9 Months!

Today Sam is 9 months old!

It's been a month of firsts . . .

First Thanksgiving!!!

First turkey & gravy.

First Christmas decorations!

First time playing in a box.

First snow!

Seriously, Mom? It's cold . . . 

Can we go back inside yet?

First time really crawling . . .

MVI 2263 from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.

Which leads to . . .

. . . first time on a book shelf . . .

 . . . and first time inside a cabinet.

Sam & Daddy's Day of Fun!

Yesterday, Sam and I got to hang out for the day — from 7:54am to 4:12pm. Ashley was out teaching at Calvin Christian School, subbing for the day, so all obstacles were removed for Sam & Daddy's Day of Fun!

The Schedule, an engineer's dream

So, what did we do all day? Well . . .

• We tossed the frisbee!

• We got dressed!

• We practiced on the mandolin!

• We played with some of our favorite toys!

• We partook of some of our favorite drinks, like dark coffee and Lemon Lime Gatorade!

11 scattered thoughts I had after the day:

1. Being a mom is not for the faint of heart.
2. Changing Sam's clothes is harder than it looks. (If it were up to Daddy, Sam may stay in his PJs all day.)
3. Rocking Sam to sleep is nothing short of magical. (Though the 5 seconds of moving him from my arms down into his crib is quite the gut check: Please don't wake up, please don't wake up, please don't wake up . . . )
4. Being at home with Sam is healthy for my prayer life.
5. Whatever Sam's interested in, I'm interested in.
6. Peek-a-boo is fun.
7. Almost as fun as watching the leaves fall outside.
8. Causing Sam to smile is indescribably delightful.
9. Sam is incredibly skilled at turning pages with his left hand. ("Efficiency" is the word that comes to mind.)
10. Singing is a powerful rival to crying. (Even if you can't remember all the words. Somewhere over the last 28 years I forgot a line to "Itsy Bitsy Spider," but I made some up and it seemed to work out okay. He also still loves the Bears song, though the jury's still out on the one I made up during our mandolin jam session.)
11. God is good to give us Sam.

Also, there was some "bonus fun" last night with Mommy (well, Grammy) in town!

Story time with Grammy, showing off his left-handed
page-turning abilities!

8 Months!

Our sweet Sam was 8 months old yesterday. It's true that the days as a new mom can be long but the months fly by!

                                            




What's Sam doing these days?

• Tilting his head to the side or upside down to examine things.
• Screaming with delight until he turns red in the face and chokes. 
• Somehow getting from point A to point B - army crawling, rolling, sliding, etc.
• Having little (sometimes big) meltdowns when we have to take something away.
• Turning pages in books. This boy loves to read!
• Eating solids like a champ. Favorite food? Green beans.
• Sleeping 9+ hours straight and taking good naps usually!
• And, as of today, pulling up to standing. Oh my.

On Sunday, October 27 we dedicated Sam to the Lord with our congregation at Bethlehem Baptist Church. David Livingston, to whom Chris is pastoral assistant, was the pastor over the dedication. We had a few friends join us for some good ole southern cooking at Cracker Barrel afterward to celebrate.  It was a sweet day.

(Photo credit: Laur Weisensel)
He was pretty laid back about the whole thing.

(Photo credit: Laur Weisensel)
"Together with your parents who love you dearly, and this people who care about the outcome of your faith, I dedicate you, Samuel Anthony, to God, surrendering together with them all worldly claim upon your life in the hope that you will belong wholly to Jesus Christ, forever.”
- Pastor David Livingston

Rockin'.

My blue-eyed boys.

On the same weekend as the dedication, we had a race . . .

Waldo ran 50 miles . . . 

. . . while Sam cheered him on.

Also, Sam got his first haircut . . . sort of.

I snipped off this sweet little rat tail.

And then there was Halloween, which entailed dressing Sam up, taking pictures on the couch, not a single trick-or-treater, and then taking his costume back off. I know, I know, we're crazy at the Robbins' house.

"Roar!"

Sam is just a fun, sweet, laid-back little babe . . .

. . . Except when he's not. We simply don't know what to do when he does this (see video below) and we just look at each other and laugh and wonder, "What on earth is he thinking right now?" Too much fun. 

MVI 2147 from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.

Fall Photos

A few weeks ago, we went to Boom Island in Minneapolis and had some lovely pictures taken by Debra Ackmann. Here is a sampling of my favorites: 

Sam's South Carolina Adventure!

Sam and I had the joy of a visit to Lexington, South Carolina to stay at my sister & her husband's home.  It was a rare treat to all be together! Sam loved seeing his grandma JoJo, Aunt Mindy, Uncle David, and his sweet cousins Luke (age 5) and Evie Joy (age 2 1/2). Some pictures from our adventure:

Sam and I ready for his second airplane adventure - this time without help!
Sam continues to prove himself to be an awesome traveler. 

Enjoying the outdoors. I think Sam gave Aunt Mindy baby fever . . . 

JoJo with Luke & Evie on the carousel at the Columbia Zoo.

Sweet sibling love.

Too much fun with JoJo!

A real giraffe . . . "Can I chew her face?"

Zoo train fun!

Sam's turn on the carousel!

Clap, clap, clap your hands, Clap your hands together!

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!