Enjoying the Weather!

Samuel has been a sick little boy! Last Thursday the doctor confirmed he had tonsilitis and he battled a tough couple of days with a fever, sore throat and rash. By Saturday his fever was gone, but we still kept him home to make sure he was 100%. We decided to put together his water table since he couldn't play with his buddies and it was beautiful outside. It was nice to have in the 90 degree weekend weather. We also went to the Buckwheat Strawberry Farm with our neighbors. Samuel loved picking the berries and petting the horses. He is feeling much better and we are thankful! Here are some pictures:



Never too sick for a wagon ride:)...

Mr. Independent loves to drink in regular cups - we let him get all the practice he wants outside since there are still some dribbles that come when he gets so excited he inhales the water too fast. He also loves to use his own spoon to eat his yogurt, oatmeal, etc... Thankfully he is very successful at getting all the food to his mouth. He definitely thinks he is a BIG BOY!I wish he had his eyes open in the below picture. He loved all the strawberries and helping mommy pick them.

Aunt Jessica is showing him the ropes...she picked a ton of berries even with baby Mason in tow.

These two buddies like to practice sharing since we give them so much praise when they do. Lately they love to pass things back and forth constantly. It's funny to watch.

My fearless little boy did not even flinch...he marched right up to the horse to pet him.

Easter!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend and hope you did too! Samuel's Pup Pup came in town for a visit and we enjoyed his company as always. The weather was great so we spent time taking walks, visiting parks and eating outside. We had several games of hide-n-seek (Samuel went to the same corner on the porch to "hide" each time) and Pups taught Samuel to say "toe" - now he loves to touch toes and tell you what they are. The boys played golf Friday and Saturday then enjoyed watching the Masters throughout the weekend. Samuel had a great time digging into his Easter basket before we headed to the early service at church. Here are some pictures below....

Samuel's first glance at his Easter loot - all smiles...
"Okay, time to get serious, what did this big bunny leave me anyway?"

This was his first order of business - eat a peep!

A very happy little boy posing for the camera.

Preppy boy with his peep!!

Look at Samuel's face - he wanted that peep!


How can you not share when Pup Pup puts on bunny ears - these two were fast friends! Samuel even got an Easter basket from Pups and Mum mum with lots of cool new clothes including his Easter outfit- thanks guys!!

Spring is in Air!!

We have LOVED the beautiful weather sprinkled in between the cold days lately. Every chance possible we head outside to soak it all in. Our little guy has a lot of energy and loves the park, so we end up there several times a week and have lots of playdates. Here are a few pics with captions to fill you in on our last few weeks....

I couldn't wait to give Samuel his Easter basket so we could hunt Easter eggs with the neighbors! Here Samuel is checking it out for the first time (he loves to point to it and say "car-car")...

Egg hunting pro in the making...

We bought Samuel a wagon and the kiddos flocked to our yard to take turns looping around the block in it. Below, Samuel and Chance gear up for a ride...they even have a nifty cup holder for their sippy cups - what a life!Yesterday, we had a visit from Mimi & Papa to deliver Easter surprises....Samuel loved having Papa read some of his new books to him...

One final cuddle to say goodbye! Definitely a twinkle in those baby blues- total sweetness and all boy:)!

We wish everyone a blessed Easter!!

Little Toddler

Since Samuel took his first steps close to two months ago, we have had fun watching him get more and more comfortable with this new independent world on two legs. Crawling has still been cooler in his mind, but he made the complete switch recently and it's been even more fun to see him toddle around everywhere. Here is a little snip-it for those grandparents out there waiting with baited breath.

Little Helper

Whenever I pull out the vacuum cleaner, Samuel wants to be on my hip 'helping' manuver. Well, for Samuel's 1st birthday he received a toy vacuum that we stored away along with a few other gifts because he received so many we didn't want toy overload to occur. It's been fun introducing him to new toys here and there. So, last night we decided to pull out the toy vacuum and it was a HIT to say the least. He has been using it any chance he gets and doesn't want to eat or sleep if it means putting the vacuum cleaner away. Here he is in his glory this afternoon. My little helper!

Busy past few days

Samuel and I have been home alone for the last five days while Brian is in OR. We miss him terribly so to pass time we kept VERY busy. Dolly & Michael came to visit us Wed - Friday and we had so much fun shopping, eating, talking and letting our boys "play" together. Samuel asked for "Doll" & "baby" for several days after they left. Unfortunately, we did not take any pics during their visit! Saturday we headed to my mom's house for the day. Samuel had a blast (again, I forgot my camera). The weather was beautiful so he played on the porch and outside most of the time. He did some major exploring as his curious little mind could not get enough of all the new sights.
On Sunday we took a little road trip to Winston-Salem to visit a LOT of family. Our first stop was my dad's house. Samuel liked sitting on his Harley and looking at all the antique toys. After that stop we had lunch w/ my grandmother. Samuel explored the house and decided his favorite past time was sitting in the driveway playing with rocks. He did give some kisses out too. Our final stop was Ralph's house where we were able to visit a few more family members including my Aunt Carol who is battling breast cancer (she is doing great though). So, after a very long day, we arrived home at 8pm. Samuel was a great traveler and it was a fun day! We can't wait to see Brian tonight!

Below is my dad/Samuel bonding...

Samuel is acting shy - "should I give my kisses out?"...

It didn't take too much convincing!!

His favorite "toy" was this empty popcorn tin that entertained him for a long time. He thought he was something else picking it up and carrying it. Yes, we ended up taking it back w/ us.

This is Carrol, Ralph and my Aunt Carol...
And here we are, the traveling buddies. We had a fun time, but we're ready for Brian to get home!

Snow Day

Today we woke up to another snow day! So pretty and so fun! One thing we realize though - we do NOT own snow clothes. Anyway, we loved getting out in the snow for a bit and wanted to share some pics. The video was taken after breakfast. I can't get enough of hearing Samuel say, "Pease!" when he wants something. Makes it hard to say no!



Here he is contemplating whether or not he wants to dive in or hang back. Oh, he dove...too bad I had put the camera away b/c he was a snowy, wet, white MESS from head to toe!
He really wanted to take duckie and the bubble blower outside with him. I hope everyone who had snow enjoyed a nice day at home sipping hot cocoa w/ loved ones!