Mustaches and mud!

Click here for the recipe for Sammy's birthday cake!

And here are a few silly boy pics from the weekend..

We were so excited to get a visit from my bestest friend Heather and her awesome kiddos this past weekend. We had tons of fun together, as we always do, although the weather didn't exactly cooperate with our plans. Before they arrived, I did something I had never done before! I ran in a mud race with my sister-in-law Christine and two friends. We had a blast! Ok, so running straight up two entire ski hills wasn't exactly fun, but the the experience as a whole was fun and we proved to be a great team.

Here is a pic of us after finishing (we finished in one hour and three minutes!) and getting rinsed off a bit. At one point we were running with totally goopy muddy legs, torsos, arms and hands and our shoes weighed about 10 pounds each. Then we went down the giant slide that got us (mostly) clean and filled with suds!

(photo credit: Aubrey Mathews)

Here we are before the race, clean and fresh! :)

                                                       (photo credit: Aubrey Mathews)

The below pic was physically the toughest point of the entire race for me. My most difficult mental part was the balance beam, which I wouldn't have expected beforehand. I freaked out half-way across, but thankfully my awesome team talked me through it.

                                                         (photo credit: Aubrey Mathews)

I can't believe tomorrow is Wednesday already and that the little boys and I leave for our big road trip in LESS THAN A MONTH! Yikes! We have much to plan before then, but we are very much looking forward to it. It is going to be an adventure of a lifetime!

Just a few tidbits before I sign off for the night..

Elijah needs foot orthotics again. He had them when he was two for about a year because his ankles turned in when he was upright. His feet are super flat, so he typically walks with his feet turned out for stabilization. We will likely take care of this in the fall, after croc season. :)

E will be having a cavity filled in the morning. It's the exact same spot as the last two. The filling from the last round fell off and created the perfect cavity pool. Hopefully this filling will take care of it for good, and with little to no stress.

A few more of my most favorite mispronounced Sammy words:
birthmark=buckmark
suitcase=soup-case
band-aid=bamma-dage
naked=make-id

I will end with the funniest quote of the week and perhaps the month!
Dan had Sunday night free due to bad weather, so we took the opportunity to enjoy a meal out as a family. Totally out of the blue in a moment of silence, Sammy said, "Daddy! What's the name of the restaurant where you took your pants off?!" Uhhh.... Dan? Is there something you should share? :) Never a dull moment with these silly boys.

That's all for now! Thanks for checking in! OH! I was going to ask you all to leave a comment on this post. We would love for you to say hello, or more or whatever. We want to know you're there! It would be so fun to see 25 comments in the morning. :) Elijah would be thrilled to read through them all. Thank you and good night!

Sammy's 3-year well visit

It feels almost silly reporting on Sammy's well visits, but I will continue to do it! He checked out great. His weight was at 31.6 lbs (49th percentile) and his height was at 38 inches (65th percentile). He is a lean boy! He doesn't eat consistently, but we hear this is normal for his age.

We are hoping Dan can get some good skydives in tomorrow! I have a fun race that I'm looking forward to on Saturday, and the boys will spend that morning with their cousins and auntie. We are looking forward to another fun weekend. Thanks for checking in!

So long, kindergarten

Elijah is finished with kindergarten, and that has made me really sad! I didn't expect to feel this way at all. Just like that we are done with his sweet and incredibly awesome kindergarten teachers. And with his awesome bus drivers who we grew to love so much. And with the stories Elijah would bring home from school. He seems like such a big boy. As you can see in the photo, he (and Sammy, too) changed a ton from the beginning of the school year. At least Sammy has learned how to put his shoes on since then. :)

This morning as we were walking out of the club, I noticed that Elijah was holding my hand extra tight. If I had to let go to open a door, he would quickly grab for it again. I'm happy he's still "little" in the sense that he enjoys being associated with me in public! I hope that lasts for a while longer.

I have been observing Elijah a lot lately and making careful mental notes about his behaviors, actions and reactions to certain things. I have formed some thoughts that have given me a feeling of peace during times that are very frustrating. I'm not done collecting my data, but I'll report back. :) Let's just say that I have much more grace for certain frustrating, repetitive and obsessive behaviors.

And speaking of that, if you have been reading this blog for a while you will know how big my sigh must have been after the following conversation that took place this morning:

Me: Sammy, you are 3 now so that means you need to start going potty in the toilet!
Sammy: No, I don't need to do that until I'm 9.
Me: Uhm, no, how about now. And with a good attitude.
Sammy: Nooo, when I'm 9. And with a bad attitude.

This is the same boy who refused to willingly get into the bath tub for TWO YEARS because....well, because it was our idea. He has had the same attitude with the good ol' toilet. Kicking, screaming, flailing, the whole works. In the past year we have done our best to set it up so that it appears to be his idea. With no luck. After the above conversation, I said, "Sammy. This is GOING to happen." And so we endured the kicking, screaming and flailing. By the fifth try, he was only kicking so I saw that as a promising sign. To be continued!

That's all for now. Have a good day! It's raining, cloudy and cold! Again! [insert crazy laughter]

And my baby turns three.

Three years ago today was one of the most memorable days of my life. Our sweet, growly-voiced little Samson was born very early in the morning on a Friday. I will never forget his deep little cry or his sweet demeanor or the desire to have him next to me every minute of every day. I still feel that. I always want to be close to my boy, and thankfully he wants that still, too. We all love this little monkey to pieces. He is one very special little boy.

I think he had a good day. I LOVE making our boys' birthdays as special as possible. Birthdays are important and they should be filled with fun and good things.

In standard Sammy fashion, he refused to do anything I asked him to do today. "Smile, Sam!" and out comes the tongue. "Sammy, will you take the pink jewels off your face?" "NO." Ohhh-kaayyy!

Elijah got home from his last day of kindergarten (pics tomorrow!) and the boys had lunch together. As I snapped the below pic, Elijah calmly and slowly said, "Mom. Please stop taking pictures." :)

Sammy opened a few more fun gifts. Lucky boy. :)

I love this action shot. :) 

Can you tell Elijah is just as (if not more) excited to see the Monsters, Inc toy?

We took Sammy out for dinner at Applebee's, which has become a tradition for the boys' birthdays. He deals with being sung to a bit differently than his brother, but it was fun to see smiles on his beautiful face. He wanted to order FRENCH FRIES, so french fries he got. And chicken. And a sundae.

Have you noticed a nose-picking theme when Sam is put on the spot? Silly boy. If you want the recipe for this super fun, calorie-laden and DELICIOUS cake, stay tuned here! I will post it within the next week.

Cake was devoured and then bed. Both boys went to bed without a peep, which is highly unusual. It was a good day of celebrating our youngest boy who we love so much. Happy 3rd birthday, Sammy!

Sammy's 3rd birthday party

Sammy remembered celebrating his past two birthdays at the dropzone, so he requested another birthday party there this year. With Dan working, it is convenient to be there and not to have him miss out on work and also have him be a part of Sammy's party. It is a special time for Sam, and it works out well. This year was colder than the past two, but the rain held off till after we wrapped up.

This photo was taken by my friend, Monica, and I love it! Thanks, Monica!

The next few pics are a series of funny Elijah poses. :)

And there you go. Our family ham! The series ends with a brotherly hug.

We had a turtle piñata this year, which Sammy lovingly named Ivor. The kids had fun whacking the cute little Ivor to pieces. I even got a sucker-shrapnel wound on the forehead by standing too close to the whacking.

A little help from Daddy was needed in between jumps.

The boys were grateful for the friends and family who came to the party. The beautiful Veda is always fun to have around!

This is the exact cake we got for Sammy last year. He remembered it and asked for it again. 

This a photo of pained faces, attempting to obey their mama and NOT touch the birthday cake. I want frosting. Mama said no. I really want frosting. Mama's right there.

I always tell you about what a funny little person Sammy is. When we started singing "Happy Birthday" to him, he immediately put his finger up his nose. Nice. But it made everyone laugh. :)

It is rare that I am able to capture a genuine Sammy smile on camera. He keeps himself pretty guarded when cameras are out and when "other" people are around. Here is genuine happiness captured! Success!

Dan's mom got this house for Sam and it was the "hit" of the party. ALL of the kids surrounded it and stared at/played with it for 30+ minutes.

This is one of Elijah's tired positions, and a sign that he needed a nap.

Grandma and Sammy. :)

Sammy's birthday is on Tuesday, so we will do a small celebration with just the four of us at home. Today I asked him if he wanted any special meals on his big day and he said, "BLUEBERRY PANCAKES!" So we will make blueberry pancakes for our boy. We typically take the boys to Applebee's for birthday dinners, so we are planning to do that, as well. Thankfully, Dan has Tuesdays off work, so we will all be able to spend the day together.

I have been thinking about Elijah A LOT lately. This happens every few months or so. I'll continue collecting my thoughts and report on this after Sammy's big day. We have two super special and awesome little boys. I love them both to PIECES!

I'll end with a few things I've posted on Facebook recently that are funny/cute/awesome. Have a GREAT week, and thank you so much for checking in on our family.

The boys were talking about what color their eyes were when Elijah said, "What color are Mama's eyes, Sam?"
Sammy: Mommy has one brown eye and one green eye.
Me: Well you and Elijah BOTH have the prettiest eyes of all!
Sammy: You have pretty eyes, too, Mom.
Elijah: And you're so cute and the prettiest mom ever. AND you're so shiny and clean like a bath shower! 

That 30 seconds made the 2 glasses of spilled milk I had just cleaned up totally worth it.


A few of my favorite words that Sammy mispronounces:
DVD=dee-buh-dee
UPS truck=new PS truck
magazine=megan-zine
napkin=makkin


While Elijah was sitting in a time-out tonight, Sammy peeked his head out of the door right next to him and said in a deep monotone voice, "I am not a giant hot dog," and closed the door. The mood was suddenly lightened.


Note to self: Do not tell Sammy not to eat something that shouldn't be eaten. This 100% guarantees that he will do it. The "bean" from our Don't Spill the Beans game certainly was not super delicious.