Visiting Grandma and Grandpa

We visited the Heads on Sunday and here are some pictures.

Aunt Jolene

Aunt Sherah

Great-Grandpa Head, Aunt Debbie, and Aunt Rachel

Jolene, Debbie and Rachel

"Uh-uh" (Samuel's name for Grandpa Head)Aunt Debbie came to babysit Samuel for the day and he had a grand time with his aunt. He hasn't seen her since he was four months old because she has been attending NEGST in Nairobi, Kenya for the last year and a half. It's been great having her here for the Christmas season.

Waiting for Mommy

Aaron took these two pictures. I burst with joy every time I see Samuel's face plastered to the screen door as he waits for me to walk up the sidewalk to our house after work each afternoon. It is so bittersweet. Couldn't money just grow off of trees? Then I would give my little boy as many hugs as I wanted throughout the day. I would kiss him every hour.

Talking on the phone

Samuel loves to talk on the telephone, when there is no one on the other end! He has a couple of our old cellphones that he carries around and chats to his favorite relatives. But, every time we hold the telephone up to his ear, he listens intently and doesn't utter a word.

Finally, Aaron had the idea of actually giving him the telephone rather than putting it up to his ear. It did the trick. In this picture, he is talking with Nana, having a little conversation with her. He still doesn't babble, but at least he responds now and talks a little. He likes to pace and imitate the same things we do while talking! (-:

Apple Orchard and Pumpkin Patch

When we moved to Denver, we thought it would be fun to go apple picking. It's a huge tradition in Minnesota to go an orchard and pick apples in the fall. I was given such strange looks when I asked where the nearest orchard was, "apple picking? I've never heard of that!"

Well, we're back in Minnesota now and Aaron, Samuel, Cousin Autumn, Aunt Joanna, and Nana all went up to pick apples and have fun at the pumpkin patch. I was at work. )-:

Eww, kisses!

Having fun with Nana!

It's a heavy one, Autumn.

Proud Nana!

Getting started on chores early...

Finally, a few pictures.

We stayed with my parents for a month and Samuel had a grand time with the tupperware caps that were at an easy reach in the cupboard.
This is camping at the end of September with Aaron's family. Samuel would run up and down the ramp into our little cabin.
Just this week, Samuel and his cousin Autumn, went to the Children's museum.

It's been a long time!

I apologize for not updating this blog! We have officially moved into our duplex close to downtown St. Paul. It's a great old house, built around 1910. We have the downstairs unit and love the extra space, the hardwood floors, old fashioned windows (minus the drafts...) and the neighborhood is so quiet.

I love work. Love working with the international community and have definitely found my niche there. I do miss my two boys dearly though and 3:30 can't come soon enough each day.

Aaron has just started up classes at Hamline and has taken over Samuel full time during the day. They've been having fun visiting his little cousin, going to the park, and just getting used to a new house again.

We just got an internet connection up and running after much hassle, but no pictures downloaded again. (-: Actually, it's been awhile since we've taken any. I'll have to take a few in the next few days and post them up.

First Day on the Job

I just started a new job today. I will be teaching Language Arts. I'm very excited, nervous, but mostly excited. The staff seem wonderful: passionate, dedicated, and very helpful. Take a peek:

http://www.lighthouse.charter.k12.mn.us/

Finally some pictures...

I finally figured out how to get some pictures of our move. These are just a few of the things we have been up to in the last month or so. An apology in advance-- I'm doing this quick and my CD drive is a little quirky, so I didn't rotate the pictures that should have been rotated. Enjoy.

Samuel barely made it into the car on the way to MN!

We arrived in Chippewa Falls with Nana and Poppa. Here Samuel and his cousin, Autumn, are enjoying some icecream in town.

Samuel loves water. We are staying with my grandparents for the month and Samuel discovered the water coming out of the hose in "sprinkler fashion." He loved it!

A trip to the water and sand park with his cousin Autumn. He would have stayed in this car driving his cousin if I had let him.

Already a Twins fan!

Us with Aaron's Grandmother Carol at her 70th birthday party in northern MN.

We brought our quilts that Grandmother had made to decorate the walls and the tables. This one is Samuel's and he is sharing it with his cousin.


We visited Aaron's Grandma Jo in Cumberland, WI and we were able to get a family picture outside.

You can tell Samuel has Italian in his blood by the way he loves the Pitzels (spelling?)

Here is the best attempt at a picture with great-Grandma Jo and the kids.

Please pray

The bridge crossing over the Mississippi River, on the main highway into Minneapolis, collapsed last night. It was right in the middle of rush hour and the bridge was bumper to bumper with cars and trucks. There are deaths, missing persons, and lots of injuries. Please pray for the families as they mourn the loss of their loved ones, the search efforts, the medical teams, and anyone else involved in this disaster.

What a shock. I don't know how many times we have driven back and forth on that bridge without a thought to its safety or stability. I was telling Aaron last night, that we barely even recognize it as a bridge as we're driving because bridges have become so common and there is so little fear involved in crossing a bridge. Wow.

Arrived...

Just a quick update to let you know that we have left Denver, after living there for three years, and headed back to MN. We are closer to family and Samuel will be able to see his grandparents, aunts and uncle, cousin, and they will be able to love on him as well.

We drove the 15 or so hours to WI to be with Aaron's parents for the week and will be heading to the cities sometime next week.

I have pictures of the trip but am not sure if my in-laws' computer will download them off of my camera because they don't have my camera's software. I'll try to figure that out tomorrow.

Samuel Playing with his Blocks

When Samuel gets into something, he zones in and concentrates on whatever that is. The other day, it was stacking blocks. Here's just a taste of the "future" engineer! (-: (Notice the editing, inspired by Claudia...take a look at her edited videos by clicking on "Smiths" under our links)

Lovin' the Bath

Helping with the packing

As many of you know, we are heading back to MN in about a week and a half. Samuel has been helping me pack up the boxes. Well, he'd rather play in them and usually as fast as I can put something in the box, he is right there to take it back out. He is so observant, though, watching me tape it and then write on each box. To keep him occupied, I gave him his crayons and he has had a ball scribbling on the boxes while I can pack in "peace."

$5 Book Sale

Desiring God Ministries (Bethlehem Baptist, John Piper) is having a $5 online only book sale June 27th and 28th. Every book will be $5.

Please take a look at the site--that have a HUGE resource library of free sermons(by topic), free books, articles, etc. You'll find the $5 book sale portion on the right side, under the "blog" section.

Here's the link: http://www.desiringgod.org/

Happy Birthday Autumn!

We wish we could be with you to celebrate your special day! Although it may look like Samuel is not in the mood to sing and carry around a sign for his cousin, inside he was super excited. On the outside, he just wanted to go to bed. Happy Birthday!

Samuel Playing at the 16th Street Mall

The Tiny Little Curl

I had to take this picture because I'm not sure how long this little curl will last or when we'll decide it's time to cut his hair, but it is oh so cute! Samuel's hair doesn't always curl like this, but if there's any kind of humidity, or if he has been sweating, it curls right up.

Dancing Baby!

Trip to Omaha

We took a trip to Omaha last weekend to trade cars with my Mom. She had ours and we had hers. Here are a few pictures to detail our trip.

We decided to buy Samuel his first happy meal on the way down to Omaha. He was crabby, crying, and all around not having a good time in his car seat. The picture below looks like he loved the happy meal, but in reality he just loved the toy and Aaron finished off the last of his chicken nuggets. Oh well!

Samuel developed an ear infection with a fever (the reason he didn't want his chicken nuggets...) and we took him to urgent care. An interesting experience to say the least. The clinic was really an orthopedic clinic and an urgent care on the side. When we walked in the lady behind the desk was helpful and we filled out our forms. We sat down to wait to be called back. Weird-- the lady behind the desk put on her white lab coat and called us back. She was the doctor as well. (-: We were the only patients and she had to turn on all of the lights back in the examination rooms. She checked Samuel's ears in the midst of plastic bones laying all over the counter tops. The blood pressure cuff was too large for Samuel, so we skipped that. Anyway, Aaron and I were 99% sure he had an ear infection and when she prescribed the correct drug for the correct amount of days, I breathed a sigh of relief. She may have been strange, but she got the diagnosis correct... I hoped. His fever went down and he was his happy little self not long after the first dose, so she had made the correct diagnosis-- even if she was an orthopedic surgeon!

The next pictures are at the beach. Samuel loved the sand and loved the water. Notice the very cute aunts suntanning in the background (I know they'll hate me for pointing that out--love you guys!)


Samuel had a great time with his Grandma Head. Mom helped Samuel open the cooler and he had a grand time throwing in a drinking straw, closing the cap, asking for help to get it open, throwing it in again, and then repeating the process. If we were in the hotel room and his Grandma was near, he wanted to play the game again, but just with Grandma, because she was the best at opening the lid.
We left on Sunday morning and I ran back up to change into shorts, leaving Samuel's two aunts in charge of both Samuel and the camera.... "poor" guy! (-: He loved every minute with them though!

Bath time

Summer

The first Popsicle of the season, the first Popsicle ever actually!

Soooo Big!

from The Spirit of the Disciplines, Dallas Willard

"And if we intend to become like Christ, that will be obvious to every thoughtful person around us, as well as to ourselves. Of course, attitudes that define the disciple cannot be realized today by leaving family and business to accompany Jesus on his travels about the countryside. But discipleship can be made concrete by loving our enemies, blessing those who curse us, walking the second mile with an oppressor-- in general, living out the gracious inward transformations of faith, hope, and love. Such acts-- carried out by the disciplined peson with manifest grace, peace, and joy-- make discipleship no less tangible and shocking today than were those desertions of long ago."

Sometimes I wonder what makes me, a follower of Christ, any different from those around me who claim to follow another religion or even no religion at all. After reading Dallas Willard this morning, I was reminded again of how radical loving our enemies, or blessing those who curse us is in this world of back stabbing and a "me first" philosophy.

I was teaching The Great Gatsby last week and we were talking about the pursuit of the "American Dream" and what it looks like. I asked the question, "If one stomps on others to reach his/her goals and dreams, or if one neglects the needs of others to reach their own success, does that count as fulfilling the American Dream? Can one reach the American Dream by corrupt means?" I was shocked by the amount of students that believe it is not only acceptable, but necessary to use any and all means to reach a goal or a dream.

What makes me different as Christ's child? I am following a God that not only cares about others, but sacrificied himself for the life of others. I am a disciple that manifests grace, peace, and joy.

Lovin' my Boots!

It seems that at least once a day, Samuel comes to me with green frog boot in hand, imploring eyes, and the "eh! eh!" that means, "I want something." Here are a couple of boot pictures I captured, but these are just two of the many times he's spent walking in his most favorite boots.

Sliding!

After some friends of ours told us that their son loved going down the slide head first, we decided to let Samuel try it out. So, on Sunday we took Samuel to the playground and sure enough, he loves the slide. Here's the video to prove it!

Aunt Miriam came to visit!

Baseball!

While Miriam was here, we watched Aaron coach the freshmen baseball team. He is usually the assistant coach, and when the coach was unable to come to the game, Aaron was able to coach the game on his own. Very fun to watch Aaron in action, interacting with the kids, and having a lot of fun.

Samuel tried his best to stay awake, but ended up taking a little nap in his stroller.

These next two pictures are after the game. Aaron came up to the three of us and Samuel realized that it was his Daddy approaching.