November, so far.

Long time, no blog. We've sort of had a random November, so I thought I would post random pictures we've taken this month. All I can tell you is that Samantha is hilarious. Steve and I are constantly laughing over things she says or does. She is developing quite a little personality. Hope you get to see soon for yourself!

Samantha and her new "hat." Yes, she did this all on her own. We think she's gearing up to play Mary in future Christmas pageants, though I'm not sure Mary wore animal print.

Our friends Ryan and Carly drove to Johnson City from Philadelphia with their new baby, Roch. We went up to visit. Samantha, of course, loves the "baby."

Another new thing ... sitting and "reading". Amazingly, she remembers bits and pieces of books we read to her. Mostly she likes to turn the pages. Hopefully, she got the reading bug from her Momma.

Enjoying a piece of cheesecake at Aubrey's on Papaw's birthday.

Love this picture - I think Samantha was jealous that I was getting a hug from HER Papaw!

We like to makes tents out of blankets and pillows. Big Guy constructed this gem for her ... a tent jail.

No explanation necessary, other than to say this is why Daddy rarely does bathtime. If you want to get the whole picture, imagine Samantha dancing to Ozzy Osbourne's Crazy Train, which was playing in the background. Seriously.

I took this the day I cleaned off our coat tree. She put these on all by herself. I know her Grammy must be so proud that she is a scarf girl!

Livin' the life. Riding her pony while playing the piano and eating Fruit Loops. Does it get any better?

A little fashionista - pairing Daddy's flip flops with cousin Caroline's velour Gap jumper.

Operation Sibling Update

Greetings from a very sore blogger! If you remember from our last update, Steve and I were deciding between shots and surgery. For those who don't know, we opted for the surgery. We both felt like it would be better for my overall health even beyond this childbearing phase. So, I went under the laparoscope yesterday. (That doesn't have quite the same ring to it!)

Basically, Dr. Keenan went in laparoscopicly and cauterized parts of both my ovaries. He also checked my fallopian tubes (they're clear) and cleaned my other lady parts up. This will increase my chances of getting pregnant more quickly. We have some lovely pictures if anyone wants to see them! The procedure itself was quick ... it took me a little longer to wake up from the anesthesia. I think I needed some sleep! I've been sore, but it's nothing a few painkillers can't help. I plan on taking it very easy today. Tomorrow I think I'll be pretty much back to normal.

Thank you, thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. This is the first step in our new journey. We'll be going down a different path this time, but we know that God will bless us in his time. And thank you to the best Mom and Dad EVER! They have been here tending to Samantha's every need so I can recover. It has made the whole process much easier knowing that she is being taken care of. And thank you to Steven, who woke up yesterday in Louisville and drove back to meet me at the hospital only to sit there for 4 hours. I may be the main vessel on this journey, but he is as much a part of it as I am. And, lastly, thanks to all who are on this journey with us. Samantha is here in large part because of you ... your prayers, encouragement and support. We couldn't do this without you!

Go Vols! Beat the Tigers!

We continued what we hope will become a Homecoming tradition yesterday. Yes, we took Samantha back to a ballgame. This was quite a big move for Steve ... you may remember that her first game was the terrible Wyoming loss last year. Had we been shocked by Tiger High, he may have banned Samantha from Neyland for life! Fortunately, the Vols played great last night. It's always fun to watch when your team scores 4 touchdowns in the first quarter.

We headed for the Hill after Samantha woke up from her nap. After making our way from the parking garage (thanks for the pass, Seth!), we stopped at a few tailgates. Samantha really seemed to enjoy the atmosphere, especially the music. Though it's a bit disconcerting to watch your 18-month-old groovin' to Snoop Dogg's Gin and Juice, she wowed the masses with her performance. Samantha was also quite taken with cornhole, a popular tailgating game.

She did pretty good in the game. She took up with an usher who let us sit in some of the vacant student seats. Though they eventually filled up, she had a little room to run around. I can report that she loves the band, going so far as to ask for "more dance" after each song. After a quarter and a half, we packed up and went home to watch the rest of the game on t.v. On the way out, Samantha repeatedly kept saying "Bye, orange!" If only we could teach her to words to Rocky Top ....

Not quite sure what to think of all this.

She was insistent that she walk the Hill by herself. Steve and I were concerned that we may never make kickoff.

Tailgating with her friend Katelyn.

Playing cornhole her own way.

Love this! She was literally in awe of all of the lights on the stadium.

Ready for some football!

A VERY proud Daddy clapping along to Rocky Top.

A very proud Mommy.

I tried to put her snack on my toboggan instead of those nasty bleachers. She had other ideas. Oh well!

Touchdown!!

Happy Halloween!

Thought you might like to see a few pictures of Samantha aka "Ming-Ming the Duck" on Halloween. Ming-Ming is on her favorite show, the Wonder Pets. It's about 3 classroom pets - a guinea pig, a turtle, and a duck - who rescue animals in trouble. Be warned if you watch, you will not be able to get the songs out of your head!

Steve and I took Ming-Ming to friends houses on Friday night, then let Wawa and Papaw take her out on Saturday night while we went to the ballgame. (Parents of the year, I know, but a big victory over South Carolina!) We were told that Ming-Ming did not trick or treat on Saturday, largely due to the rain and the fact that she doesn't eat candy, but that she did enjoy handing out candy to everyone else.

"This is sew-ious!!!"

Playing in the leaves at Wawa and Papaw's.

Weady to twick or tweat. (Ming-Ming has a bit of a speech impediment, so I imagine this is how she would have to say it.)

Our first stop - Auntie Joan and Uncle Jim's. The best neighbors ever!

Instead of candy, she got her very own stuffed Glen! Glen is Joan and Jim's dog. She loves him! If fact, she calls their house "Glen's house."

Lane Kiffin and Ming Ming.

Twick or tweating at Garrison's house ... he dressed up as Mickey Mouse.

Ming-Ming and the Ming-Ming pumpkin. On the show, she wears an aviator hat and goggles. Samantha's noggin was way too big for the headpiece that came with her costume. It just wasn't made for a 99th percentile head.

Happy Birthday, Wawa!

Better late than never ...

A week ago we celebrated the 60th birthday of the most wonderful mother-in-law I know - Connie, aka Wawa. We had a pretty low key night, but it was just what she ordered. We had a nice dinner (before which Samantha made us all say a blessing because she liked to hold hands and say amen), then we just played. We surprised Wawa with a video DVD of tons of pictures of her with her favorite girl. (Hint = it's not me.) Here's to many more, Wawa!

Samantha and her Wawa.

Watching the baby.

Getting down to the background music.

Salon Noland.