Three boys and a little lady....

11 Months old

2012-02-03T16:23:00.000-05:00

Not too much longer till Hannah Banana turns 1 - here she is at 11 months - no more trying to get her picture while she lays down - I had Mark stand her up for these - too cute!

Painting

2012-02-02T16:21:00.000-05:00

Sam loves to paint -sometimes its gets a little messy but you know what they say "The BEST memories are the messiest!"

Of course he wanted to paint my hand too!

Transitions

2012-02-01T16:29:00.000-05:00

Sam's classroom is on the top right

Sam started at his new school today – The Malvern School – its similar to the Goddard school so I think I will be very happy with him here. I have been very anxious about this day – hoping for the best but expecting the worst – I knew he would revert to his old ways of screaming and holding on to me for dear life as I walked out the door….. boy was I wrong!!

When he woke up this morning I told him he starts his new school today! He asked if he was going to still be a “puppy” (his classroom at Goddard) – I told him nope, no more puppies – you are now a big boy in pre-school! We get there and he is excited to ring the doorbell – the school is secured and during our visits there we didn’t yet have a pass code – we go in and he runs to the Fascination Station area (for kids 0-2) and starts playing - I tell him we need to go upstairs (another bonus, BIG kids get to go upstairs – he loves this! =))

I go in the kitchen to heat up his breakfast and he runs out to the Discovery Center (for kids 3 and up) and then comes running back and shows me a huge giraffe he found. Miss Sharon tells him he can take it into his classroom. We put away his things then I put his breakfast on the table – there are only 2 other kids there so far. He is acting shy but isn’t crying, or whining, or anything like that. I go to leave and he follows me to the door – I tell him I have to go to work and I will see him later – he isn’t buying it but still no tears and no clinging. Miss Amberleigh comes over and asks him if he wants to look at the cars and he says yes – so he takes her hand and walks to the window – I say goodbye and leave.

Wow.

It was the BEST possible outcome! I called around 9:30 to see how he was doing and they said great! He was playing with other kids and helping the teachers – just like he had been in the class for months! Yay!! When I picked him up he was playing outside in a gigantic sandbox – like 10 ft by 10ft! I knew he was loving that!! Sam came over to me and I asked him if he had a good day and he said yeah it was fun! =)

Update:

Day 2 went just as well – In the morning Sam told me “Mom, I am ready for school” – I was like ummm, what? Ok! Lets go! He has never asked to go to school before! We get there and I am making his breakfast and he disappears… I find him in the classroom playing… just like he has been there for years! I kiss him goodbye and tell him I love him and as I walk out the door he says “mom” – I turn around and he says “I’m not gonna cry” awwww… I gave him a big smile and left…. He walked over and started eating his breakfast…. Wow, did I luck out with this transition or what!?! ☺

Princess Hannah

2012-01-31T16:20:00.000-05:00

Sam found Hannah's hair stuff and decided to give her a bow and a headband - then he said "Look mommy! Hannah is a princess!" =)

Hannah's first art

2012-01-31T16:19:00.000-05:00

I know this is hard to see but I gave Hannah a black crayon and some paper and let her draw - she actually got some marks on the paper before she tried to eat the crayon - haha

The Target Diet

2012-01-30T16:25:00.000-05:00

Have you ever been on a Target Diet? It’s one of the hardest ones out there – I haven’t tried it before but I am starting tomorrow – gonna stick it out for 28 29 days (leap year) and see what kind of results I have. What is the Target diet? Its simple – you don’t go to Target. Yep, that’s it! I am staying out of Target for 1 month – YIKES!!! This is going to be hard for me… and Sam! Sam loves going to Target with me – we have lunch, walk around, act silly…. Yeah its gonna suck! Will be interesting to see if I have extra money at the end of the month….. Wish me luck =)

Life with a Toddler

2012-01-29T20:23:00.000-05:00

Painters tape on the table

Someone is turning ONE!

2012-01-28T20:33:00.000-05:00

My little peanut is turning 1 in a little over a month - which means the party planning begins!

I had bought a tutu at Target (because every little girl needs a tutu) but I didnt LOVE it - so then I looked at Etsy but didnt want to spend $25 on one when I could make one for $8 - so I bought the tulle and elastic and went to work

I decided to do 4 rows of pink then 2 rows of white and in between the white I did some bright pink ribbon - it was so easy but it took FOREVER!! Now I know why the tutu's on Etsy were $25!! Anyway - it turned out sooo cute and Mark was impressed with my mad craftiness =)

Then I made her hat - also pretty easy to do and once again turned out cute

So, there is your sneak peek at my party planning for Hannah Bannana - hope to see you there!

Is anyone listening?

2012-01-26T20:46:00.000-05:00

Now that I have a toddler I have learned that there is a big difference between listening and hearing – I can tell Sam 100 times to pick up his toys or it's time for bed and he just stares in space….NOT listening….However he hears EVERYTHING!How do I know? He loves to use the phrases we always use on him such as:

When Sam is trying to get my attention he says “Look me in the eyes mommy” --Yeah , mark and I tell him that all the time

When Sam asks me a question and I say “uh-huh” Sam says “Don’t say uh-huh use words”

If Sam asks for something and we don’t answer right away he says “Are you listening? Do you understand me?”

Ahh... toddlers!

Conversations with Sam

2012-01-24T20:38:00.000-05:00

I dropped Sam off at school today and as I was walking out the door….

Sam: Mom, mom!
Me: Yes?
Sam: Be careful out there!
Me: (smiling) ok, I will! See you later!
Sam: Mom, don’t drive in the snow
Me: (laughing) ok buddy, I wont!
Sam: Ummm, maybe you should have a turkey sandwich for lunch
Me: (what?? Laughing) Ok that sounds like a great idea!
Sam: Yeah that is a great idea
Me: Ok bye
Sam: You forgot my kiss
Me: oops (big kiss)
Then Sam waves goodbye to me ♥

-------------------

After I put Sam to bed …..

Me: Ok, goodnight Sam, I love you
Sam: No! Don’t say “I love you” say “I love you Sam”
Me: I love you Sam…. Was that better?
Sam: Yes
Me: Do you love me?
Sam: Nah, but I like you!

Guess I will take what I can get – lol

Oops!

2012-01-22T20:34:00.000-05:00

Dear Sam,

I am sorry.
I was cutting your hair like I always do and then I decided to just trim a little.bit.more and then it happened….. gasp!... oh crap! You had no idea and happily got in the shower when I was done. I do feel really bad. Several people have asked me if you cut it yourself…but I am honest and tell them “nope it was me”….sigh. What is it that they say “The difference between a bad haircut and a good haircut is 2 weeks” - so just 10 more days and you will look fabulous again! Again, my apologies. You’re still super handsome in my book =)

Love,
Mom

Finally some snow!

2012-01-21T14:52:00.000-05:00

Besides that freak snow storm in October we havent had any snow... until now! It was going to miss us but then the storm moved just enough for us to get about 3 inches - Sam of course was thrilled and wanted to go outside right away! He watched daddy shovel then he decided to shovel the yard =)

Then a freak blizzard hit us.....

or maybe it was just the snow blower..... lol

We turned Sam into a snowman

Then Sam did a little sledding in the back yard - which he loved too!

Projects

2012-01-21T14:17:00.003-05:00

When Hannah naps on the weekends I use that time to do special projects with Sam - here are a few we have done in the past and one from today - he loves them and as soon as Hannah goes to bed he asks me if we can do a project =)

The first one was going to be a discovery bag for Hannah but it didnt work out so I just squirted the shaving cream on a cookie tray and Sam had a blast playing in it!

This time we did make a discovery bag for Hannah - we went around the house and looked for fun things - pretty ribbon, confetti, pom pom balls, shiny green bag filler and a few other things - it turned out great and Hannah loved it

This project was from today - Bird seed hearts

First I made some hearts on cardboard then cut them out

Sam covered them in peanut butter then added the bird seed

Then we took them outside and hung them up

Home with daddy

2012-01-20T13:59:00.000-05:00

cant get this pic to turn the right way....

Life with a Toddler

2012-01-18T14:01:00.000-05:00

tantrum anyone?

One thousand one hundred ninety-one days

2012-01-14T10:27:00.001-05:00

Sam's eczema has gotten really bad - its mainly on his butt - so every night when I put his diaper on for bed he cries cuz its itchy and then he asked if he could go w/o a diaper - so I said yes and crossed my fingers hoping for the best (meaning he wouldnt pee in the bed). He woke up the next day dry - YAY!! After a few days his eczema looked better too - double yay!! He has been 100% diaper free (24 hours a day) now for over 2 weeks and still no accidents - so his last diaper was on Dec 27 - which means 1191 days in diapers or 3 years, 3 months, 5 day. Just like when we daytime PT him in June I was sooo nervous to take the leap but once again I let him take the lead and decide when was the right time and once again he did great! Way to go Sam!

Flashback Friday

2012-01-13T10:18:00.000-05:00

I came across this picture on my computer and got a good laugh - I think it was around June and Sam would NOT leave Hannah alone so we had to put a barrier around her - LOL

Helping Out

2012-01-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

Sam wanted to help feed Hannah - I guess I should have put a bib on her =)

Life with a Toddler

2012-01-08T10:12:00.000-05:00

sam rearranged my pantry

The days are long the years are short

2012-01-05T10:57:00.000-05:00

I am sure by now everyone knows what a high needs little guy I have – since birth he has kept me on my toes and with the arrival of his new sister things got even more challenging….2 kids 1 mommy doesn’t always mix well.

I try to take things “event” at a time – let me deal with this one issue first – although on a daily basis there could be 10 issues – its exhausting – but don’t get me wrong I wouldn’t give it up for the world. He has his good moments – I get a surprise kiss or a hug – he tells me he loves me the best – walks over to piper and rubs her little old head – brings Hannah her nonni when she cries – those are the things that let me “somewhat” forget the “other” things…..

I see other kids his age who are just so well behaved and I am like really? Is that normal for a kid to sit there all nice and quiet??” LOL Meanwhile my little guy is running around like crazy – creating chaos wherever he goes – sometimes I wonder why God picked me to be Sam’s mom – what was he thinking??

Most of the time I feel like I cant handle him by myself and it makes me sad – but also thankful for Mark who does a great job with him! Anyway I came across this video and sat down to watch it once the kids were in bed and I cried….alot…. I felt relieved….I felt like I wasn’t alone anymore….I felt like my kid was “normal”…. And its so nice to hear at the end of the video that at some point all those crazy toddlers turned into pretty awesome kids! Yes! A light at the end of the dark (and sometiems scary) tunnel!

Now I must say I have already seen one HUGE change and it has been wonderful….fabulous….stress relieving…..supercalifragiliscious…. oh ok you get what I mean…. Sam started daycare at 5 months and those early months I think he was too young to cry at drop off but once he moved into a new room at 12 months the separation anxiety started and it never.stopped.ever.ever…. until about a month ago. Yep, Sam cried, held on to my leg for dear life while the teacher pulled him away from me every day. At first I felt bad for Sam but then it got old and exhausting on me – I knew his teachers and I knew he loved school (when I picked him up he didn’t want to go home!) but drop-offs were a nightmare. Sure we would have a random “ok” drop off but then the next day back to his screaming and crying….. then out of the blue the first week of December I dropped him off and when I left he walked me to the door and then shut it – then waved goodbuy and blew me a kiss… then walked back to the table to eat his breakfast….. OMG!!!! It was heaven – I didn’t want to jinx myself but I thought – is this it? Is it over? Almost 3 years of tears and with the click of a switch its over? Its been a month almost and I am happy to report drop off’s are still going perfectly! It is sooo nice to kiss him goodbuy and leave with no tears in sight!

So after watching the video I have so much more hope that “this too shall pass” and am trying to enjoy my little guy every day… the good and the not so good!

Hannah loves her big brother!

2012-01-04T10:09:00.000-05:00

10 months old

2012-01-03T10:07:00.000-05:00

Since I started doing these monthly pictures this was the hardest one! She kept pulling the sticker off every time I put it on - I had to call Zac to help me distract her!

Hanging with Daddy

2012-01-02T10:05:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Mark

2012-01-01T10:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Mark! Sam wanted to make daddy some cupcakes - he did a great job mixing all the ingredients

He loved licking the mixer - didnt we all do that as a kid? =)

Helping Daddy blow out his candle

Silly Sammers

2011-12-30T15:45:00.000-05:00

Sam likes for me to take his pictures then he looks at them and laughs =)

Life with a toddler

2011-12-29T15:44:00.000-05:00

A sled full of toys

Friends

2011-12-27T16:04:00.000-05:00

We saw our freinds Chad and Gena and their kids - it was such a nice visit - they recently moved to MD from GA so its nice that we can see them now =) Here is Mark with their twins Taryn and Evan

Hannah meeting thier new little one Annaliese

Playing with the cars

If you click on this picture to make it bigger you can see my screaming Sam - no surprise there - if its not his idea to have his picture taken then he wants no part of it! - The rest of us look good =)

Gena (with an "e") and Gina (with an "i")

A and H

Every time someone said "Gina/Gena" we both looked - haha

We love you guys!

So Sweet

2011-12-26T15:47:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T15:59:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! Cant believe its finally here - every day Sam would ask me "Is it Christmas yet?" haha

I went light on the gifts since the kids are so young and was wondering if Sam would notice or even care - to my surprise when he came downstairs he looked under the tree and said "There are too many presents!" And yes we got that on video so when he complains next year that he doesnt have enough we can say well.... you said you didnt like lots of presents- heehee

These little finger flashlights were Sam's favorite gift I think!

At first Sam had no interest in his new balance bike so we just ignored it - then he went over and decided to try it out - he loves it and rides it around the house all the time - as a side story he even carried up the steps - by himself! - how in the world did he do that? He said it was "Bass Power" (thats from a show he watches) =)

With the headband and yes I should have removed those socks!

Without the headband -I think I like this one better

My brother must have taken 50 pictures of the 2 of them and this was the best shot - I think its pretty cute!

Sam refused to be in this picture.... and Hannah was tired.... oh well.... maybe next year?

Four Generations

Mom gave me a hair scrunchie made from our old school uniforms - hahahahahah

Twas the night before Christmas

2011-12-24T15:41:00.000-05:00

In preparation for Santa's arrival we made some sugar cookies and Sam decorated them

Next up was our "new" Christmas Eve tradition for dinner...... waffles and milkshakes!!! Yummy!!!

Sam chose strawberry banana like Zac had - I had peanut butter chocolate =)

Then Sam put out reindeer food and a key for Santa

Sam and Hannah fresh from the bath with their new Christmas pjs

Impromtu Fire

2011-12-23T11:15:00.000-05:00

Mark decided to burn some sticks we had in the yard so we pulled out some marshmallows and had a little snack - fun times!

Window Clings

2011-12-22T11:17:00.000-05:00

Mark's Aunt Lucy and Uncle Bill sent the kids a little package and inside were some window clings so I let Sam put them up - it was so cute to hear him tell me where things were going - I put the Manger on the window then let Sam do the rest

The stars are for Baby Jesus - so he can see

2 of the wise men are in high heaven

The other wise man is in low heaven

The sheep on the top left are in the jungle

Joseph is in heaven with the 2 wise men

Baby Jesus is "by his daddy"

Mary is in Princess heaven

The trees are at the beach!

The animals are resting... cuz they are tired.

Teacher Gifts

2011-12-21T11:09:00.000-05:00

I was trying to decide what to do for teachers gifts so I pulled out my trusty sewing machine and made some canvas bags then I hand embroidered the teacher's initials on them - they turned out great!

...or maybe I just bought them at Land's End... whatever.....

For the Directors I decided on my trusty Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub but this year I added some lemon peel - it definitely made it look even more awesome =)

And a little Christmas Fairy got me the MOST fabulous gift ever - a Sillhouette cutting machine - OMG it is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! Thanks Christmas Fairy!!!! Anyway I was able to cut out some vinyl for the jars making them look all fancy - even Mark was impressed!

Tooth #7

2011-12-18T11:01:00.000-05:00

Tooth #7 has erupted! yay

Gingerbread House

2011-12-17T11:01:00.000-05:00

The older classroom's in Sam's school made gingerbread houses and they were on display in the entry way - Sam loved them and stopped to look at them everyday so I thought we could make one at home!

The hardest part was actually ~~making~~ putting together the house - I had to enlist the help of some fruit to hold up the walls

Then I put all the candy in a muffin tin so he could have easy access to the them

Then he started to decorate

He loved putting on the candies

I said Sam look at me and he said "Yay Gingerbread"! lol

He was so proud of his house!

Great job Sammers!

Spirit of Philadelphia

2011-12-16T10:59:00.000-05:00

Our work Christmas party was a lunch cruise on the Spirit of Philadelphia - I was really scared about getting motion sickness but luckily I didnt - the food was really yummy and we had a great time!

it was so windy and cold!

Hannah's First Cheerios

2011-12-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

A friend offered to give Hannah Cheerios and then it hit me "OMG she hasnt had Cheerios yet!!" So of course I went to the store and got some =) She loved them of course =)

Annual Ornament Exchange

2011-12-11T15:15:00.000-05:00

Jen and I hosted our Annual Ornament Exchange again this year - we pretty much had the same crowd - yummy food and drinks, the exchange then a craft - but this year we switched things up a bit and had Karen teach us how to make bows instead!

I grabbed a few pictures before we got started

Here is my mom rocking her outfit! Her and Chelsea dressed alike - they looked great!!

This pic below is what I would look like if I was tall - hahahaha

Chelsea doing a fish tail braid on Amber - it looked awesome!

Time for the exchange - I first got Miss Claus

Then my sister stole it from me and I got some cute snowmen ones instead

Must have been bad karma for Michelle since after that her ornament got stolen 4 times - LOL

Then it was time to learn how to make bows - My sister's turned out great

Its always such a nice time to be with friends and good food =)

Santa Claus

2011-12-10T15:04:00.000-05:00

My mom was helping out Marilyn do a Christmas party for some kids and since we would be in town they invited us as well - Sam has been talking alot about Santa and said he would dit on his lap and tell him what he wanted.... yeah right.... once he saw Santa he wanted to observe from afar! Santa had presents for each child and I had to drag Sam up there to get his gift...oh geez!

We did get Hannah to sit on ~~his~~ her lap (this Santa was a girl - lol) and she wasnt thrilled but she never cried either.

Funny thing was Sam did not want HIS present from Santa but gladily opened up Hannah's!

Breaking up is hard to do

2011-12-09T10:28:00.000-05:00

I spoke with the asst. director at Sam’s school and got a price quote for Sam and Hannah (she is starting daycare 1 June) and I about DIED!!!! Guess how much it is…. $1000? $1500? $2000? Nope! $2137! What???????? So I knew it was time to find a new school!

I had looked at the Malvern School when I was pregnant with Hannah and decided to go back there for another tour. I loved it and its almost $500 cheaper – so I signed up both kids! When I got to Sam’s school I asked the Director how I go out pulling Sam out – she was shocked and said well we need 30 days notice – when do you want to pull him out? I said “In 30 days”…..

When I arrived this morning I saw the Asst Director and she just looked at me and I laughed and said “wow, word travels fast around here!” LOL She is sad to see us go and wanted to make sure it was a financial issue and not something that they could change – I assured her it was. I am very sad to leave but it’s one of those decisions that has to be made. I am really nervous how Sam will do – he is finally REALLY settled at school – no more tears at drop off – and waves bye to me – I KNOW we will have a rough week or two but I am hoping that Sam loves his new school and adapts quickly!

I wanted to switch Sam first so he is settled before I have to start Hannah since I am sure it will be rough for her too! So wish us luck! Sam starts Feb 1st!

Smart Aleck

2011-12-07T10:31:00.000-05:00

I don’t know if this is “cute” or “funny” or “omg you smart aleck!!!!!” HAHA

Saturday morning Sam got out of bed early (before his light turned green) so he lost TV until after lunch. Around 11am he asked if he could watch Lightening McQueen on my computer – I told him no, he lost TV – Sam looks at me and says “Wellllll…. This is a computer NOT a tv….” Hmmm…. yes you are right about that!

Then later in the day he unplugged my laptop and I said “Sam it needs to stay plugged in or it will turn off and Sam replies “Weeelllll… its still ON!” Yes , you are right again, it is still on!

Little stinker!

Decorating

2011-12-03T21:20:00.001-05:00

Last year I bought a bunch of bulbs to hang on the tree out front - Mark has lights on it at night and it looks awesome and I thought I would add some color to it during the day too and of course Sam helped me =)

Sam liked to put them all on the same branch - he called them "pumpkins" - they had a weird design to them maybe that is why

I tried to tell Sam "less is more" but he didnt get it... eheh.

He also thought it was cool that he could see his reflection in the bulbs

Ok Ok so the tree isnt fabulous because clearly I couldnt reach the top branches - but whatever, we like it!

Then Sam decided that the bushes needed some love too =)

Hannah - 9 months

2011-12-03T21:16:00.000-05:00

Wow - only 3 more months till she turns 1! Crazy!

Life with a toddler

2011-12-03T13:10:00.001-05:00

dixie cups all lined up

Happy and Not Happy

2011-12-02T12:46:00.000-05:00

Hannah slept GREAT last night….

I was sooo Happy!

My boobs were not! hahahaha

I leaked everywhere.... lovely!

Just Drink!

2011-12-02T12:43:00.000-05:00

Hannah’s new thing while nursing is to nurse, stop, look around, nurse some more, stop, look at my nipple then start pinching it like it was some kind of neat toy…. Then I have to remind her it’s not a toy and to nurse or be all done. Then she will nurse again. This morning I was nursing her on the couch before work and she was doing her pull off, look around thing and I said “Hannah, it’s not a toy, are you done?” Sam says “ Yeah Hannah don’t grab, just drink!” Then he points to my nipple and says “here Hannah” and smashes her face into my boob….. hahahahaha

Trying to get a picture

2011-12-01T21:20:00.000-05:00

Yes! I got it =)

Advent

2011-12-01T13:14:00.000-05:00

Now that Sam is getting older I thought some sort of Advent Calendar would be fun - I scoured the internet and saw tons of great ideas - I didnt want to do treats since he gets enough of those - I liked the idea of doing a fun Christmas related activity each day but I think that is more geared toward SAHMs - so then I saw the book idea! Each day a new book to read! When Sam was born my sister gave me a book rack filled with like 50 books - most of those Sam still hasnt even seen so I wrapped those up along with 8 Christmas books for the last 8 days -of course Day 24 is "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Sam has been great about only opening that day's book and it helps with numbers when I say "Ok find book number 2" - next year I think I will go to the library and get books - this is the start of a great tradition!

On the move

2011-12-01T12:42:00.000-05:00

Hannah crawled!! She has been finding ways to get around but today when I got home I laid her on the floor in the playroom and then laid down myself – Hannah wasn’t happy – she wanted me – so I said “Come on Hannah” and sure enough she crawled to me!!! Way to go girl!

The F Bomb!

2011-11-30T12:43:00.000-05:00

Well it happened….. I guess I knew it eventually would…. Mark was in the kitchen and opened a bill, it was bigger than expected and he shouts F**K!

Sam: F**K
Me: Mark! Watch your mouth!
Sam: Why did Daddy say F**K?
Me: Sam , that’s a bad word, Daddy made a mistake and shouldn’t have said it
Sam: F**K
Me: Sam, you know in your David book when David has soap in his mouth
Sam: yeah, he said a bad word
Me: right, Daddy said a bad word
Sam: Daddy said F**K

Then I dropped it hoping he wouldn’t say it again…. So far so good!

Nativity

2011-11-29T12:50:00.000-05:00

We were sitting in the living room and Sam looked at the Nativity and asked me what it was

Me: that’s the Nativity
Sam: Oh, can we talk about it?
Me: Sure! What would you like to know?
Sam: points to Mary and Baby Jesus Is that Baby Jesus?
Me: Yes
Sam: Who are they?
Me: That is Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. Jesus is God’s son – he was born on Christmas day – Christmas is when we celebrate Jesus’ birthday
Sam: points to the wise men Who are they?
Me: Those are the wise men. They each brought a gift for Jesus – gold, frankincense and myrrh
Sam: points to the shepherd Who’s that?
Me: That is a shepherd – he came to see Jesus. And this is the angel praying over them all
Sam: points to the camel Whats that?
Me: That’s a camel – the wise men rode on his back to get to Bethlehem.

Then Sam has me put each wise man on the camel – haha

Me: So, who was born on Christmas day?
Sam: ummm, Hannah!
Me: No silly, Jesus!
Sam: Yeah, Hannah is already born
Me: Do you have any other questions?
Sam: Can I have some chocolate milk?
Me: lol you sure can!

Life with a toddler

2011-11-28T13:11:00.000-05:00

Hannahs teether somehoe got on my flower vase....

Our Christmas Tree

2011-11-26T13:00:00.000-05:00

I love our tree - its isnt fancy but its special because each ornament brings back a memory - its like a memory tree =)

Sam helped me decorate it this year and he wanted to put all of his ornaments in a 5 inch space -heehee

When I pulled out the stockings he had no clue what they were -he said "oh are those big socks?"?

Then proceeded to put them on - haha

I told him they were stockings and Santa will fill them with goodies!

Just thought I would post a few of our ornaments and tell you where they came from

These were on our tree growing up - not sure who mdae them though

Vandzura Reunion - we hit up the Tetons!

My 1st Christmas as a mom!

Cant forget Piper! Every year she gets a new ornament as well!

Cameron Station - loved living there!

"Quits" When mom got preg with me she asked her MIL what should we name her - she replied How about you call it Quits! hahaha So this ornament was engraved "Quits'

Our trip to Carmel, where Mark swept me off my feet!

I made this when I was 7

Our trip to Maine - what a funtime and I def want to go back!

Redskins! What can I say - I grew up in DC - gotta stick with them!

Myrtle Beach -Fav vacation spot!

Paris!!! Tami and I went when Wes lived there - this was also my first international trip!

Curtain redo

2011-11-26T12:38:00.000-05:00

I had bought 84 inch black out curtains for Sam's room but they were still too short - next step was Custom made which I wasnt going to do so they sat there looking dumb for months!

Then I spotted some cute airplane curtains at Home Goods and figured I could add some length to them - I used no sew tape (the best invention in the world!!) so it will be easy to replace with something else down the road when he doesnt like airplanes anymore - I even measured!!! LOL

Here is the after - I dont think the pics do it justice - it turned out awesome and I love it!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T12:25:00.000-05:00

We headed to Portage to celebrate Thanksgiving with Mark’s side of the family – after a long 4 hour road trip we made it there safely. The festivities were being hosted by his Aunt Polly and Uncle Ray – lots of other aunts and uncles and cousins were there as well.

Polly and Ray have the most awesome house – any kids dream really….. 4 floors, a train set in the attic and a huge bell out front. Joel helped Sam stand on it while he rocked it back and forth. Fun!

Lunch was so delicious – turkey and all the trimmings – and check out these desserts!!

The girls really know how to bake – everything was so yummy! After lunch Uncle Ray gave out ornaments to each family that was there (apparently he does this every year) – it’s the annual White House ornament – sweet!

We all sat around and chatted in the afternoon and Sam had a blast chasing Parker thru the house – Kaite joined in as well –hahah.

Later in the day we headed to the Nursing Home to visit with Mark’s grandmother. She was in good spirits and looked great – Hannah happily sat on her lap too! On a funny/horrified note as we were leaving the home we had to pass thru the living room area – there were around 7 or 8 people in there watching tv (all residents) and for some unknown reason Sam shouts “Hey! Wake up!!!” OMG! I grabbed him by the hand and got out of there as fast as I could!

We headed back to Polly and Ray’s and had dinner and then just hung out. Hannah was “off” Thursday and Friday so her sleep was pretty much nonexistent – so by Friday morning I was BEAT!!! Mark’s Aunt Jean and her 2 girls came in on Friday and we were able to visit with them before we headed back home. Both girls are taking violin lessons and Amy gave Polly a lesson.

I love the violin – it’s so beautiful and Amy plays wonderfully! We wanted to swing by Mark’s Aunt and Uncle’s place so we left Polly and Rays and headed there.

Sam was being a pill but luckily Aunt Helen saved the day when she asked Sam if he wanted to play the piano!! Sam stopped what he was doing and said yes!! He must have played on that thing for a good 30 mins – he loved it!! I snapped some pics just in case one day he becomes a pianist I can say “oh look here you were playing when you were 3” lol!

We got on the road around 3pm and the kids did great until Hannah woke up at 6 and was hungry! So we took a quick stop to feed Hannah and grab some dinner then we got back in the car. We made it home in time for baths and then bed. It was a fun trip but it’s always nice to be home!

Here are a few more pics from our trip - Hannah enjoyed her turkey =)

Can you tell how happy Sam was??? not!

Its starts early....

2011-11-21T01:00:00.000-05:00

....taking "reading material" to the bathroom.... hahahahhaha

Just Chillin

2011-11-20T22:06:00.001-05:00

Life with a Toddler

2011-11-20T22:05:00.001-05:00

Sam put sticky tabs all over my floor while I was taking a shower....lol

Saturday Morning

2011-11-19T16:11:00.001-05:00

Just relaxing in our pjs

Hannah is "almost" crawling - she prefers to scoot on her arms these days

Yep, Hannah still loves Zac!

Cant forget Miss Piper!

Fabulous Feast

2011-11-17T16:09:00.000-05:00

Sam's school hosted its annual Fabulous Feast - with turkey, stuffing and all that yummy stuff! I signed up for dessert and decided to make these cute little Turkey's using sugar cookies and candy corn - they turned out really cute!

When I got to the school all the kids were jumping - haha - guess they were trying to get some energy out them

Sam loved my cookies =)

5 meals 1 hour

2011-11-13T16:02:00.000-05:00

I found this awesome website 5 meals in 1 hour - the gist of it is that you prepare all your weeknight meals in 1 hour - 5 meals in 1 hour -I was game! I wanted us to eat better and thought this would be perfect!

The first week we had Asian Beef and Broccoli, baked spaghetti, and some other yummy dishes - everything turned out great so I decided to do it again the following week. Here is my "mess" getting ready to prepare the 5 meals

And here are all 5 meals for the week ready to go in the frig

And this was one of our meals - Tilipia with a spicy cream sauce, rice and green beans - it was yummy!

Surprise

2011-11-12T15:59:00.000-05:00

Sam told me to come to the play room - he had a surprise for me.....

Can you guess what it was? You cant? Oh well his surprsie was that he made a MESS! Yay SURPRISE!!!!

...not...

Don't Smile!

2011-11-10T16:07:00.000-05:00

I finally figured out how to get Sam to smile for me - tell him NOT to!

Maybe not the best smiles but its a smile none-the-less!

When Sam grows up....

2011-11-09T19:16:00.001-05:00

......he wants to have a beard like daddy!

Sweet Potatoes

2011-11-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

I make sweet potato fries for Sam - its one of the only veggies he will eat - Hannah loves them now too and because they are long sticks she can easily pick them up - I love watching her shove these in her mouth =)

Overheard

2011-11-06T19:14:00.000-05:00

On the recommendation of a co-worker I picked up a Land Before Time DVD for Sam – he was very excited as we sat down to watch it. Then all of a sudden a huge monster looking shark thing emerges from the water and tries to eat the baby dinosaurs!!!! Sam freaks! Tells me to turn it off – he doesn’t like it – and he is crying! Oh geez! My first instinct was to turn it off but Mark says to leave it on – we tell Sam to cover his eyes (he does but he is peeking – haha) Once the shark is gone he removes his hands and says “oh that was scary!”. Of course, knowing the shark will return I tell Sam so he is prepared! When the shark did return Sam was ok this time =)

Anyway – the next day he wanted to watch it again and mommy had laundry to do – haha – so I happily put it on for him – Hannah was in the exersaucer chewing on her toys and I hear Sam say “Oh, here comes the shark – I will protect you Hannah” I peek in the living room and he is standing by the exersaucer holding Hannah’s hand……. Ah, so sweet! Remember this boys – Hannah’s BIG BROTHER is protecting her =)

Ok I'm ready to go outside now..but I cant....move...

2011-11-05T15:56:00.000-04:00

Out of the mouth of Sam

2011-11-03T20:59:00.001-04:00

Sam was laying on my stomach last night while we read books before bed – he sits up – pats my tummy and says :

Sam: Mommy your belly is kinda big today

LMAO!

Me: Oh yeah?

Sam: You got a baby in there mom?

OMG!!!!!

Me: What? No I do not have a baby in there!

Sam: yes you do!

Now we are both cracking up laughing

About an hour later I start my period….. see Sam, no baby in there! hahaha

8 months old

2011-11-03T15:56:00.000-04:00

My sweet girl is 8 months old!

Then there were 6

2011-11-02T20:21:00.000-04:00

Good grief.... tooth number 6 came thru which means in her 8th month she got FOUR teeth! holy smokes!

Fun with Grandma

2011-11-02T15:52:00.000-04:00

Sam and Grandma playing blocks and being silly!

Why I love Craigslist

2011-11-01T20:57:00.000-04:00

I bought a co-sleeper to use with Hannah off of Craigslist and paid $50 – they retail for around $150 – so I got a steal on it! We used it for 6 months and it was awesome (wish I had one with Sam) anyway tonight I sold it for $60…. Yep that’s right… I made $10 bucks and got use a co-sleeper for 6 months for FREE! I {heart} you Craigslist!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T21:22:00.004-04:00

Sam was very excited about trick-or-treating this year. I had bought him a Buzz Lightyear costume from Wal-mart then he decided he wanted to be a dinosaur - being the nice mommy that I am I returned Buzz and found a dinosaur =)

Sam told me he wanted to go to FIVE houses to get candy - I said ok sure!! At what age will he want to go to 500 houses?? lol

Hannah didnt go out but I dressed her up for some cute pictures - A sweet little ladybug!

and he's off!

Amamnda came over and went with us!

Sam's stash!

His first piece of candy - funny enough he picked a reese cup -same as last year! haha

Cinco

2011-10-30T20:48:00.000-04:00

I cannot believe how fast Hannah's teeth are coming in! Number 5 has arrived and number 6 is close behind!!!

octSNOWber

2011-10-29T21:15:00.000-04:00

Yep... it snowed in October! How weird is that!!! We got 4 inches and then sleet on top of that - Mark said it was heavy and hard to shovel!

And no, I dont let my kid go outside in the snow in his pajamas.... he just wanted to go outside "real quick" so I let him =)

See, look I make him wear a coat OVER his pajamas....hahahaha

Seriously though - it was just me and the kids and I didnt want to take Hannah out so I let Sam play on the deck - he had a blast!!

Some pics of the kids - Hannah's first snow!

By Sunday it was already melting

But it was fun while it lasted! =)

Halloween Parade

2011-10-28T21:06:00.000-04:00

Time for Sam's school's annual halloween parade! His class is the Playful Ponies and they all looked so great! Sam of course hid everytime I tried to take picture - little stinker! I had Mark taking a video but guess what.... he forgot to puch record!!!! OMG!!!! ugh!!!

This was pumpkin he did at school - I was sure his teacher helped him but nope - he did it all by himself - She said he was the only one who actually looked at the design on the sticker pack and then tried to match it - he did a great job!!

a big kiss for hannah

My new art

2011-10-27T21:01:00.000-04:00

Sam decided our house needed some new art... so he hung some up!

Devastation

2011-10-27T18:39:00.000-04:00

Sam got out of the tub and as usual his hair was quite curly – he looked in the mirror

Sam: no!!!
Me: What’s wrong?
Sam: I don't want curly hair!!(as he tries to “brush” it straight)
Me: Oh I like curly hair – I need a kid that looks like me!
Sam: No mommy, no kids look like you
......Sigh…. You got that right Sam…..
Me: Mommy has curly hair, do you like my hair?
Sam: no!

Lucky for Sam when it dried it was nice and straight again.. lol

Number 4

2011-10-21T21:41:00.002-04:00

Hannah got tooth #4 today - that makes 2 teeth in September and 2 in October.......is this a pattern? =)

Hablas Espanol?

2011-10-20T21:41:00.000-04:00

Sam and I were in the playroom and he was singing - no surprise there - but then as I listened I was shocked - he was singing in SPANISH!! What? My kid knows spanish???? I knew they taught spanish to the older kids at Goddard and I learned that Sam is "older" now - lol - so he takes spanish once a week. He was singing the Where is Thumbkin song

¡Buenos dias! / ¿Como estas? / ¡Tocan las companas! / Ding-dang-dong!

Oh cool is that!

Sam's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-10-16T18:49:00.000-04:00

We had Sam and Hailey's 3rd Borthday party at my sister's house today and it was alot of fun and turned out really nice! I have like 100's of pictures so I tried to pick a few from the different things we did at the party and put them here - they will ALL be in his birthday book that I do every year =)

The theme was Sesame Street - my friend Gena designed the invites (they rocked!) and I made a cake, Cheslea (my neice) made cupcakes and my sister made all the games (woo-hoo!) - fun times!

Sam has a mustache

2011-10-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

Aha! So this explains it all!

2011-10-13T20:32:00.000-04:00

Whenever your kids are out of control, or you remember growing up with siblings, you can take comfort from the thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to God's kids.

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve. And the first thing He said to them was "Don't."

"Don't what?" Adam asked.

"Don't eat the Forbidden Fruit." God replied.

"Forbidden fruit? We got Forbidden Fruit? Hey, Eve..we got Forbidden

Fruit!"

"No way!"

"Where?"

"Don't eat that fruit!" said God.

"Why?"

"Because I am your Creator and I said so!" said God, wondering why he hadn't stopped after making the elephants.

A few minutes later God saw the kids having an apple break and was angry.

"Didn't I tell you not to eat that fruit?" the 'First Parent' asked.

"Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Then why did you?"

"I dunno," Eve answered.

"She started it!" Adam said.

"Did not!"

"DID so!"

"DID NOT!"

Having had it with the two of them, God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their own...thus the pattern was set, and it has never changed.

hahahahahahhahah

Happy Birthday to me!

2011-10-12T20:29:00.000-04:00

I havent aged at all ;-)

Pizza

2011-10-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

I saw online a simple way to make "homemade pizza" - you take some Pillsbury biscuits (the pre-made kind of course) and flatten them out on a cookie sheet - the add your toppings and bake - Sam and Zac helped out as well

and when they were done they were delicious!!!!

Putting down some mulch

2011-10-10T21:49:00.000-04:00

We had some weird fungus growing in the mulch out front so Mark raked it all up and put down some fresh mulch - Sam of course couldnt wait to help daddy! He is such a great little helper!

Pumpkin Patch 2011

2011-10-09T11:16:00.000-04:00

We headed back to Winding Brook Farms today to get a pumpkin and take some pictures! After the cool spell we had a very warm day - it was 80! wow!

Sam found his pumpkin right away and picked it up and drop it several times - haha - but he kept picking it up -so cute!!

The he wanted to find one for Hannah and in doing that he found a new one for him too!

Fun times!

How to make a pinata

2011-10-09T10:50:00.000-04:00

I am getting ready for Sam's birthday party this weekend in MD - time to make a pinata! I found a great tutorial online and found my materials: streamers, box, glue

I cut a hole in the top of the box to put the a hangar in it and then reinforced it with another piece of cardboard

Then I cut out the trap door from the bottom where the candy will fall out

Then I cut all the streamers and began to put them on the box....

oops I guess I need to start at the bottom not the top!!!

Its not 100% done since I need to add the goodies before I close it but my sister has that stuff - so here is a 90% done picture - I will update once totally done - I have some Sesame Street pictures to put on it too!

Here is the final - Isnt it awesome =)

Sneaky

2011-10-08T10:31:00.000-04:00

Well so much for the super duper stoplight alarm clock working! I set it for 7am this morning and at 6:30 I hear Sam downstairs. I was nursing Hannah so I was just listening... Then I hear what sounds like furniture moving - WTH?? I am telling Hannah to hurry up so we can go check on her brother! I get downstairs and I see this:

I asked Sam what he was doing and he said "I need supper mommy and I did it all by myself"! He brought the stool into the kitchen and got down some oatmeal and the sprinkles - I said "oh thats great! Was the green light on?" He smiled and said "No, but I was hungry"..... oh Sammers!

On a good note he did take off his sleeper and diaper, put the diaper in the trash, peed, then put his pjs back on - for that I was kinda proud of him =)

I reminded him he needs to stay in bed until the light goes on... he said "Ok, I will try next time!"

My greatest challenge, My greatest joy

2011-10-07T21:50:00.003-04:00

Yep that’s him – you know him by Sam. We call him Sam, Sammy, Sammers, Bud, and when he is really bad Samuel Vandzura!

I have been having a really hard time with him – I thought the 2’s were bad but in his short time of being 3 he is worse than ever – I cry…a lot… these days. I also yell a lot which I hate – it makes me mad when I yell at Sam and he doesn’t listen so I yell more and he still doesn’t listen… see where this is going? No where…. Exactly!

The littlest things set him off – he doesn’t like a shirt that HE picked out or I helped him and he wants to do it all by himself. An ambulance goes by and he decides he doesn’t want to hear it. Shoes? No he doesn’t have to wear shoes…. And so on and so on….. he gets mad when I put him to bed and his mad when I wake him up.

The past week has been a nightmare – constant fighting – he is yelling at me, screaming at me, hitting me and biting me when he gets upset (I have teeth marks to show it). I am on my last straw. I.do.not.know.what.to.do!!!!

I was talking with a girl at work and she was telling me she took her daughter to anger management classes when she was 8, yep, 8! What they teach is how to breathe…. Take a breath before you react. Think about what you are about to say. Take a step back and leave the room if you have too. Have patience. PATIENCE? What’s that???

I admit I have never had patience….. and when you have kids it’s a must!!!

So yesterday I started over and I tried an experiment – it’s a new day – I am going to be patient and we are going to have a good day…. I hope so anyway.

The first thing I did was pick up Sam 45 minutes LATE from school. Why you ask? When I usually pick him up they are about to go outside and play and of course Sam isn’t happy that I am taking him home – he wants to stay at school and play with his friends, so by picking him up late he gets to have his afternoon play time with his friends. I get there and he still wants to stay at school but I manage to get him inside w/o a fight… yes! Score 1 for mommy!

We get to the car and he sits so nicely in his car seat while I buckle him – Score 2 for mommy!

I also tell him what a good job he did getting buckled in so nicely! We are on the road and he snaps “PUT YOUR WINDOW UP” My normal reaction would be to yell back “No, I won’t. You don’t yell at mommy”! Instead I calmly said “do you have manners Sam?” He says “put your window up please” I said “oh ok I will” and I do…. he says “Thank you mommy”! Score 3 for mommy!

We get home and we are playing inside with his new stamps from Aunt Becky (thank you!!) and he is loving it!!! Then he starts to stamp on the table. My reaction is to yell and I did …. “If you stamp one more time on the table I am taking them away!” Then I stop and breathe…….. then I say “Sam, we only stamp on the paper not the table” Sam says “ok mommy” Score 4 for mommy!

I find that Sam really feeds off of me – if I react and yell then he does too and when I am calm he is calm too. The whole night went great (almost, more on that in a minute). It was so nice to have a fun evening with Sam =) He even ate dinner nicely and was happy to see Mark, usually he screams “No daddy! Go away” when Mark gets home.

At bed time I broke out our new stoplight clock. Sam loves stoplights and when the light turns green he says “go mommy go, the light is green!”

I am trying to give Sam more control over his life – I think he needs it so this clock would perfect. I tell Sam that when the clock is red you stay in bed because red means STOP! But when the clock turns green you can get up because green means GO! He said “oh I like that mommy!” I tell him he doesn’t have to wait for me to come and get him anymore – he can get up all by himself when the light is green! I leave the room and of course he gets out of bed – even though the light is red…. Oh well. I can handle bedtime issues as long as the rest of the evening goes well =) Mark takes over and gets him to bed.

This morning I am in my room waiting for him to get up – I set the clock for 6:30 which is when I normally get him. Its 6:31….. Its 6:34…. Where is he? I check the monitor..he isn’t in bed… I go to his room and the light is green…. I go downstairs and he is walking around the living room I said “Hey Bud whatcha doing” He said “ The light was green and I got up all by myself” he was so proud of himself!! I asked why he went downstairs he said he was looking for Piper =)

I tried not to rush him getting ready for school but he wanted to play and I needed him dressed – so we compromised. I will do one puzzle then you have to get dressed then we can do the rest – he was ok with that – I got the car packed and was ready to go but Sam wanted to move all his checkers – I was frustrated but I calmly waited and then scooped him up and headed to the car – he was in a great mood and got buckled right up for me! Even drop off went well this morning!

Now I am just hoping this insn't a fluke and that our new system works….. wish us luck and me some patience =)

Hannah has teeth!

2011-10-06T21:37:00.000-04:00

I keep meaning to post that Hannah finally got some teeth! Her first one arrived on Sam's birthday, September 23 - which means 6 months 20 days for the first tooth! Why is that so cool? Sam got his first tooth at 5 months 20 days.... so exactly 1 month apart kinda neat!

Tooth number 2 arrived 2 days later on September 25 and tooth number 3 arrived October 5th. Another top ones looks like it could be down within the week!

When she eats her mum-mums they crunch now because of her teeth! LOL

Myrtle Beach Day 7

2011-09-30T10:29:00.000-04:00

Mark and Sam went to the beach and Hannah and I went to the pool – today was sunny and I needed to keep her in the shade

later Sam came up to the pool and we somehow convinced him to go down the slide again and this time I had my camera ready – And no, he isn’t traumatized for life ;-)

Tonight Hannah and I went shopping and Mark and Sam stayed at the resort. They went to the fish pond and fed the fish our leftover bread and while there they saw a Blue heron – Sam thought it was so cool!!!

Myrtle Beach Day 6

2011-09-29T09:10:00.000-04:00

My mom headed home early today (she is off to Paris) and Mark came down for a few days – So, he took Sam to the beach to build a castle

Mark dug down until he hit water which was pretty cool – Sam liked it one second then was grumpy the next!

We stayed on the beach until 5pm today – it was a nice day weather wise –

that night we roasted marshmallows by the fire but this time daddy joined us!

Myrtle Beach Day 5

2011-09-28T08:56:00.000-04:00

Sam and Grandma went to the beach in the morning then we headed to the pool

Sam wanted to give Hannah a piggy back ride – LOL

Oh and I should note that Sam wouldn’t nap and I got tired of trying to get him down so we skipped them and so today at 5pm Sam falls asleep in my arms –

He wasn’t too happy when I woke him up though…..

Myrtle Beach Day 4

2011-09-27T08:35:00.000-04:00

Spent most of the day between the 3 pools at the resort and did smores in the afternoon – yum!

this little squirrel stole Sam's chicken and french fries while we were swimming!!!

Tonight we headed to the Boardwalk – they just opened it last year – I was expecting a huge boardwalk like Ocean City has but it was very small, VERY small.

But I guess in a way that was good when you have a toddler with you…. Just a few stops and we saw it all! One cool thing was the SkyWheel – it was constructed along with the boardwalk -

the enclosures are closed and air conditioned – Sam was very excited and I was just praying that it wouldn’t crash to the ground killing us all – ugh – We got our tickets (Hannah’s said Angel, so sweet!)

and headed in!

The views were pretty amazing – we went around 5 times then got off.

We finished up the night with some ice cream! That night I gave Hannah a bath in the kitchen sink – it worked out great – I laid a towel down so she wouldn’t slide and Sam helped out

Myrtle Beach Day 3

2011-09-26T22:09:00.000-04:00

Today we went back to the beach. If you took Hannah down by the ocean she would lay her head on your shoulder – I guess she thought it was bedtime since it sounded like her noise machine- haha

I put her in the sand but she wasn’t happy –

Tturns out she was tired so off she went for a nap. We convinced Sam to go down the water slide at the pool but man did he hate it! I could hear him crying as he came down – no camera but you should have seen the look of fear on his face – ok so it wasn’t funny but I would have LOVED to have pictures!!!!

A few more beach pics:

Myrtle Beach Day 2

2011-09-25T21:56:00.000-04:00

Hannah woke up at 5am….ugh… so we went and sat on the balcony while we waited for Sam and my mom to get up.

Sam and Hannah ate breakfast then played a little while we got our stuff ready for the beach and the pool -We stopped at the pool first then to the beach - Sam was not amused, apparently he doesn’t like the beach this year – wouldn’t get in the water – barely wanted to play in the sand – he wanted the pool – WTH? Grandma did get him to play in the sand for awhile though.

That evening we roasted marshmallows by the campfire – now this was nice – I love roasted marshmallows!

Myrtle Beach Day 1

2011-09-24T21:53:00.000-04:00

My mom drove up to PA on Friday and then headed to MB with me and Sam on Saturday – it was going to be a 9 hour drive plus stops – I wasn’t sure how it would go but was hoping for the best. It ended up going really well – we stopped once to nurse Hannah and take a potty break and once for lunch – which got us there in 9 hrs and 45 mins – not bad at all!!! Poor Hannah was getting neck cramp from trying to watch the TV though…. lol…. Since we got in late we didn’t do anything the first day – a quick bath for Sam then off to bed!

Happy 3rd Birthday Sam!!

2011-09-23T20:36:00.000-04:00

Wow. I have a 3 year old. Sam loves to be Mr. Independent these days and if I try to help him, uh-oh a tantrum is sure to follow. He loves the color blue, Thomas, Buzz Lightyear, Caliou, Barney, taking baths with colored fizzies, eating peanut butter with a spoon, having “blue” and “red” days when he wears the same color top and bottom, penn state, and anything involving water, bugs and mud! He hates veggies, taking naps, being told no, and bedtime.

I wanted to surprise him by filling his room with balloons while he slept but as I blew them up a few popped (cheap $ store balloons!) and I didn’t want to risk them spontaneously popping at 2am and scaring him so instead I put them down the banister and put streamers on his door – this is how it looked:

Then he woke up and he pulled the streamers down and all the balloons lol

I decorated his place setting in the kitchen with balloons and a Buzz balloon and of course the special plate!

For his friends at school I made Thomas cupcakes – they turned out really cute too!

Notice my awesome new find: a cupcake holder – it has 3 tiers and holds 24 cupcakes – love it!

After school since there were 2 cupcakes left I decided to put a candle in one and use that as his cake – haha – he didn’t care =)

We opened some presents -He got a scooter, some dvd’s, clothes, games, bath fizzies, a camera and some other things

Sam then gathered up all the balloons and put them on the landing of the stairs and sat in them….man! I wish I had filled his room with balloons he would have loved it!!!!! He even smiled for me so I could take a picture – here is my little Sammy, 3 years old today!

Happy Birthday Bud! I love you more than chocolate cake!

The Escape Artist

2011-09-18T21:11:00.000-04:00

Sam climbed out of his crib.....oh crap!

We had tried unsuccessfully to switch him to a big boy bed twice but he wouldnt stay in it at bedtime so back in the crib he went - but now that he can climb out in a matter of oh 0.2 seconds we are off to a big bed. I tried to hold the shut so he couldnt get out but he didnt care - instead he made a mess of his room - lovely......

That little smartie pants even unplugged the video monitor so I couldnt see what he was doing!!!!

So now he is in a big boy bed..... I am sure this wont go well.....