Great Weekend!

Samuel and Dolly Jane finally meet! Dolly Jane is Mary's daughter (one of my best friends from college) and we had so much fun catching up and letting our little ones play. The main purpose of the reunion was to hear Roscoe (Mary's hubby) speak at Liberty and receive the Church Planter of the Year award. Roscoe did amazing and we were so proud of him. I did not have my camera to capture the moment though:(. Below captures the relaxation we experienced at Leland's farm. Brian LOVED fishing with the guys and actually caught two with Roscoe. Dolly loved having some qt with the kiddos this weekend. She is looking so cute and is a gorgeous pregnant girl.
Here Leland is concentrating on his hook. He was a sport letting us stay at his house and enjoy his pond.
Samuel was such a sport over the weekend. He enjoyed the attention and scenery.
Look at this little doll!! Dolly Jane had a blast in the jumperoo and was such a happy girl over the weekend. Do you guys like the headband she's wearing? Mary makes them! She has them in all different sizes and colors and they are ADORABLE!!! Let me know if you want to purchase one of her unique, adorable headbands.
This was the last shot of the weekend. Mary's face is due to the fact that they were supposed to leave a little earlier, so they had to book it.

We had such a wonderful weekend!! Roscoe was honored at Liberty with the Church Planter of the Year award and asked to speak for the ministry chapel. He did an incredible job. Everyone was all ears soaking in his wisdom on the subject. It's amazing to see how God has blessed their ministry over the years and continues to bless. Mary used to tell me her dream of planting churches in New York one day and then she met and married a man with the same vision (God was obviously in the planning!). They have encountered some bumps in the road, but they continued to press forward and now have over 200 members and are thriving in all areas. Mary is the BEST pastor's wife. She helps with the youth ministry, leads worship and is a priceless encourager all while raising her two beautiful girls with excellence. Roscoe is a phenomenal speaker whose wisdom and heart for the Lord is evident to all who meet him. All that to say, it was so neat to see their efforts honored where it all began!

This was Samuel's first long weekend away from home so we were hoping for the best. Although the car ride there and back was not his favorite thing, he was a trooper! He slept great and went with the flow all weekend long. We had a wonderful time staying at Dolly and Leland's lovely home. One highlight was having an amazing breakfast at the Reber home while catching up with everyone like old times. The girls and kids had fun chatting at Leland's farm while the boys fished. Of course the girls stayed up late talking and taking advantage of our time together. We are so blessed that we are able to see each other a few times a year despite the miles between us. All in all it was a wonderful weekend!

A Wet Walk and Baby Signs

Brian took advantage of the photo op...I'm sure the neighbors got a good laugh watching me walk in the tsunami.
"What's the big deal? I'm dry!"


Today was a busy one! First we had baby sign class (the pictures are out of order). I know--he IS a little young for it, but they said it was for 5 month olds on. My friend, Jenna, and I decided to give it try and it was a lot of fun. When they brought out "Beebo" the signing bear, Samuel squealed out in delight. It was really sweet. The class is really for the moms to learn the signs and teach the kiddos. Poor little guy was SO tired after the class because it was right during his usual morning nap.

Later in the day I decide to get Samuel out for a walk. It looked gorgeous out, so what's the harm? Well, about 1 MILE out I'm still seeing only sunny skies UNTIL I look behind me to see the black storm clouds following us. So, I turn around and took two steps then one drop, two and the heavens opened up and the rain came. Oh yes, I had my cell phone, but it had just died. When I arrived back home I was drenched, but thankfully Samuel was happy and dry:).

A Visit from Pop-Pop

Look at the grin on Dad V--Can't you just tell he is full of the dickens?? Three generations of Vallecorse men...

I have exceptional in-laws. When I prayed for my future husband, God was kind enough to also bless me with a mother-in-law who is as sweet as apple pie, a sister-in-law who is a blast to be around and a father-in-law who is truly one of a kind. Dad V (which is what I affectionately call him) is the type of person you may only meet once, but you are sure to never forget. He is the friendliest person I have ever met. Once about a year ago he came down for a visit and Brian had to work and I was in my office working. Well, it had been a few hours without social contact and I knew Dad V was desperate for conversation when I looked out my window to see him IN the FedEx truck talking with the driver about moving to NC one day. He makes friends at the grocery store, bank and just about anywhere. Needless to say, he is a lot of fun to have around.

He spent this weekend loving on Samuel and soaking in the time they had together. As you probably know by his blog comments--he is one proud Pop-Pop! Thanks for coming down to visit us, Dad V--we love having you (and we missed you Mom V)!

Bring on the rice cereal!!

Well, it's official, our baby is growing up!! It's sweet, cute and sad all at the same time. We decided to have the ceremonial rice cereal first feeding today because Samuel is constantly staring at us when we eat. The other day I put a spoon full of food in my mouth and he watched it go in and then put his hand on my mouth as if to ask, "where'd it go"!? So, we figured he was more than ready for some solids. From the first bite he was hooked! He kept trying to take over the spoon and feed himself. It was a messy experience, but I can't blame all of it on Samuel...several times the runny cereal ran right off the spoon and onto Samuel and the highchair. Our baby is an eater like his mama and daddy for sure!

Ireland or BUST!

Dolly and Leland just left with Brian to head to the airport for their big trip to Ireland! Since Dolly wasn't able to get a picture of them leaving, I picked up where she left off. They were SO excited for their big trip. Since mama is probably going to be hungry on the plane, I made her some shamrock cookies to munch on. Can't wait for them to return with pictures of Ireland and all their traveling stories. Luck of the Irish! Top of the mornin' to ya!