New Favorite Game

Sam loves to play peek-a-boo in the closet now. He has made a perfect little seat for himself atop all the pillows and blankets and can open and close the door all by himself.

15 Month Photo Session(s)

A Fun Fall Day

Our tree has started to lose its leaves, so yesterday I raked the front yard. I had a big pile of leaves started, when Samuel saw it and "ran" right through it over and over again. I guess kids just know that jumping in a pile of leaves is fun!

Halloween

Sam went trick-or-treating for the first time this year. Last year he just sat on the porch and handed out candy. He went to about ten houses of people we know in the neighborhood, mostly to show off the costume. He walked for the first little bit and then took the wagon over to our friends house on the other side of the neighborhood. He learned to put the candy in his bucket and say "thank you" (in sign language of course). Most people thought he was blowing kisses when he said "thank you". He loved seeing all the "gaga"'s (dogs) and expected there to be one at every house. He was more interested in petting the doggies than getting the candy. We had a great time! He's at such a fun age!!

This was his first taste of lollipop! He LOVED it and agreed to sit still, on his bottom, until it was completely down to the tootsie roll! I think we need to keep a stash of lollipops in our church bag :).

Clara dressed up too (for about 2 seconds). You might be seeing this costume again in about two months :).

15 Months Old

Sam is officially 15 months old today. This past month seemed like it flew by! We've been quite busy with traveling, but in the mean time, Sam has learned some new tricks (of course!).

- He says "bubu" for bubble and "gaga" for dog (specifically Clara, but my parents' dog Holly was "gaga" too). I'm looking for an ornament that blows bubbles for him for Christmas. I don't know if these exist, but let me know if you see one!
- He holds onto the tire while waiting for me to put him in the car. I know it's not the cleanest thing for him to hold on to, but it's at his level and it keeps him out of the street. The other day we were walking to our car and he stopped at every car's tire along the way and held on :).
- He will "look at mommy" and "come here." This is very helpful now that he is walking everywhere!
- He doesn't forgot about things when they are out of sight anymore. He "asks" for the cookies on the counter even when he can't see them, to give Clara several treats, his movie to be played (baby Einstein), and music (ALL THE TIME). I can't just hide things anymore and distract him, he remembers.
- He "jumps." It's so cute! He doesn't get off the ground, but crouches down and stands up real quick. We went to a free trial class at a toddler gym the other day. They were working on this skill and apparently he liked it. He has been jumping on command ever since.
- He "helps" me carry in the groceries (usually the bread), put clothes in the dryer, close the dishwasher door (or any door), and put the garage door up or down. He's such a great helper!
- He loves to watch the animals at the zoo. We went to two zoos (Tulsa and Nashville) in the last week and he really loved watching the animals. The elephants and the monkeys were his favorites at both zoos, and the birds were great fun at the Nashville zoo (as you can see in the pictures from my last post).
- We're in the process of giving up the morning nap. We've skipped the morning nap about four days a week for the past 3 weeks. Some days he still really needs it, but other days he's perfectly fine. I look forward to getting into a routine of one LONG afternoon nap. The days he has done this successfully I get so much done! It's much better than two short naps for some reason. I will miss waiting until morning nap for my shower though :).

That's all I can think of now. We are looking forward to the Holiday season with this active little boy!