The Cash Family

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T08:21:00.000-08:00

Here is an awesome (and short) article that really helps keep things in perspective this Christmas season. Merry Christmas everyone! :)

http://blog.marshill.com/2011/12/22/five-gifts-from-god/

zoo vid-joe

2011-09-25T18:11:00.000-07:00

feeding the daddy giraffe at the zoo

a perfect Sunday

2011-09-04T10:25:00.000-07:00

Joy. Worship. Life. God.

2011-08-25T12:04:00.001-07:00

"That’s what I want you to have. Joy. Worship. Life. God. Everything given from Him. And what I want you to do – here’s your assignment – every time you get something. Every time you eat. Every time you put your clothes on. Every time you get in your car. Every time you sit on your couch. Every time you turn on your television. Every time you go out with a friend. Every single thing that comes into your life, I want you to realize, that is God’s gift. That is God’s grace. That is God’s kindness. And I want you to thank Him because God loves people who are cheerful in their giving and receiving.

And even the trials, struggles, the difficulties, those are God’s gifts to you as well, to conform you into the image of His Son and make you more holy. Everything is from God and you should receive it and distribute it. And you should do that smiling." Pastor Mark Driscoll

David and Goliath - Samuel-style!

2011-08-20T11:34:00.000-07:00

aaaaaaah!

2011-08-13T15:29:00.000-07:00

AMAZING. PLEASE READ.

2011-08-06T11:00:00.000-07:00

I was lead to this information from another blog...please read this story. It is truly amazing! Here is amazon's book review:

What would cause an eighteen-year-old old senior class president and homecoming queen from Nashville, Tennessee, to disobey and disappoint her parents by forgoing college, break her little brother’s heart, lose all but a handful of her friends (because the rest of them think she has gone off the deep end), and break up with the love of her life, all so she could move to Uganda, where she knew only one person but didn’t know any of the language?"

A passion to make a difference.

Katie Davis left over Christmas break her senior year for a short mission trip to Uganda and her life was turned completely inside out. She found herself so moved by the people and children of Uganda that she knew her calling was to return and care for them. She has given up a relatively comfortable life—at a young age—to care for the less fortunate of this world. She was so moved by the need she witnessed, she's centered her life around meeting that need. Katie, a charismatic and articulate young woman, is in the process of adopting 13 children in Uganda, and she completely trusts God for daily provision for her and her family.

Despite the rough conditions in which Katie lives, she has found a life of service to God to be one of great joy. Katie's children bring constant delight and help her help others by welcoming whoever comes to their door. As the challenges grow, so does Katie's faith and her certainty that what she's doing in Uganda, one person at a time, will have far-reaching rewards. It isn't the life she planned, but it is the life she loves.

To further her reach into the needs of Ugandans, Katie established Amazima Ministries. The ministry matches orphaned children with sponors worldwide. Each sponsor's $300/year provides schooling, school supplies, three hot meals a day, minor medical care, and spiritual encouragement. Katie expected to have forty children in the program; she had signed up 150 by January 2008; today it sponsors over 400. Another aspect of the ministry is a feeding program created for the displaced Karamojong people—Uganda's poorest citizens. The program feeds lunch to over 1200 children Monday-Friday and sends them home with a plate of food; it also offers basic medical care, Bible study, and general health training.

Katie Davis, now 22, is more than fascinating, she's inspiring, as she has wholeheartedly answered the call to serve.

Here is a link to Katie's blog.

Here is a link to Katie's ministry.

And here is a link to the book, Kisses from Katie on Amazon.

Happy 2nd Birthday Samuel Bayne!

2011-07-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Samuel Bayne!

2011-07-29T19:26:00.001-07:00

I know, I know, everyone says it...but, for reals yo.....TIME FLIES! Thank you, Lord, for Samuel. He is such a joy...he is BEYOND a joy (is there a word for that?). Happy 2nd Birthday Stinks!

at his first birthday:

at his second birthday party last weekend:

pure j.o.y.

2011-07-05T18:26:00.000-07:00

my main men (and gracie, too)

2011-06-22T14:46:00.000-07:00

nightlights - jimmy needham

2011-06-20T13:56:00.000-07:00

"Nightlights" by Jimmy Needham

Be Thou exalted over my reputation

‘Cause applause is a poor form of soul medication

And I’ve tried it for years but my symptoms remain

Still fretting the day that they’ll misplace my name

Still selling my soul for American fame

Treating the promotion of Jesus like a well oiled machine

Advancing His kingdom just to snag some acclaim

Now, I’m both comforted and haunted that it isn’t just me though

I see a nation of people needing to feed their own egos

Parading status like steeples

Do we not know it’s evil to love ourselves more than both God and His people?

But see, here’s where you turn this poem on it’s head

‘Cause the greatest among us came as servant instead

And You humbled Yourself to the point of Your death

Apparently love for the Father’s glory runs red

So friends, will we point to the Son till our own flames grow dim?

Will our bright lights become merely nightlights near Him?

Words echo once, let them echo again

Be Thou exalted over my reputation

sammy b

2011-06-14T06:29:00.000-07:00

Jeff is teaching me how to make videos out of the clips we have on our computer. Here is my first attempt (with help from Jeff too!)

(sorry for the poor picture quality, i wasn't sure how big of a file i could upload onto the blog)

the mornin' do

2011-06-11T10:11:00.001-07:00

end of may

2011-06-09T19:08:00.001-07:00

Nana and Uncle Ben (aka: uncle dee) came ALL the way out to visit us at the end of May! We still haven't stopped talking about how much fun we had with them here. In fact, Samuel reminds me multiple times per day about things he did with nana and uncle ben! We went and saw horse races, went to a baseball game, went to the zoo, and lots of other fun things! I only have pictures on our computer from the zoo...but i am gonna track down the other pics from Roxie so I can post them. There was something EXTREMELY special about this visit - I know we will cherish the memories from this time together for a long, long time!

Roxie and Ben went on a safari (is that the right terminology?) while Ben was in Africa - but even though they have held baby tigers, they still played along as we oohed and aahed at the confined animals at the zoo :) here is sammy imitating the elephants:

Samuel loooooooooves Uncle Ben. They became best buds over the week.

come on, this goat makes you smile. don't fight it. :)

the zoo also has a splash park

Nana treated us so we could go feed the birds. Samuel was so brave - he loved holding the cup of nectar by himself

We love you Nana and Uncle Ben! Thank you so much for coming to see us! We want you to come back! pu-pu-pu-pulease!?!?!? :)

mid-may

2011-06-05T12:33:00.000-07:00

this is what happens when i dont pay attention....couch t-ball :)

extreme sports, here we come!

what a difference a year makes!

2011-05-26T14:07:00.001-07:00

the first half of may

2011-05-24T15:56:00.000-07:00

the louisville zoo is the bomb diggity. aunt allie suggested that we go when she came to visit (for the second time - yeah, she is awesome!)

these bad boys just walk around strutting their stuff...

the giraffe's were close enough to touch (which doesn't mean you were supposed to touch them :) haha!)

aunt allie spoils sammy when she visits...he keeps going to the door and asking for her!

Things were going to be pretty hectic at the store, so Jeff sent Sam and I home with Allie a week before he came home. We enjoyed lots of time with family and friends while we were home!

jeff's birthday morning (killing time before we woke him up!)

a LOT of time was spent at Jubala Village Coffee (uncle Andrew's new shop).

Overall, we had a great visit. Not gonna lie, it was a lot harder coming back to Louisville this time around. Nonetheless, the Lord is faithful and we are enjoying the time together with just the 3 of us!

ah-mazing

2011-05-22T17:32:00.000-07:00

The past 2 weeks have been filled with fun and family (pictures to come)...but until then, ENJOY!

(just fyi: samuel originally started doing this dance to the music outside of yogurt mountain with ZERO prompting - i promise, he doesn't watch mtv!)

fun times!

2011-04-28T16:30:00.000-07:00

my life with twins :)

blaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

Easter in pictures

2011-04-26T10:31:00.000-07:00

thanks mom and pop for the Easter basket

one man band

2011-04-22T18:10:00.000-07:00

Samuel really loves music. Whether it is clapping, or dancing, or playing the "ning-ning" (aka: guitar ... just think of the noise a guitar makes when it is strummed), or playing the drums, or singing...he loves it all! One night, he pulled out the pots and pans and started his own little band.

singing while he drums

completely on his own, samuel turned the one 'drum' into a "ning-ning like dadda". Samuel is always doing things and then telling me he is "like dadda". precious (and very creative, if i do say so myself).

farewell favorite pajamas...

2011-04-22T07:45:00.000-07:00

Thunder Over Louisville

2011-04-21T13:40:00.000-07:00

So, the Kentucky Derby is a BIG DEAL here in Louisville (and i'd imagine across the whole state). The festivities kicked off this past weekend with an air show and fireworks display (that is bigger than D.C.'s fireworks, which is evidently a big deal :) haha). Unfortunately, it was f-f-f-freezing (and a little rainy) for the air show....so part of it got cancelled due to visibility. Nonetheless, Samuel loved the airplanes and is waiting to go to his next air show with his Pop-Pop (aka: D.R. aka: brooke's dad). Here are some pics from the festivities:

a day in the life of samuel bayne

2011-04-19T07:07:00.000-07:00

i think it is time for new pj's...whatcha think?

watching toy story 3

building with his "bocks" (aka: blocks)

the best part? knocking them over!

late night snack while we wait for daddy to get home from work :)

and now, a note from Samuel Bayne himself: gggggggggggggggggggxxed3xwdf etghtrgnrgbbu7bj7

new kicks

2011-04-17T18:23:00.000-07:00

Samuel is pretty keen on doing EVERYTHING by himself these days. He loves putting on his rain boots...and mommy and daddy's shoes too. It absolutely warms my heart to turn the corner and see Samuel coming down the hall with ginormous shoes on. He gets soooo proud when he gets them on by himself! Here he is wearing Jeff's dress shoes:

sunday at the park

2011-04-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

we had beautiful weather this past sunday so we went to the park after church for lunch. here are some pics from our favorite day (so far) in louisville :)

loving louisville

2011-04-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Samuel has always loved drinking out of aunt allie's water bottle :)

oh my goodness...i bought these rain boots at a consignment shop when samuel wasn't even a year old. i would periodically put them on him and he would just freeze as if he had forgotten how to walk. well, samuel likes to pick out what he is going to wear now, and he picked these out of the closet...and is loving them (mommy and daddy are loving them too!)

friday's weather was upper 70's and sunny. we enjoyed a walk around our complex (which has a pond with a fountain & lots of ducks, turtles, and geese (yuck on the geese))

seriously, these rain boots are the jimmy jam!

samuel loves using a normal toothbrush - go figure! this morning we went to the st. matthew library (it is about 4 minutes from our house!) for story/craft time. samuel had a great time. while we were there, a terrible storm came through town - branches fell, the sky became pitch black, and you couldn't see but a few inches in front of your face b/c the rain was so heavy. thankfully, it left as quickly as it came and everyone was safe! thank goodness for rain boots ;)

this is the craft that Samuel Bayne made at the library (with some help from mommy)

tonight we ate dinner with another interim manager and his family (a little girl, 18 months, and a 4 year old boy they just brought home from Kenya this week!). it was so nice to share a meal with a family that understands the joys and struggles that come with this job. we thoroughly enjoyed the meal (got a new recipe) and the fellowship! samuel made new friends too...we will hopefully hangout with them on thursday for a play date...yay for new friends (although we are definitely missing our friends and family from back home!)

thanks for keeping up with us on the blog...it feels like a great way to keep connected! :)

aunt allie in louisville!

2011-04-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

we have had our first little taste of back "home" here in Louisville - aunt allie came to visit this week (and is driving 9 hours home on friday to turn around and work back to back shifts at the hospital - that is some serious love for the cash family!) here are some of her pics from the week:

aunt allie introduced samuel to peanut butter on his bananas...he is hooked!

aunt allie also brought gracie for a visit. sam LOVES gracie! he took her on lots of walks this week :)

aunt allie bought tickets to the opening night of the louisville bats (equivalent to the durham bulls) baseball game. it was soooo much fun (and samuel's first baseball game!!!) the weather was sunny and in the low 70's and we had awesome seats behind home plate, under the shade!

samuel isn't crazy about wearing a baseball hat...but will appease his mommy and tolerate it for a little while at a time :)

this was also samuel bayne's first time on a merry-go-round. he loved it too!

aunt allie bought samuel a louisville bats t-shirt and baseball :) she has spoiled us rotten this week.

oh, cheesy smile....what to do, what to do!?!

WE LOVE YOU AUNT ALLIE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING TO SEE US AND FOR TAKING SUCH GOOD CARE OF US WHILE YOU WERE HERE (IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE OTHER WAY AROUND, FOR SURE!) WE WILL HAVE ANOTHER GALLON OF CAFFEINE-FREE DIET COKE AWAITING YOUR NEXT VISIT.....

looeyvull - week 1

2011-04-04T11:01:00.000-07:00

we have been in louisville for one whole week now - time has flown in some ways....and dragged in others. we are really starting to get settled in and are enjoying what we have been able to see of the city so far; however we most definitely miss our friends and family back in raleigh. so, here is the short list of what has happened since last Monday. we have:

-packed all of our belongings in a camry and travelled 10 hours in the car, all bundled up with the most amazing 20 month old child ever (he never fussed!)

-searched all over louisville until 11pm to find a crib for Samuel to sleep in our first night

-moved into an apartment that was about 15 feet from a major intersection (and also had a broken water heater, heater, and dishwasher)

-moved into a second apartment (on the second floor) that is much nicer (now that we have eliminated a residual smokey smell

-had days when it has sleeted here

-had days of 75 degree weather with gorgeous sunshine

-fed the ducks at our apartment out of our hand (they walk up to you - is this safe? probably not!)

-tried a new church

-made many trips to walmart and target

-met a few neighbors (at both apartments - haha!)

-begun to get to know the staff of the chick-fil-a store that jeff is running (eaten dinner with one of the married couples that is in leadership)

and our least favorite, yet perhaps most memorable, louisville memory would have to be our trip to the ER early this morning to take Samuel in. Praise God for His faithfulness and healing, as Samuel is already feeling better!

We are so grateful to be on this journey together as a family and under the guidance of our Lord. We feel such a peace that this is exactly where we are supposed to be at this time in our lives. The Lord is already doing wonderful things in our family and in our marriage and we have expectant joy as we wait for what lies ahead. Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!

here are some pictures of Samuel before we headed out to church yesterday:

(this is from the other side of the glass door...just in case you thought it looked a little funny!)

March Madness

2011-04-01T11:29:00.001-07:00

here is samuel getting ready to go swimming when we visited jeff in atlanta during his training with chick-fil-a

getting ready for a nap in the hotel - love those beautiful brown eyes!

sleepy much?!?

samuel spent lots of time with pop before leaving for kentucky. he LOVES his pop. here they are watching monster trucks on tv together.

Samuel loved to put the dogs in the kennel and then give them treats. He is missing his doggy now that we are in louisville (thanks nana for watching gracie!)

pop and granny were kind enough to take sammy and i to the lake so that we could pass the time more quickly while jeff was away in atlanta for training (for 3 weeks)

cheesy smile :)

Samuel LOVES to play ball...he especially liked throwing the balls to the dogs

sam is 'caesar'ing the dog here

pulling weeds with granny (aka: "mom")

celebrating baba's (reed's) bday with yummy cupcakes

yep, yummy cupcakes indeed!

hanging out at nana's house

playing at the park with mrs. jamie and e

all aboard!

silly daddy

samuel helped us pack daddy's ties by pulling them down and wearing them :)

he also helped with mommy's shoes

so, jeff got asked to go and run the mall store in louisville, kentucky. chick-fil-a puts us in a furnished apartment (more on that later), so we had to fit everything else that we own (minus furniture) into the camry...this is what it looked like :)

we promise, samuel was safe :)

seriously....we filled up every inch of the car...jeff is a packing machine!

here is samuel playing with his new train set from nana in our first apartment. we have since moved to a second apartment in the same complex :) more from kentucky to come....i am gonna try to be a more diligent blogger :)

L.O.V.E

2011-02-25T10:11:00.000-08:00

the end of 2010

2011-01-14T11:43:00.000-08:00

gloves for the fireplace

at the lights show with Nana, Daddy, Ba-Ba (Reed) & Mommy

Christmas Eve...headed to Nana's house!

Uncle Andrew

"cheesy" smile

Christmas morning (before the cousins came over), celebrating the birth of baby Jesus while playing with the nativity Nana gave Sammy

the Ransone family Christmas day photo (we have only missed 1 of these in 26 years...to my knowledge!)

ba-ba (Reed) and say-say (Sam) played together the WHOLE morning...they are the best little buddies!

seriously, we were all in the main part of the living room and these two little munchkins were off to the side playing by themselves like the sweet little angel babies that they are!

Pop and Granny got the kiddos coordinating outfits...now we just have to figure out how to coordinate everyone smiling at the same time...at the same camera!

"whoa, snow!"

stud.

first time sledding. you can't beat pop and granny's driveway for a great sled ride!

uncle Mikey with the little ones

family photo with the snowmen (the snowman on the right is french...just fyi)

straight crazy.

OH 2010, WHAT A WONDERFUL YEAR....HERE'S LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL THE LORD HAS IN STORE FOR 2011!!!!

come and worship (bebo norman)

2010-12-22T11:43:00.001-08:00

Angels from the  Realms of Glory Wing your flight over the Earth Ye who sang creation's story Now proclaim the Messiah's birth  Come and Worship  Come and Worship  Come and Worship Worship Christ the Newborn King  Shepherds in the Fields abiding Watching over the flocks by night God with man is  Now residing  Yonder shines the infant light  Come and Worship Come and Worship Come and Worship Worship Christ the Newborn King  Come and Worship Come and Worship Come and Worship Worship Christ the Newborn King  Saints before the  Alter bending Watching long in hope and fear Suddenly the Lord descending In His temple shall appear  Come and Worship Come and Worship Come and Worship Worship Christ the Newborn King  Come and Worship  Come and Worship  Come and Worship  Worship Christ the Newborn King

take the $20 challenge!

2010-12-03T06:52:00.001-08:00

one of jeff's co-workers has just begun the journey towards adopting their first child. please read their blog, pray for them, and support them if you are able! here is the link to their blog: http://coalsonadoption.blogspot.com/

best daddy in the world!

2010-11-19T08:36:00.000-08:00

Just a quick shout out to my baby's daddy....Jeff, you are the bomb diggity snap, crackle, and pop! Jeff has been working a bazillion hours over the past few weeks at Northgate Chick-fil-A and has really spent himself providing for and loving on his family. I was sick all last night and today - and Jeff even coordinated family members to watch Samuel so that I could rest while he was at work!!! I could not be more thankful for the AMAZING man that God allowed me to marry...I am blown away by the Lord's goodness and grace.

samuel says....

2010-11-14T10:36:00.000-08:00

...EAT MOR CHIKIN!

tiny tumbler time

2010-11-12T08:15:00.000-08:00

This week, tiny tumbler time was on Veteran's Day....this meant no public school...so Granny & Pop and Lily & Price could come too! Here are some pictures (I wish I woulda taken more...the boys get to do so many fun things at North Raleigh Gymnastic's tiny tumbler time - I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a safe & fun place to take their little ones)

Sammy with Lily and P-dawg

seriously...the girls dont stand a chance against Reed and Samuel - kids just don't get any cuter!

Granny helping Sammy B down the slide

at the bottom of the slide (sooo proud of his accomplishment!)

climbing up the twisty slide (Reed taught Samuel this :) love it!)

trying his best to climb like his cousin

Pop caught Price in a sleeper-hold :) He is the best Pop EVER!

climbing up...

fighting his way to the top...

almost there...

one more step...

...thanks Granny!

Samuel Bayne loves his Granny (and we do too!!!)

Samuel has this new 'cheeser smile/dance' that he does when he gets excited (for example, when he sees someone from the family that he loves, or when he accomplishes something big). He squints his eyes and gets this gigantic toothy grin, claps and stomps his feet out of pure excitement. This brings me more joy than you will ever know! Thank you, Lord, for this precious gift!

our best attempt at a picture of Pop and Granny with the 4 grandkids... maybe another day will lend itself to a better picture :)

as you can see...a GREAT time was had by all!!!!! We truly thank God for allowing us to live this season of life so close to all of our family. We are so blessed! Praise God!

smoothie time!

2010-11-11T11:43:00.000-08:00

Samuel is SUCH a big boy! He feeds himself (spoon and all)....is drinking from big boy cups....eats everything mommy and daddy eat....where has my little baby boy gone?!?

this pictures is HILARIOUS to me...it looks like he is working/concentrating soooo hard on drinking his smoothie :) L.O.V.E IT!

pics from uncle andrew's camera

2010-11-07T18:06:00.000-08:00

Uncle Andrew was kind enough to let us borrow his camera while ours was getting fixed...here are a few of the memories we captured with it:

Samuel is actually really good at using his spoon; however I (mommy) was not paying attention one day...and this is what happened. To Sammy's credit, this was a much faster way of eating yogurt :)

Samuel and Reed are becoming best buds...here they are hanging out at Pop and Granny's lake house

We had a yard sale at our house. It was a very cold morning - we loooove the cooler weather in our house!

Sammy copying Gracie (aka: bad dog)

SuperSam to the rescue!

It isn't as easy to get all 4 cousins together for a picture now that the 'babies' are all over the place :)

Batman and Superman (L.O.V.E. them)

we voted!!

Pop allowed us to tag along on his trip to go see Memom. We had a GREAT visit and hope to visit again soon!

1st State Fair!

2010-10-22T07:07:00.000-07:00

getting ready to go in to the fair. we went in expecting to see lots of mullets and jorts; however there were very few to be found

ms. katherine came too!

this was Samuel's expression pretty much the whole time we looked at the animals. he was in awe!

this nice lady stopped and let Sam have a pet. how cool is that!!!!?!?!?!

taking a look at the cutest animal at the fair...baby donkeys. we were just waiting for one of them to open its mouth and talk like eddie murphy :)

messy face after eating his pb & j dinner (no fair food for Sammy....yet!)

the best seat in the house!

smiling with aunt allie

yep, daddy did it....here is Samuel's first (and hopefully last) fried oreo

having a great time with dadda while we watched the bmx bikes jump this HUGE ramp

being silly with mommy :)

'cheeser' smile

getting ready for Christmas

2010-10-06T19:22:00.000-07:00

I was talking with some friends about this video...so I thought I would share the love. This video cracks me up...love it!

"we hope you have a generally good time in the coming weeks"

click here

fun with mommy

2010-09-18T07:54:00.001-07:00

Samuel and I were very busy today while daddy was at work ;) Here are a few pictures of us being silly gooses (yes, i know the plural of 'goose' is geese....but you get my drift) You can't beat these smiles!

Samuel Bayne caught on very quickly to our fun little game. You can see him here sticking out his tongue just like mama! :) (please pardon the unsnapped pjs...we got distracted this morning before i could finish getting him dressed!)

hello again!

2010-09-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

we have had a busy (a wonderfully busy!) summer. here are a few pictures from the end of July to the end of August:

Samuel Bayne on the morning of his first birthday (July 30th)

Sam and his dada cheesin' it for the camera

ready to try his first sweet (he thought this cake was yucky; but mommy and daddy thought it was just fine! :) haha!)

Sammy B and his uncle andrew, uncle mikey, and uncle brian (uncle ben is in south africa)

although he did not care for the harris teeter cake, samuel thought that mommy's cupcakes were deee-licious (wrapper and all)

Samuel Bayne with Granny and Nana

we love you Samuel Bayne!!!

we finally got to go back to the lake and see the renovation that pop and granny have worked so hard on. also, we bought Sam his first pair of 'real' shoes...aren't they adorable?!? now mommy and samuel (and his cousins lilly and reed) have matching shoes :)

chilling with daddy & waiting for a boat ride (samuel LOVES the lake. he is a swimming machine!)

my three leading men :)

we completed our second sprint triathlon.

samuel is such a wonderful eater. he will eat all different types of fruits and veggies and protein. His new found favorite food is corn (especially if he can eat it off of the cob!)

sam and his best friend, reed. aren't they too cute?!?!

this is the only picture i got of sam's first hair cut. as you can see, he was not too happy about having his hair did. dont worry, mommy was able to come to the rescue with a lollipop, and all was well!

although the summer has been filled with so many happy memories, we are also mourning the passing of my dad's dad (whom we all call "pepop"). this past weekend we had the memorial service and my dad and oldest brother were able to put into words a wonderful depiction of the man that we all loved so much. pepop and memom spent 61 happily married years together on this earth and i know that pepop truly is looking down on us from heaven. we praise God for pepop's faith and for the man that he was and the people that he has influenced us all to be. life is such a gift. thank You, Lord...we love You!

oh, how he's grown!

2010-08-05T11:18:00.000-07:00

1-year photos

2010-07-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Last Friday we went to Duke gardens to have Samuel's one year photos taken. I was blessed to win a free photo sitting with Jen Quirk (click her name to go to her website) through Su Soutter's Intentional Home blog (click her name to go to her blog - Su tought me all of my meal planning and couponing awesomeness). Jen is AMAZING!!!!!! She has such a sweet heart for the Lord and was so patient with our family as we braved the 100 degree weather. I would recommend her to absolutely anyone who is looking to get some pictures taken. She is extremely affordable - the best prices (and quality) we have ever seen. Here is a link to the photos...now we have the tricky job of picking which ones we wanna buy. I think we might just begin wallpapering our house with pictures of Sam :)

http://www.jenquirkphotography.com/album/?album=proofs%3e2010%3eCash+Family&key=8ba1565a-b923-4311-9740-6285b8925ea8

*you will need to set-up a username and password

Eat Mor Chikin'

2010-07-09T12:34:00.001-07:00

today is COW APPRECIATION DAY. you know what that means?!?!? ill tell ya what it means...free food at chick-fil-a today if you wear a cow 'outfit'! :)

'potty' training

2010-07-03T06:30:00.000-07:00

Beach Trip with Nana

2010-06-25T07:46:00.000-07:00

Although I have lived in North Caroline my entire life, this was my first trip to the outer banks...and I must say, I am in love! We stayed in Duck, NC at the most adorable beach house (thanks to Nana)...a great time was had by all!

Samuel Bayne's first time in the ocean. He loved to 'sing' to the sound of the waves crashing!

Samuel's first seashell

rockin a baby adirondack chair

cool dude mo-hawk & daddy's glasses

family beach picture

sam staying cool under the shade of the beach umbrella

daddy carried samuel all the way up to the top of jockey's ridge (nothing like hiking up sand dunes/mountains :) in flipflops, in the blazing heat, with a baby on your back. yet another reason Jeff earns the daddy of the year award!)

another family picture from Jockey's Ridge

Samuel said "nana" twice this trip while looking at Roxie...how cute!

flying his first kite with daddy

so sweet! Samuel did a great job adjusting to the new surroundings!

my leading men :)

pictures from the last month

2010-05-20T18:03:00.001-07:00

I have really slacked in the blogging department :( Here are some of my favorite pictures from the last month or so...enjoy!

Samuel Bayne loves to play in his pool on his brand new deck that his Pop built him (it is made with Trex so that Sam won't get any splinters!). Sam is a lean, mean, waving machine!

flashing that 'melt your heart' smile :)

play date with Riley (could it be love at first sight?!? BUT...Riley will need to work hard to beat out the Harvest ladies! Right lilly jo?)

playing in Granny's favorite outfit (a soccer jersey!)

shirts and skins anyone?

gotta love his carolina blue basketball shorts (even if mama is a state fan!)

mother's day photos with cousin Lily

Uncle Michael's graduation dinner at Winston's.

Please pray for Mikey, he is in Haiti for a month (3 of the 4 weeks he is traveling/helping by himself)

Sammy B and his best friend (and cousin) Reed checking out the doggies at the lake

first official play date with Emory

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!

2010-05-14T06:56:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE YOU DA-DA! YOU ARE THE BEST HUSBAND AND DADDY IN THE WORLD!!!!

"little jeff"

2010-04-16T06:48:00.000-07:00

My dad calls Samuel "Little Jeff" or "LJ" for short...well, we just think this is an adorable (and very pop-like) nickname; however there were unforeseen consequences for daddy because of samuel's new name...Jeff is now officially "Big Jeff" to my family :) He is such a good sport...and my family loves him so much!!!!!! So, in the spirit of "little jeff", I put Samuel Bayne in a very "big jeff" outfit today (polo & khakis):

Sam can now 'walk' across the entire room while pushing his truck! He is really on the move now...

even though he loves to walk and stand, Sam is still a lean, mean, crawling machine!

God is good all the time....all the time, God is good!

the lake & Easter

2010-04-05T13:14:00.001-07:00

we were able to take a weekend trip to the lake 2 weekends ago...Samuel's hair is finally long enough to have some "bed head" in the mornings! :)

the throw-up king showing daddy who is the boss ;)

while at the lake Sam took his first official real bath...toys and all!

crawling around on uncle andrew's floor (Sam now crawls, pulls up, and will move a little bit side to side while standing and holding onto something)

Nana made sure that Sam had his first easter egg dying experience...he loved it!

we had to put a pacifier in samuel's mouth to keep him from eating the eggs (shell and all)

sometimes he spit his pacifier out before we could prevent any egg eating...

Sam LOVED banging the eggs together and looking at them

you can see that smile....even with his pacifier :)

nana insisted on a 'hands' shot - so cute!

Easter lunch at Pop and Granny's house...a perfect photo opportunity with Uncle Mikey

Samuel loves his Pop :)

Family Photo :)

Samuel Bayne getting lots of love from his Granny :)

WOAH....nana got Samuel a HUGE Easter basket....

Sammy boy and his nana...playing with one of his new toys. We love you nana!

WHAT A WONDERFUL LIFE!!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!

God is great, God is good...

2010-03-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

...let us thank Him for our food!

Samuel 'eating' bananas. Some end up on his bib, some on the floor, some in his hair....and some in his tummy!

oh yeah, and some end up in his nose!!!

such a big smile!!!!! :)

swinging in his new swing that his daddy put up this weekend

Okay, so we have been really blessed lately by the Lord's provision in our life (as if this is something new...but we are maybe just more aware of it right now!). One way that he is providing is through couponing. I used to think that coupons were a waste of time...not so! We are able to eat exactly like we used to eat (if not better) for about 50% of the price. I took a couponing class from Su Soutter (www.theintentionalhome.blogspot.com) back in the fall and our grocery budget has never been the same! This week was triple coupons at harris teeter and i got: Trident layers gum, Heinz ketchup, 4 canisters of Lysol wipes, 4 lysol toilet bowl cleaners, Lysol 4 in 1 all purpose cleaner, 2 lysol cleaners with bleach, 2 boxes of Ziploc easy zips, 3 reese’s peanut butter cups, 2 ortega taco seasoning packets, french’s Worcestershire sauce, mccormick sea salt and garlic grinder, 2 boxes barilla pasta, bumble bee tuna, 3 oral b toothbrushes, 3 stoneyfield organic yogurts, 2 reynolds wrap foil, 2 mahatma rice, dawn detergent, 2 welch’s grape jelly, mentos gum, 2 breakstone sour cream...all for a grand total of (DRUMROLL PLEASE......) $5.80!!!!!!!

here is a picture of my receipts (i am a nerd, i know!)

and here is a picture of all of the goodies (looks like i wont need to buy cleaning supplies for a while....hey, free is free....might as well stock up!)

The Lord is so good. He is forever showering us with His grace, and mercy and forgiveness. He is mighty to save! Praise God from Whom all blessing flow!

First Birthday Partay!

2010-03-19T12:47:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday (St. Patty's Day) we celebrated Uncle Brian's birthday as well as cousin Reed's first birthday (his actual birthday is the day before, the 16th). I must admit, I had been looking forward to seeing sweet little Reed dive into his birthday cake as if he were my own son. The party was great - Aunt Heather served a delicious dinner, we opened presents, and then had some yummy ice cream cake (none for Samuel though, we are waiting until his bday for that...). Here are some pictures from the partay:

Sam and baby Reed both sat at the table together...how cute!

Reed got some raspberries and chicken in his hair....adorable!

Sam sported a birthday hat...for a few minutes at least!

Sam loves to pull and stand up on anything that he can get his hands on...we just have to make sure that the thing he is using to stand up on wont fall over (thus the reason why i am holding this toy down...)

we're back!

2010-03-16T13:06:00.001-07:00

I (brooke) 'lost' our camera cord - thus the reason why i haven't updated the blog in a while...no worries, come to find out i had put it in a very safe spot one day while i was cleaning...and forgotten about it until today! anyways, a lot has happened in the Cash household since our last post. Samuel is growing up and changing soooo much! He is constantly smiling and laughing and really likes to be the center of attention (uh oh!). He is continuing to eat more and more solid-ish foods and has even ventured into the world of picking up and eating real peas! Samuel can scoot backwards, army crawl, and roll to almost anything he wants. We think he is ready to skip crawling and go ahead and walk as he is already pulling up and standing on his own (hello babygates, here we come!). We love our sweet little angel so much and cannot thank the Lord enough for every second that we get to spend with him...what a blessing!

granny and pop got Sam this cake (we all agreed that it is a very "mimi" cake!)

Samuel Bayne and his cousin (and honorary big brother) Price had on matching shirts for his baby dedication - it was so cute!

sam eating some squash at granny and pop's after his baby dedication

6 months old!

7 months old - can you tell a difference? he seems to be growing up so fast!

taking over daddy's office chair

soooo big!

SQUASH!!!!!

2010-02-10T06:16:00.000-08:00

Sam has officially entered the world of 'real' food (does pureed squash count as real food?)! When we took him for his 6 month check up 2 weeks ago, Dr. Fennel (the best dr. ever!) told us that he was doing just great on breast milk and that we could start him on solid foods whenever we thought he was ready/needed it. Samuel has been sleeping through the night for a while now (praise the Lord!)....so we didn't really see any rush in starting solids; however within this past week it seemed as though he might just be ready for a little something in addition to milk. We started him off with some squash (complements of Aunt Heather and Uncle Brian) and he loved it! Here are some pictures of our first encounter with real food....

so happy!

just breaking in his new spoon

this is new...and delicious! (please note the drool running down his belly)

open wide!

YUMMY!

SO HANDSOME!

reaching for the camera with squashy hands :)

lovin' it!

'i can do this by myself mommy!'

oh yeah...sitting back relaxing after a successful and delicious breakfast!

Every single day I think, "life here on earth just can't get any better!" and then you know what happens? It does! Life gets better, and better, and better....each and every day. Thank you, Lord! Praise Your Name!

it doesn't get any more cute...

2010-02-03T18:55:00.001-08:00

FIRST SNOW

2010-01-30T17:10:00.001-08:00

more fun

2010-01-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

the best days are the days when jeff doesn't have to work. today was one of those days:

how could you not love a face like this?

yes folks, it's the YMCA! :)

ummm....

one big happy family :)

slacker...

2010-01-21T10:56:00.000-08:00

i have gotten really behind with our photos....so here are a few i took on our computer a few days ago while i was chilling with my main man Sam!

what a great year 2009 was...

2010-01-07T09:03:00.000-08:00

...and what an even better year we look forward to in 2010! Here are some pictures from the end of 2009 (Christmas eve, Christmas day, and New Year's Eve (aka: Christmas with Nana b/c Samuel was asleep for our Christmas over at her house)):

Nana came over to our house for some snacks before church on Christmas eve (Sam's onesie had reindeer on the feet...and a reindeer on his butt too!)

Fun times with Granny before church

Nana getting everything together for homemade pizzas on Christmas Eve (the best tradition!)

Dang, look at Uncle Andrew's mad skillz

Nana opening her ornament from Samuel (it has his Christmas card picture inside)

the four cousins (you can see Samuel's santa hat at the bottom) hanging out at Granny and Pop's house Christmas morning

Pop helping Price put together his 'heler-copter' - Pop is the best...even with only one working shoulder (praise the Lord, his recovery from shoulder replacement surgery is going well - continue to keep him in your prayers, please!)

Jeff helping the Ransone Men make breakfast Christmas morning

Baby Reed opening his gifts from his best friend, Samuel Bayne :)

Granny & Pop now have 2 high chairs for the babies...and this was Sam's first time in his (he just played with his toys during dinner - no solid foods yet!)

Samuel celebrating his Christmas with his Nana on New Year's Eve

Samuel playing with one of his favorite toys - he sure did get spoiled this Christmas! He can work all of the buttons - while sitting up ALL BY HIMSELF!!!!! :)

Samuel and Uncle Ben (a lot of people think that Sam looks like his Uncle Ben too!)

Samuel's first "snow"

2009-12-19T06:30:00.002-08:00

I guess using the word 'snow' is a bit of an exaggeration (even though schools did get closed down early - before it even started!). Yesterday we had Raleigh's version of a blizzard (temp at about 33/32, a few flurries, and some sleet). We didn't take Samuel out in this frigid weather; however it was a perfect opportunity to put on his winter hat. Little did we know, the hat that used to cover his whole face when we put it on, now wouldn't fit on his head...my how he is growing!

a few of my favorite things...

2009-12-18T13:49:00.001-08:00

getting baptized...finally!

jeff and seth (aka: hanz and franz) wearing the exact same shirt to bible study!
Samuel throwing up in my face
Samuel turning 4 months old...and getting some hard earned leg rolls
Jeff practicing his worship while sam plays and hangs out with his daddy

Christmas cards are not about me...

2009-12-05T17:22:00.001-08:00

...and Christmas isn't either (thus the "Christ" part of Christmas). So, ever since last Christmas I (Brooke) have been looking forward sending out this perfect Christmas card of our sweet baby. Well, up until today, things were going just as I had planned: I bought a cute "first Christmas" outfit, found a baby-sized santa hat, the camera batter was charged, Samuel is a pro at flashing smiles to anyone who will give him attention...as far as I was concerned, we were one short photo shoot away from a Christmas card that would make everyone fall in love with Sam. Well, here is how it really went down:

first, we could never get him to smile

then, he did smile, but not at the camera

then....wait for it...he had chunky spit up all over his outfit

then...he LOVES chewing on his hands and we couldn't get them out of his mouth for a picture

then...he gave us this look:

and on, and on, and on I could go (we took 287 pictures in total: of which, I kinda liked maybe 3)

But there is a lesson in all of this. The Lord pulled me out of the deepest, darkest pit of sin when I didn't even know I needed rescuing - He has given me his son, Jesus, to die for my sins - the sins that I commit ALL THE TIME...He loves me enough to change me into the woman he has called me to be (while showering me with grace, and mercy, and forgiveness all along the way). The Lord has blessed me with the most amazing husband who loves me even when I get disappointed about a silly Christmas card. He has further blessed me with the most amazing (and perfectly healthy) son...both of whom I would give my life for in a heartbeat. Salvation, family, health, friends - the Lord has blessed me beyond belief.

And so, CHRISTmas is not about cards, Santa, presents...and certainly not about me! It is about Jesus, our Saviour, Redeemer, the Messiah. So, it looks like I need to adjust my attitude and my focus - and focus on the only One who really matters - CHRIST.

So, I close with a few of the pictures that I do 'like' - knowing that pictures or no pictures, the Lord is my Rock and my Shelter. Joy to the World, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King!

Happy Turkey Day!

2009-11-27T07:26:00.000-08:00

We must say, our first Thanksgiving with our wonderful baby boy was absolutely delightful! Here are some pictures from the day:

We started off the day by running a 5K. Uncle Michael came and ran the race with us too! It was so much fun. We had only trained up to 2 miles; however, by the grace of God (seriously!) we were able to run the whole thing. On top of that, we ran it while pushing a normal, clunky stroller (Samuel is too young for his jogging stroller). The race was full of hills, but we were given the strength to push through! We are hoping to make the Gobbler's Run our new Thanksgiving tradition!

daddy and sam hanging out at Pop and Granny's house. We ate a delicious thanksgiving dinner Wednesday night at Nana's house and then did another dinner at Granny and Pop's on Thursday night
The two little cousins checking each other out! Reed is getting around all over the place. Before we know it, Samuel Bayne will be right there on his heels! :)
Yep, we are thankful for mommy....the shirt doesn't lie! :)

Samuel has the most awesome smile! He smiles and laughs all of the time, but we have never been able to capture it on camera...until now! Finally!!!! His whole face lights up when he smiles, and you cant help but smile too! Even if he has his pacifier in his mouth, you can still know if he is smiling by looking at his eyes because they 'smile' too. Ahh...don't you just want to pick him up out of this picture and kiss his sweet little cheeks? :)

Just this week, Samuel has really 'found' his feet. He loves to pull them up to his mouth!

Samuel's best friend (and cousin) Reed

Samuel decided that Thanksgiving was a day for lots of milestones. Here he is holding his bottle for the first time by himself! Go Samuel, Go!

Daddy is AMAZED at his boy's skills!

A Wonderful Vacation...

2009-11-15T17:46:00.000-08:00

Last weekend (November 6-8), Jeff was able to take a few vacation days and we went up to the lake as a family for the 5th (my birthday, too). It was such a wonderful time together as a family. The Lord really used the time to rejuvinate us both! On the 6th we headed into Lynchburg for my cousin, Brad's, wedding. It was suuuch a fun time to see all of the extended family! Here are some pictures from the weekend.

The 'Ransone' Family

Yes, Samuel is rocking a tuxedo onesie! :)

an equal opportunity onesie (it has both mommy and daddy on it!)

Are we already boring parents? I hope not!

so much fun!

2009-11-02T12:10:00.000-08:00

3 months old...halloween.....a weekend with family...you cant beat this! here are some pictures from our awesome weekend together as a family:

you cant pay for a hairline like this! Samuel's hair is falling out in a really funny 'U' shape starting in the front! it looks like the mohawk is now his only hairstyle!

big pimpin'!

my birthday cake from Roxie...no, your eyes do not deceive you, the number one - yes, this is possible - is backwards! i am pretty sure i am back at my pregnancy weight after pretty much eating the whole thing myself! this is my favorite cake...and i dont share well! :)

Samuel's awesome cake! No, he didnt eat it. dont worry, uncle andrew, jeff and i didnt let it go to waste!

posing with the world's most adorable cookie after an awesome date night while grandma watched our sweet angel

we borrowed Lily and Price's pumpkins for an impromptu photo shoot!

a pumpkin onesie and candy corn socks!

chilling with uncle michael - the provider of this awesome outfit!

the most wonderful baby in the world!
sooooooo strong! Samuel Bayne can hold his head up, roll from his tummy to his back and rock from side to side!
posing with his first cake!

Pop it like it's Hot!

2009-10-29T20:55:00.000-07:00

Jeff insisted on popping Samuel's collar and leaving his top button undone...I must say, he is quite the little stud! All you single ladies....watch out!

Pope Punk'n Head I

2009-10-16T09:16:00.000-07:00

so the weather outside is a cool 55 and the leaves are changing colors and slowly dropping to the ground...fall is officially here!!!! i am not a big halloween fan - as the movie x-men gave me nightmares...you can only imagine how i react to all of the creepy halloween decorations and costumes - but i digress, enough about me! here are some pictures of our sweet little angel!

the hat stands so tall on his head that it looks like one of those get-ups that popes wear....thus, we have formally - or informally - named samuel "pope punk'n head I"

looking good with his daddy

daddy's silly face and Samuel's runway look :) can you say blue steel?

rocking out in the bumbo :)

real pictures...

2009-10-12T10:57:00.000-07:00

...as opposed to the pictures i try to take. we had professional pictures taken by ian moody's dad. ian is a gm at the capital store as well a good friend. here is the link - but you can only go to it if you PROMISE not to make fun of the pictures of just jeffrey and i....can you say, "senior pictures?" (click the word 'link' above to see the pics!)

2 months old!

2009-10-02T11:16:00.002-07:00

yep....it's true...Samuel Bayne is already 2 months old! We love our handsome little man sooooo much!!

Samuel is smiling a lot now...but we are having trouble getting pictures of it...these are the best so far!

SOOOOOOOOOOOO BIG!

shoes & a hoodie

2009-09-29T07:35:00.000-07:00

here are some adorable pictures of Samuel rocking his first pair of shoes from Jenn, John, and Elle and a sweet hoodie from his Aunt Weasie! enjoy! :)

bye bye basinet...

2009-09-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

...hello crib! yep, i finally moved Samuel into his own bedroom :( Samuel has been sleeping anywhere from 7-10 hours consecutively each night; however each night around 3:00 (so, technically each morning!) he will start to stir and I will put his pacifier in a few times. Basically, i still wanted him in the room so that i wouldn't have to get up and walk down the hall to put the pacie in....basically, i am lazy! the cool thing about having him in his room is that we can finally use our video monitor to hear and see our little buddy sleep :) so much fun!

Samuel had his 8 week check-up today - yes, he is 8 WEEKS OLD ALREADY!!!! Dr. Fennel told us that our little rock star is super healthy and has surpassed all of his milestones for his age! It was so cute because when Dr. Fennel stood Samuel up on his lap, he started to 'walk' and we all started to laugh...and then he picked up one of his feet and stood on one leg (of course, supported by Dr. Fennel) - it was like he was showing off :) too cute!!! Samuel Bayne is weighing in at 10 pounds 0.3 ounces and is 23 1/2 inches long.

oh my goodness - i can't rob you of this - Samuel giggled yesterday! Jeff had just gotten home from work and was holding him and we were both all up in his grill talking to him and smiling and making rediculous noises and right then and there he let out a long giggle. Jeff and I about hit the floor! It was soooo awesome to share this first together!

here are some pictures from this week.....

so sweet in his towel again!

rocking the play gym and holding onto a link

sooooo handsome! Sam loves staring at the lights of his gym!

dude, these socks are the bomb! how cute can you get?!?!

a picture taken while he was talking to me this morning :)

oh my goodness! such a sad face :(

chilling on his boppy :)

long time no post!

2009-09-18T05:19:00.000-07:00

so much has happened in the past 3 weeks........here are the highlights:

Samuel Bayne turned 1 month old (he is already 7 weeks now)

we went back to the lake and Samuel got to meet his cousin Elle and his mommy's cousin (Elle's mommy) Jenn and John. this is his personal cooling station on the dock :)

hanging out with daddy at the lake before his first bath at the lake

daddy trying to make a face like Sam :)

this was last night...his first real bath (even though his umbilical cord fell off a while ago...I just kept on with the sponge baths for some unknown reason!)

sooooo cute all wrapped up in his bear towel

how could you not love a face like this?!?!

As I type, my sweet little angel is asleep in my lap (don't fret, he is completely safe!). I cannot believe that each day brings more love and joy and wonderment than the day before...I truly stand amazed at the blessings of our Lord and Savior! Life has been extremely hectic here - Jeff is working 55+ hours a week at chick-fil-a and leading worship for our church...so he basically has 2 full-time jobs that he is trying to balance along with everything else that is included in life - but through it all, we still cannot get over God's provision, love, grace, and mercy! The Lord has blessed us with the most amazing little baby in the world. Samuel is sleeping at least 7 hours at a time at night and is smiling and cooing at his mommy and daddy all of the time now. He is growing stronger every day and can hold his head up and turn it from side to side when laying on his stomach. He loves to lay and stare at the lights of his play gym and will grasp rings if they are in front of him....pretty much, he is the bomb! :) We love our little man so much... every day that passes is so bittersweet for me because it means that he is growing up and not always going to be a little baby, but it also means that he is growing up into new adventures and joys. So....I resolve to soak up every moment that the Lord gives me with Sam, with Jeff, with our family and friends. I pray that I would have a spirit of patience in the trying times and that I would see the blessing in the harder moments....giving God all of the glory, all of the time.

WE love daddy!

2009-08-28T14:05:00.000-07:00

Jeff is always giving me a hard time for putting Samuel in outfits that say something to the effect of "mommy is the bomb diggity"... so this outfit is for you daddy - the best dad/hubby in the world! WE LOVE YOU!

already three weeks?!?

2009-08-24T09:53:00.001-07:00

wow...it is hard to believe that 3 weeks have already passed us by...time flies! Samuel continues to bless us in ways that we have never imagined. Having a kid is tough - but God has totally used Samuel to deepen Jeff's and my love for Him...and for one another. We are blown away by God's provision in our life. We truly know that we are nothing without Him. Here are a few pictures from the last week:

wearing mittens before I got brave enough to clip his nails...

Samuel Bayne loves being outside!

Daddy took this picture while we both fell asleep...

Yes, that is a baby bathing suit....does it get any more cute?

rocking the bathing suit :)

sooo handsome!

hanging out with his cousin Reed and favorite Aunt Heather... isn't Reed such a cutie!?!?

his first of many talents - bubble blowing!

2 weeks old today!

2009-08-13T09:17:00.000-07:00

wow...how time flies! Samuel is 2 weeks old today. This morning we took him to Dr. Fennel (ps: the BEST doctor ever....seriously!) for his 2 week check-up...and everything looks GREAT! Samuel has surpassed his birth weight and now weighs 8 pounds 6.1 ounces and is 21 1/2 inches long. He is still eating and sleeping like a champ! We love our little rock star sooooo much and cannot thank God enough for knitting him together and bringing him into our lives!

Sam with his cousins Lily and Price

The best 11 days EVER!

2009-08-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, so we are 11 days into this whole baby thing...honestly, it has already felt like a lifetime. I don't even remember what our life was like without this awesome little guy. So a few things we have learned in the last 11 days:

1. when a baby poops it sounds more like a wet fart

2. when a baby smiles, he isn't really smiling at you, he is just pushing out a wet fart.

3. no need for an alarm clock...babies have their own schedule!

4. if you don't get him to burp after he eats, he'll make you pay for it later with funny faces and loud cries...basically saying "I'll show you for not patting me on my back long enough," and he'll then follow it with a wet fart saying..."all better now! Now change me dad, or I'll cry and give you that face again!"

5. If you aren't paying attention, boys are great at peeing directly in their own face right when you take their diaper off, right after they had their bath.

6. All joking aside, these have been the best 11 days of our life. We fall more in love with Samuel each second of each day.

So Many Firsts....

2009-08-06T13:16:00.000-07:00

Sorry we have been MIA for a little while - we are truly soaking up every moment with our sweet little boy. It is hard to believe that Samuel Bayne is 1 week old today...time flies for sure. We came home from the hospital on Sunday and since then have been joyfully settling into life here at home. Samuel has had his first (and second) doctor's appointments and is gaining weight like a champ! He also had his first adjustment from his Uncle Brian and his first bath (at home). Samuel has a lot of awake time and is settling into a great schedule so far. We have been so blessed by our friends and family as they serve our family with meals and help around the house. We don't know what we would do without Granny (my mom) and Nana/Grandma (Jeff's mom) around us. Samuel is definitely well loved! Thanks for checking up on our family...we will keep you posted!

sleepy time with daddy :)

love from Nana :)

rocking with mommy :)

so alert! :)

rocking the mo-hawk :)

daddy giving a bath :)

first of many adjustments from Uncle Brian :)

more sleepy time :)

snuggle time with Granny :)

We're home!!!!!

2009-08-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Well...we have made it home. We were released on Sunday afternoon around 1pm. So far we have simply been enjoying our wonderful, awesome, cute, etc etc baby boy! Being a mom and a dad is definitely a new experience, and we are already being stretched, but it is all wonderful! Today (monday), Samuel had his first trip to the doctor, which went great! He is a healthy boy! Continue to pray Samuel, that he would first love God from a young age. Also, of course we would ask that you would pray for his continued health and growth. We love you all and look forward to all of you meeting Samuel! Here are some more pictures...

Samuel Bayne Cash is here!

2009-07-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

On Thursday morning, July 30th, at 6:19am, Samuel Bayne Cash was born. He weighed 8lbs 5oz and was 20 inches long. Brooke, Samuel, and I are doing great! Brooke and I are simply in awe of this marvelous creation of our Lord. Here are a few pictures, some more will come later...

"God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him. Male and female, He created them." -Genisis 1:27

Still Waiting...

2009-07-28T11:59:00.000-07:00

...no baby yet! I would say that we are patiently waiting for Sam's big debut; however that is only true some of the time - the 'patiently' part that is. One thing that is always true is the 'waiting' part. Jeff and I are learning just how truly out of control we are and how in control God is. This journey to parenthood has been one of faith and we are so thankful that we have a Lord and Savior who is willing to journey with us along the way (in all honesty, journey ahead of us and clear the way). We have seen God's hand so clearly upon us - His provision is undeniable. Just thinking about the awesome times we have had this weekend with friends from church and with each other makes us so thankful for each day (even if we are still not able to hold our sweet little angel in our arms yet). We know that God has all of the days of Sam's life numbered and that He (and He alone) knows Sam's birthday for sure. We still eagerly await the moment that we get to meet our son. Until then....

Samuel doing the robot in Brooke's belly! Crazy!!!!!

2009-07-25T07:37:00.000-07:00

Belly Shots...

2009-07-23T05:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of my 'large and in charge' belly. 3 more days until our due date - it blows me away that today could be the day that God has ordained for Sam's birthday!!!! Praise the Lord!

New to the world of blogging...

2009-06-10T07:44:00.000-07:00

I have talked way to much trash about facebook and myspace to ever let myself get an account...but this blogging thing...i think i can get into this! Our goal is to keep you updated on our life (don't fall asleep yet!) - but really just to keep you posted about sweet little Samuel Bayne (due late July). Thanks for reading - keep checking back for updates!