Sunday, August 28, 2011

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

SATURDAYS!

Saturdays.... are by far my favorite day of the week!  With getting up early all week for work and church on Sunday, it is the one and only day of the week where I have a lazy morning with Sam. 

This last Saturday was no exception - Sam and I were up at 7:30 and we had a fun morning.  Sam was excited to have a breakfast of blueberries and blueberry muffins!
In the morning before Sam's nap, I was cleaning up the kitchen, Bradley was on the computer, and Sam was in his diaper playing on the floor by his storage shelves where we keep all his pureed foods, snacks, formula, and diapers.  He loves to get into all that stuff, and as I glanced over, I paused - he was playing with something on the floor - did he get a jar of food open, what was it?? Upon closer inspection, it was his poop he was playing with, all over his hands, and all over the toys and items near him.  I scooped him up and whisked him to the bathtub while dad managed the crime scene.  For over a day, I kept contemplating - how did a big portion of his poop get on the floor from his diaper... And, I finally realized what had happened as I watched him play on Sunday.  Sam only scoots to the right or on the right side of his body - as he scoots all over the rugs and across the floor and condo, when he stands up, it is so cute because all the bulk of his diaper has shifted left and his right butt cheek is hanging out with his diaper wedged in his crack.  So, it hit me, when he's scooting all over the house in his diaper, the whole right side of his butt is exposed and his diaper compromised due to it all shifting left....!  Mystery explained....


After Sam's nap, we put Sam in the burley and biked to Linden Hills park to Sam's favorite wading pool.  He loves to be in the water!



 We have a cute Mickey mouse floatie for Sam, and because the wading pool is pretty shallow, Sam can touch the ground in his floatie and loves to cruise around the whole pool!  He is not shy and just motors up to all the kids in the pool as well as chasing toys!

  




And, as if the day wasn't fun and exciting enough..... it only got better!

SAM'S FIRST TWINS GAME!






We had tickets to the 6pm Twins Game saturday night that didn't sell on StubHub, so we decided to go and bring Sam so he could experience his first baseball game.  We got him all duded up in his Twins gear and hat (which made a very short appearance) and headed out.








Dad has been teaching Sam to clap and he had it down - pretty cute!  It was an action-packed inning against the Yanks so he got lots of practice.  If dad would STOP clapping, Sam would grab his hands and push them together!

Sam even got to experience his first ballpark food and Minnesota favorite - cheese curds.  He just chewed on them and spit the stringy cheese out for mom!
Best view in the house - Sam watches the game from center field.

Sam was starting to get antsy about halfway through the game, so we gave him a snack and headed for home!  He was fast asleep the minute we got to the car!  I think he enjoyed all the sights and sounds and it was a lot of fun to bring him to his first TWINS game! :)



Sunday, August 21, 2011

What's new with Sam

 What's new with Sam these days......

1.  MOVING - Sam is always on the move and cruising around the house now... (still no crawling) He prefers getting into cupboards and drawers than playing with his toys.

He also seems to have a knack for finding any glass or can in the house and trying to drink from it - we have to be careful where we set them down.  
Toilet paper is another one of his favorite targets.


 

2.  SLEEPING - Sam sleeps on his stomach a lot now and it's always cute to see him with his butt in the air - it just doesn't look comfortable but he seems to like it!  Bedtimes have been a little more challenging with him learning to stand up in his crib - especially when he throws his paci on the ground!  I feel like i'm on an episode of SuperNanny some nights when i repeatedly have to go in, lay him down, and say, "Time for bed" and leave - it eventually works!
 

4.  EATING -  Sam and food are still one of our bigger challenges - I feel better knowing that daycare has the EXACT same challenges with him and it's not just me!  He is getting the finger foods and has them at every meal but he is picky, and he tends to throw more than he eats.  Mealtimes require patience and lots of clean-up.  Some finger foods he loves right now are blueberries, shredded cheese, graham crackers, cheetos/cheese puffs, ice cream, LOVES blueberry muffins, and, of course,  Mac N Cheese.  He seems to only like his vegetables pureed so far so he always gets those at the end if he doesn't eat them in pieces.


5. TRICKS -  Sam is now waving goodbye and hello, which is very cute.  Dad has also taught him to give fives and to clap.



Saturday, August 20, 2011

A few more pictures IDAHO!

 Family BBQ

The kids having fun

 

 Hanging with Dad & Auntie Brooke



Sunday, August 14, 2011

Trip to Idaho (July 29-August 8)

We had an amazing trip to Idaho to visit family and friends...so wonderful, it was sad to leave and come back!

The first six days in Idaho we spent up in McCall, Idaho camping with the extended Vander Stelt Family!  We were able to get a picture of almost everyone who came when we all gathered on Sunday morning (62 of us!!!!).

It is amazing to see my Grandpa and Grandma Vander Stelt and what one marriage can produce - 4 children, 17 grandchildren, and 42 great grandchildren (with two on the way!).  It was nice to pause and gather Sunday morning to reflect on how God has blessed my family!  It was a very special trip, as well, as it is the last year my grandparents would be up with the family in McCall.


 Family picture

As for McCall, it was 6 days packed with fun and family - we took almost 400 pictures the whole week so editing it down is the biggest challenge.  But... here goes.... :)

Mom, dad, and Sam had a tent and shared the lot with Grandpa and Grandma - we built a play area for Sam to keep him out of the dirt and it was a lifesaver for entertaining him!  Of course, we always had help in that arena as well!



As Always, the best part of vacation time is getting to be with Sam all day!  Sam got lots of love and play time with mom and dad!

Hanging out at the campsite!
Bradley managing Bubba and Bam-Bam!

Braden attempting to show off his manly strength before Bradley steps in to help :)


  3 Boys born in 3 Days - 
Sam (Sep 8) - Jack (Sep 9) - Andrew (Sep 10)


5 pictures and not one with all 6 sets of eyes on the camera!

Every night, each larger family ate dinner on their own, but after dinner, everyone would bring their chairs to the campfire outside of Great grandpa and grandma's motorhome for fellowship and S'mores.


Bradley makes himself comfortable to join in the S'mores action!!!

Campfire fun                -          Campfire Mayhem 



As expected, everyone looks forward to the days at the lake with the ski boats!


Below the women and kids head by land to North Shore and the men by boat!

Bradley takes us out on a boat ride!
I think Idaho looks Fantastic on Bradley!
Bradley and Sam playing in the Water - Anna playing on shore.


Hanging out on the beach.

Sam and Andrew playing in the water.

Very messy sand!!!!!



Sam's cousins Ethan and Anna in their fort
This is the life!!!!
Katie's college roomate who lives in McCall comes down with her little girls to hang out!  Casey had it out for Sam and kept chasing after him to steal his toys and push him down!

 
Even though we were camping and technically "roughing it" in a tent...... we had the luxury of Grandpa and Grandma's spacious motorhome within 50 yards of us!  We spent mornings in their as well as other downtime! 











 
Sam with his cousin Maddie


The Cooke family eating Breakfast - Aunt Sara teaches Sam some self-defense against Braden

Bradley gets dog-piled by the Cooke Clan - I don't think he's gonna win this one!!!!!  Sam didn't know what to think!!!!!
Family, fun, beautiful scenery and weather... and to top it all off - Fantastic food!  Compliments to Grandpa and Grandma Vander Stelt - we ate like kings and enjoyed family time at the table.



Braden and Anna feast on Grandpa's infamous pancakes!

One afternoon, we all took at bike ride to McCall for some ice cream!  Props to Jason for towing Braden, Sam, and Anna in the burley - I'm sure that was a leg burner!



Sam is ALWAYS up for some ice cream, but after diving in and taste testing dad's mint chocolate chip, he preferred mom's cookie dough!

So Beautiful...... :)

After 6 days of fun, we headed back to Boise - it was time for clean clothes, real showers, and warm beds!  We had something to look forward to upon our return, though.... We all finally got to see Baby Ezra!  Ezra was not due until August 13, but made his appearance early on July 29.  We got to see Robert and Brooke on our way to the mountains, but it wasn't until we got back to Boise that we got to see (and hold!) Baby Ezra as he spent a week plus in the NICU!  This auntie is in love and misses him already!  We missed Robert and Brooke up in the mountains (we appreciated using their camping gear) but we'll allow this one year off and hope they can join us next year!


Sam's newest cousin - 

Ezra Henry Vander Stelt
Born July 29, 2011
7 lbs 6oz
Ethan, Samuel, and Ezra are all the oldest grandchildren in my family and they all have "Henry" as a middle name!


Ezra is going to have some catching up to do to his cousins Braden and Samuel!

While in Boise, Sam had a good time hanging out at Grandmas - he loved riding the wild lion!  He also spent a day with his cousins at the Cooke's house, as well as a BBQ with friends in Boise.

Sam also got a Bumble bee Pillow Pet from Grandma that he fell in love with - we were concerned that it might replace his love for Mr. Monks, but i think Mr. Monks has maintained his #1 spot with Sam!
We also spent a morning with Great Grandpa and Grandma Vander Stelt - it was fun to see them and show them how much Sam had grown since they saw him last November!


 The last night, we had a BBQ and were excited that Brooke and Robert could join us - unfortunately, Ezra was still in the hospital!  I will have to add some of the cute pictures of all the kids that Robert took (once he sends them to me!)


All in all, it was a fantastic trip!  We had so much fun seeing friends and family and Sam enjoyed hanging out with grandpa and grandma and his cousins!  I think we will make it a priority to camp every year with the family!