Sam is Home

20 minutes old.

12 hours old. Sam's first blowout was reserved for Dad's Diaper Changing 101; Paul told Grandma Jo, on the phone, all about his baby's BM up his back.

20 hours old, being held by Anna.

23 hours old. Smiling at Lauren Wilburn from Janelle's arms.

40 hours old. Three across makes everyone happy.

40 hours old. Team Tongen is home together.

Big, big brother Micah.

"Look at the picture I took of my baby!"

43 hours old. First playtime with big brothers.

Height comparison

Micah took Samuel on a tour of our home, sweetly telling him what happens in each room.

46 hours old. Sam's grumpy sleeping face with a dimple in his chin

65 hours old. "Come on, Dad, YOU need to get your days and nights straight! My big brothers gave me their new stuffed animals from Vacation Bible School to play with."
That's all until I get some more hours under my belt.

Samuel Monroe Tongen is here!!

The regular blogger has been sidelined with a broken wireless connection at the hospital. I (Anthony) will do my best to just get some pictures online with minimal verbage.

Below is one of our first pictures of Samuel. Someone (most likely the author of this post) forgot the camera :( , ...

So, the Warnes (who share an anniversary with Samuel's birthday) went to our house and brought us the camera. Below is Deb in her date night attire getting an early peak at Samuel.

The smiles below have been pasted on the faces of the boys for most of the day!

Below is Paul being a big boy and holding Samuel too.

However, I think the photo below (even though a bit repetitive) makes Paul look so mature!

Grandma Bev has been such a big help and here she is getting rewarded with some face-to-face time!

A handful of Tongens!

Below are two pictures of Samuel. We have been most surprised by his REALLY dark hair, which is a new thing for our Tongen boys. The question for the readers: Who does Samuel look like (you can answer in the comments section below)? More pictures and thoughts to come in the next few days (including the much anticipated birth story :). Thanks for reading!

Happy Father's Day

Hello to those of you who are checking this blog way too often to see if we have had our baby. Keep waiting patiently! He'll come when he is ready and as for me, I think it is a lot easier to be pregnant than to take care of a newborn.

In honor of Anthony on this Father's Day, here is a photo of his three sons loving one another.

Micah and Paul are REALLY excited about their baby brother. Paul still wants him to be named "El Skippito," but Micah has switched the name to "Moses Waterhead." No matter what name we choose, I foresee the nickname Skippy sticking.

Paul loves singing to him and getting high fives from his little brother through my belly. Every morning, Paul says, "Good morning mom. Good morning baby!!!" The boys always count their brother in the family (e.g. a cookie for Paul, Micah, Mom, baby, and Dad -- poor me.) Paul has also fallen in love with friends' babies (Hudson Paul and Naomi Joy.) Micah is genuinely excited, too.

The boys decided one day that mom's look was worth copying.

Through Big Brothers' Eyes

All of the following pictures have been taken by Micah or Paul during summer vacation as they are getting ready to be big brothers. Andrea gave Micah her old camera, which has been so much fun for the boys! I can't possibly offer suitable commentary on these pictures, but I think that their choices of photography subjects might give glimpses into their world.

Dad cooking

Dad working

Picture of Dad's favorite tree to show him for Father's Day

Preschool friends

Laundry

Micah reading Bible

Empty box = Endless fun

Paul going upstairs

Paul playing

Paul's bunk

Paul hugging Mom

"Church"

Boy's eye view

Paul's first film

The Merry Month of May

Is it possible to fit an entire month's worth of fun into one blog post? I hope so, but I couldn't find a unifying theme for such a post. Therefore, let's just chalk this one up to Megan-playing-catch-up. I took Micah and Paul to the circus and it was such a pleasant outing! I was so thrilled with how enjoyable and easy it was to take two appreciative boys on a "date". The big highlight for Paul was that a dog rode on a horse!

Things are so exciting on Blue Heron Farm this time of year that Paul's awe-filled expression of, "Lets get compost, Grandaddy!" shows why we made a few trips to visit this month.

Getting armfuls of yummy produce is more Micah's enticement.

For me, the big pull to the farm is seeing my sons spend time with their grandparents, and in this case, my grandpa.

May also marked the graduation of my JMU Bible study girls. I'm proud of each of them!

It sure was a good thing that I had such good helpers to get the vegetable garden ready! The boys' sunflower house is off to an amazing start, too.

Nesting: If only I could accomplish something this impressive in ONE HOUR! It is taking me months to get our nest ready for our baby to come, and I still don't think I'll be ready in a few weeks!

Carla and I took our four kids out of the womb and two in our bellies on a great outing to Luray Caverns.

Sylvan and Micah, Paul and Camille, and ? Tongen boy and ? Martin girl are already great friends!

I imagine that this picture captures a glimpse of what Paul will look like when he is older. It is also one of the only times in his life where I think he almost looks like me.

In the midst of a very cool garden maze at Luray Caverns, Paul is pointing at a sign saying "I told you to go the other way!" Take that, big brother Micah who was tricked by reading the previous sign!

The greatest Mother's Day present I have ever received was waking up from a nap to the sight of Anthony teaching Micah and Paul to wash the dishes for me!

All five of us went on a beautiful hike together.

Korry, Paul and Micah were great hiking buddies!

What a cute picture. Micah and Owen had a great time on their last preschool field trip to a dairy farm.

Micah had a tougher time saying "goodbye" to his preschool and his friends there than I realized he would. However, since he and Paul built a pulley system to lift the watering can to their fire station, I think that Micah is ready for Kindergarten-level physics. The picture above Paul's head and the one to the side of Micah's head were samples of Micah's artwork on display from his enrichment program at Redeemer Classical School. I am amazed at how much Micah's art skills and creative confidence improved in one semester!

Paul, Zeke and Micah got to hold baby chicks at the Book festival.

We took a trip to Lancaster over Memorial Day weekend for a great visit with the Laceys. Considering what constant motion these four cousins generate, I can only imagine what it will be like when we add the fifth boy into the mix!

Firefighters-in-training: the first step is to stop fidgeting with your chin strap.

Maybe the dream of becoming farmers and firefighters is possible after all!

Last weekend, we went to a folk life festival with Grandma Bev and had a wonderful time! Don't miss the beautiful views of Nelson County.

With practice, Micah was able to play this old-timey game at a beautiful plantation.

Paul found a shady spot just his size.