Heartbreaker

And once again life got in the way and I have missed Samuel's 15 month post. Samuel is in that stage where he does something new every day. I both love and hate this stage. I love that each new day is filled with excitement and wonderment. I hate that I am forced into the reality that my baby is no longer a baby.

Samuel's personality is one of assertiveness and abounding happiness. He is a ham. When I pull out the camera he says "eeeee" (cheese) and poses. His smile lights up his whole face and his laughter is contagious. 

He giggles all the time. Well, most of the time. For when he is not happy, he lets you know. Loudly. I love it how he whines when he isn't happy and then opens one eye to make sure you are watching.

His favorite toy BY FAR is a ball. Any ball. He loves balls. 

And maracas.

And Daddy Fish.

At Samuel's 15 month check up, he weighed 23 lbs, 6 oz (59%) and was 30 in long (11%).  Short. Well, I guess he had to get SOME of my traits. I suppose I could have guessed that...as he is exclusively in 18 month tops, but I resort to 12 month pants at times for length purposes. 

One morning, Jackson was having a snack of peanut butter crackers. This was one of the days Jackson decided to share with Samuel. And not 3 minutes later, Samuel's poor little face had big red welts on it and he was scratching insanely. I tried to get a picture, but he was too upset to hold still. About 30 minutes later it had disappeared, but I don't think he'll be getting peanut butter again in the near future.

Samuel's favorite food is peas, mashed potatoes and Graduate crunchies. He likes fruit, too. He doesn't like cheese or pasta. He drinks water out of a straw cup and still nurses 3 times a day.

He loves snuggling with his blue bear (which I find completely irresistible).

And he loves his brother.

He is a boy of few words. He mostly grunts, but strangely enough, I can understand what he is saying. 

His actual words are: Jackson, Mama, Dada, Nana, Night Night

And his grunts are: Thank You, Juice, More, Where Is, I Want

And he is great at following simple commands like "come here", "get your shoes", "hold out your arms"...

He loves getting his teeth brushed, brushing his own hair (he'll go into the bathroom and look through the drawer until he finds his comb), and helping put on his clothes.

He is honestly so good and so sweet with a touch of assertiveness. I love this sweet face and this beautiful boy so much! He will be a heartbreaker someday. Happy 16 months, Samuel Wrye!

I'm Walkin'

Sam's walking!

To be fair, he has been walking since March 31, but because I am slack lately, I just haven't caught it on video. So here it is. Plus a bonus of cute on the side.

Easter Parade

We had two fun-filled days of egg hunting and chocolate eating. Maybe a little more of the latter than the former...

First off, our apartment complex hosted an egg hunt on Saturday morning. It was a great turn out on a beautiful day. 

They had the hunt divided into three age groups to make it all fair. Both boys had a great time "searching" for eggs.

And Jackson loved counting his eggs and was delighted with the "treats" found inside (although I took the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups...I told him they were really yucky and that I should probably eat those).

On Sunday morning, we woke up to find that indeed the Easter Bunny had come and hid 12 eggs and 2 baskets. Luckily, the Easter Bunny got the memo that the boys are allergic to eggs and didn't need any more sugar, so that clever bunny hid plastic eggs with puzzle pieces inside them. I was amazed that both boys loved hunting for the eggs.

Jackson got the CandyLand game in his Easter basket. He understood the concept and rules of the game, and upon first play (and second) he kicked my butt. It's a sign of things to come, I guess...

Later that evening, we went to my parents' house for pizza and the final egg hunt. Luckily, my dad is in the midst of tax season and hasn't had a chance to cut the grass so the Easter Bunny didn't have to work too hard to hide those things. Jackson, Samuel and Myles had a great time wondering around the tall green grass looking for plastic eggs with MONEY in them. Really, Easter Bunny? 

All in all, we are up one CandyLand game, one Magna Doodle, a water table, about 100 pounds of chocolate and $5.00. Success!

Also, who knew that plastic eggs double as fantastic bath toys?

Happy Easter!

Bye Bye Baby

It had to happen eventually. I didn't want it to...it made me so sad. But...

Sam needed a haircut. And not just a trim. He needed a cut. So I took him to the regular place, put him in the red jeep and gave him a lollipop.

The result? Baby Sam is no more! 

Please welcome Big Boy Sam!

At least my big boy still likes snuggles with his mommy!

Two Little Boys

Love <3

A Bushel and A Peck

I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and a hug around the neck
A hug around the neck and a barrel and a heap
A barrel and a heap and I'm talkin' in my sleep
About you, about you
'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your purdy neck I do

I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck though you make my heart a wreck
Make my heart a wreck and you make my life a mess
Make my life a mess, yes a mess of happiness
About you, about you
'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your purdy neck I do

I love you a bushel and a peck
A bushel and a peck and it beats me all to heck
It beats me all to heck, how I'll ever tend the farm
Ever tend the farm when I wanna keep my arm
About you, about you
'Cause I love you a bushel and a peck
You bet your purdy neck I do

Spring Fever

We can hardly believe this nice weather! It gives us a chance to ride the scooter,

throw around a ball (or two),

and eat popsicles!

Was the groundhog WRONG? Did Spring come EARLY?

Happy Together

One of the things I enjoy most as a mother is seeing my two boys play together. My heart melts when I hear Jackson say "I love my brother". And the tears well up when I see Samuel blowing Jackson kisses. Yes, they fight. But more often than not nowadays, they play. Happily. Together.

A bike ride on a winter's day.

Getting the hair cut together.

Jackson sharing his yogurt.

Peek-A-Boo

Could he be any cuter? Seriously.

(*and please excuse the pump noise)

I Love Your Smile

Oh how times flies. The days go faster than they ever seem to in the moment. My sweet Samuel is ALREADY 14 months old. 

This little guy has the best personality. He is so silly. 

And at the same time he is SO stubborn. He likes to do things his way in his time.

His word list is:

Mama

Dada

Nana

Jackson (his most FAVORITE word)

all done

bye bye

night night

He talks a lot, but I can't understand him. Though he does use a lot of inflection and you can tell the emotion behind what he is saying.

Samuel got his first ear infection on January 16. The Dr prescribed him amoxicillan...and he ended up with a rash, too. Poor little guy. Luckily, it didn't take long to clear up. 

His favorite food is my homemade upside down shepherds pie with peas.

He only eats table food that he can pick up himself. He loves oranges, waffles and muffins. He isn't so keen on cookies and cheese. He drinks a very diluted apple or pear juice out of a straw cup twice a day (LOVE the playtex straw trainer cup). And he still nurses four times a day (though sometimes it might only be a one-sided nurse).

Samuel likes to walk behind his push toy. But I think it'll be another couple of months before he starts walking. When he gets the hang of something, he is very hesitant to try something new or change if it isn't necessary. He does cruise a lot, and he is a very good climber (yes, up the stairs...).

The smile on his face when he first sees Jackson in the morning or after a nap is priceless. He loves watching Thomas and playing with cars, trucks, and trains. He blows kisses and claps. He enjoys working puzzles and isn't half bad at fitting the shapes where they are supposed to go.

Sammy smiles with his whole face, and all bad things disappear when you look into his baby blues. I love this little bundle more than I ever imagined I could. 

The Maestro

Now introducing...Samuel, the conductor*.

*Yes, he now conducts when he hears music. Unprompted.

My Funny Valentine(s)

How lucky am I...

To have TWO Valentines?

Jackson got a guitar and Samuel got a keyboard as Valentine's Day gifts.

And as per normal, they wanted to try out each other's instrument. 

Happy Valentine's Day to those we love near and far!

Song For Dad

We were very excited to have Daddy come and visit us for 16 days at the end of January/beginning of February. The boys were very glad to see him and they had a lot of fun.

Some of the exciting things we did were:

An evening at Chuck E Cheese;

A morning at cMoe with coloring,

Climbing,

Playing rhythmic instruments,

and rice box construction;

We took a day trip to Nashville to see the Country Music Museum:

Which included a tour of the RCA Studio B where 1000s of hits were recorded (200 by Elvis).

This is a piano Elvis played in the RCA B studio.

Outside of Studio B

Inside the Country Music Hall of Fame

It was a great day. And the boys were asleep within 5 minutes of getting in the car to go home.

NOTE...Jackson fell asleep while eating cookies. His hand is in the bag. Who does that? (*ahem* Nana)

There were walks

And snuggles

And, overall, a good time had by all.

We were sad to see Daddy go back to Australia. Come back soon!