Lots of pictures over the last week!

We've had a busy past 8 days! First we had a wonderful visit with Samuel's Pup Pup over the weekend. Samuel loved playing hide-n-seek with him, going to the golf course and chatting on his cell phone (a special grandpa treat)! Samuel is still asking about Pup Pup's whereabouts especially when we see an airplane. Thanks for the great visit, Pups!! Below are some pictures from this visit and several others other the last week....
Samuel LOVED the tractor Pup Pup bought him and wanted to take it everywhere!
This boy could not be happier chatting on a real cell phone. I believe this was a call in from Mum Mum that lasted at least 20 minutes of non stop talking on Samuel's part. He thought he was so cool:)! His new favorite phrase to say is, "whatcha doing" and he likes to say, "go for it" too. The boys love a good competition and Wii was the perfect opportunity for one. The picture captures their tennis match. Pup Pup gave Brian a run for his money in bowling!

Our next set of visitors came in the form of the Seckman clan! They were stopping through for an appt in our area so they stayed the night. This picture shows Samuel in pure delight as he plays "balls" with Dolly. He doesn't forget the crazy face/noise Dolly made ONE time when he pressed the lever to this toy and now he wants her to do it all the time....thanks for being a sport, Dolly!

I had so much fun keeping adorable Michael while Dolly & Leland headed to their appt. The boys played well together. What sweet boys!

I had to give Michael a time out....hahahaha. Of course I'm kidding, but doesn't it look like that? Michael crawled right into this little cubby space and it was too cute not to take a pic.

When you come to Vallecorse house, you are bound to find a golf club hanging around! The Seckman's can teach Samuel the farming ropes and we'll teach Michael the golf ropes!

The next fun trip we had was to a local park that has cool rides for tots. Here Samuel is looking up at the carousel in awe....

Mimi joined us for the day and Samuel wanted her to be his partner on the rides....

Here he is on the train...loved it.

I must say NOTHING compared to the boat ride in his mind - he absolutely loved it. He would pull the bell and steer the wheel like he was a pro. We definitely had to ride more than once.

Mimi brought a pumpkin & paint home for Samuel to decorate. As you can see, he concentrated very hard during his project.

As you can tell, he adored his masterpiece....

Giving it a little more love...

And last, but not least, we had a day at the pumpkin patch with Pappy. Samuel thought the big wheels were great.

I told him to pick any pumpkin, so of course he went for one that weighed more than he did:).

Walking to the tractors...

As I was doing laundry, Samuel climbed in the dryer...he did NOT want to get out!

Here is a sneak peek at Samuel's monkey costume (partial).

Thanks for hanging with me on this LONG post!! Lots to see and tell from the last week....

Weekend Fun!

Here are some pics we promised the grandparents we'd post!

My little chef riding his horse - it's a giraffe, but he insists it's a horse:).
I treated Samuel to popsicle tonight and he obviously LOVED it! That little tongue got a true workout. From stroller to bath he went ...

One HAPPY boy...

Kissing Elmo...

Helping Daddy put batteries in Elmo....

He had a blast helping Daddy wash the car on Sunday...he could have helped all day.

Trip to VA!

Samuel and I had a great trip to VA to visit friends. As always, Dolly was an exceptional hostess spoiling us with lots of yummy food. Our dear friend, Michelle, from our DC days met up with us so we could spend some time together and let our boys play. It was like no time had past at all - so glad we made new memories together. We also visited Teecy's classroom and had lunch with her kids. It was so fun. She is an exceptional teacher - those kids are blessed for sure!

Here Samuel and Elijah enjoy breakfast together. So neat our boys are only 5 days apart!

Here they are sharing a snack together. What sweet boys!

This adorable little guy made his papa proud by supporting the home team favorite. Michael was right there playing with big boys - such a cutie! Leland was kind enough to "monitor sit" while the mom's had a little night out.

Before we left, Leland gave all the boys a ride up to the moose to feel his fur. They loved it!

We visited Liberty and the new ski lodge - it was so neat. We got a little silly and slap happy from staying up too late talking every night! Dolly and Michelle did great animal impressions. I did one too, but it's on Dolly's camera.
Next we headed to Starbucks and asked some college kids to take our picture. She literally handed me back my camera and asked it this picture was okay (above)...what?

Much better....

The boys had fun looking out for Dolly's beloved cat....

It was a great couple of days with great friends. Thank you for being such a wonderful hostess, Dolly! And, thank you for driving down to meet us, Michelle!

Fire Truck Parade!

Today was every little boy's dream - a Fire Truck Parade! We repeatedly told Samuel where we were going and he'd say, "Mommy, Daddy, Samuel, WOO WOO". The "woo-woo" is obviously his name for fire trucks. He was ALL SMILES and in awe as the parade started. We were in the beginning of the parade and actually ended up sort of IN the parade trying to get to the sidewalk. Here are some pictures of our fun day!

This was our favorite fire truck for obvious reasons - go UNC! Loved the old trucks...

Here Samuel is waving at the trucks and passengers with pure glee. Long line of trucks...

He loved clapping for the trucks as they drove by...this was one excited boy!

The parade was over and look at this little guy patiently waiting for the trucks to keep coming. He would have stayed there all day waiting!

After a fun, humid day at the parade, a little cool condensation hits the spot!

Fun on the Horse

Our little ham!

Visit w/ the PA V's!

We had a wonderful visit with Brian's parents over the last week. Samuel loved spending quality time with his Mum Mum, Pup Pup and Nittany. We spent a lot of time playing, eating and laughing. We also frequented the neighborhood pool which Samuel loved. Thanks for the great visit guys!! We had a lot of fun!! Here are some pictures to highlight the past week (and two videos):


Samuel LOVES cars, trucks, buses, lawn mowers and anything that MOVES. Below Samuel and Pups play cars on the porch. He loved playing with everyone. Samuel and Nittany were fast friends. Here Samuel takes a play break for a quick snuggle.

Etch a Sketch fun! Samuel loved drawing on his toy and the rest of us had fun playing hangman on it.

This was taken on the way to church Sunday. Samuel loved having his playmates in the backseat with him.

Below is a short video of Nittany and Samuel...



Below is a short clip from this morning...