Stadium Food and James Taylor

Last night, Brian and I had a much needed date night! Mimi came over around 4 to take care of Samuel for us while we went to the James Taylor concert. It was a blast! I think we were ready for a little get away because we arrived TWO hours early for the concert. We felt like the Grizwalds entering Wally World because the place was so bare. We were the 4th car to arrive so we just hung out and talked until the doors opened. Before I get into the concert let me explain why "stadium food" is in the title. I LOVE stadium food--I love fair food, amusement park food, sporting event food, you name it. So, first things first, we hit the food. I had a yummy, messy BBQ chicken sandwich. We sat in our sits and as I went to take the first bite, my frozen fingers (it was cold last night) flipped over the container and BBQ went EVERYWHERE...the floor, sit, and in Brian's drink. Brian was a trooper and hooked me up with some chicken tenders/fries (less messy). The concert was a lot of fun. We were on the 11th row, so we really got a great view of everything. It was a fun night out!
The last two pics are of Samuel in his new fun place--the laundry basket! A friend at gymboree class told me her little one loves hanging out in her laundry basket and it was how she learned to pull up. Now when she needs a little time to get dinner ready, etc... she puts her little one down in the basket (on the carpet so if it tips over, it's still soft). I tried it with Samuel and he loved it.

Cookouts and Park Fun!

We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend and hope you did too! We had 3 cookouts. Saturday night our friends Rob, Elizabeth and their little guy, Ben, came over for some cheeseburgers with all the fixings. It was a lot of fun. Sunday we spent with my mom and step-dad and enjoyed the awesome weather and more yummy food. And, today, we had family time running errands and relaxing. We are going to throw something on the grill for one more cookout to round out the weekend.

I have to say my favorite part of the weekend was taking Samuel to the park to "play" for the first time. He's been to parks, but never as an active participant. We put him in the swing with us and he had a ball!! I have about 20 smiley pictures of his adventure.

Next it's slide time!! Here we are getting ready to take the plunge.
As you can see below, he isn't one bit afraid--looks like we have a little thrill seeker in the making on our hands (just like his mommy who loves roller coasters and anything that makes my stomach do a flip).
And, I must not forget to thank all of our veterans for their sacrifice and commitment to our country. A special thank you to my father-in-law who served our country proudly in the United States Navy!!

A Very Special Visit

Today, Samuel, Brian and I headed to W-S to visit my sweet grandparents. For those who do not know, my grandfather (Pop) is very sick. He has been in remission for 9 years, then his cancer returned last May and it has been a battle ever since. He is now dependent on dialysis and they have told him the future seems bleak. However, we serve a God of miracles and we are praying for one. Even if the Lord takes Pop, we are thankful for every day we have him here on earth. Thank you everyone who has kept Pop in your prayers--I told him what great friends I have and he was so appreciative. All that to say, we knew just the medicine to cheer Pop up--enter Mr. Personality. Our little guy's personality has come into full bloom in his 6 month of life. He is very active and social, yet he is also my favorite little cuddlebug. He will smile and 'talk' to anyone (even the green light on his monitor and his toys). So, we knew a little visit to W-S would spread some cheer and it did just that! As soon as we sat Samuel down beside Pop on his hospital bed, he LOVED interacting with his great grandfather. He would seriously burst out in giggles everytime Pop looked at him and smiled. We were all rolling at the cute sight. It was a joyful visit and we are so happy we were able to spend quality time with Pop and Grandma Ray.
Below is Samuel smiling at Pop--just one of the 20 pictures I took:).
Okay, this little face is his new thing...he wrinkles up his nose and makes this funny sound. So funny.
Samuel gives Grandma Ray some loving too. She loved her time with him.
Again, thank you for the prayers and I'll keep you posted on Pop's condition!

Red Sox Baby

This is what Samuel thinks of the Yankees! Brian was so excited to finally put his boy in this T-shirt.
Brian attended the University of New Hampshire and became a huge Red Sox fan after going to tons of games in Boston. He was so excited they won the World Series the year Samuel was born. He even ordered a few baby Red Sox items before Samuel's arrival. Well, he has been waiting 6 months to bust out this little T-shirt and today's the day! We had a little photo session this morning. I think my baby is destined to be a Carolina basketball, Red Sox baseball and anything to do with golf fan!

Happy Mother's Day!!

The weekend started out rough when on Saturday morning I had to take Samuel to the doctor due to some sores bleeding on his neck. He just has very sensitive skin, so we got some strong ointment for all his red patches--poor thing. But, we did have a fun time Saturday night. My mom, step-dad and brother came over for a cookout. Samuel never touched the ground as he was passed around and loved by all. As you can see in this first picture--Mimi was in grammy heaven!! Happy Mother's Day to my sweet mom! Thank you for being a great example of a loving, nurturing mom. I hope to follow your footsteps! Happy Mother's Day to sweet Mum Mum too!
Here is my step-dad, Drex, playing around with Samuel. Okay, I had to snap a picture of this. My brother is very awkward with babies, but my mom put Samuel on Wesley so he HAD to hold him. I could tell Wes was very uncomfortable, but he loosened up once Samuel gave him a hilarious look as if to say, "What's up, Dude? We're cool!"
Brian did a great job making me feel loved on my first Mother's Day. He made me a yummy breakfast and gave me a cute outfit and my favorite flowers--hydrangeas. I received a few sweet cards too. On this first Mother's Day, I have to say that this sweet baby boy has stolen my heart forever and I am so overjoyed and thankful to be his mama.

And Away We Grow!

Samuel has LOVED his rice cereal, so we decided to spice things up by adding sweet potatoes to his diet. Well in this picture he is politely smiling because he doesn't like them! He holds it in his mouth with a worried look before swallowing. I had to grab the camera to capture his sweet potato moment---I just wanted to kiss that little dirty face to pieces! Here he is at play. Everything goes directly in the mouth and once he gets bored he flips over to see the world from a different view. He is getting so big!
Our little guy turns 6 months next week and it's so hard to believe! He has been such a joy and keeps getting sweeter all the time. He is becoming more and more independent these days. He is sitting up for long periods of time and even has his favorite book. Everytime I get out "That's Not My Truck", he giggles! The book has thick pages so Samuel likes the turn the pages himself. He has also discovered the phone--he gets the biggest grin when he sees it (and of course the remote control). This past week our neighbor, Henry, waved at him and he waved back! I've only got him to do it one other time since, but it melts me. He is curious about everything and I can tell as soon as he starts crawling he is outta here! He has places to go and things to explore....it will be fun and tiring I'm sure!