Yummy Yummy Yummy!!!!!!!!!!

Wanted to post a quick reminder that we will be having our fundraiser Pancake Breakfast to raise money for our upcoming mission trip to Guatemala this Sat, May 2 at Gators Dockside. We will be there from 8a to 10a so please come anytime during that window of time to eat a very delicious breakfast of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and juice all for the low price of ..... drumroll please... $5!!!! You can purchase tickets at the door if you have not already done so or feel free to email me and I can get tickets to you before Sat.
I really hope several will come and bring your friends, this is our biggest fundraiser and it helps us raise the money we need to do all of our activities with the kids while we are at Casa. We have a lot planned this year.. 17 going on this trip, it is our biggest team yet. I know God is going to do AMAZING things while we are there so don't miss this chance to be a part of it all. It may sound silly but your little $5 contribution really could change the live of one of those precious kids. Again, if you want to learn more about the orphanage we go to you can click on http://www.casaparaninos.com/ . The staff are great about updating their online journals every few days so we can all follow what is going on and pray for them.
Thank you for supporting our team!

Lions and Tigers and Bears.. OH MY!

On the train with Debbie, Bryan, & Julz


A few weeks ago we took Sammy to the zoo for the first time!!! We were up in Jax staying with Mom and so my cousin Cindy invited us out. We had quite a crowd, Debbie, Bryan, and Julz along with Cindy and two of her friends and their kids, and of course Mom, Sammy, and me. It was a lot colder than we planned so in true grandmother fashion mom bought Sammy a little jacket at the gift shop and of course he needed a sunhat to keep the sun out of his eyes, ha ha. Thanks again Mom! I was really proud of Sammy, he did just great. He went strong all day with no nap and only really cried when he fell down and skinned his knee. He kept pointing to it and saying boo boo and then would lean down and kiss it himself, I tried to tell him that's my job but he didn't quite get it. He LOVED the choo choo train and I am not sure what aspect of it he enjoyed most, looking at all the animals we passed or looking back and entertaining his big cousins Bryan and Julie!

The Jacksonville zoo is so big that we only made it half way around and by 2 pm we were all beat and headed back to the car, Sammy passed out in Debbie's backseat of the van while we ate our picnic lunch, poor thing was worn out. We have decided we will have to go back soon so Sammy can see the bears and the monkey exhibit. He does a super great monkey impression, complete with scratching under his arms. I think his most favorite exhibits were the elephants and the girrafes. We didn't wait in the long line to feed the girrafes but they still came really close and Sammy was just totally facinated with them, it was adorable. He ran from place to place most of the time we were there and would peer between the rails and say "oohh!! This!!! That!!!" and point at the animals. Very fun times! Thanks for inviting us Cindy!!!! Here are several pics.. see Cindy, told you I would get them posted, just took a little time but worth the wait! lol!

I should add that while we were at the zoo Sam went flying with Caleb and his dad. He had a great time and PTL he made it back on the ground in one piece. Caleb's dad is a pilot and rebuilt this old plane, one like Steve Saint's dad flew and he put each bolt in himself, it really is beautiful. It took years to complete. I was a teensy bit nervous (ok, a lot nervous) for him to go up in it, I mean they have to crank the blade to start the plane-eeks!, but he assured me it was safe. Sam had cool stories and seemed to have a great time and landed just fine, thank you Jesus!


I love my family!

This was my favorite, I just watned to take her home, so beautiful!


This is Sammy making his move, he does this to all little girls now..so funny. I caught him in the act. He is very gentle and just smiles then leans in and gives a big hug and says "mmuah" like he is giving a kiss, so cute!

It worked! They held hands for a few min, too cute!

Ok, I know enough of the two of them but they were so adorable together!!!


Sammy LOVES playing with Bryan, he was plugging his ears up and Bryan made silly noises really loud for Sammy to hear the sound distortion, so funny

I still can't belive how big Juile is now.. she is pratically a teenager! I am just as proud of her as I can be. I love you Julz!

Sammy loved this statue, he kissed it and rode on his back.I really don't think he realized it wasn't real?

Looking at the real kimono dragon with mom, it was so neat to see one up close!

Cindy spoiled him, they rode on the carosel and then he cried when it was over so she took him again!

Here is my little add for the Jax zoo! Loved his new gear!

About to climb out of Mom's arms when the choo choo came by!!


This is how he spent most of his day, he was just as happy as could be running everywhere to see all the animals, he was defintely in his element


Cindy and the boys

Snips and Snails and Puppydog Tails!

Ok, so I sat down to upload Easter pics and was in the process of creating a new folder for them and look what I found! Pics from an old play date that were just too cute. I never got around to organizing these and I am so happy I stumbled across them!
One of the many things about God that I find intriguing is the way in which He brings people in and out of my life with perfect timing. I have been blessed with a Sunday School Class full of amazing women who have been just such a source of strength and encouragement from me. Our church family is really like having family here in Gville, they are our family away from real family if that makes sense. I have so much fun with them, learn from them, and am encouraged by them. I have thoroughly enjoyed getting together for playdates. It is great for the babies/kids but also great for us to just talk, laugh, and have fun. I have learned so much in so many areas, faith, relationships, ways to be better organized, discipline techniques, and even ways to get more back on our taxes (thanks Julie!). I have just really enjoyed our time and can't wait until we can get together again. For those who haven't joined us yet, please come even if you don't have kids. It is just great to get together.
Real quick, on different note, I think we have my lip issue narrowed down. Something is definitely going on b/c they burn even when not swollen if I don't keep vaseline on them. So strange! It is possible it is hereditary andiodema (HAE) which is a very mild non serious autoimmune disorder that results from a deficiency of the blood protein C-1 inhibitor. The last doc I saw (this is number 7) wants me to go for allergy testing to rule out allergies but this most recent diagnosis would explain my stomach pains too. I have also had wierd bouts of stomach pain that comes each night but is gone in morning. It is also weird, it only lasts few days then is gone which is why I never see doc about it b/c seems to have cleared up. Anyway, apparently HAE flare ups are associated with mouth swelling and stomach pain. I dunno.. we'll see. It will be nice to have it all figured out. So thankful that it is nothing serious but I am dreading the allergy testing, we all know just how well I handle needles, oh goodness. Better go ahead and pray for those poor nurses who have to take my blood now.

Back to fun stuff....Just wanted to post a few of the pics I found. The first is actually one of Sammy and Samuel a friend from Gloria's house that I thought I would throw in. He & Sammy have become good buddies. The others are all of our playdate at Julie's house and the last is a random video I happened to find that we took for Sammy's grandmas of him "jumping", quoatations are key to the interpretation of jumping.



David, Sammy, & Daniel...All piled in and ready to go!


Katie & Luke the cutie, he loved watching all the happenings!


Ready for the picnic


Love this picture, they look like little men deliberating something very important


Sammy made a new best friend that day and was totally obsessed with their adorable dog


LOVED the lawn mower, should've put him to work


Cutest pic of Daniel ever! I love it, he has his boots and his truck, and is in full play mode!


Sammy loved the sandbox


Here is our video of Sammy "jumping", he is VERY proud of his new skill, too bad his feet technically never leave the ground.

Amazing Love

"Amazing Love, How can it be, that you my King would die for me?"

These words from one of my favorite hyms are what came to mind as I opened my eyes this morning. I just laid there for a moment and thought, oh what a glorious day! This is my Jesus's day!! The day the King of all Kings gave His life for me... did you read that?? ME! Teri Lynn Crutcher DeLucca. Deserving? No siree! It truly is amazing love, He didn't have to give His life for us, He wanted to. The Bible says He could have called 10,000 angels to come and take His place on that cross but yet He chose to suffer a brutal death (images from the movie the Passion of the Christ come to mind, brutal indeed) so that I could have an eternal life, a life with Him after my own death.

I have struggled this week with my swollen lip issue again. I know it is funny and provides a nice laguh for all who see how ridiculous I look, hey even the nurse at my phsyicians' office laghed at me- but in all seriousness, it is quite painful. They swell up so large that it hurts to eat, smile, talk, and laugh! All of my favorite activities! Its silly but the first time this happened I tried to stay in and didn't want to leave my house, I was so embarrassed of how I looked. In fact, while Kim and I were waiting in urgent care (thank you again to my amazing friend who sat hours with me so I wouldn't be alone) a mom told her daughter not to stare at me, you know b/c of my deformity. RUDE!!! This time though, I realized that it really doesn't matter all that much. So I look weird and have some pain in my mouth. Big freaking deal. I can still walk, work, play with Sammy, and continue on with my life (albeit kissing is still difficult, poor Sam) so I did just that. I went to my office hours and saw the students that came (yes they stared & one girl studdered) , I met with my ST student about her thesis, I even went to dinner with Sam and Kim! It was a good lesson in realizing my beauty is not outside, it is in. It made me so thankful for they way I usually look and made me fully appreciate that at any moment, it really all could change. Accidents and illnesses occur all the time and there are many people struggling with such on a daily basis. My heart was saddened for those we are praying for right now who are fighting for their lives.

I know it sounds dramatic of me, but God used my little lip issue to get me thinking and really appreciate life and death, and in turn prepared my heart for this amazing Good Friday. Our bodies really are just weak. We are so suceptible to illness, pain, death. It is just proof that they were not meant to live forever and that life goes by way to fast and then we each will die. I know I am being a touch morbid, but I really feel as if God used this last experience to speak to me about living my life with purpose. I only have this one shot at life and I want to live my life in a way that is honorable and pleasing to Him, and most imporatnly to help to change the lives of others. It is my deepest desire that when that glorious day comes when can finally run into my Savior's arms and meet Him face to face, I will hear him say "Well done my good and faithful servant". It all started with this day, many years ago when He gave His life for mine. Jesus lived His life with purpose, with God's plan for His life in mind, and in doing so changed my life. I am an entirely different person than I was without Him. Thus, I hope and pray that I will not get so caught up in the day to day trials of this life that I forget the big picture. I pray that I will keep my focus on Him and live my life according to His plan for me (Jeremiah 29:11-12) and in doing so may change the lives of others and introduce them to my sweet Jesus.

"He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed." Isaiah 53:5

"For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8

" I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead! I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. " Philippians 3:10-12:10 I


I hope you have a happy Easter weekend!

Our Sweet Hannah Banana....

is now 8 years old and I just can't believe it! Where does the time go?? We celebrated her birthday on March 13, and had a wonderful time. In the past we have had parties for her but this year was a little different. We had planned to have a party at the park, but it turned out that Hannah's mom and her mom's boyfriend were down for a visit so plans changed a little. We decided to take her to Chuck-E-Cheese to celebrate! I have taken her to the one in Jax with my friend Megan and her son Marc and she asks about once a month when we can go back. So, seemed like a perfect opportunity. This was the second visit Hannah has had with her mom since the foster homes so I wanted to be sure to give them plenty of time together. When she was with me earlier in the week we had had some talks and it seemed like it may help things for her to see me & Melissa hanging out together as friends. So, with Hannah's permission of course, I invited Melissa and her boyfriend Mark to come with us and then after we headed to the house for cake and presents. I owe a huge THANK YOU to Jan for thinking of this brilliant plan, it really made for a great bday for Hannah so thank you for the suggestion.

Hannah had such a great time playing all the games, she won so many tickets! She just lit up in that place, it was so cute. It really is the perfect place for her, she can run all around and squeal and be loud and it is A-OK! I was thankful that Mark played some games with Hannah so Melissa and I could sit and talk and get to know each other a bit. It was so sureal to sit and be able to ask all the many questions I have had over the years. For instance, I had always assumed Melissa had rocked Hannah to sleep as an infant and that was where her "rocking" stemmed from and yup, she sure did! That info really helped confirm for me that it really is a self-soothing thing for Hannah. It was not the easiest conversation I've ever had, we talked about some very serious things, but it was nice to get to know her. I hope that it helped Hannah to see us laughing and shedding a tear here or there together. I hope that I can remain in touch with Melissa, especially seeing how important her children have come to be in our lives.

The ride home was so much fun, it is about a 45 min trip and Hannah can get a little stir crazy. Usually on rides up to Jax I have activities and all but I was not as prepared this ride so we rolled down the windows and made every effort to get each semi to honk at us and I can proudly say we had ALL except for one honk!!! It was soo much fun! We headed back to the house to have cake with Sam, Sammy, Joe, & Gloria, and then Hannah got to open her presents. I was very proud of my cake, it was only a teensy bit lopsided and tasted pretty good if I do say so myself! Hannah enjoyed showing Melissa her "room" and all her things and I was glad Sam had a chance to talk some with them as well. All in all it was a super great day and I am so thankful we were able to share yet another bday with Hannah.

Little Miss Priss as I call her is by far one special little girl and I pray daily that she will realize her value, true beauty, and potential and that she will one day give her life to God. It has been my goal through out our entire time together to teach her that God is ALWAYS there for her and He will NEVER leave her. She has changed so much in just the last six months or so and is maturing into a young lady right before my eyes! I LOVE our serious girl talks we have now, so fun. I don't know what the future holds for her and to be quite honest I struggled with understanding what God is doing with her and her situation. I realize though that I can only see one tiny glimpse of His plan at this moment. I can not see the big picture and all that He is up to or even how he will use these years of her life to grow her and her faith. I take comfort in Phillipians 4: 6 & 7 and have prayed this often when I am praying for Hannah.

" Don't worry about anything, instead pray about everything; tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts queit and rest you as you trust in Christ Jesus"

I truly trust that God is working out the details for her and her siblings in a way that will be more beautiful than I could ever imagine. I know that He knows what is best for them and every other person involved so it is best if I let Him do His thing and I just continue to do my little part while He allows my life to be intertwined with hers, and that is to love love love His little princess with my whole being and to do my best to be an excellent example and to teach her about God's love for her.

Here are some bday pics of our silly Banana! I REALLY wanted to put that video from her 6th bday party up for kicks.. you know, the one that belongs on Funiest Videos?? Couldn't find it but I promise when I do, I will post it up and we can all have a good laugh. For those of you not in my family... I never knew you had to put candy in pinatas! My goodness, for the amount you pay I just assumed it came filled with candy, but after several rounds of bashing and no candy... I learned I was wrong and Hannah was right and she STILL hasn't let that one go. So stubborn! I know, like I should talk, ha ha! Oh, good memories indeed!


Fully loving Chuck E Cheese~


Hannah had so much fun with Melissa & Mark


Cheesin it up with ChuckE!


Yay for my homemade bday cake!

Hapy Bday Hannah Banana! We love you!!


She ws so proud to have Melissa & Mark there

Thankfully Hannah was more than willing to share her balloon with Sammy

Loved her present from Aunt Gayle and Uncle Richard


Thought her shirt from Ms. Jan was "soooo totally awesome"!

I'm back!!

Hello everyone....I AM BACK!!What a whirlwind of hecticness (yes I just created a word) we have had the last month! I am sorry I haven't been able to keep up with the blog, I have had several emails asking for pics and videos of Sammy and they will be coming.... soon. Just not today, lol as I only have a few min before I need to pick up Hannah. Now, on to my big news...... are you ready for this??? I SAW SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right my friends, real snow, not the fake stuff at Disney's Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party but the real thing. I waited 29 years to see it and it was beautiful. I have to admit I was like a giant 5 year old exploring the world for first time but I don't care, it was fun and definitely one of those life moments I will never forget. For those who didn't know I was in Denver for a conference, the Society for Research in Child Development (SRCD), last week and the few weeks leading up to it were so painfully stressful! It was such a relief to have my presentations done and over with. Pshewy! Don't get me wrong, conferences are always a lot of fun- exhausting- but fun. This was a chance to learn about the latest research, network, meet up with friends from afar, and just have fun in a new city. I had three presentations at SRCD this time, one related to research on low-income children's problem solving skills, one on Joe's work on microgenetic aspect of learning while problem solving, and then one on the kids with prenatal cocaine exposure. They all went great.. more to come on conference later.

What was interesting was my little lesson in pride I learned along the way. The saying "not enough hours in the days" was literally true for me. I can only pull so many all nighters before it starts to affect my health. It just worked out that somehow everything came at once before I left. I had 150 papers and group projects to grade, we had our biggest meeting of the year for the World Impact Team which required us to generate our "action plan" for the year (very exciting things to come for local ministries!!), lots of data processing and analyses for Denver, and I had to lead the discussion for my class which took a lot of prep time. I had recently read Mrs. Freda's update where she discusses what she had read on pride. She described it as spiritual cancer. She then stated how pride can come in various forms, one being comparisons. I was thinking, oh pshew. I am ok there..I am a very confident person and try not to compare myself to others. Don't get me wrong, I am human so it happens without realizing it, but I try to remain very cognizant of tendencies to make social comparisons. Then I read her next line..

" or, is the comparison with myself? Do I let pride about a past accomplishment keep me from doing something today because in the past I did it “better?” That steals contentment with who I am now. It is so easy to deceive ourselves about our thoughts and motives in all areas of our lives"

Uh-oh. I was caught red handed! I had been so guilty of just that comparing the new me (mommy/grad student) with the old me (baby free grad student). I had been so upset the weeks before the conference with how I had no time for anything, and all my work was just too difficult, oh my complaints went on and on. I had even contemplated dropping out of my program! Reading Mrs. Freida's blog sure helped me realize that it does nobody any good for me to compare my work prior to Sammy and now. I simply have less time in the days now which means I just can't get as much done. It is as simple as pie! I had long ago stopped comparing myself to others in the program b/c I really and truly have an audiance of one. Now I realize that I also needed to stop comparing me to me! Sounds silly but that is what I was doing. It is difficult when I still have the same deadlines and still need to complete the same amount of work albeit my significantly decreased "available work time" BUT I am soo close and I have resovled to stay focused and push through and come next spring, I will walk across that stage and get my degree!!! I am so ready for the next chapter of our lives to begin! So ready to come home and be freee.... not have to worry about working after Sammy sleeps. Pride.. you're outta here! No room for you in my life! I love that my Jesus is never done with me. He is always working on me, instances such as this are prime examples where he is molding me into the woman He has planned for me to be. Not easy stuff, changing how you view things and your typical response in situations, but I trust He knows what is best for me so painful little lessons such as this are welcome.

In other family news.. Sammy is just growing faster than we can keep up with! He has crossed the 30 pound threshold and is still wearing size extra wide in shoes, which means still special ordering them, Ugh! He just amazes me each day with the words he pics up and how he constantly says one in spanish and then english. Like yesterday, he was eating string cheese and looked at me and pointed to it and said "cheese.. queso". He has also started imaginary play, which is a good indication that he is developing theory of mind on track. He now "shares" his play food with his stuffed animals and makes the eating sounds. He makes his car sounds and says "beep beep" while he drives them. His running is getting more normal, rather than waddling while he runs his legs are going more in front of him ( no worries, his cheeks still jiggle!) and he really is just looking and behaving more like a little boy rather than a little baby. It amazes me how rapid this onset of toddlerhood is! I know I am a developmental psychologist so I should fully understand these things, but wow! To see it occur before my own eyes in my own child is just breathtaking! Especially language development. Honestly I have always found that area of research rather boring but it is just so cool to see him build on prior concepts, God is so amazing!!! Just think, a year ago at this time Sammy still couldn't even sit up! We had to prop him up to take his pic b/c he wasn't sturdy enough. Wow. The difference a year can make.
I have learned to handle those annoying comments from strangers regarding his "wildness" as Sam calls it. We still get the phrase "wow, he sure is a pistol" and "you sure have your hands full" when we are out in public but I just smile and say "oh thank you, we sure love his big personality". Ha! What good is it to compare a child to a gun anyway??? Makes no sense.

Biggest Sammy news of all...... NO MORE BITING!!!!!!!!!!!! Yay!!! We are DONE (or so I am hoping and praying!) Many of you know (unfortunately b/c he bit you or your child, sorry again for that) that we had a time with biting. He had started biting when really excited and overstimulated. So, for instance, he would be having a great time and then run to hug me in the midst of his excitement and bam, would sink one into my shoulder!! Owwie! He even had an incident report at chruch b/c he bit a little girl and drew blood through her dress! It was his second time in his new toddler room in the nursery and I think he was just overwhelmed with the new friends and toys. It had gotten to where I could predict when he would bite, and exactly what situations. We tried everything- discipline techniques, with holding attention, sensory stimulation, do you want to know what I honestly think did it?? Prayer and books! His two favorite things! He loves to pray and gets so serious, really listens when we pray. So every night while we prayed we would pray for Jesus to help him remember not to bite and we ordered 2 books geared to his age group on ebay. "Teeth are not for biting" and "Biting hurts". He LOVED his new books and would bring them to us and sign "please" so we would read them over and over. Within literally 2 weeks biting was obsolete! After reading he would touch his teeth and said "No no!" while he shook his head no. So, I think he finally "got it". Wow, if only I would have thought of books first! =(


Last bit of family news.. Sam and I will celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary next Tuesday, April 13th!! Yay!!! We will both be working that day but are going to have a nice dinner and hopefully a weekend getaway sometime in May. We shall see!!!!

Pics and video to come soon!

Boys will be boys!

My little drummer boy


First and most importantly... HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH MICHELLE!!! Today is Sam's baby sister's birthday, she is all grown up now. We hated we couldn't be there to celebrate with the fam. We love you Sarah and can't wait to see you again. Sammy misses you so much, he kisses your pic all the time. Sam said he is holding your gift ransom, you have to come visit us here in Gville to get it. That's your big bro for ya!

I wanted to take a few min and just let everyone know just how much I LOVE having a little boy. I have to be honest I was not all that thrilled when I learned our sweet baby girl ( I just KNEW it was a girl, I could feel it, or so I thought) was actually a boy. Sam and Sarah were there for that sonogram appointment and actually my friend Julie was too since she was one of the nurses performing it, and I can still see that monitor screen like it was yesterday. Sammy spread his little legs and bam.. there was our proof. Everyone in the room exclaimed at the same time.. "oh its a boy!!" and they were all smiling and cheering, Sam & Sarah had tears in their eyes and all I had was a sinking feeling in my stomach. I asked her to please check again, could she be sure b/c it just couldn't be a boy, I had prayed and worked this one out with God. I too shed tears then with everyone else but mine were b/c I was just scared. There went all my hopes of how this mommy thing would go.. what did I know about boys? How would I have a close relationship with a boy? How would I play with him, what would we talk about, and on and on went my fears & doubts. Well, thankfully... God knew what was best for me and just what we all needed, and that was our silly sweet little boy. Thank God for unanswered prayers, huh?

I quickly warmed to the idea of having a boy and I couldn't have been more ready but I really was not prepared for just how amazing the mommy-son relationship would be. It just facinates me and is almost indescribable. I still think to myself almost daily just how thankful I am that God gave me my boy. All of my worries from before have been replaced with just pure joy in every aspect. No I still don't know how to play with all the boy things and in fact, just today I had to ask Sam to explain this hand me down toy he got. I could tell it was supposed to be some sort of contstruction thing, but that was about all I could guess. I just figure it out as I go and I love it. I love the car sounds & the crashing, all the many rocks, and the sweet side of boys too. The hugs and kisses, the silly faces, the tickles, our dancing, and the excellent "help" I get with every task around the house. When we have our broom.. he runs to get his "boom" and he is such a hard worker. I am amazed at just how much of the rough boy stuff seemed to come without any teaching or socialization. Nobody ever showed him that the best way to stop himself when he pushes his pooh bear firetruck from one end of house to the other is by crashing it into the door, he just started doing it. As a developmental psychologist, I am a firm believer in the value of androgonous play while bearing in mind natural tendencies too but I was just not aware how much of the boy stuff came free of socialization. It is so funny to me! Ok, sorry I am rambling now. I will wrap this up. Take home message.. I love having a little boy and have so much fun doing all the boy things. I am totally learning as I go but loving every moment of it. Even the not so stereotypical boy things like cooking in his kitchen or when we rock his teddy to sleep are just so much fun. He blows my mind literally everyday and I just love our relationship and the closeness we have. I pray daily for our relationship and for us to remain super close. We have some good talks now (well, as good as can get with a 16mos old) and I pray that ours will remain a strong, sweet relationship, one that will endure the teenage years.. eeks.

Ok, moving on. Just thought I would post some silly pics of my boys being boys to go along with this. The fist one is of Sammy's car, Sam hooked it up and put some fancy car exhaust system sticker on the hood and then this lisense plate on the back, I half expect him to put some rims on it any day now. The next is of thier fort, Fort Dito to be exact. Sam came home one day with this giant box from work and he carved out windows and a peep hole and made a flag. The fort's name came from one of Sammy's nicknames. Sam calls Sammy "Dito" which is pronounced Deeeto, short for Gordito which means fat in Spanish. Seems harsh I know but it is not an insult in Spanish, promise. He made up a song and funny thing they do together when Sammy was only a few months old and it kinda stuck, Sammy now runs to Sam and says "Dito" and they still do it together. Anyway, they play in their fort each week, it is too cute so had to put up a few pics.


Sam pimped Sammy's ride, lol






Sammy loves his little peep hole, he was spying on me here!



Had to post this, too cute. This is Sammy smelling my beautiful flowers from Sam, litearlly 2 seconds before he lost his balance and toppled compltely on top of them crushing them all. There was a Sammy shaped whole in my bent flowers when Sam came back in the room.. so sad but kinda funny too.


Finding his belly button.. classic Sammy, one sock on and one sock off.


One of his fav ways of looking at things now, I will prob cry when he stops doing this, I just love it so much. It cracks me up!


His first block tower, he was VERY VERY proud of himself. He clapped and ran around screaming and "jumping" (going on his tippy toes)


Quaking it up wih the dukies.. I love my Sams!