Living Life, Valentine's and Snow

I am two weeks out from chemotherapy, and feel better every day.

I haven't posted because well...I've been busy living life!

Here are some random things that we've been doing:

Our old microwave died and we had to buy a new one.  Who knew that the packing would be such fun for two little boys?  

They enjoyed utterly destroying it with hammers, screw drivers and their own feet.

I can go to the park again with my family!  Here we are at a local park (Udall) - the boys rode their bikes while Bryan and I walked/jogged along behind.  (I mostly walked...I am much weaker than I want to be!)  And I greatly enjoyed the scenery of the Catalinas in the background.

Ben took our picture for Valentine's Day.  He forgot to aim the camera at Dad.

(I still have a double chin.  Thank you steroids.)

Then Sam took our picture for Valentine's Day. 

(I think we have budding photographers, no?)

Finally, Mom took our picture for Valentine's Day.  Thank you Mom.  

(We were at Macaroni Grill.)

Mom and the boys, also at Macaroni Grill on Valentine's Day.

At another park (Agua Caliente) on another Saturday.  It was a beautiful (though windy) day.  

I so love and appreciate being able to do things with my family again!! 

SNOW?  Did I mention that I live in TUCSON?  As in, Arizona?  I love the contradiction of a cactus being snowed on.

So my crazy Arizona-born boys wanted to play in the snow -- Arizona-style.  They had a blast!!

My desert bush - Texas Ranger (yes it needs trimming) - and our palm bush (tree?) all covered in snow.  There are supposed to be mountains in the background, but they disappeared for a while.

It snowed for about an hour!  But it was very wet, and didn't stick.  It's all gone now.  So sad.

That's all the excitement I can take for now.  

We're still cleaning up mud and sand from clothes, the floors, the bath tub after the boys' adventures in the snow.

Sam's "Problems"

It’s true.  Three-year-olds have problems.  Struggles, really.  Especially newly-turned-three-year-olds.  Coming to the age of three, up from the age of two, is an emotional event.  There is a whole new world of expectations and discoveries.  I can barely remember being so little, but I do remember feeling small and uncertain about what was going on around me.

It's not easy being three.  Or green.

Wait.  He isn't green.  Thank goodness.  (I hid the markers.)

Actually, growing up isn't easy at all.  I don't envy the little people.  

First problem: holding up three fingers.  Learning coordination to hold the pinky finger under the thumb is difficult.  Holding up two fingers is much easier.  Or four fingers.  Now Sam accidentally shows people that he’s four.  When we try to help him with showing three fingers, he gets frustrated and angry.  So we’ll let people be confused when they ask him how old he is, and he says “free” while holding up four fingers.  There could be bigger issues.  Let the little man learn.

Second problem: forks.  We can never seem to give him the correct fork.  Since Sam wants to do everything exactly the same as Big Brother Ben, we (as dumb parents) assume that he’ll want the same utensil that Ben has.  WRONG.  I give him the same type of fork as Ben.  (salad fork)  I am greeted with a high-pitched, whiny “NOOOOOO….EYE WUN BOOOOO FORK!!”  Oh  my.  The blue toddler fork.  How could I have missed this? 

Third problem: pee-pee.  It is way more fun to play than to take time to go pee-pee in the toilet.  (And what adult does not know this?  Who can join me in raising their hand to holding it for an extra 30 minutes just 'cause you didn't want to get up?)  Sam loves to wear his Spider-Man underwear, not pull-ups.  This is not good when he suddenly starts shrieking “PEE-PEE!!!” as he runs to the toilet, having already wet himself.  Yet, five minutes before, he absolutely refused to have a “pee-pee check” when Mama asked.  “No, no, there NO pee-pee!” he insisted.  (Another problem: denial.) 

Fourth problem: Big Brother Ben is taller.  He can hold toys up over his head, out of Sam’s reach.  (We are working with Ben on his sharing issues.  Also on Sam.  They both have sharing issues, as most people do.)  However, currently, to Sam – his problem is not sharing, it is that he is not as tall as Big Brother Ben.  Daddy and Mama think that this problem will quickly be resolved – just give him a few years.  He may even outgrow BBB.

Fifth problem: Quick thinking.  Known to the parents as “Indecisiveness.”  However, to Sam, we are just slow.  For example, breakfast.  “What would you like for breakfast, Sam?”  He says toast.  So I make him toast.  Meanwhile, Ben comes in and announces that he’d like some cereal.  So I make cereal for Ben.  When I put the toast in front of Sam, again I am greeted with the high-pitched, whiny “NOOOOOO….EYE WUN EAR-EEE-ULLL!!” As if to say, “duh Mom, didn’t you know that once Ben says he wants cereal, that immediately makes my prior request of toast null and void??” 

I wish I had Sam’s problems.  I will never again have the first problem: I ran out of enough fingers to announce my age about 25 years ago.  However, I can imagine that if I live for another 40-50 years, I might devolve into the last four problems.  Funny how we come full circle, huh?  Oh dear.  I hope Jesus comes back first.  I would hate to think that I would argue with someone about a fork.

Also, dear little Sam, I know that your struggles are big to you.  I just pray that your struggles are never too big for you to conquer - that you'll never stop trying to work through them, or around them, or over them.  However you decide to attack them.  You are one strong little man.

Five Things Friday...The Sam Edition

This morning when I realized that it was Friday, I also realized that not only had I not posted anything since last Friday, but I wasn't even ready for this Friday.

What happened to the week?

I can barely remember it.  Lemme think: laundry, cooking dinners, dishes, sweeping up play-doh crumbs, poopy diapers, trying to interpret Sam-inese...

Speaking of Sam...at 2 1/2 years old, he is quite the opinionated little man.  And quite independent, in a Mama's-boy kind of way.  ;)  (So he isn't quite all grown up yet! But don't tell him that.)

Five Things that the Sammer-Whammer must have his way:

1.  Buckling himself in the car seat.  He is barely seated before he's saying, "Only I do it!".  And he's still in the big, 3-point harness seat with buckles that sometimes even Mama struggles with.  I've learned to leave time for buckling in now, unless I want to hear Sam screaming the whole way to wherever we're going.

2.  Strapping his shoes on.  He tries to pull the Velcro straps across his shoes before I even have them on his feet.  If I accidently strap them on (out of habit), they must be un-strapped so that he can strap them again, all by himself.

I don't know what we'll do when he outgrows the Spider-Man shoes!

3.  Taking off his socks.  He struggles so much with this because he pulls from the toes, not from the ankle-tops, but he is completely resistant to any and all assistance.  In fact, if you take the socks off for him, he becomes so angry and upset over it, that the only way to calm him down is to actually put them back on - so that he can commence his struggle to remove them again by yanking on the toes.

4.  Lightning McQueen sippy cup.  With a blue lid.  No exceptions, ever.  Heaven help the unknowing soul who tries to put a red lid on the Lightning McQueen sippy cup, much less inadvertently give him, say, a Toy Story cup.  

My cute little man with his beloved McQueen sippy cup.

5.  Blue car.  A day never goes by where we don't hear Sam wandering around the house, saying, "where my moo car?"  And the thing is, there are like three of them.  Oh, we have more than three blue cars in the house -- but there are about three of them that Sam especially likes, and one that is always a must-have.

Yesterday's favorite cars...the "must-have" one is the teal one in front (the one that is NOT a character).  And yes, I know Thomas the Train is not a car...but he is blue, so to Sam, that is what counts.

Today's groupies...two teal-blue cars, including the "must-have" one...and two yellow cars.  One of the yellow cars is actually a Lightning McQueen (color-changer).  The other one is an old Hot Wheels that Daddy played with as a little boy!  His initials are still on the bottom.

So you see...I choose my battles with Sam.  Some days it is just easier to be sure to give him milk in the Lightning-McQueen-sippy-cup-with-a-blue-lid.  Other days, I let him experience disappointment.  And I have to force myself to stand there and watch him struggle with his socks, shoes, and seat belt.  (As far as these last three things go, I tend to think that this is how he is learning, and that is a good thing.)

I pray that God can take his strong-willed tendencies and somehow use them for His glory!  And I find myself often praying for wisdom in how to raise this opinionated little man.

Five Things Friday

Since it is now already March, I thought I'd better get back into the real swing of things on my blog!

So here is the first "Five Things Friday" of 2012:

1.  I've started my first real cross-stitch sampler.  (I think they are called "samplers" because there is a sample of alphabet, numbers, and different motifs that you stitch in them.  But if you're a real stitcher out there...don't laugh at my attempt at the definition!  Because that is not nice.)  

Anyway, this design is called "Margaret Cottam Aged 9" and La-D-Da is the designer.  (I love that name, "La-D-Da"!  And the designs are great, too.)  

The problem I'm having with this design is that for some crazy reason, I decided to stitch it on 40-count linen.  40-count (for my non-stitching friends) means that there are 40 stitches per inch.  40 little squares.  Except, I am stitching it over two threads, so really it's more like 20-count size stitches...but still...there are all those tiny holes!!!  My eyes start crossing after a while.  So it's official.  I'm getting old.  Even my bifocal  eyeglass lenses aren't helping much.  Needless to say, progress is slow!  But I do love working on this piece!  

2.  Paper plates.  These are my new favorite thing in my house.  Huge stack of paper plates at Target: $3.99.  Less dishes to wash: absolutely priceless.  This will last me about two weeks.  We don't eat on paper plates for every meal -- but my boys tend to eat a lot during the day, so these are awesome for their breakfast, second breakfast, elevensies, lunch, dinner, second dinner...  ;) 

(Try not to notice our cluttery kitchen counter. No, I don't normally put the plates on the glass platter. I need to return the platter to Aunt Claire, and it's clean, so to prevent other, dirtier things being put on it - I put the plates.  And yes, that is a random potato in the background.  And my husband's yummy cinnamon rolls under plastic wrap. and the kids' allergy medicine.   Hmmm...I should put some stuff away, no?)

3.  Cilantro, anyone?  Yes, that huge bushy thing is our cilantro plant.  The smaller one to the right is Mint.  Basil used to reside on the other side of Cilantro, but he died in a freeze earlier in the winter.  :(  (That is what I get for NOT watching the 10:00 news!  I didn't know it was going to freeze, so I didn't cover my plant babies.)

I am not trying to neglect poor Cilantro -- two weeks ago, my boys were all sick with colds, and last week, I was sick with a cold myself, and during those two weeks, Cilantro decided to grow like crazy, and I didn't have time to trim him back.  So it's his fault.

Those of you in Tucson...come on over, we've got plenty of cilantro!!

Note the McQueen/Mater Pillow Pets face-off.

4.  Little Big Planet.  Otherwise known as, "The Girl Game" in our house.  This was my Valentine's gift from my hubby (yes, I did want it), but Ben thinks it's for him.  He's getting pretty good at it, actually.  

(By the way, he calls it "The Girl Game" because Mama dresses her little sack person like a girl - because...well, I'm a girl.)  

There's my cute little man with his fading temporary monster truck tattoo on his forearm and his tissue for the booger that he'd just "accidentally picked".  Love this guy!

5.  Whammer.  McSlammer.  Napping through brother's round of Little Girl Game.  Sat down on the couch and totally sacked out.  Ben was worried he'd fall off the couch, so he moved the coffee table over for him.  Such a good big brother!

It's good to be back, Five Things Friday!  Happy Weekend, Everyone!!

Do You Speak "Sam-inese"?

Sam does.

Ben is pretty fluent.

Hubby and I...barely.  We are participating in a daily immersion program, but it isn't helping much.

Anyone who has parented or spent any amount of time with a babbling two-year-old will understand the hilarity and frustrations that come with attempting communication with these little language-learners.

So far, this is what we've figured out:

"Pap-PEACE!" = Pacifier
"Bee-Bee" = Blanket
"Mil" = Milk
"Pop - Part" = Pop-Tart

The problem is, once we nail down what one word means, it will change without warning.  Thankfully, most of the time, Big Brother Ben is available to interpret for us.

For example, a few weeks ago Sam beckons to me from the bedroom he shares with Ben.  He is gesturing, very animated and excited.

"What is it, Sam?"  I ask.  "What have you got?"

Gesturing wildly to about two feet of space between his bottom bunk bed and the ladder to the top bunk, he garbles:

"EYE WUN PURRRR-RAIL!!!"

He is excited, his chocolate-brown eyes are dancing.  

I have NO idea what he's talking about.  

So I look at where he's gesturing, trying to make sense of the sounds and situation - any clues at all.

Nothing.  Is he trying out some French?  I tried to think of what word in French "purr-ail" sounded like.  

Of course this isn't it at all.

So I fake comprehension: "That's great, Sam!"

He looks at me directly and almost accusingly.  He knows when I'm faking it.

"EYE WUN PURRRR-RAIL!!!!"

I'm lost.  And I feel terrible that I can't understand this adorable, garbling little boy.

From the living room down the hall, Ben calls out: "You found your PURPLE WHALE, Sam?!"

Overjoyed, Sam nods vigorously and calls out clearly: "YEEEEESSSSSSS!!!" and then he pulls out a plush purple whale from under some blankets on the floor.

Oh.  Silly me.

Another phrase we had trouble deciphering:

"[unintelligible] MA WAH KEE KEE COW GO??"

Poor Sam kept repeating this, quite concerned about wherever this "COW" had gone.  But, the boys had no toy cows of any kind whatsoever.  We thought maybe he'd taken an interest in Hawaiian cows?  (Is there such a thing?)

Finally, Ben pipes up:  "I don't know where your Lightning McQueen car is, Sam!"

If it weren't for Ben acting as interpreter, we'd be lost.

But sometimes, he doesn't know.  Sam will say something - pacifier in mouth.

"Sam, take out your paci; we don't know what you're saying."

(Removes paci.  Repeats phrase.)

No clue what he's saying.  So I turn to Ben.  "Do you know what Sam is saying?"

Ben turns to Sam: "What are you saying, Sam?"

Sam obligingly repeats.

Ben shakes his head.  "I don't know what he's saying, Mom!"

Poor Sam.  He sighs, puts his paci back in his mouth, and walks off, as if to say, "You guys are hopeless."

Yes...yes, we are, Sam.

  

Five Things Friday -- October 28, 2011

1.  We have recently discovered the deliciousness of the butterburgers at the new Culver's in town.  Yes, it's been here since July or August...yes, we waited until October to try it out.  But only because of the incredibly long lines in the restaurant and the long line of cars wrapped around the building for the drive-thru.  

It was well worth the wait.  We now see what all the fuss was about -- and we are now fussing along, too.  Yummy butterburger, I love you.  Yummy frozen custard, I cannot wait to consume you.  (Again, I ask, why can I not drop these last ten pounds?)

Ben loves their home-made root beer!

2.  The weather finally dropped into the 70's.  Wearing blue jeans never felt so good.  Having the windows and doors open to the fresh air is wonderful.


3.  Sam is obsessed with Spider-Man, if you haven't noticed from other posts.  We have to just accept the fact that he will wear the same shirt for two days, including to bed, dirty or not...this is more difficult for Mommy to accept than Daddy.  But the lack of struggle involved in dressing him is worth it.

All decked out in his Spidey shirt and tennis shoes.

4.  I had another cross-stitch finish this week...there was much rejoicing, both on my part and on Bryan's.  I drove him nuts with the finishing of this one -- it had to be just right.  I kept changing frames, then tried painting one (yeah that was a trip).  It's a (rather belated) birthday gift that I have yet to give to my dear friend, so here is just a part of the finished product.  This is a design from Country Garden Stitchery.

This was my first project that included seed beads and a button - I really enjoyed making it!  

5.  I just started reading Corrie ten Boom's bestseller, The Hiding Place.  I can hardly put it down.  (Yes, David Copperfield is now on hold...along with The Help.)  I wish I'd read it years ago.  Her deep faith in God is absolutely inspiring, convicting, and humbling to me.  I haven't gotten very far...the Nazi's haven't gotten her yet...but she's leading up to it and the anticipation is making me upset and nervous, knowing what she will endure.  However at least I do know how it ends, and how her faith in God grows only deeper.  I am nervous to join her on this journey through her time in the Nazi concentration camp and the loss of her father and sister.  I know there are tears coming, and possibly even some anxiety attacks...I really get too involved in stories, especially REAL ones.  But also I know God is still speaking through Corrie ten Boom, through her book, and I am eager to see what He is saying.  If you haven't already -- check it out!  If you're one of my girlfriends in town -- I will loan it to you when I'm done.  ;)


Happy Weekend everyone!!


Love,
Kimberly

Stylin' Saturday Link Up - Spider-Man Shoes

So it's been a tough week in our house -- we are okay, but things just got stressful and busy with schedules, discipline issues -- you name it.  Typical things that happen when you have a nearly-four-year-old-going-on-eighteen and a two-year-old.  That is why I haven't gotten any posts up since last Saturday.

I love this link-up with Wendy -- it's so easy.  Thank you Wendy for making life easier for me today.  ;)

Guess who is our stylin' family member?  Of course it's Sam again. 

I will say that I did have intentions to show-case one of my "momfits" (as Wendy calls them) -- but somehow always managed to forget to get a photo before I changed clothes. 

One of these days I will show you my sweet morning bed-head.  It's pretty amazing.  Ever since I changed to a bob hair-cut, I have some awesome curly-ratty-sticking-straight-out morning 'dos.  Again, it's a matter of remembering to get the photo before I brush my hair or jump into the shower.

Okay, back to my sweet Sam. 

He still loves Spider-Man.  We have lost his beloved blue Spider-Man sandals.  I am sure they are around here somewhere.  Anyway, he was due for some new sneakers.  Guess what he chose?

They have red lights on the heels and sides that light up when he walks.

So he's taken to stomping everywhere he goes.

He also sleeps in them.  Without socks.  No joke.

By the way, he still highly recommends the pacifier.  Especially when one is cutting their two-year molars.  And the blue camo blankie is a must.

See the Spider-Man shoebox in the background?  We still have it.  He loves to carry it around the house and store his treasures in it.  Cars + Trucks + Shoes = Treasures

Climbing into the car.  He must do it all by himself -- no help, please.  (Strong protests ensue if any help is offered.)  Note the awesome one-piece outfit -- it has a space monkey thingy on the front.  One of his favorites.  Also very stylin'.
He is currently playing outside, wearing them without socks.  Gasp!  My feet sweat in sympathy.  But he prefers "naked" feet!  (He prefers everything naked. Silly baby).

Linkin' up with Wendy!!!  Check out her awesome "momfit" today!!

I love that I was thinking of doing a momfit photo today, and then you did it!  You're awesome!!

Stylin' Saturday Link Up

Sam's fashion tips for this week:

Sam really did choose this "outfit" - he insisted on the red socks, sandals, and pacifier, and absolutely refused to wear clothes.  He had to be coerced into the diaper.

1. He still recommends a pacifier at all times. 
2. The monster truck toy remains an accessory "must-have." (See last week's post for this tip.)
3. Shirts and pants are completely optional.
4. Red socks look smashing with blue Spider-Man sandals.
5. Calamine lotion on your leg is a charming feature to one's outfit.  Mosquito bites not recommended.

Linking up with Wendy again this week!  I love this link up! 

Stylin' Saturday Link Up

Here are my munchkin boys on Thursday, playing in the rain.

They have two fashion tips for you this week:

First off -- it's stylin' to be dressed exactly alike, especially when you're brothers.

Secondly, and this is Sam's favorite:

Don't be caught dead without his two favorite accessories:

pacifier and monster truck toy.

Hollywood should be all over this.

Linking up today with Wendy!

Stylin' Saturday Link Up

I'm a big fan of Wendy Hagen's blog, Tales from the Motherhood -- and I love her Stylin' Saturday posts!  Stylin' photos of her kiddos in outfits of their own choosing, or whatever kind of get-up they can create.  Wendy actually read part of my blog (I'm such a nerd; I'm still in awe that she even took the time!) and asked me to share this picture of Sam for this week's Stylin' Saturday!  So here it is, along with another that I found -- my boys are not very stylin' -- or I guess you could say, they have a "style" that is truly all their own. 

Sam sleeping...I wrote about it in this post.  Check out his stylin' band-aids all over his legs!

This is from May of this year. The boys had balloons that they felt the need to stick in their shirts!  Almost no toy is worth playing with if it cannot be stuck down or up their shirts.

Check out Wendy's post today, if you haven't already!

Super Trouper Sam

Of all the songs in the world that could calm a small child while they are upset, this is not one that I'd thought of. 

But, when we are in the car and Sam decides, for whatever reason, that he is not happy (a few days ago he decided to throw his toy car on the floor of our moving car and immediately regretted his action) -- all we have to do is pop in our Abba CD and find the "Super Trouper" song.  (It's track #4, by the way, on our copy.  It's necessary to know this when one is Sam's parent.)  As soon as he hears the harmonious a cappela opening ("Super trouper beams are gonna blind me, but I won't feel blue..." -- it's like magic -- he stops crying. 

It all started in Montana last summer, when Sam was just 10 months old.  Grandpa would let the boys play in his big pick-up truck (while it was parked in the driveway, of course -- not while driving around with them!) and he'd play the Abba CD in the truck for them.  He knew they liked Abba because Bryan and I had told him that we had the same CD and that Ben seemed to enjoy it.  It was the first CD that Ben ever requested -- he called "the music."  Everything else was not "music", but Abba was "the music".  So the boys absolutely loved it when Grandpa would play the Abba CD for them.  And they loved playing in Grandpa's truck, too.  (They still do.)  And ever since that trip, we noticed that if Sam was crying in the car, if "Super Trouper" came on...he'd stop. 

Sam in Grandpa's truck, July 2010

Checking out all the buttons and dials

Grandpa and Sam, July 2010

I don't know if he simply enjoys the music, or if he associates the song with the fun time he had with Grandpa in Montana -- maybe it's a combination of both?  Who knows?  But it's cute to see him chillin' out to Abba in his carseat as we cruise around town. 

Now if only Abba would work when we're at home, or at night to get him to sleep...hmmm.....

Five Things

Here's a list of five random things that have occurred in our house in the past few days:

1. Bryan found Sam sleeping like this one night:

Note the band-aids...they are covering his many mosquito bites that he keeps scratching.  Apparently Sam's blood is more delicious than Ben's.

2. We discovered a praying mantis on our front porch light this morning -- very cool!

3. I went to grill the pork chops this evening and the handle of the grill's lid FELL OFF in my hand!  Do ya think we're due for a new grill?  I'm thinkin' so.

But the pork chops still came out.  Yummy! 

4. I finished my first Sampler Girl design on Saturday night!  ("Jane Austen on the Weather")  I'm sooo excited about this one!  I haven't pressed it yet or anything (you can see the hoop impressions on the fabric) -- and I changed the colors up to match my tastes.  Love this design for our hot summer!

Can't wait to start my next piece! Oh, wait. I already did. 

5.  Sam likes to line up his trains "just so."  And don't move them, or he'll scold you and put them back.  (I speak from experience.)

He is adorable.  Adorably meticulous.  But I'm not biased or anything, I'm just his mother.

The Laziness is Ending...

Anyone else feeling overwhelmed by all the fall activities starting up?  I’ve so enjoyed a summer of not-very-many commitments.  Though I must say, I have gotten quite lazy.  So now it’s time to be disciplined again – no more waiting to do the dishes until morning, because there won’t be time to do them then – we’ll be off to Bible study early, or a meeting, or preschool…somewhere. 

I am excited to get going on Bible studies again.  I have been involved in one this summer with a good friend – we have really enjoyed this one.  It’s called Calm My Anxious Heart and was written by Linda Dillow.  A fantastic – though convicting – book about contentment, anxiety, doubt – I highly recommend it to every woman out there.  The author takes you through each item using Scripture and shows you how to deal with each, giving it to God.  Amazing.

But now it’s nearly over, and Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) is starting.  I can’t wait!  We are in the book of Acts this year.  I have read through it once with the boys already – a good bedtime read for them, I must say.  Puts them right to sleep.  But hopefully at least Ben is retaining some of it!  I started it over again with them the other night.  Maybe we’ll get through it a second time before the study starts in September.  I am so thrilled that both boys are coming with me this year to the day class, and that they will be learning right along with me. 

Also it’s time for our Community Group to start up again!  We had barely started our study in the book of Romans before we broke for summer.  So I look forward to that starting up again, and to seeing our dear friends again on a more regular basis, and not just the occasional wave on a Sunday morning.  I love our Community Group – we have been involved with it for eight years now and it is truly our “Tucson family.” 

I just realized that I will have one Bible study in which I attend with my boys, where we’ll be studying Acts – and then Romans that my husband and I will attend together (he is the leader of the group).   We are all about the New Testament and the Apostle Paul this year!!  This was not planned.  (And it’s a good break from the wonderful-yet-intense-Isaiah study last year.)  Ah, I will be held accountable on all sides.  This could get interesting. 

On a different note, Benjamin has moved up to the four-year-old class in his preschool.  He starts this week and is very excited!  I have Sam on the waiting list for the two-year-old class, but it may take a while for him to get in.  However, I don’t know if preschool will work out with our BSF schedule (Monday morning Leaders’ meeting and Tuesday morning Class Day) – if they are too stressed by the busy-ness, then I’ll pull them out of preschool.  I don’t want to be one of those moms who over-commits her kids and gets them all stressed out.  So we’ll play it all by ear.

Who would want to stress these little guys out?  Not this mama.

Picking bark off their grandparents' tree in Wichita last week

Happy Birthday, Sam!

Today is our baby's 2nd birthday.  Where did the last two years go?  They are a blur...a blur of late nights, exhaustion, and much joy.  Our Sam is such a smiley baby -- now a smiley boy!  He has a smile that can just light a room and cause everyone else to smile, too.  His eyes literally sparkle when he is happy.  Of course he can go the other way pretty quickly and be really angry, too...and everyone in the room will know that he's not happy.  But that's just how Sam is.  I call it "passion".  I'm sure there are other names for it, but I can't think of them right now.  (Still too tired!)

We knew Sam was a sweetie the day he was born.  He loved to snuggle and just be with people.  It was a contrast to his big brother, who has never liked to be cuddled or held.  Here is our sweet Sam when he was one day old:

And here he is, four days old (one of my favorites):

Just like big brother, he kept his hands by his face whenever we'd let him, just like he did in the womb. 

And now he's two years old! 

We had a nice little party at home for Sam on Saturday, with close friends.  It is always special for us when friends join us for the boys' birthdays, since our parents live so far out-of-state and are unable to join us.  Sam's current obsession is monster trucks -- and a few months ago I had found monster truck-themed party decorations at the dollar store -- so it was perfect! A monster truck party it was -- and Sam was so excited. Ben was, too, for that matter. He can't decide now whether he wants a monster truck party for his birthday in October...or if he wants another Thomas the Train party, like he had last year.

Some of my dollar store decorations:

For the cake, I went very simple.  And cheap.  I did not order one...I made one.  And it certainly looks homemade.  I used monster trucks from the dollar store, too:

Bryan contributed the idea for the rocks (those black-ish blobs) and he made the tire tracks:

When Sam caught sight of his cake, he was so anxious to get at those trucks!  We set him at the table and put the cake in front of him.  When Bryan lit the two little candles, Sam leaned closer to the cake and whispered, "Fire!"  So we started singing right away so we could get those flames out before Sam burned himself.

What was priceless was that half-way through the singing, Sam started to cry and said, "No!  No!  No!"  He doesn't like to be sung to!!  It was so funny.  I have the video and if I can ever figure out how to upload it here, I will do it.  It's awesome.  He used to love to be sung to...I guess those days are over.  He is losing some of his baby-ish-ness and moving quickly onto "little boy."  He's always trying to keep up with Big Brother Ben!  Well, he'll always be my baby.

Happy Birthday, baby Sam!!  We love you so much!!