Fall break fun day

School's out, so we headed to out of town and to the big city.

Our first stop was Imagine It, the Atlanta Children's Museum. The boys came here a couple of summers ago and loved it. Jack has been asking to come back ever since.

Sam is obviously not interested in what that card has to say. The World of Coca-Cola was our next stop. The boys were so excited about the "Coke factory."

Ready for the 4D movie.

By far their favorite part was the tasting room.

Sam took full advantage of our once-in-a-lifetime open invitation to drink all he wanted. I'm pretty sure he drank a whole 20 oz worth of Coke.

Sam's first game day

We had some extra tickets to the Georgia vs. Vandy game and asked the boys if they'd like to join us, along with Josh's family at the game. Jack opted to play with his cousin Ian. Sam decided to root for the Dawgs.

The guys on gameday.

Ready for the fourth quarter.

His favorite part was probably playing with Sean's glasses. I think he liked the popcorn too!

Pre K

Then, this happened...on my birthday!

The Army fits his one qualification for future professions (you don't have to go to college.) 

The World Is His Stage

VBS Night - God Cares For Me from Laura Garrett on Vimeo.

C is for...

Chick-fil-A...duh!? Life in the Sham is now complete bliss. We officially have our very own Chick-fil-A just miles away from our house. We've been drooling since January when construction began. The signs have been up at least three weeks. Each time we drove by Sam would say, "Too fay, Mom! Too fay!" I would tell him it wasn't open yet. So, his proclamation developed into, "Too fay, not open."

On Thursday, that all changed! I had a meeting at 6:30, so the boys and I met Josh at Chick-fil-A for dinner at 5:30 for our first bite as a family*. Never mind that Josh had already had breakfast there. Everyone thinks I'm the crazy one, but none of the employees have called me by name yet. Ask my husband if he can say the same after a breakfast trifecta their third day in operation?!

So, as you can see, it was a big week around here. And, I'm still working on Sam, who continues to say, "Too fay, not open," every time we drive by. Now, I can reply, "Only on Sunday, Sam, only on Sunday!"


*FYI, I chose the Caesar Chargrilled Cool Wrap meal as my inaugural bite at our Chick-fil-A.

What a Ride

With Josh scheduled to work all weekend, we made big plans to do it up right on Friday night with a fun family night. Luckily, this weekend was the Mountain Laurel Festival. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the festivities, Pitts Park became a carnival of fun.

A small side note: whenever Josh asks Jack what he wants to do for fun he always says, "go to the fair!" Josh always has to remind him that the fair isn't until the fall and even then it's only for one week.

You can imagine the excitement when I drove by Pitts Park on Tuesday after preschool to show the boys what we were planning to do on Friday night. Sam said, "that be fun!"

They rode every ride they were tall enough to ride, some of them even twice. And then of course we stuffed our faces with hot dogs & cotton candy. It was a full and fun Friday night!

You can see lots more of our fun here.

He is a Male

Sam: mom, I like pink milk
Me: Sam, where is your cup?
Sam: (without so much as even glancing around) don't know. Can't find it!

Full

Our full Saturday included a trip to a (not so spectacular) Spring Spectacular. The lack of spectaculars didn't stop these two from having a little fun sack racing. Uncle John gave Jack a run for his money...

 

Our fun was followed by a tasty (although somewhat unusual) dinner. And since you can't go near Helen without stopping at Hansel & Gretel's...Sam demonstrated his love for chocolate covered marshmallows.

Filling in the Gaps

We've been super busy and having lots of fun, but I'm sure that's no surprise, right?

Sam's been exploring the benefits of oatmeal facials. I left him at the breakfast table for a few minutes while I helped Jack in the other room. I returned to find him with his face in his bowl trying to lap up every last morsel.

We've been busy having playdates with our sweet friend Amelia, who's a new big sister to sweet baby Gus! Don't worry, Lindsey (& Joshua), I made sure these two obeyed the speed limit!

Who has to travel hundreds of miles for the sand and shore, when you can do a little surfing right down the street during story time at the library? 

What's better than s'mores around the fire? S'mores around the fire in your sweet neighbor's back yard. That's a recipe for a truly fun Friday night.

Dig In!

As I mentioned, the idea started small. It certainly grew from there. As you can see, we had great fun celebrating Sam's second birthday this weekend.

There was cake.

There was coloring.

There were candles.

There were creative kids.

There were really cute kids.

 

There were cones,

 

cones,

 

and more cones!

Two

Dear Sam,

Today you turned two. I know you enjoyed us singing "Happy Birthday" to you and you even joined in and grinned, but I'm not sure you knew what it all means. Certainly you can't fathom what it means for your mama to have you reach yet another milestone. I'm proud. I'm sad. I'm hopeful. I'm teary. I'm excited. I'm exhausted...but that may have something to do with staying up late to finish your cake for the party tomorrow.

Last time I remember celebrating a two-year-old's birthday so vividly it was your big brother's milestone. We had a train party complete with a train giving rides around the block, and you were just a couple of months away from making your first appearance in the world. For that very reason, I don't think Jack's two was such a roller coaster of emotions. I was excited for him. He was about to be a big brother, and I was going to get to watch it all...for better or worse.

How can you be sooo big? You are talking in full sentences and basically tell us whatever you want. We are working hard on "yes, mam" and "yes, sir." I guess having a brother around to socialize with has made you aware. I'm continually amazed at your language. It's definitely time to start a 'Sam Says' feature on the blog.

Maybe now I know why I went so overboard planning your party...it gives me something to do so I won't think so much about how big you are getting. All the fun tomorrow will certainly distract from any bittersweet feelings about having a two-year-old.

I love you, little man!

Mommy

C is for Cookie

On the heels of my apple post, here's another recent treat (courtesy of dad's most recent stop at the grocery store!)

Now I know my ABCs

I know we've done this all before, but I am again amazed at the sponge-like capabilities of my almost two-year-old's brain. He regularly speaks in such plain language that I have to remind myself he's not yet two. He picks up everything and incredibly has figured out the correct usage for certain terms. A few weeks ago, I had to tap the brakes and stop quickly as a car ahead of us made a last second decision to turn left. A couple of seconds later, I heard Sam pipe up from the back seat, "BOCKERS!" (aka bonkers!)

He loves to sing and regularly requests "We will rock you" when riding in the car. He doesn't sit still long enough to watch much, but on long rides he prefers "Coos Coos," "Fire Sam" or "Gabba." (Blue's Clues, Fireman Sam or Yo Gabba Gabba.) Most days his older brother will oblige. 

Here's a clip of him singing the alphabet. I think the thing that impresses me the most about his rendition is that he can be interrupted, and somehow remembers where he left off. I can still remember when Jack first learned his alphabet he would start over if anything messed him up. (My apologies that the video is out of focus.)

Letting Go

This week marks 23 months for our little guy Sam. Josh reminded me this weekend that when Jack was this age, we were making preparations for Sam and most certainly treating Jack like a big boy, not a baby. Of course, when compared to a four-year-old, Sam is definitely still a baby, right??

All around the house I'm noticing things that make me wonder if I'm resisting this little one's leap into full-blown boyhood. Take the highchair for instance. Sam has long claimed a spot at the table with the rest of the family. I convinced Sam to sit in it a couple of weeks ago to eat a container of applesauce, but mostly he'd rather play musical chairs at the kitchen table and try out each location...including sometimes "Daddy seat! Mommy seat!" I can recall sequestering the same high chair to the basement for several months back when Jack graduated to the table, and Sam was not quite ready to enjoy its utility. This time moving it down to the basement storage is a little more like letting go.

Or what about that stack of bibs occupying space in one of the kitchen cabinets? Sam pretty much refuses to wear one these days. In fact, I can't remember the last time I managed to convince him to sport one. Yet I still can't manage to relocate them or pass them along to a new owner. It's too much like letting go.

How about the not one, but two, diaper champs we own? There's one in our bathroom and another up in Sam's room. I quit using them to house dirty diapers ages ago, and then wet ones quite a long time ago too! These days the diapers typically go straight out to the trash can. The diaper champs became one more thing I forgot to empty the day before trash pick-up. Of course, I check them every now and then these days in case the babysitter or the grandparents actually drop a diaper in, which does occasionally happen. But isn't that just further evidence that I should put them away? Nope, I guess that would be letting go.

It's letting go, because this time there is no baby on the way that will soon call the highchair back into action or needing those bibs to catch pureed carrots, squash and peas or soiling close to a dozen diapers a day to fill those diaper champs. I don't want this post to look like a sob story, it's merely a collection of my observations as I see these things in my house each day. Our family of four is quite a happy crew. So, don't mistake my ramblings as the yearnings for a new addition. I have no doubt I'll see plenty of comments along the lines of, "it's just time to have another one." I already routinely field the question: "I guess it's time to try for a little girl now, right?" The thing is I don't want to have another baby just because I'm sad that my youngest is about to turn two. I mean when would it end? It just doesn't seem like the best way to determine if we're ready to grow our family again.

I don't know what the good Lord has planned, but I know He will help me let go when the time is right...hopefully, before Sam leaves for kindergarten!

22 & a Talker

Dear Sam,
You just hit the 22-month mark last week and are quite the conversationalist these days. I don't want to forget all these wonderfully cute and incredibly hilarious things you come up with. So, I'll do my best to record them here. We really never know what will come out of your mouth.

You were right alongside me the morning I put the Christmas trees up, but you & brother were both napping when I finally managed to get ornaments put on the following day. You had already impressed me the day before by repeating after me, "Kissmas Tree!" On the way down the stairs after nap, you said excitedly, "Kissmas tree!" When I took you in for a closer look, you turned to me and said, "I wove it!" I was so tickled, that you just kept saying it over and over again. Now, it's part of your bit. If you want to make me or your daddy laugh you just say, "Kissmas tree. I wove it!"

Your other favorite phrases:
"Bubba. Stop!"
"Daddy truck!"
"Choo choo outside," which today developed into "Choo choo outside. Scare. Wowd!" I heard a train approaching when we were in downtown Cornelia this afternoon, I hurried to get down to one of the stop signs by the track. You love trains, so I rolled down the window. Well, a horn sounds a lot more appealing from 3/4 of a mile away. From 50 feet away, it is apparently terrifying! You burst into tears. So, now it's "Choo choo outside. Scare. Wowd!"

You love to brush your teeth and prefer your big brother's toothpaste. "Bubba toothpaste, peas!" Your favorite bedtime stories are your VBS photo album, which you affectionately call your "Addy Book" (for all the pics of Ali Harris), and your "Monkey book." Your dad and I were impressed by how quickly you've learned to recognize the numbers on each page. You also like to do the silly voice of the doctor on the phone with the monkey mama, it sounds like this "No mwuh wah dah wah bah yah BED!"

Last week, we were just hanging around and someone said something about Sunday. You immediately said, "Muhday...Tueday...Whenday...Thurday!"

You're still a couple months shy of two years, and I can't remember your brother knowing anything about a single cartoon character at this age. You on the other hand are a huge fan of "Coos Coos" a.k.a. Blue's Clues and Cars. You love "Queen" and "Mater!" When it's time for bed you know we have to put "Queen Baket!" (in the basket.) I started keeping the basket on the gated staircase so you can only reach in and grab a few at a time because you and Jack kept dumping the whole basket out. Lately, you've managed to talk brother into letting you on the stairs, but you usually just line up your cars until the step is completely full.

You know that Santa says "Ho ho ho!" and your two favorite songs are "Jesus Loves Me" and "We will rock you." You sing them both with great enthusiasm. Sometimes in the car you will just start yelling, "Jesus Song!"

You will try just about anything food wise and like most of what you try, with the exception of pastas. You love to eat "cacakes" on the "choo choo plate!" (Pancakes on the Thomas the tank engine plate.) You also love bacon morning, noon or night...you don't care. You call it "bay bay," which I hope stays around for a while.

Your big brother is really starting to enjoy your company. You don't always enjoy his. Jack loves to play with you, but sometimes you'd just rather play with your cars alone. Try to be patient with him. He's still figuring this big brother thing out. Jack likes teaching you new tricks, which mommy and daddy don't always approve of. He doesn't mind sharing his popcorn, ice cream cone and other snacks with you. Sharing his chocolate milk is a different story...

Thanks for treating everyone around you to so much fun. We love your sweet smile and silly phrases. I really love the "hungs" you've started giving. You can squeeze my neck anytime!

Love,
Mommy

Christmas Performers

Thursday marked the final day of preschool for the year, and the classes celebrated with a little performance and a birthday party for Jesus. The classes sang several songs, and Jack's Busy Bee group recited such a sweet little rhyme:

I couldn't buy a gift for you, because I am very small.
But I can give you something, the greatest gift of all.
I can give you kisses (smack, smack),
I can hug you too!
I can give you a friendly smile,
And tell you "I love you!"

Sam was in the bye, bye buggy with his classmates ringing the jingle bells as the big kids sang. Videos on the way.

December Fun

We're a dozen days into December and we've been busy celebrating the fun of the holidays. We started the first day of December by introducing chocolate advent calendars to the boys. No surprise, the chocolate was a hit...stopping at one tiny piece was a little less popular. Each day the chocolate has a different little design on it. The piece for day one had a little train, and Sam has called it "choo choo candy" ever since.

Of course before you can enjoy chocolates, you have to eat a good dinner. Well, I guess Sam didn't want to leave any doubt. After he finished eating he was sitting with Josh and nibbling a bit from Josh's plate. Well, he decided he loved dad's mashed potatoes so much that when they were gone he instinctively picked up the plate and started licking it. Once he'd licked it clean, he noticed there were a few morsels on my plate and climbed down and up into my lap. I promise we feed him.

Last Thursday

This morning we had oatmeal and cocoa puffs for breakfast. The same thing we had last Thursday. But, last week there was an ocean out our window. An ocean view makes oatmeal and cocoa puffs even better.

Today after breakfast the boys headed to preschool. Last week, we spent the morning with our toes in the sand and surf.

So, if you caught me daydreaming today, I was probably thinking about the sounds of those waves crashing and my boys enjoying a Thursday morning at the beach.

photo friday!

I think I mentioned we got to see our favorite photographer this week. Our goal was to record that sweet grin on our now 18-month-old Sam. As always, we weren't disappointed. Get a sneak peek of the images at Sue Ann's Blog.

18 and enjoying the ride?

Today marks 18 months, we've been a family of four. Exactly 18 months ago today, we welcomed Sam into our lives. Has it really been that long?? Although he's constantly in motion, always striving to keep up with (and often times out-do) big brother, I still think he's just a baby. Reality is sinking in that he's getting to be a big boy. We'll check in on his stats next week at the pediatrician, and we just had a visit with our favorite photographer last night in Athens. Those adorable snapshots are the closest thing I've found to freezing time. Since we can't push pause, we'll just hang on and enjoy the ride!