Usually Samuel and Owen love bathtime together.  They can get a little out of control, and there is always a small squabble or two, but for sharing such a small space with limited things to do, I am always impressed with how well they get along in there and for how long.  But that doesn't stop them from enjoying the rare occasion when they get the tub to themselves. 

Samuel is such a fish.  We have to remind him often that the tub is not a pool.  He has zero inhibitions about diving, rolling around, and counting how long he can hold his breath.

Owen is a little more timid about the water, and is just recently starting to put his face in and lie all the way back on his own.  One afternoon while Sam was at a friend's and Emmett was napping, Owen played in that tub for an hour!!  I finally dragged him out, afraid he might dissolve if I left him much longer.  O would've stayed in there all day if I let him. 

I decided I'd better get Em into his snowsuit at least once and venture out into the cold with his big brothers.  I waited too long, though, and I could barely zip the suit over him.  In keeping with tradition, I propped Emmett in the corner of the sofa and snapped his darling little picture.

Owen:

Samuel:

November 21, 2011

Samuel has been doing lots of Thanksgiving stuff at school this month.  To celebrate all they had learned and prepared, the kids had a special feast on their last day of school before the break.  Everyone got to bring his or her own snack or treat to share.  Without a moment of hesitation, Samuel knew the day he brought home his November calendar that he wanted to bring chips and guacamole.  We bought the avocados on the Friday before, and I cannot even tell you how many times between then and Monday afternoon Samuel asked if it was time to make the guacamole yet.  What a goof!

I love birthdays.  So does Sam.  He's been anticipating his birthday since the first of his older buddies turned 5 back in May.  Of course I couldn't disappoint.   Saturday was "Party Day" with Samuel's friend party in the morning.  He had designated it a fireman birthday months before.  Which was perfect, since the house happened to be on fire when Sam woke up that morning.  We had planned a big obstacle course in the backyard for our little firemen to earn their badges, but we woke up to rain and had to improvise quickly.  I shrunk down the obstacle course to fit inside, and we were still able to rescue the cat from the tree, climb through the burning tunnel, spin around on the fire engine, jump over the laundry baskets (yeah nothing creative for that part), then spray out the burning building.  We also played a Pin the Tail on the Donkey type game with dressing a fireman, hot potato, stop drop and roll, and toss the firetruck into the burning building beanbag toss style.  We had ignitable cupcakes that each firefighter had to blow out, and per request so many months ago, a pinata.  Samuel and his fire fighting friends had a great time!

That night was Chuck E. Cheese.  But first we had the traditional stop at Toys R Us to use the birthday Geoffrey dollars.  Again, lots of fun.  I love any excuse for special time as a family.

Sunday was Samuel's birthday.  He woke up to balloons and a birthday banner in his room.  He asked me for days how I got them in there, like he couldn't believe I did it all while he was sleeping.  I heard Sam was beyond giddy when he was sung to in Primary.  (First year that I wasn't in there to see, *sniff*)  Sam got to open one present while Owen napped, Cars 2.  When Owen got up we finished presents, and then had pancakes for dinner, another birthday request made ages ago.

We sure do love our funny not-so-little-anymore Sam.  He is overflowing with personality.  He is sassy and quite the back-talker.  But he is also friendly, thoughtful, and polite.  Samuel loves to ride his bike, play with his friends, watch Wild Kratts, drive his monster trucks, and learn new things.  He changes his clothes a bajillion times a day.  Sam loves pancakes, bananas, raisin bread, and "cow milk."  He loves fighting, shooting, killing, swords, and guns, *sigh.*  He still struggles to write his S and doesn't color in the lines, but he can tell you 8 different names for Bigfoot.  He is growing up and learning so much so fast.  He makes us smile, he makes us happy, he makes us pull our hair out, and he makes up laugh.  And I absolutely cannot for the live of me get a decent picture of this boy.  Happy 5 years, Sambo!!  

Five years old!  That is so grown up to me.  No more baby, no more toddler, no more little boy.  Samuel is 5!  I can still remember the excitement of waking up in the middle of the night to my water breaking.  I remember after the quick three hours of labor, the long 3 hours of pushing.  I remember how pleased I was when Erik smiled and told me, "Oh yeah, he has a lot of hair!"  I remember holding my sweet little baby in my arms, looking into his eyes, and saying, "This is Sam."  That was five years ago!  What a blessing this bright, clever, funny, tender-hearted boy has been to us since then.  Love you so very much, Samuel.  Happy birthday!!     

I can't believe how old Sam looks in recent pictures.  He is really growing up and turning into a big kid. 

My Bedstefar is here visiting from Denmark.  He brought some things to make a kite with Sam because he knew what fond memories I have of making kites on our visits when I was a kid.  Sam thought it was dang cool, and brought it for his show-and-tell that day.  Since then, he asks almost every day when it will be windy enough to fly it.

Sam has been very into the Halloween season.  They've been doing lots of fun things at school with it.  On ghost day, he brought this home.  It's a picture of a ghost, who ate 5 other ghosts (a mommy ghost, a daddy ghost, an Owen ghost, an Emmett ghost, and a Jacob ghost).  And once I looked closer, I saw he had written "Boo" on it.  I was impressed, and asked Sam if he did that all by himself.  "Sure!  B-O-O spells Boo!"

We've also done a few things here at home, too.  The other day we went to happy hour at Sonic with some friends, and one of the car hops brought out balloons for all of the kids.  When we got home, Samuel wanted to draw a scary face on his.  "Here are the big spooky eyes, and a round nose, and scary sharp teeth, grrrrrr." 

And while I'm here, I ought to do some back blogging.  (I thought I had caught up on that, until I realized I never blogged about Sam learning to ride his bike or soccer.)  So way back in May, Samuel popped his bike tires.  We could not find new 10" tubes anywhere, so Erik just bought a new bike for $5 at the D.I. with the intention of taking the tires off of it and putting them on Sam's bike.  Samuel saw that bike and ended up being very taken by "his new silver bike."  So Erik took him to the church parking lot and we were totally impressed with Samuel's balance, but he still struggled a bit.  He could do a straight line, but couldn't turn or start himself without a running push from Erik.  That's where we left it for the time being. 

A couple days later, Sam brought that bike with him to the park even though he wasn't riding it.  His buddy Gabe, who is a maniac and has zero fear, and is also an expert on his balance bike, gave Sam's bike a shot.  In 10 minutes flat, Gabe was a pro.  We decided to switch bikes for the day, so that Gabe could show his dad.  The next day Gabe rode over to our house on his new bike (also $5 from DI).  That was all it took for Sam.  He hopped onto his own bike and took off without help.  I was blown away.  That evening, Sam took Erik out to show him his new skills.  Clearly, he was still working on stopping and accurately stearing, but that didn't stop us from being impressed.  By the next day he was a pro, and pretty much didn't get off his bike for the rest of the summer.

Samuel started his soccer season in August.  His first practice was the Saturday after Emmett was born.  So the first couple weeks were a bit crazy, but I am so glad we had something for him to do in the evenings when the world pretty much stopped for a few weeks there with Baby 3!  There were a few practices, then 4 on 4 games twice a week.  Samuel was on the same team as two of his neighborhood buddies and a boy he goes to school with.  Sam had a lot of fun, although sometimes at the cost of his father's complete and total frustration.  Erik was diligent taking videos with his phone, but I didn't once bring the camera to take pictures.  I realized that, and planned to most definitely have it with me at the last game.  Except that Sam came down with a fever of 104 that afternoon and was in mood for a soccer game, even if it was the last.  He was disappointed, but cheered up when Nathan brought over his medal. 

So, while I'm here documeting the Amazing Mr. Sammers, I do believe it's time for a new edition of Samuel Says.  It's been so long.  I could write a book.  But instead, I'll just highlight some recent favorites.

• He loves to ask about animals if they have teeth and if they lay eggs.  One day he knew he was being silly when he asked me if monster trucks lay eggs.  I told him of course they don't, to which he replied, "Sure monster trucks lay eggs, that's where Hummers come from."   
• Em started fussing while Sam was holding him.  He rubbed his head and said softly, "It's ok, don't worry, Samuel is here."
• Another time I was holding Em on my shoulder.  Sam said, "Aw, he looks so cute like that, like a tiny . . . . TIRE!"
• Owen totally sneezed on Sam, who was not happy about it.  He yelled at him, "Owen, that's disgusting, I'm not a tissue!!"    
• Sam stopped his playing one day to randomly tell me, "Mom, I wish we had a balcony and fancy stairs."  Me, a little confused, "A balcony??"  "Yeah, so me and Owen could play on them."
• For Pet Day at school, Samuel wanted to bring his stuffed moneky, and polar bear and seal.  The other two boys and I came to meet the other animals, and watch Sam share his.  The moms all went up front with their kids who had real pets.  So when it was Sam's turn (he was the first without a real pet to share) I thought it was really sweet that he still wanted me to come up front with him.  Then he proceeded to show his "pets."  I didn't give him any prompting, because he knew just what he wanted to say.  "This is my monkey.  He lives in the jungle and likes to eat bananas and bugs.   This is my polar bear and seal.  They are artic animals.  The polar bear is a land animal and the seal is a water animal, but the polar bear can swim in the water and the seal comes onto land.  The polar bear is the predator with very sharp teeth and he swims after the seal and eats him."  At this point, Samuel started acting out a very dramatic predator vs. prey with his animals, complete with sound effects.  Then he stopped.  "Ok, that's it.  I'm done now.  Any questions?"  It was great.
• He was playing an iPad game with Erik and asked, "This game is going to be more technical?"  We laughed, "Uh, what do you mean by that?"  "I mean, like it's gonna be more difficult?" 
• Preparing the boys for conference, Sam was not having it.  "Conference makes me siiiiiick.  I need to go lie down in my bed with the light off and rest.  Mom, you can bring me breakfast up there."  But he did take it upon himself to make sure Erik was up and ready for conference.  "Mooooom, I told Dad to get dressed and come down for conference but he didn't hear me.  Now I'm going to go back up and tell him in my loudest voice.  My loudest voice EVER!"  So he took off, and I heard him yelling, "DAD!!!  IT'S CONFERENCE!  YOU NEED TO COME LISTEN TO THE PROPHET SPEAK TO US NOOOOOOW!"
• He was burping at the dinner table, and I asked him to stop.  "I'm not burping.  Those are bird calls.  *burp*  See, that was an Amercan parrot from Asia.  *burp*  That was a North American bird from India."  Then he gargled, so I rolled my eyes and asked what that one was.  "That was just a human gargling."
• Seriously, this kid does. not. turn. off.  He wakes up talking and doesn't stop until he is asleep at night.  Perfect example:  I heard his door open one morning.  I'm still in bed and hear him lift up the toilet lid.  I heard the pee begin.  Then I heard Samuel, "Mom, are predators nocturnal?"  What do you think Sam? "Lions are predators, and they're nocturnal."  Flush. "But cheetahs aren't nocturnal, they have black lines on their face to protect from the sun, so they must be diurnal."  Walking downstairs. "And cheetahs are predators, so that means all predators aren't nocturnal, I guess.  Owen turn off the light upstairs, you don't want to waste electricity!" Downstairs now. "Oh, I forgot my new micro machine upstairs.  I lost it but then I found . . . " voice fades as he goes upstairs, but here he comes again  " . . . my army truck and they go in the big helicopter."  He takes a breath.  "MOM!" and this is where he goes into a monologue about lung fish and how they breath and Jeremy Wade on River Monsters. Then, finally, "I'm ready for breakfast, can I have some waccles?"  Right.  He knows the difference between nocturnal and diurnal, but still can't say the word waffles.

Anyway, so that's our not so little Samuel.  Who is almost 5.   

August 24, 2011

Doesn't that make him sound so grown-up, "Pre-K"!!  Samuel is going to a new school this year, so we could be a bit closer to home and go with a few neighborhood friends.  He has been ridiculously excited and oh-so ready for school to start again.  On the first day, Sam wouldn't even let me come in with him, which really was no surprise, but it still stung a tiny bit.  

So far, Samuel is just loving school!  He's even had a few "homework" assignments that he gets super pumped about: bringing in a baby picture, bringing in a smell, and bringing in a vegetable for wombat stew.  Samuel also got to bring home the letter bag to fill with things that start with the letter S, and then bring it back to school to share what he found.  He had the weekend to come up with things to stuff it with, which included a shark, a seal, a sea lion, a snake, sunglasses, Snot Rod, Samuel the Lamanite, his Sammy the Snail book, his new soccer ball, and a "sticky strawberry snack to share at school" (fruit roll ups).

Seriously, preschool is just about the best thing to happen in Samuel's little life.  I love when he comes home and tells me about his day; what special assignment he had in class, what played on at "recess," what he learned, and who his newest friend is.  He thrives on this kind of thing, and it's been great for ALL of us! 

May 14, 2011

A guy in our neighborhood, who has a boy Sam’s age, spread the word about t-ball in Mapleton that he would be coaching. I jumped on that so fast. Samuel was beside himself giddy when we went out to get him a baseball mitt before his first practice. There are several other neighborhood friends of ours on the team, so that added to the excitement. Add in the fact that Samuel found out his team was the Giants and he could barely contain himself.

So the games go like this . . . each player on Team A gets a turn to hit the ball and run a base while all the players on Team B play the field. There are no offical outs, no score keeping, and lots of parents out on the field. Then Team A and Team B switch. Do that two more times, and the game is over. It’s a ton of fun and I think a great way to teach a bunch of 4 year olds the fundamentals of sportmanship and teamwork.

Sam is the one in the huge orange t-shirt and black hat.    He’s #2.

After a few weeks of practice, it was Mapleton Baseball Opening Day, complete with first games, parade, and hot dogs in the park. I dropped Sam and Erik off a few minutes before the 9:00 game and planned to scope out the parade set up when I remembered I was supposed to get balloons for our team! Dang it. I was so ticked at myself, and I ended up missing most of Samuel’s first game, but Erik caught me up and took some great videos, too. Our senstive hearted Sam has a really hard time when he isn’t the one to catch the ball, or if he misses it, or if he doesn’t tag a player out, or if he gets stuck with the pink helmet, or each time they do their team cheer that’s too loud and hurts his ears, or or or . . . ! But, he still loves it and looks forward to each practice and game, and I think it’s a really good learning experience for him. Go Giants!

Cutie little spectator.

“1-2-3 Goooooo GIANTS!”

Add Lambert in a few months, and we’re well on our way to having our own Briggs Fam team.

Yeah, you try to get ten 4 and 5 years olds riding in the back of a truck to all look and smile.

The parade.  Can you spy Sam in the bottom right?  That’s the back of his blonde little head in the corner.  Only pic we got of him in the actual parade.  I ran after the truck screaming and waving my arms trying to get his attention, just so he would know we were there.  I still don’t think he saw us.

It’s been an awesome first year for Samuel in preschool.  He has grown and learned a lot.  He has made new friends and really loved his teacher, Ms Laura.  Last week was Samuel’s last day.  It’s been such a great experience.  For all of us.  I am already panicking about what we are going to do. All. Summer. Long.

For Samuel’s end of the year preschool program, the classes put on a little play.  It was a cute version of Hansel and Gretel.  The two oldest kids were Hansel and Gretel, then everyone else was a kid who got turned into gingerbread by the wicked witch.  Samuel has been practicing at school and at home for a while.  I have loved listening to him sing the songs and do his little dance.  Come show time, well . . . as parents we had that moment (or several of them) when you kind of half chuckle half sink in you chair and say, “Yeah, that’s my kid.”  Sam was a goofball and got a bit silly with some of his friends several times.  He also sneaked off to pick candy from the house every time he got bored.

Yep, that’s our Sam. 

Giving his frozen gingerbread kid pose.  This makes me laugh.

Best Buddy Jacob.  These two are trouble.  But so so cute.

The wicked witch’s candy house.