We all are happy to have Cody back with us!! Since he got back we have been blessed to spend a lot of time together with family and friends. Heather and Jay came to Missouri for Thanksgiving and we enjoyed hanging out with them at my parents. We are now getting ready for our trip to California. We fly out there on December 18th. We are excited to see the Morris'. This will be Samuel's 1st plane ride (outside of the womb). We will bring toys, books, cheerios and hope he will take a nap sometime during the flight :) While visiting my parents they wanted to give him his birthday present early. We can learn the alphabet with his new talking and singing catepillar. Samuel is making new "guh" and "duh" sounds. He can also climb up and down the stairs like a pro. When we go outside he likes to walk, so I don't carry him as much. He's singing a lot more and dances when we listen to music. He also likes to climb and explore. We love our boy!

He's a Walkin' Man

Samuel took his first steps on his own October 21st!! He has been practices his walking quite a bit and is doing very well. It's hard to believe how fast my little boy is growing. And he isn't so little anymore. He will be 11 months old on the 14th. And he weighs 21 lbs. 8 oz and is 30 inches long. Samuel and I went to a conference in Chicago with some friends this weekend. Our favorite speaker was Heidi Baker. If you are not familiar with her, she and her husband are missionaries in Mozambique and the countries of South East Africa. They minister and share the gospel with the poor and the orphans. They have seen thousands of people give their lives to the Lord and witnessed blind eyes see and deaf ears hear. I love her passion for the Lord and how she loves people. Cody has been on a ministry trip for about a month. Cody and the guys he works with traveled to Indiana, Ohio, Arizona and California to share the gospel. They have seen many people accept Jesus, be healed, delivered and baptized. We are excited for what the Lord is doing. Cody will be coming back home soon and we look forward to seeing him!

9 months

Samuel wants to play
Samuel with his friend Elisha. She is 6 1/2 months old. Cale and Samuel

Samuel is crawling really fast now and does really well holding onto things while he walks. If I turn over a hamper, he will push it in front of him while he walks! He says mama and dada on a regular basis and gets a reaction from us every time. He gets really excited when Cody brings out the guitar. If Cody stands up to play, Samuel will try to climb his legs to get to it! He also enjoys having play time with babies and children. When I take Samuel for a walk in his stroller by the park, he gets excited and wants to get out and play with the kids. I started watching Cale, who is 3 mos. old a couple days a week and Samuel enjoys the company.

On Saturday night we went to the city to feed the homeless. This was the first time I had done this and it was a life changing experience. We went with some friends who live in Kansas City. We made breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs, potatoes, green bell pepper, and onion. We also brought corn on the cob, apples, donuts and soda. The Lord provided all the food for us. We didn't have to pay for any of it. We prayed before we went and asked the Lord to direct us to where we should go and who we should talk to. The first person Julian and Cody talked with while the rest of us stayed in the van and prayed. Bobby was his name and he was a veteran. He was a Christian and they got to pray with him, give some food and give him a Bible. We pulled over at a bus stop and Julian talked with two older men. One took the food that was offered to him, but the other man refused. Julian asked the other man if he could leave some for him to have later and the man said no. Julian asked if he could give them a Bible. The first man said the had one and the second man said, "I want one of those!" He had lost his Bible and was grateful to receive a new one. He wasn't hungry for food, he was hungry for the Word of God! At another spot we saw someone sleeping on a bench covered with newspaper. Julian got out to leave some food with a Bible beside the bench and realized it was a man and woman, nicely dressed. The man had a little bit of facial hair like he might have not shaved for a day or so. Julian thought they may have just lost their business and that's why they were on the streets. We got to minister to many others that night. It was awesome to be the hands and feet of Jesus. I feel like I have been missing out on a big part of Biblical Christianity. Feeding the poor and pointing them towards Jesus is something necessary in every Christians life. Even if you don't feel "called" to be an evangelist, the Lord can use you to give someone a hug, a word of encouragement, a piece of bread or a cup of water. We know from the scriptures that Jesus ministered in the temple to believers, to tax collectors, prostitutes and the poor. He wasn't afraid to get on their level and hang out with them. He loved them. The Lord shares a lot about his thoughts towards the poor in His Word.

"He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy." Prv. 14:31 NKJV

"He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker..." Prv. 17:5

"He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given." Prv. 19:17

"He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor." Prv. 22:9

"Do not rob the poor because he is poor, nor oppress the afflicted at the gate; for the Lord will plead their cause, and plunder the soul of those who plunder them." Prv. 22:22-23

"Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, and your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.'" Isaiah 58:6-9

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor..." Isaiah 61:1

"When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your
relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lamed, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." Lk. 14:12:14

8 months

Samuel will be 8 months old on the 14th and he is on the move. He loves to explore and chew on everything :) He can walk along the coffee table while holding onto the edge and he can sit down on his own now! His top four front teeth are coming in, along with the bottom two front teeth. We had a great visit with Laurie last month and are amazed at how much Samuel has learned since then. Samuel has recently started to make the sound, bah-bah. My dad said he is saying "grandpa" :) Cody is in Kansas this week building a fence with Steve and Brad. Samuel and I are missing him and look forward to when he comes home.

On the move

Since my last post Cody and I celebrated our 2 year anniversary on June 10th! We got to go out for dinner while some friends watched Samuel for us. Samuel will be 7 months old in two days!Over the course of the past month Samuel has learned how to crawl, he likes to reach for his toes and stick them in this mouth :) and he is also able to stand with help. His legs are very strong. He has also been introduced to new foods! So far he has tried rice cereal, mashed ripe banana, green beans, and squash. He seems to enjoy the different flavors and he likes to chew on the rubber spoon. On Monday I discovered that his two top front teeth are starting to come through the gums.

We all enjoyed seeing Heather and Jay in Missouri July 2nd-6th. Heather, Samuel and I cheered Jay on as he took 1st place in his age category at the 4th of July 5k race in Warrensburg! It was great to get to see them. We also look forward to seeing my mother-in-law, Laurie who is coming to Missouri tomorrow! It is always a blessing when we get to spend time with family.

California

We had a great journey on our surprise visit out to California and are now back in Missouri. Samuel was a wonderful traveler. We left Warrensburg on April 28th and made it to Colorado that night where we set up camp. Samuel helped Cody start a fire. The next day we drove to the border of Utah and Nevada and spent the night at a hotel. The next day we made it to Grandma and Grandpa (John & Laurie) Morris' house. I hid behind some bushes while Cody put Samuel on their doorstep. Then Cody rang the door bell and ran behind the bushes. Laurie answered the door and said, "There's a baby on the doorstep!" They were all surprised to see us. We got to be there for Ashley's graduation party, Caleb's birthday and Mother's Day. We had a great visit with family and friends. Everyone enjoyed getting to see Samuel.

Future football player?

Relaxing in our new apartment!

More of Samuel

Look at him hold up that head!! He's able to hold his head up

for a few seconds at a time while laying on his tummy!

What a cute blue eyed baby!!

what does samuel have to say #4

Samuel is pretty camera shy most of the time, but I was able to sneak in from a side angle. He is making all kinds of different sounds now!

Friendly Visitors

Samuel had a big weekend! Samuel came with Cody and I to pick up some friendly visitors at the Kansas City airport. He got to see his Aunt Heather again and he met Jay for the first time (thanks for coming to see us). Samuel is talking more and is alert more everyday. According to our scale here at the house, Samuel is now 14 pounds!! He is getting some nice muscle tone as you can see in the picture above. He is growing up so fast! Last night he slept for 9 1/2 hours!! Momma was grateful for the long rest :) He will be 3 months old, tomorrow, Friday, March 14th.

11 Weeks Old

Wearing "big boy" clothes!

Samuel really likes his carseat!!!

What does Samuel have to say #3

Mama's little boy!!!

What does Samuel have to say #2

Samuel-January 12th (One Month Old)

Friends of Jesus

For nearly a year our family and several others have met to encourage one another in the Lord and encounter His presence. It has been an incredible source of encouragement in these uncertain times. God has blessed us with several healings, anointed worship, Holy laughter and a spirit of prophetic utterance and encouragement.

More than anything else our hearts have been knit together in the affection of Jesus!! Often times we leave with a genuine sense that our brothers and sisters are greater than ourselves. We have left meetings with our hearts enlarged with the capacity to love in greater ways. We often end up loving those in the room more when we leave than when we first showed up. That is truly a work of God.

Grandma Morris and her new best friend!!!

What does Samuel have to say today?

Silly Sammy

Just wanted to show you the fun side of Samuel Joshua. He was a little under 1 month old when he decided he was hungry enough to eat my nose. The pose of Samuel boxing is when he was 2 months old and Samuel with no legs...well...we don't know.

Samuel praising the Lord

Samuel has had a passion for raising his arms while he sleeps. He has been known to do this for up to a half an hour or more.