Dear Samuel, Months 51 & 52

Dear Samuel,

Mommy is super proud of you! You are such a polite little boy. I have been complimented so many times from people on how friendly and polite you are. I learn things from you everyday. You are such a great big brother. Don't get me wrong, you have your moments with Livi, but for the most part you like to include her in things and "help".

You have been playing indoor soccer at "Soccer Buddies" and you love it. Well, for some reason every time we get there, you hesitate a bit to get on the field but once you're out there, you laugh, run, and have a great time participating in the drills, etc. One day you didn't want to go out on the field so daddy bribed you with going to Culver's afterwards. It didn't take you 5 seconds before you were on that field. So now, every Saturday after soccer we all go to Culver's for lunch. 

When we started looking at houses a few weeks ago, you really got into it. You liked playing hide-n-seek with Livi whenever you guys came along to look at houses. You and Livi would go hide in a spare bedroom and wait for us to come into that room. You also really enjoyed seeing our realtor (who's name also happens to be Ben) a lot.

Oh, every night after we read books and say prayers, this has to be said as your daddy or I walk out of the room:"Night, Night; sweet dreams; love you; bye-bye;vsee you in the morning"  you repeat it as we go. It's really cute.

you are very excited about our new house with the big backyard and rocks! You are also excited that you will get a new bed (a real bed instead of just a mattress) when we get our new house in 2 weeks!


I pray you will always be a happy, healthy boy. I am so proud of you!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Months 49 & 50

Dear Samuel,

In February we went to DisneyWorld!! You had SO much fun! You did really well meeting all of the characters and riding rides. Your favorite rides were Star Tours at Hollywood Studios and Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom. You rode these rides multiple times. Oh, and you really enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean, too!

Unfortunately you had to part with Big Elmo (yes, we lost him) but you did great. I think all of the excitement and your new Disney Vinylmations helped you part with him.

I am so proud of you lately! You randomly compliment people on your own. We were so busy this past month getting our townhome on the market and you said all on your own to our stager, "I really like your scarf"! The lady commented that not even her husband says things like that. So proud of you! Never stop complimenting people! Also, with getting the house ready to go on the market, we had to remove some toys and rearrange your room. You are very particular with where you keep your belongings and I was a bit worried that you would respond in a negative way, but you proved me wrong! I am so proud that you responded so well to all of this change. You chose certain toys and stuffed animals to keep and chose to send some to storage.

I love you buddy and it is so much fun to see you explore new things & grow up! I am excited to see the man you will one day become!

Love,
Mommy

Samuel's new Rock-n-Roll Elmo from Santa!

Dear Samuel, Months 46 & 47

Again, I need to combine 2 months...sorry, buddy. 

We traveled to the Midwest in November to see family for Thanksgiving. You have become quite the expert traveler now that you have been on 8 airplane trips over the course of 4 short years! You understand now  that Elmo has to ride on the scanner belt along with everything else. This used to be quite the dramatic scene about a year or so ago. It's nice that you now understand that he will not be lost forever, but that he will come out on the other side.

Elmo did almost get lost forever, though, but not at the airport. You left him at the Disney store at the Galleria mall in St. Louis. By the time we realized it, we were already back at Mamaw & Papaw's house 30 minutes away. Uncle Brad came to the rescue, though. He went back after they had already closed for the night and rescued him and kept him safe until the next morning. Here is a picture of Uncle  Brad with Elmo at the mall.  Uncle Brad loves you very much!  Oh and poor Elmo, he sure is looking a little loved these days...

You had a great time playing with cousins in Ohio and using silly props from the photo booth at Jordan & Christina's reception. 

 

I love putting you to bed at night. We read 2 books of your choice. You typically choose the same 2 books for about a week until I beg you to read a new one. Lately your choice of books has been "Animal Alphabet" and either your "Jesus book" as you say (Children's Bible) or "The Very Hungry Cateprillar". If we read the Animal Alphabet, you like for me to tickle you each time you answer incorrectly.  The page will read, "A is for Anteater..." and I will say, "A is for..." you will then reply with another 'A' word even though you know it is Anteater, just so I will tickle you.  I must admit, some nights I just don't have the energy to tickle you but I wouldn't trade you laughing for anything in the world. 

Sometimes we will play a game where we go through the alphabet and say as many words that we can think of that start with a particular letter. I love hearing you say so many words for each letter and I also try to think of words with each letter. You laugh so hard when I think of words that you like. I could play this game with you over and over. 

Buddy, the next time I write one of these you will be FOUR! I absolutely cannot believe that my baby boy is growing up so fast. 

I'll love you forever, buddy!

Mommy

Dear Samuel, Months 44 & 45

I totally forgot to do your month 44 so I am combining 44 & 45 and including TWO photo!

You are so much fun these days! You will randomly say to me many times, "Mom, you are cute!" I think you could say that a gazillion times each day and I wouldn't tire of hearing it! It makes no difference to me that the reason you say it is because I say it often to Olivia. It still makes this mommy's heart happy.

You love playing soccer at the YMCA! You scored TWO goals in one of your games and you got SO excited! I would love nothing better than to one day be an official "soccer mom"! Don't worry, there's no pressure. :-)

We went to Winter Park the other weekend and spent some time hiking and enjoying the beautiful scenery. Your favorite activity was looking for signs along the trail and throwing rocks in the river. You really love exploring. I look forward to many more outdoor adventures with you! 
I love you bud!
Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 43

Dear Samuel,
I have really noticed a difference this past month in the number of tantrums. Now, you have never thrown a lot of tantrums, but the typical amount for a 3 yr old.  You are more open to daddy or my suggestions and you can just reason so much more. I have just been enjoying talking with you about things and watching you learn about the world around you.

We had quite a few afternoon/evening summer storms this past month and quite a few rainbows. I will never forget the evening I headed outside for an evening run and noticed the most distinct rainbow. I quickly ran inside and said, "Sam come outside now - you have to see this!" You ran out the front door and said, "Wow". It was such a fun memory with you. Every time it rains or we get a storm, you talk about rainbows.

I have also noticed your imagination expanding. You will sit for long periods of time and talk and talk and play on your own. It is fun to hear you play by yourself in your room during quiet time.

It is hard to believe that you are now closer to 4 yrs old than 3. Time is just whizzing by...
Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 42

Dear Samuel,

You new favorite book that we have to read twice every night is, "The Monster At The End of This Book". You get so excited when daddy or I say, "YOU TURNED THE PAGE!!!". It is such a fun book to read with you. You laugh and scream  along with us. I look forward to bedtime each night  knowing that we will have fun and laugh so much together.

You really like to sing lately. You love to sing, "Sing (Sing A Song)". We sang it together about 5x's in a row tonight. It was so much fun being silly with you!

You do ask a lot of questions these days! You ask "which way are we going, mommy? or what time will..." A LOT!

You are very aware of where you are when riding in the car. You know what street we turn on to get to Dawn's house (sitter), you know which street we live on, etc. You know our house number and street name. You definitely take after me with your sense of directions. :-)

You are growing up so fast these days! I look at a picture like this and think, when did you turn into a little boy?

I sure love you, buddy!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 41

Dear Samuel,

Lately you talk about when I'm four I'm going to do this and that. We try to get you to try new foods and you say you will when you are four. It sure sounds like you will be a very busy boy when you turn four! You love to escort daddy into his car when he goes to work. You asked daddy if you could drive one time and daddy said that you have to be 16. You now tell us all the time that you can drive when you are 16! It is super cute.

You love to go on stroller rides with Livi and I each afternoon. You tell me that you are going to relax and snooze and you always do!  Since it is warmer outside, we have also been taking hikes and long walks. You enjoy exploring nature and the Colorado outdoors.  We are excited to go camping this summer because we know you'll love it! 

You can take your shoes off by yourself, you can go to the bathroom all by yourself and you are learning to put your shoes on by yourself. You are becoming a little more independent each day and that makes me happy and sad at the same time. I love to see your excitement when you accomplish these by yourself but I also sometimes reflect on the fact that soon enough there will be many things that I won't need to help you with and that just reminds me that you are growing up so fast!



Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 39

Dear Samuel,

You amaze me each day with what you say and do. There have been many days lately when I just laugh out loud at the surprising things you say. You are turning into such a handsome boy!

You started playing soccer at the YMCA this month. You absolutely LOVE it. The first time you weren't so sure about only playing with one ball -  you wanted your own. After practicing and a few more tries, you quickly got the hang of it. You love to just run around and around. Most of the time you have no idea where the soccer ball is, but you don't care. This week, however, you kicked the ball a few times so I think you're getting the hang of it. Your daddy & I love to watch you having so much fun. Each week we ask if you want to play soccer again and you say YES! No matter what you do or where you go in life, your daddy & I will be your biggest fans!!


Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 38

Dear Samuel,

You are really close to being fully potty trained. The end is finally near!

You love your magnetic calendar! We talk a lot about what month it is, what day of the week it is and the date. You were so excited when February was over and it was March. You talked for a week that March was coming. You know all the months and days of the week. Mommy & daddy are so proud of you!

Your favorite game these days is Chutes & Ladders. You enjoy playing with mommy or daddy but you also enjoy playing by yourself as well.

Here's a picture of you with part of your calendar in the background.

 

I love you buddy!

Mommy 

Dear Samuel, Month 37

Dear Samuel,

You love to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Grandma and Grandpa Watts bought you a stuffed Caterpillar at Kohl's and so every time we read the book, you play with your caterpillar and say, "there he is".

We took you and Olivia on a wagon ride a few weeks ago and you asked to pull Livi in the wagon. You are such a big boy and a great helper. You insisted on pulling her up a hill  until about 2 steps in you said, "Daddy, help!".

Your daddy once said "Potty Time! Excellent!" (aka PartyTime! Excellent from Wayne's World) so now every time you go potty you say the same thing. It is rather quite funny to hear you say it over and over.

This afternoon I told you that we were going to Papa Murphy's to pick up a pizza. You then proceeded to talk about bowling and Mickey Mouse. I had no idea what you were talking about until you finally said bowling, Mickey and pizza altogether.  I realized you were referring to Chuck-e-Cheese. You remembered that the last time we had pizza we were at Chuck-e-Cheese and you went bowling (aka skeeball) and referred to Chuck-e-Cheese as Mickey Mouse. It was rather quite funny.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 36

Dear Samuel,

I'm a little late in posting this, but you are now 3 years old!! Wowsers...where has the time gone?!?!?!  It was so fun to see you turn 3!

One of your recent quotes is,"Thank you for telling me".  It's funny how, as a parent, you don't realize what you say until your child repeats it. Evidently when you actually tell me that you have to potty (you're getting better at doing this), I say, "Thank you for telling me".  So now every time you tell me you have to go, you say to me, "Thank you for telling me".

You prayed tonight for "...chicken & fries". I don't know why that came into your mind tonight to thank God for them because you didn't eat either of them today, but it did. I love the randomness of your mind and I love your simple faith.

You are so affectionate in what you say & your actions. You love to give hugs and tell daddy, Livi & I that you love us. You also randomly will tell Elmo that you love him and Beren too!

You go once a week to Dawn's house. You get very excited to go and see your friends - Brideget, Emily, Charolette and baby No-No(Noah). You also enjoy going to Moppets while I am at MOPS every other Thursday. The teacher have commented lately that you have come out of your shell -evidently you were pretty shy the first month or so.

Your favorite movie to watch is Toy Story 1, 2 or 3 (yes, you have all of them) and you absolutely love to play Wii Party. Your daddy and I are amazed by how you can navigate the controllers.

I love you so much, buddy!

Love,
Mommy

Samuel turns 3!!

We celebrated Samuel's 3rd birthday over the course of a few weeks. We did a mini birthday celebration while my parents were in town and then this past weekend we took him to Red Robin. Samuel (& Ben) love Red Robin! Samuel loves to get a balloon there. When they sang Happy Birthday to him, he got a bit shy.  He doesn't really care for ice cream so Ben & I gladly ate that for him. As we left, he picked out an orange balloon. Not too long after we got home, it popped on the ceiling!  It was absolute devastation! Samuel was SO upset! We felt so bad for him! It broke my heart to see his disappointment. So, after he went down for a nap, I went to the grocery and got an orange balloon. When he woke up, he was quite pleased and has not let it out of his sight since. Seriously. We tie the ribbon to a teddy bear at bedtime because he wants it right by him. He now carries it around the house in addition to his 2 Elmos.  Yes, I said 2 Elmos. He figured out that we had a spare!

Red Robin

Olivia at Red Robin -she mostly slept

Holding the orange balloon that would soon pop...

On Sunday, he opened presents & ate birthday cake. We wanted to do all of this on Sunday even though his birthday wasn't until today because Ben & I aren't home at the same time during the week (yes, it's a crazy life).  So, all in all, we have successfully trained Samuel to think that birthdays and presents are on-going. He randomly asked me to open presents last week sometime.

Cars birthday cake

opening presents

Buzz Lightyear

Waiting for daddy - right as we were about to have him blow out the candles, Olivia needed a diaper change.

eating the icing, not any bit of the cake

Dear Samuel, Month 35

Dear Samuel,


Here's the month in pictures...
These are classic "cheeeeeezzzz" poses for you these days. You typically say "cheeeeezz" and look away from the camera. 

You enjoyed your trip to Washington to see Daddy's family for Thanksgiving but even when we arrived home I could tell how excited you were! You loved seeing Beren and your toys!

Your ears bothered you on the plane so we gave you gum. Now you always say "Sam gum in plane, not in house" when you see your daddy or I eating gum.

You sure pick up on things pretty quickly! You learned about an educational website called starfall from your cousin Addy and now you love to play it.  Your daddy and I used to have to handle the mouse for you but after a few tries, you can now use the mouse all on your own!  It is weird to think that you will grow up with everything at your fingertips from cell phones, to computers, etc. 

I look forward to celebrating your 3rd birthday very SOON! 

Love,

Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 34

While at Target one day, I asked you to pick out a costume for Halloween. Of course, without hesitation, you picked Elmo. As soon as we got home,  you said "I want it on" so I took it out of the package and you tried it on. Immediately after you put it on, you said, "I want it off". I was very skeptical that you would actually wear it come Halloween.We decided to take you & Olivia to the Boo at the Zoo. You told us all day that you didn't want to wear the Elmo but we took it with us anyway in hopes that you would change your mind.  Not until you arrived at the zoo and saw the other kids with their costumes on, did you agree to wear it. Ahhh, nothing like good ol' peer pressure!

You traveled to St. Louis with Olivia & I. You sat in your own seat on the plane for the first time and watched Monsters Inc. In St. Louis, Uncle Brad hooked you up the opportunity to ride in the "Black Beauty" car that was used in the new film, "The Green Hornet" which comes out in January. I didn't quite understand what all the fuss was about but evidently the movie is based on some comic book series from the 60's. Your daddy and Uncle Brad know all about that.

You are really enjoying Olivia's presence these days. You have figured out that if you do certain things, she will laugh and so you repeat things over and over. It is great to see you play with your little sister! She just adores you!

You have started pushing the envelope a bit. If I say you have 5 minutes until...you quickly say, "no 10". If I say 10 you say "no 20". Oh boy, this could get interesting!

I love the random moments you give me daily-whether it is a pat on my back or a "I luv you, mommy" for no reason.

Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 33

Dear Samuel,

You are turning into such a big boy these days! The biggest change this past month is that we started potty training! It's been almost 4 weeks now and you're doing great! You tell us when you need to go and can stay dry for quite a long time. Of course there are accidents here and there and you really haven't gone much but we know that will eventually come.  Your daddy & I are very proud of you and encouraged by how it's going so far.   

Whenever you take a bath and you had red socks on that day, you gently pick up the red fuzzies & say "Elmo's fur" and put the fuzzies on Elmo (he sits on the top of the toilet for every bath).

Lately you have started saying. "JUST A SECOND BABY!" You hear us say that when she starts to get fussy and so you are just repeating it. :) Your daddy  & I think it is pretty funny although we say Olivia's name and not baby. :)

One day I picked you up at Dawn's house and somehow you didn't have Elmo with you (he goes everywhere with you). As soon as we got to the car you were concerned and said "Oh, Elmo!". We went back inside and as soon as you saw Elmo you told him, "I'm sorry, Elmo."  It was so sweet. You were very apologetic.

You LOVE to play the Wii Sports! Your favorite games are baseball, bowling & golf.

 

You keep your daddy & I on our toes with your random sayings. We love you!

Love,

Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 32

Dear Samuel,

The past month was a month of firsts for you:
-You touched a snake at the zoo
-You rode your first water slide with Uncle Brad
-You rode your first roller coaster with Mommy

Here are some of your most common sayings lately:
-"Red means stop, Green go, yellow wait". You say this over & over during any car ride.
-"Wow, that was quick"
-"Play exercise" (Wii Fit Balance games)

-"That's crazy"

You love for us to repeat everything you say. I must admit it does get a bit annoying at times, but you like it. 

 Lately, I've been struggling with how you prefer to do things in a certain way and then get upset when something doesn't go exactly how you imagined or planned.  Somedays it bothers me more than others (interesting that this bothers me because I'm much the same at times). However, it would be wrong for me to tell you about this without telling you how much there is to love about you! You're so kind, loving & thoughful! When I picked you up at the sitter's house the other day, I heard you say to one of the little girls, "Thank you, Charlotte" (after she handed you your bag). No one prompted you, you just said it and really meant it. You always say "Bless you..."when anyone sneezes (or coughs - it's cute).  A few weeks ago Olivia was crying and you went upstairs got a binky for her and gave it to her - all on your own. You recognized that she was fussy knew that she'd like her binky and got it for her!


I'm excited to see more of your kindness as you grow. You have such a good heart!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 31

Dear Samuel,

You are all boy in many aspects. You absolutely love any and all balls -it wasn't a coincidence that your first word was ball. You love to run and be destructive and build things. However, you also have a very sweet side. You have to kiss the whole household before every nap and each night before bed. Beren, the cat, is even included!


I absolutely love our evening bedtime routine! It's mostly just you & me since daddy is at work. After we read a few books you love to pray.  You always say the "Dear God" part and I finish. If I don't say everyone's  name (mommy, daddy, Samuel, Olivia & Beren) then I have to startall  over.  Just this week you started saying "sweet dreams mommy".  And then last night you surprised both daddy & I at dinner. You had already left the dinner table and were on the couch. You leaned over the couch and said out of the blue, "love you mommy & daddy".  My heart melted. Never before had you said this without us saying we love you first.

In spite of all of your boy tendencies (which I love), you have such a sweet spirit of love, gentleness & kindness. May these characteristics always be a part of you.

I love you,
Mommy

Dear Samuel, Month 30

I came across a blog where the mother wrote a post for every month of her son's life as it was a letter to him. I would like to start that so here goes...

Dear Samuel,

You are now 2.5 years old! You are getting so big these days. You love your "Elmoball" (Elmo & a plastic ball). You carry them EVERYWHERE! You like your Elmoball so much so that if I drop you off at Dawn's (sitter) house and you leave the ball in the car but daddy picks you up, we have to do a ball swap oftentimes in the parking lot of daddy's work. You love letters and numbers. You take your bath letters that Mamaw & Papaw Watts got you EVERYWHERE. You play with them in the bath, around the house & you even took them to a dr appt. You can now count past 30 with little help. You even love to eat letters & numbers (letter & number gummy snacks).

You have adjusted well to your big brother role. You ask to "hold baby" but never for long. :) You have to kiss her before naps and bedtime. If she is asleep in her room you have to blow her a kiss from outside her door.

You love to pick out your clothes in the morning - usually a t-shirt that is red, has a ball on it or has Thomas the Train or Cars on it.

You enjoy hiding your toys & having me & daddy find them. Your favorite hiding spot is under the couch in the basement.

You get your stool and pull it up to the kitchen counter every time I am getting dinner ready. Your favorite thing to do is put the lettuce in the bowls for our salads (you never eat the salad, though).

Lately you have begun to have me or daddy kiss any "boo-boo". I think sometimes you make up a boo-boo just to get kisses from us but I can't say that I don't mind. I know there will be days ahead where you will be embarrassed to get a kiss from me so for now, I will take any & all kisses. Rest assured that no matter what . . . I'll always be here to kiss any and all of your boo-boo's as you let me.

Happy 2.5 yrs, Samuel!

I love you,
Mommy

Welcome Samuel James!!!

Our son, Samuel, was born on January 11, 2008 at 4:17pm. He weighed 7 lbs and 6 oz & was 20 inches long. We are slowly adjusting to life with him. He is such a blessing!

My mom has been here since he was born & has been a great help. Unfortunately she leaves tomorrow morning so we will officially be on our own!