I am Sam

I want to try and capture each kiddo where there are in life currently.  Here is the first kiddo.
 

Meet Sam.

He’s 21 months old.  He loves playing outside, drive his cars around the house and take long walks in the park.

He is tall, slender, and will mostly likely reach 3 ft tall by the ripe age of 2.

 He doesn’t have an experienced palate yet.  He loves pumpkin oatmeal, lots of white foods, and carbs.  Milk tops the list, which he demands the moment he wakes up from a long nights sleep.  Crackers, pb sandwiches and bananas suit him just fine.  He has yet to hop on the Paleo bandwagon. 

He loves his big sisters, but at the moment, pals around with Eloise the best.  This might change next year when Lily and Sam have a little bit of time to themselves. 

He knows how to communicate to his sister’s well.  He is often found lying in a heap on the floor when they slightly touch him or refuse to hand over the toy they are playing with.

 

He’s very fluent in the language of baby, but occasionally he branches over to proper English.  His current English words are Mama, Dada, Nana (doubles for Nana and Banana), papa or poppie (doubles for puppy and papa), kah-ker (cracker), car, bye, hi, and of course, no and mine.

 He can climb bunk beds, book shelves and anything else that could send him falling a large distance to the floor possibly breaking an arm or leg.

Hair cuts are his least favorite activity.  His mom and dad have tried pinning him in their lap and that was an epic failure.  The movie trick was tried the next time, which proved to be a little less of a failure.  However, he still thinks his dad is the coolest guy in town.

He knows his way around a kitchen.  At the first sound of a utensil being pulled out of the drawer, he is sprinting to pull up his chair and begin cooking with his mama.  He’s still working on his culinary skills. 

When his mama doesn't need his help, she will gladly hand over the ipod to get his dinner finally on the table.

Sweet Sam is a blessing to the family.  We enjoy watching him grow and look forward to many more years to come.

Kindy

Tonight, we go to Eloise's Kindergarten round-up.  It's a night where we get to meet teachers, look at the school and get an idea of what may lie ahead in the next year.

Those who have gone before me know that it will be a little emotional but will pass.  I can see that on the other side, but it's transition and I LOVE transition (insert sarcasm).

I've talked with the Lord alot about what His plan is for schooling our children.  I've explored homeschooling, looked at charters and had dreams about private (too expensive).  With each option, the Lord has clearly checked off each one and we've ended up with public and our local school. 

Now this comes with some hesitation.  First, the surface hesitations.  It's not in the best neighborhood and it doesn't LOOK the best.  Second, the deep hesitations.  What kind of things will she come in contact with?  Will people be mean to her?  How will she handle confrontation or getting her feelings hurt?  These deep hesitations or worries I have can happen anywhere.  They can happen in the best of the best schools and 4 pretty walls surrounding her will not prevent any of that from happening. 

Eloise is a driven girl, she will excel anywhere she goes.  I can teach her whatever she needs to be taught.  It's not really about education.  So then, as a family, I'm left asking - are we supposed to be in that school to love people?  To serve where there are needs that need to be met?  To show support to teachers, to help children who don't have a steady home life, to be a light where there needs to be light?  I can't help but know deep down that THAT is why we are headed in that direction.

So I look forward to Kindergarten round-up and I look back at this last year with thanks. Thanks to the Lord for helping me make the decision to not send Eloise to pre-school.  I have loved the time I've had to keep all three of them at home without any commitments.  I love that in a rare beautiful Spring day, they get to make mud pies and play fairy soccer until their hearts are content. 

And he just likes to push things around, including his sister's doll stroller.  

Oh the life of a little boy with only sister's.