Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Everyone! For those that we cannot be with today, we miss you, and hope that you are having a wonderful day! We are enjoying our day in Austin, TX with Katie's brother, sister-in-law, and her parents. Here is a video greeting from us...too you!!! Merry Christmas!!

Eagles 10 - Cowboys 6

I know that Eagles-Cowboys bantor can easily start on this blog, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share with you all some photos from the game this weekend. We had a fabulous time (of course made better for me by the Eagles win). It is truly wonderful to know that wherever you go as an Eagle fan, you will always have friends (even at Texas Stadium). Here is a pic of an impromptu celebration after the game:



We did have a good time in the RV and it was definitely the way to go (even though parking cost $125, yes, no decimal point.) Much more room than riding out in the car! Here is all of us before the game:




And my favorite picture of the night, the one that meant the most:




Fly Eagles Fly!!!!
E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES

Back to Sam

Turns out that Sam was sick for the first time this week. He definitely had not been himself that much. We took him to the doctor yesterday and found out that he had an ear infection. We started giving him his anti-biotics yesterday and today we have our Sam back. Here is a video Sam dancing a little, playing peek-a-boo, and finding his new favorite toys: little people.

Eight Months

Yesterday was the 8 month mark for Sam. Here are a few pictures of Sam doing his new favorite activity - moving on his tummy. He continues to bring such joy to our lives and we are so thankful for the past 8 months.

First Ice Skating Experience

Last Friday night, Katie had her first ice skating experience. She got out of it last year because she was pregnant (something about not wanting to fall). She did great and did not fall once (probably has something to do with the fact that she never let go of me or the wall). Here is a picture of us with the Mission Year married couples that we went with.

Christmas Parade

Today Sam attended his first parade! The annual Christmas Parade in downtown. We were a little worried how Sam would handle the marching bands and fire trucks, but he took everything remarkably well! He was amazed by the balloons and all of the crazy characters in the parade. He even had his first taste of a candy cane! All in all, a pretty good day.

Scooting and Scandel

Here is a video of Sam showing off his getting up/getting down and scooting all by himself. Gotta love $1 toys from Target that he loves!

The second half of the video is a little bit scandalous and probably should be rated at least PG-13. We are getting a little concerned about how close Sam and Jaelyn are becoming.

Sam's First Thanksgiving

Here are some pictures of Sam enjoying his time at the North Georgia Cabin with his friends! Check out shutterfly for some more.






Here are some pictures of Sam eating. This was not part of his Thanksgiving feast (he did have mash potatoes and mac-n-cheese for the first time on T-day) but they show how much Sam loves food. He loves it so much that he sometimes hoards it all in his hands!

Happy Thanksgiving

We just wanted to say happy Thanksgiving to everyone. We are looking forward to our annual Thanksgiving tradition of going to a cabin in North Georgia for the weekend with our friends. We hope everyone has a restful weekend.

Here are some pictures of Sam ready for his first Thanksgiving turkey!

Uncle Shawn, the Eagles Fan, Visits

Uncle Shawn did his duties and further entrenched Sam in Eagles fan-dom. Here is a picture of Shawn and Sam together and a little video of Sam enjoying his new favorite toy!

Sam is Moving!

We are continually amazed at how fast Sam learns what we call new tricks!! We posted a video of Sam scooting a little bit last week, here he is showing his improvement into what Amy's mom referred to as the Army crawl. He is also showing off how he has learned to put one foot in front of the other to get places while we hold him up. Enjoy!

Grand Parents Visit/Enjoying Fall

Sam had some special visitors this weekend who showered him with lots of love. Here are some pics of the weekend with Mom and Ed. Sam also continued to get better at his new tricks: scooting, pulling up, and added one more, putting his feet in front of one another as if he was walking. We are continually amazed at how Sam learning so many new things.

30th Birthday Bash

Last night our friends and family in Atlanta celebrated four of us turning 30 years old. Katie, Duffy, John, and I all have either turned 30 in the last month or, in my case, will turn 30 soon. The attitudes of turning 30 range from Katie being glad she is 30 because she feels that she will get more respect at work, to Duffy's indifference, to Jeff's skeptical attitudes towards not being in his 20's anymore, and finally to John's grand proclamation that he will not eat desserts in his 30's (feel free to answer the poll on the side to this question).

We thank our Atlanta community so much for taken care of us and loving us. We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and seeing the pictures of all of us growing up, and yes, even a little dancing after all the party guests had gone home. Thanks to Hilary and Amy for planning a great shin-dig. Here are some pics of the evening.

Daddy Jungle Gym

Sam has enjoyed using daddy as a jungle gym the past few weeks. In the last day or so, Sam has thought it would be a good idea if he started standing up while holding onto to me. Can you say child proofing the house this weekend? Just in time for his Mom Mom and Grandpa Ed to come and help to!!

Scooting

Sam has started to realize that he can actually make his body move to where he wants it to go. He doesn't always go in a direct path, nor would we call what he is doing crawling, but he definitely is moving. Enjoy the video. Also, there are more pics on Shutterfly

Halloween Costume Debacle

Here is the halloween costume gathering going terribly wrong. It looks like Owen is treading on Sam's territory a little bit.

Fall Retreat in the Mountains

This past weekend while Sam and Katie were in California, I was working at the Mission year solitude retreat. It was hardly hard to be working giving the beautiful surroundings. Here are a few pictures of the fall colors in full force!

Fun in the Tub

I wrote a while back about Sam's tub troubles. We've really turned a corner, and now bath time is Sam's favorite time. Here a few pictures to share - I think he's ridiculously cute when he's naked! Thanks to Caroline for the great new tub!

Sam is passionate about his toys. He tries to play with all of them at the same time, so he ends up with toys in both hands all the time. This evening he decided to maximize his fun by having his toys in both hands and his mouth!

Sam's on the Road Again

This weekend Sam and I went to Los Angeles to celebrate my dear friend Sarah's wedding. Though it was a really quick trip, we had a great time. We spent the weekend with my old dear friend, Caroline. We hadn't seen each other in years, and it was great meeting her little boy, Mitchell, and spending time with her family.

Saturday morning we had breakfast at Manhattan Beach and walked out on the pier. Sam has now seen the Atlantic and the Pacific - not bad for seven months. Here are a few pictures from Sarah and Billy's wedding. It was a beautiful ceremony and great party! They are amazing people!

Halloween Fun

Tonight was Sam's first Halloween! He decided (with a little help from Grammy) to be a monkey this year. His sidekick, Jaelyn, was a banana. They were quite a pair, but I'm not sure if they even knew what was going on around them. We spend the evening in Capitol View with the Beigel's and Tramel's. All of the kids kept us laughing and we had a great time. Here are a few pictures, and there are more posted on Shutterfly.

Day Dreaming

Enough Eagles banter...Here is Sam looking out the front door this afternoon. He was content for almost an hour dreaming of being outside - too bad it was a rainy day.

Game Day

It is game day and Sam is ready for action. Here are some pictures of Sam showing his allegience to his football team!

E_A_G_L_E_S - Eagles!

Sam Learns to Clap and Play Peek-a-Boo

In the last few days, Sam has learned so many new tricks (as we like to call them). He now knows how to clap, and he loves to play peek-a-boo! Here is video of Sam showing off the new things he has learned.

Delps In Saint Louis

Katie, Sam, and I have been in St. Louis for the past few days at the CCDA conference. We have enjoyed hearing various speakers, seeing old friends, and visiting with the Mission Year staff. Here are a few pictures of Sam around town for you to enjoy!

I'm Six Months Old

Sam would like everyone to know that he is now 6 months old (as of Wednesday). Here he is showing off some clothes he finally grew into (thanks, Aunt Phyllis!). We have had a wonderful six months with him, and we couldn't be more thankful for him.

NL East Champs

The past couple of weeks have been wonderful for us as a family. First, our work has finally calmed down, so we have had more time, and at the same time, the weather finally broke and we have experienced much cooler temps than we have had in the past 4 months. Here are a few highlights from the past couple of days, and here are some pictures on Shutterfly:

First, and most importantly, the Phillies won the NL East today in dramatic fashion. Sam was a big part of it. Unfortunately, we did not get a picture today because we were too focused on the game, but here is one of him showing off his loyalties:


Sam has enjoyed his new fall outfits. Here is Sam with his mommy wearing matching gray hooded sweatshirts:














Here is Sam out and about in downtown Atlanta. We got to play in the fountains, go to the library, and ride the train, what a great day!!:

Sam got his first tooth this week!! What an accomlishment! Sam is not willing to let us take a picture of it, he is a little stubborn sometimes, hmmm?? But here are Sam and Jaelyn chowing down on their favorite teething toys: