Halloween 2013

I have too many pictures to tack onto the last post, so here is something separate for Halloween.

We got "Boo-ed" by someone in the neighborhood a few weeks before Halloween.  We came home form Lees Summit to a goodie bucket and a note saying we needed to pass it on to two more houses.  Kind of fun to be a part of.

The Friday before, Zach's squadron had a Halloween party for the kids where they dressed up and went room to room in the building where the guys handed out candy to them.  It was so cute to see them all dressed up, and it gave Sam a little practice on how to go trick-or-treating.

Loved his sunglasses right away.

We carved pumpkins a few nights before, and honestly, he had way LESS interest this year than last.  He didn't like the guts, and the actual carving was a bore to him.  He did enjoy the finished product of the Elmo pumpkin, but that is about it.

 The actual night of Halloween was interesting...really, really fun...but interesting.  It had been raining during the days leading up to it and even on the day of.  The whole neighborhood was wondering if trick-or-treating would happen at all...there were posts on Facebook about possibly moving it to Friday...weird.  Luckily, it cleared up just in time for kids to go out.  It was chilly, but at least they weren't drenched.  The whole neighborhood met up at 5:00 to take a group picture, which was so fun to be a part of.

His buddy, Lucas.

Shortly after the photo taking, Sam fell face first onto the concrete and busted his lip open....so that kind of put a damper on the fun.  He was bleeding a lot and his lip was immediately swollen (it looked like he bit all the way through....but we later determined he bit the inside and just really got scratched up on the outside when he hit the pavement).  He whimpered about it for quite a while, but finally settled down by the second or third house we went to. 

Nothing like having a camera in your face after you've busted your lip
open.  He was temporarily not happy with daddy.

   He definitely got the concept of going door to door, saying trick-or-treat, and then thank you.  We only went to about six or seven houses....but that was quite enough.

He loved looking through his candy and trying a few pieces when he got home.  He also passed candy out to kids that came to our door, which I think I'll make him do every year.  He wanted to dump our whole candy bowl into his bag, so I think it was good for him to have the experience of giving it to other kids.

Happy Halloween 2013!!

October into November

October into beginning of November

(from 19 months to 20 months)

We saw a lot of major changes in Sam during the month of October, which has made life extra fun!  

My computer or this blogger website is being crazy with the pictures, so sorry if they appear scattered on your page. They do on mine.

New Experiences:

He has started going to Parents' Day Out one day a week from 9:30-2:00 (although I usually pick him up an hour early to get him home for nap).  This new experience has been MUCH harder for me than him.  He has never cried or acted unsure about it....he marches right in, says hi to the kids and his teachers, starts playing, and never looks back.  It actually took me quite off guard on his first day when it was ME that was crying out in the car while he was being Mr. Independent inside.  He actually has a dance party celebration once a week now when I tell him he is going to school that day.  It makes him seem so grown up....but I do get a sweet smile and a "hi mommy!" when I pick him up....and I have a bulletin board full of crafts that he makes each week....so it is all good.

We went to St. Louis for Zach's high school reunion in mid-October, but the visit was mainly filled with Sam entertainment.  We went to the STL Zoo, The Magic House Children's Museum, and a pumpkin patch.  He LOVED The Magic House.  It was "Big Truck Day," so he got to sit in the driver's seat of real dump trucks, cranes, and bulldozers.  Talk about a dream come true for this kid.  

We also went to Topeka to see Sesame Street Live....larger than life, dancing, singing Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, Elmo, Big Bird....another dream come true.  I remember going to the show as a kid, so it was bizarre for me to be sitting there with my own child.  Pretty fun!  We have an Elmo head balloon and an Elmo blinking wand here at the house for keepsakes.   We also went to a pumpkin patch in Bonner Springs before heading home after the weekend.

At the show

Halloween.....oh my....this was quite a time.  Let me do that in the next post.

New Milestones:

He is definitely talking in sentences now.  Not every word is super clear, but he is getting his point across and even adds in details ("More milk please" "Eggs and sausage please"  "I dig a hole"  "Window up to see a digger please"  "It's too dark to see a digger"  "Digger went bye bye behind the house"  "I play with the kids"  "I see ah (insert whatever he sees out the car window)" "A ride please" (for piggy back rides)  "Saaaam where did you go" (I say this to him when he hides, but he doesn't seem to understand that he doesn't need to say it to himself while hiding).

Getting better with ABCs, counting, and colors.  It is very clear that his favorite color is green.  When he has a choice of colorful things, the green item is always preferred.

He knows the tune to different songs and can throw in key words so that it really sounds like he is singing along ("Mr. Sun"  "ABCs"  "Hokey Pokey" "Head Shoulders Knees and Toes"   "Shake Your Sillies Out").  The one that really got me was hearing him the backseat sing along to "Holy Holy Holy."  Seriously melted my heart.

Knows all the faces and names of all family members...except Aunt Mallory, who he calls Aunt Abo and he thinks its funny.  She called him "Schmoopie" before he was born and we weren't sharing the name yet.....so we're all thinking it is payback.  :)

Play:  
Loves trucks, trains, and using his construction vehicles to play in his rice box.  I highly suggest this to anyone who has a digger/dump truck obsessed child.  The rice is cheap to buy in big bags, clean on their hands while playing, and easy to clean up.  Loves reading Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel, Are You My Mother (it has a digger in it), and Guess How Much I Love You.

Food:
It is very easy to get him to drink apple juice now, and he isn't insulted anymore if you give him water.  Still wants whole milk when he wakes up and before bed....but we've come a long way in the liquids department.  I still cram nutrients into smoothies every day, but he'll eat almost anything.  He even tried peanuts and loved them.  I know they're technically a choking hazard.  Bad Mom Award?  Probably.

Sleep:
He has gotten back into wanting to rock before bed ("I rock a bit").  He has had a few more night terrors this month, so I don't know what the deal is.

Other Fun:
Zach and his dad have started finishing the basement, so he sees his Grandi and Grandpa Franklin every weekend!  My mom still comes over when she can to help out, and we've continued to go to playgroups.