On Friday, November 23rd we celebrated our baby's birthday. He was 22!! Oh how quickly time has passed!!! Samuel was born on a Saturday at 7:08 am. He weighed 8lbs 3oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long. He had a head full of black hair and everyone thought he was beautiful! When he was just 5 hours old he watched his first football game with his Daddy. Tennessee beat Kentucky to win the SEC Championship.(How about them VOLS!!! They did it again!!!!) He grew and grew. By the time he was 4 months old he weighed almost 20 lbs. He was everyone's baby...sooooo cute!!! People everywhere were drawn to him and his funny, little personality. He was a HAM from the very beginning!!!! At age 1 he could hum songs with perfect pitch. He learned to swim at 18 months and by age 2 he was talking in complete sentences. Samuel was very inquisitive. He was into everything- he poured out the laundry detergent and the gasoline, he stuck his hands in the oil while Norman was changing it, he pulled out the cassette tapes, dropped a dozen eggs, poured out a gallon of tea, cut himself shaving with his daddy's razor, and pulled the curtains down twice. After a while I just wrote: "No time to write in babybook". He made the "Strong-Willed Child" look like a weakling. Just when I thought I had all my ducks in a row...I began to have a steady diet of "CROW". Yes, Samuel has taught me many things about life...the first being "Never say never when it comes to children!" or "If that were my child I'd..." Believe me I did!!! He questioned everything we did or thought about doing. He could not except, "Because I said so" for an answer. He was the baby of the neighborhood but that did not stop him from trying to hit the ball farther, make that outside shot or score a goal. That just made him want to show them all he could do it!!! And he did. He grew to be 6'3" and went on to be an outstanding basketball and soccer player, leading his teams to many Region Championships. He was voted Most School Spirited and was Valedictorian of his graduating class. He received a soccer scholarship as well as many academic scholarships. At Shorter College he received awards for Best Offensive Player and Best Defensive Player. He was recently inducted to the Alpha Chi Honor Society. I am very proud of Samuel and all of his accomplishments. He is blessed by God to be so gifted academically and physically. And I pray daily that he will use these talents for God's glory. He has truly been a blessing to me. Has the road always been easy for us? Absolutely not!!! Did I yell and scream and cry? You bet I did!!! Has it been a wonderful journey? You bet ya!!! He has taught me humility, laughter and love. I love him dearly and I thank God daily for blessing me with this gift from God, my precious baby, Samuel.