Up, Up and Away

Well, not away so much.  But definitely up and up.

Sam recently experienced his first Plano Balloon Festival - kind of one last hurrah for the summer. We all know he's a big fan of balloons (see

here

), but this event took it to a whole new level!

He got to see skydivers,

feed Pops some goldfish,

eat some ice cream (of course),

and then it was down on the field for an up-close look at some balloons!  There wasn't enough wind for the balloonists to take off, so they let us on the field to get a better look!  Even better than a launch, in my opinion!

Another first - Sam's first bus ride!

It was humid and hot, but Sam had a blast watching buh-woohs!

World Balloon Convention

Lines at Six Flags? Crowds at Disneyland? Bring it on.

Brian and I took Sam to the World Balloon Convention in Dallas a couple weeks ago. I think the reason they call it the World Balloon Convention is because the entire world was there. The line was unbelievable, though it moved rather quickly. Sam was a trooper, especially considering he'd had a very small nap that day. It was an interesting event. Balloon sculptures of all kinds, everywhere you looked. It was a little hard to see the sculptures, especially for someone short like me, but I think Sam still enjoyed it. At first we thought we weren't going to make it through the whole show because Sam thought he got to take the balloons. Oops! It makes sense because most of his life people have brought him balloons to keep! But this little hiccup was soon over and we were able to walk him through the convention and enjoy the amazing balloon creations!

(giving the balloon a kiss)

Playgroups

Sam's making friends....slowly but surely. He and I have joined a couple of playgroups to meet other mommies and their kids. We've been to a few events and they've been lots of fun. I've even been to a couple of Moms-Night-Out events including a wine tasting and a coupon class. Everything's organized online now, through site called Meetup. It's pretty neat!

Sam's always very quiet at first, and does his little scowl whenever a new person says hi or, for that matter, merely looks at him. But eventually he warms up and starts smiling and babbling and everyone ends up loving him. These pictures were taken at Chick-Fil-A in the play area. A first for us! This three-year-old boy loved Sam, and Sam was in awe of him, until a Chick-Fil-A employee gave him his very own balloon to take home. Then it was all about the balloon. Oh, Sam!

Our March calendar is full of playdates (except for next week when we have some very special visitors coming to Texas) and our April calendar is filling up quickly.  It's fun to get out together and I enjoy watching Sam interact with other kids.  He's something else!

Balloons! Balloons! Balloons!

Guess who had a birthday party!

There were lots of balloons,

fun decorations,

family and friends,

presents,

and of course cake!

Cake that Samuel wanted nothing to do with!

Slideshow of pictures:

Party Video:

Sam's First Birthday from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY SAMUEL!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year everyone!

Sam had a great first day of 2010 - Gram and Pops came over for dessert and coffee to help us complete our New Year's Day celebration.
They brought gifts for Sam...of course they did, right? Because it's been, what, less than a week since they last gave him presents. Somebody's getting spoiled - it's peach puffs, cheesy snacks and best of all, another BALLOON!  Food and balloons - no better way for Sam to start off the new year!

Happy New Year!

Love,

The Strakas