animal has to go to the potty. He will then take the respective toy to the bathroom and pretend that it is going potty.

-if he does something wrong or accidentally hurts someone or something he will say in the sweetest voice, "sorry." He even told his little doll Sophia sorry and kissed her because he fell on her and bumped her nose.

-he loves fire engines. he is going to be a firefighter for Halloween and he wears the outfit around the house all the time. He had so much fun when I took him to the fire station (I'll post some pictures later). All he talks about is "Sparky the fire dog." Scott and I caught him trying to put a piece of paper down the cold air return (we had already talked to him and Lola both about this because Scott found some items of interest when he cleaned out the furnace to get it started) and told him that Sparky the fire dog wouldn't want him to do this. Oh, my goodness...he started crying so hard (like he was sad to disappoint Sparky). We felt bad for telling him that...it took us a while to calm him down.

These are only a few of the most recent things he has been doing that I don't want to forget. I'm sure there are more and the sad thing is I've probably already forgotten them. I feel sometimes so torn in many directions. I want to be there for Samuel, Brennan, and Lola but I can't give my 100% attention all the time to each one. I sometimes feel guilty because I know it must be hard for Samuel. I feel like I am always holding or nursing Brennan and can't play as much as I used to. Then I feel guilty because I don't feel as if I spend as much time playing and interacting with Brennan as much as I did with Samuel when he was newborn. Ofi, I guess I just need to let it go and do the best I can everyday.

Bine Ai Venit pe Pamant Brennan Marian!

We would like to officially introduce you all to our newest arrival that you may help us welcome him into this world. Welcome to the world Brennan Marian!

Brennan was born on August 25th by c-section in the early morning. We knew this ahead of time because it was a repeat c-section, but it didn't make things any less exciting or anxious. We were so excited to see this new little one face-to-face and finally find out if he was a boy or girl.

That morning Scott and I left before it was light and snuck out of the house while the two kiddos were sleeping. My mom was there to get them ready to come see us at the hospital. Once we arrived they got me all set with i.v.'s and what not and much to my dismay I started feeling clammy and sick...I threw up. I attribute this to not being able to eat anything. I don't do well with not eating :) I was so blessed to see my mom, Samuel, and Lola before I went to surgery. Samuel was a little concerned at all the wires and tubes, plus me laying on a weird bed unable to get up and hold him. They did well though.

After getting sick twice (yuck) and worrying whether or not Scott was going to get to the operating room in time (he got there just in time, but they don't let fathers in until right before they deliver the baby for c-sections) Brennan was born. It was wonderful to hear once again those beautiful words, "It's a boy!" Scott and I just cried...I got to see him and kiss him before they wheeled me off to recovery. It is hard not to be able to hold your baby right away, but in some ways I was so thankful for the warm blankets and a little rest without all the hub-bub that comes with welcoming a new little one into the world. Plus this time around I was given two pictures of Brennan to look at while he was away from me. Also, right after being taken to my room, Brennan was brought to me to nurse and hold. It was wonderful and such a relief to know he was healthy. When Samuel was born I didn't get to hold him until the next day and he had to stay in the nursery. He was put on oxygen and an I.V. after he was born. So, it was a relief to not have to deal with all that again.

Samuel and Lola met Brennan the next day. Samuel, was excited to meet his baby brother, but even more excited to see his mama :) My mom was wonderful to help watch the kids during the day and stay with me at night at the hospital. Samuel would not let his tati leave at night; he needed at least one of us there. My poor mom says she won't do it again :) because every time she comes around now Samuel associates her with me leaving. I told her not to worry because she has Brennan who hasn't been "scarred" yet.

For those of you who are wondering, we named Brennan after two people. Brennan is after our favorite Christian author, Brennan Manning, who wrote "Ragamuffin Gospel." Marian is after Pruteanu Marian or lovingly known by many as "super mario." Marian was a young man from Romania who is very dear to my heart. He is like a son to me and often called me his "mamico." Marian died last year and well this is some small way to bring tribute and remembrance to a amazing young man. He had so much to offer this world; a world that doesn't even realize how much it has lost with his death.

Also, it seems fitting to mention that Samuel Charles was named after the Samuel in the Bible. We had a lot of trouble getting pregnant with Samuel. We didn't know if we would get pregnant and we had to see a fertility specialist; so we said that when God grants us a child and if it's a boy we will name him Samuel because Samuel sounds like the Hebrew "heard of God". God heard Hannah's prayer for a child and He heard ours also. Charles comes from both Scott's dad and mine; they are both named Charles. That worked out well :) With that said, we were really surprised when God blessed us with Brennan because we didn't think we would get pregnant again...at least not without some help...but little did we know what God had planned for us!

Samuel is a great big brother. Most of the time he is too busy playing to really interact with him. However, every so often he will stop and come say hi to "bebe" Brennan. He doesn't yet understand how gentle you have to be with a baby; so we really have to watch him. He doesn't seem jealous of Brennan, but he isn't used to having his cuddle time in the morning with mommy interrupted by a crying baby wanting to nurse. Slowly, we are working through our morning routine and trying out new things to see what works best for him. I feel bad for him though because his sleep is often interrupted by Brennan waking up. His room is right next to ours (it's technically not a bedroom because you have to walk through his to get to ours) and he can hear all the crying.

Lola loves to look at Brennan and talk to him. The cutest thing about Lola is that she has a baby doll, Lou Lou, and she loves to pretend like she is her mom. She will nurse LouLou and often I hear her talking to LouLou the way I talk to Brennan. It is very sweet.

Anyway, Brennan Marian is a beautiful baby boy. He is the squeakiest, gruntinest baby I have every heard. Even when he is sleeping soundly, he squeaks and grunts. He is already weighing in at almost 16lbs. He has the most kissable chubby cheeks anyone could ever want on a baby. I think chubby babies are the cutest! So, many (well meaning) people comment on how "fat" he is, but I think it's more appropriate to say chubby. I mean after all, we don't go up to adults and inquire on how much they weigh or say, "man you are fat!" I really am not offended though because he is "grasut" and I love it :)

Well, sorry it took me so long to post about our beautiful new baby boy...enjoy!

I would never do that!

Ok, I'm not sure if it's lack of sleep or just being busy accommodating to having three children now, but I have been doing some pretty crazy things I said I would never do. Often one might hear stories about a child being locked in a car or one might see something that another parent is doing and think to themselves, "I can't believe they are doing that!," or "How could they let that happen?" Well, I now know how and am the "guilty" offender.


Scott had a soccer game the other day and Lola was gone on a visit so I wanted to do something with Samuel besides stay home and wait for Scott to get back. After nap I took Samuel and Brennan (for those of you who don't know this is our precious new arrival) and we went to watch Tati's soccer game. Samuel was so excited to see the copii play futbol and the rain looked as if it had stopped; so off we went. I'm feeling pretty good about getting us all out. Samuel and Brennan in the double stroller, Brennan nursed and sleeping, beautiful cool fall weather, out of the house, what more could I ask for. Well, not more than probably 15 minutes after our arrival the clouds begin to darken and it gets down right cold! Then it starts to rain and rain hard. I head back to the car with what speed I can muster pushing a double stroller with a two year old and baby in car seat through the wet grass. I decide to put Samuel in the front seat and then put Brennan in so we can wait for Scott to get done. I set him in and the diaper bag, then start pushing Brennan over to his side of the van. No problem, until I hear the familiar sound of van doors locking...still nothing to worry about, until I realize that the keys are securely latched onto the diaper bag strap!


By this time, it is pouring down rain; I'm soaked and thank God Brennan is pretty well covered from the elements. I then proceed to try and get Samuel to unlock the door by pushing the same button he had just pushed. He does well pushing the button but is pushing it in the wrong direction. I am getting frantic, and I raise my voice trying to get Samuel's attention, which keeps getting averted to the newly acquired little toy train. At some point I think Samuel began to grasp the seriousness because he kept pushing the button over and over and had this sad, scared, embarrassed look on his face. Maybe when a small crowd began to gather and my voice was a little louder than usual. I have to admit I even cussed (not at Samuel) a few times. Finally, by God's grace a van pulled up that had a hanger and my window was down just enough, that after a couple of tries, I was able to push the button and get in the van. I felt terrible because I know Samuel thought I was mad at him and that he was in trouble. I just kept explaining to him that I was sorry I yelled, but that I was scared and I wasn't mad at him. Whew, needless to say we all went out for pizza after that, no cooking at home for stressed out mom :)


So, I am one of those parents who has now locked their child in the car, but at least the fire department didn't have to be called. I guess I wanted to "confess" to all of you because I to often have jumped the gun in judging others, especially parents. I hope now I might be a little less quick with my comments...I hope!

Summer Days

It has been a long time since I've posted anything, but we are keeping busy. We went camping a couple months back and the kids had a great time even though it started to rain and storm really bad. I don't think Scott and I slept even a wink, but the kids slept through the rain, thunder, wind, and lighting. The next morning it was STILL raining and it didn't look like it was going to let up. SO, we packed the kids up and left. Scott went back later to get the tent and things.

The following weekend we went to Nana Carries and had fun at this fountain in the city then at the beach. Lola and Samuel loved the water at both places and had so much fun. Unfortunately, that night Samuel was running a 102 temp and had diarrhea. He seemed better after a couple of days.

Just this last Sunday, we celebrated Lola's birthday...it was a great time. Family came and we had hot dogs and cake. I think Lola was really blessed by our two families who came and treated her just like she was one of our own! This never ceases to amaze me because we don't know how long she will be with us, but our families treat her with same love as all the other grandkids.

Now, we are getting ready to celebrate Samuel's birthday. It looks like the party will be the beginning of August since the baby is going to be delivered either the 22 or 25. At least this is what the doc says. We will see...we have a final ultrasound in 2 weeks, which will give the doctor a better idea.

Sorry, for the boring blog update, but maybe the pics will make up for my lack of inspiration :)

Here is a picture of Samuel relaxing in his "tent" that his tati made for him. He was so excited about camping and sleeping in a tent that Scott made this one for him and Lola.

Samuel and Lola both helped Poppy and Mema bottle feed his new baby deer. Samuel thought it was pretty neat, but ultimately wanted out to see the tractors again. He loves tractors. Lola didn't care too much for the whole experience :)

I love this picture of Samuel and Great Grandpa Bill. Grandpa is showing him tractors in a magazine. Samuel loves Grandpa Bill.

Fun in the pool! Samuel is a water baby; it doesn't matter...hose, puddle, watering can, pool, bathtub, rain, or shower...he loves it. Lola loves it as long as you don't spray her with the water especially near the face. They have been to the "big" pool twice now with me and my niece Erin and have had a lot of fun.

I had to post this picture because I was absolutely amazed at how beautiful my "maci" poppies were this year. Scott planted these poppies for me because I love them and they remind me of Romania. It is interesting to see these huge paper thin petals bloom from this tiny little shell.

Here is a picture that does not do justice to how nice and well kept Scott's garden is. He and Carrie spent a lot of time weeding and then putting wood chips over it all. He has had several comments even from neighbors as to how nice it looks. We have already eaten broccoli, salad, dill, oregano, basil, onions, raspberries (actually Samuel has eaten most of those :) and garlic from it this summer. My personal favorite has been the dill; I add to everything and it's really good on hot dogs (who knew).

Here's our big boy again in the "apa"...this time in his birthday suit!

Here is a picture of Samuel in Chicago...Carrie took us to this park downtown and there was this big silver blob thing. The kids loved it...well us adults thought it was pretty "cool" also.

Here is Samuel having a blast in the "fountain." The kids loved this place...they didn't want to leave, but we wanted them to have a taste of what the beach is like.

For all of you who are curious as to how the belly is growing, here is a belly shot at the beach. Not a very good one, but you get the idea.

Scott dug a hole in the sand and Samuel and Lola had fun just standing in it and playing with the sand.

Sneak Peek!

Technology these days never ceases to amaze me. Scott and I and the kids went for my 24 week ultrasound. We were excited to see the normal ultrasound pictures on the screen. Then the technician says, "let me try something." Up pops a perfect picture of our baby's face! We were so amazed...he/she looks just like Samuel did when he was born, just not as chubby yet. The baby has the same jaw line and nose. We just couldn't believe we were looking at our baby's face. A baby that only weighs a little over a pound and still has 3 months to go before being born. God is so creative. Anyway, just thought you might want to have a sneak peek at the new baby D. :)

Mother's Day

As I was listening to the radio today on my way home from church, the announcer said that motherhood changes women in ways they may not have imagined it would. At first that may sound like an obvious statement, but in reality I do not think I was prepared as to how I would be changed by becoming a mother.

I look back and realize in many ways I'm not as adventuresome as I used to be. This is not a bad thing...I'm not lamenting on being a mother. Rather, I'm realizing how my outlook on life has changed. Also, I used to be really cut and dry about how children should be raised. Of course I thought I had all the answers. I also had a list of all the things I would not do with my child. Believe me many of those have gone out the window. Also, I used to think I was a really patient person. Well, I know that I am not. Many times I feel like such a failure when it comes to being a mom. But I know that being perfect is a false idea...I just hope my kids remember all the times when I was patient and fun, instead of when I lost my temper and ran out of interesting, new things for them to do. Most of all, I look at the world in a different way. I see children in horrible situations throughout the world and can't imagine how difficult it is for their parents to see them suffer. I think to the orphans that I know in Romania and imagine what if Samuel was in their shoes. Every child starts to take on the face of my own and it is hard to understand why some are born where they are and others not. I get scared that someday something will happen to me and Samuel will be alone and I think this is the worst fear of all. Yet, I have to remember that God is in control and He has a mighty plan. But this is motherhood, with all it's wonderful blessings of smiles, kisses, hugs, and silly laughter, tears, cries, bumps, and fears; it changes you.

Enough of my rambling. Happy Mother's Day to all the women I know and do not know...whether you have children or not...I know you have been a mother to someone in someway.

A couple weeks back, I decided spur of the moment to take the kids to this really beautiful park. It was a nice day, but it was close to nap time; we decided to go anyway. Wait a minute, maybe I'm not losing my adventuresome side :) Anyway, it couldn't have been a better day. We had a picnic lunch in the open field. The weather was warm but breezy. A wonderful spring day to explore the gardens and hike a little in the woods. Scott and I were amazed at how Lola and Samuel just kept going, climbing, running, and exploring. They hardly even wanted us to carry them, which for their short legs seems a pretty amazing thing to me. Here a few pictures from our time there.

I'm not sure what this poze is all about.

I laughed and laughed and then laughed some more when I saw Samuel's crack shining. Then Lola laughed and then Samuel turned around and laughed.

Samuel "kissing" the fish. They both had such fun climbing on these things.

What can I say? I am truly blessed...he is so beautiful!

Samuel watching some kids play "futbol" soccer. I love the hand behind his back! The next two pictures are when Samuel turned to us and said "Pa Pa" "Bye Bye" and then started walking. He just kept going until we stopped him.

Speaking of seeing your children experience bumps and bruises ...about a week ago. I took Samuel and Lola to the park to see Scott. He was having a play day with his kids there. We were having fun until Samuel busted his lip on the steps leading to the slide. Blood was going everywhere. I had to stop it with my hand. Good thing there was a kind lady there who gave me some tissues. It didn't look too bad from the outside, but on the inside there was a huge chunk of fatty like tissue sticking out. Took him to the doctor and they said no need for stitches. Well, more than a week later the rest is healing but the tissue inside is still sticking out. As a matter of fact, Samuel bit it on accident the other day and it started bleeding. Poor guy. So back to the doctor...he still thinks it will go away...but wants to see him again in two weeks. Pray that God heals it and there will be no need for any other means of removing it! Here is a picture of the inside.