Family, Fall, Fun

She keeps getting better and better
Samuel and I traveled to Arkansas for my mom's birthday almost 2 weeks ago.  It was a surprise!  A surprise party.  A surprise visit.  And it was a success!  

I called Saturday morning to wish her a happy birthday.  We talked about Joey's upcoming soccer game and Russ' discussion of visiting the State Fair that afternoon.  Both were true.   I just forgot to mention that Samuel and I would have to miss out.  I was convinced my mom had figured out our motives for a casual Saturday birthday lunch with Aunt Lucy though.  Something in her voice seemed giddy...giddier than usual.  Maybe that's what happens when you turn 70!  

Complete Shock!

I'd give away my car right now to see that look on her face again.  Priceless. Unforgettable.   And all suspicions that she had figured it out...were gone.

Lucy, Frank, Annie, Dawn, Samuel

And after the party came the next surprise...my dad.  He didn't know Samuel and I had driven in the night before.  We had talked briefly that morning on the phone.  After receiving a voicemail from him a few hours later, I casually sauntered up the truck as he returned from the gym.  I announced that I had received his voicemail and wondered what he needed.  All he could say was "this is just so weird".  Thankfully we are no longer limited to a landline.  It lends many opportunities to surprise those we love.  

Sheer Determination

Determination. He's got it!  Oh, baby, he's got it!  Samuel's personality is becoming more apparent day by day.  He is such a cuddler at times.  He still grabs my face at bedtime for a quick smooch.  He's quick to give us all a thumbs up at mealtime if he finds his food to be "good".  Samuel loves to tell people "hi", except that he doesn't speak.  He waves silently.  And when I point to my mouth to tell him "say it out loud", well...he just points to his mouth and continues to give a quiet wave.  We're working on communication.  He seems to have it down very well when we're in the car.  

In fact, when he and I were headed to AR I had a few moments where I needed full concentration and complete silence to navigate traffic.  Much to his dismay, I was unable to talk to him for a few moments, which I'm sure seemed like years to him.  He was quick to tell me loudly "TALK".  Then, he went on to say "Joey talk" as if to say that Joey would talk if he were there.  That is certainly true.  

This sweet little face can also get quite unruly when he wants something NOW.  If determination is evidence of a great level of comfort, we have arrived.  I'm still convinced this determination will one day be channeled to a different avenue - one where world problems are solved, cures are found.  When you notice the boney little finger pointed in your face and the solid, adamant "no" spewed in your face, you know he's serious.  This "determination" could last 2 minutes or 30 minutes.  It's always a surprise.  We like surprises over here.  It could occur in a discussion about picking Joey up from school or something as little as which shoes he should wear.  And all this from the little guy who...

dips his grapes in hummus

prefers to watch "Wootman" (aka Superman)

eats fish sticks with a spoon

wears his super hero cape to the grocery store

Our Big Boy

The kiddo has lost yet another tooth.  He is obsessed with Lego Star Wars and we have channeled that enthusiasm to encourage family responsibilities.  It's working!  He sleeps on top of is comforter so that he doesn't have to make his bed each morning.  Also, he has a girlfriend(s). 

He announced in Sunday school during snack time that he has a girlfriend.  And then he went around the table speaking each girl's name and informing them that they are his girlfriend.  Whoa!  All this while his teacher (read mother) was standing a mere 5 feet away.  My heart sank.  You see, I'm still stuck back on the days when he would argue with Russ over whether I was his or Russ' wife.  Where are those days?  I want to be his only girlfriend, at least for 20 more years!

A trip to the pumpkin patch with the Webb pumpkins

The guys enjoyed a sunny (warm) day at the pumpkin patch recently.  They appeased me with a few pictures.  Samuel seemed shocked at the abundance of pumpkins!

Scooby Dooby Doo

Why have a cute dog that resembles a famous movie star if you don't take advantage of it?  That might be the question you would ask...maybe.  Just maybe.  And don't feel sorry for Gracie being tricked into a walk with these 2 characters.  She scored a few dog treats along the way.  

Shaggy, Fred, and Scooby Doo

                              Happy Fall!

9 Months...Together

Our family of FOUR 
Our family of four is 9 months old...9 months since we saw our answer to prayer face-to-face in the same room, on the same continent, in the same time zone.  

Samuel's vocabulary and independence continue to grow and develop at a rapid pace.  He's talking more and using new words such as popsicle, read, and play.  I can say that he's more patient and calm than I would be if someone couldn't figure out what I was trying to convey.  On the rare occasion that I can't determine his word after 2-10 attempts, he simply shakes his head and with a smirky grin just mumbles "noooooo".  

We continue to work on color recognition.  He's still adamant that almost everything we see these days is pink.  What's really funny is when we are looking at a picture and he quizzes me (with a serious look on his face and a firm tone in his voice) "Color?"  Thank you, Teacher Samuel, for refreshing my memory on the colors.  We're also working on reading books and really listening to the story.  At first, Samuel would question ("that?") every single picture on the page, which made it very difficult to complete a single sentence or thought.  Now that he knows words, he likes to point out animals and pumpkins and mommas (women) in the stories.  He loves reading!  When in doubt what activity to tackle next, reading is always a good place to start.  Blowing bubbles is a safe bet as well.  

Patiently and diligently attempting bubble-blowing

He's the most happy when he's blowing bubbles.

Just because Samuel doesn't tell much of his Sunday mornings and reportedly doesn't sing along during big group time, doesn't mean that he's not fully aware of the happenings.  One evening as I was just telling him the simple truth "God loves you", his eyes lit up.  He was remembering something important and shouted out "Crackers...Cheerios".  That's the beloved snack he likely crams into  his mouth on Sunday mornings.  And no doubt he hears that God loves him at church.  It's funny that he associates God's love with snack time, but it's wonderful to know that he's listening.  He's hearing truth.  He remembers.  

He's working to get over some respiratory issues and it had him down for a few days earlier this month.  It's another opportunity to cuddle though.  Cuddling was far from his comfort when he first came home.  And as I watched him peacefully lounge on the couch gazing at Blue's Clues and enjoying an occasional mommy-fed (oh, the things we do for the sick littles) snack of yogurt, my thoughts drifted to questions of sick days in China.  A room full of friends and not enough arms to hold every child.  No fluffy pillows for reclining in a quiet, dim room.  No one to sit near by and cater to every groan or whimper.  In moments like these, I'm especially glad our baby is home.  And not just for the moments he feels bad, but these moments do make me more aware of the need he had for a family just 9 months ago.  The need we all have for a family.  Thank you, Jesus, that we get to be that family to him.  

It's so tiring giving yourself a breathing treatment.

It Can't Be
Again, imagine the distressed mother's cry "my baby, my baby..."  Then, in walks a snaggle-toothed little boy carefully carrying a tiny tooth no larger than a lady bug. He lost his first tooth just one week after turning 6. I guess when the dentist told us 6 months ago that it would be "awhile" before he lost a tooth, she meant months away, not years!  Joey is 1 very proud snaggletooth!

He couldn't stop smiling!

The. Boy. Can. Read.
And this 6 year old is sounding his way through books faster than our dogs can sniff out fallen table scraps!  It's like he's just been waiting to make all these big strides within a few days of turning 6.  SLOW. DOWN.  

Joey isn't shy when talking about school...and getting into trouble in class...and girls.  Yikes!  This guy tells all and I love it.  I love hearing on rare occasion that he got into trouble because...um..."I can't remember".  Yeah...it usually involves talking.  Big Surprise!  He reports with great excitement when he has seen one of our neighbors in the hall.  Joey talks about his girlfriend, which only refers to the girl who is nice to him and plays the game of his choosing at recess.  Sigh of relief on that girlfriend thing!  I even love his confession that he doesn't miss me at school because he goes on to explain that he's busy learning.  He's still so naive and innocent.  Our little chats on the way home from school are definitely one of my favorite (and most entertaining) parts of my day.  

A few more pictures...
* I'll admit that Joey's school attendance is really cutting into my picture-taking these days.  I'm not sure that's a lone reason to homeschool though.  

Talk like a Pirate Day at Krispy Kreme

Our littlest happy boy

Can't get enough of that smile!

These boys bring us great joy, excitement, learning opportunities, and magnify our need for patience and grace.  We are forever grateful that God gifted them to us.  No doubt, our lives would be just plain ole boring without them!

He's 2,190 days old!

72 Months

Can it be?  Our little 50 lb bundle of joy is 6 years old already!  Most days I feel like he's still so young - still young enough to give his age in months.  Somehow hearing myself answer a stranger's question with "oh, he's 72 months old now" just doesn't seem to sound as cute as it had in my mind.  

Being wheeled to the OR for a C-section was not exactly how I had pictured that beautiful day in September 2008, but Joey had to be evicted by force.  He was content.  He was not coming out willingly.  In fact, had he not been "helped" out that day, I feel certain that I would now be 81 months pregnant!  

And on that day, this is the cute squishy face we fell in love with...

He came out making noise and hasn't stopped yet!

With no questions asked or quizzes given, they just 

let us take this tiny bundle home with us.  

And this is our little miracle today who we are still head over heels in love with...

A the ripe old age of 6, Joey enjoys...
SAMUEL
Joey has welcomed Samuel from day 1.  He loves being a big brother!  In fact, he is patient most days and great at distracting Samuel when he gets upset.  

DESSERT 
Not a day goes by that Joey forgets to ask about dessert or talk about dessert or come up with ideas for dessert or suggest a place to purchase dessert.

HELPING
He is excellent to put away his clean clothes and help with baking.  In fact, I walked into our room after a difficult morning.  And what did I find?  That little Joey had put away my clothes neatly in the drawers.  

DANCING
This kid will dance anywhere and everywhere.  He's got the moves!

LEGOS

We have Lego creations on display in just about every room in the house!  He's pretty darn creative too!  

STAR WARS

Lego Star Wars on the Xbox is a daily ritual around here!  And he's so certain that it's fun for everyone that he has taken a tremendous amount of time to teach me to play too.  

Happiest of Birthdays to our special 6 year old.  How are we so blessed?  God is just too good to us.  Our Joey came into our lives as a pleasant surprise and has  been teaching, entertaining, and bringing joy ever since!  

Communication 101

"Mon!"
It's Samuel's way of saying "come on".

"Top dat!"
Samuel's way of saying...well, you can figure out that one.

"That?"
It's Samuel's way of asking "what's that?"

And to answer that question...

That is a little boy serious about playing "Tar Wa" (Star Wars)

That is the same little boy full of pride in his Spiderman sticker placement.

And that is a little determined guy who demanded to 

carry the backpack he himself could easily fit inside.

Eight months home and feeling the transition is going well.  Better than well, actually. We've watched and waited for his grieving process, fearing we had missed it.  We have been careful to show him our unconditional love in the midst of teaching opportunities. Yet here we are 8 months home and happily strolling through life as a family of 4.  We are GRATEFUL!  Moments like these help me to realize that God's grace has been more than enough.  I still sit here in utter disbelieve when I look back on our time together.  That's not to say that Samuel won't face heart-breaking questions and emotional battles in the future as he grasps his history and losses.  But, for now we're enjoying this time together and watching him blossom into a curious, active, determined little munchkin. 

Being a determined (read strong-willed) 2 year old boy in our house provides many opportunities for teaching.  Surely God will use Samuel's determination in a great way.  He knows there's more than enough determination readily available and easily accessible   He's quite a character whether lip syncing in the backseat, demanding to play "Tar Wa", or cuddled up on the couch reading book after book after book.  Samuel adds a little something special to our family!


Our Spider Monkey

Who remembers doing this as a child?  

Our Spider monkey

Allegedly training for American Ninja Warrior

Joey claims he's training for American Ninja Warrior.  Truly, I think he would literally climb the walls even if he had never seen that show.  Both of our boys are part monkey.  Mostly monkey, if you ask me.  This is probably only the beginning!  

 Entertainer Mode: Putting on a dance show

And our big boy begs to go to bed.  When asked about kindergarten, 

he is not shy to admit that he misses nap time.  And so, he's usually fast 

asleep before we even walk out of his room.

And so the adventures of the Webb boys continue...

All Things Kindergarten

Awesome Good
From what we understand, Kindergarten is still very much "AWESOME GOOD"!

For anyone who remembers the excitement of buying a lunch in the cafeteria, you'll appreciate this memorable story.  Sweet little Joey was thrilled with this opportunity.  You would think he was getting to pick out a cool new toy based on his enthusiasm.  I will mention that he was a little bummed that he didn't have enough money to buy chips and a cookie.  Sorry, son, your mom is a dietitian!  Of all the food choices for the week, he bypassed the pizza and hamburgers to go straight for...chicken egg rolls.  Chicken egg rolls?  Seriously?  No pizza?  Obviously I have some work to do.  Ha!  I found it very amusing that he was quick to tell me that he had chosen white milk instead of chocolate because "I knew you wouldn't be comfortable with me getting chocolate."  For a kid who loves chocolate speaking to a mom who also loves chocolate, this was both funny and a little rewarding...mostly funny though.  We have chocolate milk from time to time, but I'm thankful that he understands it would likely cause him to bounce off the wall for the remainder of school.  Good choice, Joey!  He also reported that his friend eats his dessert first.  What?  No way!  A kid who eats the sweet first?  Joey was so proud to announce that he always saves his cookie for last even if that means he doesn't have a chance to eat it until after school.  Oh my stars!  I was shocked!  I guess being a dietitian's child can go either way.  Sadly, I think I would be the typical child drinking my chocolate milk while eating my cookie well before I even recognized that I had a sandwich available!  We'll see if this "food police" attitude continues for the next few weeks.  

He climbed into the car yesterday excited about a bracelet he made at school.  Joey was able to name all the colored animals each bead represented.  And then, he kindly explained that he asked his teacher if he could make it for his mommy.  Although he was told "no", he went on to tell me "you can still keep it." With a secretive grin on his face, "I'll let you keep it forever, Mommy."  What a sweet kiddo.  And it makes me melt into a puddle just knowing my big boy still thinks about me when he's at school.  Between this beaded bracelet and sharks tooth necklace from zoo camp, Joey enjoys accessorizing me.  He takes good care of me!  

And then on those rough, almost-late kind of mornings, he jumps out of the car and strolls down the sidewalk turning back to offer an innocent "I love you" (via sign language), a thumbs up, followed by a blown kiss and a giant imaginary hug.  This kindergartener knows how to glaze over any difficult morning with his gentle spirit.

School lunch time with Joey

Hours of Fun
While Joey is off to school filling his brain, Samuel and I have many hours to entertain ourselves.  And we're doing a pretty good job at it.  Some of Samuel's favorite day time activities...

This kid could color all day long, especially if he gets to use markers!

Trying out the new scooter

Playing in Brother's bedroom...forbidden space.

Leisure lunch and story time with Mommy

Someone has to have all the fun during the day.  Samuel is happy to oblige! 

All Kinds of Entertainment

It's Kindergarten!  Let the Show Begin!

The big kindergartener was super excited!

We've talked up kindergarten for the past few weeks.  Ok, maybe I've been giving myself a pep talk all along.  Joey was ready.  We met his teacher last week and glanced at the creativity that is his classroom.  Apart from my own breakdowns, we were all ready and waiting for this day.  Unfortunately, Joey's teacher had a family situation and was not able to be there for the first day.  

We arrived on time, which for us is a miracle all on its own.  Joey hurried right to his classroom and put his backpack and lunch away.  Much to my surprise, there was a familiar face in the room.  A friend of a friend is Ms. Horner's student teacher for the  next 7 weeks.  That was a sweet gift of peace for this momma.  Joey is going to enjoy learning and meeting new classmates (or as he will likely refer to them - his audience).  Before we even walked out of the classroom, Joey had met a friend sitting near him.  From the looks of things, the joke-telling had already begun.

The curtains have opened and the show has begun!

Samuel on the other hand was CoNfUsEd!  "Joey?" was all he repeated as we walked away.  Thankfully some friends invited us over for some playtime and Mommy encouragement, so that was an appreciated distraction for us.  Of course, as we got in the car to head home, it started again..."Joey?"  The littlest playmate is missing the ring leader!

Samuel is still in shock!

_________________________

One of the highlights of our day: Pick-Up

According to Joey, kindergarten was "awesome great"!

And the first thing out of his mouth....was the discussion of lunch options.  "They had chicken rings today!"  That. Sounds. Delicious.  He went on to explain that he was starving and that his teacher would tell him his 4 lunch options each day.  Folks, Joey is ready to dig into a cafeteria lunch!  Other moments of his day included "reading a book about volcanoes" in which he only looked at the pictures.  Joey called a boy a name so that the boy would chase him at recess (um, there must be another way).  He didn't get to sit by his new friend Cayden at lunch because another boy took his seat, although that turned out to be ok since the boy had cool shoes.  So, there you have!  Kindergarten is awesome great!


It's the Challenging Two's...starring Super Brother Samuel

The star of the show

He will fall to the filthy mall bathroom floor simply to avoid instructions.  Meanwhile I cringe at the thought of the creepy crawlies now adhered to his precious head.

He will struggle to loosen a hand grip by way of spaghetti legs.  You know what I'm talking about...when the child's legs suddenly collapse and it appears to passing strangers as though you are carelessly dragging your beloved child through the store.  And now I fear his left arm may in fact be longer than his right.

He will announce his wrong-doings before they happen and will then proceed without caution.  It gives us a few seconds to think of ways to combat the action.  He will say "that" pointing to an outlet cover while calculating it's inevitable removal.  He likes to plug electronics into outlets despite our correction and strong objection.  

He jumps off the couch arm or stacked boxes as if training for an Olympic sport while visions of protruding bones and X-rays flood my mind.

He finds the highest opening in any piece of playground equipment and then leans out the opening...most often holding on by the tiny grip of one sticky hand.  Don't call my attention to these perilous tricks, son!  They give my gray hair...gray hair!

I have to remind myself often (often = pretty much every second of the day) that Samuel's first 2 years were unlike Joey's.  Samuel has been forced into some aspects of independence, such as walking up stairs one foot on each step with no adult assistance.   He didn't learn to hold hands while walking in the store or down a sidewalk because he had never been to a store or on a sidewalk.  He wants to touch every single thing in Hobby Lobby because he has never seen a store with so many bReAkAbLe things on display.  Daily life is a teaching moment with him.  He's learning.  We're learning.  While I'll miss my daily moments with Joey, Samuel and I have some catching up to do.  And that's just what we'll gladly be doing!

_________________________

These boys are the highlights of every day!

Thumbs Up

Samuel gives his first 7 

months home a solid 

THUMBS UP..."Good"!

(as of 8/13/14)

Name that Person (cue game show tunes)
Samuel likes to look around the car and point to each of us and then say our names, dogs included.  He still enjoys looking at pictures around the house or photo albums.  Sometimes he gets stumped by baby pictures, but hey don't we all?  At night he points at everything...everything in his room, whispering in his cute little voice "that?".  After about 10 words, I have to remind him that our purpose is night-night.  He gets carried away...or he's just really good at stalling!

Say What?
Samuel's vocabulary is making strides.  Especially considering that he has only heard the English language spoken for 7 months, we should be floored.  This is immersion to the fullest.   Not sure the following vocabulary would get us far if we were to be dropped in a foreign country, but this kiddo is making the best of it.  
New Words/Phrases:
Da-E work (Daddy's at work)
Batman
Spiderman
Scooby Doo
Monster

How are the boys doing?
We took our first family vacation, which was fun and tiring and packed full of memories.  With Russ' recent job change, we took advantage of the free time to spend in San Antonio before the new job.  According to Joey, his favorite part of the trip was the slide at the hotel.  Had we known that, we could've saved some wear and tear on the car and just driven 2 miles down the road to the water park.  Staying in a hotel is always exciting, even for me.  We spent minimal time away from the pools at the hotel and that worked well for us.  Worthy of mentioning...no one walked away with a sunburn!

The infamous waterside that made the trip complete

The boys spent ample time in the water.

Dinner on the river walk

The Alamo sparked his interest.

Joey completed his 2nd summer at zoo camp in late July.  Despite not being able to attend the same week as a dear friend, he didn't seem too hesitant to meet new friends and teachers.  I barely got any information out of him, apart from the huge smile plastered on his face each afternoon.  In fact, the only information I gathered after the first day was that his teacher told him he smelled good.  Joey's explanation..."I bet it was my mouth wash".  That guy is thrilled to be using mouth wash these days!  A few days later, Joey gave me a necklace he had made with a real live shark's tooth.  Upon further discussion, it was revealed that he made it all by himself with the same dough used to make pizza.  Hmmm, real live and made out of dough?  Ok.  It is lovely.

This is life at the Webb home these days.  Daddy has introduced the newest Webb to the Xbox.  And now it's a weekly ritual with Samuel reminding him almost daily "Da-Wha"...commonly known as "Star Wars".

Two controllers are cordless and the one with 

the cord is simply not plugged in.  Somehow it 

works...at least for the youngest gamer.

We celebrated Russ' birthday July 30.  Joey gave Daddy the dinner options of: 
A) Sea World
B) Chuck E. Cheese
C) the place where they cook on the table with fire
Despite that tough decision, we had fun celebrating Daddy with a nice Hibachi dinner.  The little guys helped me make a cake for later.  No surprise, they also helped devour the cake.  I'll admit, it was delicious!  

___________________________

If you've ever wondered what 7 months 

home looks like, this is it!

Brotherly Love