Sam Art

Tonight Sam made the cutest drawing before bed. He wanted to stay up and keep drawing, but I had the idea of letting him complete his artwork in bed with me on the computer. He had so much fun playing with the art software on my computer.

That's my boy!

Sam - "Can you give me a dream?" God's plan

After the movie The Spookley (square) Pumpkin, I put Sam to bed with this dream.

David and Goliath - Samuel 1:17-58

The story of David and Goliath is a powerful reminder that even those who are considered different or unworthy can achieve great things if they have faith and trust in God's plan. Both the movie we watched and this biblical account show how being different doesn't matter when facing obstacles. What's important is having faith!

Sam - "Can you give me a dream?"

Sam wanted a dream.. but I had no idea what to come up with.

I'll say a word, and you give me an idea. "Moon."

Sam - Moon makes me think of night, I'm scared of the night. Give me a dream about Disneyland.

One night at Disneyland a boy...

Sam - Make sure it's not about me!

Ok.. One night at Disneyland Bobby was scared. Even though he was in the happiest place on earth, he wanted to go home now that it was dark. But his mom had picked out a great spot to what the fireworks.

In the sky, he looked up at the moon and shivered. He was scared of all the things he could not see! He kept looking around at shadows and noises. BOOM! What was that? A monster?

A flash of light soared through the air. The sparks of gold bloomed above the moon. The Disney fireworks had begun! Bobby watched in awe as light filled the sky with magic and wonder. He leaned over and whispered to his mom... I'm not afraid, let's stay a little longer.

Sam - He wasn't afraid anymore?

No, he learned that the beauty of light shows brightest when you're in the dark. The moon, the stars.. and Disney fireworks!

Sam - "Can you give a dream?"

Sam has found a new hobby collecting "electronic components!" It's so endearing hearing my 6 year old say such big words. This big mess gave me a great idea for last nights dream.

One day you and Emma were outside playing (chasing chickens) when out of the sky a small space ship crashed landed in our backyard! You were a very scared, but Emma was curious and went to go investigate. As she was tapping on the ship, the top lifted up and out popped a tiny alien. "Awe he's so cute," Emma squealed. You didn't think so, you were still scared. But then he spoke. "Don't be scared, I was watching you guys from way up there," he said pointing to the sky. "I just wanted to come and play too."

All afternoon the three of you played. You showed him all of your toys and tools.  And Emma discovered that aliens are really good at ridding chickens. You all were having so much fun laughing and playing that time slipped by fast. The sunlight started fading, and the moon shown brighter. The little alien, Chicken Rider (Sam named him) said he had to go home to his mom and dad. "That's where I live," he pointed to a star. "Hey that's the second star to the right, are you neighbors with Peter Pan?" Chicken Rider looked at you baffled.

You guys all said your goodbyes. Chicken Rider climbed in his ship, waved goodbye, and closed the top hatch. You and Emma waited in anticipation to see the ship fly, but nothing happened. Chicken Rider hopped out, and started to cry. "My ship is broken, how will I get home now?"

You knew just what to do! Running inside you yelled, "I'll be right back!" You grabbed your bag of electronic components and tools then ran back outside. "I'm gonna fix your ship!" And you did just that!

You were so proud as you watched the ship fly off into the night. Emma yelled, "bye, bye, wuv you!" You hoped that someday he would come back again to play. Maybe even tomorrow!

Sam "Can you give me a dream?"

Tonight's dream consisted of Sam helping on the Christmas Trail out at his grandparent's place. He was not happy one bit that he was not given a superhero costume in this dream, instead, he wore an elf costume. Sam then told me I was fired. So this may be the end of giving Samuel dreams at night before bed.... sigh.

SAM - "Can you give me a dream?"

Self Confidence

It was your first day of kindergarten, and you woke up nervous to start the day. Without a fuss, you dressed in your favorite outfit and combed your hair to look so handsome. With your favorite boots to match! 

Once at school, I introduced you to your teacher, who helped you start the craft all the kids were working on. You colored your name tag, which had "SAMUEL" written on it, and decorated it to your liking.

At recess, the teacher called all the kids from class over to have a race. You had always dreamed of being in an actual race, but today you were terrified. Horrible thoughts stirred in your mind, butterflies fluttered in your tummy...What if I fall, what if I look silly, what if I lose? Letting those mean thoughts overrule your desire to race, you asked the teacher if you could go to the bathroom. Behind a bathroom stall, you hid deciding you would wait until the race was over. Just then the door swung open Flash Gordon skidded to a stop.

Flash -  "Dude I heard there is a race about to start! Why in the world are you in here instead of at the starting line?"

Sam - "I'm too scared to run!" "What if I fall, what if I look silly, what if I lose?" "Besides, I'm not very fast in these cowboy boots!"

Flash - "Wow those are the coolest boots I've ever seen!" "Hey, I have an awesome plan!" "How about you let me wear your boots while I sit back and watch the race, and you can wear my shoes!?" "They are super fast, You're sure to win!"

Sam - "Really, you'd do that for me?"

Flash - "Sure would little dude."

You hurried and switched shoes with Flash before heading to the starting line. Once there, all the other kids OOOWED and AHHHED over your cool red and yellow racing shoes. Your teacher held up her scarf.."On your mark, get set, go!" With the wave of her scarf, you and your classmates took off in a flash.

You ran as fast as you could! Everything around you seemed to blur by. You crossed the finish line first with an enormous smile on your face. There was clapping from the sidelines where Flash was watching and cheering. The other kids soon crossed the line, cheering for you as well. Then the little blonde girl from your class walked over and congratulated you. "Great job, Sam! You were amazing! I like your shoes, but I liked your cowboy boots better!"

Hearing that you decided it was time to switch back to your beloved boots. You walked over to Flash who was polishing the boots with his sleeve.

Sam - "Thanks for letting me borrow your race shoes." You sat down to take the race shoes off.

Flash - "Bummer dude, I was really starting to get attached to these boots." He then took them off and exchanged them for his racing shoes.

Sam - "Ah, now my feet feel so much better," you thought to yourself while admiring your boots.

Sam loves to rock out!

Krytonite - 3 Doors Down

Radioactive - Imagine Dragons

Happy 6th Birthday Samuel!

Happy Birthday, Samuel, you have big boots to fill now!

Kindergarten Roundup is TOMORROW!!!

Image taken from http://gladstone.k12.or.us/elementary/

I'm a little... Ok, a lot saddened by Samuel starting kindergarten next fall. We've held him back from starting this last year and I regret that tough decision. He longs for friendship and makes every kid he meets at the park his best friend. However, I am thankful for this last year! He and Emmalyn have become very close buddies!

He is an amazingly bright kid! His mind is always asking questions about the world around him. He'll seek to find the answers himself but knows when to ask for help.

"How does the stoplight know when the other light is green?" "Why does the bathwater go up when I get in?" "How do caps in my gun explode?" I use Google as my teacher's aide, as he can sometimes exhaust me with all his questions! I'm learning so much lately (ask what I know about grenades)!

Sometimes he gets a bit frustrated with concepts that he doesn't fully understand because of his maturity level. "Why does Batman not reveal who he is to the world?"

Today's self-made, self-organizing, and most importantly, self-initiated experiment! -

How long does it take for water to freeze?

Filled a cup with 1/2 water

Placed in the freezer

Marked time on a pad of paper (Knew half of the numbers, which too was self-taught)

Set a timer for his hypothesis - 1hr (So cute)

I will have to make sure his love of science and learning is not stifled by public school! And I'm sure like other kids, he'll grow to LOVE recess above all other subjects. :) However, I am confident he will never lose that ingrained love of learning! It is part of his personality. (the commander).

Time's up!  I hope he's not too disappointed it's not frozen! We'll need a new hypothesis. :)

UPDATE 

Sam is attending a new STEM school. Tonight he needed dates of events that have shaped his worldview (due tomorrow)!! I loved this assignment! He was having a hard time thinking of events...So to my blog, we went. Found this post Sam remembered that's when he met his future BFF. He's been in the same class with this friend for 13 years (minus last year when she switched to this STEM school). God once again took what I felt was a bad event and used it for his glory.

**I really should stop questioning God's hand in my life! Instead, just put my hand up and sing "Jesus take the wheel!"  😆

Dora the Explorer vs YouTube

Why does Sam sound like a mini adult? He is a sponge, a parrot, and super smart to boot! His language explosion can be attributed to his quick mind and time spent with adults and older siblings.
He also watches a lot of YouTube! TV isn't always a bad thing! Unless it's mindless shows like Dora the Explorer. That show makes my ears bleed.  How many times must The Map repeat directions?

Map - "Bridge, lake, tall mountain." "Bridge, lake, tall mountain." Bridge, lake, tall mountain." "Bridge, lake, tall mountain." Dora - "Where do we go first?"

Dora tangent over, back to quality entertainment! Sam has learned a lot about science and language from watching things that interest him on YouTube. But be mindful if he asks you for seemingly innocent household products. Don't assume he is planning on baking cookies! Dane and he watched a video on homemade hand grenades last night!

Nap Time Solution.. ABCmouse.com

Time and time again I have to come up with new solutions for getting Emmalyn down for a nap every day. Sam no longer naps, so I'm always trying to figure out ways to get Emmalyn down (which takes anywhere from 5 min to an hour) while keeping Sam occupied. Once again I needed a new plan. Hoping this one sticks!

Sam loves ABCmouse! In the past, he's always played in the mornings. But often we would need to remember, as mornings can easily go south. Hopefully, this new time will work out better!

Mornings with Emmalyn

My day starts with this little one twirling my hair around her tiny fingers. I open my eyes to darkness once again! Why does this child have to wake before the chickens? I wish I could say I welcome this and love waking up to my sweet Emma. But regret sets in that I stayed up late to savior some adult time! The hair twirling does not feel blissful. No, it hurts! 

I know from experience that there is no way I can get her back to sleep. Staying in bed will only result in more hair knots. With my other kids at this age, I felt more accomplished! I had taught them to appreciate the moment, fall back asleep, and keep their dreams alive! It's not working with this kid! So I take a deep breath because I've resigned...I HAVE TO GET UP!

Keep in mind the little one to my right is still fast asleep! Therefore, I "ninja" out of bed. I can only imagine how funny this must look. But trust me, he needs to stay asleep! Sam always needs more sleep...his mood depends on it.

Coffee is now my new best friend. I recently discovered how much impact it has on the start of my day. It gives me something to look forward to and makes that trip downstairs seem tolerable. "COFFEE MUST HAVE COFFEE!" I'm sure I must look like a zombie. Picture it...hair all knotted, no makeup, and I walk funny (my body contorted all night because I've been "sandwiched" between two growing kids).

So, coffee in hand and juice in Emma's, we head to the couch for snuggles and "Sponge-Bob." I love my alone time with my last little one! And with the hustle and bustle of busy life, it's nice to be still and enjoy her littleness. 

Yes, waking up sucks big time! But once the snuggles begin, I'm glad we're up. Later, Sam will venture downstairs and join us on the couch. I'll then have snuggles and hair twirling from both of my littles!

Now, if I could get them interested in Grey's Anatomy!

Fun Ball

After a fun day of building snow forts and snowball fights, Sam didn't want the fun to end. So we invented "Fun Ball." The name was taken from an episode of Caillou that Sam remembered where the characters on the show were so bored they ended up making their own game called "Fun Ball." 

So on this snowy evening, we made up a game that continued his fun of throwing snowballs. We rolled up chunks of play dough to use as ammo in our war. 

 

Samuel's 5th Birthday

Yep, Sam is a whole hand! I can't believe my little boy is already 5 years old! This was a big year for Sam. He became a big brother (which he LOVES), got a big boy bed (which he refused to sleep in), got rid of diapers and binkies (took his sweet time on these), and has discovered video games (I really wish I could go back on this one)! On the other hand, some things stayed the same. Still loves pirates, cowboy boots, and snuggles while playing with my hair. He's still very much a little boy. I treasure all the many firsts he's still to have!

Favorite present... Mincraft blanket made by Aunt Jenn.

Emmalyn 5 months old!

Loves to grab faces, which is very sweet unless she hasn't had her nails clipped.

Finally touches the ground on her walker (we got the shortest walker on the market)!

Even though we have a few gadgets... a swing, bouncy seat, walker, entertainer saucer, and bumbo chair, she would still rather be held in one of my many baby carriers.

Emma's started solids. So far, she's had sweet potatoes, pears, and peas. She wasn't very impressed with the peas but still ate the whole jar. She gets very excited and shakes when she sees the spoon come out.

Sold my nb dipes (which lasted till she was about 4 months)! It was a very sad day for me to pass along those cute tiny diapers! However, I love my new small-sized baby stash. Fuzzibunz smalls, and we're using our BG's one-size we had left over from Samuel. This week I'm trying my hand at night cloth diapering. I've purchased a Sustaniblebabish OS, the holy grail of night dipes. She's in it now.. we'll see if she can go all night!

Emmalyn has perfected the "pick me up I'm bored" cough. "Cough, cough," if no response, "cough, cough," if still no response, "WAAHH!"

We got our first laughs out of her that were not tickle-induced. Sam is the one who got her giggling. He's just so goofy it really cracks her up!

Still not rolling... but we haven't been exactly encouraging it either. We rarely put her down to practice. A) because her on the ground is a magnet for Sam to come hover. And B) I guess I'm just not ready for her to be mobile!!!

,

Emmalyn is growing up way too fast! I wish there was some way to slow her down!! 

Samuel's 3rd Birthday Party!

Sam had a great birthday! Unfortunately, while waiting for the party guests to arrive, he took a nasty fall into the brick fireplace his bottom tooth punctured his lip! We had to leave and head to the ER, he was a very grumpy pirate! But once back was very excited to tell everyone the doctor glued his lip back together...got no time for stitches! I've never seen a three-year-old enjoy a party as much as he did! 

 

Another amazing cake Ga-Ga! Thank you!

Just got back from the ER. Time to get into his pirate costume!

He's been waiting patiently for this big moment. It's hard to be #3! Birthdays in our family go in the same sequence as birth order.

Samuel refused to let anyone leave his party. He'd stand at the door and say "Please don't leave my party!" 

Future winner of hot dog eating contests!

This adorable video shows Samuel enjoying powdered doughnuts, eating like a chipmunk. And, yes, I know the Heimlich maneuver!

Samuel 18 months!

Samuel turned 18 months on Nov 15th. At his last doctor's visit, all went well! His weight is still on the small side 20lbs 8oz 2nd percentile. 10th percentile in height. He's just long and skinny. As far as cognitive and motor skills he is doing excellent! He can say almost anything; bathy time, Maddy go bye-bye, more drink, please. And he can sign all of these things too. We've taught him many words such as; drink, more, please, food, hot, cold, thank you, dog, cat, mama, dada, grandma, grandpa, cheese, cracker, and lots more! It's great Christian and Maddy are learning sign language in school so they can help me with teaching him all sorts of new words. Samuel is turning into a little boy right before my eyes. I'm sure I'll have some updated pics and videos after the Christmas season that I can post.

Samuel's 1st Birthday Party!

Samuel's 1st birthday party was a blast here are some pics... ok, a lot of pics!

Outdoor fun 85 degrees of HOT!

He's our little monkey! 

Mash Cake!

Sharing!

So bright, he's gotta wear shades!

All tuckered out!