Christmas Decorating

Last week, I decided on a whim to pull out our nativity scenes so we could start teaching Samuel about Christmas. Given that he loves animals right now, it is no surprise that he immediately fell in love with the animals in the nativity scene. He set all the characters in the stables, and then promptly unloaded them so he could play with them. He carried them all around, gathered the babies from the sets together, put them all back, showed them to Grandma and told her "stories" about the characters. It was really cute. Then we pulled out some other decorations, including the advent candle holder, which completely fascinated the little dude. He couldn't figure out what to make of that. He did, however, figure out that the candle holders fit nicely on his nose. Funny. Here are a couple of pictures.

Snow Day!

We got our first snow last week, so I raced around town to find Samuel snow boots and pants so we could play outside. He was so little the last time we had snow that he doesn't remember it at all.

From the morning of the snow, he was totally focused on this strange white stuff all over the ground. He kept saying, "no-s" because he couldn't get the "s" sound placed right. By the time I got him from daycare, he had figured it out and was saying "snow" over and over. Completely interested.

So, we went home and got our snow gear to go out and play. He immediately plopped down in the snow and started tasting it. That was by-far the favorite snow activity. We trudged along in the snow and tried making a snow angel, but inevitably, he just kept sitting down to eat snow. Good thing we have no pets! Here are a couple pictures of him in the snow.

Prayers

We are teaching Samuel about prayers and each night before bed we close our hands in prayer and say something like this, "Dear God, thank you for my mommy and my daddy. Thank you for my grandma and my grandpa, my nana and my grandpa. Thank you for Miss Phyllis and all my friends. Thank you for today. Help me to grow big and strong and to always do your work. Amen.

We knew this was impacting him when he started reaching for my hands (at first, I had to clasp my hands on his to keep him focused - now he wants me to hold his hands in prayer). Then he started saying "abed" - Samuel's version of Amen.

Two nights ago, we were sitting on the step watching Daddy paint the doors and trim for a house project and I heard Samuel start to say "Mommy Daddy Mommy Daddy." I look over and his hands are closed as though praying and I heard him saying "Mommy Daddy Mommy Daddy Gamma Gampa Gamma Gampa Happy Happy Happy." I realized that it was his simple and beautiful little prayer. Love that little boy.

Now, he has started folding his hands at dinner and saying something similar to that each night. Bless his little heart, God, and help him grow big and strong, always following your will and finding happiness everywhere he looks.

Thanksgiving 2011

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Grandma and Grandpa M this year. And by celebrating, I mean that Mike and my dad worked on renovating the bedroom for the new baby, due to arrive May 30, 2012, and Mom and I made dinner, while Samuel managed through the day with three allergic reactions on his skin and the onset of a cold. There was much tv watching and iPad playing, which is not the norm in out house usually. We did enjoy a good meal and celebrated the progression of the bedroom project past the mudding stage :)

Samuel enjoyed a little dinner. He wasn't too hungry, but had plenty of room for whipped cream for dessert. Daddy and Grandpa taught him a bad trick...see below...

And finally, Samuel found our large pumpkin on the front porch as we wished Grandma and Grandpa good-bye. He insisted that the "ball" come inside for him to play with. Humorous.

Playground Fun

We took Samuel to a great local park about a week ago to blow off some steam after a morning of shopping. He is finally big enough to really get into the park and enjoy it. Here are some shots of the fun we had.

Old-Fashioned Wooden Toys

Is there anything better than old-fashioned wooden toys? Sturdy, unbreakable, and wide open for imaginative play. Grandpa M went to a neighbor's estate sale today and found the most awesome wooden toys - a huge wooden truck filled with smaller wooden trucks and a huge box of nice, simple wooden blocks. He thought Samuel would love them, so with Mommy and Grandma's support, he got them for the little guy. Best.Toys.Ever. Forget about the plastic noisemaking toys we often get. These are great. Samuel played with them and loved them, indeed. I can see many memories being made with these wonderful toys.

Mischief...

Last Saturday, Samuel sneaked a snack from the table, a bag of Gardettos. And when I found him, the little dude was holed up in the closet lounging on piles of laundry hiding from Mommy and Daddy. Gotta love a sneaky little fellow.