Four!

I can't believe that Sam is four. Except, of course, when he asks me questions that I don't even know the answer to. Just sitting and chatting - that's my favorite thing to do with this little boy (excuse me, big boy, he doesn't liked to be called a little boy). He is so curious, thoughtful, sweet, and smart. I just love him to pieces.

Of course, at four, he is also very good at testing his limits. We have lots of conversations about what it means to be a good listener. He makes up for it though. The other day he picked up one of those dandelions that just has the seeds. He said, "Mama, I love these. They are for wishes." Then he said, "I wish for lots of joys for my mama, like that I'm a good listener." Then he blew all the seeds away. I'm a lucky mom!

Here are a few pictures from Sam's fourth birthday. Can you guess his favorite superhero?

Duluth

Peter and I celebrated FIVE years of marriage on June 3rd. For our anniversary weekend, we took a trip up to Duluth. It was great to walk the North Shore, eat several meals out, and just relax. For our big anniversary dinner, we went out for sushi. I hate to admit it, but this was my very first time having sushi, and I was actually a little terrified. I ate it though! It made my husband proud, AND it was delicious. I didn't know what I was missing!

18 Months

At 18 months, Charlie:
*loves to follow around and mimic everything his big brother does (big brother is not always fond of this).

*prefers to play with cars, Batman's bat cave, any type of ball, or any type of "guy" (lego guy, playmobil guy, etc.).

*climbs up the playground and goes down the slide all by himself.

*is becoming more interested in books, though he is very particular about them and only will listen to a select few.

*enjoys coloring with crayons.

*loves to scream. Mom does not love this. Especially in the car or out in public.

*is completely attached to a yellow stuffed duck. He will not go to bed without duck. This is new to us...Sam never got attached to an object in this way. It's pretty cute, but if duck ever gets lost, it will cease to be cute.

*hates sand but will FINALLY walk around in grass without crying.

*loves to splash in any kind of water - pools, lakes, bathtubs.

*does not like to have his food touch each other - no hotdish for this kid!

*is often up before 6:00 am. Mommy is tired.

*is a definite cuddle bug. This comes in handy during those early mornings.

*is exploding with language. Here is a list of his current words, though I'm surely forgetting a few: hi, mama, dada, brabro (brother), baba, hot, duck, bubble, ball, more, car, cracker, ca-ca (color crayon), auntie, book, blueberry, water, guy, please, yes, no, baby, Ah-koo (Oscar) and bat cave, I kid you not, he says bat cave. Okay, so it sounds more like baa-kay, but he is referring to the Batman bat cave.

*understands SO much of what we say to him and is very good at following directions. This impresses me every day. Kids are amazing.
 
WE LOVE YOU, CHARLIE!

May 2011

Sam had his first swimming class without Mom or Dad in the water with him. The first night, it took 25 minutes for the teacher to even get him in the water. The second night, 15 minutes, the third night, 3 minutes. Finally, he was good to go from that point forward. He passed on to the next level and was very proud of himself! We are looking forward to a lot more swimming this summer.

We had our first sleepover with little cousin Josie! She and the boys had a lot of fun playing together!
A little living room picnic!

Easter 2011

Charlie wasn't quite old enough to understand what an Easter egg hunt was, but Sam LOVED searching for the eggs and baskets. Charlie did, of course, enjoy the puffs and yogurt melts the Easter bunny brought for him. They also both enjoyed getting some new Twins gear. After church, we had a wonderful meal and afternoon of kite-flying at Grandpa Roy and Grandma Kim's house.

Vegetarian?

Charlie frequently tries to convince us he's a vegetarian by refusing to eat meat. Last week we let him try bbq pork ribs. Let's just say he is definitely NOT a vegetarian.
Sam was a big fan too!

Bath time

Charlie getting a bath in Grandma's sink!