So in love!

Our weekends have been so busy this year, it seems like we have had an unusual amount of events and things going on. One such event was Dallas and Virginia's wedding in Jan, it was just so much fun! Virgina is in my program and actually will complete her PhD this semester (so should I be referring to her as Dr. Holloway??) so we have been friends since we moved to Gville. They are from Jax and were married in Amelia Island, which was a great excuse for Sam and I to have a romantic getaway. It was so much fun b/c all of our friends from my grad program headed up to Jax so we just had one big ol' celebration. Sammy stayed with mom so we could enjoy our total adult weekend and it was just wonderful!
The wedding was sooo beautiful, they had an outdoor ceremony and other than being very cold in my little dress, it was just perfect! The birds were even chirping in the background, just so romantic! Wedding ceremonies mean so much more after being married for almost 7 years now, the words the preacher spoke had so much more meaning. I sat and thought about all we have been through together and our sweet little angel whose life was actually created b/c two kids fell in love 11 years ago and I just felt so incredibly blessed. It was just almost overwhelming when I thought about it all while watching Dallas and VA stand thereand take their vows. I couldn't help but think of all that is to come for them. I am just so thankful for all that Sam and I have together. I fell in love all over again with him that night, he was just so romantic- he even danced with me! Typically at weddings I just have to dance with friends or whomever is on the dance floor but not this night, my man danced with me! We had so much fun. To top it off, Matt & Sarah flew in just for the wedding! We have missed them so much since The Doc left for her new fancy job. Just a great weekend all around!

I can't believe we will be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary next month! I just have the best husband in the whole world. He has sacrificed so much for me to get this degree and continues to do so daily. He still treats me like a queen and suprises me often with sweet little things. He thankfully keeps me current with wolrd news and political events, or I would be clueless. I have loved learning how to be a parent with him and he is just the best daddy he could be. We have grown so much closer to each other through growing in our faith and I am just so thankful God created him for me. He knew exactly what I need in a husband and I couldn't have ordered a better man. I am so thankful for our little family and the life we have together. Too many blessings to count. We haven't had a chance to make our anniversary plans yet but whatever we do, we have so very much to celebrate! Thank you for being you my love!!!!

Here are some pics from the wedding!

VA & Dallas

Mr. & Mrs. at last!!!

Soooo cold! brrr!


The Psych Gang all spiffed up!


Say Cheese!

My Love... muah!


Dancing with Kim

So good to have Sarah Lynne back for a few days.. here she is dancing with the bride!

Doing our Miami faces in a grand scale effort to make fun of Clint!

Could not resist posting this one of Burcu and Katherine! So hillarious!


Together again!!!!

#1 and #4

Samuelito with his great grandparents


A few weekends ago when we came up for Dallas and Virginia's wedding Sam and Sammy went to go visit Pops (the original Sam DeLucca) and Esther while I caught up on some grading. Sam said that it was just the sweetest visit. They happened to go right around Sammy's nap time so he wasn't quite as wound up as he usually is. He played with Pops and Ester some and then Sam said they just sat and cuddled! I wish I could have seen them. Esther smelled his head a lot and kissed him and Pops just sat with him and talked to him in Spanish, so Sam didn't know what he was saying. I am so thankful that Pops and Esther are still around so that Sammy has a chance to get to know them. I really hope he will have some memories of them to carry with him as he matures in to a man. I have decided next time we go I am bringing the real video camera and asking Pops to record some "life advise" for Sammy so we can show him when he is much older (can't even imagine).

I also thought I would put up some pics from our trip to St. Augustine the weekend before last. We had so much fun visiting Sam's family! We stopped by the side of the road and saw some cows and then later some horses, peakocks, roosters, and a donkey! Sammy LOVED all the animals. He simply adores his Grandpa and was so cute as he waited by the door for him to come inside, the two of them are something else together. We definitely know where Sammy gets his wild side from, he gets it honestly that's for sure. It is funny to see Sammy with Sam, Sarah, and Dad all at the same time b/c they all have the exact same smile, Sammy's is just miniture version! He hugged and kissed on his Grammy the entire weekend and is really attached to his little cow she got him. He takes it with him everywhere, h ha. He had so much fun with her on the merry go round! He was very serious and didnt crack a smile, I think he was just taking it all in. It is sureal to see him on that, all I can think of is how Leslie, Laurie, and I rode it together each summer..... so to see my baby on it is strange. Sarah and Brenan came to hang with us on Sunday and Sammy of course showed off for his auntie, he showed her his belly button, his ears, his teeth, and every other body part. He can just about say Sarah when we look at her pics, we say "where is Auntie Sarah?" and he points to her pic and says "Sayr" it is sooo cute!

My Sams are both on the mend, Sam is still not feeling back to his old self but is much improved and Sammy still has a bad cough and yucky nose but hasn't thrown up and is not as congested, thank goodness! My rough day was indeed rough, didn't get to bed until 4 am last night but I got all my work done and made it through today and am ready for my mommy & me day tomorrow! I think we will head to the park! yay! I LOVE Fridays! Ok, I'm off to bed to catch up on sleep..I was so tired today that during my lunch with the prospective candidate I had asked her about her research and when she responded I actually caught myself thinking about our bed and how soft the sheets were and what it would be like to put my head on the pillow, real productive, huh?

I love you Auntie Sarah!!!Muah!! XXOO

So silly! He was so happy to wake up and see them!

He begged Grandpa to read this book and he gave in, right in the middle of the kitchen floor! So sweet!

Grammy took him to visit the moo cows, there were so many of them!

Sammy was ready to PLAY, not ime for pics!

I love you Grammy! He held on so tight and was just amazed! What a big boy!

This was a cool slide Sammy had never been on one like this before and loved it

Giggling in the swing!

weekends...oh so much fun!

We have been very blessed to have had a serious of just amazing weekends! It is so great after our stressful work weeks to just unwind and spend some good quality time with family and friends. We have been busy going here and there as the last few weekends consisted of a super fun wedding, a couple of charity events, a trip to St. Augustine to see Sam's fam (see prev post), and this last weekend a visit to an amazing missions fair at Joe & Gloria's church and lots of fun times with our Sunday School class. Our dear friends Scott, Andrea, & their adorable son Connor stayed with us and were able to join in on our class's potluck dinner and it was as if they never moved. I have been spoiled in that they have been back up to Gville about once a month or so,maybe a little longer, so I haven't had to suffer quite as much as I expected when they announced they were moving. Every time they are here it just amazes me to watch Sammy & Connor play. They are just both growing up so fast and so quickly it went from little babies to little boys. I know Sammy is still a toddler, but he seems much less baby and much more boy now. Anyway, the potluck was just so much fun. We really have all become like a family! We have grown a lot over the years and have added a lot of babies (lol) and I am just so thankful that we have these families who share our faith and just love us. It is reassuring to know that no matter what we go through we have these precious friends to see us through.

This potluck dinner was so hilarious, it was my first one with Sammy this mobile. Most get together up until now he was either just sitting and playing or if moving, he was crawling and cruising. Well.. he is way to busy to walk anywhere these days, of course the fastest way is to run and that he did.. up and down Chad and Annie's hallway squealing and laughing, usually chasing Addie & Connor, well except for the time they did the train which didn't end so well. Connor took on a big brother role and was so concerned and caring when Sammy ran into the wall, it was really sweet. I had to comfort him just as much as Sammy, he has such a sweet little heart. Sammy also had fun with the little babies, he fully initiated sweet little Luke (5 months old, right Katie?) in to the pack as he reached in excitement and grabbed Luke's face then when I sent him to say he was sorry he squatted right down to Luke and just yelled as loud as he could ??? Poor thing jumped about a mile high and then cried! I felt so bad! Hey, at least we know he has a good startle reflex which is often tested in infant development literature.. (your welcome Katie). Sammy's highlight was prob when he chose to catch his balance by using Suzanne's plate which resulted in food, mostly rice thankfully, falling all over Annie's beautiful rug and Suzanne's pants. Oh well, thankfully everyone understood!

We had an amazing Sunday with Steve Saint speaking at church and then Abby's baby shower that afternoon. Suzanne led a beautiful devotion and we each wrote our blessings and prayers for baby Josiah who will be here before we know it. It was just such a sweet time spent with my amazing friends. We have all become such a support system for each other, we have really been through so much in the last few years. I am so BLESSED to have this amazing group of women who laugh with me, cry with me, pray with me, encourage me, and speak truth in my life when I need it. I have so many hillarious memories with many of them, times when I have literally laughed so hard that my cheeks and stomach hurt (underground showers in Guatemala, items dropped that should have never been seen by others, and the truck.... ladies you know who you are or my call to Julie a couple days after having Sammy to ask if my husband did in fact poison me and my infant son (answer is yes, but not intentionally) and I have memories of them lifting me up, keeping me encouraged whatever the situation was. I learn SO MUCH from each of you and am thankful to have an amazing group of you to "do life" with. Oh and I totally got emotional at the shower, they had the cd playing (Sing Over Me) that I played when I nursed Sammy and pretty much all his first 7 or 8 months until we switched to a new one. I hadn't heard those songs in long while and just seeing all the tiny baby boy things and hearing that music made me so sentimental! Where has the time gone??? It seems like it was just me sitting in Abby's spot, wondering what my baby would look like, how Sam and I would do as parents, if I would faint when they gave me my IV before labor, and there I sat.. on the other side, sharing my labor story, laughing about various baby moments, it has just gone by so fast! I have tried my best to enjoy each little moment and not take things for granted but I still feel like it was all on fast forward.. well not the sleepless nights, but all the rest!

Unfortunately both of my Sams came down with a bad cold on Sunday and had to stay in. Sam actually wasn't able to go to work Monday and still feels yucky today. Sammy went to the doctor and has infection and is on antibiotics. Gloria called for me to pick him up early today b/c he had been throwing up and just really sick and decided best for him to stay home tomorrow so I have rearranged my work schedule and now have 2 of my meetings moved here to the house! We will see how this goes.. I am hopefully going to do two trainings with Sammy awake and then do work and grading while he naps... please pray! Pray for Sam and Sammy to recover quickly and for my day to go smoothly. Thank you!
Here are a few pics.. he just looks so big now!




With Keira at Gloria's house

They hug and kiss each other every morning when they first see each other and then when they say Adios. She is the sweetest thing and wow.. her vocab is amazing. Obviously being at Gloria's she is learning Spanish too and it is so cute to hear her talk!

Here Ye, Here Ye!

I am playing catch up trying to post some of the pics and video I have from the last month. I have just been swamped with grant applications and neglected to blog but you know me, never stopped taking pics! lol! I really think if the grad school thing doesn't pan out I will go into photography, I just love it.
Anyway, a few weekends ago we made it out to the annual Hoggetowne Medieval Fair and just had such a great time. Sammy loved running around and taking in all the many sights. For those of you not in Gville, this festival is really neat. Everyone, even many of those just attending, are in full costume and the sights, smells, and sounds make it feel as if you really are back in the Middle Ages! Sammy enjoyed the animals the most. He got to see his old friend Magu, the camel he met at church for the Christmas festival. We recognized the guys working and they confirmed it was Magu, and this time Sammy got to not just pet Magu but RIDE him! He was totally amazed, it was very cute. He also rode an elephant, the cutest pony ever, and a big horse! The pony was by far his favorite and he cried... oh how he cried, when the ride was over. He loved the parade, the king stopped and patted him on the head and everyone waved to him and he waved right back and then clapped for himself each time. He also met two sweet ladies who were dressed like witches but had a pot of bubbles and this rope contraption that made the absolute largest bubbles I have seen! He stayed and chased their bubbles for a good 20 min or so. On our way out we passed harp players and they stopped what they were playing and played Twinkle Twinkle for him which left him totally mesmorized. For those who don't know Sammy knows some signs thanks to mom (my mom is an interpreter) and he can sign most of Twinkle Twinkle so it was sweet to watch him sign with the harps. Needless to say, we had a very tired boy at the end of the day!

Feliz Cumpleanos!

One of the pics we put in her Bday card- Sam, Sammy, and her all got matching Guatemala soccer jerseys and she had hers on a lot when I was there so thought she would like to see them in theirs

Here we are the week we met and then again last year

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS to you.... FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS to you... FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS dear Cristina, FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS to you!!!
So our sweet Cristina, the little (or not so little anymore) girl we sponsor turned 15 on Feb 12 and I am just shocked that she is this old now! She had just turned 11 when we started sponsoring her, right after she arrived at Casa (the childrens home we go to on our mission trips each year) and it has been such an amazing experience to first get to know her and then to watch her blossom from this silly sweet little girl to this amazingly strong beautiful young woman of God. She really has matured in just about every way and I am just so proud of her. I tell her constantly that God has big plans for her life and remind her of the verse Jeremias 29:11-12 b/c I just know that God brought her to Casa so she could find Him and learn to follow His plans for her life.

I can still see the first day we met her just as vivid as yesterday. She had some behavioral issues back then and we had just arrived in Guatemala and Jack was giving us our tour of Casa. I had obviously only seen pictures of her and only knew her through letters at that point but I kept staring at every girl we walked by to see if it was her. It was so hard to focus on what Jack was saying b/c I just wanted to meet her so badly (sorry Jack, no offense meant). Finally when we finished and we were standing outside of her dorm talking as best we could to some of the girls I asked if they knew Crisinta and where she was. They said " she punished" and pointed up to her dorm. She had gotten in trouble at school and wasn't aloud to come out. I was sooo disappointed but thankfully Julissa said she would talk to Alex and Sarah and they agreed to let her come down. I thought she may be shy and it may be awkward at first but it was just so unforgettable. All of a sudden this tiny girl bolted from the door and waved, ran full speed down the stairs and threw, literally almost knocking me down, herself into my arms and we both cried a little. It was so surreal to hold her in my arms after all the letters. She looked up and said "hola Teri, me loves you", and I of course had to grab her back up in a hug.

We have grown leaps and bounds in our relationship since then. That first year was rough b/c she was on the worst behavior level so she didn't have as many privileges as the other children and was not allowed to do as much. Carolyn took some of her girls to the pool and let us tag along (thank you a billion times over) and so Cristina and I swam together while Sam went shopping in Antigua. He got her a teddy bear and some jewelry, and she still had it last year when we were there. It was pretty raggedy and dirty but she still slept with her bear. We talked a lot about God and read scriptures together. Communication was somewhat challenging as I had VERY limited Spanish and she had VERY limited English. Thankfully my dear friend Andrea (we actually met each other this trip at Casa!), translated a lot for us and when they left Chica took over for them. We had such a great time getting to know her that year and it made our letters all the more meaningful during the following year. It was so hard to wait an entire year to see her again.

She had improved a great deal by our second trip there but still struggled some with school and behavior. She had learned a lot more English and I had a little more Spanish which was nice and we were able to have more serious talks. Leslie was with me on this trip and she helped tremendously with translating (just as an aside, it was dream come true for us to be on mission trip together. I love you Leslie!). I was able to get to know Irma, Cristina's older sister some the first year but this second trip was when they both really opened up about their past and their family and really how they ended up at Casa. I had a vague understanding of her background just as her sponsor but it just broke my heart to hear the details. I should also mention the incredible bond between Cristina and Sam. The two of them are just so close, she clung to him both years he was there, and I honestly think he would do anything for that girl. This second trip was again, a huge building block in our relationship as she opened up so much more and we not only laughed but cried together. It was so hard to say goodbye. We just held each other and cried for a very long time. We promised to study hard.. me Spanish and her English and she promised to stay on level 5 (the best level) and mentioned in each letter how she was trying. God's timing is perfect, I got a letter from her the day before I went into labor with Sammy and it was just what I needed. I was freaking out about not being ready and feeling like I didn't know how to be a mom, but being almost a week over my due date.. not much chance of escaping it then! ha ha! Cristina's letter was just so perfect. Along with the typical updates on how she was doing, school, etc. she mentioned she was praying for baby Sammy and then she said that she wanted to thank me for being the mom she didn't have and explained how it has helped her, I won't share the rest but ... she said some other very encouraging sweet things and may sound weird but it was just what I needed and I had her letter right by my bed when I delivered Sammy.

This last year we visited was just the best yet. Crisitina's English had improved so much and thanks to Gloria I knew just enough Spanish that we didn't need a translator! I cannot explain just how cool it was to sit and talk just the two of us about everything from boys to fashion to future goals to yummy food. I am sure our team wanted to ring my neck a few times as she and I just hid away from everyone and talked, but I just couldn't resist. It was what I had dreamed of but only here on earth! See, when Sam and I first decided to become sponsors I printed out the possible children and silly as it sounds slept with it under my pillow (no clue why I did that now). I had narrowed it down to 4 girls but wanted to really bathe the decision in prayer. After only two days of praying I just KNEW it was Crisitna. Sponsorship through Casa is much more than a financial commitment, you promise to pray for your child daily on a variety of issues. I remember praying so hard for her one night that I was actually crying. I was praying for her salvation, that God would use her in a HUGE and MIGHTY way to bring many to Him. I just remember then feeling so selfish b/c and I confessed my sin right there b/c part of why I was praying that was so I could meet her. I wanted to know she would be in Heaven one day so I could talk with her and know her. Little did I know His plans for the two of us were far bigger and better than anything I could dream up. He must have smiled when I prayed and shook His head and said.. "oh my beloved, I can do so much more.. try me". Well, I am so glad He did!

The trip this summer was just more then I could have ever hoped for and I had tears rolling down my cheek as Mike held an invitation one night for all those who felt called to missions to go forward and our Cristina was the youngest and only girl up there. I was just bursting with joy! I am SOO thankful that not only did she give her life to Him over the years but she is called to serve Him in full time missions and how perfect again was His timing that I could be there to witness this and share in her joy. Plus, the first night we arrived, she took me to the chart and showed me she had made and stayed on level 5 the ENTIRE YEAR since we left!!! Alex & Sarah (her former dorm parents) told me just how well she had done that year, such a change. She has recently moved up to Jack & Carolyn's dorm with the teen girls and their blog post of this mentioned that Alex & Sarah said the few girls that moved up were really good girls. I just couldn't be more proud of her. We had SOO much fun together this last time. I laughed so hard that my cheeks hurt several times. We made a promise to do mission work together in the future, when she is older and that is something I plan to keep, it will be another dream come true! Mike (Papi) talked with me some about her and again had the most incredible things to say. So..yes.. we are just as proud as can be of her.

I know she doesn't live with us, or even in this country, but Sam, Sammy, and I consider her part of our family and she always writes that we are her family that God picked for her. We pray for her every time we pray together and Sammy loves to watch the videos she made for him. We sent her a Valentine's Day card that had Sammy's voice recorded in it. The last videos she saw of him were from when he was 7 or 8 months old so I am sure she was surprised to see how big he is in the pictures.

Well.. obviously I could go on and on about her. I have so many memories and stories I could share but I realize most prob don't care to hear all of those so I will wrap this up for now. I leave you with a few pictures of memories from each year and some videos of our sweet little girl.. all grown up.
Te amo mucho mi princesa!


Our first visit to Casa


Adorable! They are so sweet together!


This was right after we met the first year, she was so little!


Our first trip to Antigua, she had never seen big city like this and was so scared of cars!

She made this tshirt with the names of her Family on it and it even had Baby Sammy!

In Antigua our second trip, I was preggers so Sammy was technically in this pic too

sposor photo from our second trip

In Antigua, we took Chica along with us and had so much fun! Yea, definitely pregnant in this one!

Bear hugs!

Last year in Antigua with Kendall, Karina, & Lilly

This is VERY important picture. We left our group and went shopping on our own! I was able to effectively communicate and barter in Spanish and got great deals on new school clothes for her as a reward for imroving so much. So congrats to both of us! WE DID IT!!!!!!!!!

Ok.. this is proof that I'm not there yet in terms of Spanish. I ordered our dinner at this nice restaraunt, of course menu was in Spanish, waitress only spoke Spanish, it was rough. I did my best. yes Cristina speaks Spanish but obviously has no expereince eating in restraunts and had no clue what things on the menu were. SO we ended up with two of every drink, sweet tea, water, coke, a nasty yogurt smoothy thing, etc and then a dinner I didn't intend to get that was disgusting. Thank you to Bill for swaping with me!

one of my favorite nights ever

We had such a blast together she just has such a good heart. She carried my backpack (ie breast pump) all over Antigua b/c she didn't want me to have to bother with it, I said no and tried to take it back several times but she refused b/c she wanted to help. That is just one of many exapmles of how amazing she is

In the market with her mango

She used her sponsor money to buy us these bracelets. Mine has "C" and hers has "T" to symbolisze the string that goes from her heart to mine when we are far way.. so cute! I cried, ha ha!



This was taken on our first trip with my very old camera.. sorry for the poor quality


This too was our first year, Sam and Cristina were being so silly I love it! The were saying our names with a rolling "R" it was hilarious!



These last two videos are from my trip this past summer and were failed attempts where Cristina wanted to make videos for Sam but she was bound and determined to do in English and it just wouldn't work ... ha ha. She was in an EXTREMELY silly mood so thought would put them up, enjoy!