Thanksgiving Lunches at School

 Every year the sweet  people at our daycare invite the parents for a Thanksgiving feast with the children.  It's delicious home-cooked food made by the director and her helpers.  We get to sit with our children and enjoy a Thanksgiving meal while watching them interact with their peers and teachers in the school setting.  This year was extra nice because I got to go twice! 

 I had lunch with Patrick in his class on Thursday and lunch with Sam's class on Friday.  

Special lunch dates with my boys--two days in a row! 

It always amazes me how grown-up the boys seem when they are at school.  I especially felt that way seeing Patrick sitting at a little table with his friends.  I usually strap him in his high chair to feed him.  I didn't think he would sit still long enough to eat a meal without being strapped in!  But, he did very well.  Although he would rather use the spoon to beat on the table than to use it as an eating utensil :)  He's getting there...

Patrick and one of his favorite teachers, Ms. Karen

Sam's class sang songs for us while we were waiting for the meal.  I enjoyed hearing the songs and learning the words that I've been trying to make sense of for months.  Sam loves to sing at home and at school, but when he is singing by himself at home I can't make out all the words.  

I also learned where he gets his dancing moves...because it certainly wasn't from me!  I think its a combination of this father and his friends at school.  

I recorded some of the songs and posted the link to the video at the bottom of this post.   

Sam and Emma as Pilgrims 

Watch Sam singing with his class here.

Halloween 2012

This was a fun Halloween for Sam.  

He had been looking forward to dressing as Spider Man since he found the costume in a bin of clothes from Aunt Amy a year ago!  

Patrick was a Monkey...the same one that Sam was when he was one.  So if the pictures of Patrick look familiar, that's why :)

Mommy and her little Monkey--who still loves his paci.

Spider Girl, A Cute Little Spider, and Spider Man

Sneaky!  Patrick and Buddy trying to get into the candy basket

Sam and his Jack-o-lantern (lovingly named Frankenstein)
Pumpkin carving by Grandpa Loss

Look Who's Walking!

It's been a while since I last wrote....I'm sorry for that.  

But... I couldn't let too much time pass before I documented this milestone!  

Patrick still prefers crawling to his wobbly walk, but this video shows he can do it!

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Future Pilot??

Sam was so inspired by Boshear's Sky Fest today!

Happy Birthday Patrick!

Birthday Boy!

Wow...I know everyone says it happens, but really where has this past year gone?  Do we really have a one year old baby already?  I can hardly believe you are a year old today (I actually started this post on your birthday).  It seems like yesterday that you were born.  We love your sweet smile and contagious laugh.  We love your big hugs and kisses.  We love your expressiveness---you aren't shy to share your emotions (the good and the bad!).  We love your playfulness and curiosity.  You truly have been such a blessing to us.  We are thankful everyday for you!

Now that you are one, here are some highlights from the past year--as best as I can remember them :) 

Eating

 From 6-10 months of age, you refused most solid food (unless it was Orange Vanilla Greek Yogurt) and I worried so much that you weren't going get enough to eat and that you were going to be a picky eater (even pickier than your brother Sam!).  Aunt Caroline even worked her speech therapy magic on you to no avail.  I bought books, researched on the internet, tried all kinds of food, but nothing interested you except milk.  My how things have changed since then.  Now you eat almost everything and anything.  You even enjoyed a dill pickle spear last weekend!  You sucked on that pickle like it was a popsicle!  I think you eat more than Sam, now...seriously :)

Sleeping

The day you turned 11 months was the first day that you slept through the night.  It was a long 11 months before that night!  I attributed your waking up in the middle of the night to the fact that you weren't eating what most babies your age were eating...I figured you needed the calories and you were actually hungry at night.  I don't know if that was the true reason, but once you started eating regularly you really did start sleeping  better at night.  Now you sleep through the night except for an occasional outburst --if you wake up in the middle of the night you can usually fall back asleep again on your own within about 5 minutes.  That is a milestone in my eyes!  I've always said there is nothing else in this world that I would get up in the middle of the night for night after night except my baby.  I love my sleep, but I love you more.  I think I was supposed to let you "cry it out", but I just couldn't do it.  Night after night, it was like sleep walking to me!  You'd cry and I'd crawl out of bed...even when I promised myself to let you cry.  Anyway, it has been a struggle, but you are finally sleeping all night.  I love it.

Playtime

You love to play with the push toys right now and what ever Sam is playing so now we are starting to see the struggles with sharing between you.   Even still there is a brotherly love that I can already see between you, also.  I hope to foster that love between you as you grow.   My favorite is watching you play cars and make the car noises like Sam.  I can already tell you watch him carefully and like to mimic what you see!  You also impress me with your block tower building skills.  I can't leave a laundry basket on the floor without you climbing in, either!

Just Look at that Smile!

We love you!

Not Your Average Barber

Alan is definitely not your average barber.  

I shot this video last night to record his unique way of cleaning things up after the hair cut.  

Be sure to stay tuned until the end so you can hear Sam's sweet words to his Daddy.  

Click here to view the video.

I've been looking for some "before" pictures and this is the best I could find.  

I took this a week or so ago while grocery shopping with the boys.  

They both love the race car shopping cart.  

Sam made it his priority to teach his little brother how to "drive" the cart.  Very. Sweet.

Now, for the "after" pictures.  

Please excuse the spaghetti stained smile :)  

I think this was Alan's best haircut yet!  

Love how Patrick Sleeps...

This is the cutest.  

Jammin' Sammy

We had a little fun after dinner the other night.  
Here is a just a glimpse of it!  

Three is such a fun age.  
I want to remember these moments forever.

Click here to view the video.

Congratulations Daddy!

The Hot Dam Triathlon at Clark's Hill Lake

1500 m swim

40 K bike ride

10 K run

Alan was 1st place in his age group and 10th overall!

This is the bottle of wine he won as a prize.  

He won it for me. ;)

Grandpa's truck is...

...the perfect summer-time playpen.

Patrick enjoyed walking the edges of Grandpa's truck yesterday while Sam got his first ride on the Craig Cat. 

Soccer Boy Sam

Sam has been so excited about playing on a soccer team.  Now that he's had some practice and a few games, we can see that his true love really is the running part of soccer.  It's so funny to watch him because he will run around the pack of children chasing the ball via the longest path possible.  Most of the time I don't think he is even watching the ball...just running...and loving every minute of it.

At his second game, he scored his first goal...granted it was in the other team's goal.  Haha.  It didn't matter to him.  He was pretty happy about it :)  Of course, I've been trying to get some good video of this experience and I had the camera off for that moment.  Here are a couple pictures that Caroline took at his first practice.  I'll keep working on that video.  Maybe by the end of the season I'll be able to capture something fun to watch :)

 Here is an action shot of our little runner.

Sam and his buddy Carter

Where did Daddy's Hair Go?

April and I strongly desire for our children to develop a love for reading.  Each night, we read several books to Sam.  We started this when he was in April's belly and continued it once he was born.  We often get weary of reading the same books over and over.

To encourage his interests in books as well as encourage the variety, April occasionally takes him to the library to pick out new books.  On his last trip, Sam picked out six books.  One of the books that Sam picked out is titled, "Where did Daddy's Hair Go?".  That is currently Sam's favorite book.  It is about a little boy who realized that his Daddy was bald.  He then goes on a secret mission to "help find my Daddy's hair" by looking inside and outside the house in search for his Daddy's missing hair.  Later in the book, the little boy learns that everyone has a different appearance and "it is what is on the inside that counts".  At the end he tells his Daddy "I don't need to look for your hair anymore", then tells him "you are perfect just the way you are!".

While reading the book to Sam, I jokingly accused him taking my hair and told him I was going to take my hair back.  Sam thought that was so funny.  

When tucking Sam in to bed that night after reading the book to him, I laid my head on Sam's belly.  Sam rubbed my head with his hand and said, "Daddy, you have hair?"  I replied to him, "What do you think, do I have hair"?  Sam then rubbed my head again, and undoubtedly feeling the stubble on my head he answered, "yes Daddy, you have hair".

Later during the week, while reading the book to Sam again, he generously offered with a smile, "Daddy, I'm going to share my hair with you."

Finally last night, Sam sweetly told me, "you are perfect just the way you are!"

Very nice book, and a very, very sweet son.  April and I love him very much and feel very blessed to have both him and Patrick in our lives.

Love moments like this...

They love each other.

They play together.

They entertain each other.

I was putting the breakfast dishes away and looked into the family room to check on things and this is what I saw. 

I know they will have moments that aren't as peaceful as this one, 

but I pray that they will always love each other.

All American Boy

Inspired by the red flag waved by "El Matador" the bull-dozer fighter  in one of his favorite bedtime stories,

he's been asking to sleep with his American flag each night this week.

Note that he is also wearing one of his favorite Blue Angles t-shirts. So patriotic :)

A Great Weekend

I started this post weeks ago and have yet to finish. So I'm just going to publish it as it is. We had a great time at the lake with family when these photos were taken. Sam and Cooper rode the tube behind the boat and they both LOVED it! I didn't get a good picture though -- but their smiles were priceless!!!

Alan and Sam also took the bicycle-built-for-two out for a spin! It was such a fun-filled weekend. Happy days are here.

Sparkly Teeth

At Sam's last dental appointment I was so proud of him for letting the dental hygienist clean his teeth that I took him shopping to buy a special treat afterwards.  I really wanted to go to Dairy Queen for a Blizzard, but I figured I shouldn't be encouraging ice cream after his teeth just got cleaned.  Anyway, he picked out this stuffed toy.  He said, "Mommy, look it's sparkly, just like my teeth!"  He was so proud of his sparkly white teeth :)

 

Sunday afternoons

After church on Sundays, you can almost always find us at our favorite bagel shop.  

Here are my two big boys enjoying lunch together!

Smile!

I asked Sam to smile for the camera...this is what I got.

 Ok, Sam you can smile better than that!  Let's try it again...this is what I got the second time.

 Third time...

I give up.

Random thoughts of a three year old

I just wanted to write down this funny conversation that Sam and I had today --before I forget it.

We are driving down the road and Sam sees a bird on the side of the road.

Sam:  Mommy, that bird needs to find his mommy! (He's thinking of the book Are you my Mother?)

Me:  Yes, who is his mommy?  What does she look like?

Sam:  She's not a dog.  She's not a cow.  It's mommy is an elephant. (He says some silly things these days...)

Me:  An elephant!?!  Really? No, his mommy is a bird!

Sam:  An elephant eats grass and leaves with its trunk. 

Me:  Really?  Do you eat with a trunk?

Sam:  No, Mommy!  I put food in my mouth with my hands!  Only elephants have trunks.  I don't have a trunk.

Me:  Oh.  Ok.  

(I'm thinking the conversation is over, then he says...)

Sam:  Mommy, Spider man doesn't have a trunk either.

Random!

Look Who's Crawling!

Click here to see the video!

He is also jumping and growling...here's a clip of those awesome skills.

Click here to see the Jumping Dino-Baby Video

Sam taught his little brother how to make these sounds.  Sometimes, I'll be driving down the road and all I can hear are the boys in the back seat growling and roaring like dinosaurs.  I think this is how they prefer to communicate with each other!  They really do have fun together.  Sam likes to entertain Patrick.  If he can't get Patrick to laugh, he thinks something is wrong.  With disappointment in his voice, Sam will say, "Mommy, Patrick not laughing." The good news is that Sam usually does get a good giggle out of Patrick.

Sam's Splish-Splash Birthday Party

We decided to throw a "low-key" birthday party for Sam this year.  It's funny how we thought we would make everything low-key, but somehow it was still a three day celebration for Sam!

Thursday, the night before his birthday, we had our family over for pizza, cake, and ice cream.  This was the gift-fest.  Sam was showered with presents from his aunts, uncles, and grandparents.    He got a Buzz Lightyear toy, a talking Woody doll, a lawn mower that blows bubbles, pool toys, a new seek and find book, a Cars sleeping bag, and a Braves baseball cap.  He also got some fun cards that play music and talk.  He's already worn those little batteries out!

Then...we did cupcakes at school on his birthday.  I was proud of the baseball cupcakes this year...they look a little more like baseballs than the ones I did last year!  The class sang happy birthday and enjoyed the cupcakes with each other.

Then...came the party with his friends.  We invited a few of his little buddies over for some backyard splish splash fun.  We had a mini- jump house that his friend Carter let us borrow and two baby pools for this kids to play in.  I think the kids had a fun time.  Patrick slept through the whole party!  After the party was over, Sam actually said to me, "Mommy, I need a nap".  I don't think he's ever asked for nap time!  Here are a few pictures from the party.

Happy Birthday, Sam!  We love you!

Three Years Ago Today...

It's hard to believe that it was three years ago today we were getting up early and driving to the hospital to have our baby boy.  I remember being afraid...of lots of things-

the hospital

the pain

the spinal

the surgery

the recovery

and most of all of becoming a mom

I was afraid that I wouldn't be a good mom.  That I wouldn't be able to love my child enough or the right way.  I'm not that great with words, but I can say becoming a mom has been one of the greatest blessings that God has ever given me.  I love being a mom.  I may not be the best mom in the world, but I can honestly say that I love my children more than I ever thought was possible.  It's a special kind of love that I wish every woman could experience.  We thank God every day for blessing our lives with Sam and Patrick. 

Happy Birthday, Sweet Sam!  

We love you more than you'll ever know.  

Happy 4th of July!

We woke up early this 4th of July to get ready for our first 5K together...me and both boys.  Alan made plans to swim and bike the Half Iron Man course in Augusta with his friends and so I decided that I'd take Sam and Patrick to the Bare Bones 5K at the Canal while Daddy was away.  

We didn't win any medals, that's for sure.  Pushing the boys in the double jogger is quite a workout for me...even when I'm not running in a race. This is a picture from a couple of months ago, not from race day.  It the only picture I have of the double jogger right now :)

Anyway, I had a great workout, Patrick had a great nap, and Sam kept our conversation going the whole time.  I thought I'd be able to listen to my iPod during the run, but I kept turning it off to answer Sam's questions so I just gave up and turned it off after 2 songs.  Sam got out and tried to run part of the race, but he got a little bashful and ended up getting back in the stroller after about 5 minutes.  

After the race, we went to the park and that's where the boys really had fun :)

 This was the first time I put Patrick in the swings at the park.  Love that smile...

After our hard morning workouts and the park, all four of us crashed for nap time.  It was such a blessing that both the boys fell asleep at the same time (it doesn't always work out that way).  Alan and I probably needed nap time more than they did :)

After naps, we headed to my parents for dinner and then to Dairy Queen for dessert...yummy.  We watched the Washington, D.C. fireworks from the Capitol on TV when we got home.  We were satisfied with the televised version this year :)

It was a great Independence Day!

Best Invention Ever

These carts make shopping with a toddler fun.  Sam actually asks to go to the grocery store with me...as long as I let him drive the car :)  I dropped Patrick off at Mom's and took Sam to the store today.    It was a nice little date with my big boy.  The man at the deli asked if I had the next Dale Earnhardt in my buggy.  I hope not.

PA likes it!

Sleeping and eating have been two challenges we've faced with Patrick that we didn't experience with Sam.  He doesn't like much food.  For a while he enjoyed yogurt and apples, but lately he won't even touch those.  As soon as I think we are making progress with his eating, something happens to cause a set-back.  Either an ear infection, stomach bug, or something else like that can cause him to not eat.  Now it's the stomach bug that he's had for a few days.  Started as a fever last Tuesday, then a rash on his legs came Thursday, and then the diarrhea started on Saturday. Other than the obvious problems that come with baby blow outs...Patrick is his normal happy self--except at meal time.

Although, he did enjoy this popsicle yesterday.  I find myself remembering that Life cereal commercial anytime Patrick enjoys eating something.  "Mikey likes it!"

Sam had a rough day yesterday.  He stayed home from school because of the stomach bug.  Poor baby.