Chat
Sam and Uncle Andrew having a little long-distance chat.
Apparently it was
hilarious
...
Water Wiggle
Toddlers + water = wiggle.
Sam and I went on a little farewell-for-now tour on Friday.
We stopped by my school for the last-day-of-school assembly, visited Mrs. Ellis' library for some flashlight-reading as she was finishing up her last class for the year, then had one last dinner with Daddy, Gram, Pops and Andrew before Andrew goes to Austin for a few months. Not sure how Sam's going to handle not having Andrew to boss around...
Mother's Day
We had a nice, relaxing Mother's Day this year. Brian got up early to make me breakfast and had Sam bring me a flower from the bouquet he bought, along with a funny card (which was addressed to "Mum"), into the bedroom when I first woke up. "Here you go, Mama", he said!
We enjoyed an awesome breakfast - eggs, sausage, bagels with salmon and cream cheese, juice and coffee - before heading out to meet Gram and Pops for a picnic at Frisco Commons. Andrew, Great-Grandma and my Uncle Brad joined us, too, and we had fun eating lunch and taking a walk in the windy, but pretty weather. Sam was such a patient boy that we finished our day at the park with some time on the giant wooden playground. Sam did the silly stairs with Gram, the swings with Pops and the horsies with Andrew.
Jan and Emil sent me the sweetest card and Nell and I chatted on the phone later that evening. Thanks, too, to Brian and Brad for the flowers. It was fun photographing something new for a change and they look great in the house! The two pictures of Sam at the bottom of the post are from the Mother's Day Tea at Sam's school. His teachers did a great job of celebrating us moms and Sam enjoyed showing me the puzzles he plays with at school!
Happy 2nd Birthday! (posted 3/26)
Boy, did this guy have fun at his party!
He got lots of great presents and had a ball being the center of attention! The highlights of the party - - big turtle, little turtle and "Aunt Bail" (Aunt Bell). He's mentioned her name almost every day since. Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated our little boy's birthday, and a special thanks to Gram who saved all of my Sesame Street toys all these years. It made decorating for this party very easy - and very retro!!
Waiting, waiting, waiting for Granny... Finally! They're here!!
Pinch, pinch, pinch!
Enjoying birthday snacks with Gram
Great-Grandma Having a blast being the center of attention!
Cowboy Sam made an appearance, much to the delight of the Grannies and Grandpas
He liked his cake this year!
Helping Mommy put the finishing touches on the birthday cupcakes before our guests arrived!
Our Sesame Street friends helped us celebrate!
Happy Birthday Sam!
Game Day
We joined Pops and Gram Sunday for a combination Birthday/Super Bowl party.
Sam dressed in his football jersey (Cowboys colors...sorry Strakas) and had a great time cooking with Gram, tossing the football around with Andrew and helping Pops blow out the candles on his birthday cake.
Uncle Andrew is so funny!
Stirring the rice for Gram
Watching Gram add the chicken
Stirring the onions into the green beans
Helping Pops blow out the birthday candles
Thanks for having us all over Gram and Pops!
Christmas Eve
Happy Christmas Eve!
We spent the day at Gram and Pops' house. They set a festive table and fixed a yummy dinner - Mushroom Crab Soup and homemade Cheese Bread.
Sam used my baby Sesame Street china set!
We got out the Play-Doh while Gram cooked - thanks to Daddy for taking pictures of us
and our Play-Doh creations!
Sam got some pretty awesome gifts - too many to mention! He hadn't had a nap all day and started to have a melt-down right around present-time, so we put him in his crib (where he screamed) and the grown-ups quickly opened gifts from each other. After his crying spell, Sam felt a little bit better and opened the rest of his presents, sans pants.
When we got home, Daddy had to put together the present we got for Sam. We wanted it to be ready when he woke up Christmas morning. We've been coloring and having tea parties on the floor for too long, so we got Sam a little table and chairs for the living room. He loves it!
Homerun!
Gram and Pops got Sam a t-ball set for their yard and WOW can this kid hit!
And he does it all holding the bat backward! Imagine how far he could hit the ball if he turned that sucker around! In honor of the World Series - where Mama's hometown is playing against Daddy's hometown - here are some pics of our little slugger.
Happy Fourth of July!
Sam did great during the parade - he waved to the floats and even waved the flag Pops got for him. The motorcycles were a little loud and scary, so it was a good thing Gram was there. He shared an ice cream with Daddy and met a puppy named Zack.
The weather was a little warm and humid, but not bad for Texas in July. We had some cloud cover and a breeze and no rain!
Last year Sam was too little to enjoy the 4th, but he definitely had a good time today. Happy Birthday America!
Had to take his shirt off to eat strawberries... Playing with the ball Uncle Andrew brought him
Dad bought Sam some ice cream to help him cool off, and we all know how Sam loves "sssk-eam"
The motorcycles were sooo loud!
This is how all our family photos would look if I were 6'3", but I'm up on a curb today!
Khaki, gray and black?? You guys!!
Zack the "bow-wow-wow-wow"
Happy Fourth of July 2010 from Sara Straka on Vimeo.
The Backwards Hat Gang
It's how the cool kids do it.