ROSEBUD LIPS AND LOVE ALL AROUND

JOJO LOVING ON SAMUEL

ANNA... SO IN LOVE WITH HER BABY BROTHER

We were just amazed by Samuel's rosebud lips... they were so rosy red and beautiful. We couldn't help kissing them. The kids took all sorts of pictures while we spent time with Samuel. Any one who knows me knows I love pictures and am rarely in one because I am the one taking them. But the kids were busy that day, and they caught some very precious moments with our 4th son.

Another thing I noticed was how God created little girls with that "mommy heart". It was so evident in the time that Anna spent with Samuel. She was constantly wanting to hold him and love on him. I finally had to say, "Anna this is the last time." because I wanted to hold my son. All of the kids wanted to be with Samuel and hold him, there was just something a little different about how Anna went about it. She is probably, well already is just like me... A BABY LOVER.

We just had 2 very quick precious days with our friends the Boggs from the seminary. They would've have been Samuel's godparents along with our niece Hannah. Becky and I are so much a like, I know she completely gets me. Being in a new city and grieving has been difficult, I am not going to lie. Having her here was just a blessing and gift to me. She walked with me, listened to me, hugged me and cried with me. She isn't afraid to let me grieve and be right there with me... what a gift.

Their family along with 3 others from Sem. gave us the most precious gifts. Each family took one of our 4 living kids and tied a fleece blanket for them. Each family prayed over that specific child as they made the blanket for them. I will post pictures of them after thanksgiving. Then all four families made one huge blanket for Greg and I. It was divided into fourths. Each fourth was one of the same patterns of fleece from the other 4 kids. Then smack dab in the middle was a different piece overlapping the other 4 with a new pattern to represent Samuel. My description is not doing it justice at all. All 4 families got together and as they tied the big blanket they prayed for our family and Greg and I. When I saw the pattern for Samuel I jsut wept. What a gift and treasure, the blanket and those dear friends. I can't wait to thank them... but for now Thank you Boggs, Barketts, Hayters and Stinettes. I can't tell you how much we all love them and what they mean to us now and will mean to us in the future. Thank you for acknowledging Samuel's precious life. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for wrapping us all in your prayers and God's love shown in the flesh.

We thank you all for your prayers and love. We would ask that you continue to pray for us. Each day I realize what a journey this is going to be. I want to go back to who I was a month ago. That will never happen. I am forever changed, a totally different person. I know through God's work in the long haul that won't be a bad thing. Right now though it is rough. Just when I think it has to get better, I feel a deeper pain than before. I want to be on the other side of the pain... There is no way to get there, but to go through it. And I know the other side will never be what we had before. And that is OK, how can we go back to before our sweet son Samuel. He is our son and he will forever be a part of our family and who we are. God gave him to us and this Thanksgiving we are grateful for the precious 9 months we had with him.

We are off to Wisconsin for a week to be with family. Being here for Thanksgiving would have just been too hard. I may try to post while we are up there. Otherwise I pray you all are blessed with a wonderful Thanksgiving. Even amidst the sadness we have much to be thankful for.