Start your day ready to play!!

This should be Andrew's motto!! He sleeps in play clothes so he is ready to go in the morning. We are usually begging him to let us finish are breakfast, while he is begging us to get in the car to head out or to go outside...ON THE GO!!

I've spent a significant amount of time reflecting (in words) on Samantha this month, but in mind, I have also been reflecting on Andrew, our AJ. He is one fast growing boy. Both in body and brains. He is all about sports...soccer, football and baseball (for the most part). He has some 'jerseys' and he changes clothes like a magician making sure he is in the 'appropriate' shirt for the sport. Recently the neighbor bought him a Titan's football and he won't let it out of his sight. He takes it to daycare and puts it in his cubby until outside time, he puts it on the floor during meals at home and he sleeps with it at night.

The two pictures below are not the best (from an artist's standpoint), but they are my favorites of him this month. In the first one, he is smiling after Samantha gave him a big hug after her dance performance. And in the second, my children are actually caught on camera touching!! and AJ is making his famous EYES. (love those eye movements!!)

I honestly think his favorite activity is laughing with Samantha. They try to crack each other up with their outlandish stories. Samantha will ask him, "For real life?" (her way of saying is that a pretend story). They also usually spend about 15 minutes recapping their dreams each morning on the way to childcare. I always wonder if my children dream in as much detail as they use telling the stories. Andrew often dreams of monsters in his bedroom?! Maybe he does because he also wakes us up almost every night about 4am. Luckily we can put him right back to sleep, but I'd prefer to stay asleep ALL night ;).

Watching football with Daddy (dual screens!).

This is one of his DON'T take a picture of me moments.

We went to the car wash the other day and AJ and Samantha recapped their favorites for me. Here were some of Andrew's.

Favorite color: Blue

Favorite animal: Lion

Favorite clothes: Jerseys

Favorite foods: yogurt, cheese, chicken, brocolli

Favorite sport: football, team the Titans

Favorite book: Little Toot

Butterflys everywhere

Samantha asked for butterflies and thats what she got!! 5 little girls became 5 little butterflies. They made themselves antennae, colored beautiful butterflies, made their own construction paper butterflies, listened to a story about a butterfly birthday party, and fluttered around the backyard. They ate grape catepillars, butterfly shaped sandwiches, butterfly shaped cheese, carrot coccoons, and butterfly cupcakes. Samantha said, "It was amazing!" Andrew enjoyed some time outside with Daddy during the festivities but he joined us for lunch and a cupcake...Mmm.

Sweet Samantha

Sweet Samantha...loves to make up songs about her relationships with people. In the car yesterday she sang a song about how much she loves her brother and how she likes to hold his hand. They held hands the whole time she was singing. I thought I might just break down right then. So sweet.

Sweet Samantha...loves to help me in the kitchen and always tries what I cook. Of course today on her birthday her breakfast was ready for her - 5 pancakes containing 5 blueberries each and warm chocolate with 5 marshmellows all served on a paper #5.

Sweet Samantha...loves bugs and animals. But this year her birthday will be all about butterflies. We started with 24 butterfly cupcakes, butterfly napkins, butterfly favor bags and a gift for the class, Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly (the book). She wore her butterfly dress and butterfly antennae. The theme will continue for another small party at home Saturday!

Loves anything pink and anything princess. It has honestly taken me a while to understand this side of a little, sweet girl (having been a tomboy myself), but its fun! She loves to dress up and will ONLY wear dresses. She also loves to color and draw.

She received the princesses pictured above from one of her aunts and she is on the phone talking to one of her other aunts while playing. She received so many loving phone calls and messages through the computer. The birthday celebration will continue...tomorrow she'll get to try out her new pink bike and Saturday she'll have a butterfly party with some close friends. So sweet.

Its that time of year!

Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons. I love the weather (so refreshing after our very HOT summer). I love the color it brings. I love the activities. I love the memories -- anniversaries, birthdays, halloweens, soccer...

David just returned from a fast trip to Germany and the Netherlands. We missed him lots, but we had a great week. I didn't have a grant deadline or get any grant reviews back while he was away therefore it was a low stress week- yay for me! The kids are more aware of his absence. Samantha talks about missing him and the kids even fought over him while he was away. It went something like this.

Mommy said, "Maybe next week, Daddy can pick Andrew up at daycare and I can watch you (Samantha) dance during your class".

Samantha, "But, I want Daddy to come to MY ballet class".

Andrew, "No, I want Daddy to pick ME up".

Samantha, "But, I love Daddy."

Andrew, "But, Daddy's a boy and I'm a boy."

Samantha, "Yea, but I'm a girl and girls can love boys and I love Daddy."

Andrew, "You can hold his hand, but I want him to pick me up."

Samantha, "Ok, I want to eat pizza."

Andrew, "I want a hamburger".

They crack me up and exhaust me at the same time. One week they want exactly what the other one has. The next week they want exactly the opposite of what the other one has. So predictably unpredicatable!!

We are packing in the activities this month. We made our annual trip to the pumpkin batch today. Gentry's farm is awesome for kids. I think it gets busier and busier each year. Because of the crowds and because the kids are in an 'opposites' stage, we didn't manage to stay together as a family, but we had a good time.

Music to the ears: a reflection on the SEA in my life

"I love you so much Mommy." My heart melts at the words. Everyday I love my children more and more.

"I need my sleep toys." Bears. Polar bears. Rabbits. Humans (yes, "humans"). Doggies. Kitties. She sleeps with an average of about 3 of each of these EVERY night (and one zebra and one horse, oh, and a duck or 2?!). She loves animals. She organizes them in her bed by species. Some nights, even in her double, there doesn't seem to be enough room for her. I am not sure which animal species is her favorite but is probably between the dogs and cats and the horse. She has a lovely story that her grandmommy got here on CD, "Samantha and Starlight". Starlight is a horse and Samantha is a little girl that loves to ride. It is a heartwarming story about determination and patience. I think that story made Samantha fall in love with horses. One day I'd love to take her for a lesson. (*the above photo was taken by Samantha when traveling and her sleep toys were 'limited')

"Where is JOSH?" Samantha is on a first name basis with Josh Groban. She loves to sleep to his music. Grandma is a big fan herself and when I told her that Grandma went to his concert to see him sing, she was so jealous. She insists on learning what he looks like. Samantha is still in love with LuLu Mae also. Apparently, she went up to one of the artists, Sarah, at church this week to talk to her. Samantha is a social butterfly and is VERY outgoing.

"Come play with me." Colors, colors everywhere! A year ago I would have told you I was worried that Samantha didn't want to color. She wasn't interested in sitting still, and she certainly wasn't concerned that much with staying in the lines. Now, she loves it! And she works hard to stay in the lines and make her pictures beautiful. I am grateful for this developmental stage. Who doesnt' like to color? We used to joke in college that we just wanted to color for hours. I finally have an excuse to do just that!!

"I love to dance". Dancing, twirling, 1, 2, 3. Samantha has started dance classes. This, I admit, wasn't easy on David or I (for totally different reasons). I had to remind myself that at this age participating in something like dance does not mean that she will never play soccer. Ha Ha, I know. She's in preschool. I am not pressuring her to play soccer, but it breaks my heart to think she might not at least try it! She told me the other day (while driving by a soccer practice), mommy I am never going to play soccer. I saw WHAT? She said, I'll watch, but I don't want to play. Tear. David had a hard time with the dance class too, but for him it was a joyous emotion and he nearly shead a tear seeing her dance in her class for the first time reflecting on how fast she is growing up. So true, so true!!

"You are my hero." Samantha is a helper. She loves to help other children and she loves to boss them around. She loves to play house and to play school. She is always the Mommy or the teacher when playing these role playing games. She now says she wants to be a Mommy and a Teacher. She wants to help in the kitchen with dinner preparations. Sometimes, its as simple as letting her put the cut up veggies together and mix the salad.

While Samantha loves looking at flowers and chasing butterflys, she would actually rather be inside then out!! I am hoping we see some change in this with the cooler weather. She likes to practing writing and she loves to read books (making up her own stories to go with the pictures). Her swimming skills really came along while we were in Orange Beach. She is fearless in the water.

"I don't ever want to be without you." These are words Samantha spoke to me, but I have a feeling she has also said this to two of her best friends, Alex and Lorelei. She is used to the consistency of seeing Alex at church and for special events. She is still getting used to being 'apart' from Lorelei. Samantha met Lorelei when she was 3 months old. They were together until this past July, when we changed childcares and Lorelei went to Kindergarden. We have arranged about 4 or 5 playdates for them, but she still misses her dearly!! Samantha is a faithful friend!

"I want to live with you forever." Stop the music. Daddy intervenes. No. You're out of the house at 22. He is teasing but Samantha is shocked and crushed. She can be so sensitive. We love her just the way she is and we thank God for her! In less that 2 weeks our baby girl turns 5! Happy Birthday, Sweetie!