Still Feelin' The Beat
He woke up still in a rock-n-roll mood. So, we turned on his new Fresh Beat Band CD and he rocked it out - in his jammies!
Rock-N-Roll Birthday
What a party! Sam's sooo into music, especially "wock-n-woll", that we decided to have a rock-n-roll party for his third birthday. We had a great time decorating and opening presents, but the party wouldn't been as fun as it was if it hadn't been for Sam's performance. I'm so happy he decided to sing some of his favorites for his guests. He's a real rock-n-roll star!
Granny Nell and Aunt Dell arrive with lots of presents
A special book from Granny
Micky Mouse Sing-Along from Gram and Pops
Pennies from Aunt Dell - always!
Sam thought it was hilarious that we were singing just to him!
Some record decorations with Sam's favorite songs A sprinkle cake - sprinkles inside and out!
Yummy pasta salad, veggies and chips and dips!
I found these questionnaires online to use with kids each year on their birthday.
Here's Sam's Third Birthday Interview!
New Wock-n-Woll
Yep. There's more...
Sam calls this song "new wock-n-roll" and we usually play it after the song in the first dancing video.
Not as much movement in this one, but there is a lot of shoulder action!
Let's Hear It from Sara Straka on Vimeo.
Pants on the Ground
Sam has a new-found love for "wok-n-woll".
And no matter where we are - at home, in the car, the middle of a TJ Maxx - when he hears this particular song he can't help but dance. He's pretty good, too. He can sort-of keep a beat and excels at moving his shoulders. Most surprisingly, he changes his moves based on the tempo of the song. Pretty impressive stuff.
What I like most about this video is the shirt he's wearing. It's bright blue, just like my senior year show choir dress. I think I've passed down the dancing gene...
*the blue painter's tape on the carpet was for Sam to practice "walking on a bridge". It's not part of our permanent decor!
Rockstar
I promise I'm not making this up.
I took Sam to the park by our house this morning. He loves the playground equipment, especially these four green steps that lead up to one of the platforms. He's too little to climb on them, even with my help, so we usually just bang on them and pretend we're drumming. Today, as we were rat-a-tat-tatting, I noticed two sticks on the ground that would make perfect drumsticks. I showed Sam how to tap them on the "drum" and then handed them to him so he could try.
He tapped them two or three times on the drum and then stopped and tapped them together and said:
"Whan, tyoo, free, fhmw", which translates to "one, two, three, four", before continuing with his "riff".
Where did he pick THAT up? I laughed so hard I startled him! But he kept on going, tapping his drumsticks together and saying 1-2-3-4, drumming for a while, then repeating the whole process. This went on for a good five minutes, which is a long time in Toddler World.
Usually when he does something funny we know immediately where he picked it up or who he is mimicing. But this one baffled me. He's been so into music and dancing lately, he must have a little of Mommy's show-choir gene and Uncle Funky's musical instrument gene.
I was going to title this post "Little Drummer Boy", but I decided it didn't sound rockin' enough. He's more than a little boy with a drum, he's a ROCKSTAR!
Songs
Sam's love of music appears to be getting stronger.
I think most kids like music, but Sam just seems really into music, into dancing, into...
grooving
.
One of the first things he's been asking for when we get to Gram and Pops' house (after begging for crackers at the pantry door) is "songs". Gram puts on one of his favorite cds and Sam starts dancing. After a few shoulders rolls and some head bops, he heads on over to his wooden blocks and gets the two cylinder pieces. Then it's time to really rock it out!
Sam's Got Rhythm
Last weekend, Sam and Gram and Pops and I went to the Denton Jazz Festival at Quakertown Park just off the square. We saw some bands, a clown making balloon animals, and a little train just for kids. Sam got a big balloon (two, actually) and we played on the swings at the playground in the park. The part Sam enjoyed the most was the preformance by the African Drumming and Dance group.
Sam ate during most of the performance, but he also danced. We get such a kick out of watching him. He really knows how to move for a 14-month-old. Gram commented the other day that he's the only baby she's ever known who can "shimmy" his shoulders. In this video he doing some kind of arm-thing. He's having a great time, that's for sure!
Little Eatin Little Dancin from Sara Straka on Vimeo.
