3-2-1 Glow

3-2-1 Glow!

For the most part, the Plano Balloon Festival was a bit of a bust this year. I don't think the balloons ever got to launch because of either wind or storm clouds, depending on the day. 

This year we decided to go on a Saturday night to see the evening launch and the glow. We waited and waited and waited for the launch before it was finally announced that it would be cancelled. We waited some more for the glow, not sure if it was going to happen either. For a long time there were no balloons blown up, or even spread out, on the field. 

Finally the pilots put them up and we had a great view. The festival announcer would say "3-2-1 GLOW!" and all the pilots would light their balloons. It's very pretty and makes a cool whoosh sound when they all go at the same time. We were glad we stuck it out, it was definitely worth it!

Photo Booth

Watch out! Funny faces ahead!

Sam and I recently hosted a playdate for our Lens Baby group. We set up a couple of photo booths and put out a trunk of silly props and let our friends have at it. They had fun playing with the hats and glasses, and despite the fact the wind kept knocking over the "booths", which were just science fair display boards, we were able to get some photo booth shots. I did two of Sam on seperate days. Not sure which funny faces of his I like the best!

Once he was done with the photo booth, he decided to take

my

picture. This particular camera is a Starflex Brownie from the 60s that I bought off Craigslist last spring. Sam calls it "his camera". Everytime he takes my picture he says "Good job! Wanna see it?" and shows me the back of the camera. Wonder where he learned that? Mommy's little photog-in-training!

It's Gonna Get Messy

Our days are full of Sam's little routines.

One of his favorites is the time he spends with Brian in the evenings. After Brian comes home from work, while I start cooking dinner, he takes Sam out on the porch and they eat peanuts. It started last spring when I went to the Dallas Farmers Market and brought home a bag of peanuts for Sam. He loved them and we've been buying them ever since. They sit on the steps, shell peanuts, and talk about their days. Before going out, Brian always gets a tupperware container for the shells and they say together "It's gonna get messy!"

The Grannies Are The Same

Two out of three aint bad. Two out of three grannies, that is.

Nell and Dell came to our house for a visit.  Sam always likes when Granny Nell comes over, but this visit was extra special because it had been a long time since he'd seen Dell.  The only thing that would've made it better is if Bell had been here, too.  We called her on the phone, but it wasn't quite the same. 

The four of us played for a long time, went out for lunch and ice cream, then came back and played some more.   Sam and Dell played The Stinky Sock Game for the first time, a game that Daddy played with Dell many years ago.  She gave him lots of coins, all of which Sam calls "pennies", and even some dollars for his piggy bank.   They played with stickers and built a pillow house.  It was a busy afternoon!

Once Sam realized Nell and Dell were thinking about leaving, he really turned on the charm and asked Dell sweetly if she would like to "go play in my room".  So the two of them played and read books by themselves while Granny and I chatted. 

He wasn't too happy when they left, but did tell me how much fun he had.   For the remainder of the day, he would look at me every once in a while and say:  "The grannies are the same!"  Yes, Sam, they kind of are!

Heard-Craig House

Sam and I recently visited the grounds of McKinney's Heard-Craig House with some friends to take some pictures.

  It was a very pretty day and Sam had fun running around the garden.  We need more days like this here in Texas!

Snooze

They fell asleep watching baseball.

I took some pictures.  Then I changed the channel...

Sam and Gram Summer

It was a Sam and Gram Summer!

They spent a lot of time together, especially during the week we stayed at Gram and Pops' house when our air conditioner went out!

Gram had some homework over the summer and wanted the theme to be Sam and Gram Summer.  So we toted our camera everywhere we went with Gram and this is her final project!  She played it for her school and they liked it a lot.

A+ Gram!

Grill Master

I love this grill.

Why?  Because I don't have to cook and my house stays cool.  Of course, it makes my guy smell smoky, but that's okay because he makes some pretty yummy stuff! 

And I don't have to cook

.

Baby Bird's Bed is Just Right!

Look who's got a big boy bed!

Sam decided, almost overnight, he no longer wanted to sleep in his crib.  I couldn't blame him - he was getting so big and tall, he couldn't have been very comfortable in there.  And I was having quite a time lifting him in and out.  So bed shopping we went.  Gram went shopping with us and the salesman let Sam try out his bed before we bought it.  He loved it, and still does. 

Since getting the bed he's added a new part to our nighttime routine - Daddy has to lay down with him until he falls asleep.  And Daddy almost always falls asleep in the process! 

Sam gets up in the night some, and will just appear at our bedside, dangling his blankie in front of our faces.  It can be a little unnverving to wake up to the silhouette of a little person just inches from your face.  But overall, it's been a positive transition and he loves the other little changes we made to his room including his special reading chair and his art table. 

Someday, when Sam has a little brother or sister, we'll need the white furniture for the nursery and we'll get Sam his own bedroom set.  Until then, this setup, as one of Sam's favorite storybook characters would say, is JUST RIGHT!

We left the quilt, which used to be centered above the crib, in the same place, now not-centered on the wall.  The dresser and shelves are in the same place, too. 

There's his special reading chair!

Last morning in his crib...

First morning in his big boy bed!

Special Reading Chair!

*disclaimer:  Sam's room hasn't been this clean since the photos were taken a month ago!*

Clown

He wasn't so sure at first.

But, yep...he likes it!

Day One

School is back in session - Hallelujah!

Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited that Mother's Day Out has started? Being cooped up with Sam this triple-digit summer has been tough! 

Sam's excited, too. He has two very sweet teachers, one of whom was a teacher in his class last year. When I pick him up I can tell he's had a great day. They do such a great job there and he's learning so much, academically and otherwise. He's talking so much more compared to this time last year and can tell me in detail all about his day.

Last week we went to the grocery store after school and as I was pushing the cart, browsing for our dinner ingredients, Sam told me a story about a woman who ate an apple. He mumbled something about someone being "mad" at her for eating the apple and when I asked him to repeat it he said "She ate the apple and God was MAD!".

"Oh!", I said. "You're talking about Eve!"

"No! Not STEVE, Mama!!", he said. I told him I didn't say "Steve" I said "Eve", because that was the woman's name - the one who ate the apple.

I was so happy he was a.) listening during Chapel and b.) able to retell the story to me! As a former teacher, these little successes make me very happy!

Yeah Daddy

Sam is our hero.

He stayed very calm and followed directions very well after he LOCKED US OUT OF THE HOUSE!

Brian was outside watering after doing yardwork and I went outside to tell him I had put the garage door down. I hadn't been out for more than a few seconds when I turned around and found the front door locked. It took a few seconds to realize what had happened. I turned to Brian and said, "He locked us out". I ran around to the back of the house, knowing I had shut the garage door, but hoping the back door was open.

Nope. Locked up tight.

I told Brian it was a no-go and we looked at each other like, "What are we going to do?" We knew if need be we could break a window, but not wanting to pay for a new window, we tried talking to Sam first. Sam had just finished helping Brian put knobs on the kitchen cabinets, so he knew just what to say.

Here's a transcript of Brian and Sam's discussion through the door:

B: Sam?

S: Hi Daddy!

B: How many knobs do you see on the door?

S: Two!

B: See the one on top, the one up high?

S: Yeah Daddy!

B: I need you to turn it and let us in.

S: (Sam tries turning the lock the wrong way) I can't do it Daddy! I can't do it!

B: Turn it the other way!

Ta-Da! It worked!

So far we haven't been locked out again...yet. Little Turkey.

Splash Park

Found another splash park to go to with friends.

It's just about the only thing to do in this stifling heat.

Play Dough

Sam and I made play dough this week.

We made the cooked kind, and used gel food coloring to get the awesome colors. When I took the pot off the stove to stir it and pour it out onto the wax paper I showed it to Sam. I said, "It's playdough!" He said, "Dat's not playdough. Dat's dinner!"

Thankfully, no playdough has been consumed...yet.

Water Wiggle

Toddlers + water = wiggle.

Bunk Mate

I've been waking up to a new face, lately.

Sam's been waking up a lot at night these past couple of weeks. We think his last molars might be coming in.

Even though he's quite the flipper, flopper and kicker when he's asleep, it doesn't bother me too much. Poor Daddy has to sleep on the couch, though. There's just not enough room for three, especially when one sleeps slideways...

Happy Birthday Lens Baby

We celebrated a special birthday today.

Our playgroup, Lens Baby, has been around for a whole year now. Can't believe it's only been a year, actually. Feels longer! We got together for an ice cream party and had a great time. Sam was...okay. He's still a toy-hoarder and let out a whopper of a scream here and there, but overall he's playing better than he used to. He loved his ice cream, that's for sure! As soon as I scooped the vanilla ice cream into his bowl he said "No chocolate!" So sprinkles it was.

The last picture is one I took of him at our first meetup, the same house where we were today.  He talked on a toy phone at our meetup today, too!

July 27th, 2010

Happy Birthday Lens Baby!

New Wock-n-Woll

Yep. There's more...

Sam calls this song "new wock-n-roll" and we usually play it after the song in the first dancing video.

Not as much movement in this one, but there is a lot of shoulder action!

Let's Hear It from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Pants on the Ground

Sam has a new-found love for "wok-n-woll".

And no matter where we are - at home, in the car, the middle of a TJ Maxx - when he hears this particular song he can't help but dance. He's pretty good, too. He can sort-of keep a beat and excels at moving his shoulders. Most surprisingly, he changes his moves based on the tempo of the song. Pretty impressive stuff.

What I like most about this video is the shirt he's wearing. It's bright blue, just like my senior year show choir dress. I think I've passed down the dancing gene...

*the blue painter's tape on the carpet was for Sam to practice "walking on a bridge".  It's not part of our permanent decor!

Fingerpainting

It's messy.

This was one of those art activities that Sam spent about five minutes doing, and I spent 15 minutes cleaning up. 

{sigh}

I'm now on the look-out for art projects that don't require bathing a toddler and mopping the kitchen floor.