Just The Mays Family: Samantha's Birthday/Week and Come To Jesus-LONG POST

So Samantha's birthday week went alright.

Monday we took her miniature golf for the first time, but it rained, so we took her to an indoor course. Luckily for us, we had a coupon and it was cheap, because it was really small and Sam got bored of it after a couple holes. She get the concept, but she thinks that if she does not get it in one or two swings, she can just pick it up and put it in the hole or pick it up and put it next to the hole so she can hit it in really easy. lol It was inside an ice cream parlor downtown, so we took her to get a scoop of ice cream too.

Tuesday we took Sam out for dinner. She picked Chili's. (Thank God, since she chose McDonalds last year! lol) And because their menu has pictures, Samantha was able to chose her own food. She was such a big girl. She just looked at me and said, "Mommy, I want the chicken and fries with Sprite to drink, and then for my second meal, I want pizza and mandarine oranges." lol She did not get a second meal, but I thought it was cute how she said it. They also gave her a free birthday ice cream.

Wednesday she got to open her gifts. We got her a Little Pet Shoppe play set, a Rapunzel playset, the Ladybug Girl doll and one of the books, and the Magic School Bus series on DVD, which she is OBSESSED with now.

Thursday she went to the playground.

Friday we had a movie night. They didn't have much in RedBox, but she decided to watch Lion King, which we already had, so worked for us. We all passed out within the first 30 minutes.

Saturday Jessie worked late, but my Dad came up to spend the night for her party, so we took her to the Battle Field.

I feel bad because the only big thing she did this week was mini golf, but being that we are still focused on the house and as awful as it sounds, the whole baby thing, on top of not having a lot of money because we had to fix the water heater again....We tried to do a lot of free stuff this time. And from now on, since hopefully soon we will have another, and their birthday are looking like they will be within a couple months of each other, we are going to do birthday 3 days or birthday 2 days. We will either do something fun on one day, that they pick, then dinner another day and then the party, or combine the first two days and just have a birthday celebration on their birthday and then a party that weekend.

Sunday was her party. It went well I guess. Unfortunately they were packed when we got there, so we could not find a table to set up. There was a ton of parties going on, so nobody was getting up anytime soon. Jessie finally found one, but by time we started getting set up, people were showing up, so we had to rush. And we had nowhere to put the personalized Ladybug Girl banner that I bought because we did not get a table in a covered area like we usually do. :( So pretty much the party turned out to be ladybug/bumble bee themed...Her invites were the only Ladybug Girl thing because nobody saw the banner. Samantha had fun though. She got to play with her friends. She mostly stayed with Kylie and Gracy. It was so cute seeing her with both of them. We did cake. And she got to open her gifts. She was better at opening them this year than in the past years, but since everybody knows her so well, everybody but one person put her stuff in bags.

She got a lot of new toys for me-I mean for her to play with. :) She got a bunch of Little Pet Shoppe stuff, some My Little Pony stuff, a Princess board game, Cinderella movie, a Cinderella and Prince doll, a Fancy Nancy book, a sand art set, a gift card-which she bought the Magic School Bus game for her Leap Pad, a bike and horn for her bike. She is getting good on the bike! We have been practicing on it all day. Jessie is off on Mondays, so he has been able to help her, which makes him happy, and of course I love to watch them together.

Her pictures were before her party also. They went okay, but she was anxious for her party, so she didn't want to do them very much...We got some good poses I am sure, just not 300 like we got last year. She offered to let us have the pics cheaper, but we got an hour and a half session and we are only supposed to have an hour, and she always gives us the CD and all the printed pics and everything... I just couldn't let her do it so cheap. I am sure it will be well worth what we paid. (Plus, she is so sweet, she bought Samantha a bunch of candy for her birthday. So when she was done she gave it to her. Sam was so hyped up on sugar before the party even started.)

I will put pics at the bottom, but I didn't take many pics this week...I have been so out of it this week and I have no clue why...Guess all the business of everything going on.

In other news, I am happy, so happy, too happy for words to describe! Last Sunday I got baptized. Jessie came to see me, but like I mentioned before he generally doesn't go to church with us because he says he knows God is there, but he does his thing and God does his. In other words, Jessie has a lot of issues he needs to work out about his childhood and about Lucy.

The Thursday before, while I was there for small group, they had me make a short film about why I was getting baptized. I rushed through it because I was nervous and my voice was hoarse. (I loset my voice for a week and a half.) Apparently it hit home with Jessie though because he started crying. I didn't say anything to him, because I did not want to embarrass him. Then later that week, he said, "So, your church still needing help with renovations?" "Of course. They take all the help they can get." "Cool. I may help sometime." "Cool." (I don't say much when it comes to that because I do not want to push him.) Then he asked if I was going to church Sunday before her party. I told him yes since pictures weren't until noon and her party was not until 3. So he said, "Cool...Uh. I may go. It just depends." I didn't mention it again, and then Saturday night he reminded me he was going, and I said okay. Never asked him why. But he went on this whole spill about how watching my video really touched him and that maybe the reason we go through some things is to learn lessons, which I have been telling him...And then he went on to say that it made him stop and ask himself what kind of leader is he for his family if Sam and I are going to church, but he isn't. We had one of those "Come to Jesus" moments, and he apologized for everything and said that he was going to start working out all his issues. It really shocked me! He has never talked like that before. We don't discuss church really. He asks how church went. I tell him good, maybe give him a few details. He supports me in going Sunday and Thursday, but that is it. But he went Sunday and he said he enjoyed and he is going to keep coming back. I really hope he keeps coming. I enjoy having him there. He talks to everybody. He laughed at all of Shane-the pastor's jokes. He has been helping out. Sam loves that Daddy can come and pick her after class. It is just nice. I am really glad that he has started coming. That was the one big thing in our marriage that we had left to work out. It bothered me that he was so like "Whatever" about it all. But I thought, maybe if I wait it out, don't allow him to hold me back, and let him see how happy I am, maybe he would come around, and he has. I am just so so happy.

Another side note, I am taking a test on Thursday because I have been sick to my stomach since the morning of Sam's party. (But it could be that we have been eating junk since Sunday because of her birthday.) And no sign of AF. Wish me luck! (If it says "Pregnant" I will be even happier. :)