The Daily Knowles

Six Things About Me...

2008-12-12T04:01:00.000-08:00

Tammy, I am sorry it has taken me so long to respond to your tag. Here it goes...

1. I absolutely LOVE onions! When I was little I remember pulling green onions out the garden, washing them, dipping them in a little salt and munching away. I am often guilty of over doing the onions when I cook for my family. Although, I have trained Josiah to love onions too. The first born gets all the good training.

2. My right foot has been numb for six years. I had some nerve (right L5 nerve to be exact) damage when I was pregnant with Emma. My foot has been numb ever since. It is more annoying than anything. I have to wear comfortable shoes which is no problem unless I am going to a wedding or something. Emma was worth it. She is a sweetie and doesn't get on my nerves now.

3. I gave birth to Lydia, my fourth child, in the passenger seat of my father-in-law's car. We were forced off the interstate by a police officer with his gun pointed at us. The police officer made my husband get in the back of the police car while he checked to see if I was really in labor. I was and Lydia was born about 7 minutes later.

4. Craft, Art, and Office Supply stores make me very happy! I could spend a days studying their inventory. I love being artsy and organized.

5. I have lived in seven different states...Mississippi, Colorado, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Alabama. I have lived in Birmingham for 12 years. This is by far the longest I have ever lived in one place. I like it.

6. I do not enjoy writing. I would much rather be drawing, taking pictures, playing with my kids, cleaning (yes,I will gladly scrub a toilet before writing), sleeping or whatever. I hope my children love to write. They have learned to read much faster and better than I did. I hope all of them take after Sam in the reading / writing category.

Praise the Lord I am finished! Now I can go scrub the toilet...

Monarch Butterflies!

2008-10-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

My Mom, the science teacher, brought us several monarch caterpillars and a supply of milkweed. The caterpillars ate and ate and ate and became very fat caterpillars. Then they climbed to the top of their container and hung by a 'j' shape. Next, they each formed their bright green and gold chrysalis. After two weeks they emerged from their chrysalis as beautiful butterflies. We all enjoyed watching this amazing process. Thank you Mimi!

Birthday Suprises!

2008-10-12T20:01:00.000-07:00

Birthday Week 2008

Whew...we made it through another fun filled birthday week! We started with a Build-a-bear party for Emma! She choose six friends to join her in some bear building fun. After the build-a-bear festivities we gathered out in the mall for some cupcakes, cheetos and caffeine free coke & rootbeer. I think our sweet little six year old had a super fun party with her family and friends!

The next morning (Emma's actual birthday) Sam and I had a HUGE surprise for the kids! We had secretly planned and packed for a mini vacation to Atlanta. After church we went out to eat like normal. As we pulled out of the parking lot Josiah immediately noticed we were going the wrong way! Sam simply explained that he needed to get gas and go by the bank. That satisfied him. It was not until almost 50 miles later that Josiah ask,"When are we ever going to be home?" Sam responded,"Tuesday." Josiah thought he was kidding. It was so funny! The kids were so excited to find out that we were going to spend two nights in a hotel, go the Georgia Aquarium and the Coke Museum! Eliott's reaction was the best! He woke up when we were downtown Atlanta. We were explaining to him what we were doing and he said,"Oh WOW, that is AWESOME!"

We had a fabulous time looking at all the old Coke memorabilia, but the highlight of the Coke museum was tasting Coke products from around the world. We don't let our kids drink many sweet drinks, so they loved the endless sampling! After a quick lunch of peanut butter crackers and bananas, we headed into the Georgia Aquarium. Wow...it was amazing! It was a perfect day to be at the Aquarium...no crowds. Josiah still says that was the best day he has ever had!

Tuesday the kids thought we were packing up and heading straight home. Little did they know that we were going to a ....Lego Store!! When we pulled into the mall parking lot the kids were not excited about shopping. Their attitude change when they learned that they were going to be able to spend their birthday money. The boys were in heaven in the Lego store and Emma enjoyed making a purchase at Hello Kitty. Tuesday was Eliott's birthday so on the way home we bought some cupcakes from Publix. We enjoyed cupcakes on the deck after dinner.

Saturday, Josiah's birthday, was a crazy busy day...soccer game...family pictures...wedding (that Sam was in.) Josiah's team tied their game and Josiah scored one of the three goals. We met sweet Adria downtown on Morris Avenue for school pictures. Yes, school pictures by a professional photographer / fellow homeschool mom. Next, over to the Alabama Theater for Jarrod and Susie Beth's wedding. Needless to say, we did not get to do anything special for Josiah on his birthday, so Sunday he got to pick a restaurant to eat lunch at. He chose Tomatopie...yummy! Since we had eaten a bunch of cake already that week we ordered a dessert pizza and stuck eight candles in it...perfect. And thus the end of an exciting, fun, busy and exhausting birthday week!

Happy Birthday Lydia!

2008-09-15T20:59:00.001-07:00

Here is Lydia sitting on Paw's car...otherwise known as her delivery room.

Lydia got an outdoor swing and a baby for her birthday. She loves both of them. I think she will really enjoy the swing once it is outside and not sitting on the kitchen floor.

Lydia loved her cupcake!

Lydia's birthday cupcakes. The cupcake toppers tell the story of her birth. I imagine there aren't many people that can say a gun decorated their first birthday cake.

Finally...a blog update!

2008-09-10T19:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry we haven't updated our blog since March...and it is now September! Things have been super busy with our family of six!

We recently changed our blog template and most of our older pictures are not appearing on the screen. They are there...but are not appearing...crazy!? Sam is working to see if he can make those older pictures reappear. So, if you are dying to see those older pictures check back in a few weeks to see if Sam was successful.

We hope you had a great summer! Below are a few highlights of our summer...and hopefully our next post will be before March 2009. :)

These pictures VERY random. I am not an expert blogger yet, so I haven't mastered the art of getting the pictures in the right order!

This is Josiah our Lego boy. He loves Legos more than any boy I have ever known. He worked non-stop one day putting this helicopter together. I was so impressed, primarily because all the pieces were mixed with a million other Lego sets.

This is my (Laurie) family at Lake Logan, NC. This is second year in a row we have met there for a family vacation. There are more pictures of this trip on our flickr account.

Every summer we look forward to our day at Weiss Lake with the Chesnuts! They currently live in New Mexico but we are hoping they will move closer soon.

This is Eliott fishing with a bamboo pole at Weiss Lake.

The ultimate slip n' slide in the Thompson's yard!

Emma's first day of Kindergarten...homeschool style!

Eliott and our fourth of July watermelon!

Science co-op with the Thompson and Horst families!

Sweet Lydia in the swing at the blueberry farm. Yummmm...I wish I had a big bowl of those blueberries right now!

Snow Days!

2008-03-08T11:27:00.000-08:00

The Birth Certificate that tells a story...

2008-01-23T12:24:00.000-08:00

Lydia's birth certificate is proof of where she was born and who delivered her. If you look closely, the place of birth reads..."I-59 South at Tallapoosa Exit" and the attendant's name is "Stan," our dear paramedic.

Lydia's sweet grin

Lydia's Birth Story

2008-01-22T14:48:00.000-08:00

Since we still have people asking about Lydia's exciting birth, we are posting her story again. Lydia is a happy and healthy baby girl. She is following the pattern of her brothers and sister, being literally "off the charts" in weight. CLICK HERE TO READ THE ORIGINAL STORY!

Potty Training

2008-01-14T13:06:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla

Eliott is enjoying "Field and Stream" while he sits on the potty.

Rub-a-dub-dub!

2008-01-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

"See Emma. Funny, funny Emma."

"Am I funny or what?"

"I love it when Mom wants me to be silly!"

"Mommy won't give me any real food yet, so for now I just try to eat my toes."

Just a little Christmas fun...

2007-12-25T14:39:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

2007-12-23T20:27:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla

My family came over from GA on Saturday the 22 and we had a great Christmas gathering. Not having to travel with with four children (one of those still a new born) would have been gift enough ;) Keep scrolling for more Christmas Pics!

The Cathey Clan

2007-12-23T20:23:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla

Laurie's family came up from FL (Bill and Sal via TX) on Sunday. We were so spoiled this year with both families coming to us.

Josiah

2007-12-23T20:22:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla

He's getting ready to Rock'em Sock'em with his cousin Mitchell

Emma Kay

2007-12-23T20:21:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla

Sporting the beloved Mama Jean made Christmas Tree

One of Eliott's many expressions.

2007-12-23T20:20:00.001-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla

Always certain to express what he's feeling at any given time.... which most of the time is happy... Thankfully! ;)

Lydia's 1st Christmas!

2007-12-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla What a face.... It so captures everything she thought about Christmas this year :)

The four Knowles children

2007-12-23T20:17:00.000-08:00

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Originally uploaded by samandla

one of the Christmas Card attempts that didn't make it to press :)

Athens in the fall...definitely one of our favorite things!!!

2007-11-05T21:11:00.001-08:00

Future Bulldog?

We had a GREAT time visiting with some of our college friends! Tammy traveled all the way from India, Lance and Heather came all the way from Scottland and Rob, well he drove all the way from Atlanta. :)

Josiah and Emma stayed with Sam's Mom, so we only had Lydia and Eliott. Eliott enjoyed getting some extra attention.

What a smile!!! Lydia is a wonderful baby!

Birthday Week!

2007-10-07T15:56:00.000-07:00

We have survived another birthday week.! The kids had a great time at Chuck E Cheese with the Thompsons. We also enjoyed a visit to Georgia with Sam's family and a visit with Mimi and Tom who came to Birmingham this weekend. Below are some pictures from the past week...

The kids loved having their picture on their cake this year and we loved the fact that we only had to buy one cake!

Chuck E Cheese with the Thompsons. Everyone had a buddy, even Lydia.

Emma got a baking set for her birthday. She made some delicious cupcakes and even decorated them herself.

Josiah signed up for a Lego club for his birthday. He and Eliott are showing off his first mystery Lego set that arrived in the mail two days before his birthday.

Lydia is 2 1/2 weeks old

2007-09-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Lydia is fitting nicely into our family. She has been to all of our favorite places... the library, Wal-mart, Sam's, chick-fil-a, Community Bible Study, church, the Thompson's house, the Fargarson's house and even Josiah's soccer game! Here are a few pictures from the past couple weeks. This first one was actually taken at the hospital, but I had to include it. It is Lydia with her best buddy Kassidy Thompson.

Josiah and Eliott love their new baby sister!

Eliott loves to say, "baby watch" and "cute baby."

Emma and Eliott have enjoyed trying out all of the baby seats that are around our house these days.

Lydia had her first real bath yesterday. It was so nice to get her cleaned up and smelling fresh.

Next week is birthday week for Emma (Sept. 28th), Eliott (Sept. 30th), and Josiah (Oct.4th). They have chosen to have a birthday lunch with the Thompson family at Chuckie Cheese's. We will be sure to post pictures next weekend from that big event!

More Pics of Lydia

2007-09-06T12:12:00.000-07:00

Working ALL things......

2007-09-05T07:26:00.000-07:00

I'll give the straight facts to those who just want to know that: Lydia Cathey Knowles was born 9lbs. 6oz. 20-1/2in. long last night, but the whole story is below... you might find it interesting.

Working All Things....

Last night Laurie woke up at 10:39pm with sharp labor pains, and by 11:04pm I was on the phone with Devon (who was our late night on call get here as quick as you can person). And I must say, Devon came through like a champ, and we can't thank him enough.

We're on the road to the hospital at 11:24pm I have flashers on driving like a mad man. I call Chase to get him to start praying that we make it to Brookwood Hospital from Pinson on time. He calls back and suggests calling 911 which a few seconds later I'm coming up on a police car so I say... that's a good idea. I try to get the attention of the police officer as I drive past...(i did slow down a bit), but he didn't really do anything at first. He kind of followed at a distance, but as I got to a traffic spot and was trying to maneuver through it... the policeman thought he'd better check us out. He cuts on his lights... I don't pull over ..... He hits his siren.... "Focus on your breathing honey not on the pain" (note to future dads...not a very helpful line) I don't pull over.... He comes up beside me as I'm pulling on to the interstate and begins to "guide" me off the road... I still don't stop, but I am trying to scream at him to tell him "MY WIFE'S HAVING A BABY!!!" at the same time trying to get his car number to tell the 911 people so they can pull him off of me..... He doesn't get the message, but I do... as he pulls his gun and points it at me ...... I pull over...... Understand the whole time this is going on, my wife is in labor screaming (yes, Laurie can scream) and telling me to go, go, go!!! The P.O. gets out of his car - weapon still drawn and pointed at me while I'm trying to explain the situation and begging the 911 operator to do something.... He makes me cut off the car and get out, put my hands in the air and get into the back of his vehicle.... only then does he go over to my car and asks Laurie, "Are you in labor?" while she's sitting their with obvious belly writhing in pain..... she tells him 'YESSSSSS!!!! AND I'M ABOUT TO HAVE THIS BABY!!!!".... He then comes back over to his car and asks if I will go and calm her down.... (uh... yeah... calm her down... sure... no problem)....

He then proceeds to put on surgical gloves and walks back over to the car saying, I didn't think I'd ever have to do this... (uh... do what.... if it comes down between you and me delivering this child.. I will win that battle ;) ) but then he asks if I'm still on the line with 911.... that's a good question... I'm not sure if they stayed on the line since you made me put the phone on the trunk of your car before going into your back seat.... The P.O. did ask if he could use my phone to talk to them.... sure, no problem....

Well, at this point Laurie's water broke and now it's on.... when Laurie's water breaks - baby comes. The P.O. gets on the radio to see how far the ambulance is away.... it's close.... I hope close enough.

We see the lights of the ambulance.... I see Lydia's head... they pull up and Paramedic Stan (may God bless him) comes up and gets everything ready for delivery which happens D.O.B. .... 11:57pm.... (notice the time frame here)....

They put Laurie and Lydia in the ambulance and I follow the P.O. in our car to the hospital.

In hind sight, we realize that we would have been cutting it real close to make it to the hospital and getting pulled over to have the paramedics on seen was probably more desirable than us having to pull off and deliver with just me. (still could've done w/out the gun point ;)

Well, we rejoice in the Lord that Lydia is born and healthy and mom is healing up from last night's festivities. Please, continue to pray for us as we celebrate this new addition to our family.

Here is a pic of this beautiful girl, too.

"For we know that God works all things together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes." Rom. 8:28

Graduation Day

2007-05-18T07:59:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we already have a graduate... from Kindergarten, but nevertheless a graduate. We are so proud of Josiah who has just finished up his first year of school. Agape Academy is our home school covering and I couldn't be more excited about being a part of such a Godly yet academically strong group. There were 7 graduates last night and they all did such a wonderful job.

Here are just a few pictures from yesterday and last night and I hope to have some video up soon too.

Summer 2006

2006-11-14T18:52:00.000-08:00

Josiah and Emma just picked some fresh veggies from Mama Jean and Paw-Paw's garden in Cullowhee, NC.

Josiah and Emma took swim lessons with their friends John Caedmon, Abbey, and Chloe Thompson.

Eliott enjoyed hanging out by the pool and eating snacks while Emma and Josiah had their lessons.

The kids and their friends at McWane Center

2006-09-02T14:29:00.000-07:00

We recently went to the McWane center for an orientation for a science class that Josiah will be taking this month. His friend Chloe will be taking this class as well. This is a video of our children building an arch and the falling down of the same.... click here to enjoy!

Oh how time flies...

2006-06-12T19:42:00.000-07:00

Hello blog readers. Please forgive me for taking soooo long to update our blog! I have been very busy chasing after my three little ones. Yes, chasing...Eliott is now officially mobile! He can scoot anywhere and everywhere. He has also been cutting teeth. He already has five and another about to break through.

Josiah and Emma have been enjoying the summer. Last week they attended a VBS at a friend's church and started swim lessons. We have also been swimming at the pool in our neighborhood and tomorrow we are going to the zoo.

Sam is doing well despite his recent loss. A couple weeks ago he had a wreck in his 1986 Skylark. Thankfully Sam was not hurt, but his Skylark did not make it. Oh well, we have been a one car family before we can do it again.

Here are a few pictures from the past few months...

Easter take two...Sam and I were very sick Easter weekend which was also my birthday. We were not able to go to church, so I dressed the kids in their "Easter" clothes the following weekend.

Mother's Day at the park after eating at La Paz, my favorite.

Emma and her cousin Breana at a Knowles Family Reunion.

Eliott hanging out in the stroller at the pool.

Laurie's First Post

2006-03-24T13:09:00.000-08:00

We traveled to Florida last week to visit my family. The kids loved spending time with their Grandpa Tom, Grandma Mimi, and Uncle Will. Grandpa Tom, Sam and Josiah had a great time fishing on the bridge even though they didn't catch anything. Eliott didn't get to go fishing this trip, he had to go shopping with the girls. :) Josiah and Emma enjoyed wrestling with Uncle Will when he was visiting. Emma asked several times when Sallie and Bill were going to be there. We all look forward to seeing them in May.

Emma and Josiah playing on the playground in Mom and Dad's neighborhood.

Eliott enjoying being held by Grandma Mimi.

A long delayed update

2006-03-05T19:22:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics to catch up with our lives.... text to come later ;)

the kids and Sam feeding Lorakeets at the Birmingham Zoo!

Eliott enjoyed the zoo too!

As you can see... the zoo really tires the children out ;)

Just once.......

2006-01-29T22:44:00.000-08:00

Well, it looks like for the month of January I'll only be posting once. Update on the cd that I thought we'd have by now: It is sooooo close to being finished in the studio. Once we get it from there, it will be about two weeks for duplication. Please, be praying for us!

The family is doing very well. Eliott is looking more and more like Eliott and not as much as Josiah ;). Now, he still looks a lot like him, but not as much as he used to. He is growing so much.

Josiah is learning to read. He won't be in kindergarten until fall, and we really haven't forced it on him. He's just asked enough questions until he's beginning to figure it out. Laurie was talking with her mom today about putting s-t-i-c-k-e-r-s (that means she spelled out that particular word) in their valentine cards and a little bit later he says, "I really like stickers, mom." :)

Emma is looking beautiful as ever. She doesn't go anywhere without someone commenting on her curls and blue eyes. She is adjusting very well to having a little brother. She loves holding him.

Laurie is busy keeping up with all three children. Eliott hasn't started sleeping through the night yet, so she will be looking forward to a full night's sleep soon.

Pics will come.... I promise!

Hope all is well, with everyone who reads this!

Grace and Peace to you,

Sam

Christmas Highlights

2005-12-28T12:27:00.000-08:00

Here is a video of pictures from our Christmas times with family to sum up the year and season. May you be filled with the wonder of Christmas all year long! Click here to watch. Don't forget to scroll on down too if you haven't read the Christmas update or seen the other pics below.

Christmas with the families....

2005-12-23T22:11:00.000-08:00

Laurie's Family came to our house today for our first family Christmas gathering. Bill and Sallie, Will, and Laurie's mom and dad drove all the way from Pensacola (plus Bill and Sallie flying in from CA the day before) in a Honda Accord with a trunk full of gifts. Laurie made delicious Mexican chili for lunch. Then, we spent most of the afternoon opening/playing with gifts and just spending time together. It was a really great time... Among other really awesome gifts, Laurie's parents gave us a really nice, Pentax 6 megapixel digital camera. Here are some pics below:

Monday, we gathered at my sister's house for Christmas. It was great... we played UNO Attack, Scene It, and ate Zaxby's chicken. As well as shot Josiah's bow and arrows and Mitchell's blow gun outside. We just went up for the day.

Below are some pics of our time with both families... enjoy.

amidst the gift opening celebration!

Uncle and Aunt with Eliott

Bill admiring his tinker toy contraption

Emma showing off her bath robe whilst Josiah has head lamp and new pj's :)

Emma enjoying Brianna's christmas gift... she did let her ride on back.

Josiah with his bow and arrow!

Eliott doing what he does best.... getting lots of hugs;)

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2005-12-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Laurie and I have both been sick with strep throat so I apologize to those who have checked our blog after reading our Christmas card. Laurie's feeling better and I'm on the mend. I believe this is the worst sickness I've ever had. Well, enjoy the Christmas tree farm post below and I promise Laurie and I will have the Knowles 2005 update and some Christmas pics to go with it. May you be blessed as we remember the birth of our Lord Jesus.

Grace to you!

Sam

We got a christmas tree today!

2005-12-02T19:29:00.000-08:00

This is the second year we have gone to Pine Hill farms to pick out our christmas tree.

They have reindeer at the farm. They are so cool.

Josiah and Emma at the farm dressed for the occasion.

Josiah at the wagon loading spot. You ride in a wagon down to see the reindeer.

Studio Progress....

2005-12-02T18:46:00.000-08:00

These are some pictures from the studio whilst we've been recording. We are having a great time with it. It is amazing how much time is spent per song.

Larry Shaw is the sound master for this project.

Jarrod laying some pad sounds for "Dare I Draw Near"

Another shot in sepia tone.

My First post from my phone!

2005-11-22T20:58:00.000-08:00

The staff at church just got some really cool phones. So cool in fact that I'm typing this post from it. IT's an lg9800. Man, technology sure is amazing!

Well, It's been a while

2005-11-19T20:12:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my sister-in-law in CA, I realized it has been a while since I posted. So, here is a great pic I took this morning of our three children on our bed still in their pj's.

Also, here is a video of Eliott.

Check out the ads to the right...

2005-11-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

and help a brother out ;)

sam

I'm working on a Worship CD

2005-10-14T23:25:00.000-07:00

I am so excited about this opportunity of recording a worship cd. I am teaming up with Jarrod Patterson who is a worship leader at our church as well as a good friend. He has some songs recorded on a live worship album that took place at our church last year.

We begin the recording process for ABIDE next week sometime and hopefully will have the finished product in January. Please be praying for us as we are recording. This is a worship album and pray that we don't lose that aspect in the studio. We are recording 5 songs each that we have written.

We are still needing a lot of the funding to complete this cd. Please, consider contributing. For every $12 you contribute now, you will receive a CD when the project is finished.

Grace to you,

Sam

Bill and Sallie's Wedding

2005-10-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

We could not have asked for a better weekend for the wedding. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the kids were amazing. I've put a little slideshow of pics I took. It's 12mb which is nothing for broadband but pretty painstaking for dial-up. I also have to warn you that in the middle it sort of turns into a "Josiah and Emma were too cute in these pics so I put them all in" segment. Sorry. But click here for it.

ONE MORE THING.....

Here is the link to Eliott's hospital picture. It has a place to leave him a message. Please do so. thanks! Hope all is well!

Sam

Birthday Parties

2005-10-05T10:09:00.000-07:00

Well, if celebrating the birth of Eliott wasn't exciting enough, we celebrated Josiah's and Emma's Birthdays on Monday. Yes, all three of our children have birthdays in the same week. And to top off this week, we thought we'd go to Florida to celebrate, Laurie's sister, Sallie's wedding. I made separate slideshows for Josiah and Emma.

Josiah's Birthday

Emma's Birthday

Until next time,

Sam

Daybreak

2005-10-03T21:57:00.000-07:00

The song to this video of Eliott is called Daybreak and the name of the song so describes the video to me. Enjoy.

Sam

We made it home

2005-10-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

This is just a video of us as we're leaving. The chair I had to sleep in was not comfortable, so I was ready to hit the road. I may be getting carried away, but hey this is documentation and for those who aren't able to see Eliott, it's a great way to do so.

So click here.

Sam

It's 5:30am

2005-10-02T03:31:00.000-07:00

Eliott is wide awake and we're hoping it won't be too much longer before we're on the road to the house.

We have to wait on the doctors to discharge both mommy and baby. With it being Sunday, I doubt they'll be early and I can't say that I blame them.

Hopefully, they'll be more pics soon.

Grace,

Sam

Some Video and Pics

2005-09-30T17:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a little video I threw together. At the end it has pics of Josiah and Emma meeting Eliott for the first time. They were really excited.

I praise the Father for His kindness of blessing me with such awesome children and a wonderful wife.

Elliot's Arrival !

Sam

Eliott's Here!!!

2005-09-30T12:25:00.000-07:00

Praise God!!!

Eliott Levi Knowles
Born September 30,2005
1:50pm
8lb. 7oz.
21 inches

Mom and Eliott are well

Video and pics later!

Sam

Here we are at the hospital

2005-09-30T08:30:00.000-07:00

Well, as I type this, we are in the delivery room. The doctor has just broken Laurie's water. So now.... we wait.

I feel kinda bad that I'm excited about the free wireless access here, while my wife is starting labor. Although, I promise I am not neglecting her. Well, hopefully soon, I will post of the wonderful delivery of our 3rd child and 2nd son.

Grace ,

Sam

Laurie is still with child....

2005-09-21T01:19:00.000-07:00

Now, her "due date" is September 27, but she is so ready to go. We are so thankful that Laurie and Eliott are healthy and still progressing wonderfully. Please, pray that delivery will go well, and that we will make it to the hospital in time ;) (we live 40 minutes from the hospital, and for some reason, I'm a little nervous about that).

One bit of much smaller yet still exciting news is that I make this post from my DSL connection at our house! A couple of weeks ago we received a deal from Bellsouth that would give us DSL, local and long distance for roughly the same price we're paying now for just phone service. Needless to say, it didn't take me long to sign up. Laurie keeps telling people how proud she is of me for holding out for a deal like this on high speed internet. I hope I never have to go back to dial-up again. I have waited long for this day (hey I'm into computers and do a Tech Show, so show some understanding.) and now it is here. H'Raaayyyy high speed!!!!!

That's all for now! Who knows..... my next post may be a birth announcement. :)

Sam

2005-09-16T22:33:00.000-07:00

Since the rest of the following pics are of Josiah, I start with this picture of Emma. I won this tweety bird at Six Flags and realized as I was carrying it that the eyes and mouth reminded me of Emma.

2005-09-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

Laurie gave Josiah a new dew. I think she's trying out different styles for Sallie's upcoming wedding ;)

2005-09-16T22:16:00.000-07:00

Josiah and I had many adventures at Cheaha. He loved climbing Rocks.

2005-09-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

I didn't realize the timer was already on in this one. I almost look photoshopped.

2005-09-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

This is what I was going for in the previous pic. We enjoyed this spot so much that we decided to have breakfast here our last morning.

Some Videos For You

2005-09-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hey, a few times a month isn't that bad. Here are three different videos from exciting things in Josiah and Emma's world lately.

Josiah and Emma got an early B-day present!

Josiah's swimming adventures!

Emma will be scuba diving before long!

May this post tide you over until next time.

Hope all are well. Grace and Peace to you.

The Knowles Family

I'm feeling gassy today ;)

2005-08-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

Here are 25 helpful tips to help fight the gas price inflation.

Man, I'm about ready to have a "Boston Petroleum Party."

Sam

Soon is relative...

2005-08-14T21:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I know I said I would post soon, but soon is relative. Need I remind you that one day is as 1,000 years to God (2 Peter 3:8)? So I guess it's almost 30,000 years since my last post.

Today was an eventful day. Besides an awesome Lord's Day and worship with our church (cahaba.org), our family spent time at the pool this afternoon. The fact that we were able to stay more than 15 minutes without it thundering (which had been the case the past few times) was a blessing in and of itself.

It was also an ebenezer day for Josiah at the pool. He has been, 'how you say?' - cautious - to go under water and swim, but not today. He swam, dove, and jumped off the diving board many times (the first two w/o a life jacket, latter was with). He was very excited, and we were proud of him. He also has been putting a lot more enthusiasm and thought into bedtime prayers (made mommy cry tonight even....how sweet ;) ). Emma's prayer for just about anyone, anytime is a cute one too, "Jesus, please bless __entername__. Let them have sweet dreams and if they want to wake up they can!" Not sure what that last part means.

Here is a recent pic of Josiah and Emma:

These are some masks they received at the library. They love reading books (or having books read to them) and have read a lot more than the book list they were given at the beginning of Summer.

This picture is of a moth that I saw at our church. The picture doesn't do it justice. It was huge and the oranges and yellows were bright. Anyway, I post it in hopes someone knows what kind it is.

I guess it's kind of weird to end this post with a moth, but such it goes.

This is Sam reminding you, "Don't be good, be God's!" Goodnight.....

An update will be coming soon

2005-07-18T22:15:00.000-07:00

Well, a lot and little has happened since my last post. I'm basically typing now just so it won't look so abandoned. But I promise that I will post soon an update to everything that's going on with us.

Laurie and Eliott are well; Josiah and Emma are well; I'm well.

Grace to you!

Sam

A lot Has Happened Since the last post

2005-05-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Well, it has been a while and I wish I had posted the events that I'm about to mention individually, but such is life.

Since last post, Laurie and I have celebrated 10 INCREDIBLE years of marriage. However, we celebrated in a very pleasantly surprising way. We took Josiah and Emma to Chuck E Cheese. I know that does not bode well for me in cool points with the females, but Laurie and I had a great time with the kids.

Also, Chase and I have started a weekly tech segment on Fox6 news called TechCheck. Check out the Fox6 Page on their site. (It just links back to our page). We are blown away at how much creative freedom we have.

We've been fishing at the lake in our neighborhood and Josiah and I have caught two fish so far.
Emma had to buy a Barbie fishing pole so she could fish with her brother.

Laurie and Eliott are doing well.

I'm getting geared up for the showing of Episode III tonight. A bunch of us from church are going to the 12:01am showing.

And one last thing before I go. Josiah wrote a song yesterday and I have recorded him singing it. Click here to download it and listen. Also, since I recorded Josiah, I recorded Emma singing one of the songs she learned from Community Bible Study. Click here for Emma's.

Grace to everyone!

Sam

2005-04-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

This is mine and Chase's film of us being filmed by FOX6 news. We've started doing a weekly show for them called TechCheck.

2005-04-30T19:59:00.000-07:00

A funny pic.

2005-04-30T19:58:00.000-07:00

Just a funny pic. of Josiah that I like.

2005-04-30T19:57:00.000-07:00

Josiah and Emma at the Botanical Gardens in Birmingham. We go there every year for Laurie's B-day.

2005-04-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Eliott at 4-1/2 months

A Catch up post!

2005-04-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I must confess that I'm writing more so out of obligation sake than anything else right now. But, nonetheless, I write.

One neat thing that happened this week is that Chase was interviewed by Fox 6 and appeared once on Thursday night and once on Sunday night. Then, this week, we heard from the Vice Pres. of News at the station and he wants us to do a regular, I believe, weekly Tech segment on Fox 6 evening news.

Also, we started audio podcasting last month. That has gone really well with several subscribers already. But last Wednesday, we decided to start a video podcast as well. The first one can be found here. I must warn you, it is an extremely silly kick-off video.

Laurie and the children are doing well. Laurie seems to be feeling less and less nauseous. We find out if the baby is a boy or girl in 2 weeks! I find myself wanting to know more so this time than with Josiah or Emma. It may be because we already have one of each so this one really could go either way.

For those of you who have been praying for Michael Fargarson who was in a head on collision, thank you. He is recovering very well. He still has recovering to do, but so far so good.

Well, that'll be all for now.

Grace to you and yours!

Sam

Think it so, and it shall be so?

2005-03-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

BBC NEWS | Health | Brain chip reads man's thoughts

I'm not even sure what to say about this one, but maybe.... wow.....or ...... whoa! I mean the technology for this is mind blowing (pardon the pun ;) ). This means we could hack into someone's brain, and gain information. That's the wow part. The whoa part is what are the God implications of this: spiritually, emotionally, ethically, physically? Anyway read the article for sure!

Sam Knowles

A weekly update....

2005-03-21T10:52:00.000-08:00

Well, doing this blog seems to make the week go by even faster. I have good news and bad news. The bad news first to get it over with.

Both of our vehicles have broken down this week. Isn't that crazy!? The Skylark was running great, (getting 30miles/gal I might add) then all of the sudden everything shut down, I believe it's the alternator. Our Caravan has been acting funny in the transmission arena for a month or so, but gave up finally yesterday.. If you would be praying for the best case scenario with both vehicles.

Also, as you pray, a much more important mention is Michael Fargarson. He is a very close friend of mine here in B'ham. His mother was diag. with inoperable cancer in her intestinal / digestive region this past week and was not given much longer to live. That in and of itself is major, but Saturday afternoon, Michael left to go be with his mom and on the way was in a head on collision. He is in the hospital in Huntsville, AL. He shattered his left femur (upper leg) bone, his back was broken (but not very seriously), and is banged up. Please, be in prayer for his family. He has a wife and 3 children. Thanks!

Well, that's all for now. I'll try and post more later. Fare thee well!
Ok the above was posted this afternoon and the rest of this was done Monday evening.

One bit of exciting news for me is that I purchased a pistol permit this week. I can legally carry a concealed firearm! *okay, I'm realizing that all the females at this point are gasping and shaking their head, and my wife at this moment is telling me not to write this.... So to put you ladies at ease, I am not walking around like Wyatt Earp with a six shooter on my hip (anymore:) ), but realized being downtown during evenings, it might not be a bad idea to have a little protection, what I have is not very powerful* But it is cool, so for you guys I'll fill you in. It is an H&R .22cal 9shot revolver that my dad gave me a couple of years ago. He's had it forever. But the pistol permit is a story in itself.

We live in Blount County. Well, I called the Sheriff's Dept. to see what I needed to do and they said just come in and bring my license. So I went to the BC Sheriff's Dept. to apply for this permit. I get there and fill out this info. sheet (just front side) and give them $10.00. They type up a permit using the info sheet and I'm on my way. It was that simple. I couldn't believe it.
One of the perks of living in the country. ;)

Good news for Laurie: she said she's feeling a little bit better and seems to be getting more energy. She was excited to get the house clean again.

To keep from becoming a novel, I will bid you adieu.

Grace and Peace,
Sam

A Big Weekend!

2005-03-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

As I wrote earlier, the radio show I do on Saturdays broadcasted live from the Home and Garden Show at the BJCC. I was so excited this time b/c my family went with me. They were able to walk around and enjoy the hundreds of booths that were there. Josiah and Emma jumped in a couple of different moon walks and sampled all types of junk food - I think Josiah just hit his sugar high today from it! ;) -. They missed the time for the building project at the Home Depot booth, but Josiah still received a kit to build it at home.

Well, from the HaGS, we went straight to Elevation in order to put the finishing touches on everything before the grand opening that evening. Laurie was a huge help: cleaning the bathroom, arranging what artwork we had on the walls. and organizing our supplies. We were all surprised how well the turnout was that evening and rejoiced at God's kindness toward us. We had 25 and 50 cent coffee, tea, and coccoa all night. All tolled, I would say almost 100 people came through the doors that evening. Our plans were to initially be open maybe every other Saturday, but now we see the need for continuity there. Please pray for us as we need wisdom in time management right now.

Another thing! We went to my parent's house yesterday after church. My dad is letting me borrow my Grandmother's car right now so we went to pick it up. Being a single income family that is committed to Laurie staying at home with our children, we have only been able to afford one vehicle for almost a year. This was such an awesome blessing, and I have to tell you about this car. My grandmother bought this car brand new back in 1986. It is a Buick Skylark. But get this: when I got in it to drive back to Bham, it only had 37,900 miles on it. I watched it roll over to 38,000 miles on the trip home. That just blows my mind. Laurie and I put more miles on the Dodge Caravan we have now in one year than my grand mother put on her car in almost 20 years. That avgs. out to just under 2,000 miles a year. That has to be a record or something!

Bottom line is both mine and Laurie's parents are incredible. They have been there for us and given us things we needed, even to the point of some sacrifice. It's an awesome example and testimony that Laurie and I have to build upon with our children. Wow, this one's long. sorry. We hope you are well and keep in touch.

Couple of last things, I just wanted to point your attention to the right of the page and our Links. Those are links to what we are a part of right now, so take a look. Also, please continue to pray for Laurie. She still isn't feeling well.

Grace and Peace,

Sam

Whew! This last week has been busy!

2005-03-10T22:04:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the morrow means a week has past since I put up our new baby's ultrasound footage. I have been spread thin more than usual. We have been scrambling to get final preparations on Elevation more complete for our grand opening (well, by the time I post this, it will be eeearly Friday morning, so I'll say..) today and tomorrow night.

For those wondering what Elevation is, it is an internet coffee lounge at 5points South in downtown Birmingham. Click here to see it.

In addition to my busy-ness, Laurie has been sick this week with a head cold. And yes, that is in addition to her nausea that is still plaguing her. Needless to say weeks like these, we are so thankful to have two awesome children that play well together (for the most part, that is ;) ), and I am thankful to have such an awesome wife and mother to our children.

Our radio show Saturday will be broadcasting live from the Home and Garden Show at the BJCC arena in downtown Birmingham. I am excited this time, because Laurie, Josiah, and Emma will hopefully be going with me. The Home Depot has this really cool children's work shop every year, and I'm looking forward to Josiah getting to make something. He loves working with tools. Well, that's enough update for now. Hope all is well for those who read this!

Grace and Peace,

Sam

As promised the babies first video!

2005-03-05T01:11:00.000-08:00

The video is low quality for viewing purposes, but good enough to see the awesome miracle that is within Laurie right now. We are so thankful that everything is going well so far. However, Laurie is not excited with the nausea that she hasn't been able to shake for a few weeks now. Pray for her and baby. Thanks! Sam

Here are some of Laurie's and Josiah's artwork!

2005-03-03T18:31:00.000-08:00

Josiah 1
This is one of Josiah's first computer art creation!
Josiah 2
This is his second one, as you can tell these two were done in one sitting. He definitely is taking after his mom in the art dept.
Laurie's Painting
This is a painting Laurie painted during a worship time. It is actually featured on the cover of our churches first live worship album! You can check out the album here:
www.cahaba.org/multimedia.html

Getting my wife involved!

2005-03-03T18:08:00.000-08:00

Well, I still haven't shown my wife how to blog. Hopefully, by this weekend I will have her blogging. That should increase the number of interesting posts and updates. Also, I am waiting to get a most recent family photo digitized for putting up on our home page. Yee- haa! Grace and Peace, Sam.

Great News! We're having another baby!

2005-02-28T18:29:00.000-08:00

The news is out and we are excited ! We've had an ultrasound and our new baby is 1-inch long and 9 weeks old. It was absolutely amazing to see such a small life already moving around and hear the heartbeat. Baby received a perfect score and we praise God for the wonderful blessing of another child! Ultrasound footage coming soon....

The Knowles Family Website

2005-02-27T21:15:00.000-08:00

Well, as terrible as we are at keeping up with friends and family we love, I hope this will be a successful attempt at letting everyone know what's going on in our lives. My goal is to provide a weekly update, so keep checking back here when you think of us.

Thanks,

Sam, Laurie, Josiah, Emma, and baby