Joy

Klaytor told Sam this morning: "You are my joy!" It is really true! Samuel is our joy, even when we tire of his whines and his "Why?"
It has been an emotional few months for the us. We have (almost!) sold our house in Paducah. The closing is scheduled for next week. (I hesitate to even type that- I don't want to jinx it!)
Friday, Klaytor, Peeps, and I cleaned out the house, and took one last look around. I shed plenty of tears during that last look, and on the drive back to Owensboro! We lived there 3 years, a pretty short time. But, we packed a lot of memories into those 3 years! As I walked through, I thought about our very first day there, when we discovered the shower had a BIG leak, waking Klaytor up on Father's Day weekend 2007 to tell him he was going to be a daddy, bringing Samuel home on the 23rd of February, 2008, saw the pink stain in the carpet where Sam coughed until he threw up red juice, and sat in the room where I rocked him to sleep. I thought about Christmases and 2 fun birthday parties. The kids had so much fun last year riding anything that rolled down the big hill, and jumping on the trampoline! (By the way, the trampoline came down a lot faster than it went up!)We had lots of sweet times there. But, like Klaytor told me, the house doesn't hold the emotions (or memories)- we do!
Mixed in with the emotions of leaving the first house we bought together is the relief that the house is selling, and the JOY that it sold before the upkeep of spring chores started.
Late in January, we learned Sam was going to be a big brother, and 11 days later, had to tell our family that he wasn't going to be a brother after all. Sam has thankfully forgotten that we told him he was going to be a brother, but Klaytor and I will never forget the plans we made, names we considered, happiness, and then sadness that we experienced in that time. Our family and friends have been so wonderfully supportive and kind!
Just last week, we sat with Klaytor's family and friends while his brother, Jeff, underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor. Awesomely, the surgeon was able to remove the tumor without causing any motor impairment, and Jeff is home, and doing great. We are humbled by God's power, and enjoying spending time with Jeff and his family while he recovers!
In all the ups and downs of family relationships, fun, times of happiness and sorrow, our hope is to cling to Jesus, and love each other. So, we have joy, and Samuel is definitely a reminder of that!

Sorry if this is "deep"! This is sort of Sam's scrap book, and sometime he will be able to see, and read, what happened before his long term memory kicked in! :) And, know anyone who is waiting for a thank you note from Sam's birthday will know why it is late!

And, to show we had some fun in these months, we also had Sam's birthday party, and he and Klaytor spent a weekend with the Illinois family while Jenny and I enjoyed a weekend away to srapbook. If I could get it together and organize it into books, Sam's scapbook is almost all caught up. The only exceptions, I think, are a 2009 trip to the zoo, and our 2010 trip to Holiday World!