Samiyah's Blessing

today was samiyah's blessing. she wore the dress my mom had made and that makayah had worn for her baby blessing. sam and his brothers all stood in the circle to bless her along with our friend, brian king and our bishop. sam blessed her to make wise decisions, to study things out for herself, to one day marry in the temple, to be blessed with beauty inside and out. to remember her heritage and draw strength from her ancestors. i heard as she was being blessed, she was silent and smiling. smiling at her daddy and her uncles. she is a sweet little thing.

Thanksgiving

we had planned samiyah's baby blessing for thanksgiving weekend so sam's brothers and my dad could be there in the circle. nathan and redmond arrived on tuesday night. i have to say, we've really missed having them around all the time. the kids were super excited to see their uncles and the uncles were super excited to meet their newest niece. everything seemed to be going great until i received a call from my parents. my dad had gotten sick, very sick with pneumonia and they had to cancel their flight. we were all so devastated and disappointed. why now?
however disappointed and sad i was about my parents not being able to come, i was grateful for nathan and redmond being here. we showed them around madison, ate at a yummy greek place on state street, and watched movies and played games. we had such a blast.
thanksgiving was super yummy. i made the pies the night before and forgot to put them up high. in the morning i heard red yelling out, "makayah destroyed the pies!" sam and i were still in bed but heard red asking makayah why she ate the pies. makayah said, matter-of-factly, "my tummy was grumbling for pies, so i ate them." what can you say to that? she was just too cute to get upset at.
along with the uncles, we had some friends over and watched football. it was a delicious day.
samiyah had such a wonderful time with her uncles as well. at one point, nathan was holding mimzy on his lap and singing to her. she would stare up at his face, smiling and cooing...she loved being sung to!
on friday, sam and his brothers went out at midnight to hit up the black friday sales. it was an all-nighter for them, and i was sound asleep in my comfy bed. ;) sam and i went out the next morning while the kids played with their uncles. it was awesome...we sure miss having them around.
saturday was the badgers football game. the boys went, and they got to sit in the student section. the student section is CRAZY! seriously...badger games are not for young children. but the boys loved it. i think sam just loved having his brothers around again. i know he really missed them.
and since this is a thanksgiving post. i am so very thankful for my family. for my wonderful husband and the hard work he puts in everyday to support and provide for us. he is such a loving and fun father. i am thankful for my children, for their lively spirits, their rambunctious laughter that fills our home. the warm cuddles and slobbery kisses. i am grateful for the joy and purpose they bring to my life....even though most nights it leaves me exhausted. i am grateful for our families; my own and my in-laws. i am truly blessed to have such wonderfully loving parents. and it made me so very sad that they couldn't be here right now, but i'm grateful that my dad is well and resting. i'm grateful for sam's parents and siblings and my own siblings. it is truly a blessing for my children to be so well loved. :) family is everything.

Isaiah's Birthday Party

make a wish! his toy story birthday party. sam was in charge of games with the 12 boys that isaiah had invited. it was quite the turnout. the cute alien cupcakes i made. :)

Happy Birthday Isaiah!

It's been 6 years since the first morning I laid eyes on the most beautiful baby boy ever. I was really excited for his birthday and had been planning his party for a while. His actual birthday was on Thursday. So the morning of his actual birthday, I made blueberry muffins for Isaiah to take to his kindergarten class.  Sam walked Isaiah to his classroom and dropped off the muffins, and Isaiah loved being able to show off his daddy. He had a great day. I picked him up after school, and since we were all in the car, we drove to UW campus and picked up daddy as well. There was a moment that really hit me all of a sudden. Maybe it was because I had just had a new baby recently, but as we drove down Park Street just past the Meriter hospital where Samiyah was born, the night I had Isaiah was vividly remembered. I remembered the excitement, the long wait, the ripping pain of the contractions, the long hours of pushing and sheer exhaustion. But the struggle of it all is mostly a blur. What I remember most is lying on the operating table when Sam came in holding our brand-new baby boy. When I heard the door open, I asked, "Where is he?" Sam said, when Isaiah heard my voice, he turned his head towards my voice. All those nights I had sung to him when he was still in my tummy, he had heard me and remembered his mama's voice. :)  And when I finally saw him, I instantly fell in love. The love was more powerful than I had ever imagined. I knew I'd love him forever.

I didn't know how fast my little boy would grow up. I've realized, 6 years isn't very long at all, and time really does fly by, faster than I'd like.

My Dear Sweet Son,
I didn't know how fast you, my little baby boy, would grow up. Six years have flown by, and for every precious year, I have loved being your mother. I feel so very blessed and honored to see you learn and grow.
You've always been such a happy person. Your smiles are contagious. You like things clean and organized. You are helpful and loving, most especially to your little sisters. You are the best big brother, and best little helper to your mom and dad.
You are such a ball of energy! You love running and jumping. You love to try all sorts of sports. So far, you've been involved in soccer, basketball, and baseball. You even love watching sports with your daddy.
You are sweet and tender hearted. You are a sensitive soul and you care about other peoples' feelings. I love seeing how friendly you are. You are eager to make friends and you make friends easily. You are one cool kid.
You are so funny. You have a great sense of humor and you bring lots of laughter into our home. You truly are a joy to have!
The most important thing I want you to know and always remember is that daddy and I love you so very much. We are so proud of you and the choices you have made thus far. Remember to be strong in your beliefs. Stand for what is right. You are such a very special boy with much to offer. I will love you forever. Love, Mama and Daddy.

First Smile

today, at six weeks, samiyah smiled. officially smiled at me. she was lying on her playmat and i came up to talk to her. when she saw my face, she smiled. what a sweetie!! it totally made my day. :) this picture doesn't show her smiling. but it was taken on the day she smiled....just later on in the afternoon.