Birthdays are always a big deal, but Samuel's is even more special. On his birthday, the reality that we are so very blessed hits home so much deeper and more poignantly than ever before. A year and a half ago, I watched a happy, healthy boy, become sicker and sicker. It was undoubtedly the hardest time of my life, because we didn't know what was wrong. After his diagnosis with Celiac Disease, we adopted a gluten free lifestyle and I watched a sick boy get healthier and healthier, and stop surviving to start thriving. They were some of the most difficult and yet, most defining months of my life. I prayed for Sam constantly.
Today, he is healthy and joyful and silly and sweet and serious and smart and full of life and we love him very much. Dear sweet Samuel, I am so blessed to be your sister and am filled with unspeakable joy to have celebrated another birthday with you. I love you, my little Captain. These are some photos that we will pull out one year, maybe at your graduation or wedding, and will remember the little three year old Sam with his Captain America shirt, shield, and helmet.
Today, he is healthy and joyful and silly and sweet and serious and smart and full of life and we love him very much. Dear sweet Samuel, I am so blessed to be your sister and am filled with unspeakable joy to have celebrated another birthday with you. I love you, my little Captain. These are some photos that we will pull out one year, maybe at your graduation or wedding, and will remember the little three year old Sam with his Captain America shirt, shield, and helmet.
Happy birthday Sammy! You've gotten so big!
ReplyDelete-Gabby
Oh, he is the sweetest. Love these Hannah! :)
ReplyDeleteawww, he's the cutest, sweetest little thing! happy birthday sam! :)
ReplyDeletehe totally reminds me of my little brother, who turned three just two weeks ago! <3
eve @ essence of eve
That is the cutest Captain America I think I've ever seen. He puts Chris Evans to shame.
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday, Sammy! ♥
YOU BETTER WATCH YOURSELF CHRIS EVANS.
ReplyDeletei mean, chris is cute, but sammy? literally just died.
LOVE THESE! So precious
ReplyDeletehappy birthday to the most adorable captain america! These photos are presh Hannah! ;)
ReplyDeleteHe is so cute, Hannah. Love it! I adore the last one... gah, sosososo cute. <3
ReplyDeletexoxo,
Rachel Nicole @ Summer Breeze
rachyracheshobbycorner.blogspot.com
AAAAAAHHHHHHHH his toes!!! *dying here*
ReplyDeletehow adorable. little brothers are the sweetest!
Aw...Happy Birthday to him! He's so cute.
ReplyDeletehe's adorable! I love little brothers. :)
ReplyDeleteThis kid's got style.
ReplyDeleteIt's been beautiful to follow along with his story via your mom and you, dear. He is precious and all kinds of adorable and getting so big. Happy birthday, Samuel! :)
ReplyDeleteHappy Birthday to Sam! And, Captain America for the win.
ReplyDeleteThis is adorable! I hope he had a happy birthday!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe title alone made my heart beat faster. Someday when I visit MN I'm gonna give this little dude a huge bear hug and ask him to please please play Captain America with me. :) Happy Birthday love to Sammy boy. :) :)
ReplyDeleteThis is beyond precious, Hannah. Happy birthday sweet Samuel!
ReplyDelete~Madi
^sorry about the deleted comment, I was accidentally signed in as my dad. :)
I know just how you feel when you talk about Celiac Disease. One of my little brothers has a disease that's quite like it. It's so hard to watch them get sicker, and sicker; yet, it's such a blessing when they start getting better =) Amazing pictures, Hannah~
ReplyDeleteUtterly precious. He looks like one happy (and healthy!) little boy. Happy birthday to you, little Sam! xo
ReplyDeleteps. captain america has always been my favorite, too ;)
Happy Birthday, sweet Sammy-boy (with the cutest little toes ever)! :)
ReplyDeletePraise the Lord for his life & healthiness! <3
awh, happy birthday sam!! he is seriously one of the most adorable little boys in the universe; i love his captain america outift! xx
ReplyDeleteHow sweet! He's adorable love the pictures and your well-crafted sweet words as usual! :)
ReplyDeleteHow precious! I love how you captured his expressions in these-- so lively and authentic.
ReplyDeleteHow I wish I had a little brother... actually, my favorite little boy is named Sammy and he's three... I keep begging my mom for a little brother. I'll say, "I just want a 'Sammy,' mom!" But I don't think that is going to happen anytime soon :)
You are so blessed to have little siblings. And even more blessed to appreciate them as much as you do!
hugs,
Lindsey
These are just too cute! :)
ReplyDeletesuch a handsome, sweet boy! I rejoice with you at another full year of life that awaits him :D
ReplyDeleteyou have him trained right :)
ReplyDeletehappy birthday, Sam! :)
ReplyDeleteThis kid is adorable. happy, happy birthday, samuel. :)
ReplyDeleteYour blog = ever-inspiring! :)
ReplyDeleteSo, so, so sweet!!! I love that last one!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it so unreal to imagine the little ones, the young ones, growing up someday and being handed a diploma or waiting at the aisle of their wedding? It's impossible to picture what they'll look like and what their lives will be like.
ReplyDeleteThese photos are precious and so is Samuel. Happy birthday!
He is just so adorable! These photos were so precious, and definitely ones that are worth looking back at someday <3
ReplyDelete~Molly~
mollyslittlecorner.blogspot.com
He's so adorable!! Like, I can't even begin to say how cute he is. :) Happy Birthday Samuel! :)
ReplyDeletei didn't think it was possible that your photos could be sweeter than your words but there you are, hannah nicole, impressing me as always. :)
ReplyDeletethe first one of his toes. goodness, it caught right up in my throat and stayed there. hold on to him tight while he's this small! they grow up so fast. :')
ReplyDeleteAWWW! He's SOOOO cute!!!
ReplyDeleteOhmygoodness!!!! He is absolutely adorable!!!!
ReplyDeleteI love how your cute little bun shows in the reflection in your first photo. :-)
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know if I could go through what your family went through (and I imagine still goes through, with the struggles of keeping gluten-free). Other than when I was young, there's only one main terrifying incident I've gone through. It was only for a few hours that I wasn't sure if I my dad was alive or not, but those hours felt literally like years. It was one of the hardest things I've gone through. And of course the months after that were hard and terrifying too, while my dad healed. For a while we weren't sure how he was going to recover. Your faith and courage inspires me very much
Anyway, this post makes me so happy. The joy and care-free nature of Samuel is showed so naturally and simply. And he is so incredibly adorable!
sammy is so precious looking. sorry you had to go through all the sickness with him - my younger brother has a heart defect and when was born had a third lung growing off his left lung (he now has only a lung and a half, after surgery when he was really young). although he's a healthy 9 year old boy now, he spent most of the first five years in and out of the hospital. my mom was a single mom then too. it's hard, but Jesus has got His hand on them. :]
ReplyDeletexx.
k
precious baby boy. he's so adorable. and happy. don't you love how kids just have this appetite for life? its amazing. dealing with the sickness of a family member is so incredibly hard and sometimes you feel like giving up and staying sad. but you didn't give up, and look at him now. he's a heathly beautiful little guy. happy birthday sam, i know you're loved beyond what you know. x
ReplyDeleteoh oh oh. so precious. I think he beats Chris Evans at Cap any day.
ReplyDelete