Monday, March 21, 2016

Samuel at 3!

I have really gotten too busy to keep up this blog on a regular basis but I still wanted to do a little blurb about our littlest guy and how much he has grown!  Samuel turned 3 years old in November 2015 and is just such an awesome addition to our family!  We love him so much!!

It wasn't that long ago that we were a bit worried about his speech development.  Now, all of our worries about that are gone.  Shortly after we had a visit from ECI and a Speech Pathologist, he had a major word explosion and has not slowed down.  There is nothing he cannot say (except for the "g" sound).  He talks almost constantly, asks questions about everything, has funny little sayings ("one thing do", "it-do-fits", "ah man, oh dear, bow wow", etc.) and makes his wishes known with ease.  We are so thankful he didn't need any intervention and things are going smoothly now.

Samuel still very much is a mama's boy!  Whenever mommy gets out of his sight, he almost always comes looking for me.  He loves to find me and then say, "there you are!  I couldn't find you anywhere!"  If I've left to run an errand, he always welcomes me back home with a huge running hug and a "MOMMY!!!"  He gives the most awesome hugs, has a beautiful smile, and has a very contagious laugh.  He loves to be in mommy or daddy's lap the most and will often just push away whatever we're working on to be in the middle of our laps.

Samuel is quite the bookworm and really looks forward to our (mostly) weekly trips to the public library.  He loved "Toddler Time" but we have recently started attending "Pre-school Storytime" instead and he's getting used to that too.  His current favorites are The Berenstain Bears, Elephant & Piggie, Fly Guy, and Curious George.  He wants to sit and read books several times a day!  Samuel very easily picks up the words from books we have read and can often be heard retelling the stories verbatim to others or himself.  He does the same with songs on the radio so I have to be careful what station I have the radio on in the car!  He doesn't recognize many letters yet but does know "S" and occasionally "C".  He knows all of his shapes and colors and says his favorite color is orange.

If Kyle or I ever need help, Sammy is our man!  He loves being where we are and trying to copy us or help us with tasks.  Most of the time he is very cooperative and tries hard to actually be a good helper!  He loves to help with cooking, building, loading clothes into the washer and drying, carrying stuff, watering plants, unloading groceries, and occasionally picking up his playroom.

Samuel is now 42 pounds and very tall for his age as well.  He wears a size 11 shoe and mostly size 4T clothing.  People always think he is older than he really is because he's so big!  Thankfully our car seat goes up to 45 lbs rear-facing so he is still in that safest position for a few more pounds!  Right before he turned 3 we ditched the booster seat at the dinner table and he does great sitting in a regular chair.  We recently have also given up all sippy cups for regular cups and that has been going well also!  Samuel potty trained very easily last summer in June/July and has only had a handful of accidents since then.  He still prefers to poop in his diaper at naptime or first thing in the morning but will go in the toilet if he is up when he has to go.  Samuel is still in his crib but has never even tried to climb out and sleeps all night so we figure we'll just let him be until he tells us he's ready for something different.  Why mess with a good thing?!  :) Can't believe how fast our little guy is growing up!

Being with friends is another favorite of Sammy's!  He loves our "Toddler Playdates" we do twice a month with a group of friends as well as our small group nights.  His favorite friends he talks about most often are Ryan, Ethan, Elise, Jayden, Cody, Ellie, and Reagan.  He also just loves hanging with me most days as well as we run errands to the store, go to the park, or do whatever else needs to be done that day.  I will miss my days with him soooo much when he starts Pre-K.  Thankfully with him being a younger kiddo in his class year, I'll have a bit of extra time at home with him!!

A few times lately we have gone camping as a family and he REALLY loves being outdoors and camping in the tent!  He has done great most nights, especially if his sleeping bag is right up next to mine!  He is a real trooper on hikes and doesn't complain about being dirty or hot!

 While Samuel certainly has his "three-nager" moments, he is mostly a cuddly, fun, sensitive sweetheart.  He knows just how to melt my heart and has Daddy wrapped around his finger.  While he says he doesn't like his brother, the way he looks at Caleb and follows him around says otherwise.  He loves babies and would be an awesome big brother.  When we lost our 3rd baby in December, we didn't really expect him to understand what was happening.  However, he burst into tears at the news and asks often about when we can have another baby.  He still talks about that baby but knows that that baby was sick and went to be with Jesus in heaven.  We'll keep praying and see what God has planned for our family.

Samuel, we just love you so very much.  You bring so much joy into our lives!  We are so thankful to be your parents and to have the privilege of watching you grow up.  We pray that God continues to hold you in the palm of His hand and guide your life.  Love you Sammer Jammer!















Monday, February 23, 2015

Fall 2014

Hodgepodge of pics from Fall 2014 ---


Mallory and Caleb playing at Thanksgiving

Aunt Jan and Sammy picking up pecans

Uncle Jerry is such a great sport!  He pushed Sammy for the longest time! 

Caleb and Sammy with Uncle Larry and Uncle Larry

One of Caleb's many Mega Block towers (which Sammy loves to destroy)


Our local CFA had a Star Wars night! 


Fall Festival at our church with friends Ian and Ryan


Happy Halloween! 



Sammy and friend Ryan

Caleb and friend, Paul, at 50's Day!

We made a stop at Sea World in San Antonio when we were there for a wedding for Kyle's cousin in October.




Stopped at our favorite BBQ place in Texas - Luling City Market in Luling, TX for Kyle's birthday!

Beautiful fall weather calls for a playdate at the park! 

Caleb, Sammy, Paul, Ian

Sammy, Caleb, Cousin Noah

All dressed up for Aliceson's cousin's wedding!  So fun! 

We went to a fall festival at a local church and got to ride the shuttle bus with friend, Paul and his family. 

Kindergarten

Not sure how it happened but our first born is in Kindergarten now!  He is in Mrs. Feinberg's class at Trinity Lutheran School.  He's loving making new friends, learning how to be a better writer and reader, and learning more about God's great love!




In true Caleb fashion, he must be wiggling and doing a little dance! 


2 Years Old!!

I am so behind on blogging but this is my quick attempt at catching a few major life events.  First, our little baby boy is now TWO YEARS OLD!!  As he says, he's a "daydeee" (baby)!  What a little love he is!  So sweet, funny, kind, sensitive, and just a perfect addition to our family!

Samuel was 35 lbs. at his two year appointment!  Big boy!  He loves to climb, run, jump, read books, dance, cuddle, give kisses (usually), play with Annie, put on his Crocs by himself (then promptly take them off as soon as he goes outside), hide from Caleb, watch "Ooo Ooo Ahh Ahh" (Curious George), and so much more.  His favorite foods are fruits, especially bananas, anything sweet, cheese, "eee too"s (Cheetos), avocados, yogurt, cottage cheese, sweet potatoes, green beans, frozen peas, and "nacks".  He's not quite as adventurous of an eater as Caleb was at this age, but he still eats a wide range of foods and is sometimes willing to try new things.  He always dislikes white potatoes and rice.

At two years of age, Samuel doesn't say much.  Now, at 26 months, he has gained a TON of words!  At our pediatrician's request, we had ECI come out to evaluate him and although he was, in fact, behind in his expressive language, his receptive language was way above age level so he was denied for services.  Samuel can follow multi-step directions and can understand all we say.  He is GREAT at acting out what he wants, pointing, showing facial expressions, etc. so he really rarely gets frustrated at his lack of expressive language.  Just recently he has begun to put two word phrases together spontaneously, calling everything "mine" (even "Mama mine" while hugging my leg - so cute!), requesting specific books, pointing out things in pictures of books using words, etc.

To celebrate his special day, we decorated our home with tons of fun Curious George decorations!  Mommy took Samuel to The Woodlands Children's Museum to play for a special treat and we had pizza and chocolate cake for dinner!  We had a small celebration with our small (large) group when we all got together for Thanksgiving and in Brenham for Thanksgiving as well.  Mommy and Daddy bought Samuel a toy vacuum (he LOVES our big vacuum ... as long as it's not on with the brush running) and Caleb picked out a new toy guitar.

Samuel, we are so in love with you sweet boy!  You are the perfect fit for us.  God is good!  Caleb, Mommy, and Daddy can't wait to see how you grow and change!






Thanksgiving in Brenham with cousins Luke, Noah, and Mallory

Mmmm!!  Chocolate cake is delicious!





Sammy LOVES pizza! 

His favorite spot at The Children's Museum - the Firetruck!