Sam in the morning

Ever since Sam started opening doors, he wakes up really early. 5:00 am early. He used to scream for me - waking up the whole house. But now he knows to come and get me. Between 5:00 and 5:30 am, Sam comes to our room. He quietly says "mom". Sometimes touches my leg to wake me. He is the sweetest in these wee hours of the morning. I pull him in bed and we lay for 5 minutes until he is ready to watch Fireman Sam. Sam does not watch tv. But the thought of getting to pick his show is thrilling. Because we flip between Fireman Sam and Barney. I am half a wake and hoping to keep sleeping on the couch while he drinks milk and "watches" tv. I say "watch" because Sam does not sit still long enough to actually watch it. But he does cuddle and I love it. It's our time. I know it is early and by 8:30 pm I am so tired...but it is one of those things that I am ok with. I love that he is now quiet in the mornings and comes to get me while the rest of the house sleeps another hour.

He is my sweetest of sweet Sam!

Easter 2014

Easter is probably my favorite holiday. As I say every holiday the boys really got into it this year. They loved the egg hunts. They liked their colorful shirts. And they eagerly waited for the Easter Bunny.

The first of our Easter festivities was Sam's Mommy and Me party.

Then we had the Tall Pines Garden Club Easter Egg Hunt. This was my last Easter Egg Hunt as a member. And my last event has president. It was one of the best days for me. The kids were magical and I loved every minute of it.

Sam did not want to sit near the Easter Bunny. Andrew had not problem with it - another noticeable thing that Andrew is such a big kid. It was also a rainy week so the boys wore their rain boots since we thought the ground would be wet.

Easter Sunday did not disappoint either. Our Easter Bunny hid the baskets this year. That confused Andrew and for a brief second he thought the Easter Bunny did not come. It was tragic.

Andrew put out Apollo the Pajanimal because that is what the Easter Bunny brought him last year.

After Church we went to Cousin Connie's house. They had a big picnic with about 40 family members. Owen's parents and Eric and Abby came too. We had a blast.

It was a fun holiday. Missed having my parents in town...they were the missing piece for sure.

Super Bulldog Weekend

We arrived in Starkville Friday from Memphis. We stayed the night to visit with my parents and do some of the Super Bulldog activities. They had a crafts fair on Saturday morning and then we went to the Spring game for an hour before going home.

At the crafts fair they had a kids section and our two loved it. We spent an hour there.

 It was a great Saturday in Starkville!

Weekend at Grandmom and Granddad's

Owen had a conference in Memphis. We were going to take the boys but instead took them to Starkville to stay with my parents. The boys had fun and it seems my parents did too. Maybe there will be another grandchild weekend in the future!!

Here are some pictures of their fun. I loved that my parents sent me pictures so we could see how they were doing. My parents took them to the park a lot. They walked on campus. Had ice cream treats. Watched cartoons that they don't get to watch at home (Andrew told my parents that the shows were something he could watch - sneaky little guy). They dyed Easter eggs and a lot of Easter Egg hunts. I am so glad they had fun.

The first night Andrew fell asleep in their chair before dinner. This has never happened at home.

We missed them...but loved that they spent quality time with their grandparents. Memories were made!!!

Just an update

Sam has not pooped in potty again. Maybe it was an accident that it happened in the first place, but it seemed like such a milestone. He still loves his potty prize though.

Sam has learned to open doors. This is opening up a new world to him. For example he goes into Andrew's room now and wakes him up at 5 am. Not only do I have one child up - we have both. And it's just late enough to not go back to sleep but early enough to have sleepy children bu 8 am. This is very frustrating. I know it is a new phase and independence for Sam. I don't mind him coming to wake me up, but waking up Andrew puts a whole new spin on it.

They are taking their school pictures today. We took Sam's 2 year and Andrew's 4 year pictures on Friday. I can't wait to see them.

Andrew is so smart. I was talking to another parent and she told me that the teacher brags on Andrew to her as well. Because Andrew picks up on everything and is so good in school. The teacher then told the mom "I don't know what they feed him". This made me laugh. I think it is because I am a stickler for them getting a good nights sleep. And now they are getting less sleep than ever. Again...another reason the sleep issue stresses me out.

Andrew told me to "Rock on" as he has getting on his bike. Such a funny little man.

That is about it for now...just going through some growing pains with my little Sam. Trying not to get too wrapped up in the difficulty but also trying to be firm. It is a hard balance. I love these two so much and want to be the best mommy to them.

Sam's Potty Training Update

Sam has pooped in the potty!!! How amazing! He got to pick out a poo poo prize all by himself yesterday before Mommy and Me. He roamed every aisle until the perfect toy screamed at him. Or better yet until I told him to pick something now or we wouldn't get anything. :)

He was so proud of himself. It is all clicking with him. Hopefully this is start of the end of diapers and pull ups. We shall see though :)

Andrew was a little upset that he didn't get to go and pick something out too. After explaining why - I think he understood. Sam has been a good sport about sharing the toy with Andrew and the two of them "playing together". Funny though, Andrew woke up at 5 am this morning and was in the kitchen playing with new toy.

Hubfest

Saturday was Hubfest in Hattiesburg. It is the city's festival. We went this year for the first time in many, many years. It was fun. There was a kids zone that Andrew loved. We tried to shop but the lines to everything were ridiculous.

Always good to get out on pretty days...and Saturday was a great day.

Family

Eric (Abby's husband) has been diagnosed with sarcoma cancer. It is a scary time and one that is very hard to process. They are going to MD Anderson this week. They will meet with the doctors and get a plan on action on how to treat this cancer. It is a rare one which brings alot of unanswered questions.

Last Sunday, Abby invited us, the Muntons and the Covingtons to attend their church and have lunch. It was a nice day - weather was perfect. Wanda made lunch. The boys had a ball. We just spent the day as a family.