Christmas Parties

It's been a busy, but fun week! I went to the neighborhood cookie party Sunday afternoon. There were about 30 women there and we all shared cookies. That doesn't really help my weight gain! :)

Monday we went to look at all the Christmas lights. We went to the RaceTrac across the street (not usually a good idea, but I really wanted a cappuccino). A man there asked me when I was due and told me he had 8 kids. He said, "oh, that baby's gonna be healthy!" Thanks.

Tuesday night, Matthew flew home from Puerto Rico, so we ate dinner with him and the Vestals at Jim and Nick's. YUM!

Wednesday we went to Sam's preschool party at the Irwin's. We made an ornament, ate cookies and lunch and played. Tiffany came, which was a fun surprise! She realizes how much work a baby can be...especially 2 since a lot of Sam's friends are becoming big brothers and sisters. There were 3 newborns there :)


Yesterday we played at Elie's house and then went shopping for Sam's Christmas presents. I can't tell you what he got yet, but we're so excited. Our little boy is growing too fast!

This morning, Michael and I took Sam to Lenox to ride the Pink Pig, but the line was too long so we just bought tickets to use later. We went to the Pottery Barn kids store there and ordered his Christmas present from the Vestals. He's going to love it!

Today was the neighborhood kids' party. We made bracelets with bells, ate a yummy lunch and did a gift exchange. James drew Sam's name and gave him a cool toy from Ikea with blocks and a reindeer puppet.

Now, I'm doing laundry and blogging. We're going to my parents tonight for an hour to drop off Sam and say hi to the extended family. We're going to the adult neighborhood Christmas party! Tomorrow morning we'll go back to my parents' house to do Christmas breakfast and gifts.

Tomorrow night is Doug's birthday party.

Sunday we'll go to Dublin...I think. Maybe Monday.

There's our update. Hope it didn't bore you too much!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Must run in the family

Last night's post made me think of this picture of Michael when he was Sam's age.

Stunter

Sometimes in Atlanta you'll see these crazy Ducati motorcyclists doing stunts on the freeway. They drive like crazy people and it really freaks me out. I'm beginning to think Sam has been paying too much attention to all this!


He started doing this last week on his own! I think it's kind of funny!

21 weeks

For some reason, I'm not a fan of the belly pics OF ME...wasn't with Sam either. My Mom would make me do it at her house everytime I saw her. It's crazy to think the baby is the size of a cantaloupe this week, though! He's been kicking and moving a lot. I'm feeling pretty good. I did gag this morning when I had to wipe Sam's nose. You never know what will set me off!

Child Scientist

Sam and I went to Emory University this morning to volunteer for some research they are doing on babies his age and how they learn language. It was kind of funny to me. He got this award for sitting there for 30 minutes while they made him pick between 2 objects. They had about 20 or more objects and they did some signs with them. I'm not sure exactly what they learned from him, but he didn't want to give the toy car back. He ran out of the room with it when we were finished. Ha!

IT'S A...

BOY!!!!We were so surprised to see that it was indeed a boy! We're very excited, though! All we need is a double stroller and a car seat, then we're good to go!...and diapers, and wipes, and.... :)
It's truly amazing to see a baby on the ultrasound screen...all it's fingers and toes, how long his femur is, his little profile...just amazing. Everything looks great! We'll go back to the ultrasound tech in 2 months to check the baby's thyroid since I'm on thyroid meds. We're hoping I won't have another 9 1/2 pounder! I think my medicine will help with that a lot. YAY!

Mommy Brain

It's real.
Today I woke up a little early, fed Sam, made a list of things to do, made a menu for dinners for the week...things were lookin up!
I went to the store with Sam to get all my groceries with my coupons, etc. I put all my groceries up on the belt and realized I had forgotten my wallet at home! I had to drive back home and get it and then go back to pay for my buggy of groceries. How embarrassing! I just took them all to Melissa's house a little early for playgroup and put them in her fridge so I wouldn't have to drive back and forth again.
At playgroup we talked about how we would meet back up at 4:30 to go through some stuff in the church nursery that needed to be cleaned out. It was no big deal since I wasn't cooking tonight...thanks to the staff girls! I went home for Sam's nap and hung out until dinner. Jenna called to see if I was coming to the church. LOSER!!! I had totally forgotten about it even though I wrote it down and talked with them about it this morning.
If I only had a brain!!!

Tuesday

We find out on Tuesday morning if we're having a boy or a girl! I'm beyond excited! We both initially thought it was a girl, then I got all excited about that idea. Then, I thought maybe it could be a boy and now I'm back to girl. Who knows!?! I'll post something when we find out!

Halloween pictures

Go here:http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2447669&l=4f617&id=4914498
We had a ton of fun parading around the neighborhood with Sam's playgroup. They all looked so cute! It was unreal how many babies and pregnant women there were. So fun!

Baby kicks

I've been feeling the baby move for a while now, but a lot more the past 2 weeks. Michael got to feel the baby kick for the first time last night! so fun!

Business Casual

Sam had a busy morning at preschool, so I put him to bed right after lunch. I still heard him at 1:30, so I went to check on him and caught him like this! He had taken off his pants and was running around his crib just talking. He's so funny! I changed his diaper and put him back to bed. I think he'll have a good nap this afternoon!

Meal planning Monday

I always look at this site, so I figured I should join in on the fun.
M- Easy Crock Pot Chicken
Tues- Leftovers
Wed- Black Bean Quesadillas
Thurs- Chicken, Broccoli and Rice Casserole
Fri- Homemade Pizza (I'll give it one more try)

Rollercoaster day

Sam has started talking a lot more. He'll point to the letters in his name above his bed and say "S...A". His "C's and S's" are both said with a lisp. It's pretty cute. He's been sick every week for a couple months now. I've been to the Dr. twice now, including today for piece of mind. Apparently he's normal, just more prone to getting viruses and colds. Nothing serious. It's frustrating that some days I'm stuck inside with a sick baby and he can't help it and we can't do anything different to stop it. Most of you know I'm a germophobe, so that's not the issue. I've been researching online, but I don't know what to believe.
On top of that, one of my good friends just had her 4th miscarriage today. I was crying so hard. I just don't understand what God is thinking sometimes, you know?
So, I've had a typical and hormonal, pregnant day. I'm so thankful to Michael and for Sam and for the baby on the way.

Baby size at 16 weeks. This made me laugh

Sam's dance moves

He's gonna be a football player!

Michael does this drill with Sam all the time and he loves it!

One of those days

I'm having one of those days when I don't think I could possibly love Sam anymore! He's just so stinking cute! I just found out yesterday that he calls Elmo "aye yay yah". I don't know why, but everytime I point to Elmo and ask him what his name is I can't handle it. It's so fun.

Berry Patch Farms

We went to Berry Patch Farms this morning with my parents. It was so fun! Sam loved looking at the baby animals, swinging, taking a hay ride, and playing in the cotton and pumpkins. It's such a nice day out today!

Dr. appt

I went to the doctor this morning and we got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time! Everything looks great! We made our appointment for the BIG ultrasound and I was sad because my days weren't available since the girl will be out of town for training. There was another girl available but my doctor and nurse said its worth the wait for the other girl since she's really good and thorough. So, it's going to be 11/11 in the morning. I'm so excited to find out if it's a boy or girl!

Week 14

Oh, apparently I'm almost 14 weeks. I'm really tired and need to go to sleep.
Here's how big our baby is at 14 weeks. Hopefully this "morning" sickness will pass soon!!!

13 weeks...our little Georgia peach

I'm not really sure how far along I am, but somewhere around 13 1/2 weeks. The baby is this big at 13 weeks!

Spring babies

There are so many friends or ours that are expecting in the spring, it's almost humorous. I would rattle them all out here, but I'm not 100% positive they've shared their news. Ones that have are: Stansfields, Pollards, Fannins, Teagues, Wreyfords, Prusas, 3 really close friends I'm not sure I can name, not to mention people from Dublin Michael knows and church friends. It's out of control. We found out about 3 couples in 3 days. Any one else want to share their news to make it 4 couples in 4 days???

Sam's First Day of "Preschool"

Jac Crews, Henry Debardeleben, Sam, Elie Teachey, James Irwin, and Lilli Pooler.
We did a trial run last week with all the Moms, but they had double booked our room. I spent most of the time keeping Sam from running down the hall into the library or up the stairs to another hallway or from falling down another set of stairs that led to a random door. He was wild! I'm hoping this week will be better since we'll be in the normal Sunday nursery room and all the Moms won't be there. I'm on duty this week...pray I don't get too worn out! :)

Fall semester has begun...

Video update - about 6 minutes.

Fall semester at Georgia Tech has begun, providing lots of opportunities to build on development for returning students and to meet new students on the campus. But first we have family news to share: we are expecting a second child this spring, due in early April! If you want to see ultrasound pictures or just keep up more closely with our family, see our blog - http://babyvestal.blogspot.com .

Discipleship & Mobilization
The group of 4th-year guys we have at Tech right now - some in a group with me, some with another Campus Outreach staff guy - have consistently encouraged me as the strongest group of student leaders we've had at Tech so far. These men are deeply honest with one another about their need for Christ; they push one another on to pursue God - often making decisions to serve others' interests over their own, and they partner together to serve and reach others with the Gospel. As they prepare to graduate - some this year, some next - we want to help them anticipate the transition and think clearly about their decisions in light of God's call on their lives and His eternal Kingdom. Please pray with us for these men to be life-long healthy, joyful & fruitful (John 15:1-11) laborers. They include Josh, Jon, Matt, Robert, Matthew, Luke, Robbie, Keith and Jonathan. Praise God for what He's doing so deeply in so many!

I hope to also travel this semester to Athens and Dahlonega to meet with students there who are approaching graduation. Please pray that I would have wisdom, discernment and love to serve these students and the staff on those campuses in the area of mobilization.

Recent Events
Two weekends ago we held a leaders' retreat with about 30 students at Perimeter Church. Friday night we had a time of worship together, introduced a Galatians study and our theme for the semester - No Reserves, No Retreats, No Regrets, citing a compelling missionary biography. The explicit Gospel-focus of the study and the intention of our theme seemed to complement each other well. On Saturday we talked about multiplying our lives by investing deeply in a few, as Jesus did with the twelve. During the weekend I was able to lead a discussion with the guys on Biblical manhood and also talk about the nature and importance of church contrasted with the role of a ministry like Campus Outreach and encourage the students to plug into both accordingly.

This past weekend seven of the 4th-year guys mentioned above went fishing with me in Dublin. We had a great time on the pond and out of the city. Each of them shared where they are in considering post-graduation opportunities and the feelings (e.g. anxiety, fear, excitement, purpose, etc.) that surround that stage. We took an in-depth look at Psalm 25, prayed together, and discussed what basic elements we hope to be present in our lives at any given stage and place. Regarding any of the qualities we named -- whether growth in the Word, a healthy community or a clear and purposeful mission -- the best preparation for the future is faithfulness in the present.

Staff Development
For the second year, I'm leading our new staff through a theological course from our authority church - Perimeter. "Theological Foundations for Leaders" consists of ten lessons, a review week and an exam. Please pray that these studies would help the staff develop clarity in their theological convictions but more importantly deepen their appreciation for the Bible and their personal walks with God as they "grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

THANK YOU!
All that God continues to do on these campuses and in these lives rests on His own plan and work of redemption... and He has chosen to use people - like you and us - in real ways. Thank you for partnering with us through prayer and giving. Thank you for sharing with us in Christ. We hope to hear from you and trust you're doing well in His grace.

Blessings,
Michael & Amber, Sam, (plus baby-on-the-way) Vestal

P.S.
Don't miss this excellent video on the CO Atlanta website. All but one of the students interviewed were on SBP with us this summer. The last to share - Matthew - has become a good friend of ours here at Tech. Also, Amber has some fun posts about our growing family here.

If you'd like to be removed from our list or if you have a different preferred email address, please let me know.

VOTE

Please vote on the right whether you think we're having a boy or a girl!

So fun!

I went to the doctor again today and Michael got to come with me and Sam. I wasn't expecting much, but I was glad Michael was coming. I didn't know they would do another ultrasound since the baby is still too little to pick up the heartbeat. I don't remember everything we did with Sam, so this was a fun surprise!
This picture was taken when the baby was still sleeping. He/She woke up and you could see the arms and legs moving all around. It was so cool! We're so excited. The doctor said everything looks great! She even tried to peek and see if it was a boy or girl, but you couldn't tell still.
So fun!

Fun times in the Vestal Household!

Sam is going to be a big brother sometime in late March/ early April! The official due date is April 5th! That's Michael's birthday. We're so excited!
I posted some entries from a while back just now, so scroll down to see them if you don't have Google Reader. :)

The Zoo

I've been wanting to take Sam to the zoo for a while now and our friends Henry and Melissa took us today. It was so fun! Sam is learning what noises animals make, but he keeps saying "ah, ah" instead of "nah" or whatever the animal says. He has a cow down pat though!

Sam and Henry in the back seat

First stop, flamingos!

The big elephants!

A ride on the train!
We saw a lot more and ate lunch. We had so much fun! Thanks, Debardelebens!

Our little baby acrobat

Mollie Anna Teachey

Mollie is here! She's so little, snuggly and sweet. Everyone is doing well and Jenna is my hero! She is made to have babies apparently. Congrats, Teacheys!

Sam's preschool!

Sam is about to start "preschool" in a few weeks! We have 6 moms and kids who are going to do a rotation with a schedule. So, I'll be on one week and have 2 weeks off. It's only once a week for 2 hours, but we're all so excited! We met about curriculum and goals last week and we're all on the same page. The most important thing is for them to learn about Jesus and develop Godly character. Of course, listening and obeying and other skills will develop along the way, too. I can't wait!
I'm looking for a cute little backpack to put his crafts, papers and lunch in...any ideas of where to get one?

They're BACK!

Here's a picture of all the Tech students that were at Beach Project this summer. God is so faithful to work in their hearts and make them more like Him. We're really looking forward to getting back on campus with this group as well as others!!!

Current Stats

22 lbs. 9 oz. today! We missed his 1 year check up since we were out of town, but he's all caught up now. Everything looks good! We are going to postpone the MMR a few months. Anyone have thoughts on this????

sick

uh oh, I feel sick. :( First sign of "morning sickness". I'm enjoying my last days of wearing cute summer, normal clothes!

Activities

Since it was blazing hot last week, I tried to think of things for Sam to do indoors. I bought these little crayon holders and stickers and made him a notebook to play with. He tried playdough too. 1 minute into the first art session, Sam had crayon and playdough in his mouth. That ended that idea for a few months!

July

We went to McRae for the 4th of July to visit Michael's grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles. It was fun and we got to swim in their pool and pick fresh blueberries.


Here are 4 generations of Vestal men. Sam loves his great-grandparents!


Sam also got to visit my Grandpa, PJ. Here he is playing my Grandma's piano. He did so well...he didn't even bang on the keys like a normal baby. He played with all his fingers very gently. It was cute!

GUESS WHAT!?!?!

Sam is going to be a big brother!

We found out this morning! My parents kept Sam last night so we could go to dinner with the Darts, Heaths and Dearolphs. The Darts are moving to Chicago! Anyways, we went to a movie with Britt late last night and got to sleep in a little bit. I took the test a few days early thinking it would be negative but hoping I could surprise Michael. He thought we'd take it Friday right before he left town, but I took it today! I didn't think it would be positive and I looked at it right away and it was still negative. I sat there and counted to 120 and looked. IT WAS POSITIVE! I couldn't believe it. I opened the door and said, "michael, come here." He said, "please???" hahaha. I pointed to it and he was like, "oh wow!"
We went to breakfast at J. Christopher's (our favorite) and then got Sam from Grammy.
I can't believe I'm pregnant!

I took Sam to the pool for a playdate and there were a ton of cars in the parking lot. When I walked up to the gate with Sam, Mecall (36 weeks preggo) came waddling up to let me in. Behind her at the kiddie pool were Melissa (22 weeks preggo) and her son Henry, Jenna (32 weeks preggo) and Elie, Shelley and her 2 kids, Angie and her 3 kids, a pregnant lady due Saturday with her little girl and some other family. I was amazed at all the bellies! I laughed to Mecall about it and she said, "I know, when is your second coming???" I just laughed. She took it to mean, "yeah, right! A second already?" I've been lying about it and telling people I'm not ready, but I really am. Last pregnancy and newborn stage was super hard, but now that I'm more prepared for it, I'm not as scared. I have a lot of Mommy friends to help me.

WE'RE SO BLESSED!!!

Sam will have tons of friends!

There was a baby boom in 2007!

No wonder I noticed pregnant women all over the place when I was pregnant!

Aunt Annabella

Sam is getting an Aunt! Here's the email from my Mom:

This will come as a shock to some of you! Charles and I are adding to our family! Not in the traditional sense but we are becoming foster parents to a 14 year old girl. Her name is Annabella Rinehart. She is moving in tomorrow. It all started 2 weeks ago yesterday when her Dad passed away from cancer. They live in our neighborhood but we did not know them. He had custody of her and her Mom lives in TN. Her Dad was sick for a year and they all believed he would make it and so she went out for cheerleading and made it. She will be a freshman next month at Kell. He had just made the final payment for her cheerleading and when he passed everyone was scrambling to see if the money could be refunded. That is where I enter...I was taking food to her house...still have not met anyone. In the foyer a friend of the family was talking about this with another woman. I heard them talking and I just said I will take her. I had never even seen her until last Wednesday
a week ago. However, as quickly as this escalated. Charles and I discussed it, with each other then our kids. I prayed for God's will, SEVERAL times, then we stepped back and let it unfold. So we all met this past Sunday, 20 people. She has decided to come live with us and we are excited because all 20 people involved believe God is the one that brought us together. We did not step in front of him and have our way in this. I ask each of you to keep all of us in your thoughts and prayers and we pray for his guidance in trying to help raise yet another child of his. Thank you so much for your friendships!

Love,
Charles and Sherri

God is Awesome!

I'm really excited about this! She's a sweet girl and we hope that we can be a huge encouragement to her during this stage of life.

We're back...just a few pictures for now :)

Sam's Birthday Party pic's...

are available on his blog - www.babyvestal.blogspot.com

Check them out! We had a wonderful time!

From Daytona,
Michael

Sam's First Birthday Party at the park!

Summer Beach Project

AND...We're off! We're leaving in the morning for Beach Project! We'll stop in Dublin for the night to break up the trip. We're in the middle of packing the car right now. Please pray for our travels to be safe and for Sam to not get too cranky...especially Friday when we go all the way to Daytona. THANKS! I'll try to update while I'm down there. We'll have full time babysitters, which is awesome!

Birthday Party

A bunch of us have May Birthdays so Sara Link just threw us one big cookout at Piedmont Park last night. It was so fun and yesterday was my actually Birthday. The weather was great and we all just hung out and ate. I'm excited about spending the summer with some of these people starting Friday!

First Braves Game!

Thanks to Julian, we got to go see the Braves play today! Sam got a Braves outfit from Grammy and GDaddy and looked precious. He got a lot of smiles and compliments. I think he had a good time. Our seats were perfect because they were close, but shaded. My favorite part was that we got on the Jumbotron! I made a sign so that we might get on it, but I didn't know if we would. I wish I had a picture of us on there!

Sam's Birthday Party!

We had a great time at the park with family and friends yesterday! Everyone was so sweet, helpful and thoughtful and made it so great! I didn't take a single picture, but a lot of people did and we'll get them soon and post them! Sam's Bday is actually the 25th, but we're leaving Thursday for Summer Beach Project. We're really excited about spending 5 weeks with other families and students! Sam is especially excited to hang out at the beach with some buddies most days.

Walking

This is a little older, but I can't seem to get a good video of him walking. Last night he walked from the living room to the dining room table while we were eating! It was amazing! I'm so excited that he won't be crawling in the hotel room this summer!

Playdate with Madeline

Madeline and Sam had a great time at Chic -fil-A yesterday for lunch. She's walking like a pro and Sam was trying to catch up!

Our little community

We love our staff team and our church. We are very blessed to have great relationships! Last week, we started meeting with 3 other couples at the church who are about our age and all have 1 kid about Sam's age. It's so great to talk about parenting and life with people in your same stage of life. We're reading Parenting By the Book and so far it seems like it'll be helpful. We're leaving for Beach Project in less than 2 weeks, though and we'll be gone for 5 weeks. I'm thankful that we'll have great fellowship there, too.
Last Friday, The Irwins invited us and a lot of the neighbors over for a screen on the green. We watched a movie while the kids slept in their pack n plays inside. It was such a fun idea! Saturday we went to the Crews' house for Jac's First Bday party and Sunday we saw them all again at church. I just love it!!!
Just wanted to share a bit about our lives right now :)

First Mothers Day

I had a great Mothers Day. I got to sleep in some AND take a nap. I went to Starbucks and read for a little while too, which rarely happens. Michael and Sam were very good to me! Sam even wrote me a sweet little note :)
I love my boy!
I LOVE MY BOYS!!!