The Schantz Family

Rescued

2011-10-31T09:21:00.008-04:00

It was Saturday night, Halloween 1992. We were "hiding" from the trick or treaters in Mama's room, eating and sorting through candy from the Fall Festival at church. I walked into the room and my sister was looking down. My heart started beating fast. Something was wrong. I sat down at the end of the bed, next to Melody, facing Mama. Mama said, "I asked Melody if she thought daddy [our step dad] was a good daddy and she won't answer me, just looks down. What do you think? Is he a good daddy?" "Yes". My heart is beating even faster. Melody looks at me, tears in her eyes. "I have to tell her, Sarah." Now I'm looking down, eyes filling. I can't believe this is really happening. Mama says, "Tell me what?!"

Melody begins to tell Mama the dark secret that I had shared with her earlier that week. I had to tell someone. I couldn't take it anymore. I had begged her not to tell and she promised me she wouldn't. Now I'm glad she's breaking that promise. Mama says, "Oh....I'm SO sorry!!!". She hugs me and the tears continue to come, but now it's like a flood for me. Relief. Forget hoping for a light, I am actually out of the tunnel! No more hiding this secret in order to keep our family of seven together, a very heavy burden for a 13 year old. The weight has finally been lifted. No more darkness, guilt, shame, innocence being taken away. And it was going to be a hard road ahead, but we would all get through it together.

We had a difficult journey over the next days...months...years, but our heavenly Daddy took care of us in every way. Instead of being just survivors, He made us overcomers. He healed and restored me.

So, every Halloween is a celebration for me. It is the anniversary that my heavenly Daddy rescued me from a hopeless, dark pit.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

II Corinthians 1:3-4

A Meeting at the Well

2011-10-20T10:12:00.011-04:00

I was reading John 4 the other day and haven't been able to get this woman out of my thoughts. So, I thought I would blog about what it would be like to be in her shoes...or maybe sandals....

Read John 4:1-42 and let me know what your thoughts, opinions and comments are. :)

Jacob's Well in Sychar, Samaria. It's the meeting place for all of the women. Some probably walk together going and coming. They catch up on recent events or talk about them again and just have some "girl time". It's the highlight of their day. They vent about the frustrations of family life. There are less distractions pulling on them. They share secrets. Give advice. Gossip. They talk about Her. Is she going to marry this guy? Will he be Number Six?

She's an outcast. She may have set the local record - five marriages and now she's living with another man. Is he a boyfriend? A pimp? A friend with benefits? Will he ever ask her to marry him? Or maybe she's given up on marriage. Does she really have a choice but to live with him? There are few professions for divorced women in her day. She has been a disgrace to her family, so they probably aren't inviting her to come back home. She feels used, lonely, like a failure. Probably doesn't have many friends, if any. What about kids? Does she have any from these six relationships? If so, who are they living with? Will they ever forgive her for the shame that she has heaped on them? If only she could go back and start over again!

Going to get water at the same time as the other women is not even an option. If she even tried it before, she wouldn't dare do it again! It would've been bad enough after her first marriage ended, let alone her fifth! The whispers. The glances in her direction. As if the shame and guilt she feels and lives with every day isn't enough!

Then one day she goes to the Well and there He is. A Jewish man. What is He doing here? Everyone knows that Jews go out of their way so that they don't have to pass through Samaria. She quietly gets ready to draw the water. He's watching her. He asks for a drink. What???!!! He is Jewish. She's Samaritan. She's a woman. Obviously an outcast. It just isn't proper. Why would He even dare ask her such a thing? He says if she knew who He really was, she would ask for Living Water and whoever drinks it will never be thirsty again. Wouldn't that be nice...just imagine! A lot fewer trips to the Well...she wouldn't have to leave the house during the hottest part of the day...she could get the meal started a lot sooner...maybe get a nap in....how can she get some?

But that isn't what He's talking about. Who is this man? He's different. He tells her to go get her husband. She answers Him truthfully, but without a lot of detail. She's never even laid eyes on Him before, but He knows. He knows all about her. He knows about all six of the men she's been involved with. He knows what she really needs. A new life. Another chance. Is He a Prophet? She asks Him a question - something she has always wondered. Where should she worship? He isn't concerned about locations, just the place where her heart is. She tries to convey the knowledge that she has about the Messiah. And then He tells her who He really is!

She is elated! With all of her excitement, she leaves her valuable waterpot and runs to town. Who cares about her reputation! It doesn't matter anymore. The fact that the Messiah would even reveal Himself to her before anyone else in Sychar means that He considers her to be something special! She feels loved, accepted, forgiven. A heavy weight has been lifted. It's been so long! She'd forgotten how good it felt! She gets there and somehow quickly convinces the men to come back with her and meet Him at the Well.

And I love how everything is so beautifully timed. The disciples were "conveniently" sent to buy food while Jesus has His uninterrupted encounter with this Woman. Then as He is declaring that He is the Messiah and just before she leaves, they arrive with the food. He talks with them about spiritual food and reaping the Harvest just as this group of Samaritan men are getting close, eager to meet Him.

He witnesses to these Samaritan men who dared to believe what the Woman had to say. John 4:39 says, "From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, 'He told me all the things that I have done.' " They invite Him to stay longer so that they can hear more and then even more people are saved.

All of this happened because one lonely, broken Woman with a bad reputation risked a lot to introduce some people to Jesus. Personally, I don't think that she could help but share. Shouldn't it be that way for me, too? But what about the other women of Sychar? Ever acted like one of them? I regret that I have. I forget to hate the sin, yet love the sinner. I forget about where I came from and how far I have to go. I forget about the grace and mercy that has been extended to me. This story has been a good reminder.

So, now I'm wondering about the rest of the story. Was the Woman able to hang out with the other women again? Did she marry the man she was living with or did someone else take her in? I guess I won't ever know this side of Heaven and then I won't really be too concerned about it when I get there.

It does seem like she gained some respect in verses 41 and 42:

"Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”

Has it really been this long???

2011-10-19T14:26:00.024-04:00

I cannot believe it has been over 10 months since my last post!

So, I thought I was supposed to have a lot more time to blog once I became a full time SAHM back in June, but it just hasn't been the case. While I'm still not sure why, I am having lots of fun making the boys my new career! I am also working on getting some things posted in the next day or so. In the meantime, here is a recent picture of the boys on our camping trip this past weekend sitting on "the couch" as Samuel called it. (Can you guess what he is saying?) :]

Ready for bed and ready for Christmas!

2010-12-13T20:17:00.000-05:00

Simon's First Haircut

2010-12-10T17:51:00.002-05:00

The Toy Story Duo - Halloween 2010

2010-11-14T22:03:00.008-05:00

This year Samuel and Simon went as Woody and Buzz Lightyear (aka Baby Buzz). We went trick or treating at the shops in "downtown" Hampton on Friday night and then to a Fall Festival at Hampton First Baptist on Sunday night. Samuel especially loved the fact that all he had to do was go up and say the magic words to get candy in his bucket, lol! He was also thrilled to get to wear his Toy Story boots that Nana and Grandy gave him for his birthday. (Well, actually he always is.) Anyway, Simon was not too crazy about his gloves, he just wanted to eat them and so we had to forgo those. He didn't like his hood either, but I insisted and he eventually forgot about it. :-)

Simon's First Tooth!

2010-10-24T22:07:00.007-04:00

Simon's first tooth finally came through on Labor Day.

I managed to take this pic single-handedly -

he thought it was a big game! :-)

Simon's Birth Story

2010-09-22T09:36:00.010-04:00

I know that a lot of you expecting Mamas, Mamas that hope to be expecting soon and those of you who just love to hear birth stories have been waiting for me to post this. I am so sorry that it has taken me this long to get it done! I hope that you are encouraged and as always, please let me know if I can do anything for you!

I woke up about 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, 2/4 to realize that Marc didn't get up when his alarm went off at 5 a.m. I woke him up and I went to the front bathroom while he went to our bathroom to shave. On the way I had a contraction, then noticed I was losing some of the mucus plug (TMI for some, I know). I had another contraction before I got back into bed. I was thinking I would just lay down and they would go away, but I kept having them. So, I decided that I would get up and iron Marc's clothes and pack his lunch, maybe walking and moving around would help them go away. {Note: Marc was supposed to leave the next day to go to a men's conference and I just knew that Simon wasn't coming until the next week anyway!}

Marc was making his coffee while I was trying to iron and I kept having contractions. I tried squatting like I did through the Braxton Hicks contractions, but I was not finding the relief that I normally got. He was a little concerned about the fact that I was having more contractions closer together. I finished the ironing and Samuel woke up about 6:15 a.m., so Marc went to his room to get him to go back to sleep and I went back to bed, still sure that these contractions were going to stop soon. Marc put Samuel back to sleep and offered to go into work a little later if I needed him to in case Samuel woke up again, or he could call in if I thought this was it. I told him that I wasn't sure - I'd hate for him to get to work to have to turn around and come back home, but I didn't want him to waste a day off, either. He went ahead and called his boss to let him know what was going on and he got back in bed with me and started timing the contractions. They were three to four minutes apart.

I was having a hard time fully relaxing, so in between one set of contractions I hurriedly got up and made a to-do list to clear my mind. I was worried because Samuel wasn't fully packed and the front shower needed to be cleaned, stuff like that. I was concerned about getting Samuel situated, too. (I was finding that it had been a lot easier for me to relax with Samuel because I didn't have any other kids and my labor started at the hospital.) I made a phone call to work to let them know what was going on, I called my mom and then Tiff who was going to watch Samuel at least until Mama got here to stay the night with him. (I have to say here that Eric answered the phone and he seemed really nervous when I told him what was going on and he started asking me questions that I didn't know the answers to - LOL! He called Marc back a little later to get some more clarification.)

Marc was so sweet to get Samuel packed and clean the front shower. I decided to go take a warm bath and try to relax in there some and more of the mucus plug was coming out. Marc looked online to find out more about the mucus plug and what that meant. Then he called Dr. S. and told him about everything and he said to bring me into the office so he could examine me. Marc said we'd be there within an hour. Somehow I managed to do my hair, get dressed and pack a few last minute things. At this point, I was pretty sure that today was going to be the big day and so I did some necessary things - changed my work email and voicemail and updated my Facebook status, of course!

Marc loaded everything up in the Yukon and it was decided that Tiff would meet us at the hospital to get Samuel. We started the drive to Dr. S.'s office (it was a rainy Thursday morning, the day before my due date, just like it was when Samuel was born). I was having some contractions, though not as many and I asked Marc to take the curves a little slower. He made some phone calls on the way while I did my make-up and I was really sorry that he couldn't go to the Men's Conference. He dropped me off and I waited while he and Samuel parked. When we finally got back to the room and Dr. S. came in there, he took one look at my face and said, "Yeah, she's in labor!" He examined me and said I was 4 cm (I was 3 cm two days prior to this). I said, "That's it!!!" and he just laughed at me, but I didn't think it was very funny! He told Marc to go ahead and take me to the hospital and he would come over around 3 p.m. to break my water. Now Marc and I had already decided that we didn't want my water broken, we wanted everything to be kept as natural as possible. He told Dr. S. this and he said that was fine.

So, we go over to the hospital and on the way I called Mama to give her an update. Marc dropped me off at the third floor entrance with the suitcase and I again waited while he and Samuel parked. I was having contractions during this time and leaning on the suitcase. I didn't care what anybody thought about me as they passed by, which is SO unlike me. I was ready to get to a bed where I could really lay down and relax! Marc and Samuel finally found a place to park and came in. I kept having contractions, so Marc went on ahead and checked in at the front desk. I was so glad I preregistered! I was having a contraction and was leaning on a rail overlooking a fountain and statues of a boy and dog and Samuel was looking down at the fountain. I remember him saying, "Look Mama! Dog! Water!". All I could say was "yeah". The lady at the front desk offered to get me a wheelchair and I said that I did not feel like sitting, but thanks anyway. I felt a little bad for not being very courteous. We got on the elevator and went up to L&D and this Nazi nurse behind the desk immediately said that Samuel could not come back because of the swine flu, so I was not too happy with her. Marc said that he would stay with him until Tiff got there and told me to go ahead and get settled. I don't think I even got to hug Samuel before he left.

A nurse took me back to a room and asked me if I had been here during this pregnancy before and I told her that I had not. She started asking me all of these really dumb statistical type questions like, "How far did I go in school?". I just wanted to lay down and relax and she was getting on my nerves. I made sure that she had a copy of our birth plan. I put my hospital gown on and wondered when Marc would be back. I knew he had to move the car seat to Tiff's van and that is probably what was taking so long. I asked the nurse for an extra pillow and she came back and said they didn't have any extra ones (grrrrr!).

Well, Marc finally came back and I was glad. It was maybe around 11 a.m. He turned the TV on to one of those peaceful music channels like he did when I was in labor with Samuel. That nurse came in and said that Simon was showing some distress and that they needed to keep me on the monitor and that Dr. S. said that I needed an IV (grrrrr! ). I think she may have been lying because Marc went over and looked after she left and he couldn't see where he was showing any distress. I remember just wanting to go to sleep. I was so tired, but there was no way I could sleep! Marc got a snack of PB crackers from our snack bag and decided to go find a drink machine. When he came back he said that he saw the L&D nurse (Jan) that we had had with Samuel. I told him that I really wish she was our nurse again. Well, shortly thereafter, Jan came into our room and said she was relieving the other nurse. I was elated!

I was still having a hard time fully relaxing and I asked Marc to read to me from his Bible. So, he pulled his chair close to me and started reading from Psalms - it was beautiful and really helped me! Then the nurse came in and did a few things, so he had to stop reading and get out of the way. In addition to Marc, I was especially thankful to have three things - my chapstick, breath spray and ice water! Your mouth really gets dry with all of that deep, abdominal breathing.

My contractions were coming even closer together now, they were shorter, but more intense. Up to this point I had not experienced any pain, I was just uncomfortable at times. Now I felt a lot of pressure and it felt good to bear down. At this point Marc and I started doing the "labor dance" and that really helped a lot, but I could tell that this was very tiring for him as he supported my weight and helped me through each contraction. Every time Jan came in the room she would encourage me just like she did the last time with Samuel and that helped me a lot, too.

Well, Marc was getting really tired, so I thought I would try to lay down for a little bit and give him a break. I was trying to hurry up and lay down before the next contraction started, but I couldn't do it fast enough. I had my one and only painful contraction and I felt something pop - my water broke! We buzzed the nurse and when she came in I told her what I thought had happened as I was sitting on the side of the bed. She wasn't too sure, but when I stood up she was! She checked me and said I was 9 cm! Yay!!! She told me that she would call Dr. S. and that if I felt the need to push to let her know.

Shortly after that I really felt the need to push. She came in to break down the bed and take me off of that monitor. I was burning up, so I asked if I could take off my gown because I knew the work was really about to start. I got into the squatting position facing the pillow. I remember that one of the nurses buzzed in and said Mama had arrived while I was pushing. I started standing up on the bed to relieve my thigh muscles in between contractions so they wouldn't get too tired and Jan was scared to death! She said something about giving her a heart attack. Marc said that Dr. S. walked in and saw me standing on the bed like that and she just shrugged! I can't help but laugh about that picture! Anyway, Dr. S. examined me and said that he thought Simon would be crowning in another hour, so he decided to go back to the office and do some paperwork until then. He recommended that I change my breathing (I had forgotten that it was different in the pushing stage) and that I turn around and face the other way while Jan and Marc held my legs to my chest. He left the room and I really started to make a lot of progress. A few minutes later I heard Jan say that she saw blonde hair and she pointed it out to Marc. When Marc looked he felt a little weak and sick because he hadn't even finished those PB crackers that he had started around 11-12 p.m. and it was now about 4 p.m. She made him sit down, gave him his Dr. Pepper and told him to finish his crackers while I held my own legs and worried about Marc passing out or something. In the meantime, Jan called the other nurses to tell them to get Dr. S. back right away and she told me not to push too hard, even though it felt good to push! Marc came back over to my side after he felt a little better. Dr. S. came back in the room and said something about the old "doctor leaving" trick. He felt my belly and said that he thought this was going to be an eight pound baby (and he was right). I pushed and pushed harder than ever for maybe about ten minutes and Simon Charles Schantz was born!

They wrapped him in a blanket and immediately put him on my chest. He latched on right away and I could not believe his sucking reflex - so much different than it had been with Samuel! He ate and he ate and he ate! I asked for some OJ and that was the best OJ I had ever tasted! I was so happy to be able to spend that time with Marc and Simon, just examining our new baby boy and reflecting on the whole experience. I even got to listen while Marc called our friends and family to tell them the great news! These were the moments that we didn't get to have with Samuel, but I had so looked forward to. I will have to say that this was definitely the hardest physical thing that I have ever done, but I would gladly do it again! What an experience!

This is not a very flattering picture of me, but it is Simon's first one and of course, our first one together. He is a little over an hour old here and as you might can see, very alert!

Samuel's Birth Story

2010-02-19T15:15:00.009-05:00

I can't share Simon's birth story without first telling about Samuel's because in many ways this has all been sort of a healing process for me. When I was about 38 weeks pregnant, my midwife ordered an ultrasound and from that it was determined that Samuel "only" weighed about six pounds. So, we did the non-stress test at 39 weeks, four days and it came out with normal results. She said I really needed to be induced because there was probably something wrong with the placenta. She also suggested that we go to Henry Medical and have another ultrasound done (because their u/s tech was out). As a first time parent, I was very upset that something could be wrong with my baby, so I went ahead and scheduled the induction for that Thursday morning and then I drove over to HMC for the ultrasound. This tech said that the most conservative weight she could come up with was eight pounds, but I kept everything the same and didn't go with my intuition and gut feelings and cancel the induction.

On Thursday morning, 7/26/07 at 5:00 a.m. I was induced, but I still did not want the epidural. I used the Bradley Method for Natural Childbirth that Marc and I had been practicing and studying over the previous months. They had me hooked up to the monitor and over the next 11.5 hours Samuel started to show some distress and that had us all very concerned. Then around 2 p.m. the midwife started preparing me for a possible C-Section because of the distress and the fact that Samuel was not descending. At this point, I was getting pretty tired and really ready to meet Samuel!

At 4:30 p.m. the midwife examined me again and I was about 7 cm, but Samuel was still not descending and showing distress. So, she advised that we go ahead and do the C-Section to avoid any possible brain damage. She said that they would do an epidural and that I could nurse Samuel immediately after the birth. At 4:45 p.m. the anesthesiologist came in and told me that the epidural might cause my MS to relapse and that he would have to put me to sleep. I didn't realize what that would mean later, but I said okay. Then I found out that Marc couldn't be in there with me because the anesthesiologist had to take his place. Then they took me back to prep me for surgery. Now, my labor was definitely hard work and a little uncomfortable at times, but I had experienced no pain until this point. I was laying on my back on the operating table in a very cold room and I remember asking several times for the anesthesia. The pain was horrible!!! I remember my midwife saying, "Poor thing, she hasn't asked for anything all day." Finally the anesthesiologist showed back up and said that even the gas could cause my MS to relapse and I basically just told him that I didn't care and to just give me something!

Then around 7:30 p.m. I woke up and there was the sweet L&D nurse that had been with me since 7 a.m. My throat was killing me and I remember asking about Samuel. How much did he weigh? Was he jaundiced? When I got back to my room we already had visitors and then they finally brought me Samuel. He had been born at 5:05 p.m. and was 8 pounds, 3 ounces (what??) and 21 inches long. He was perfect! (The reason for the distress that he had been showing was because he was slightly transverse and was bashing his hid into my pelvis with each contraction. As a result, he had a bruise on the crown of his head.) I tried nursing him, but they had given him a pacifier in the nursery and it would be a few weeks (and lots of crying from both of us) before we really got the hang of it. Later I would realize how much that separation of 2.5 hours had affected us.

The hardest thing was what I had so looked forward to - the first moments that Marc, Samuel and I would have together after his birth - checking Samuel over to see how perfect he was, me listening to Marc call our friends and family with the exciting news, Marc and I talking about how it had all been worth it. I felt that all of this had been lost forever! (I still cry about this, I am even crying as I write about it now.) I also felt like such a failure! Why did I let them induce me in the first place? Why didn't I just insist that they give me the epidural instead of putting me to sleep? I knew better! It just seemed that one intervention led to another until the thing that I feared the most happened - the dreaded C-Section! I can't really blame my midwife because her hands were tied by the doctors she had to answer to. I could only promise myself that the next time - if we were given another chance - would be very different!! Still, I am thankful that we were so blessed to have a healthy, beautiful boy that makes me smile every day.

Our first family picture the day after Samuel was born.

You can see the bruise on Samuel's head pretty well in this picture.

Baby Schantz #2 is here!!

2010-02-12T08:47:00.023-05:00

Simon Charles Schantz was born on Thursday, 02/04/10 at 4:37 p.m. He weighed 8 pounds, 2 ounces and was 20.5 inches long. The delivery went very well and Marc and I had an incredible, all natural childbirth experience! [I will blog about that later when our life settles down a little bit. :)] Just like his big brother, Simon has a very healthy appetite and in one week has grown half an inch and gained 6 ounces!

A pic of my big belly at 39 weeks, 2 days
(just 5 days before Simon would
arrive).

Simon Charles Schantz
(only 1.5 hours old)

Here I am talking to Samuel for the
first time since Simon has been born...
Big brother meets little brother...
The NEW big brother!
So sweet!
Marc & Simon
My three boys!!!
Simon's "Birth Day" Cake
Fast asleep in the Boppy!
A little smile?
I think it is so cute when he sleeps
with his hands folded like this!
Eight Days Old
(Don't worry - I moved Simon before
Samuel rolled over onto him!)

Samuel the Train Engine

2009-11-01T13:16:00.001-05:00

Samuel trying on his costume .....

Samuel and George

Look at all that candy!!!

Baby Schantz #2

2009-09-23T12:34:00.002-04:00

Samuel's gonna be a big brother!!!
Our little kidney bean at 9 weeks.

Profile at 20 weeks

Profile Closeup

Left Foot
It's a boy!!!!

Baby Schantz #2 putting his hand under his chin.

Samuel's 2nd Birthday

2009-07-26T17:10:00.008-04:00

First, we had lunch at Southern Pit Barbecue........

James, Samuel, Katrina & Jamie

Nana & Grandy

Grandmama & Grandpapa

Then we went back to the house for cake.....

He couldn't resist poking his finger in it...

Yessss!!!! Now we get to eat it!!

And it is yummy!!

Now it's time for presents.......

Samuel Helps Daddy

2009-07-04T11:56:00.000-04:00

First a good stretch.....

Then a little bit of work.....

Then break time....

An extended break that is...

Then it's back to work again...Then a drink break....

Now it's time for some yard work...

There's nothing like a swim after a busy day!

Vroom! Vroom!

2009-05-02T12:01:00.002-04:00

Samuel's First Haircut

2009-04-28T16:47:00.005-04:00

Happy Easter!!

2009-04-12T14:57:00.002-04:00

Biker Baby

2009-01-13T11:05:00.001-05:00

It seems that Samuel has inherited a need for speed!

We thought some of you would really enjoy these pics....

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T15:53:00.014-05:00

Our pretty Christmas tree..it was the best one we have ever had!

Samuel playing with his new train set.

Samuel sporting his new PJs and then hanging out with Roy and Aunt Ariel on Christmas Day.

Samuel loves his new present from Ariel
and the back massager from Grandy!

Samuel's "Granddaddy" face and Aunt Mel attacking him.

Uncle Brian, Aunt Ariel & Samuel

A new UGA outfit!

The two sick boys
at home again.

Samuel Goes to Texas for Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T22:00:00.022-05:00

For Thanksgiving this year, we went to Texas to visit Marc's parents, brother and grandparents. It was Samuel's first trip out there, but he handled the long 12 hour drive better than we expected. We arrived late on Sunday afternoon, rested and recovered on Monday, then went to the zoo in Tyler on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Marc's cousins and Uncle Daniel from MO joined us.

Samuel is on the run at the zoo
(and everywhere else these days)!
Grandpapa tries to have a talk with him, but.......
off he goes again!
Samuel pauses to watch the fish at the aquarium....
and an alligator...
then he finds a friend!
Of course, we had to take some family pics.....
Later that night, we had dinner at
Grandma & Grandpa's house and played cards.....
Notice the tractor in this picture -
this was Marc's when he was little.
On Thanksgiving Day, Samuel really
enjoyed watching the boys play ball!
Here's a funny video.......

Samuel loves to wear hats that are too big for him.
This one belongs to Grandpapa.
Here is a video of Marc and Adam
doing some target practice.....

Samuel Goes to the Playground

2008-11-01T20:13:00.003-04:00

And here's a video.............

Samuel the Train Engineer

2008-10-31T19:58:00.001-04:00

Samuel the (grumpy and sleepy) Train Conductor...

Now he has had a nap and we are off to get some candy from Publix!

Samuel's first Tootsie Roll Pop.......

Samuel watching Marc ride...

Samuel Goes to the Rock Ranch

2008-10-18T21:00:00.016-04:00

First, a visit to the Pumpkin Patch..........

A family pic while riding the "trolley".....
Marc and Rodney racing big tricycles....
Now it's mine and Melody's turn..............notice who wins! :0)

Another (cute) family pic -
this time in a covered wagon on the side of a hill........

Samuel doesn't know what to think about this goat in the petting zoo!

Now, here's what we were all waiting for.............

2008 Fall Camping Trip

2008-10-13T13:14:00.007-04:00

This year we went to Suches, Georgia (which is halfway between Dahlonega and Blairsville) for our camping trip. This is Samuel's first true camping experience and he loved it! We camped at Lake Winfield Scott in the Chattahoochee National Forest. The mountains and trees were so beautiful - it took our breath away! The mountain air did us a lot of good and we are all well again from our colds.

Our shelter for four days and three nights.
(It kept us nice and dry when it rained on our last night!)

Wow - a picture of Samuel and I together! Here we are just riding around the park picking up sticks for our campfire.

This is Samuel's designated play area.
He loved to play with the pea gravel and leaves, too!

This is Samuel sporting his new shoes...
we finally found some to fit his fat feet!

Here's another pic of Samuel and I at the Georgia Mountain Fair on Saturday. The Maya Wrap came in so handy when he was sick of the stroller (and hungry)!

We got to see Tracy Byrd in concert at the fair. I'm not really into country anymore, but it was pretty good for free.

Samuel enjoyed the concert (and the lights), too.

A really old school bus at the fair.

Some family pics......man, my arms are tired!
This fair was a lot of fun - one of the best we have ever been to!

My husband...the pyro!

Samuel's first driving lesson - don't worry, we are still in the park!

"Woody Gap"
Suches, GA
Elevation: 3000 feet

WinShape Retreat - Fall 2008

2008-09-22T12:43:00.024-04:00

Some of the buildings at WinShape Retreat.

Sunrise, a waterfall and Possum Trot Church and School.

The old grist mill, Swan Lake and a doe.

A picture of our room and us on our Saturday night date.

Happy 1st Birthday, Samuel!!

2008-07-26T15:00:00.002-04:00

Samuel's "Little" Cake

Daddy & Samuel

Opening gifts.............

and more gifts...........

Look - this phone talks back!

What is going on around here?

Why is everyone singing?

Curious Ariel?

Belly Laughs

2008-07-21T20:39:00.000-04:00

This is kind of dark, but I am throwing the farmer out of his bed.
You've gotta love this belly laugh!

2008-07-18T18:37:00.007-04:00

Watching the rain (and the camera).

Playing in his new toy tub.

Watch me go!

Forget walking, crawling's faster!

Happy Independence Day!

2008-07-04T16:43:00.003-04:00

Splish Splash!

2008-07-03T18:30:00.000-04:00

This just shows what a little pill Samuel is, but moments like this make it all worth it (even the clean up afterwards!). Sorry about the camera shaking - I'm laughing!

Dukesfest 2008

2008-06-30T20:53:00.004-04:00

On June 28th we took a little 3 mile trip to the Hazzard County Fair for Dukefest 2008. This year the Dukes returned to Atlanta to celebrate 30 years. Check out these two "Good Ol' Boys"!!

The Batmobile was there, too!

Boss Hogg's Caddy

John Schneider riding his bike on the track.

John Schneider riding the bike he auctioned on Sunday.
(Marc took this pic right after John visited the Port-a-Potty.)

Samuel enjoying the festivities on Saturday night.

Happy First Father's Day, Marc!!

2008-06-16T22:22:00.008-04:00

Don't forget to turn your speakers on!

Potty Learning

2008-06-11T16:17:00.012-04:00

I (Sarah) have been reading this book called Diaper Free! The Gentle Wisdom of Natural Infant Hygiene by Ingrid Bauer. The book is all about Elimination Communication and how to tune in to your infant's need to eliminate via timing, intuition, cueing and signals or body language. Apparently, babies are born with the ability to let us know from birth when they need to potty, just as they can let us know when they are tired, hungry or bored. Although this method has been practiced since time began and continues to be practiced in many other countries, the art of EC has been nearly lost in the West. Well, I couldn't wait to get started! So, I bought Samuel a potty at the end of April and as soon as we got home he did #1 and #2 on it right away. I couldn't believe it and was so excited! Anyway, I figure if we can even save a diaper a day it is worth it!

Samuel using his little potty.

Samuel playing in his FTLs.

For more info check out these sites:

http://www.diaperfreebaby.org/

http://www.natural-wisdom.com/

We have a climber on our hands!!

2008-06-10T10:51:00.004-04:00

No longer can Samuel just sit still on the couch, he has to stand on it! Yesterday he even figured out how to get down off the couch. He's going to be walking before we know it!

Is our son retarded?

2008-06-09T21:07:00.001-04:00

Samuel started doing this crazy head thing on Saturday, May 17th. Then the next day he was doing it non-stop and Marc seriously thought that something was wrong with him! I told him not to worry about it, but Marc said that people are going to think he is a retard or something. So, every time Samuel would do it, I would laugh and Marc would say, "No! No!" Talk about confusing! Then Marc would get mad at me for laughing. Well, now after some online research, Marc knows that it is normal. Samuel does it to make us (and anyone else he is in the mood to entertain) laugh. We call it the "Ray Charles".