Family Reunion

Every October, the Sample family (my Dad's side) gets together down on our family farm.  It's a wonderful time of year and we usually have a blast!  This year was no different, the weather was perfect, we had a great crowd and we got to show Miss Priss off!!!
Friday night we had a fish fry for the family and close friends.  We had over 100 people there!  It was awesome to see good friends and family that traveled lots of miles to be there!  It was a little cool but we still visited until well after dark.  I took Reese home about 9:00 and Clint and McKenna rolled in after midnight.  Apparently, after most of the crowd went home, a dominoe game pursued!  And they got all the meat on the smoker for Saturday!  Yum-O!

Granni and Glenna got a little Reese "lovins"

Delena (and my future nephew) visiting with Misty

Granni enjoyed showing Reese off to everyone!

Saturday, it was mostly family for the day.  We had around 65 people show up!  We get together on my Dad's ranch in an old hunting cabin that was originally built in the 1940's, some additions were made in the 60's but hardly any since then!  We still have hunters that come and stay there and, of course, our boys use it during deer season and for fish camp in the summer.  It has a wall that kids have measured on and signed for lots and lots of years!  Of course, Miss Priss had to get her name on "the wall."

Clint and my Aunt Connie measured Reese!

My sister and her family came from Wichita Falls, they had not seen Reese since she was a few weeks old, so needless to say, Aunt Tina and cousins Sydney and Nicole were "Reese hogs!"

Sydney and Nicole love their cousin!!

I love my Sydney!  She's a "mini=me"

Uncle Carl meeting Reese for the first time!

 My Grandfather had 10 brothers and sisters, there are 2 left and they came to the reunion.  Our family has always been close and get together at least once a year, sometimes twice.  We love having everyone come, lots of food, fun and good times!

My Dad giving his "welcome address"  He loves having his family get together!

Reese kept everyone entertained!!

4 months

Reese, you are 4 months old!!  Where has the time gone??  You continue to be the light of our life!  I can't imagine my life without you now!

You weigh probably close to 16 pounds!  We will find out tomorrow!  I bet you have grown in length too!  Can't wait to find out, but am sad you have to get shots!

Your growth could be a result of your awesome eating!  You still nurse 2 or 3 times a day (when Mommy works) you take 4 to 5 bottles and you eat cereal and fruit 3 times a day.  And, you love it all!  You are such a great eater!

I still love to nurse you though.  I never thought I would enjoy breastfeeding, but it seemed such an easy decision when I had you to try it.  It was so easy for us!  I am thankful, especially with all the horror stories out there!

You wear a size 2 diaper.  We are on our last package from all my showers, I think that's a good time to go to a size 3.  We will be in that size a while!  

Your clothes are all at least 6 months.  You have a few things that are 3 months that you can still wear, but not many.  

You sleep well through the night.  You have a bath and a warm, bed-time bottle around 8 and then you go to sleep and sleep until 4 - 6 a.m.  I am one blessed Mommy!  Your naps are so-so.  You sleep sometimes 30 minutes and sometimes 2 hours!  It all depends on you.  You do sleep well in my lap or Granni's.  It's hard to put you down when you are sleeping so good in our laps.  Pepaw says, "I think she's spoiled."  How dare he!!  Haha

Your loves right now are:  your feet and getting them in your mouth, your Baby Einstein activity center, eating out of a spoon, your pallet and rolling over on it, sitting out in the porch swing with Grannie, Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV.

You rolled over the first time on October 8, 2012.  You did it at Granni and Pepaw's.  We were all so excited!  Granni called me at work and told me!  She videoed it and posted it on Facebook so Daddy could see!  It was so cute!

I can't believe you are one-third of a year!  What a ride it has been.  We wouldn't trade anything for you!  I can't wait to share with you someday "your story" and what  a miracle you are!  Daddy and I love you so much and we look forward to each day and seeing what you will learn next!  We love you Reese!

 I took some Halloween pics of you last week!  I thought they were so cute!

Silent Auction item - Boutique Bows

I'm joining in on a huge Blogger event, in case you don't know the story, you can read about it here...please, please, please help this family out!

For the silent auction benefiting the Turner family, I am auctioning off 2 of my Polka Dot Factory double boutique bows and accessories to match.


The first bow is a "Fall" colored bow, includes brown biggie dots, orange biggie dots, cheetah and orange and brown solid grosgrain ribbon. Along with the bow, there is a brown crocheted kufi hat (fits up to teen-ish size) and an orange headband.

The second bow is a Christmas bow. It has red, red biggie dot, lime, lime biggie dot, white with red biggie dot....so cute! It has 2 matching headbands.

 Both bow are on alligator clips and are made with high end grosgrain ribbon and heat sealed. The retail price is $45.00, if the auction reaches 50.00, I will "gift" sweet Preslee these bows also!

Here are the rules! 

HOW TO BID:

• Place your bid in the comments section of this blog post.
• Leave NAME, EMAIL, and BID.
• All bids must be made in $1 increments. If the last bid is $9 then your bid must be $10.

Bidding will close on Friday night at 10:00pm(EST)

Highest bidder will be the winner.

Payment will be accepted via PayPal. Winner will be emailed a paypal invoice and once paypal payment has been made, I will put you in contact with the donor. 

PLEASE NOTE: Auction open to US residents only, will ship to US only. All payments must be received by October 31, 2012. These payments are not considered tax deductible.

To see what else is up for auction - Check here:

 http://www.lifeinthegreenhouse.com

http://www.lifesweetlifeblog.com

http://www.biggest-blessings.com

http://sheshebows.blogspot.com

http://www.jennifergetts.blogspot.com

Strange, yet sad....

The blog world is strange....you read a blog for months or years and you get a "feel" for a person.  Good things happen, you cheer...bad things happen, and you are heartbroken.  Over the past few years, I've read a lot of blogs, a lot!  I love coming across blogs about things I am interested in...I love blogs with good decorators, I love blogs with sports loving southern girls, and I love blogs about infertility, well, not love, but it's interesting to read other's facing the same realities I am.
Along with many of you, I am a follower of Kelly's Korner, as a result of this, I started reading The Turner Channel.  I feel like I know all these girls, I've felt the sadness of trying for years to have a child, and I've rejoiced along with them when the miracle of seeing the dream become a reality.  When I was visiting Clint in Ft. Smith, I felt like I should jump on over to NW Arkansas and visit them!  Crazy, I know.
And, along with many of you, I was devastated on Sunday to learn of Julee's husbands accident and death.  I was sick to my stomach.  I am just sad that it happened and sad that such a sweet family is having to deal with such a tragedy.  Kelly had a great post today about dealing with hard things as Christians, it is beautiful and I plan to refer to it often over the coming days and weeks.

So friends, whether you know the Turner's or not, please blanket them with prayer this week.....

Basketball

Friday night we had a little FUNdraiser at the gym to raise some money for the high school boys basketball team. It was a boys alumni basketball game. Clint graduated in 1993 and there were 3 from his team that came back to play, that's almost 20 years ago! There was only 1 player older than them. It was hilarious to watch! They actually played well for a bunch of "old guys", Clint's team scored 100 points! Several retired teachers came to watch also, it was a fun successful night! Reese and I manned the t-shirt booth and Kirsten
helped us!

Reese looked really excited, huh?  I so hope she likes to play basketball someday! 

Clint hopes she'll play on the same court as her him someday, as for me, my alma mater is 10 miles down the road...I'd love to see her be a Lady Bear like her Mama and Aunt Tina!

3 months old

*I started this post on her 3 month birthday, but am just now getting it posted!  Haha


Reese!  You are 3 months old!  How can it be?  This month proved to be just like the other two, you consistently learned new things and have changed Mommy and Daddy's life for the better!  You are growing like a weed!

You weigh 14 pounds and 8 ounces!  Your auntie Pam weighed you at her office one day when she kept you.  You have definately grown in length, we will know for sure in October at your 4 month check-up.

You are nursing like a champ still...in a few weeks we are going to start giving you cereal from a spoon.  You take a bottle before bed with cereal mixed in.  We have a whole bedtime routine that allows you to calm down from the day.  Mommy enjoys it too!  It's a warm bath, which you LOVE!  You kick the water so cute when you are in the water.  Then we lay on Mommy's bed and get lathered up with baby lotion (which makes me want to eat you up! I love the smell of a clean baby all lotioned up!)  Then we put on comfy jammies and go to the rocking chair and have our warm bottle.  You are usually soooo sleepy by this point, but I rock you with your blanket until you fall good and asleep.  Then I lay you down and say a prayer over you....we are so thankful for you!

You are in a size 2 diaper....we like Huggies and Pampers!  You have been known to have a few "accidents".  I don't think there's a diaper big enough for some of your "bowel habits"!   You are quite the gassy girl!  You have to work on manners in this category!  Haha

You are in size 3-6 months clothes...there's a lot of stuff we've moved up to 6 month but you can still wear quite a bit of the 3 month stuff.

You still sleep in your Pack n Play beside my bed.  I love having you close to me at night.  You sleep through the night most nights.  I can't complain at all about your sleep habits!  You've done well since you were born.  You usually take a good morning nap and a good afternoon nap.  Sometimes it 30 minutes, sometimes 2 hours!

You love your "sooby" still, but not as much now that you've found your fingers!  We still do not leave home without it!!

Your tummy time is still something you don't like.  You are doing so good with it though.  You love the bouncy seat too, but you're not fond of the swing because is doesn't let you set up enough.  You like to be up and looking around!

Mommy went back to work this month and you stay with your Granni and Pepaw!  I'm not sure who is more in love with who!  Pepaw comes over and picks you up about 6:30 a.m. before he goes to feed the cows.  Granni loves on you all day and you play and play over there with lots of new toys.  You are doing super eating from a bottle and napping.  I am so lucky that they keep you and you don't have to go to daycare.

Reesie, you continue to amaze me daily.  We fall deeper and deeper in love with you each day.  I am so blessed that God is letting me be your Mommy!  You are definately the light of my life.  I just pray each day for your health and happiness and that you will always know you are God's child and that you will develop a love for your Savior and a desire to serve Him.

Mommy loves you!