Samuel's Answered Prayers

Our sweet Samuel prays for snow practically on a daily basis. He loves the stuff. Well, this past Saturday God answered this little boy's prayers!

Andy was away in Lynchburg for the Marine Corps for the weekend and had been really busy with several different responsibilities the week prior so we were all taking his absence a little hard.

I knew there was a chance of snow, but of course didn't tell Samuel for fear of it not coming true.

The Lord was so gracious and brought snow our way on a day when our spirits needed to be lifted. It was the perfect start to our weekend :)

Seeing their prayers answered is such an amazing faith experience for them. Samuel knows that only God can make it snow and he was so thankful and kept thanking God all day for the snow.

Faith like a child... there is nothing more beautiful!

The day was finished off with some hot cocoa.

Lots of cuddling!

And a story and gift with our advent calendar.

Tree Topper Poll

I've just added a new poll on our left sidebar. And I'm dying to know what your answer is... I've got to make a new one this year and I'm trying to figure out what to do!

Please help.

*UPDATE*

I've decided to sew a star for the top of the tree. Thanks to all of you who answered the poll. For some reason I think a star is the perfect tree topper. Looks like many of you agree :) Thanks, friends for your input.

Christmas Presents for the Boys

Yesterday I took the boys to the fabric store to pick out some fabric that they like because I am making them some gifts for Christmas. Here is what Joseph picked:

So cute, huh? Curious George... of course.

Samuel picked out:


which is too cute! It's also from my favorite fabric designer.. He's got good taste :) He also picked out a fire trucks fabric too that I can't find online.

So here are the projects I'm making:

Cozzy Car Caddy, found here.



And capes.

So excited to get sewing!

If you're looking for some sewing ideas for Christmas, check out this website. There are 100 different ideas!

Quilting For Peace

I just found out about this book through a crafting blog I follow.

It's fantastic!

When I lived in North Carolina our quilting guild that I was a part of sewed baby blankets for babies in the nearby area that were born with drug addictions. I had never felt so inspired when I was crafting than when I was sewing those baby quilts.

Since then I haven't found another group that does something similar.

I'm so inspired to find this and have some fresh motivation to sew!

It has 25 different ways you can use your sewing to help people all around the world.

The Lord has clearly given me a gift and a desire for crafting, especially sewing and he requires that I use those gifts to benefit others. What a great way to bless with my talents.

Let the sewing begin :)

All About Joseph

Here I am to sit down and try to recap what's going on with our sweet Joseph so when our next one is this age and someone asks, "What was Joseph like at this age?" I can say, "I don't remember... I'll go read the blog." :)

We are amazed at how much Joseph says. He is constantly talking. He is up to saying 4and 5 word sentences. He started talking a little before Samuel did, but he's progress just incredibly. I have done a horrible job documenting his progress. I can't even remember when he started 'really' talking. I haven't written in his baby book in months, and haven't even mentioned some of his pediatrician appointments on here as well.

Some people, mostly non-parents have no idea why this is of importance to mothers... and I wish I had some grand explanation. But, all I have to say is that, when you reach 50 and your kids start asking you when they did certain things because their kids are doing x,y or z, you can have some idea because you've written a few of them down. Especially if you have more than one, they all seem to flow together.

"How many pictures can you possibly take of your children?" And the answer is... NEVER ENOUGH! They change so quickly and it all becomes a blur if you don't document it. Our children are such a gift, I don't want to forget anything. They fill our lives with so much joy and we learn so many lessons each day having them here. I never want to forget the lessons they are teaching me. They make us want to be more like Jesus every single day.

Anyways... on to Joseph...

His favorite things to sleep with are his bink(blanket), Curious George, and his babydoll. (Ever since he knew he was expecting a sibling, he's been obsessed with caring for babies. We have a couple from when I was a little girl and also one that Samuel got when we were expecting Joseph so he could practice. That seems to be his favorite one).

He is obsessed with mulk(milk). He doesn't like water than much, and those are the only two things we offer him to drink. So, we have to water down his milk with water just so he doesn't end up having 6 glasses of whole milk a day! The kid obviously doesn't need to be gaining any weight.

He's huge! This kid was once the kid that the pediatricians were worried about and recommended to me that I start adding olive oil to his food to fatten him up. And it seems like just with them mentioning that idea he started to gain weight overnight. We have no idea what the magic was, but he hasn't looked back. He still weighs more than Samuel. Not by much, but he's still winning in the weight department.

He loves his family beyond words. He is so incredibly lovey. He gives kisses and hugs non-stop. Whether its his brother, Mom, Dad, Gamba, stuffed animals, pictures in books, he doesn't care. He just loves to love.

He loves to read. His very first words when he wakes up in the morning (after "Mommy/Daddy out crib downstairs") are "Mommy/Daddy book me". His favorite books are Hush Little Baby and his Busy Bible.

Joseph loves to wrestle and play chase. Two things that have been around for quite awhile and I think will stay for a long time. His newest favorite game is the 'underwear game'. It's where Andy and the boys all get 'clean' underwear and run around the house playing chase and then hit each other with their underwear. No head shots, though. They have to sit out in the penalty box if they do. Then every so often they start to wrestle and then continue running around again. Good thing our downstairs has a continuous path around it. It's a huge selling point for a home if you have kids. We'll never consider a house without one if we have the choice :)

He's getting more curls by the day. As soon as I stopped nursing our boys they grew hair immediately. And Joseph's has been coming in dark, which I'm head over heels in love with.

This kid loves to get his picture taken. Unlike his brother he will stand there and say 'cheese' for 10 straight seconds if that's how long it takes me to get a good shot. He's such a good sport. Hence the 80% more pictures of Joseph than Samuel.

He loves penguins. I don't know why, but he does. It's adorable.

And since he's a boy... he obviously loves ducks(trucks). Big ones, little ones, wooden ones, plastic ones, it doesn't matter! Even if their wheels don't move, it doesn't matter to him. He's easy to please.

Joseph is obsessed with eating. As if his figure doesn't hint at that fact. He is still in love with bananas. He easily eats 4 a day some days. He calls them "baanananans" We ask him to say "banana" just so we can laugh practically on an hourly basis.

This kid is as tough as nails. He can fall down and completely wipe out and hardly lets out a whimper. It's amazing. Guess the extra padding really pays off :)

I'm really bad at writing out how a kid actually pronounces words, but some of his pronunciations of words are completely worth documenting. I'm going to have to have Andy help me.

Stay tuned.

November Photos

Here are the rest of the November pictures that I wanted to post. They are totally out of order, but I just needed to get them on here before January rolls around :) Enjoy!

Practicing safe kitchen habits.

Left alone for 3 minutes with stamps!

Enjoying the indoor pool at the hotel that Poppy and Nana stayed at when they came to visit for Thanksgiving. When we drive by the hotel that they stayed at Joseph exclaims "Poppy go there!"

My sweet Samuel relaxing in the jacuzzi. He did NOT want to risk drowning. :)

Williamsburg, VA with Papa Bear and Oma



Lots of time was spent in the leaves this November.

I simply cannot get ENOUGH of this kid!

Color lessons with cars and legos is always a success!

Downtown Charlottesville, VA with GranRan and Gigi

The famous shirt that Samuel used to break the news of our pregnancy with Joseph. It shockingly fit Joseph. This is how they broke the news to their Grandparents. This shirt and Samuel telling them that "there's a belly in mommy's tummy!" What's that Sam? "Um, there's a BABY in mommy's belly!" Then they got it :)

Date Night With Mommy

After many home haircuts and much money saved, I thought it was about time to introduce Samuel to his first real salon haircut. We built it up and made it a big outing for Samuel and me. It was our first date night together and we were going to get ice cream afterwards. We made some great memories and he did fabulous at the hair cutters.



I just had to take a picture of this enormous sunday we got. Look how big that thing is... and yes we ate it all!

It was a great night. We're both looking forward to our next date. But, Samuel says next time, he doesn't want to get his hair cut :)

Katya is HOME!

About 2 weeks ago we drove to Dulles Airport in DC to welcome home the Finley's newest family member, Katya. After a year of praying for this day to arrive it was quite an exciting time.

Our boys are really starting to see some of their BIG prayers answered. It's such a faith growing experience for us all. We are so thrilled to be a part of such a beautiful story.





Always room for one more!

Advent Time Is Upon Us

The older I get the more excited about Christmas I get. Sounds strange, I know. Usually kids are the front runners with the holiday spirit, but not in this house.

Someone asked Samuel the other day in a store what he wants for Christmas. He gave them a strange look and said "nothing". Now, that is S-T-R-A-N-G-E! But, I love it. He just doesn't get 'it' that he's expected to want everything he sees. I hope it lasts forever...

Seeing the sparkle in the kids' eyes during this season and seeing them try and wrap their minds around the concept of a baby that was miraculously born who later was killed and rose from the dead and now is ALIVE. That is the true miracle of the season! And I LOVE seeing the freshness of their faiths blossom with each new day.

With the beginning of December here we've already begun our advent season and are having a blast with our new calendar.

Ours of course does not say Whitaker... it just says Merry Christmas.

We're using the same idea that we did last year and are having much more fun now that the boys are getting older and can grasp deeper concepts.

It's not too late to start celebrating advent. Go here to read our post on advent from last year and start celebrating the birth of our KING.

Happy December, friends. May the miracle of Jesus' birth be constantly on your hearts this season.

Our Three Pumpkins

We have been blessed beyond measure again! We stand in awe of God and his abundant blessings in our lives. We are thrilled that baby #3 is headed our way and is expected to arrive mid-June.

"Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb is a reward" (Psalm 127:3).