12.13.2010

Warm Wishes to You and Yours this Holiday Season!

Color Me Merry Christmas Card
Create modern Christmas photo cards at Shutterfly.
View the entire collection of cards.

12.25.2009

Merry Christmas 2009




Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Joel, Jacqueline & Whitaker Samples

12.24.2009

Merry Christmas Eve






This was our Christmas Eve. I had to work the majority of the day but my sister and family came in for the day to celebrate Christmas. Food, Fun and Presents made the evening!
Can't wait for tomorrow when we actually get to see Whitaker play with his new toys. AND I would like to attempt a Christmas 2009 family photo. We'll see...

12.21.2009

so this is snow...



after church yesterday we formally introduced snow to whitaker. whitaker didn't want anything to do with getting his shoes wet. ah. he takes after his father. a particular one he is.

12.15.2009

we better have all boys...

...or i'm going to be in big trouble with joel because once again i just couldn't pass up another great buy, aka: winter vest. but, we're vest people now thanks to the sub degree weather. we wear them inside and out. we haven't converted joel yet, but i have a feeling that by the time christmas rolls around he will be. *wink*

12.13.2009

a baby changes everything

Dear (Insert Friends & Family),

To be honest I've been dreading thinking of writing our Christmas Letter. What to write? What to leave out? Of course so much good has come out of this year, but there has been heart ache, change, and hardship too. As always the latter seems to out shadows the good.

Joel just finished up his third semester at Kent State. Being a student, husband, and dad has taken it's toll most days manifesting in very little sleep, but he remains Whitaker and I's hero. He hasn't ceased to amaze us. He is soaring academically and I couldn't be more proud! Just this next week he has an interview for an internship for a company that has both offices here in Akron and Atlanta. What are the chances? Please pray all goes well! So far he is planned to graduate May 2011, but he may try for next December.

I am currently working at Starbucks sporting the green apron and enjoying the medical benefits that come from only having to work part-time. I baby-sit for several families as well. Exciting news. I am back on track to finishing up my prerequisites to enter into an accelerate RN program sometime next year. Pray I survive organic chemistry and the drive 45 mins to the local community college where I will be taking classes. When I'm not working or thinking about school, Whitaker and I have been scouting the local libraries planning our survival guide for this cold snowy winter. We have been blessed to be apart of one awesome playgroup with eight other munchkins. Every other Tuesday afternoon we get together and as the babies play, the moms do what moms do best, talk!

Whitaker is fabulous. Folks come into work and ask me how my little man is doing and I can't help but start to glow. He's growing up so fast and giving Joel and I a run for our money. Running and slowly learning to talk but babbling up a storm, there is never a dull moment with this little guy. He is Joel's shadow. So far there have been no sick visits to the dr or emergency runs and I will be shocked if we can keep this up till his 2nd birthday. There are more bumps on his forehead than I care to count and of course his nose is all banged up from doing face plants into the carpet. My mom watches Whitaker when Joel and I are either at school or work and has been such a blessing allowing us to keep Whitaker out of daycare. Thanks mom!

This Christmas season has been a bright reminder of the precious approachable gift sent to earth to save us. Emmanuel's arrival came with heartache, change and hardship for a very young couple, not so different from ourselves. Just has Joel and I bow at the awesome responsibility that we have has parents to raise Whitaker as a God fearing man, Mary and Joseph were raising the Christ Child. I can't help as a mother but to shutter. To of grown up hearing of prophesies of the Christ's coming and the ultimate sacrifice He would make, and to know you are holding Him in your arms. wow.

Just as this baby has changed our life, Joel and I pray that this Christmas you and your family will be able to stop and celebrate the coming of Christ here to earth to seek and save the lost.

Merry Christmas!

The Samples

p.s. i'm waiting for whitaker nose to heal before i attempt to take a family picture.

12.09.2009

toddler-ized nursery

So maybe I made a mistake with having baby blue everywhere in Whitaker's nursery. Now that he's entering toddlerhood I'm desperately trying to keep up and update his room. I also got inspiration from the book 'Raising your child the Montessori way'. They strongly encourage each child having their own individual space. A safe place. haven. quiet zone. play area. And let's be honest- I'm more than willing to haul all the toys scattered about every where and put them in Whitaker's room. The updating has been slow...but I've made some progress.