Samuel and Joseph

Here is a picture of our family. Samuel was blessed on Sunday. He is wearing the same baby outfit that Joseph wore, as well as the same one that his dad and uncles wore. It was a little snug, but it fit. If we had waited any longer, he would have burst out of it.

My boys. What a handsome bunch! :)
Joseph and his baby brother. Samuel still enjoys watching his big brother. He smiles lots when he sees him and he will turn his head in any direction.
Here is everyone that participated in the blessing (except for Joseph). I spent so much time in Texas and then trying to get our house in order that I failed to contact lots of family members. The only reason we had anyone there was that Joe reminded me at the last minute. Sorry to all ya'll Wades. We would have loved to have you there also. I hope there are no hard feelings. The blessing was sweet. I don't know if it is appropriate to blog about the baby blessing and the promises, so I will just say that I am grateful for the priesthood and that Heavenly Father is aware of us and loves us dearly. I am also glad that the microphone worked for Samuel's blessing. With Joseph's, I couldn't hear any of the promises or blessings.

Samuel and Joseph are growing up so fast. They are both so much fun.


Here is what is happening with Joseph. He is loving the fact that mommy is home with him all the time. Sometimes he will let me rest a little, but only sometimes. Most of the time he is up and he wants me to be up with him. Joseph is working on recognizing the letters of the alphabet. He loves his Dinosaur Encyclopedia. Dinosaurs are his favorite, but I am trying to help him gain confidence to do things on his own. Yesterday he put on his own pants and shirt. It is a struggle because he wants me to do it for him, but once he does it, he is so happy and proud of himself. The art in the video he did on his own. I left him with the paints so I could paint one of the rooms. He did a great job.

As for the transition to big brother, he is great for the most part. He likes to play with his brother. He has started to get jealous with his old toys and will take them from Samuel, even if he hasn't played with it in ages. He also waits till I start feeding Samuel to ask to go to the bathroom and then says that I need to put Samuel down and let him cry a little. This has happened on many occasions.

He likes to help around the house and loves to wash dishes. We'll see how long that one lasts. All in all, I love my little boy. He is so sweet and I am happy to be home with him.



Samuel is starting to be very interested in grabbing things. He doesn't like to be on his back or belly. He prefers to sit up or stand (with assistance of course). He purposefully reaches for things that are close to him. He likes this toy that Uncle David gave to Joseph when he was a baby. Samuel talks lots and smiles a lot. It is still hard to get him to laugh. He sleeps through the night for at least 6 to 7 hour stretches. He is awake a lot more during the day. Samuel is in size 3 diapers. He is getting a bald spot on the back of his head. It is sad to me because I love his head full of hair. The other day Joe was looking at him and said, "I found one thing that is Rankin on him...his ears." He then showed me his baby pics with the same type of ears. I also think that he has Grandpa Rankin's eyes.