What Sam can do now that he's one year old

1. Clap his hands
2. Shake his head for "no"
3. Take 3-5 steps every time he tries
4. Climb up steps as fast as a rocket
5. Eat as much as Isaiah (if not more!) in half the time
6. Go from sitting to standing without holding on to anything
7. Open the snack cabinet and help himself to graham crackers (need to fix that child safety lock!)
8. Splash in the kitty's water
9. Drink from a sippy cup
10. Say "Dada" on command (no mama yet)
11. Take his shoes and socks off in a flash
12. Soak a shirt with drool in under five minutes
13. Let me know exactly what he wants, without words!
14. Wave bye-bye

Sam's first birthday

One is such a funny age. Having a three-year-old who knows all too well about celebrations and presents made Sam's reaction to his birthday just too funny. I would use the word 'bewildered' to describe his reaction to the day in general. We sung happy birthday to him several times, and each time he would just get really still and look rather expressionless. I guess it's not every day you have a group of people singing right to you! After dinner we let him open a few presents, although we were hard pressed to get his attention off the balloon he was following all around the house. He and Isaiah had fun playing with the toys, and Isaiah did a really good job of letting Sam open his presents by himself. After the gifts, we put the cake in front of him, waiting to see what he would do. He reached out and grabbed one of the big puffy icing balloons and squished it in his hands. He looked at me, as if he didn't know what to do. I told him, "Eat!" and boy did he ever! He just dug in with both hands, smearing it all over and shoving it in. It was great. In contrast, Isaiah just barely touched his cake when he was one, scowling the whole time at how messy his fingers got when he touched the icing. Isn't it amazing how different two kids can be?
After his bath he had pretty much had it for the day, poor kid. So we put him straight in bed. When I got home from worship team practice around 9:00, he was crying a little, on and off. I wonder if he had a stomach ache from the nearly adult size portion of cake and ice cream we allowed him to eat. He's settled down now and we haven't heard a peep for a while.
It's hard to believe the little darling is one already! Here are some pictures from the day:There's that bewildered look while we were singing happy birthday!



Amazed at his fun new toy

The first taste... And it's all over him!

He finally resorted to just shoving it in!

Take a picture of me, too!

Finally getting all cleaned up.

Preachin' at the dinner table

Tonight at dinner, Dan was getting all preachy about something (once a preacher, always a preacher?), and when he stopped to take a breath, Isaiah yelled out, "Amen, brother!" We about fell off our chairs and choked on our spaghetti and meatballs over that one!

My first vote

On the eve of this important election, I can't help but think back to the first time I voted. I turned eighteen years old on September 25, 1996, just in time to vote for the presidential election. That year, it was Bill Clinton vs. Bob Dole.

My voting location was my elementary school where I attended from kindergarten through third grade. In that place which held so many memories for me as a child, I stood there as an adult. As I waited in line for the polls to open, what I felt is difficult to put into words. I felt the weight of the future of our country resting on our shoulders, us, the voters. I felt so privileged to exercise the freedom that so many men and women have fought to defend. Voting is having a voice, and I was going to be heard!

What a great memory.

I have to say, now that I am older (and wiser?) and understand the ramifications of electing certain people for president, I am a little sick to my stomach with anticipation of what tomorrow may bring.

So tomorrow, I'm going to vote really hard for McCain, even if I have to stand in line for five hours.

A new twist on an old tradition

On Friday night we went over to Grace Community Church in Cranberry because they were having an event called trunk-or-treating that sounded great on so many levels. They had people park in their parking lot to hand out candy from their trunks! They had the parking lot blocked off so cars couldn't drive through - much safer than walking door to door! Also, since it was at a church, we assumed that there wouldn't be anything scary, and we were right. Everyone's trunks were very festively decorated, but totally kid-friendly. The thought of some life-size scarecrow or something jumping to life and scaring my kids was the main reason I didn't want to take them door-to-door. The best things? WAY less walking than traditional trick-or-treating, and WAY more time efficient. We were done with the whole ordeal in a half hour!
This is definitely the way to go!