A Spring Snow Storm...

After weeks of beautiful spring weather we got hit with a snow storm this past weekend! Only a few inches but it felt very strange after being in flip flops for over a month! This was the first time Sam was able to play in the snow since we were in FL the last time it snowed here - way back in December!
He felt most comfortable holding on to this tree :-) His little feet didn't even sink down into the snow at first, haha!

Gus loved the snow waaaay more than Sam did! He barked and ran around like a crazy dog the whole time we were outside playing.

And this is how Sam told us it was time to go inside :-) How cute!

Sam's Sesame Street Birthday Party!

On March 27th - the day after Sam turned 1 - we had a Sesame Street themed birthday party at our house. Good neighbors and friends attended to celebrate Sam's 1st birthday over pizza, cake, and presents :-) Here are some pictures of Sam's 1st birthday party...

Our little Sam is 1!!!

We had so much fun celebrating Sam's 1st birthday! He turned 1 on March 26th. We went about our usual routine on his special day except Sam was given a present to open every few hours :-) By dinner time he was a pro at tearing through wrapping paper!
A new farm from Daddy and Mommy.

Fridge magnets that play music :-)
This Sesame Street bag kept Sam busy for a LONG time! It took him a while to figure out that there was a gift inside :-)

YAY - new tonka cars to drive around the house!!

Sam was VERY busy with his new toys so I was lucky to get a second of his time for a picture!

This is such a fun toy given to Sam by his Oma and Grandpa - it's just like a Tickle Me Elmo, except it's Cookie Monster!

A new Elmo book!

What a handsome 1 year old we have :-)

Mmmm - this was definitely a birthday highlight for Sam!

He ate every single crumb and when he realized it was gone, he started to lick the frosting off of his fingers, haha!

It amazes me that Sam has been apart of our lives for a whole year already! I am shocked at how quickly time is going by!! Sam's birthday was a bit emotional for me - I think because I just feel so truly happy and lucky to have such an amazing little boy! He has brought so much joy, love, and laughter into our home and I just don't know how we ever lived without him! Happy Birthday my sweet Sam :-)

Sunset Zoo

Last Saturday we took Sam to the Sunset Zoo in Manhattan. It was a great zoo day - it was really fun to watch Sam point and "talk" to the animals! His favorite were the chimps and otters. He threw a huge tantrum when we had to wave bye-bye to the chimps - he really liked looking at the mama holding her baby chimp :-) That was my favorite exhibit too! The otters were swimming and splashing around in their pond which was also really fun to watch!

Hail!

Last week we had a pretty crazy storm with lots of strong wind, rain and hail! The hail was actually pretty small for a typical Kansas storm - about marble size pieces. Craig and I took Sam outside after it was all over to let him see and feel the hail that was still left on the ground.

Spring time in Kansas!

We have been so fortunate this year - it has been such a mild winter here in Kansas with 1 or 2 snow falls and very warm temperatures! These last few months we've had many many 60, 70 and sometimes even 80 degree days!! We have definitely been taking advantage of the great weather, spending lots of time outside :-)

Sam loves going to the playground in our backyard - the swings are his favorite!

The picture below makes me laugh - every time we put Sam on a new playground toy, he cries! Only for a few seconds though and then once he decides that he's ok, he's back to "happy Sam."

Waiting for Daddy...

Sam has a new favorite thing to do! When Craig takes Gus out for a walk around the loop in our backyard Sam pushes his play lion in front of the window and uses it as a stool. He hits and waves at the window to get Craig's attention and then patiently stands there until he can see the boys walking toward the house again - it is so cute! Sometimes I pick him up off of the lion and try to play with him but he goes right back to his spot at the window :-) Sam is a VERY busy little boy so I am always so surprised how he patiently stands at the window waiting for his Daddy and Gus to come home - and when he sees them coming towards the house I have to put my hands behind him so he doesn't fall because he jumps up and down with excitement, haha!

Hair Cut?

Check out this wild and crazy hair Sam has! Craig enjoyed creating his bath tub hair style in the pictures below :-) But as you can see in my previous blog, Sam's hair is pretty long and out of control! Although I think what he has going now completely suits his personality, I see a 1st hair cut in the near future. It makes me so sad that our little baby boy is growing up so quickly!

The Bubble Wash!

This past weekend we took our little corolla through the Bubble Wash - this was the first car wash for Sam :-) I know this is pretty silly to "blog" about, but his reaction to this new experience was super cute!

At first he was really excited because there was so much to look at! Although I forgot how noisy the Bubble Wash is because once the water started spraying I could tell Sam was nervous - he would quickly look out each window and then look at me to make sure this was all ok :-)

Sam is smiling in this picture above but he was actually starting to cry because we were in the "dryer" and it was really loud!

And as we drove away in our shiny car, Sam was relaxed and happy again :-) A very interesting first car wash experience for Sam!

He's 11 months!

Sam is a very happy, very busy little 11th month old! If he's not going 100 miles an hour, then he is sittting quietly with his thumb in his mouth.

Look at that blonde hair! Who knew I would have a little blonde boy!

Sam loves hiding under his Sesame Street walker - he laughs when I find him!