Time with the Samads

Last night we got to spend some time with a few of the Samad Uncles.  Jacob's father was one of five boys in a family of six, and they are a rowdy crew.  Last night was pretty calm and we all enjoyed each other's company over dinner.  Jack was spoiled by his cousin Amy and we even convinced Uncle Ron to hold Jack for the first time.  

Great Uncle Butch introducing Jack to the bar

He really wanted that beer

Great Uncle Ron

Cousin Amy was very entertaining

Of course Nana got some Jack time too

Happy (belated) 5th birthday Mara!

Our niece Mara celebrated her big #5 on Monday.  Happy Birthday Mara!

I remember clearly the day that she was born:  I was living in Pittsburgh for the summer while Jacob was home working in Cincinnati.  Mara was born on a Tuesday morning, and I just couldn't figure out how I was going to make it through the rest of the work week without meeting her.  Jacob kindly went to the hospital to take pictures and to give me a full report about our new niece.  When Friday finally came, I rushed home from Pittsburgh and went straight to the Koesters' house to meet this sweet girl.  I was in love!

Mara has been such a gift to our family.  She is incredibly kind and thoughtful and is a wonderful cousin for Jack.  She reads and sings to him and encourages him to try new things, like going swimming!

Mara's birthday party was at the pool and she stuck right by Jack's side while he got into the water for the first time.  She reminded him that his mommy was going to help him and held his hand while we ventured deeper into the water.

Mara, we hope you had a wonderful 5th birthday!  Thank you for all of the time and love you share with us!

Here are some pictures from her big celebration last weekend:

Happy Birthday to you Mara!

Calley, thank you for the wig suggestion!  It was a hit.

Dorthy wig for dress-ups

Grandpa with hair!

Seriously guys?  I am a BOY!

Cousins:   Drew is catching up in size

Jack relaxing after some serious swimming

Father's Day

Reading books at four months

This Sunday was Jacob's first Father's Day and I hope he felt loved and appreciated.  We started the day off at church and then headed home for grill-out number one.  While I was  planning the day he asked me to keep it simple so that we could all relax.  He didn't even want to go to the Reds game.  He decided that he would rather watch the game at home where he could enjoy the air conditioning, the couch, and maybe a quick nap.  

So, a simple lunch it was:  burgers and watermelon.  That's it.  VanZandt's did supply the buns though, so the burgers were delicious.  (At $1.00 per bun it's a bit expensive, but worth it for a treat on Father's Day!)

Jack was kind enough to give Jacob the gift of a long nap and I gave him a new set of chop sticks.  Those, combined with a Reds win, new grill grates and flavor bars from his mom, and ribs for dinner made for a pretty good day. 

 Jacob, thank you for rolling with the punches these past seven months as we've navigated parenthood together.  You have been such a wonderful encourager along the way and I appreciate the way we parent together.  Jack already loves you so much - you can see it on his face when you walk into the room.  I love that he gets so excited to see you and that you guys already have your special times together.  Thank you for being such a great example for Jack in so many ways, and for working so hard to provide for our family.  

We love you and hope you had a great first Father's Day. Sorry for not capturing any pictures of your day!

Watching Jacob cook

Buying sausages at Findlay Market

Serious work

Hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma Troescher

I had a meeting yesterday afternoon so Jack spent some time with my parents until Jacob got home from work.  I was thankful  that they were able to help out and I'm certain Jack was happy to go on a walk, swing, and play with his grandparents.

When my mom told me that they were going to swing in the backyard, I asked her to take a few pictures.  Here are some of my favorite:

Jack is 7 months!

We have a happy, babbling, and mobile 7 month old in our house now!  Jack reached two big milestones this month:  rolling over from his back to his belly and sitting up on his own.  He's enjoying his new independence and takes full advantage of his mobility.  We should probably be thinking about baby-proofing the house.  For now we could start by dusting, vacuuming, and cleaning the carpet.  I guess our days of keeping him contained on his clean quilts and play mats are over!

Rolling from the red truck to the hardwood

Proudly smiling at the crowd of people watching him sit

One perk of sitting independently:  Splash Park!

Woodland Mound with his buddies

Jack loves to play peek-a-boo now and gives big belly laughs when you really surprise him.  Covering your eyes and saying peek-a-boo gets a smile, but jumping out from behind the couch wins you big laughs.  We've been able to capture some of his laughs on camera, and if I could figure out how to take the videos off of our camera, I would share.  

Jack can now drink  from a straw which was much easier for him than the sippy cup.

A cool drink on a really hot day

Selfishly, I love that Jack can sit on his own.  He is now my helper in both the garden and in the kitchen.

Jack helped me harvest these strawberries.  Sadly, he didn't get to enjoy them.

We put him to work young around here:  Pureeing  his own mangos
I feel like he's saying, "I've got this, Mom."

With all of this heat and humidity we thought that this was the perfect month for his Graeter's onesie from our cousins Jim, Sue, Jimmy, and Emma Ernst. 

Seven month smile

The spoon is great... now where's the ice cream?

Doing my best

I am convinced that most days, I make parenting more difficult than it needs to be.  Jack is a great kid and is content in most situations, but I always wonder - am I doing my best for him?

Am I holding him too much?

Am I giving him enough:  tummy time/alone time/time away from us/time with us?

Am I giving him too much food and am I feeding him at the right times?

Am I reading to him enough, and if I am, am I  taking my time and teaching him while we are reading?

Am I offering him a variety of toys to challenge him and help him to grow?  Or, am I offering too many toys, causing him to be impatient and needy?

Am I keeping him on a schedule that is too strict, and is it unreasonable to expect him to sleep until 7?  Should he still be taking that third nap?

Oh my!  I need to take a breath.  When I look at Jack, I know that he is being well cared for and his smiles tell me that he is happy.  So, don't get me wrong - I am not falling apart.  I just feel like maybe there is too much information out there sometimes, and when I start reading and planning, changing, and second-guessing myself, my life gets hectic.

So today I am getting back to simple things with Jack.  I am not going to worry about whether my speed reading is going to affect his ability to pass the SAT, and I am going to take him out tomorrow with his friends even though it will mess up his schedule. I am going to give him that third nap when he looks tired and skip it when he doesn't.

I am going to do my best and just love him the way I know how.  That doesn't mean that I will never again fret about his schedule, worry about how we are spending our time, or question my skills, but hopefully I can remember to just stop and try to love him with everything I have.

With that said, here are a few pictures of Jack's newest and most favorite activities -- they are cheap, easy, make him smile, and didn't involve expensive toys or a lot of planning.

Hide the ball

Uncover the ball

Play with the ball

Build the tower

Knock it down

Playing with the mirror

Every once in a while I get lucky and things just come together.  Yesterday we built and knocked down towers, and today the tower across the street is being taken down.  Perfect.  (Not that I am looking for any educational benefits!)

Firehouse tower coming down

A great way to start the day

Mara with a mouthful

I got a phone call this morning from one of my favorite people in the world.  My (nearly) five year old niece Mara called to inform me that Chick-fil-a was giving away free breakfast sandwiches every Tuesday in June.  Well, I think that is what she was trying to say.  It took a few tries and for a while I thought that she was letting me know that she was giving away free sandwiches every Tuesday in June.  Maybe a community service project?

Well, after all of that was (kind of) straightened out, Mara proceeded to let me know that she wasn't sure what I should get her for her upcoming birthday.  All of the good presents were taken, you see.  Grandpa is giving her a puzzle, Aunt Marcia is getting roller skates, and Aunt Louie had a great gift chosen already, too.  That problem was solved quickly when she thought of a great idea -- a dress up costume.  Perfect!  Whew!

The best part about our conversation is that she spoke to me as an adult would.  When she asked what I was doing, I explained that I  was watering our garden.  She politely asked me what we had planted, then told me all about their garden.  She rattled off every different plant that they were growing, and I was impressed that she remembered everything, since the list was quite extensive.  She never even paused to think about the tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, squash....!  She even gave me directions on how to get to the community garden from their house.

Next, she asked about Jack.  Actually, her exact words might have been, "So, what is that Jack up to right now?"  When I explained  that he learned to sit up, she responded with as much excitement and enthusiasm as we had when we saw him do it for the first time.

After telling me more about Aunt Carly (she is sleeping on a blow-up mattress that isn't very comfortable) and Grandma Bubbles (she already left on an air plane), and Drew (he loves his jumperoo and "Does Jack have one?"), and Titus (he is reading Exodus right now), she told me, "OK, I'll talk to you later.  Thanks for talking."  That was it.  She had talked enough, and it was time to move on.

I hope that she continues to call me every once in a while.  It was a great way to start my day.  But now I need to figure something out -- Did I miss the free sandwich?

Mara, only 13 more days until your birthday!  I'm looking forward to celebrating with you in only 11 days!

Check out this hair!

Jack has a lot of hair on that 95th percentile head of his.  The only problem is that it is growing straight up!  No bath or brush or hat will flatten what he's got, and it picks up and blows in the wind.  He's still pretty cute to us, though!

Andy's graduation

The Koesters Family minus Lily

On May 20, Jack and I took a fun road trip to Louisville, KY.  We were celebrating my brother-in-law's graduation from seminary, and the day was perfect.

Andy graduated from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary with his Masters in Divinity.  The weather was  beautiful that day and the graduation was a worshipful service on the lawn of the school grounds.  I was excited to watch Andy walk across that stage to receive his diploma and to be honored  for all of his hard work.  Not only has he completed his degree, but he held down multiple jobs along the way to support his growing family.

Congratulations Andy, Jodi, Titus, Sam, Mara, Lily, and Drew!  We can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for you next.  (But I hope He is thinking CINCINNATI!)

Sam spotted his dad!

Jodi and Andy

Mara 

Sam

Titus

Grandma with Lily

Jack enjoying some Uncle Andy time

Buddies