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!

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! 

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.

Friday was Samuel’s preschool Halloween party.  Sam was really excited for it.  He loved seeing Ms. Laura and all of his school buddies in their costumes.  Of course, Jacob was still his best buddy there.  All of the kids did a short program for everyone else there.  They read their Halloween book and sang a couple songs with their witch puppet.  (Sam tried his hardest to get Jacob to come up front with him for all the different things that monring, but ended up staying back with his buddy, who is a bit more reserved than in-your-face Mr. Samuelson.)  Then it was time for trick-or-treating around the cul-de-sac.  Owen was a grump, but Sam was more than happy to make the rounds a  few times all by himself.  Then all the kids gathered back together for a special visitor . . . a REAL witch!!!  She brewed up a potion in her cauldron, complete with dragon blood, bone dust, eyeballs, bats, and worms, and out came goodie bags for all the kids.  It was beyond cute, and Sam was totally enthralled.  I have a ridiculous number of pictures, because we had a ridiculous amount of . . . say it with me . . . FUN! 

These two are so cute together.

This one is cute, too, even by himself.

Samuel really liked Joey’s dinosaur costume.

“Green goblin, green goblin, what do you see??  I see a black bat looking at me . . . “

Darling darling darling.  All of it.  I wish I had thought to bring my video camera!

Trick or Treating.

Here comes the witch!  Samuel loved her.  He kept telling me, “She’s a nice witch, and I’m not scared of her.”

Jacob, Ms. Laura, and Samuel.

It was really neat but also a bit strange to watch Samuel interact with his teacher and all of these kids who I hardly know, but he spends hours with each week.  It’s a big mish mash of emotions that are really hard for me to explain, but it’s all very new to me and I want to remember every detail.  I hate how much I forget.  I am surprised every day by how much and how quickly Samuel is growing up.  He is so bright, he has such a big heart, and he is so so FUN!

Last Friday, Samuel had his first preschool field trip.  Owen and I got to tag along with our good friends Amy, Jacob, and Emily and the rest of the preschool brigade for a fun morning at Pumpkin Land in Orem.  It was a really cute place.  O was mostly interested in scooping and throwing dirt.  Samuel was mostly interested in running around and checking out everything.  We went through a corn maze, saw goats bunnies and chickens, had lots of photo-ops with cut outs and blow ups, climbed played and explored, stopped for a donut break with all the other preschoolers, walked the light alley, and chose from a bajillion pumpkins.

I spy . . . Owen with a death grip on his donut, Sam and his best buddy Jacob, O and his adorable girlfriend Emily, and a little finger that was pecked by a chicken .2 seconds later.

Have I mentioned what a challenge Samuel is for me?  But man alive, I still love that kid.  He is turning into such a big kid.  And he reminds us of that often.  He also loves to tell us (and anyone else who will listen, including the cashier at Walmart and the mail lady) that he’s growing up.  And that he keeps getting bigger and bigger and bigger. 

Samuel is loving school with his friends and Ms. Laura.  He gets excited for it, and has to verify with me every day he doesn’t have school, “Oh, it’s not a school day?”  He had some new fall clothes on one morning, and was particularly excited about his new shoes.  He looked like such a big boy, I had to take some pictures before we left.   

My journal of “Samuel Says” is filling rapidly.  And I know I have forgotten several things before I could write them down.  But here are a few way too good to pass up without sharing.

The other morning Samuel told me, “I’m going to get married . . . ” and then there was a long contemplative pause.  I thought I’d help out.  “In the temple?  When you grow up?”  “Yeah . . . [still thinking] . . . But I’m going to get married . . . [ah ha, I saw the lightbulb go on] to Tegan!”  Then Sam chuckled.  “Nooo.  I can’t.  Haha.  I don’t have the right clothes.”

One evening I was making dinner while the guys watched a show called Nat Geo Amazing.  It’s kind of like Ripley’s Believe it or Not, with a bunch of random things.  They also do True or False bits before some of the commercials.  One of those was apparently playing when Sam yelled to me in excitement, “Oh my gosh, Mom come here quick!  You gotta see this!”  They were showing a (fake) video of penguins flying.  “Look, Mom, I can’t believe it!  Penguins are flying now!!” 

Just the other day, the boys and I went for a walk to pass out Primary fliers.  Sam loves to help me “deliver messages” so O and I wait in the driveways while he runs up and hangs them on the doorknobs.  Sam started walking up to a house and came running back screaming bloody murder.  “AH! AH!  There’s cats! They’re scary and they’re going to get me!”  I told him he was being ridiculous but he refused to go back up there alone, so I walked with him.  Then he saw another cat and lost it all over again.  As we walked, I tried to tell Samuel why cats weren’t scary at all, and that they were scared of us and would run away.  After that, we spent a good hour at the park and we had forgotten about terrifying cats.  But on the way home, we passed our neighbors who have the hugest fluffiest gray cat you have ever seen.  (Sam used to think it was a dog when he was a year and some, and would woof at it.)  The cat was sitting under their trailer and Samuel stopped dead in his tracks when he spotted it.  He would not walk by!  “It’s too scary, Mom!  I can’t!”  Exasperated by now, I rolled my eyes, grabbed his hand and reitterated, Cats are NOT scary!  And practically in tears, Sam said in a shakey voice, “Yes they are!  Cats are scary and mean with big sharp claws and they’re going to KILL me!  Cat’s kill kids!!”  I have no idea where this cat terror came from, but it’s beyond hilarious.

On Tuesday, September 7, Samuel had his very first day of preschool.  Over the summer, we found a great place called Ventures in Preschool, with Ms. Laura, who I think is going to be the perfect match for our spunky Sam.  He has been beyond excited to start school, and talked about it for weeks on end.  He would wake up every morning and ask if he got to go to school that day.  When the first day finally came, Samuel was pretty disappointed that it was only an hour long Meet and Greet, and the mommys got to hang around.  He told me several times, “Mom, you can go now.”

About to pee his pants with excitement, and not about to pose for a picture. 

Sam spent Wednesday and Thursday morning talking about school and reminding me that I wasn’t going to come in this time, I was going to go back home with Owen and come get Sam later when he was all done.  When we pulled up, I opened my door to help Sam out, but he had already unbuckled and was half way out the door telling me, “Mom, get back in the car.  I’m going to school by myself.  I don’t need you.  I’m fine!”

First official day.  What a handsome.  Mom was smart enough this time to take pictures before leaving home.

So these last few weeks of school have been great.  Samuel enjoys it so much, and he gets excited for each day.  Last week for his first Show and Tell, he had to bring something that started with the letter A.  After some suggestions, he decided he would bring his big airplane.  He wasn’t super duper excited, and kept asking if he could bring other things but none of them started with A.  Then he said, “Can I bring a dinosaur?”  Ah ha!  “Well Sam, dinosaur doesn’t begin with the letter A, but can you think of a kind of dinosaur that begins with A?”  He thought.  I said a few that didn’t start with A to get him thinking some more.  Then he shouted, “Ankylosaurus!!!”  And that he was excited about!  He ran upstairs, grabbed his ankylosaurus (you know, the one with the club tail) and tried to bring his velociraptor, too.  Anyway, it was cute.  Samuel is already prepared to bring his soccer b-b-b-Ball for the letter B later this week.

I don’t know how my baby grew up so fast.  I don’t think I’m a clingy or protective mom.  But it’s been very strange to think that for 3 hours 2 days a week, I don’t know what’s going on in my little boy’s life.  Of course I get the full report, but I’m not there.   I can’t quite explain it.  It’s just very weird and I’m still getting used to it.  But Samuel is loving it.  He is learning, growing, and happy.  So Mom better start cutting those apron strings.  After all, Sam is almost 4.  He doesn’t need me anymore.  He’s just fine.