So Mr. Sammers is 4 years old! (And he has been for 2 months. Oops.) That seems so grown up to me. Samuel is loud, outgoing, wild, adventurous, and always has to be part of the action. He is not ok just sitting on the sidelines. And if there isn’t action, he will create some. He is often out of control. Samuel is stubborn, dramatic, challenging, soooo argumentative, and sassy to boot. But I take comfort in his big heart. Samuel is sensitive and emotional. He is polite and a bit precocious, but also very funny and silly. And he is such a bright little boy.
Sam still has the craziest memory. He was playing with his sharks the other day, and told me when and where he got each one of them, and who was with him at the time. And he was totally right. He will be playing and say something totally random, and I’ll ask him where that came from. It’s often from a movie or book, and even one that he hasn’t read or seen in ages. He can recite to you the entire scenes of How To Train Your Dragon when Stoic tells Hiccup his is no longer his son, and when Stoic finds Toothless and Hiccup after they defeat the “Odenheppus.” He can show you the bus stop we dropped Caroline off at one single time 2 years ago.
Samuel is a great big brother. He loves his little brother and is really good about “keeping him safe.” Sometimes I want to pull my hair out when he teases, antagonizes, and hurts Owen nonstop. But Erik reassures me that’s just how brothers are. And Samuel is just as often kind, silly, and protective towards Owen. It is probably my most favorite thing ever to watch the two of them play together. I love being upstairs and watching Sam invite Owen into his room, then close the door behind them. I listen to them chat and laugh and bang around, and my Grinchy heart grows three sizes bigger. They also are really good at tearing around with their big trucks. They both think it’s hilarious when Sam chases Owen around and around the kitchen table. Sam very often just calls Owen, “brother” and I think it’s darling. Sam has also taught Owen a lot of great lessons, like how to say “Mine” “Share!” and “My turn!!”
Sambo also loves his friends. He talks about them often and always wants to play with them and do special things for them. He has made a couple good friends at school, too, and it’s so fun for me to see this little bit of interaction when I drop him off and pick him up. He is not one bit shy, and always enjoys a new playmate. At Owen’s gymnastics class, Samuel saw another boy who was there with his mom and little brother. Sam walked right over and asked his name, then told him he had trucks to share. Sam also has a few imaginary friends. Samsam and Ahgoshk (it is the weirdest word, more like a sound really, so I’m doing my best to give it a spelling) are the regulars, but he has several others that make appearances when he’s bored or just needs a buddy.
I’ve been super under the weather recently and much lazier than usual. The TV has been on waaaaay too much. And it’s made me start to wonder if Samuel has forgetton how to just PLAY. But when I give him quiet time in his room or turn off the boob tube, I am reminded quickly of his amazing imagination and his creative play. One of the best Christmas investments was a dress up bin with lots of costume pieces I collected from the dollar store at Halloween time. Right now, Samuel is most often Indiana Jones, equipped with hat and ribbon (his whip.) He still also loves to be Fireman Sam and save the day. He spent an hour with his soldier headset on, playing ice cream man and McDonalds drive thru attendant. Anything, ANYTHING, can be quickly turned into a shield and sword.
And Samuel likes to tell me stories in the car. Today it was “a story about a time when my Mom was so so scared. Mom was inside the house playing with her kids. Then there was a scary knock at the door. It was a big mean scary thing . . . A TYRANNOSAURUS REX!! Everyone was so scared and tried to hide. But the tyrannosaurus was too big to come in the door and fit in the house. And then Mom and everyone was safe and happy again.”
Sam has really taken off at preschool. He can spell his name perfectly, and tries really hard to write it. He loves to point out letters, and tell us what they’re for. “I see an E! I have an E in my name, and so does Daddy. AND Owen!!” He always asks me what certain words start with. But he says it like, “What’s car start for?” Then I’ll say, “I know, but you tell me.” “Car. C-c-c-car. I know, too. C!!” He gets so excited for sharing days, and usually has them planned out days in advance. He comes home telling me stories and singing me songs. He is also learning some good life lessons there . . . like not everyone has to be your friend, but we still need to be kind and respectful. His teachers reports that he is a kind, helpful and caring little boy with a huge personality. She says he grasps onto the new math concepts so quickly and always likes to help the other kids who haven’t finished their work yet.
Samuel loves Primary. He spent all of October practicing his part for the Primary program and could barely contain himself when he got to stand up at the pulpit and say the part that he came up with himself and memorized. Now Sam has officially graduated from Sunbeams and is a CTR 4. It’s only been 2 weeks now, but he likes to remind me that “Now I am a C-T-R and I choose the right!” He loves to raise his hand to tell stories during Primary. (I asked the Bishop to come in for one of my Sharing Times. He spoke about forgiveness and asked if any of the kids had ever been hurt or angry. Sam shot out of his chair and quickly told everyone, “Yesterday, my dad got mad and threw me then hit me with a pillow and I was so sad I cried.”) Sam is also always willing to help out when someone with an assignment in opening exercises doesn’t show. (Perk of being the Primary President’s son, I guess. ;) ) He loves the stories of Samuel the boy prophet, and Samuel the Lamanite. He likes to remind me when I do something Jesus wouldn’t be happy about. So I take that as one point for Mom who just might be teaching this kid something!
Samaram loves sharks, dinosaurs and trucks, knights and dragons. He asks me almost every day if he can ride his bike, and every time he gets out of the car, he tries to sneak in a ride. He loves to read, and right now “The Pain and the Great One” is his favorite. He is in love with a new show on PBS called Wild Kratts. He changes his clothes so many times a day. And he knows if he’s going to get away with it, he has to do it in secrecy so I can’t stop him. He loves poptarts, pancakes, gogurt, and clementines.
My darling little Samuel will always have a special place in my heart being my very first baby. He is such a wonderful kid with an amazing spirit and we are so blessed to have him in our family. I surely can NOT believe it’s been 4 years! Love you to pieces, oodles and oodles, Mr. Sammerjammer of mine.
{The following did not go quite like I imagined. You will get dizzy watching this kid. He NEVER. SITS. STILL. And seriously, I’m so annoying. But for the sake of history, eh?}
