Sam's Birthday!

We had a fun time celebrating Sam's birthday today! It was mostly a small family party, with a few friends. Here are some cute pictures of him waiting "patiently" for his cupcakes, and then opening gifts. Again, we want to express our thanks to everyone for the cool gifts and cards! :-)

Sam's Birthday!

We had a great time celebrating Sam's birthday! We went to Chuck E. Cheese, and also had a small party at home with the family. We had hoped to have Ryan, Julie, and Sam's cousins share in the festivities, but they caught a bug and couldn't make it. He really loves all his gifts, and he is still playing with everything today. I send my thanks to all our family who sent him something. I still can't believe that Sam is 3 already! Where does the time go?!

My Little Sunflower Guy

Sam was sitting next to the flowers that Eric bought me for my birthday, and I just had to take a picture! It looks like Sam is coming to the end of his toddlerhood days, and I want to remember him just as he is now. He really loves my sunflowers, and he is starting to show a real appreciation for beauty in this world. He is so loving and kind (most of the time) to his siblings, and I am so glad that I have him in my life!

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Today is Sam's birthday, and I can't believe that he is already two years old! Time sure flies when you're having fun! ;-)

We are having a low-key, at-home family party for him today, since he is just recovering from a cold. He opened his gifts this morning, and he is now busy playing with his new toys and books!


Sam really likes to organize objects, and here he is lining up all of the cars that came with his new "Big Rig Carry Case".

He also likes his caterpillar, and has already looked through all of his books!

Big Brother in Training

We have been trying to teach Sam how to be "soft, gentle, and nice", by letting him play with a baby doll that he picked out from the girls' room. He has been doing really well, and takes good care of his baby! We are confident that he will be sweet and loving to his little brother!

Cutest Cowboy

I haven't posted many close-ups of Sam lately, so here is a snapshot of him wearing his cowboy hat. He sure is growing fast, and I think he is going to make an excellent big brother! :-)

The Hiding Place

Lately, when we put Sam down for a nap (or for the night), we have to search all over the house to find his binky (pacifier). I told Eric that he must hide it so that he can find it whenever he wants it. Then, just yesterday, I was watching him play in the kitchen, and he opened the potato hutch and exclaimed "There you are!". Lo and behold, he pulled out a binky and went to town! ;-)
*Helpful Hint: If you put an apple in with your potatoes, they won't sprout those unsightly "eyes"!

Surprise!

Yesterday, Sam surprised us by blurting out "Daddy, can you play?" We thought that it might have been just a fluke, but he said it again later in the day! He was really asking his daddy if he could play! His vocabulary is quite impressive, but even I am amazed that he is already speaking in complete thoughts at only a year and a half!

One Less Dish to Wash

I always knew that our little guy was pretty strong and his reach was getting longer. But everybody was shocked when Samuel got a hold of Daddy's spoon! A couple of well placed strikes later and the rest is, as they say, "history."

Happy Boy

Just a picture of our happy little boy on this wonderful Wednesday!!

Living on the Edge

Well...
I guess it could be called,
"Sleeping on the Edge."
Just a cute picture of my wiggle worm at nap time.

Sticky Situation

I made a dessert, and Sam just happened to reach a bowl with a little bit of it left on the bottom. He was so hilarious, walking around the living room with the bowl covering his face as he attempted to lick every last bit out of it! Of course, we didn't think to take a picture until he was almost done. So, here he is, on my lap, finishing it off.

Bathtub Ball

They say that time flies when you're having fun, so I must have had a lot of fun lately! I can't believe it has been almost two weeks since my last post! I will try to do better in the future. We are leaving on Monday for a trip to Texas, so I should be able to take some interesting pictures to blog about while we're there (or when we get back).

Here is a cute video clip of Sam playing "Bathtub Ball"! He keeps asking Eric to get the ball out of the tub, but since Eric is recording the video, he can't. Sam gets a little bit frustrated, but it's still cute!

Apple of my eye

Pictures of Sam thoroughly enjoying an apple

The Birthday Sam

Today is Sam's first birthday, and even though we aren't really going to have a party for him until the 22nd, we let him open some of his gifts. He really enjoyed the building blocks from his Grandma and Grandpa in Texas, the cute cars from Grandma and Grandpa in Oregon, and the shape sorting snail from his Aunt Allie and Uncle David in Texas! He is still playing with all of his new toys, and I'm glad that he has something else fun to do rather than push the "power" button on my computer! ;-)

A Long Reach

While I was preparing dinner this evening, I gave Sam some warmed-up veggies to munch on to keep him happy. I placed the container on the table, thinking it was out of Sam's reach, and gave him a spoonful of the veggies. I went to finish cooking, and when I turned around, I discovered that he had managed to reach the whole container of veggies! He thought it was great fun! So much for that side dish for the rest of the family...

Sam is walking!

Here is a short video clip of Sam working on his new skill!

Cruising along

This was just too cute to pass up. Sam is a little timid about walking on his own, but if he has just a small confidence builder (like a laundry basket) there is no holding him back!

Old-fashioned Duds

A friend of mine gave me a bag of cute "church" clothes, so Sam had something special to wear last Sunday! He was ready to open that door and go show off his new outfit to all of his nursery buddies!

Sweet Sleep

With each of my babies, I have learned the value of a good night's sleep. I would rather have a peaceful night of deep sleep than any other luxury this world has to offer. This week has been especially hard on all of us, sleep-wise. Sam is cutting teeth, and he is letting us know about it...mostly between the hours of 2-4 a.m. Eric and I have started working in shifts at night to soothe Sam back to sleep. The other night we had just managed to get him back to sleep, and had fallen asleep ourselves, when Christy came in and said that she had had a bad dream about a baby crying! We are all looking forward to Sam returning to his usual 8-9 hours of sweet sleep every night.