On the Move

So I still have probably one more entry left to document the remainder of our Utah trip, but I thought I would take a break and blog about something new and exciting: little Sam is crawling! While he is super thrilled at mastering this maneuver, the rest of us are a little, um, screwed. Yep--screwed. Nothing is safe anymore, including Max's toys--Sam goes after them now and it really riles Max. He has also reached up onto the ottoman to grab (and dump) a huge glass of ice water all over himself and the carpet, not to mention the shoes he tries to grab and mouth. Sam is especially happy that he can follow everyone around now and always be where the action is, because with Max the action doesn't stay still (or in any one room) for very long. At the end of this entry I have posted a video of my cute little guy on the move. In addition to crawling, Sam can now clap his hands (he has actually been doing this since March) and pull himself up to standing. He even stood without assistance for several seconds yesterday. He can even cruise along the furniture a little bit. The funniest, though, is his dancing. He stands up to his little table, pushes some buttons to get the music going, then bobs his head up and down and back and forth. It is the cutest thing ever--I definitely need to get that on video.

The weather here has been very erratic. There were several days in April when neighbors were cooling off in their pools because the coupling of 90 degree weather with 90 percent humidity was almost unbearable. Then, there are days when the air is so perfect and the temperature is in the mid-70s and I find myself wishing that every day could be so wonderful and pleasant. And then, there are days like today when I awaken to frost on the ground--it was 32 degrees this morning. Brrrrrr! It feels so cold when one has gotten accustomed to wearing flip-flops and capris. Thankfully, it looks like the tomatoes we planted survived. At least I hope so. It is after Mother's Day--the so called "safe time" to plant. A little side note: We were so happy to find Cherokee Purples this year--our absolute favorite heirloom tomato that we discovered while in UT but couldn't find out here last year. I am pretty sure that if we have to replant we will not find such awesome seedlings.

These cute pictures of Max and Sam playing in the yard were taken one lovely evening in early April. They turned out so good I had to post a bunch of them--I just couldn't narrow the pics down any more than this.

It was still quite cool outside, but we had just returned from UT where it was freezing and windy, so this day was a nice intro to spring for us.

Sammy is chewing on a biter biscuit, aka choking cookie. He LOVES them, but finally got to the point where he could break off big hunks and gag on them. Too scary for this ACLS and PALS trained ER nurse.

This was also Sammy's first experience in the grass. He was quite fascinated with the pokey green stuff, and kept trying to put fistfuls in his mouth.

Sam is such a beautiful baby. Those eyes--they are so big and blue and captivating! I can't tell you how many times a day he gets "oohed" and "ahhed" and ogled and admired. One stranger even reprimanded me for not sending his picture to Regis.

And then there is my loveable, charming, adorable Max (except when he's throwing a tantrum or whining, in which case he's not so charming or adorable, but still very loveable).

He actually gets his share of compliments from strangers as well. He is so outgoing and polite (both characteristics he inherited from his dad) that random people just think he is a terrific kid. Unless, of course, he is screaming thru the grocery store or has his fingers rammed clear up his nose (the latter of which happens far too frequently)--in those instances he ceases to be the sweetest, smartest and most handsome two-year-old boy and instead becomes just a typical toddler. We love him either way. However, he is going thru a weird stage where it is almost impossible to get a good picture of him: either he is on the move and will absolutely not sit still long enough to smile for a photo, or he cheeses it up too big and ends up with a silly face (and sometimes he makes the silly faces on purpose).

Matching overalls from Grandma Jill...

Now that the weather has warmed up and the grass is no longer a marshy wetland, Max can once again enjoy one of his favorite past times--a motorcycle ride with daddy!

Sam and I were outside watching big brother and daddy ride, and Sam would get so mad whenever they would pass us. He kept trying to squirm out of my arms to go toward them while making his trademark demanding-grunt noise. I guess he wanted a turn, too!

Sam loves to play in the kitchen cupboards. Other than tripping over tupperware, this is a win-win situation--he is entertained while I prepare dinner, and Paul gets a freshly cooked meal. Unfortunately, babies have a short attention span, and I do not want to "wear out" this wonderful activity--so, that is why I can't cook every day. Sorry, baby! (But now you know.)

And finally, the video of Sam crawling. He finally mastered the move on May 2, five days after his 8-month birthday.