Hey! It's Sam!

It was strange...everybody knew his name...

No one said, "Oh, who's this?", or "Is this your grandson?". Nope - everyone who saw us would say right away, "Hey! It's SAM!!". I wonder how all the teachers and staff at Gram's school knew who this little person was? Maybe,

just maybe

, it's because they've seen his picture a time or two before. Hmmm?

Hmmm?

Songs

Sam's love of music appears to be getting stronger.

I think most kids like music, but Sam just seems really into music, into dancing, into...

grooving

.

One of the first things he's been asking for when we get to Gram and Pops' house (after begging for crackers at the pantry door) is "songs". Gram puts on one of his favorite cds and Sam starts dancing. After a few shoulders rolls and some head bops, he heads on over to his wooden blocks and gets the two cylinder pieces. Then it's time to really rock it out!

Way Back When

It was a beautiful day yesterday.

It even felt like fall!  And it's still September...unusual for Dallas!  Sam  and I headed out to McKinney with our photography friends for a photo shoot at Chestnut Square.  It was a pretty place and reminded me of a very, very small Old City Park or Naper Settlement, except it was free and we happened to have the place to ourselves!  There was a large patio, surrounded by old homes.  The insides are restored and furnished with period pieces, but our group was just interested in the outside.  There was lots of shade which made for great light and each house and porch floor provided a different backdrop. 

It was a great place for Sam.  He could roam safely from porch to porch without much help from me, and I could follow at a distance, snapping photos.  And because he was able to run around and burn off some energy, he was pretty agreeable when I'd ask him to turn toward me or do something specific so I could achieve a certain shot.  He took direction surprisingly well, actually.  I asked him to knock on doors, peek in windows and "hug" posts. 

Brian and I giggled until we were in tears when we saw the top photo - he looks like he's posing for a runway show.  Just a lucky shot, of course, but what a ham!!  The last one made us laugh, too.  I had just sat down on the ground and said "Come give Mama a hug".  And so he did!

Up, Up and Away

Well, not away so much.  But definitely up and up.

Sam recently experienced his first Plano Balloon Festival - kind of one last hurrah for the summer. We all know he's a big fan of balloons (see

here

), but this event took it to a whole new level!

He got to see skydivers,

feed Pops some goldfish,

eat some ice cream (of course),

and then it was down on the field for an up-close look at some balloons!  There wasn't enough wind for the balloonists to take off, so they let us on the field to get a better look!  Even better than a launch, in my opinion!

Another first - Sam's first bus ride!

It was humid and hot, but Sam had a blast watching buh-woohs!

If You Go Down Into the Woods Today...

You're sure of a big surprise...

If you go down into the woods today, you'd better go in disguise.

 

For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain.

Because today's the day the teddy bears have their picnic.

Sam and I had another fun playdate today - this time we were the hosts.  We had a teddy bear picnic at our neighborhood park.  Sam was pretty good, as long as his little bear paws were full of Teddy Grahams.

The other moms got some great photos of their babies with their teddy bears.  We're looking forward to the fall - lots more outdoor playdates and photo shoots scheduled!

Whee!!

Just some swingin', slidin' and climbin' on a sunny Sunday afternoon!

And Then I Just Handed Him Over

It was a successful first day. We woke up around 7:30, our usual wake-up time, to get ready for our big day - the first day of Mother's Day Out. Sam's first day with someone other than Mama, Daddy, or Gram-and-Pops...

We started with big, healthy breakfast...

 

Made sure we had our lunch, napmat, presents for our teachers, and of course, blankie.

After a quick picture on the front porch, we were on our way!

Sam's teacher was very nice and greeted us outside the classroom.  Parents are supposed to say goodbye at the door, so I handed her his lunch, his mat and his diaper bag.  Sam was hanging on for dear life, sobbing as we discussed the cold he had last week and the fact that he was feeling better.  And then I just handed him over to her.  He cried pretty hard, but I don't know for how long.  I scooted down the hall so that he wouldn't see me!  But I heard him all the way down - and it's a looong hall...

I went straight home and kept very busy on my first toddler-free day: 

I swept the carpets.  I swept the floors. 

I wet-vac'd the carpets.  I wet-mopped the floors. 

I dusted EVERYTHING.  I did all the cleaning I can't do when Sam's around.  And before I knew it, it was time to for pick-up! 

When I arrived, Sam was sitting in his teacher's lap, sobbing.  His eyes were red and teary and he looked exhausted.  He even had blankie and binkie.   His teachers said he did actually have fun today, which was a great relief.  He also ate all his lunch and slept - fell totally asleep - for one whole hour!  On his napmat, no less!  What an accomplishment!

He squeezed me tight and said "Hi-eee" at least 10 times between his room and the car, and a couple times on the way home.  I think he was glad to see I really did come back for him!  And he is completely enthralled with the stamp on his hand.  He has shown it to us each several times tonight. 

He's a fairly happy guy this evening, dancing around and playing.  Now...can we do it all again...in just two days?

Lil' Elton

"Blue eyes, baby's got blue eyes". Gram and Pops' closet is fun because it's a mirror AND it slides open and closed. On this particular day, Sam was having fun looking at that kid in the mirror that was wearing some wacky glasses, the one that looked a little like Elton John.

Funny Man

Yes, those are curlers you see. Many who know Sam are aware of what happens to him after about 7:00 pm. The kid gets silly. Crazy silly. All cranky temper-tantrums disappear to be replaced with almost slapstick comedy routines.

These photos were taken Saturday night at Gram and Pops' house. Sam asked for Gram's velcro curlers and, because Mama has the same kind, he knew right where to put them. After admiring himself in the mirror for a while, he was off to play in the closet. He thinks it's hilarious to run in and out, in and out. He thought he was a riot. And with Gram, Pops, Andrew and Mama all crammed in the bathroom laughing at him and taking pictures, it's not hard to imagine why.

My Boys

These guys are way too photogenic, especially when together. Friday night, after some ice cream at Beth Marie's, we took a stroll around the square and hung out on the courthouse steps. And, of course, Sam collected "baw-uhls" again, his new favorite treasure.

Fountain Fan

If it's a fountain, he's a fan. This fountain was a particularly cool one.  It was big, had lights and "danced".  And when the wind blew, and it was really blowing that day, we all got wet. And no matter which direction we ran around the fountain, the fountain water seemed to follow us!  But as far as Sam's concerned, the wetter the better!

 

Nature

This is how the other children see Sam during playdates. The back of him - off and running.  Always on the move.

I couldn't blame him yesterday.  We met the other moms and babies at a really pretty park in McKinney.  There was lots of shade and open space for Sam to run.  And boy did he run.

The purpose of the playdate was for all of us moms in this particular group (a club for mommy photographers or "momtogs" as we're sometimes called) to get together and practice taking pictures of the kids outdoors, with bubbles and pinwheels as props.

This is the only picture I got of Sam officially participating in our photography shoot.  He can't say no to bubbles!  But for the most part, Sam had other plans.  He wanted to get down and dirty with nature.

And boy did he get dirty!  He collected seed pods ("baw-uls") and threw them in the lake, one by one, and watched the water ripple.  He found some leaves, a couple of sticks, and pounded his hand on a park bench, touching a spot that I thought was dirt, but later decided was something else, judging by the number of geese lurking around...

And by the time we were ready to go home, this is what his playmates saw, the ones he had ignored for over an hour - a dirty, hot and sweaty boy who'd had a great day just hangin' out with nature!

Staying Cool

It was 100-something degrees. We had an outside playdate scheduled, but lucky for us it was to splash around in Samuel-sized fountains. All that splashing wore Sam out and that's always a good thing!

Backyard Bubbles

All the little Straka birdies played in the backyard the other night. We all needed to unwind after a long day. Sam played with the sprinker, Brian and I blew bubbles for him, and Sophie munched on my potted plants. I tried to get some pictures of Sam popping and pointing at "buh-buhs" but it's harder to get a good baby-with-bubble shot than I thought it would be.  It worked out okay though, because I got this shot. You'll just have to imagine the bubble that's floating right above my head.

Wake Up Call

Mama loves naptime. But getting Sam up after a nap is fun, too. Here Daddy has filmed us getting Sam up from a nap on two different days.

Gram noticed the other day that Sam likes to "take roll". Maybe he got some teacher-gene from me. Whenever he wakes up he runs down the list of whoever is not in the room. In these videos it's Mama and Woof-Woof. When Sam and I get home from running errands, he calls for Woof-Woof and Dada from the driveway. As soon as Gram gets him out of the car at her house, he asks for Pops and Andrew. He likes to know where his fans are!


Wake Up Call from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Winding Down

It often goes like this:

Bath done (hence the hair-do), jammies on, toothbrush going, blankie ready.

Toddler?....wiggly.


Winding Down from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Hoppin' Down the Bunny Trail

Sam's first word today? ROW-WERS!

Sam and Gram and I headed down to Dallas last week early for a visit to the Arboretum. They had a special exhibit called "Peter Rabbit's Village". We were able to visit several little cottages belonging to Peter, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, and Miss Jemima Puddleduck. Sam loved the bees, butterflies and ladybugs made of moss, and gave a mossy Miss Puddleduck a kiss on the beak.

 

Sam and Gram watched a fountain grow "big, bigger, BIG!" and played catch in a maze garden. We saw some koi fish taking a morning swim and I'm sure they heard us leaving with Sam screaming and kicking his feet. Apparently he likes real fish, too, not just the cheddar ones.

We ended the day (at noon - it was hot) meeting a big, friendly Peter Rabbit along with some real-live critters including a bunny, hedgehog and mouse.  When we got home we were tired and sweaty, sweaty, sweaty but we had a great time!  Flower collages to come....

Arboretum Fountain from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Blueberry Boy

This kid is bonkers for blueberries. And I'm sure it's no surprise to you that bath-time always follows blueberry-time.

Blueberry Boy from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Weigh-In

We always seem to find ourselves in here together at some point during the day. While I finish getting ready, Sam steps on and off the scale.  Right now he's hovering around 26 1/2 pounds.  Based on how my back feels after getting him in and out of his carseat on an errand run, I'm surprised it's not more!

Sunday Best

A couple of Sundays ago the Straka Family headed out to church. Two of us loved it.  One of us didn't. 

Not a big surprise who didn't enjoy our Sunday outing very much, I'm sure.  It was Baby Sam's first time not being with Mama, Daddy, Gram or Pops and he had a hard time.  It was difficult dropping him off - I had Brian take him back, knowing that there would be enough crying without throwing my disappearing act into the mix.  We were given pagers that would vibrate if we needed to go back and get him, which thankfully never buzzed.

The minute the service was over, Brian and I looked at each other and said "He made it!".  We hurried back to his room only to find him red-faced and sobbing.  As he waddled over to me saying "Muh-mah, Muh-mah in his odd French-like accent, the nursery workers explained he cried for the first ten minutes, then calmed down, only to rev up again a few minutes before we came back.  Those poor ladies.

He sure looked dapper before we left though, didn't he?  I wish I'd taken a picture of him when we got home - shirt crumpled, hair sticking out all over, red cheeks, sweaty, exhausted.  That would've been a great before-and-after.  And his nursery teacher said the following few Sundays might be worse because he'll remember what happened that first week.  I wouln't be surprised if we end up getting buzzed after all...