army party

Still playing "blog-catch-up"...
We had Sam's 5th birthday party the weekend before Christmas. He chose an "army guy" theme and was really into it! I found he and Joel some camo shirts and then some face paint to really get into the theme! And a guy from church used to be in the army so he let Rob and Aaron borrow his stuff so they would really look the part too! He even gave my boys some of his old flashlights and bereas (is that how you spell that?). The weather was chilly but sunny and beautiful so our backyard was set-up like a mini battle field! They played outside with Daddy and Uncle Aaron and had a blast! I had to bribe them with cake to get them to come back inside! It was actually a pretty hands-off party for me, and I sort of liked that! I supplied the food and Daddy took over the rest! Here are a few pics from the morning:

The b-day boy getting ready for battle!

Daddy's team

Uncle Aaron's team

The battle...

...and the battle rages on.

Happy 5th b-day Sam! What a big boy

you have become!

5.

5 years ago today, Rob and I walked into the delivery room of a 15 year-old girl in Virginia and met YOU, our long awaited son for the first time! After 3 LONG years of heartache, God gave you, Samuel Arnold, to us! Oh what a joyous day it was! One I will never forget! And it was just the beginning of a journey in parenting that has held many ups and downs, but one I would not trade! Samuel, we have watched you grow in so many ways and we are so proud of the boy you are becoming and we anticipate the man of God you will some day be! We love your smile, your deep sense/need for justice, your protective heart, and your imagination that knows no bounds! Happy 5th Birthday son! We love you, and Jesus loves you best! ~Mommy & Daddy

Our first meeting!

4 days old on Christmas, still in Virginia!

3 months old at a baby shower given by friends!

My arms are full!

1

2

(ignore the date on pic; see pic in background)

3

4

5

battin' 1000...

...our little man is, that is! Samuel hit a ball each time at bat when his coach was pitching to him! He never had to use the tee! We were beaming with pride and he was very excited too! Way to go Sam! That's our boy! (He loves it when we yell that at the games!)

Only 4 more games to go, so if you haven't come out to see our little "natural", you better hurry because time is running out! Go A's!

Ready...

Swing and a hit (I think).

Hanging loose on 1st base!

Coming around to 3rd...

Striking an adorable pose! Oh, I love

that smile! What a boy!

the "draft results...

Well, the "draft" results are in and it seems Samuel has been chosen to play on the Athletics t-ball team!!! His practices start on Wednesday and then games start on April 4th! They will be sporting green jerseys and white pants along with a green and yellow cap! So, if you want look like a fan, go out and purchase some Athletics gear yourself! ;)

Also, please pray for him as he will be entering a new "phase" and we want him to make new friends and enjoy himself! Pray also for Rob and I to be patient with him as he adjusts and to make new friends as well among the other parents! And may the Lord be evident in our lives and family as we interact with those around us at the practices and games!

Go Athletics!

tee ball...

Well, I can't believe it, but I just finished registering Samuel for tee ball!!!! My baby is not a baby anymore! Rob and I aren't sure what to expect, in regards to his behavior and participation, but we figured we had to start somewhere. And well, $55 didn't seem like too much to possibly waste on the attempt! We are hopeful for the experience and excited to get more involved in our community and meet other parents! Pray for our little guy as he embarks on his first big boy adventure! Practices start at the end of February and games start April 4th! Can't wait!

A Warning About Dollar Store Toys...

Let me begin by saying I am sorry there are no pictures to show with this post...my camera or software is acting up and after 3 attempts, I gave up.
Anyways, back to the warning.
Two mornings ago, Samuel got off the couch while watching PBS and held up his finger to me and whined, "It's stuck!" What I saw was a small orange tube stuck on Samuel's pointer finger. I thought to myself, "No big deal. It's not REALLY stuck. I can get it off. Worse case, I'll lather it up with soap and it will surely come off."
I then asked him what it was and where it came from. He quickly informed me in his Samuel-sort-of-way, "Well, well, it's to my gum (translation: from my gun)."
After a moment of consideration, I realized it was the tip off of one of his dollar store guns (his and Joel's favorite place to go now).
So I calmly took his finger and tried to pull it off. Nothing. I then tried twisting it. Nothing.
Okay, no need to panic. Off to the bathroom sink. Water and soap applied. Pulled. Nothing. Twisted. Yes, it now would twist, but that was it. It was officially stuck on his knuckle.
Now he was crying and I was starting to panic a bit myself. How ridiculous I would look going into an ER w/ this situation.
"Call Rob! He'll know what to do!" I thought.
So call him I did. He offered to come home to try to solve the problem. In the meantime I calmed Sam down and tried to think of other ways to get it off.
My Pampered Chef all purpose scissors! Don't worry, I wasn't going to cut his finger off, though they will cut a metal can. They infact, won't cut you at all! So I slid them up the side of the tube and tried cutting it. It worked, but I couldn't get it to cut all the way to the top. Alas, it was still stuck.
Then Daddy arrived just in time to save the day, as now Samuel was starting to panic again.
Rob tried pliers to pull it off with. He then tried cutting it more. Still nothing. Then he headed to the bathroom for more soap.
Sadly, in the end, he simply had to resort to a good-old-fashioned tug. With Samuel screaming as he held him still between his legs, Rob pulled as hard as he could and off came the tube, with a bit of Sam's skin as well.
Once neosporin and a Spiderman bandaid was applied, all was right in the Tombrella home once again.

So, the moral to our story: beware of dollar store "treats". They can fall apart (and usually do within a day) and result in a crazy morning like this one. Sure glad it wasn't worse!

A Little Funny...

There are many areas that our precious son, Samuel, has grown in over the past year....

what a joy and answer to our prayers!

However, there is one area that could still use a bit of work...

Below you will find the evidence!

(I couldn't make it publish very large, so I stretched the photo myself,

hence the slight blurriness.)

"Stand here son. Right here."

(All you belly lovers out there...notice my roundness?!)


Yes, posed photos of any kind are not Sam's forte yet...we continue to be hopeful for the future!

Adoption Day!

Us in front of the judge after it was all over!

Sam's holding a bear the judge gave him!

Raising our right hand to ensure we tell the truth!

Three years ago, today, a judge in Dallas, TX declared Samuel ours...forever! His birth certificate was then able to officially say that I was his mother and Rob was his father! It was a very memorable day in our life and we try to celebrate it with Sam every year! This is the first year he is really into it...you can tell he likes the individual attention. This morning Rob asked him, "Does Joel get an adoption day?" And Sam said, "No, just me!" with a big grin on his face as he pointed to himself! So cute! And then every so often today he will tell me, "I so happy Mom, today is Dopshun Day!" It makes my heart sing with joy and praise to the Lord for the gift of our firstborn!