Samuel & his "friends"

The pool

This is Samuel's new indoor game!

18 months!

Samuel is 18 months old! He went to the doctor last week and everything checks out great. The doctor was pretty amazed that he has only been to see her for well baby visits! Yes, we've been VERY blessed to have a healthy child. So, Samuel weighs 25.65 lbs (45%) and is 32.5 inches (60%).

Lately he has been mimicking like crazy and definitely understands most of what we say. His vocabulary is increasing daily. He now says quite a few words: shoe, sun, cat, bear, out (outside), Elmo, Groh (Grover) etc. He even says a few phrases, 'where's the ball?", "it's a ball!" Yes, ball is still his favorite word! His loves to blow kisses, enjoys wearing his yellow sunglasses, walks up & down stairs, gives lots of hugs & loves to play in water. Nearly every day he and Ben go outside and walk around the neighborhood and discover new things. He loves to look around and lately has decided he likes to pick up sticks until he figures out that they make his hands dirty. He hates getting his hands dirty! He waves to anyone & everyone – dogs, too! Oh & he now has 10 teeth!

Before we know it, he'll be 2! What a joy he has been - we are very blessed!

Midwest Trip

Samuel & I traveled to St. Louis July 5th. I got an evening flight figuring Samuel would sleep most of it. However, he thought it was more fun to stay awake. Needless to say, it was a long 2 hr plane ride!. Luckily the plane was not full (20 people missed our flight) so their was no one is front of us. If there had been, they would have had a very jerky ride with Samuel kicking the seat!

Monday through Wednesday we just hung out at my parents place. My niece, Addy, stayed with us as well. It was fun to have them play together. She adores Samuel and is quite the little "mother" to him. I was able to see a few friends as well. I had dinner with my friend Stephanie Monday night and my old roommates, Susan & Marcy, came over on Tuesday. Susan's 2 little girls came as well. It was good to see them, but with 3 young kids "catching up" is more of a challenge. Next time we'll need to do a girls night out! :)

Wednesday we went to the Maryland Heights Aqua Park with my parents, Brad, Tiffany & Addy. Samuel absolutely LOVES the water. He had a great time!

Thursday morning my mom, Addy, Samuel & I headed to Cincinnati. We stopped in Indy for a much needed break from the car. We saw my college friend Amanda & her 2 kiddos. Ben's sister, Shannon & girls are temporarily in Indy for the next month so we also got to see them. We went to Greenwood mall and let the kids run around. Our final stop was my Uncle Jim & Aunt Bev's house in Cincinnati. Most of that side of my family had never met Samuel! We spent Friday with my cousin Jen, & her girls at a Splash Park. Saturday more extended family came down from Columbus - I think there were about 17 adults and 5 kids 5 & under! One of my college roommates, Allison, that lives in Northern Kentucky, came over as well to meet Samuel. We had not seen each other since my wedding nearly 5 yrs ago, but we caught right up where we left off. So great to have friends like that!

Kami & Samuel

Samuel & his girl cousins - Kyra, Kami & Addy

Addy & Samuel

Samuel and cousin, Jordan

Blowing bubbles!

Samuel & most of his girl cousins (1 is missing)

College roommate, Allison

"Cousin-in-Law", Bryan goofing off!

My generation of cousins (from my mom's side of the family) & our kiddos

Overall it was a GREAT time with friends and family! Samuel did fairly well all things considered. I have decided, however, that he and I will not be traveling alone anytime soon! He is at that age where he notices new places and people and is more affected by it (if you know what I mean)! I was exhausted when I got home!

Rocky Mountain National Park

We met Heather and family at Rocky Mtn National Park for some hiking which included getting absolutely SOAKED at the end of one of our hikes by the quick afternoon shower. Samuel thought it was funny until he realized he was cold. In the chaos of getting soaked, I didn't manage to get a picture but we definitely have a fun memory. Poor Ben had to run the last quarter of a mile with Samuel on his back!!! We also drove a bit on scenic Trail Ridge Road which goes up to 12,000 feet elevation. Here are some photos...
Bear Lake

Tasting the river water - luckily it was clear!

Absolutely precious!

Dream Lake

Snow on our hike!

Scenic views from Trail Ridge Road

Elk on the side of Trail Ridge Road

Samuel did great in the car - so happy!

Visitors

This summer is the summer of visitors! So far my friend Jana & her boyfriend, Rusty came to visit the end of June from Memphis. Then, a few days later, my highschool friend, Heather & her family came to visit from Ohio. It was a crazy few weeks but so fun to catch up! I didn't get a picture with Jana (I need to get better at that), but we did manage to get a few pictures with Heather and family. More visitors later this summer...

Samuel with the Buckeye football Juliana brought Samuel!

Heather & I at Bear Lake - Rocky Mtn Park

Juliana & Samuel - aren't they cute?

Zoo videos

Here are 2 videos of Samuel at the zoo. The first is of him feeding a giraffe. His reaction is quite amusing. The other one is of him playing in a tree. He gives the mommy bear & the cub a kiss - too cute!