Sam's party

We went to Layton Surf and Swim for Sam's birthday party.  We had never been there before ... interesting place.  These boys had a great time swimming, "surfing," splashing (each other) and eating!  I have to admit, I just love this group of boys.  They all get along so well, they have so much fun together, and they're just good kids.  What a cute group of friends!

notes

Note to self ...

Dear Self,

You might want to be more aware of when school pictures will be taken.  Otherwise, your son may end up wearing a camo shirt with a backdrop of spring flowers.

Not exactly the best combination.

Note to Emery ...

Dear Emery,

Before you start swinging that container full of airsoft bb's around the kitchen, you might want to make sure the lid is screwed on tightly.  That would sure make a mess if those bb's spilled all over the floor.

Love, Mom

PS ... 5,000 bb's hitting the floor makes a really cool noise.

ten

Ten years ago today I was laying in a hospital delivery room in Salem, Oregon, with this picture staring back at me ...

I know it's blurry, but, yes, it's a picture of a stuffed bear in a jogging suit ... with a walkman and headphones ... on a jogging trail.  This was the one and only picture hanging on the wall in my delivery room and, no, I'm not kidding.

But what occurred in this delivery room changed my life forever.  Amid some interesting circumstances (a baby that was eleven days overdue, a tardy anesthesiologist, an epidural gone-wrong, a "wet-tap," and the afore-mentioned bear), Sam was born.  And I am forever grateful.

Sam is one amazing kid and I'm so lucky to be his mom!  Here are ten things I love about Sam ...

1.  He lets me call him Sam-the-Lamb.

2.  He is usually a "go with the flow" kind of guy.  He's easy and fun to be around, and he has lots and lots of friends.

3.  He's a leader.

4.  He is sensitive and kind and he tries to help others feel better.

5.  When Sam was little, he spoke his own language.  We call it german-caveman.

6.  He has an incredible imagination.  He makes up all kinds of games around our house.  For example, I love that he turns our entry rug into a football field for his "NFL helmet" football game, or he takes all of his stuffed animals downstairs and plays "mini-baseball" with them.  (I don't even really know what that is, but he sure has fun playing it!)

7.  He always helps me empty the dishwasher.

8.  He loves sports and I frequently find random lists all over the house that he has made of all of his favorite teams, favorite players, and their stats.

9.  Sam is really funny.  Sometimes he says things that just crack me up.

10.  He loves desserts, snacks, and treats.  (Even though this drives me crazy sometimes, I can't be too upset, because I have a hunch he gets it from me!)

Happy, Happy Birthday, Sam!  Love you lots!

progress

Our new house is coming along nicely (and quickly)!  I think the boys have finally agreed on whose room is whose.  And, funny that being able to look out their bedroom window and see Jimmy helped settle the disagreement over rooms.  It's hard to believe that 35 days ago this was just an empty lot ... 

quesadillas

Some of the conversations I have with my children amaze (and humor) me.  It's interesting that the things that are important to them are often things that I wouldn't necessarily think twice about.  But I love to hear what's on their minds. 

Since Emery is in junior high, he often wants to talk about people, relationships, concerns, grades.  Depending on the season, he also asks a lot of questions about sports.  He just finished a session of basketball and lately he's been very focused on improving his shot and technical skills.  I suspect that in the next few months we'll spend a lot of time discussing baseball, golf and tennis.  Then, as usual, in the fall the topic will be football.  I love how determined he is to always do his best.  

Conversations with Sam can be quite entertaining.  He loves to "re-enact" certain football or basketball moves he performed during an intense game at recess.  Frequently he'll come home from school and excitedly show me (in either real-time or slow-motion) some fabulous play or move he pulled off that day.  Lately, recess has been filled with trading baseball, football and basketball cards, so Sam usually wants to tell me about the great trades he made that day.  Last week as I was driving Sam to one of his basketball games, the subject of quesadillas came up.  Sam told me his "top three favorite quesadillas" are:  Cafe Rio's, mine, and El Matador's.  I was happy to have my quesadilla among the top three.  He then went on to rank them in order.  As it turns out, his favorite quesadilla is the one I make, then Cafe Rio's, then El Matador's.  What an enlightening conversation.  

Luke likes to come home from school and show me what great project he completed or what he learned that day.  Yesterday he came home and said, "Mom!  I'm an illustrator!"  Then he showed me that had illustrated his own version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.  He's also interested in hearing about what we're having for dinner, so that's usually one of the first questions he asks after school.  Actually, Luke is full of questions.  The other day, he asked us when he could get a new "hampster" to put his dirty clothes in.

I'm so glad these cute boys want to talk to me about anything and everything.  I love to hear what they're thinking about, concerned with, and interested in.  What great conversations! 

by George I think he's right!

So Emery just informed me that he thinks Luke's drawing of me in my last post looks like George Washington.  Hmmm.  I sort of think he's right.

Luke's card

For Valentine's Day last month, Ben and I received the cutest card from Luke.  Now, this was not your typical "red and pink, covered with hearts" Valentine's Day card.  Actually, there was no red, no pink, and not even one heart anywhere on it.  Nope, it was just on plain white paper.  What made this card so cute was what Luke wrote ...

Let me point out that Ben and I are, in fact, the only parents Luke has ever had.  But, still, I love that he wrote that!  It totally made me smile.  Thanks, Luke!  You're the best Luke I've ever had!

happiness

Happiness is when you overhear a conversation like this ...

Luke:  "Sam, do you like me?"
Sam:  "Yeah."
(pause)
Luke:  "Sam, do you love me?
Sam:  "Yeah."
Luke:  "Thanks.  I love you, too."

I loved this little exchange between these two boys last night, which took place as Sam was arranging his baseball & football cards into preferential order, Luke was watching Spongebob, and I was in the kitchen making de-lish strawberry and nutella crepes for dinner.  It was one of those moments in a mother's life that helps erase all of the times when the verbal exchange between brothers is despicable, appalling, not so nice.  You know the ones ... like, "Hey, I was sitting there!" or "You don't have to be so mean!"  Actually, Sam and Luke are best buddies most of the time.  They play together so well and I love hearing their dialogue. 

Sam arranging his cards

    Pics of Sam and Luke:

August 2009 - 1st day of school

October 2009 - Memory Grove

February 2010 - crazy hair day

the repairman

This nice man fixed my washing machine today.  I think he'd make a good fur trapper/trader.  Or, imagine him in a red suit saying, "Ho, ho, ho!"  Anyway, thank you, Jim Bridger, for fixing my washing machine.  My boys were running out of clean undies.

Olympic hopefuls

We've been total Olympics junkies the past two weeks!  In fact, watching the Olympics has spawned a new desire in my boys.  Yep, I'm raising future Olympians.  They'll definitely be a part of Team USA's hockey team.  How do I know?  Because they've turned our driveway into a hockey rink, and they practice constantly.  Okay, so maybe they're missing a few things ... ice, ice skates, goals ... but are those things really that important in hockey anyway?