Dear Sam,

This year, you turned 4 years old.

Four.

I'm amazed at how grown up you have become not only in the last year, but especially in the last couple of months.  You reason with us now.  And it actually makes sense.  You will complete a list of tasks without direct supervision.  Sometimes.  You have opinions on everything.  Actually, that's not new.

I have really enjoyed watching you turn into a little boy.  You love to play outside.  You love to run and wrestle and climb and yell and jump off of things.  And mud puddles?  Totally made for splashing.  You're starting to notice other kids more.  When we are at the park, instead of just swinging and sliding by yourself, now you are watching the other (often older) kids and trying to join their groups.  I love seeing your somewhat shy but easy-going, friendly nature come out. 

You have several phrases that aren't quite right that I want to remember.  For example, when you want something you say, "Let I-me have a turn."  When you want to show us something I hear, "You better take a yook at 'dis."  (I hear that one at least a dozen times a day.)  And now that the weather is warming up you ask Daddy, "Can I mower with you?"

I think some of your favorite toys are your "friends."  Any time we leave the house, you have to take some friends with you.   A little while ago, I had to enact a "2 friend rule" because you were about to need a duffel bag to carry all of your stuff.  It's so funny to see you standing over the bin that we keep them in, trying to decide which ones to take.  You're also really into super-heroes right now.  Recently, Daddy bought you some Captain America pajamas.  That night, I overheard you whispering to the cat, "Look Ollie.  I'm Captain America!" 

You have some funny little routines, too.  You like to help me wake Sydney up in the mornings.  I have always sung a little good morning song to you when I wake you up, and it's so sweet to hear you burst into her room singing the song, then ask her, "Did you have a good rest?"  A little while ago, we started having tea parties with our worst British accents while you were in the bathtub.  Now we simply cannot take a bath without drinking some tea.  And we always seem to spill some.  Oh dear!  It always results in fits of giggles.  And shortly after we got a minivan, you decided that you were the official door opener and closer.  Heaven help us if I rush the process.

Every night before you go to bed you give me a hug and a kiss, a zerbert on each cheek, then I give you one, and you whisper, "I....love....you!" while pointing at your eye, then your heart, then me.  I'm not even really sure how this became our routine.  It just did.  But now you can't go to bed without that.  And if anything gets out of order, the whole process has to start from the very beginning. 

You have a memory like a steel trap.  Seriously, you. do. not. forget. ANYTHING.  A couple of weeks ago, we were running some errands and we were stopped at a stoplight.  You told me, "Mom, there are 3 paths.  If we go that way we go to Mommy's work.  That way is the park.  And that way is where we go eat bite-bites."  You were totally right.   One night, you and Sydney could not agree on whose turn it was with one of your friends, so I put them away.  You were devastated.  You asked for them back several times, and I just told you that you could try again in the morning.  The next morning, you woke up and crawled up in my lap, and in a very sad voice asked me, "Mom, may I pleeeeeeease have my friends back now?"  It was literally the first thing you said. 

You are really starting to learn at a phenomenal rate.  You are going to love school this fall.  You have a little alphabet game that you play on the iPad.  You love to tell me, "A is for apple.  C is for cat.  D is for daddy..."  One of these days, I'm going to walk in to find you reading a novel.  And you really impress me with how well you remember your Sunday School lessons.  And while I'm pretty sure you think Moses and Jesus are the same person, I still love to hear your version of the story that you learned every Sunday.  On Easter Sunday, when I picked you up from Sunday school, I asked you what you learned about, and you told me a big rock.  For some reason, the big rock is what stuck with you. 

Daddy has been teaching you how to meet people.  He has told you how important it is to shake someone's hand and look into their eyes.  You make me so proud when you walk up to someone and grab their hand while shouting at them, "Nice to meet you!"  And if that person isn't paying attention, you will assault them to get their hand and shake it. 

My Sam, I love how you ask if you can "snug" with me.  I love that you love to help me in the kitchen.  I love hearing you laugh with sister.  And I love that you are my little boy. 

Mommy

Yo Ho!

Sam loves to play pirate.  A few days ago, he decided he needed a treasure map.  Anyone who has ever seen my drawings knows this is a laughable request to ask of me.  But he was pretty insistent, so I decided to see what I could come up with.

 

 

I'm lucky that the expectations of a 3-year-old are not that great.  He thought it was the coolest thing ever.



 

 

Then I really amped up the cool factor and made him a spy glass out of an empty toilet paper roll.  An afternoon of entertainment...done.

Getting Ready To Grow

I have a hard time doing something the same way twice.  I like to tweak.  And while I was pretty pleased with my garden last year, it definitely needed some tweaking.  I've been hearing and seeing a lot about square foot gardening, so I thought I'd give it a try this year.  I liked the idea of having my plants in a defined area of a bed, and I thought the square foot plan would keep me from crowding my plants.  I found some pretty simple-looking instructions (simple because I knew I wouldn't be the one following them) for building a raised bed.  Then I snuggled up to my husband one evening, batted my eyelashes at him, and asked him if he wanted to sweat a little. 

Somehow, I'm not sure this is exactly what he had in mind...

Last weekend, he built me one bed, just like I asked.  I had already sorta mapped out what I would grow and determined that one bed would be enough.  Then I caught spring-optimism and decided that one bed was not nearly enough so I talked him into building one more bed. 

We decided to modify the beds a little and added some inexpensive lattice to the back to give our climbing plants something to grab hold of.  We'll see if it works...

 

 

This year, I'm growing tomatoes, cherry tomatoes (never done those before), squash, Zed, lettuce (something else that's new but everyone tells me it's pretty easy), bell peppers, beans, carrots (hoping for the non-arachnid variety this time), and watermelon.  And also something called lemon cucumbers (my cousin got me some seeds....can't wait to see what those are like).  And my herbs.  There is NOTHING better than smelling fresh basil.  And this winter, I made a habit of simmering a sprig of rosemary with some lemon and vanilla in some water on the stove.  It smells AMAZING, and it helps with the dry winter air.  Win-win.

 

I think he did a GREAT job!

 

Also, my grandmother advised me to wait until after Easter to put anything in the ground.  But it was so beautiful last weekend, and I had these brand-spankin' new beds just begging to be dug in, so I put a few tomato plants in the ground.  Then the temperature dropped 40 degrees in 12 hours (welcome to Kentucky), and I ended up draping a sheet over my brand-spankin' new bed.

 

Moral:  listen to your elders.

Signs of Spring

Have you seen them?  The signs of spring?  They're popping up everywhere.

 

The muddy kids...

 

 

...little boys climbing on things...

 

 

...and little girls, too.

 

 

Riding stick horses.

 

 

Little girls and pigtails...

 

...little boys and mud puddles.

 

Cute boots for mom.

 

And blowing bubbles...

 

 

...a bit violently, it would seem.

 

 

Wagon rides in the yard.

 

Welcome back, Spring!  We've missed you.

Dear Sam,

Your speech is becoming that of a little boy.  At some point over the last couple of months, your sister's name evolved from Nene to Didjee.  I didn't even notice when it happened, but you almost never say Nene anymore.  While I enjoy understanding you more and being able to converse with you, it makes me a little sad to hear you lose some of your little Sam-isms.  You used to refer to yourself as Nam.  It was so endearing.  But it has become Tsam.  You're so close.  You're learning how our language works.  Sometimes you say something that isn't quite right, and you stop and correct yourself.  You have such a strong desire to be right. 

You're becoming a bit of a picky eater.  I supposed that's normal for a 3 year old, but it's so unlike what we've become accustomed to with you.  Since your first taste of baby food, you've been an courageous eater.  We have never refused to give you any food because we don't like it or we didn't think you would like it.  But lately, you seem to only want hot dogs or macaroni and cheese.  And fruit.  I assuage my fears for your nutrition by reminding myself that you will always choose fruit. 

You're probably going to start preschool in the fall.  I know it's silly of me to dread it, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't...just a little.  You're ready.  You are fascinated with the school bus; every time we see one, you remind me that you want to ride one someday.  You know all of your letters, and you're starting to actually make sense of them.  You crave for information to fill that sponge-like brain of yours. 

You forget nothing.  N-O-T-H-I-N-G.  A couple of months ago, we went to see Frozen at the movies.  Several weeks later, we were playing and I had the radio on the Disney Pandora station.  One of the songs from the movie came one...not even the main theme song...and without missing a beat, you told me, "We went to see this at the movies.  Her name was Elsa.  She ran away."  I just sat there with my mouth hanging open. 

You're becoming such a helper.  You love for me to give you jobs.  You are really good at taking dirty clothes to the hamper, putting your shoes in your closet, and hitting the button to close the door on the van.  But I have to be careful...if something is your job today, I have to be prepared for it to be your job tomorrow, and the next day, and the next.  Most of the time, that's pretty helpful.  But we ran into a little problem after you "helped" me wash dishes in the sink while I was cooking a while back.  For days after that, I would find you in the kitchen standing on your stool in front of a sink full of water. 

You are one of the most thoughtful children I know.  You are quick to give your sister a toy if she is crying.  I can often see the inner turmoil playing out on your face because sharing is hard...but 9 times out of 10 you do the honorable thing and give her a turn.  You continually surprise me with the names you mention during your bedtime prayers.  You just seem to have a heart for those who are hurting. 

Sam, I love how you almost always compliment something about my appearance.  (Mom, I love you pibby neck-yes.)  I love how your wrinkle your eyebrows together when you're concentrating on something.  I love that you can't go to bed without taking at least 15 toys with you.  And you lie in bed and play with them, sometimes for what seems like FOR. EVER. but I know you're really serious about going to sleep when you tuck Pooh up under your chin and give a big sigh.  I love how you will nearly break your neck to get in front of me because you just have to be the one to greet your sister in the morning.  ("Good Morman, Didjee!")

Out of all the little boys, in the whole big wide world, here-there-and-everywhere, I'm so glad YOU are mine,
Mommy

Dear Sydney,

You've been busy these last few months.  It's hard to believe that we're on the downhill slide to your second birthday.  When did my baby turn into a little girl?  And a feisty one, at that?!  The last time I wrote, you were just learning how to walk.  Of course, your brother was the one who finally convinced you that you were ready.  He was playing with a remote control train one day, and you just stood right up and took off after it.  (His toys have always been more fun...)  You still walk with the unsteady gait of someone who hasn't quite perfected walking, but you're deceivingly good at it.  You swing your left arm in an over-exaggerated manner for balance.  And the faster you walk the harder you swing your arm. 

I think on the day God was handing out personality, you got a double dose.  Your facial expressions absolutely crack me up.  You could drop someone dead in their tracks when you're mad.  But you nearly make me lose it when I'm trying to be stern with you and you flash one of your goofy fish-face looks at me. 

Your favorite toy right now is the toilet brush.  I don't know how many times I've taken that thing away from you and hoped upon hope that it didn't make it to your mouth when I wasn't looking.  You're starting to get into playing with baby dolls (Ah-by), but you can race trucks with the boys too. 

You appetite seems to have slowed down some, but you're still pretty adventurous with food.  A couple of weeks ago, you tried sushi.  You actually liked it, because you asked for another bite.  (Maaarrr.)  You're pretty insistent on trying anything I'm eating...except for milk.  I don't understand it.  You absolutely refuse milk.  We have given you whole milk, skim milk, soy milk, almond milk, chocolate milk, strawberry milk....and we have watched you spit it all right back out of your mouth.  You love yogurt and cheese, but milk will not pass your lips.  So we're giving you calcium fortified juice and hoping someday you change your mind. 

I talk a lot to others about how strong-willed and opinionated you are.  I hope I don't come off as sounding like I'm complaining.  While I'm sure we'll have our moments, I'm trying to remember that you are made exactly how God intended for you to be made.  Just a couple of nights ago, Daddy and I were talking about your stubbornness determination, and I pointed out that I don't think we'll ever have to worry about you caving to peer pressure.  I'm serious.  We actually had a good little laugh because we were feeling a bit sorry for the kid who tries to talk you into something that you don't want to do.  I feel like if we can just lay the groundwork and convince you of right and wrong, our work will be pretty much done. 

My sweet Syd, I love how you already have an opinion about which shoes you should wear.  (The sparkly ones, of course.)  I love how you want me to pick you "bup".  I love watching you beat a path to the bathtub as soon as you hear the water start running.  (We are going to have so much fun in the pool this year.)  I love watching you play with your hair when your eyes are getting heavy. 

I wouldn't change a thing about you...not a single red hair.
Mommy

Snow Much Fun!

It seems odd to be posting snow pictures on a week that we've had 70 degree weather.  I guess that's how I do things these days!  A couple of weeks ago, we got a chance to play in a REAL snowfall.  Both of the kids (and the dog) were so excited. 

 

Sydney refused to walk in the snow.  She liked standing in it, but if she needed to move, she put her arms up and screamed at me until I picked her up and moved her.  This girl....I love the faces she makes.

 

 

Sam, of course, wanted to go down the slide.  That only happened once, though.  I think there was some ice collected at the bottom of the slide, and he didn't appreciate that too much.

 

He did, however, manage to find a very long icicle.  And it immediately became a sword.  I don't care what you say, boys are just different from girls.

 

 

 

 

This is the only time I could actually get them both to stand still long enough for a picture.  I wonder if my neighbors stand in their yards listening to me try to corral them for pictures and enjoy a good laugh.

 

 

Sydney didn't appreciate riding in the jeep.  I think she was mad because she couldn't drive.  Or maybe she was fearing for her life.  Either is a valid guess.

Warm Weather Memories

Seriously, it's cold outside.  We have had snow ice on the ground for a few days now.  Sam can't understand why we can't go play in it.  It's white, right?  I want to have joy in everything, but I would be A WHOLE LOT more joyful if spring would just get here, already.

 

I was looking through some old pictures on my phone and came across these that I took back in the fall.  We had a stretch of really pretty days, and the kids and I enjoyed a lot of time outside playing.

 

Sydney's hair is so much longer than this now.  It's kind of at that weird stage where it still has the crazy baby-hair texture but it's so long that it needs to be put up.  I have debated taking her for a little trim to give it some shape.  When I mentioned the idea to Shawn, he just laughed.  Yeah...he's probably right.  I don't think it would go over very well, either.  Maybe we'll just continue to deal with the crazy baby-hair. 

 

I will freely admit that I play on the playset with the kids.  Another confession---I don't really mind so much if they're playing in the play area at Chik-Fil-A and one of the kids gets stuck and I have to go "help" them out.  Being a mom is a tough job.  But I'm up to the challenge.

 

 

It's funny to me to see Sam's imagination starting to develop.  He loves driving his cars and trucks.  I'm not much of an artist, but we were able to fix a little racetrack outside. 

 

He is also fascinated with the drain that sits between our neighbors' yard and ours.  I frequently find him squatting down, just staring into it.  My dad has suggested that we just go ahead and have the fire department on speed dial because he will eventually get stuck in there.  He's probably right.

Shawn downloaded this app called PicJointer.  It was just a couple of dollars, and I have had a lot of fun creating these little collages.  I'm not a very good photographer, but these little things make even my pictures look good.

 

I've been somewhat absent from the blog lately.  There are several reasons.  Mostly, I just can't seem to put a coherent thought together right now.  I'm pretty sure it's apparent in my conversations, too.  My friends at work joke about how I jump from one topic to another mid-conversation.  Oddly enough, the girls I work with are pretty good at "jumping with me" as they call it.  (Sometimes there is a bit of an uncomfortable pause in the conversation while they catch up, but they usually do and then have a good laugh about it.)  I thought it might get better after a few months, but this might just be my new normal for now.  So I'm going to try to do better about posting more frequent, albeit random and scattered posts, because there is just too much cool stuff going on around here for me to not be recording it.

 

I read somewhere that this stage in a parent's life can be a blur.  I think there is some truth to that.  I love being home more, but there are A LOT of days when Shawn gets home and I can't really tell him what I did that day.  The day is a total blur.  A good blur, but still pretty fuzzy in my brain.  Luckily, he always manages to ground me and remind me that we have two little people in this house who require constant care.  One day that bathroom will get painted.  One day those pictures will get hung.  Someday, I might even get that room redecorated.  But today, I fed everybody, gave them a bath, handed out hugs and kissed away tears.  My cup runneth over.

Attitude

A couple of weeks ago, we had a little bit of snow.  I had to work that day, and several people came into the clinic complaining about the cold or the condition of the roads.  I might have pined for spring a bit myself.  But one woman came in with a big smile on her face and said, "Don't you just love how when you're really tired of everything being all brown and dead the Lord just covers it all in a beautiful blanket of white?"

 

I've thought about her words a lot since then.  This woman seems to spread goodness everywhere she goes.  I literally smile just seeing her walk into the building, and she often leaves us laughing in her wake.  Her joy is infectious.  Even though her husband was recently diagnosed with a serious health condition, she has chosen to focus on her blessings...she has praised his doctor for finding the condition as early as she did...she is grateful that he has insurance so they can afford his treatment...she encourages him to continue pursuing his passions.

 

I want to be that kind of person.  That person who sprinkles a little bit of happy in everything she does.  The old lady whose wrinkles still remember the smiles that created them.  The person who wakes up and says, "Yesterday was pretty awesome. It will be hard to beat it. Challenge accepted."

 

Today I'm thankful that the dead and ugly can become white and beautiful.

Baby, It's COLD Outside!

Sam has been itching for a good snowfall.  Unfortunately, we haven't had one.  This weekend, we cut our visit with family short so we could get home ahead of the blizzard-like storm that was supposed to hit.  We made it home with a few hours to spare.  Unfortunately, we only got bitter-cold temperatures...very little snow.

 

Sam, however, didn't really care.  Snow is snow.  As soon as he saw the dusting of white on the ground, he started begging to go "play snowman."  So Shawn volunteered to stay inside and take care of Sydney while Sam and I played outside. 

 

We bundled up from head to toe.  And I told Shawn to yell at me after 15 minutes so we wouldn't stay too long.

 

We lasted 10.

 

I'm not sure at what temperature it becomes too cold to build a snowman, but it is apparently warmer than the 1 degree that it was today.  Sam did not get his snowman.  We had to settle for snow angels.

 

 

 

We came inside and I told Sam to go stand in front of the fire to warm up.  I wish he were this eager to follow my instructions all of the time.