Sam's Big Boy Blog

Sporty Sammy

2011-03-09T20:52:00.000-08:00

Sam, Sam he's our man.
If he can't do it, no one can!

He skips down the court
cuz he's gotta get the ball.

He tries to make shots
and he almost never falls.

He never felt sad
because his coach was his dad.

all right, that's all I got.

Sam loved basketball, especially his cool trophy with a spinning basketball decoration on it. Chris worked hard to make those kids sweat at practice (because if they weren't running up and down the court they were wrestling the ball out of each other's hands). This was our first go at a team sport and we had a great experience! There were a lot of cool parents involved and that made a big difference. The best thing -- they never kept score, so they always won!

Sam ran a 1K with Chris (who ran the 5K before that). He and I went for jogs now and then up to school or around the block to "train." He did great! He ran the whole way and finished strong.

My mom gave me these nasty teeth lolly-pops months ago and they've been sitting in our cupboard. I knew she wanted a pic with them but the right moment never came! Finally that moment arrived and here's your pic, mom. The kids loved them.

Snakes and Snails and puppy dog tails

2010-10-08T15:51:00.000-07:00

Here's what this little boy is made of:
1) Legos. I catch him pretending to blow up bad guys with fighter jets he has created or figuring out how to put separate rooms in the houses he makes. He'll spend hours sometimes in his own little Lego land. At first he just copied the instructions for the kits we bought (to make certain ships or houses), but now he uses those ideas to make other things. I love his creativity.

2) Brother Time. He loves playing with Ben who makes him laugh a lot. Ben jumps in on any opportunity to play with Sam. Sam loves teasing him until Ben attacks. I think Sam has run to me scared of Ben more than the other way around, so it's a pretty even match. It's funny to see Ben play with Lucy and Sam -- with Sam he's a tough mean guy. With Lucy he's a baby she puts to sleep or a sweet puppy who follows her around. He wrestles with Sam and plays house with Lucy. But this isn't Ben's blog, is it? But here's Sam doing the Haka (slap dance).

3) Learning new things. I met him for "Lunch on the Lawn" at school today. He was carrying a little scrap of papers with a mess of letters that didn't make sense to me. He said he learned a new rule that none of the kindergarteners even know! It's about what letters come with C and K. It didn't make sense to me, but he seemed to relish his newfound wisdom. He's also quite proud of his new tricks like riding bikes or doing a pull-up. He's just starting to ride on his own pretty well and he's gaining confidence. He can't wait to show his cousins or family that come around. Here's Sammy mastering the easy-ski.

4) Jokes. Today for the first time he finally got the "Orange you glad I didn't say Banana" knock-knock joke. We've told it to them over and over helping them learn it, and I guess he struggled learning it because it didn't make sense! Tonight Chris told it to him and he laughed and laughed at the punchline.

Here's some stellar stand-up Barney style.

5) Experiments. His favorite thing to do after school is experiment. He mixed soap and sunscreen the other day and mused at the bubbling goop. He loves food coloring. He always asks "Wouldn't it be cool if....?" questions. He wondered if the sidewalk was hot enough to cook an egg last week when it hit 110. We tried it. It didn't cook, but we had fun trying! Sometimes he'll create things he's seen on TV. He tried to make a fuse line (Tom and Jerry style) with lots of random bits of rope/string/anything that could connect in any way. He wanted to light it to watch the flame crawl along the path he had made but I talked him out of it. That kind of experimenting makes me a bit nervous, but he's usually responsible. Here's the egg --

The boy likes broccoli!

2010-03-18T20:55:00.001-07:00

Chris picked our first harvest of broccoli. Sam gobbled it up. He painted his face with ranch dressing in the process. I think all of that broccoli eating has paid off for Sam recently. I mean, have you ever seen a better dressed 5 year old?

Those are all my clothes. Some of my faves actually. That brown old lady sweater is as comfortable as, well, a hug from your favorite old lady! And I only take those pants off when I have to. I guess Sam thought he'd try out the clothes that I seemed so in love with.

The broccoli also has increased his IQ. He got the Principal's Award for the 2nd trimester of kindergarten. And let me tell you, it's not like it's easy! I mean, we're talking ALL of the ABC's AND being able to stack the colored cubes correctly. California doesn't mess around with it's curriculum.

Here's Sam proudly displaying his Transformers shirt instead of his certificate.

Broccoli also seems to have made him more adept at organization skills. This is what he does for fun. What does that mean for his future? Professional Organizer? CEO of Legos Inc.? The possibilities are endless. So young and so much to offer. Keep eating those vegetables, Sam. The world is your oyster.

The life o' Sam

2009-11-08T19:13:00.000-08:00

What's so Funny, Sam?

2009-04-13T21:38:00.001-07:00

I love hearing my kids laugh. Hearing one of those laughs that seems to come straight from the toes seriously makes my day. It's only when they're really quiet that I get worried. What is it that's keeping them occupied for so long that doesn't involve food or a screen or me? Especially Sam--the typical first child who doesn't like to ever do anything alone. Hmmmm.....for example the other day when Tinkerbell got a haircut they had been very quiet. "I like it that way, Mom!" Lucy told me emphatically when I caught Sam with scissors in his hand and beautiful golden locks all over the place. But sometimes laughter is a bad sign. If they've disappeared for awhile and suddenly start laughing uncontrollably, that can only mean one thing. They're doing something they think is very funny and mom probably wouldn't agree. This time, it wasn't so bad.

Ben had been holding the hose while it was turned off, so Sam decided to turn it on and Lucy happened to be in the way. Ben didn't know what the heck was going on and Lucy didn't mind getting wet. It's only when the laughing is followed by someone else crying that it's really a nasty prank someone's pulling. Usually they're pouring water on Ben. They really like doing stuff with water. Sam is definitely the ring leader of all their shenanigans, so that's why he earned this post.

As fast as a jet!

2008-11-21T22:31:00.000-08:00

Sam loves riding his bike! The video says it all. And you get to catch a glimpse of Lucy riding her bike in her ballerina costume. She lived in that thing for the week we borrowed it. But this is Sam's post--listen closely for his own theme music as he rides as fast as a jet!

I just found this little gem of a video. And don't worry, I helped Sam load Ben up.

Prayers

2008-07-16T21:49:00.000-07:00

I didn't feel right sneaking a pic during his prayer, so you'll just have to imagine this happening. But here are some of Sam's most often prayed for things (at the table and at bed time):

"Please bwess that I sleep good. Please bwess I don't see any spooky shadows."

"Please bwess Lucy stops eating during the prayer."

"Bwess Lucy she can be quiet during the prayer and fold her arms."

"Bwess the food. Bwess Daddy drives home from work safe. And bwess the food."

We're working on the "I'm grateful for" part, but I'm just glad he's enthusiastic about praying!

Father's and Sons

2008-06-15T21:25:00.001-07:00

Sam and Chris had the time of their lives hiking around at the fathers and sons campout recently. They camped at Big Bear in a tent (with the DVD player hooked up, of course, so that Sam and his friend Carter could watch Goofy before bed). Sam came home filthy and exhausted and begging for more.

Chris told him to point so he pointed.

We don't own warm clothes beyond this red fleece hoody, so he had to borrow his nursery leader's leather coat to keep from freezing in the morning.

Our failed attempt at a Father's Day song.

2008-06-15T20:57:00.000-07:00

"Sam, how about you sing you Father's Day song and I'll video it for Grandpa?"
"No."
"How about you hide and sing it and I'll move Ben's mouth so it looks like he's singing?"
"OK" (with a little giggle).
Our first attempt:

"I know! How about I draw a face on your chin and you can sing upside down. It looks really silly and Grandpa Frank will love it!"
"OK, Mom" (with the same giggle).

Our second attempt (and yes it's only a picture because that's as far as we got):

"I'm scared when my eyes are covered."
"I'll give you an ice cream!"
"No!"

I tried. I really did.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

The Big 04

2008-05-30T23:54:00.001-07:00

The paper chain finally ended and his birthday came! Sam turned 4 last month, and boy oh boy did he rake in the gifts! But really, he had a great day. We went to John's Incredible Pizza Co. with his cousins. Amy and Danny even came out for the event. We made a racecar cake which Danny decorated (what a well-rounded guy!). Grandpa Frank shared some words of wisdom with Sam about how he should try to stay four for the next 17 years and then just straight to 21, because after four things start going south. We also got to celebrate with Grandma Nellie and preschool friends on other days, so it seemed like a birthday week! He still tells me daily what he wants for his next birthday.