Sammy 8 Months Old

Sammy turned 8 months old just after the start of the new year.

I am continually amazed at how fast time goes and at how much the kids grow and learn in so little time.

He has become a master crawler. It took him about a week before he really got the hang of it and then almost immediately, he began to pull himself up on things. He loves to move! Good luck trying to change his diaper or get him dressed right now!

Sammy has also started to enjoy real food more and more - especially when he can feed himself. The love affair with cheerios has begun! He also loves the bath and gets so excited when he sees the water filling it up.

It's fun to watch him and Lucy play together in the tub. In fact, he loves the bathroom in general and we have to make sure to keep the door closed or he'll crawl right in. One night I was flossing Lucy's teeth and in he came. He crawled right up to the toilet and figured out how to flush it. He was so excited and proud of himself for that trick!

We sure love this little man!

Christmas 2010

Christmas is so much more fun when seen through the eyes of kids. I loved watching Lucy's excitement this year as the days led up to Christmas. My mom stayed over on Christmas Eve and we went out to see some lights. Lucy hadn't taken a nap that day and she totally crashed but we enjoyed ourselves. The next day we had Rhodes sweet rolls for breakfast and enjoyed a relaxing morning. Lucy had so much fun opening presents and wanted to "help" everyone else open theirs as well.

Santa brought her a play tunnel and tent.

We also got her some books and a Winnie the Pooh doll (which she found like 2 months before Christmas, little stinker).

The items she mentions to everyone though? The little Minnie and Mickey mouse figurines - from Dollar Tree, go figure!


Sammy got a little basketball hoop and a couple of toys. That afternoon we visited the Van Hooses for a bit before heading over to my dad's for dinner.

Once there, the kids got spoiled all over again :)

Lately Lucy and I have been spending a lot of time doing "art projects." Here she is making a candy cane. We've made ornaments with handprints on them, snowflake and snowman projects, little birds and a nativity out of TP tubes, and just recently, a wall mural of Lucy and Daddy. I'll have to do a post on them all soon!

We finally took down the tree just the other day (Jan.12). Christmas was so much fun and I know it will just get better as the kids grow a bit bigger. Sammy didn't quite know what to make of it this year but I'm sure his big sister will teach him all about it next year.

Once there was a Snowman

The week before Christmas the kids and I decided to make a snowman.

I think it took longer to get them all bundled up than it did to make the actual snowman! I felt like the mom on "A Christmas Story" and I'm sure if Sammy could talk he would have said "I can't move my arms." Because he couldn't. Really! He didn't like it all in fact because he couldn't roll over and crawl. Lucy liked playing in the snow but was super cold.

We waited a bit too long to make our snowman - the snow had kind of dried out a bit and was crusty - not good snowman packing snow so I took a shovel and made a pile of it and we shaped it from there.

Then we used a carrot for a nose and added a scarf and hat. The eyes and mouth were inspired by a cute book we borrowed from the library - Snowballs. The book has pictures of snowmen made with totally random found things. We found our eyes and mouth in the tool chest we got from my grandpa - I think it adds a fun touch!

Now whenever we mention snowmen, Lucy says ours broke and melted! We'll have to build a new one sometime when I find the energy to bundle them both up again!

¡Adios, 2010! Hello, 2011!

How do you sum up a year? So many great things have happened. First off, and most importantly, Annie gave birth to our wonderful little boy Samuel. We've enjoyed watching him learn to do so many new things: Roll over, sit up, crawl, make noises, learn to eat baby foods- the list goes on and on. We've also enjoyed watching Lucy grow and change. Every day she seems more and more like a little girl. She's potty trained and doing many other things on her own now. Her vocabulary is exploding- everyday she's saying something new, and it's a blast to watch her grow. We've done some home improvements in building a new deck and a new fence for our backyard.

2011 will bring us new opportunities and challenges, no doubt. I've applied to graduate school in hopes of obtaining a master's degree within the next 2 years. Annie and I both have busy church callings. The kids will continue to grow. We hope to continue moving forward and doing our best to fufill all our responsibilities.

Last night Lucy called to me from her bed. I had read her a bedtime story and kissed her goodnight over half an hour ago, and yet she was still awake. When I knelt next to her bed to see what she needed, she wrapped her arms tightly around my neck. "I love you, Lucy." I said and kissed her on the cheek. "Now go to sleep."

With her arms still wrapped tight, she whispered right back in my ear, "Daddy, I love you too."

My heart melted. It was a small thing, but it helped me to remember what 2010 has been all about, and what I have to look forward to in 2011: My family. Nothing brings me more joy and happiness than being a husband and a father.