Funny Book... entry #1!

I'm sure this is the first of many posts about the cute things Sam says! Looking forward to starting our own "funny book." My parents used to write down our funny quotes and we LOVED to re-read the book until it was falling to pieces. So, here's the beginning of our funny book (digital format, so I guess it won't fall apart)...

Papa - "Samuel, what does a cow say?"

Sam - "Moo"

Papa - "What does a dog say?"

Sam - "Woof"

(They continue this for a while, then Papa tries to throw Sam for a loop.)

Papa - "What does Mama say?"

Sam - "Wuv oo" (Love You)

We then asked about Papa, Gigi, Dodo, Grandma, Grandpa, The Aunts, etc. and everyone apparently says "Wuv oo!"

So sweet!!

Wonderful Weekend Get Away!!

Last weekend, I headed to Chicago to visit Sister Little, BY MYSELF! Bud got his first opportunity to have Samuel alone for the whole weekend! He was very glad to see me on Sunday afternoon, but they had a great time together. :) Lauren and I had a great time visiting the city, shopping, talking girl talk, and watching a movie that ended after midnight (I know, we are SO crazy!). It was great to not have to work around nap time or anything while I was gone and so good to catch up with Lauren. Looking forward to hanging out again at Thanksgiving. Thanks for a great get away Lauren!! I look forward to many more girl's only trips in the future... too bad it will likely be over a year before I'm baby free again. :)

The boys did great while I was gone as well. They ate out a lot, watched a lot of football, ran errands, and Bud taught Sam to go potty on the "big boy toilet." I left the good camera for Bud to take pictures while I was gone, but he didn't take any. I took the old camera, but forgot to charge the battery. So, no pictures for this post until Lauren sends me the few we took on her camera.

No More Diapers!!!!

Sam is going to hate me for this post in a few years... but after spending a week plus talking nonstop about poop and pee, I have to record his progress. I now understand the many Facebook statuses about toddler's bowel movements :) It makes a mama proud!!

It took a full week, but I think he is officially potty trained. We've now gone about 3 days without an accident (including one whole night... I really didn't expect that to happen for a while). He's also got fairly effective at telling me he needs to go, when he really does need to go, and getting his business done fairly quickly. Next on our list is to conquer the public potty! (Any tips on this??? Right now, we keep out outings short and he holds it 'till we get home.)

Some things I learned about Sam as a result of this process...

1) He's stubborn! He would sit on the potty for hours if we let him, waiting, just to get an "M" (M&M) and a sticker on his potty chart. The first few days he fussed if I told him it was time to get up!

2) He's opinionated! He threw many fits over what underwear to wear. (I have no idea where that comes from... :)).

3) He wants to please people and do what's right. He was truly upset when he had accidents (from the very beginning).

4) He will work hard for rewards... I could really use this to my advantage, although I might need to start working to pay for the M&M's and stickers :)

The picture that will be shown at his wedding...

I love his boxer briefs!! He refused to put anything on over them. I guess he thought they were shorts... which they pretty much are since they are so big on him. We bought the smallest size they make, but his little behind is just too small for them. :)
The "Muzz" (Buzz from Toy Story) underwear are a big hit. (Mom, the Mickey Mouse underwear are a HUGE hit too!! Thanks!). I love his M&M drool in this picture...

Making a fashion statement...
Success!!

Train, Train!

We headed into the city again last weekend. After staying close to home all week, I'm always excited about a weekend outing. Bud would rather lay low on the weekends, but he's been a good sport. His only requirement this past weekend was to make sure he got to watch the Mizzou game. We got back a little late, but DVR is a wonderful invention :)

We took the train to the city. We wanted to figure the train system out before you all come to visit! And, the train is entertainment in itself for a two year old. He loved it! He carries his ticket around with him and refers back to the train all day long. While on the train he was talking and singing quite loudly, so we told him to be quieter. Now, every time we reference the train or hear the train, he says "train... choo-choo... keys... vroom-vroom... shhh."

We then went to the Reading Terminal Market for crepes... Can't wait to take you all here when you come to visit!

And, then to Franklin Square... a great park in the middle of the city. They have a really cute mini-golf course with Philadelphia themed obstacles, a fountain, playground...
... and a carousel. This was much better than our last attempt at the carousel a few months ago at the Nashville Zoo. That time I had to hold him, crying the whole time around until it finally stopped. This time, he loved riding Smarty Jones with Papa!
Lastly, we walked around Old City to see some of the historic sites and ended at Penn's Landing for a flying machine show. We didn't stick around for the show after seeing the lines, but it was nice to see the venue as we will likely be back for other events that are held there. We are learning about lots of fun venues to show you all when you come up here! :)

Samuel's New Routine

I introduced Samuel to finger painting last week. He wasn't really sure about the mess, but has asked to paint again several times since. So, I guess it was a success :) We worked on drawing lines and circles... he needs some more practice, but it was a fun way to learn!

He lost interest after a little while...

This activity was part of our new daily routine. Samuel and I were both in need of more structure... primarily including independent play time. As we have entered the "terrific twos," he has forgot how to play alone and requires my constant attention. I figured this was a battle I'd be better off addressing before baby's arrival. So, most days Samuel is required to play alone for a chunk of time. In addition to this, we added other fun activities that we do together - including art/music time, story time, school lessons, chores, and "recess" (I'm enjoying using my teacher training :)) - so that he understands that there are times when we work and play together and other times when he plays alone. It was a struggle at first, but he's starting to figure it out. I've enjoyed being more intentional with our time together and more productive with my time while he's playing alone. And, he has become much more pleasurable during the day and has learned a lot (thus the counting video)! I have really enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom this week. Why haven't I been doing this before now... :)

My Little Genius

The Nation's First Zoo

We checked out the Philadelphia Zoo last weekend. It was fun to get out and see some sites. We counted that this was Samuel's 4th zoo to visit, 5th if you count the Gentry Safari.

Stopping for a snack about 20 minutes into our visit...

I couldn't get him to stand still for even a second...

Trying to get out...

Samuel's favorite part of the trip... we should have just gone to a farm :)

His second favorite part...
Wearing down at the end of the day...