Mark is EIGHT years old!!!

We also celebrated Mark's birthday this month! If you are new to the blog, Mark is Hannah's little brother and for this ONE month they are BOTH 8 years old which she thinks is pretty cool. Mark is a very cool little guy. He loves baseball and swimming and any kind of action hero. He is really smart and is in gifted classes at school. He loves animals and is good at caring for them. He has a wild imagination and loves adventures. I love how he takes up for Hannah ALL the time, even when she really is at fault. He is extremely patient when she has her episodes and will just walk outside b/c he doesn't like to watch/hear. I think it is b/c these two were in foster homes together and will always share that bond. He can be very silly and yet has such a serious side to him. He is so amazingly sweet with my Sammy and takes such good care of him. I try to stress the importance of Mark being on his best behavior when he is around Sammy b/c of how much Sammy learns from him and I think he does a good job. He is patient and really tries to show Sammy the ropes and teach him about "all kinds of sorta boy stuff" in his words. I love how protective he is of me, he also takes excellent care of me and always tries to be sure I am safe when we are out. He likes to help me clean even though I know that of all of them, Mark and Hannah hate cleaning the most but I really think he does it solely for that one on one time which I will gladly dish out. He never wants me to carry things that are too heavy and it just melts my heart. Most reading this probably don't know he had a twin brother, Mathew, who passed away when he was a toddler and although I never new that little guy I can honestly say I think of him almost EVERY time I am with Mark. I wonder what he would be like and if they would still look identical and oh how I desperately wish Matthew could have been sitting there at the table with us that night. I can not wait to meet Matthew when I get to heaven, hopefully it will be a long wait but I will make up for all our lost time when I finally get home. Lastly, I love that Mark shares his secrets with me. He has a big one right now that is so sweet and I love watching the bright red shade he turns when I ask him about it. So adorable! I hope I am still in his life when he is a teenager/young adult so I can tease him about it then. ha ha! That is so wrong of me, isn't it?

Well as you can see, he is a super amazing little guy and so when we found out he didn't have any bday plans we decided to take him out for a night on the town! His "Big Brother" Terry came and we had such a great night. I baked his favorite kind of cake and thankfully Juancho and Gloria were home and could come help me decorate it. I have had some probs with my wrist lately (yes my dissertation and running too many data analyses are too blame!)and I couldn't squeeze the icing out but it was much better it worked out that way b/c they did such an excellent job! I had a great pic of them with the cake but Juancho wouldn't let me post it so all you get is the cake on here. Boo!

We met up at Pizza Hut and surprised Mark with balloons and the cake and boy oh boy was he a happy camper. He kept saying how he just couldn't believe he had his very own fish cake and then right after we sang to him and he blew out the candles he said "I feel just like I am in Heaven right now you guys, for real, I really do! I think this is what Heaven is like. You just feel happy all over and have so much fun. I know you guys all love me, I love today!! " um... is that not the most adorable thing or what? I told you he was precious! He is such a sweetheart. It just so happened there was a Gator Basketball game that night AND Big Brothers Big Sisters had free tickets for us all to go! We even got free popcorn and drinks! Yea! We had front row seats, they announced happy bday to Mark on the speaker, and Sammy LOVED watching all the action. His favorite was definitely the band. He tried to name the instruments and danced the night away, I think a close second fav moment was him seeing Albert, our mascot of course. It was a great night and I am glad Mark had so much fun.

Hannah "helped" Sam take this one so they are both missing from it
My little loveys
Mark & his big brother Terry
He made a VERY long wish, no clue what it was but it must have been a good one. I was worried the cake would catch on fire while we all waited
Me and my girl.. she was posing with some of her new clothes from our friends, she looked so adorable all fancied up!

Doing the gator chomp!
We were surprised to see their friend Michelle there! I love Michelle, she is one of my favs from their daycare, I don't know how such a big personality fits into that tiny little body. Michelle is an amazing singer in fact she was there this night b/c she sang the national anthem! Go Michelle!
She loved her free gator tatoo! Unfortunately Sammy kept trying to pick it off of her....
Our poor birthday boy got a little too carried away running up the stadium steps and took a pretty bad spill skinning his chins, so the first aid folks got him all fixed up with some ice packs

Sammy was VERY excited to see Ali coming heading our way, he could not contain himself, it was hilarious. He even started to stutter and couldn't get his words out! ha ha!
This was Hannah's picture idea, Sammy on her lap and then her on my lap. Yes, it hurt.

Feliz Cumpleaños Samuelito!

WOW we sure have been busy! February has just flown by it seems. I can't keep up! We have made so many fun memories. Sam has adjusted well to his new job and is loving his work. So far his schedule hasn't been that bad, the 12 hour days get long but otherwise it has been good. Although, I should mention he hasn't started nights YET so we shall see how that goes. I have been swamped with school. I am wrapping up the testing of the last 30 or so kids in my 3 year study and working on publishing some of my work. I have also been making progress on my job search and will hopefully be hearing back on an interview soon. Please pray with me that God will open the doors He wants opened and not those that do not fit into His plan for our lives. No matter how great a job may seem I surely don't want to be there if it is not His plan for me. I have had a rough couple of weeks as I had one deadline after another and it all piled up. It was extremely stressful and I actually dropped out of my program for a few hours one Sunday and had myself a ginormous meltdown. I'm talking meltdown of all meltdowns. Thankfully I have an amazing support system who helped me stay in the game and stay the course. I am happy to report that everything is now turned in, my presentation went great, and I am doing much better. Anyway, I have had so many things that I have wanted to blog about but just couldn't find the time. I have a lot of thoughts swirling around in my head (its a fun place to be , ha ha) but haven't had the time to sit and blog them. Lots of things that are heavy on my heart. For now though, I since I should technically be working, I will keep this one light.

We celebrated 4 birthdays this month! Each of these are all people who are extremely close to our family so they were all very special. The first was that of little Samuel! Samuel is one of Sammy's little budies who is just the sweetest little guy you will ever meet. We met his family through Gloria as she began watching him when he was I think around 6 months old or so, he and my Sammy are about 4 months apart. For a while there it was just Sammy and Samuel (Samuelito and Samueline as she calls them) at her house and they so enjoyed their days together. Their little friendship has just blossomed since and they are too cute together. Sammy adores Samuel's mommy, Nathalia. He talks about her all the time and always says "Nathy nice and pwetty mommy", awww!!!! Samuel's parents moved here from Columbia so they speak Spanish too and I have loved hearing Gloria and Nathalia tell me about their country and watching my Samuelito embrace Spanish will all his little heart. In fact, I had a weird moment at Samuel's party where I realized just how odd it is to have your child fully understand and know something more than you do! I was the only one there who was not fluent in Spanish. Sammy had no prob chatting and singing with the other kids and fully knew what was being said. I could catch the drift of what was everyone was talking about but missed out on some of the details. Of course everyone would switch to English to talk to me but I insisted they speak in Spanish so I could try to learn more. =)

I hope you enjoy these pics of little Samuel! I have sure loved watching this little guy grow up. He has blown me away with how smart he is and how sweet. He has a tender heart and is just so caring and loving. He has such a good nature about him and I know that whatever God has planned for His life he will surely excel at anything he does. Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your lives Nathalia! We just love your sweet family and look forward to making many more memories with you!

** Everyone MUST watch the video, it is SO FUNNY! I think him blowing out that candle is the cutest thing I have seen in a while. He tried his VERY best!!! After they sing the birthday song in English they then sing again in Spanish and Samu started dancing up a storm! Priceless!****

Samuel & Sammy with all Samuel's cousins
Happy 2nd birthday!
Sweet family pic, love that smile!
Yes they let both Samuels dig in and enjoy some icing before the cake was cut =)
Look at that face!
Our best attempt at a pic of them together. They were very tired by this point
Sammy with is buddy and his "Ya-Ya" (Gloria)

A special note to you from Hannah!

Hello everyone~
This is Teri, I was showing Hannah the Big Brothers Big Sisters video I posted on my blog~ she loved it. She had never seen my blog before and loved seeing the pics of herself. She asked if she could write on it and I thought well why in the world not? So.. with no further ado, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls..I proudly present my little.. the one... the only... MISS>... HANNAH>> BANANNA>>>

Hi my name is Hannah. I am 8 years old and so is my brother Mark. My sister Krista is 11 years old and my other sister Samantha is 10 years old and I love all of them very much. I love my big sister very much. and she is the best big sister ever. and I love her very much again. She is my family. We have fun everyday. Today we made cookies for Valentines day that spell love and th for Teri and Hannah and ss for Sam and Sammy. Sammy eated a bite of one when he was not sposed to. I love my grandma very much too and I love everyebody in my family. One day my grandpa died. and I miss him very much. it makes me sad and mad. Me and Teri are going to have a special day we do a suprise for grandpas memory and on our special tree at the park one day here. It is big and we read there. Hi aunt gayle and uncle richard and everybody in Teri family and oh yes Aunt Gayle tell everybody I said hi. Hi julie and Brian I miss you and I love you all very much. I hope you like your new home. Love Hannah,

PS. I love you all everybody in the whole world and I pray for you sometimes when I remember and am not to tired. I am tired now while I am doing this bet everyday I am not tired just sometimes. I have to go to bed right now. I am having a sleepover at Teri,s house for church.

Goodnight dont let bed bugs bight.

This absolutely GORGEOUS camera bag could be yours (or mine!)

You have GOT TO check this out! I just saw that one of my favorite bloggers is doing a giveaway for a gorgeous Kelly Moore camera bag! If you only dream of owning a fancy pants camera (as I do every day) then you could still use this bag as a super chic diaper bag or really anything. It is simply fabulous! I suggest everyone stop what they are doing and go leave a comment for her right now so you can win~ or not. Then there will be more chances for me. =) Click here MckMama to check it out!

can be used as laptop bag

Diaper bag

or really for anything

Sleepover Party!

We have been quite busy around Case de DeLucca this month as we try to settle into a routine with Sam's new job and hours and my semester is in full swing but we have still managed to have a lot of fun too. Sam was out of town a couple Saturdays ago and so I figured why not have a big ol' sleepover party! Sammy was so excited all morning, he helped me clean and get sheets & towels ready and we went shopping and picked out some yummy treats to eat while I prepared by drinking a giant cup of coffee. He told all the clerks in Publix "i shoppin fo pawty! Gonna be weally much fun!" ha ha, he was cracking me up. We had such an awesome time with Hannah and her sibs. So much fun in fact, it was hard to take them back home.

We first picked picked up Samantha and Hannah for Samantha's shopping trip. You see, there are some VERY sweet and generous people in our Sunday School class who have blessed this family each year in more ways than I can say. I can't remember if I posted on here or not but Bill, their grandpa passed away shortly after Christmas. This has been especially hard on their family b/c the kids live with their grandparents so not only is Mirna dealing with the loss of her husband and the kids the loss of their grandpa, but also she is now adjusting to the added pressure of doing life with 4 children without him. Our Sunday school class provided their Christmas tree and gifts along with some delicious meals that kept them going through the hard days before and after his death. Some folks gave money so the kids could shop and pick out their own clothes which is a HUGE deal for them and Mirna has been very touched by all that you all have done for her and the kids. THANK YOU! Anyway, poor Samantha's shopping trip had gotten put off for a variety of reasons so I figured before the sleepover would be a great time. Oh did we have fun! We hit a huge 75% off sale at JC Penny and she really made out with some amazing things. The girl has style! While she tried things on Hannah had fun trying on a plethora of prom dresses that had been left in the dressing room, it was hilarious. I laughed so hard at her that my stomach hurt.

After shopping we picked up the rest of the crew and headed back to our house for some dinner and treats and then we played some games and had a movie night after Sammy went to bed. These kids love pickles and fresh fruit and so I was stocked up and prepared & they were excited to have pickles and fruit along with their popcorn. That was a first for me for sure! Mark was not fond of the girly movie and asked to watch something else on his own and I finally caved in. I wanted them to have fun together (they fight a lot at home) but then realized he doesn't get much alone time away from the girls so I got him all set up in our room and he loved being in our big bed and drinking his pickle juice while he watched his show. My favorite time of the evening though was and always is bed time. I love spending one on one time with each of them. I treasure just talking and hearing what is on their hearts and praying together. We had some very sweet tender moments that I have stored away and will always cherish in my heart. Each one of these kids although yes they can try my last nerve has such promise and I hope and pray that as they as they grow they will find their true value and seek God's plan for their lives. I see these years now as so critical, before we know it they will be teens (well Krista is already acting like one for sure) and I so desperately want them to avoid the pitfalls that I know are waiting around the corner. It is so hard to be a teen these days and I am sure it will be even harder for them given their situation and I pray each day that God will put good friends and role models in each of their lives to walk through those times with them and make it that much easier.

I had one of the best morning wake up times I have had in a while, it made me sad that Sam missed it. One by one each filtered into our room and all 6 of us cuddled up and they laughed at Sammy's silly songs. He did a great job entertaining us, who needs cartoons with a 2 year old who is eager to perform? Although chaotic, I somehow (literally by the grace of God!) managed to get all 5 kids dressed, fed, and ready for church.... and we were only 12 min late to church! Although we were late, that is still success in my book. I will admit I was rather frazzled when I made it to my own Sunday school class and had to fight back my tears of joy as I took my seat and realized that we actually MADE it there. They all seemed to love their classes and when we came home and Mark helped me make hot chocolate for everyone since we were all freezing. I loved that time with him, he is such a great little guy with a giant heart.

Our sleepover was simply the best. I hope we can do it again soon. I am so thankful for these kiddos.

Krista said something hurtful so I made her not only apoligize but kiss Sammy on her cheek. That's right! That will show her!
This is one of Hannah and Sammy's favorite things to do together, race his little push cars. =)
They played dress up and in this pic were on their way to meet Prince Eric and Prince Quin.. ha ha

Silly kiddos!

That's my Banana! Wearing my heels while she watches a movie in her pj's .. if I have not taught her anything else through our match she has at least adopted my love of shoes and she gets just as much joy from a pretty pair of shoes as I do.
Ok that is just gross. Eating pickles is yuck enough but drinking the juice.. gag me now!
Sammy was their prince in the dress up game, he is so funny when he plays with them. He has no clue what is going on but is very busy and into it nonetheless and is just excited to be a part of it. I asked him to try to peepee on potty and he very seriously said "no, 2 minutes mommy, I play king right now" then he ran off.
Princess Banana modeling her new shirt, skirt, & shoes from our friends. You can kind of see it under my snuggie
Mark made some delicious hot chocolate for all of us! Sammy declared "Marky is good. is yummy in tummy"
Hot chocolate with lunch.. notice Sammy couldn't stop drinking his even one second. That's my boy!
Check out Miss Samantha Lynn! She did great, she only got things that would be good for summer even thought she just loved this pink pair of sparkly jeans. I asked her to model her favorite outfit she bought so I could show our friends who gave the money. She not only has style but is thrifty too.. this was her favorite because and I quote "it is so totally cute and a great deal. A scarf and necklace with a shirt? Can't pass it up, i'd be crazy not to get it" HA! I laughed at her b/c she sounded just like my little cousin Julie when she said that. =) I miss you Julz!

Thankful and a Teensy bit Teary

I had to pop on here and do a quick little post. Maybe I am procrastinating and not doing my stats homework... he he. I hope to one day print our blog into one of those super cool blog books so I want to be sure I record this little memory.

I actually teared up dropping Sammy off this morning. I haven't done that since he first started attending Sonshine Day! It wasn't anything that out of the normal either it just hit me like a ton of bricks just how fast he is growing up and I can't slow any of it down. I don't know how I feel about that! Now that he sleeps in his big boy toddler bed he wakes up and comes into our room and lies in bed with me for about 10 min while I wake up. Although I greatly miss walking and getting him out of his crib, I sure love our morning cuddles. He usually rubs my arm and my hair and tells me "Good mo'nin stunshine!! Wuv you weally weally (really) much mommy". As I wake he has his head right on my pillow facing mine and we talk about his dream or what his day will be like. Sometimes he sings to me or sometimes he tells me a story. Then we gather his lovies and trucks/cars and I help him manage to get them all down the stairs after which each and every morning he says "Shewy!" just like my grandma used to. He is usually my little helper as we get ready for our day, he helps with breakfast and clean up and picks out his outfit and sometimes mine (ha ha), he reminds me to give him his "mina-mines" (vitamins) and then we are off on our way in the car.

On the way to school we usually go through the list of where everyone is. He needs to know where Daddy and Hannah are, where both sets of grandparents and his aunties are, and then we pray for his & their day. Lastly I go through his "Reminders" right before school. They typically go like this..

me: "ok baby, what do you need to remember today"

Sammy: "to be nice and kind and mommy loves me will come back soon"

me: "what does it mean to be kind? how are you kind to others?"

Sammy: "no hittin, no bitin, no spittin, no pinchin, and no bangin table"

me: "that's right and why do we need to be kind"

Sammy: "to show love them"

I am not naive to think this doesn't immediately leave his brain though, especially given the trouble he got in yesterday. He hit a few friends in his class yesterday so we took his favorite truck away for the day and explained that he can earn it back by making good choices today., i.e., no "hittin". So today our little reminder conversation was different. The above was followed with..

"Mommy, black truck back if no hittin Kyra, Lukers, and Audry?"

"Yes honey, if you remember to be kind and not hit you can have your truck back. You need to use your words and tell Mrs. Beverly if you are angry and she will help you."

"Mommy, I no likin hittin fwiends. I no want it. I be nice..... Mommy happy?"

"Yes baby, that makes me very happy, thank you"

"Jesus happy mommy?"

"Yes it will make Jesus VERY happy if you choose to be kind to your friends"

A hint that maybe, just maybe he is starting to get it. I was a little shocked that he made that connection. I mean yes we have worked a lot on his understanding of this but it hasn't seemed to really click before. We don't want him to learn to be nice b/c it is what we should do. We want to teach him that we are nice and kind to not only honor God but to show others that we love God and by doing so that God loves them. Well, when I got to school his class was walking outside. He let go of my hand and said "sowy mommy, gonna go gool (school) , here go wunch (lunch) box" and he ran ahead and joined the line. I had to follow so I could sign him in. I watched him say hi to his friends & teachers, then join the line and do his duck tail and walk quietly outside (duck tails are the coolest way ever to have them keep their hands to themselves. All the kids make duck tails so their hands are tucked behind their backs! Just brilliant!) . The little class waited against the wall for the door to open as they went on out he turned and ran back to me and said "oh mommy.. I weally weally much good today. I choose good. wuv you" and he kissed my cheek and grinned then ran on the playground. When I got to the car I could see his teachers playing a game with his class where they were all marching really fast in a cirlce and he was just giggling with glee, having a blast clapping his hands in true gator chomp fashion most likely saying "go gatows!"

Then came the tears, as I replayed our morning and our conversations, hit hit me hard. He is just so BIG now, he just simply isn't a baby. He is a little boy who can function just fine away from me (which I guess is good) who is learning so much each and every day about how this world he has been in for two whole years now works. He is learning self control, how to obey, about consequences and rewards, and mostly importantly how to love others well because God loves us... but it is still so hard to leave him. I don't think that part will EVER get easier. Well maybe when he is a teen but then I am sure it will get hard again when he is a young adult.

I instantly thanked my sweet Jesus for a class where I know he is genuinely loved and cherished for who he is and who he will be one day. For teachers who work to teach him the foundations of faith and love and who are patient. I do not take for granted their sweet spirits and attitudes. Even after a rough day previously he can start a fresh new day and is welcomed back with open loving arms, no frustration, no grudges. I have been in plenty of preschools and day care centers with the testing I do for my research and trust me, I have seen many who are not like this. The kids are labeled as "difficult" or "trying" and it sticks. It is quite sad.

I am doing my best to cherish all these toddler times (even the more difficult ones) b/c at this rate before I know it I will be dropping him off for kindergarten and he won't have time for my morning cuddles, a quick kiss on my cheek, or want to hold my hand as we walk into school.

A must see!

I just saw the most amazing video while I was doing my report on the BBBS site. This is a total must watch (I promise it isn't long and will be totally 100% worth your time) especially for those of you who may wonder why I spend so much time with our little Banana . I truly hope and pray she and I can have a similar story, I want her to help me walk when I am 90 and it would be fabulous to be her maid of honor one day. This match featured on Good Morning America took it so much farther than the BBBS program. As Chester states in the video, his little became part of his family and their lives were intertwined. He says being a big is not a one way deal, you get just as much (I would say MORE) out of the program than your little.

I of course can't post without pics so here are a few below of Hannah Banana. The 4 of us had a great time enjoying Sammy's new wagon at the park a little while ago. I sure love that girl more than words can say. Sammy may be slightly more obsessed than me. Each morning the second or third thing out of his mouth is "see Hannah Bana (he can't say banana well yet) today please" and we have been working on the fits he has begun throwing (oh joy) each afternoon when I turn into our neighborhood because he wants to "go diff way mommy please. turn round to go see Hannah Bana please" and then he cries. Yup safe to say she has stolen our hearts!

(as always, if you get my blog updates via your email you will need to click on the little blue link in the bottom left corner that says The DeLucca Family to watch the movie or go tohttp://www.meandmysams.blogspot.com/

So proud of my little! I love you Banana!

This was the best I got.. It was a failed attempt to get an awesome shot of them in the wagon posed in front of our beautiful trees at the park so I could send to Mom & Richard as a thank you for the wagon. Sammy wanted to pull the wagon at that point and Hannah was done with pics.. Oh well! Thanks again, we absolutely love it and have put several miles on it already I am sure!


Hannah's first pull up!! All by herself!!! GO BANANA!!!
and of course.. guess who also had to try?
and then there is Sam, who was bound and determined to do a pull up and push up WITH Hannah on his back b/c apparently I'm too heavy and Sammy is too light but Hannah is the perfect weight. She told him no literally 11 times before I finally had to step in and mediate, haha. I will say though, I gave in and let him do a push up with me on his back after this pic and he not only did one~but 4 and both kids giggled the whole time. We sure got some stares from other folks at the park! ha ha!
Go honey!!!
Sammy likes for "my Hannah push me" best. He says "no mommy, Hannah's turn. Share mommy" and I gladly agree to share. =) I know what you are thinking.. yes Sam IS to heavy to sit on that wagon, and yes it will break but he didn't believe me. Boys. that's all I can say.