Big Brother

We are all pretty crazy about Sam. He is sweet, tender, cuddly, smart, hilarious and very thoughtful. He loves animals and loves to learn about the world around him. His family is very important to him, and he loves to make friends. He and Daddy love to cook together, wrestle and go on walks. With me, he likes to hike, sing and play pretend. 

 Sam has made life with a baby soooooo easy. He bathes brother, helps keep him out of trouble and soothes him when Miles gets upset. Miles recently bonked his head, and Sam was crying because he was so sad about his little brother getting hurt. What a love!

 Sammy puts up with a lot! He is very understanding when Miles needs attention and allows "Brudder" to poke, prod and wrestle him. Sam occasionally gets frustrated when Miles messes up Sam's toys, but he has learned to find something else to keep the baby's attention. Sam loves Miles so much, its really amazing to be able witness the emotional bond these two have already. 

 "Shmooly." Sam and I are a lot alike and so we have a lot of fun together. He is my little parter in crime for sure, but he has also taught me how to be a better person. 

We're lucky to have these boys!

Eight Months

I have failed miserably at updating the blog on Miles every month. Its something I did with Sam, and I need to remember to do it with Mymy too!

Miles is growing fast. He has become such a happy baby and loves the freedom that he has acquired with his new crawling skills. 

 He can reach everything and anything and it all goes straight into the mouth. So may days are filled with baby proofing and watching this kid like a hawk. 

Mymy loves the outdoors and spends a lot of time hanging out at the back porch watching the chickens. 

 He finally has two teeth, and I believe that he is in the process of cutting a few more. 

 He is pulling himself up on everything but occasionally gets stuck in the standing position.

 Could you resist a kiss from that face?! I absolutely can NOT!!

Miles is the king of drool. So we have nicknamed him "Hooch". From the movie Turner and Hooch. Like a slug leaves a slimy trail, so does this kid on the hardwood floors. 

 Miles loves to follow Sam around and play with whatever he has. He's also very intrigued with the dogs and has started giving them food at meal time. They love him. 

 Mobility has actually been a good thing for us. Miles is constantly on the go and is a very busy boy. Crawling has helped him find things to do so that I am not constantly changing toys and activities for him to do. 

Miles is such a sweet and fun boy and we are so in love with him. He may not have my skin color, or my eyes, but he has my heart completely!!!

May Happenings

Whoa. May was crazy. Which is why I haven't updated the blog since April. 

We have all been good. Miles and Sam are growing so big and we are loving every moment with our boys. 

 These boys are so great together. Sam is obsessed with his little brother and Miles adores Sam. It makes my heart very happy. 

 Miles has been a drooling, teething, snotty mess for over a month now and STILL NO TEETH. But, he's a good sport and still laughs and smiles despite the pain.

 Summer is here! We are loving our days with friends, at the beach and laying in the yard. 

 Beach baby!

 Sam, Miles and I met a few friends at the zoo and had a great day. Miles is such a sport when we do day trips, I love having such a chill baby to explore with!

 Oh man, this smile is THE BEST. Seriously, he has the greatest grin. 

 Mothers Day! We spent the day with my family enjoying the nice weather and the crazy boys.

 This kid, although a very serious soul, can be pretty goofy! He is coming out of his shell and starting to enjoy making us laugh. 

 Me and the boys spend every moment we can outdoors. I've had lots of work to do in the yard, so these boys hang out and explore while I get things done. 

 While Miles is content sitting and watching big brother, Sam is busy collecting snails, potato bugs and worms. 

 The boys and I took a day trip to the aquarium. We had a great time together and can't wait for more adventures like this!

 The dogs are very good with the baby, even though he is now crawling and pulling out their hair. I think they tolerate it because that baby is pretty nice about sharing his food. 

 Mymy never falls asleep or cuddles with me but does so with Daddy every day. Yes, Im jealous. But I get a lot of joy out of watching these two together. 

Sam graduated Pre-School! We loved our class and teacher and although we are sad to move on, we are excited to see what Kindergarten has in store for our big kid!

 The weather continues to improve and we have been able to enjoy some outdoor BBQ's with friends. 

 Brimley and Darla. These two could not be sweeter animals!

 I was able to witness FOUR baby's births this last week. Which was crazy, but also so amazing. 

 Wedding season is picking up which means that my weekends are busy. I love my job a lot, but I do miss down time. 

We have so many amazing trips and adventures planned for this summer, and I can't wait to share more with you! My goal is to be better at updating, even the little things.

A Pirate Party

Sam is officially a 5 year old. Whoa. He and I had the greatest time planning his pirate party, and and even greater time attending it.

Sam insisted on a piñata. Luckily everyone survived the beating. 

 I was WAY too lazy to do a fancy cake this year. Thanks to Safeway, the kid was just as happy (if not happier) with cheap decorated cupcakes.

 Grandma bought Sammy this ship kit and Sam loved making it for his party decorations.

 Party favors! Eye patches (Target) and gold coins (Party City)

So, I made a game. I cut out card stock clocks and painted a Crock to toss the clocks into. MAJOR FAIL. Matty and I tried the game the night before, and it was impossible. So we tried to find another item to toss during the party, but it was just not working out. Boo. Lesson learned: Make the hole bigger and buy bean bags. 

 Tattoos. Every pirate needs one. Or two. Or if you're Sam, you need a sleeve. 

 Impromptu balloon stomp game because these kids wanted activities. And I planned only a few. Whoops. 

 The Piñata. Finally something that worked out great and everyone enjoyed. 

 Sam seriously scored when gifts were involved. Makes us so thankful for his awesome friends who know this silly kid so well! (And obviously this is his FIRST baseball mit. Hence the error in wear)

 See, I told ya, he's silly. 

 Although all things didn't work out as planned, this kid had the time of his life and thats really all that counts. 

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMMY BOY!