Soldier Sam: Mission Mommy

by Mom & Dad
The first in a series of silly short stories.

Sam woke up hungry. Really hungry.

“I wonder where Mommy is,” thought Sam. He looked and looked but couldn’t find his mommy.
Daddy didn’t know where Mommy was either. But Daddy had an idea.

“Why don’t you go undercover and try to find Mommy?” suggested Daddy.

Sam had never gone undercover before. But he trusted Daddy and he listened to Daddy’s idea.

“We’ll call you Soldier Sam,” said Daddy. “Your camouflage clothing will keep you safe.”
Soldier Sam followed Daddy’s instructions and began searching for Mommy. He laid on his tummy and crawled. Then he opened his eyes wide and looked all around.
“Wait a second… is that Mommy under my crib?!” Sam thought to himself.
Sam was relieved that Mommy was safe. And he was even more relieved to know that his tummy would be full again soon.

Before and After

Before... (thanks to Aunt Tara for the cool shirt!)
And after... (thanks to Rob's co-worker Steve for the onesies!)
Sam got so excited that he made a mess in this one and got to wear both of his Cardinals outfits today!
And to top it off... the Cardinals won tonight's game! Woo-hoo!

You can always come home

Several years ago while randomly listening to Christian radio, I heard the "The Chasing Song" by Andrew Peterson. I was immediately drawn into the depth of the lyrics -- it wasn't the typical, predictable stuff you usually hear on Christian radio. The words were crafted together, yet they were honest and personal. I started following Andrew's music, and over the years we've seen him in concert several times (most notable is the annual "Behold the Lamb of God" Christmas show that Andrew and friends perform at the historic Ryman Auditorium once each December). Through Andrew's music, we've learned about other musicians who have a similar approach to songwriting. Most of these musicians are now part of the Square Peg Alliance. (I'll write more on the Square Pegs in a future post.)

About a year ago, Andrew and his friend Randy Goodgame (whose music we're also hooked on) got together and recorded 18 songs they'd written for their kids over the past few years. The end product was a CD called "Slugs & Bugs & Lullabies". It's one of those CD's you feel awkward buying when you don't have kids... so thankfully Sam came along and we had a good excuse to finally order a copy! OK, truth be told, I actually picked it up before Sam arrived -- you know, so he could become familiar with the songs while he was in the womb... (yeah, now I remember, that's why we bought it early...)

Fortunately, this is one kids' CD that you don't have to feel guilty buying as an adult. The first 13 tracks are the "Slugs & Bugs" section, filled with some hilarious songs. The last 5 tracks are lullabies that they wrote just for their kids. One of the standout lullabies is "You Can Always Come Home". I was hoping to work it up on guitar and play it at church on Fathers Day, but things were too busy with Sam just a few weeks old. Maybe another time. Anyway, thought I'd share the lyrics, as they make me think of our new life as parents and the way my parents must have felt when we were little, but also the way our heavenly Father must think of us. You can also hear the tune (and see someone's kid) on this YouTube video here.

"You Can Always Come Home"
by Andrew Peterson

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

There once was a man who found him a treasure
Buried out under a tree
He sold all he had just to own it forever
The treasure is you, you see

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

There once were some sheep safe on the farm
And one little lamb got loose
The shepherd went out and carried it home
That little lamb is you

I love you today and I love you tomorrow
I love you as deep as the sea
I love you in joy, and I love you in sorrow
You can always come home to me

5 More Minutes

For the past several evenings, we've taken Sam for a walk after dinner. Tonight I took him out by myself to give Michele a little break. We walked for about half an hour. Sam got a little fussy on the way back, so I did what I've been doing lately when he gets fussy. I made up a song and started singing it to him. It's sort of my personal version of "Whose line is it anyway?" where everything's made up and the points don't matter. I just make up lyrics on the spot and attempt to rhyme them. Of course, I try to keep it clean! Here's what came out tonight:

5 More Minutes

5 minutes and we'll be home
5 more minutes, we're not alone
5 minutes soon will pass
In 5 minutes we'll be home at last

5 minutes make up the day
5 minutes and we'll all play
5 minutes, I can hardly wait
Just 5 more minutes, now don't be late

5 minutes and we'll be home
5 more minutes, we're not alone
5 minutes, they never last
5 more minutes and the day is past

Too bad you can't hear the tune that goes along with it!

Now we're back safe at home. After the walk comes bath time, then a lotion rub down, then a snack with mom, then bedtime. He dozed off during snacktime tonight, then woke up when mom laid him down to rest... so now he's back up again for another snack. And the power of music again is comforting him. This time, it's Eva Cassidy's Songbird. If you haven't heard Eva, you should go out and buy one of her CD's. She wasn't really "discovered" until after her untimely death. But her voice is timeless.

Here's Sam after a bath the other day:

10 years ago today...

Wow, these 10 years have flown by. Lots of milestones: earning our masters degrees, me passing the CPA exam, Michele being named teacher of the year for our school district and earning National Teacher Certification, paying off student loans, buying 4 different cars over the years (the Grey Dog, the Batmobile, El Pilote, and the Blue Bullet), buying our home, taking several fun vacations -- most of which involved taking lots of risks with wilderness whitewater rafting -- and of course, having Sam.

Some of the best times for me have been the whitewater trips to Colorado, Tennessee, Idaho, Utah and North Carolina. Idaho was the riskiest (our first multi-day trip, camping out 6 nights in the wilderness, huge rapids at times). Utah might've been the best overall trip -- a 4-day run down the Green River in Dinosaur National Monument. We had so much fun, we went back the next summer with Michele's youngest brothers Mark and David. Some day I hope we can head back out there with Sam to conquer the rapids, enjoy some nights under the stars, and grow closer together. That's the best part of the river trips -- growing closer together. It probably sounds strange that getting away from absolutely everything (including electricity and plumbing) could ever be fun. But they've truly been some of the best times, and the best stories that we can ever tell. Thanks for 10 wonderful years, Michele. I hope we have at least 100 more!

10 hours ago today... (give or take)

I was able to take a day off work and enjoy some time at home with Michele and the little guy. We had a relaxing day -- took a walk, took a nap, took some time-out to enjoy each other. Tonight some good friends watched Sam while we went out to eat. It's one of those days I wish we could wake up tomorrow and do all over again.

And the winner is...

Tara!! Congratulations on winning our first ever "Where in the World is Sam?" contest! You named the correct location of the photos below: Aunt Nancy's home! Sam tried to visit her a few weeks ago but she was nowhere to be found.

Tell her what she's won, Bob:
Tara, you've earned the privilege to see one of Sam's best photos to date! Check it out:

What about a consolation prize?
It only seems fair to give our runner up, Sarah, a special prize. Sarah, how about this priceless photo of you and the world's cutest baby:
Bonus photo!
We took Sam to the pool and all the babes hovered around him. He's a chick magnet!

where in the world is Sam?

The first installment of our new feature: Where in the World is Sam?

Sam took a road trip a few weekends ago... Any guesses who he tried to visit?!!