Merry Performance

Samuel found these amazingly festive furry socks in the Christmas box when we were decorating last week! After we finished arranging the garland and lights on the mantel, he decided it was a worthy stage. He climbed right up and began entertaining us with spins and claps all the while showing off his wonderful Christmas gloves dad helped him put on. He played with them for a good half hour, I can't believe he didn't get frustrated that he couldn't get them off!

The Fun has Begun!

"This spoon is an exciting new challenge!"

"Forget the spoon, hands work great."

"There's plenty of yogurt outside the cup, I can get full just licking it off."

So, Samuel has demanded all feeding rights. Mr. Independent - I have know idea where he gets it. Here is the progression from breakfast this morning.

Time for a plastic dropcloth I'd say.

The fun never ends!!

Wild Thing (and Friends)

Samuel with AJ - one of his favorite babysitters

Samuel with one of his first friends - Hannah Kaufman, their mommies were pregnant together

With our neighbors Wyatt and Rya - Rya and Samuel were born 4 days apart

Our little wild thing

Samuel had so much fun on Halloween! Jolly and I aren't into the creepy side of Halloween one bit, yuck. But nothing is cuter than Samuel and his tiny friends dressed up as cuddly characters. Here are a few snapshots of his evening.

Samuel's Dedication

Pastor Randy showing Samuel off to the church

Pastor Randy asking the family to live a life that will encourage Samuel to love God

Today is catch up day on the blog!! It's been over a month since I posted -with good reason...
Our sweet one year old is going to be a big brother!! I think I'm slowly making my way out of the queasiness and have a little more energy. We are due May 23, 2010.

First and foremost - here are the pictures of Samuel's dedication at church. We were blessed to have Mimi and Papa (my parents) Mojo and Papaw (Jolly's parents) Aunt Key, Uncle Rudy, Uncle Nate and Grandmama there to celebrate. We placed Samuel at God's alter on his birthday September 6.

Happy 1st Birthday Samuel!

I really can't believe we brought home such a tiny, precious but helpless baby boy just one year ago! He keeps us moving and laughing and smiling now :O) We had a wonderful celebration with Mimi and Papa, Mojo and Papaw, Grandmamama (his great-grandmother) and Aunt Katie, Uncle Ryan and Uncle Nate. Several friends and neighbors joined the festivities too! Samuel was dedicated at our church on his birthday - it was special to us that his whole immediate family could be there. My prayer for Samuel since before he was born is that he would be a blessing and a joy to everyone he comes across, so far its been granted :O) For more pictures, check out Aunt Katie's blog http://ryanandkatiejenkins.blogspot.com/

In to Everything!

New favorite place to play - INSIDE the dishwasher.

New ride on Hippo - converts into a stand up walker

Very intrigued by the USB cord and all the wires under the computer desk!

So proud of himself for hanging out where he should not be!!

The blog has been neglected because we have been BUSY, especially Samuel!! I will update on our recent adventures soon! In the meantime, here are some pictures of Samuel's recent discoveries.

Feeling better and back in the pool

My little boy LOVES to swim. Our friend Brittany snapped these yesterday during our pool date. So glad Samuel is over his bug and back to himself :O)

BTW - as of yesterday he is 10 MONTHS OLD!! Where does the time go? He is crawling on all fours and pulling up everywhere. He loves to push off of whatever he is holding himself up on, stand for a few seconds, and fall on his bottom. This activity entertains him for a good ten minutes or so. He babbles constantly, and I'm pretty sure he refers to me as ma-ma. Usually only when he's tired or grouchy and in a somewhat whiny voice - I'll take it! I'm still proud to be his first word.

I'm already thinking about 1st birthday party themes. If anyone has a good idea send it my way!!

Swimming once a day . . .

keeps the doctor away? Samuel started running a pretty good fever early this afternoon, so I thought what better way to get it down than a dose of tylenol and some swimming? I remember my mom and aunts bathing us in a cool bathtub, it seemed so wrong for bathwater to be cold. Swimming in a cold pool seems way more natural. Samuel seemed to enjoy it. His spirits lifted for several minutes, I'll take what I can get. His fever was down from 102.2 to 101 after his nap and swim, I'm keeping an eye on him though.

Mountain Men

Ryan, Katie, Jolly, Samuel and I went camping along the Larimer River Road last Monday. Jolly built a huge fire in the morning - here you see he and Samuel enjoying the heat. We were about 10,000 feet up, still gets pretty chilly in the early morning. The festivities included fireside fajitas for dinner and breakfast as well as prime wildlife viewing. We saw bighorn sheep, several moose and a few marmots. Awesome trip!

Happy Father's Day!

Samuel painted pictures for Daddy, Mac, Papa and Paw-Paw. The real masterpiece was his face!! Hope everyone enjoys celebrating the great men in their lives today! We are so thankful for the great men in ours.

Dream Lake Hike

One of our favorite hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park is the trail to Dream Lake. There are beautiful mountain views along the way and the lake itself is gorgeous. On Friday we took Samuel along for the first time. He seemed to enjoy his scenic ride in the red backpack.

Hi Mommy!

Samuel surprised us and started pulling up in his crib. You can tell by the look on his face he is very proud of himself!! He looks JUST like Jolly's baby pictures in this one. I can't believe how grown up my baby is!!

Samuel's Happy Side

Samuel throwing a fit is my favorite. These fits were of coarse provoked by an unseen something that he wasn't getting to put in his mouth. enjoy!!

King of the Kitchen

We had a little fun with Samuel a few mornings ago. i just thought scuba and mojo might enjoy. love you guys.

Samuel's New Swing

Cherie and I set it up this afternoon in our front yard. He was just about as excited swinging as he was about playing in the grass, but we got a few more laughs out of him in the swing.

Trimmed Tresses

This pic is for mom and mojo! Hope you like the new do.

Teeth!

Samuel's bottom front teeth have arrived!! The first one came in earlier in May and the second one showed up at the end of last week. He is constantly rubbing his tongue on them getting used to the new arrivals - which is very cute to watch, but makes photographing tough. I finally got a good shot!

Houston!!

Swimming with Mimi

First Popsicle - thanks Papa!

Stairsteps - Sadie, Samuel and Ty

Cousins! Lauren, Leslie, Cherie and Kyle

Gigi (My grandma) and I having some fun!!

Samuel and I had SUCH a blast on our trip to Houston. Our visits have been filled with fanfare since Samuel joined the family, this time we took it slower and enjoyed playing in the pool, cooking together and all the normal stuff we (we being me) miss about being with our Texas friends and family. Samuel devoured his first pop-sicle and managed to paint it all over both mimi and papa's shirts (good job, buddy!) and went swimming several times - he's definitely a little fish, just like mommy. Our three days with the Stone's passed all too quickly - good thing they are coming here in a few weeks! Samuel and Ty definitely hit it off - they're destined to be best friends for life just like their daddies (and mommies!) and Samuel is in trouble, he's already got stars in his eyes for Sadie. That girl is going to break hearts everywhere she goes! Hope you enjoy the pictures!

More than half-way

u
o

Samuel is more than half - way to a year old. He had his 7 month birthday this week, I can hardly believe it. He continues to be such a charmer with good friends and family and strangers alike. He definitely gathers a crowd with his smiles and giggles. He is not crawling yet, but is mobile nonetheless. He uses a unique combination of scooting on his tummy and rolling over to get where he wants to go. A gate blocks the stairs to the basement, and plugs now keep his little fingers from exploring the electric sockets. He babbles non-stop and tells stories with his eyes, too. I love going to get him in the morning or after a nap - I can't get enough of that sweet look that says "Mommy, I couldn't be happier to see you!" No teeth yet - though I think they are working their way in. Samuel's had a couple bouts of low grade fever and not wanting solids that come and go over the last couple weeks. I wouldn't be surprised if we see his first tooth soon. He continues to like to eat pretty much everything he tries - which is obvious by looking at him! I'm learning that your love for your kids is like your love for your spouse - even when you think you couldn't possibly love them more, you do. I'm in trouble - this little one is already completely entangled in my heart.

Inspired Gift

My college roommate, Jenny, gave us these cute burp rags when Samuel was born. She got them from a wonderful site called http://www.nurturedfamily.com - great swaddling blankets and nursing items. I liked them so much, I decided to try and make some for a friend who just had a baby. I think these are going to become my signature baby shower gift.

Great Resource for Staying Organized at Home

I think the approach of Spring has me taking stock of what needs to be organized in our home (and in my brain). I am definitely not a naturally organized person. Those of you who know me well are probably thinking, "Really, Cherie? So glad you finally figured that out." I'm very tidy - but can't seem to find a routine for grocery shopping, or keeping the things Samuel is done using for now from piling up in closets (or behind the cozy chair in his room). The daily tasks of life seem to keep me from getting to more exciting projects that tend to stay on my to do list for months. That said - I found the greatest site for resources on how to get the upper-hand in managing our home. Check it out.

http://simplemom.net/

If you have never been to the site, take a look at the "New? Start here." page under resources. I've had fun finding ideas for menu planning and creating a routine for housework so it stops taking up my whole day. As a result - I finally got to a fun project on my list and made burp rags for my friend Jen's new baby, Zoe Love Clinkscales.

Happy Half-Birthday Samuel!!

Samuel is six months old today!! Here are some pics of him in his big boy seat at the table. He's holding (and eating) a number 6. Some of his milestones are - he can sit up by himself for a while, he sleeps through the night (YAY), he is eating bananas, apples, pears, sweet potatoes and avacados, he loves peek a boo and bathtime, he can roll from his stomach to his back, he gets up on all fours for a little while but still doesn't love being on his stomach, he still likes to see new faces - very generous with smiles. We love you, buddy!

Cozumel - Part Two

We had and absolute blast in Cozumel with Jolly's parents! The weather was sunny and in the mid 80's all week. Perfect for fishing, parasailing, snorkeling and beaching. Definitely a vacation we will never forget! Thanks for meeting us Mac and Mojo!