The Adventures of Sam & Clayton

Winter Break Fun!

2013-01-07T14:17:00.000-06:00

We had lots of fun over Winter Break! We went "tubing" at Snow Creek - about an hour drive from here. It was a blast but the kids were done about an hour into it :) Built a snowman, went sledding, and had fun here at home!

And of course our annual "Smash the gingerbread house" tradition continues!

Merry Christmas!

2012-12-28T13:35:00.000-06:00

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! This year Clayton asked for a Spiderman web shooter and Transformers. Sam was mute when it came to telling Santa what he wanted this year but he did get many things that he is enjoying!

Clark made an appearance this year and was up to lots of mischief!

Clayton made this special Elf to keep once Clark had to go back to the North Pole!

Helping with the Gingerbread House!

A Texas Thanksgiving and gearing up for Christmas!

2012-12-01T15:12:00.000-06:00

Right before Thanksgiving we had a visit from Gramsey for Grandparents Day at school. Clayton was very excited to show her around his Kindergarten classroom. She also got to attend Clayton's last soccer game of the season and his awards ceremony. It was a fun filled few days and the kids really enjoyed her visit!

We had fun celebrating Thanksgiving with family and cousins! The kids had a great time and enjoyed each others company.

Gramsey came to visit!

Clayton's soccer team

Receiving his soccer trophy

Ready for Grandparents Day

Loving on Gramsey before she had to leave!

Cousin time in Texas!

Someone is a little busy!

Cousins!

It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas!!

And our friend Clark is back!

And we got our tree...

Finally getting some help :)

I'm DONE!

Taking a break with the elves

Moving on to salt dough ornaments and gingerbread house!

More pictures to come! Stay tuned!

New Happenings...

Clayton

- Enjoys building things out of legos

- Really into making robots out of pretty much anything

- Funny conversation about Santa:

Me: Clayton what do you want for Christmas?...

Clayton: Transformers and a web shooter...

Me: Oh I don't know if Santa knows how to make transformers?!

Clayton: Yes mommy! He knows how to make everything - even Eve! (Eve is from the movie Wall-E and he asked for Eve last Christmas and we found out she is "extinct" and he did not get her)

- We went to a Polar Express storytime at PB Kids. At the end Santa came out and Clayton yelled at me as Santa got closer "That is a FAKE Santa! The REAL Santa has glasses!!"

Sam

- Talking a LOT! He is continuing his speech therapy. He is talking in full sentences and asking full sentence questions.

- He is still 3, and I can't wait for 4! :)

- He loves to FaceTime on daddy's phone! Especially calling Nana & Pops!

- Loves to help in the kitchen or setting the table at dinner

- Likes to help vacuum (sometimes we fight over it)

- He wants whatever Clayton has...

- He makes noises when he plays now (sounds of cars, etc)

- Becoming more independent in his play

- Still loving his Montessori school and all his teachers and friends

Happy Halloween!

2012-11-01T15:29:00.000-06:00

We had a very busy October....we went to the pumpkin patch here and then Sam had a field trip with his whole school to the Farmstead, where there is also a pumpkin patch! This year Clayton dressed up as a pirate. Sam did not want to dress up at all - he just wanted to eat candy! His costume would have been a spider but he would cry when he had it on saying "TOO big, too BIG!"

Here are some photos from our adventures this month....

At the pumpkin patch!

Sam's favorite ride...

Horseback riding, Kansas style!

Checking out the bumble bees

Sam loved this slide too

Peek-a-boo!

Clayton was in heaven with life sized Lincoln Logs!

Family derby race

Clayton found his pumpkin!

Sam found his too!

And a little one too...

On Sam's field trip to the farmstead, just getting off the hayride

Weeeee!!

Another pumpkin!

Sam's whole class at the farmstead

Playing in the leaves

Happy Halloween from the whole neighborhood!

Arghhh!!

Clayton's class Halloween party

Bobbing for apples

Happy Birthday Sam!

2012-09-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Happy 3rd Birthday Sam! You are getting so big and we are so proud of you. We love how snuggly and affectionate you are and how much you love your big brother! We had a "farm animal" theme birthday party and invited a few friends to help celebrate at the park. We also had a "celebration of life" at his Montessori school - he made his own cake to share with all his friends, and he walked around the "sun" 3 times, and we sang a few birthday songs - it was a nice celebration!

His "timeline" at school that he helped make

Cake!

Happy Birthday Sam!

No Sam - don't eat the candles!

That's better! Marshmallows are a favorite!

Opening presents!

His favorite!

Hey Sam - what's in your pocket?

First days of school!

2012-08-18T22:16:00.000-05:00

Clayton is very excited about Kindergarten! He has 19 kids in his class and it's almost an even split of girls and boys. His favorite thing to do is play on the playground outside right after school with all his friends. Here are a few pictures from his first day!

Walking to school

First day of Kindergarten!

Sam was pretty upset when he realized he didn't get to stay...

After school we played in the backyard - and found this little bug

Then worked on his latest craft...a bunny

Here is Sam on his 1st day of Montessori school - he started the week after Clayton

We also are transitioning speech therapy to the school system - we will miss Meredith!

Wanna play?

Colorado Trip and End of Summer Fun!

2012-08-14T14:31:00.001-05:00

We had a great time in Estes Park this year! We met Nana and Pops there. We fished, hiked and drove around looking for wildlife. Some of the highlights were our hike around Sprague Lake, hiking up to Gem Lake (and running into a friend at the top!), Fun Park, boat ride on Lake Estes, climbing rocks at Alluvial Fan and spotting elk on the roadside on Trail Ridge Road.
We wrapped up summer with a fun block party in the neighborhood last weekend. We are all ready for school to start - hard to believe Clayton is going to Kindergarten this year. WOW time flies!

Ready for some hiking!

Hello Sprague Lake!

Our rock climber...

and jumper!

This activity makes me much less nervous

Testing the waters

Fishing near Cub Lake trailhead

Once he got the hang of it he became quite independent

Someone was upset they didn't catch any fish

A favorite (and not just of ours!)

Yum!

On our way up to Gem Lake, a bear cave?

We made it...Sam knows no stranger!

Yay! We ran into our friends up at the top which made heading down much less painful!

Admiring Gem Lake

The rule is you only get to take your picture at the trailhead sign if you finish the hike! We had no idea the whole trail was completely uphill with many switchbacks! Proud of Clayton for hiking the whole thing!

Sam had a pretty sweet ride!

This was used as bribery for the whole hike up to Gem Lake

Love how Sam is hunkered down not wanting to get wet!

Sam loves to strum a tune

Heading out on Lake Estes

Watch out for this driver!

Trying to spot wildlife

Elk on Trail Ridge Road

Climbing rocks at Alluvial Fan

Clayton and I hiked as far as we could to the top of Alluvial Fan

"Worm amnesty day" - we ended up not needing them!

We got to do a couple of hikes without the kids in tow! Here we were on our way up to Emerald Lake, and then to Lake Haiyaha

A waterfall along the way

Lake Haiyaha

See you next year RMNP!

Back to school ice cream social night - he wasn't going to miss it!

Time for sliding fun!

Being silly down the slide!

Patiently waiting to check out the fire truck

I have this picture from last year too!

And with friends...

Checking out the inside of a police car - and testing the sirens

There seems to be a theme here!

Spiderman!

Clayton is still loving to make things out of paper! This is his version of a diorama (those are the Kratt Brothers from the Wild Kratts show)

Summer 2012

2012-07-13T22:24:00.002-05:00

Before our summer really began we headed to Texas at the end of April to say "goodbye" to Gigi. We miss her very much but we are forever grateful that we had such a wonderful visit with her back in February. We were also thankful that this time brought us all together and that the kids got to enjoy their cousins!

Our list of activities has kept us busy this summer! So far we have seen Forts & Fairyhouses exhibit at Powell Gardens, as well as a Rapunzel puppet show! We have been to Worlds of Fun, Oceans of Fun, T-bones game, Science City & the Planetarium, The Nelson Atkins museum, the sprayground, had water balloon fights, gone fishing, caught fireflies, been on lots of picnics, gone to numerous story/craft times at the local bookstore, and lots of summer camps at church (Mini Chef, Fantastic Fairytales, Aloha over to the island of Hawaii, and Lego Camp!). We have also had friends over to play and many evenings playing with our neighbor friends at the fountain! In other words we have been busy! And summer has gone by waaay too fast!
Here are some photos from our adventures below...

Gramsey & Clayton

Sam, me, and Auntie M

Cousins!

Having fun being silly!

Picnic!

All the cousins!

Feeding the baby!

"Forts & Fairyhouses"

We never pass up a sample opportunity :) These were all things grown in the garden at Powell Gardens

Then we waited for "Rapunzel" before viewing the rest of the forts and fairyhouses!

Sam was all smiles!

The "evil witch" (check out her scooter)

Picnic time!

More forts!

Then it was time to cool off!

We had a fun visit from our friend Mark from London!

Sam loves to paint!

Playing before the movie starts at the drive-in

Showing off his creative "rhino" costume

First night in his big boy bed!

We love to be outside!

Fun at the fountain!

Swinging at the fountain!

Clayton's latest artwork

Visiting an old friend :)

First day of "summer school"

CLAYTON:
- Clayton is very good at using his imagination in everyday play and amazes us with the contraptions he comes up with using just paper and a crayon
- He saw his first "drive-in" movie at the Boulevard Drive-In - Madagascar 3. When we pulled in after having dinner at his favorite restaurant he declared it was "the best day ever!"
- His favorite show is "The Wild Kratts"
- He is enjoying his summer camps and Kids Day Out programs at church
- He enjoys playing soccer and baseball with daddy in the front yard
- He really likes to go off the high-dive at the pool, he is also tall enough this year to do the slides
- He likes playing on the playset in the backyard and using the swings as "vines" to get to the other side
- He is really liking baseball

SAM:
- Sleeping in a big boy bed now! (May 26, 2012)
- He is potty trained!(June 2012)
- Saw his first "drive-in" movie at the Boulevard Drive-In - Madagascar 3.
- Sam started Montessori school this summer and we have heard from the teachers he is "very eager to learn!"
- He loves to use sound effects when running through the house. He will back himself up a couple of steps before "taking off"
- He likes to help in the kitchen
- He likes to play in the water, and LOVES the pool!
- His favorite show is Curious George. Often his first words in the morning are "MONKEY!?"
- His favorite food is "yo-yo!", another first in the morning (referring to yogurt)
- He is putting 2-3 words together at a time, much improved over the last couple of months
- I close my eyes and say "where's mommy?" and he says "knock knock!"
- Really likes Worlds of Fun, talks about going to the "big boat!"
- Tells me to "GO!!" when the light turns green

Catching up!

2012-04-20T20:24:00.000-05:00

Wow, we have been busy! Lots of fun stuff going on, which recently included going to Kindergarten roundup - I can't believe Clayton is going to Kindergarten! I am also including photos from our most recent visit to Texas (I am very behind!). They had a great time visiting with Gramsey, Pops, & Gigi and staying with Nana & Pops while mom & dad took a vacation. They were very glad to be back home to their rooms and toys :)

This was Clayton celebrating his birthday at school

One of his teachers, Ms. Peggy

Happy Valentines 2012

Sam got "upgraded" to a new seat, and turned forward facing for our trip to Texas

We stopped and stayed the night in OKC, Sam got this special treat for breakfast

Giddy up!

Happy Birthday to Clayton!

Sam & Gramsey

Clayton with Gramsey & Pops

We got a little rain while we were in Texas!

Fun times at the arcade

Happy Valentine's Day!

We had lunch at Cracker Barrel with Gigi!

Then we headed to Nana & Pops'!

Clayton got to "hold" the bird

Mommy & Daddy took a trip to Hawaii for their anniversary

A view from the hotel beach

Sam had his first dentist appointment when we got back

Just in time for some Easter candy! :)

Happy Easter!

Flowering the cross

Then it was time for an Easter egg hunt!

Did I mention he loves to climb trees?! :)

Some of Clayton's latest artwork:

"Eve" to go with Wall-E

Spiderman in watercolor

Eve & Wall-E

Puppet that he made from a paper bag, crayons, felt & tape

CLAYTON
- His new favorite activity is taking the pocket digital camera around and taking pictures of lots of things - always fun to flip back through those :)
- Really likes to build things with "link 'n' logs"
- LOVES to climb trees
- He passed a "swim test" at Lifetime Fitness while we were in Houston visiting Nana & Pops (2/15/2012), swimming the length of the pool, touching the bottom and coming back up to keep swimming - then enthusiastically asked if he could do it again! We were told by the USAA coach who was there that we should have him on a competitive swim team. He has never even had a swim lesson!
- He has made a few new pictures using liquid watercolors
- He also made an "Eve" (companion of Wall-E) doll out of paper (see photo above)
- When we ask him if he wants to go back to Texas he says "NO, I've had enough of that place!"
- Clayton started speech therapy to work on his lateral lisp - for sounds of "sh", "ch", and "j", he is making good progress!
- While in church on Easter Sunday - we sat in the overflow chapel and when Clayton heard the pastor over the speaker he looked up and said "Mommy, is that Jesus!??"
- Excerpts from his latest report from school said the following:
* Enjoys visiting the block, house and writing areas and his planning is purposeful and self directed
* Clayton has such a big heart and is very aware of the needs of others, often helping with words of encouragement to those in need, even before being asked.
* Clayton maintains many on-going friendships within the classroom
* Clayton has a very vivid imagination and can be found using a variety of materials to represent his ideas and plans. He includes many details while drawing and building structures.
* Able to follow multi-step directions
* Exhibits good small muscle control, particularly while using scissors and writing tools. He turns paper and cuts very smoothly to stay on or close to his intended path.
* Clayton uses his creativity to create stories and books. When he "reads" his books, he uses his extensive vocabulary and reads with vivid expression. He enjoys sharing his books with others and is very proud of his abilities as an author.
- Week of 4/9/12 - Went to Des Moines, IA to see a allergy specialist at the Children's Hospital there. We are very excited that they may be able to desensitize his nut allergy. We are currently awaiting lab results from his bloodwork.

SAM
- He is getting speech therapy and has quite a few new words, some include - Bee, Quack, Duck, Cookie, Round, Wee, Llama, Ree (read), Help, Clean-up, Walk, Out, Down, Mommy, Daddy, play, buckle, kick, duckie (lately tends to favor words with the letter K)
- All birds are "duckies". He likes to chase them and then gets his feelings hurt when they fly away
- His favorite word - POOOOL!! - He loves to go to the pool!
- Loves to blow bubbles
- When you ask him to say "Sam" - he gets very excited and says "ME!!!!"
- He has a "happy dance" - he gallops when he is happy, it is very cute
- He loves Johnny Cash and tries to get me to play him "again" over and over in the car :)
- When getting in the car he only wants you to open the door, he then says "ME!" to tell us he wants to climb in and buckle in himself.

Happy Birthday Clayton!!

2012-02-06T16:22:00.005-06:00

Hard to believe he is 5! Where has the time gone?? Every day is fun with him, and he is the greatest big brother! Below are some photos from his birthday celebration!

More fun on the plasma cars!

Taking the Buzzes for a swing :)

Happy Sam!

Happy Birthday Clayton!

Mom got in on the birthday fun! :)

Some of the birthday friends who helped us celebrate!

Spiderman!

Working hard!

I think he is in love with Ellen...he always finds a seat right next to her! :)

Make a wish!

Cake time!

Whoa!

Birthday Boy!

Typical family photo :)

Opening presents!

Party favors!

New & Funny Happenings

CLAYTON:
- Funny quote.... Me: Clayton you are not in charge!!....Clayton: Yes mommy, I am in charge of my little brother, and you are in charge of me - that is the way the world works!!
- He loves to draw, color & paint. He also loves to play with playdough.

SAM:
- A couple of new words - happy, play
- He is starting speech therapy with Infant & Toddler services...we are hoping they have some magic tricks to make him start communicating easier! :)

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-27T17:44:00.009-06:00

We had a great Christmas here at home. It was a long day, as the kids took their sweet time opening presents. They managed to stretch it into the evening! Somewhere in there was a visit to see some good friends of ours - where we played games and overdosed on sugar :) We came back to finish unwrapping. Clayton's favorite quote of the day was "Yaaaaaay! I didn't get any coal!" He was very excited about his Spiderman watch and his Incredible Hulk toy, and we are working on magic tricks with his new magic kit. The plasma cars have been a huge hit for both boys as well. We hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas!

Here was a final note from Clark giving the boys permission to give him a hug on his last day

At Christmas Eve service - these are 3 of his preschool classmates

Sam surprised us with his (mostly) good behavior

Waiting on dinner and watching The Grinch with friends

A new fishing game

One last story before bed

Ho! Ho! Ho!

Sam's favorite "toy"

This is what sidetracked Sam from opening presents on Christmas morning??

Santa pancakes!

Incredible Hulk!!

With his Incredible Hulk and new Spiderman watch

This lollipop drum was also a huge hit (no pun intended)

Watch out!

Clayton the magician

Plasma car fun!

Plasma car derby!

Some of Clayton's books....

Batman

More from the Batman book...

"The Incredibles"

A book about Dr. Seuss & Cat in the Hat

Santa Claus!

Here are a couple of videos from Christmas morning...

CLAYTON
- Here is a video of him making his slide outside "go faster!" - Slide!
- He will tell you that his favorite food is salmon - and chocolate cake
- He is very into making "books". We take 3 sheets of paper, fold them in half and staple down the center. He has made books about The Incredibles, Batman, Superman, Spiderman, Elf on the Shelf, Toy Story, Baby Jesus, and many others. I posted a few pictures up above.
- His favorite Christmas toys so far have been - plasma car, magic kit, & Incredible Hulk

SAM
- His favorite Christmas toy was his broom and dust pan set. He also is obsessed with the new remote controlled helicopters. We have to keep them out of sight or we will not quit bugging us about flying them!
- He really likes water fountains. He likes to bathe in them more than drink from them :)
- He has hit a new milestone - he can now remove plastic plug covers from outlets with his fingers...awesome
- He has a new favorite word - yuck!
- He does this new thing now when he is told something he does not want to hear (like "no Sam!"). He will start to storm off, turn around and with a quiver in his voice and his bottom lip out, say "Byyyye!!!" then run off to his room and slam the door. I'm still trying to get it captured on video
- He is still calling daddy "ma-ma!". He will not say da-da or daddy.
- Sam went on the potty! (12/29/11) - he got up and said "YUCK!"

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-09T18:40:00.017-06:00

A little late posting about Thanksgiving. We had a fun visit with Pops and Gigi. We had dinner down on the Plaza at the Intercontinental then watched the lighting and fireworks from the rooftop. The kids had a ball! After Thanksgiving, we attended the Advent Workshop at church where the kids got to work on lots of arts, of course the favorite "art" was the decorating cookies table :) No surprise there.
We are all decorated for Christmas. We even did outdoor lights this year - yay! Check out our pictures from the last few weeks. We will have some more after Christmas of course!

"Dr Connors"

Why is this so fun? :)

Gobble Gobble

Mmmm oatmeal!

Sam with his most favorite toy ever - Cariboo!

In the band with Pops. The painted container is his "drum" and he used his belt as a noisemaker...

What's for dinner?

Clayton with his friend Ellen from preschool (we saw them at the Plaza lighting event)

Clayton with Gigi

Hey Sam - if you smile I will give you a cookie! :)

Sam and Gigi

Time for Christmas!

Advent workshop...

"Advent wreath"

Decorating the tree

Don't forget the candy canes!

Ta-da!

Putting up the nativity

Making salt dough ornaments

Our new friend "Clark" has been playing with our toys while we aren't looking!

This is what happens when you give a 2 year old hot cocoa & a stir stick!

I got to spend the day with Clayton's preschool, he always looks forward to having me come and showing off his things...

Working on a card

Clayton's "self portrait"

His preschool class presented the "Christmas story" and Clayton played a wiseman

Check the video below...

Making our gingerbread house

Ready to be assembled

Finally assembled and ready to be decorated!

I only got this photo of the actual decorating process. After this we got carried away with decorating, I did the “glue” and Clayton placed the candies.

Ta-da!

Clark was checking things out when we got up the next morning

Charlie Brown's house - and Snoopy and his house

Spiderman and a tornado

"At the zoo"

Merry Christmas!

New & Funny Happenings...

CLAYTON
- A few things from the parent/teacher conferences at school.... I always think they are going to tell me at least 1 negative thing, but I guess they figure we know all those already :) Here are a few things, the report was quite long citing lots of examples...
* Very self directed
* Very independent, and relates well to both adults and his peers
* Many friends in the classroom and shows awareness of the interests of others
and encouragement and positive reinforcement come naturally to him
* Demonstrates a knowledge of print concepts and has an extensive vocabulary.
- He loves to "read" to us. Here is a video of him reading Daddy his Spiderman book
- He really likes babies. We went over to see a friend who had a new grandbaby and he entertained the 6 month old baby the entire time
- Here is a great video of his preschool class presenting the story of Christmas

SAM
- He loves music
- He is so lovable and affectionate. When we tell him "I love you" he gives a big kiss
- He likes a song called "Hop like a bunny" that we have on one of our children cd's in the car. Everytime we are putting him into the car he will say "Hop!?" letting us know he wants to hear his song
- He really warmed up quickly to Gigi when she got here, and wanted to be in her lap playing with the remote control most of the time :)
- He likes getting into things and when caught off guard (Hey Sam what are you doing?) his only response is "NO! MIIIINE!"
- He is obsessed with a game called Cariboo - a $2 garage sale find that entertains him endlessly. It has a key that you can use to open compartments and find a ball inside
- He can get up and down from the changing table by himself. He likes to get up there and play with the lightswitch

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-16T21:23:00.009-05:00

We've had a great past few weeks. Clayton finished up soccer and all the kids were awarded medals at an end of season pizza party. Clayton is still enjoying preschool and Sam is finally starting to make an attempt at talking and communicating! Yay!
We had a great Halloween. We met all of our neighborhood friends at the fountain (up the street) for a traditional "kids in the tree" photo. After that we trick or treated at the shops and then hit a couple of streets on the way home in which we ran into Clayton's best friend from preschool (he was SO excited when we ran into his friend, Blake).
We made 3 jack-o-lanterns. Unfortunately, they lasted less than a day. We have a major squirrel problem in this city! They are almost like children - they don't want you to have anything nice without it being ruined! :)

Last soccer game of the season

Soccer star!

Sam wanted to participate in "halftime snack"

Getting his medal from Coach Brian

Acting silly

Look what I got!

Going for a ride

Love my happy Sam!

A fun new game...

Going for a hayride at the Farmstead

The pretty Belgian horses that pulled us!

Sam loves to snuggle!

Happy Halloween!

A fun game of "You've been boo'd" was had on our block

In honor of Spidey!

Lanterns that we made (that were later broken by the squirrels!)

My favorite, which was also apparently the most tasty!

Meow...

Luckily, I took pictures the first night I put them out...

Why we no longer have pumpkins....

Spiderman!!

My dino boy!

Ready to roll!

All the neighborhood kids "in the tree"!

Honorable mention, my most favorite costume I saw of the night - a hot air balloon!

Clayton's best bud, "Mr. Incredible" - and his brother, "Mario"

Most of the candy was left for the "Halloween Witch" who came and took (trashed) the candy and left a new toy in its place!

Well hello there Mr. Grasshopper...

Clayton painted Spiderman!

Happy Fall to All!

CLAYTON
- I found that a bag of marshmallows (the big ones) in my cabinet had only a few left in it (it was previously unopened). I asked Clayton if he had gotten into it and he said "yes" (he has a history of helping himself to things before mommy is downstairs in the morning). I said did you eat all of those today?? He said "no" - and I said "how long have you been working on those??" - he said "Ohhh - about 3 days!" Needless to say cabinet locks aren't just for babies! :)
- We told Clayton we needed to get rid of some toys soon or Santa was going to think he didn't need anything new and not stop at our house. He said "why don't we just put them in the basement where he can't see them?"
- "Mom - today it is time to teach you how to make pancakes!" - I always claim I don't know how because I really just don't want to :-P Besides it makes it more special when daddy is the only one who "knows how to make pancakes".

SAM
- New words - bubble (also used to refer to balloon), HEY!, Hiiiiii, Byyyye, Night, Okay, Pop!
- He is actually making an honest attempt to say words now - even though sometimes the words don't come out at all (just the sounds)
- He loves to talk on the phone
- He loves airplanes. Anytime he hears one he stops what he is doing and points at the sky and gets giddy with excitement and says "choo choo" (he thinks airplanes say choo choo too)
- He loves change (as in money!)...he will confiscate it from you if he hears even the slightest clanking coming from your pockets!
- He loves to cheer for Clayton at soccer. He will drop what he is doing if he hears people clapping and clap and say "YAY!!!"
- If you ask him if he wants something (that we already know he wants) he will get very excited and say "yeah! yeah! yeah!" and dance around

Fall is here!

2011-10-09T20:59:00.009-05:00

Fall is here (whether we like it or not)! We have been enjoying the mild weather because we know what happens in the months ahead. We have been outside as much as possible.
I realized that I forgot to do a back to school post, so I'm going to take care of the photos from that at the bottom of this post. Today we went to the pumpkin patch, it was a very windy and dusty day but we had a great time!

The pumpkin patch!

He found one he liked

Sam took a break from collecting rocks to pose for this picture

Happy Fall!

Sam loves to swing on his tummy

Sometimes they get along :)

Clayton is learning to play soccer!

He is #11 (one of my favorite numbers)

Sam is the goalie (actually he can dribble the ball very well!)

All ready for church

One of Clayton's many towers

This has been a popular playing spot lately (it is a great place to collect rocks!)

Sam got this for his birthday from us, forgot to post a picture :)

He loves trying on everyone's shoes!

Clayton was sick here and they were snuggling to watch a show, so sweet.

We discovered 11 Swallowtail caterpillars on this plant

Some of Clayton's drawings...

"Pirate Ship"

Cat in the Hat with friends, Sally & Nick

"Butterfly"

"Our house"

"Building with lots of windows"

"Shark"

Sample coloring, age 4.5

First day of Preschool

Sam's first day of "school" (KDO)

He loved carrying his own backpack

This was how I found him when I came to get him from school

CLAYTON
* Likes to point out all the "no parking" signs and "no trucks" signs as we are driving
* He is asking how to spell words and reading letters then asking "what does that spell?"
* He loves his brother. Oftentimes we will be looking at pictures and he will point out "Look at Sam, he is so cute, I LOVE my baby brother".
* Once when he heard Sam cry he remarked "Mommy, I don't think Sam likes himself!"

SAM
* Loves to try on everyone's shoes. We went to a birthday party with a giant bounce house (it even had a slide!). All he did was sit outside the bounce house and try on everyone's shoes! :)
* He is slowly beginning to talk (we think). New words include: binky, thank you
* He loves trains! Everytime he sees the train table at church (which he loves) or any other train he screams CHOO CHOO!!
* His favorite show is "Classical Baby" and when he wants to watch it he will sit on the couch, point and grunt at the tv, and do a little dance (it has music)
* His new found foods are mandarin oranges and chocolate covered sunflower seeds (they are colorful!) - he likes them both
* Likes to try on all of his pajamas - everything goes on over the feet
* He likes to call daddy at work, when daddy answers he will say "Hiiiiii!"
* He likes to pretend to blow his nose into a tissue (he only blows out of his mouth)
* Still loves collecting rocks

Happy Birthday Sam!

2011-09-26T14:58:00.004-05:00

Hard to believe our Sam just turned 2! I believe the saying goes "The days are long, but the years are short!" He couldn't define that better :) We celebrated this past weekend with a Dr. Seuss themed party, featuring "Sam-I-Am" (of course!). Nana & Pops also came to help celebrate and we enjoyed our visit with them. We look forward to seeing them more next year when Pops retires!!

Happy Birthday Sam!

Big Brother Clayton

Laura, Rob & baby Will

Ashley, Patrick, & Lucy

"Green Eggs"

"Happy Birthday to YOU!"

Playing with Annie!

He was only interested in unwrapping and moving on to the next one :)

Trying on his sweatshirt from Sara, everything goes on over the feet! :)

Each friend took home a "crayon roll" (made by mommy)

Sam I AM!

Nana & Clayton

Pops & Clayton

Nana & Sam

Pops makes me laugh!

Rocky Mountain High

2011-09-23T23:24:00.006-05:00

Over Labor Day weekend we went to visit Estes Park, Colorado. We had a great time hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park. Clayton loved climbing any boulders he could find and Sam could be found collecting rocks wherever they could be found.

Ready to go!

Already rock collecting

Sprague Lake

"Let me show you brother!"

Sam had a sweet ride

"Rock Climber" as he proudly referred to himself

On our way up to Emerald Lake (We ended up seeing all of these except Lake Haiyaha)

Nymph Lake

Dream Lake

Emerald Lake

Emerald Lake

On our way back down

S'mores after a long day!

We went back to Sprague Lake the next day - it is stroller friendly :)

We visited the "back country" this time though

And found more boulders to climb!

Alberta Falls

Near the top of the Falls

We also visited the Fun Park in Estes

Finally!

I think he had enough!

CLAYTON
* On our way to Colorado Sam was crying and Clayton said "I'm stuffing trash in my ears so I don't have to hear that crying!" (It was Smarties wrappers)
* He loved to climb the boulders along our hikes. He hiked all the way to Emerald Lake (while Sam rode in the backpack with daddy)
* Loves to "read" you a story - done by memorization and looking at the pictures to remember the story that was read to him prior. Favorite is "The Napping House"
* Started his first soccer team - The Panthers. He is having a great time!
* Everytime I tell him we are going to school he lights up and says "SCHOOL?!! I LOVE SCHOOL!"
* He loves to color, and has been known to go into a panic if he can't find crayons and paper
* His favorite food is salmon
* Favorite shows: Martha Speaks, Spiderman

SAM
* He loves trains and dinosaurs (but not the Dinosaur Train!) :)
* He can run really fast
* He loves to take his shoes off after we help him put them on and turn them around to be on the wrong feet
* His favorite thing to do is unload the pajama basket
* He points a lot!!
* New word: uh-oh, choo-choo!
* He really wants to be able to hold up 2 fingers to show you how old he is (he comes to us to fold his fingers down for him)
* He started KDO and everytime I go to pick him up he is sound asleep on his little cot - so cute!

Farm days

2011-08-18T15:07:00.007-05:00

We had a busy week a few weeks ago. My computer was without power but we are back up and running and can tell you about it now! A few weeks ago we went blackberry picking at Cy & Dee's Blackberry Farm in Louisburg, Kansas. Clayton had fun (the best part was eating them!). Sam did not go with us, but we did take him back a couple of weeks later and he didn't seem too thrilled with the idea.
Later that week we went to Shatto Dairy Farm where he got to taste all their flavors of milk and milk a cow. We went with our friends Anika, Annie & Molly! You can see our photos below, as I've anxiously been trying to get this post up!

Hard at work!

The best part!

The crop!

Sam thinks he is pretty funny!

The latest craze around here is the "night night" game where they get to snuggle before bed!

Clayton loves to draw and color. This is one of his latest - "Clayton with a cookie"

Shatto Dairy Farm

Sam liked the taste testing - especially the chocolate milk!

Best buddies!

Milking a cow

Group photo!

Going for a run after our picnic

We recently bought a "Butterfly garden", sent off for the larvae and then waited for them to hatch! Clayton was mesmerized. We later let them go in our yard and there seem to be more butterflies in the vicinity since then.

Up close! (There were 5 total)

Clayton loves to build towers, he wants me to take pictures of all his towers and make a book so that when he gets older and becomes a builder he can reference them :)

Not one of the butterflies we let go, but here is one that we saw in our yard. We also have a beautiful hummingbird that likes to hang around.

New & Funny Happenings:

CLAYTON:
- He and Sam were racing their cars down the driveway and squealing with delight. At the end of the driveway Clayton looked at Sam and said "Sam - we are going to be together forever!"
- Clayton's new favorite food is Sun Butter & Jelly sandwiches!
- Still loves Spiderman!
- I taught his Vacation Bible School class last week. One funny thing he did one day was withdrew himself from the "packing peanut relay" - he told us he couldn't play because he was allergic to peanuts!
- LOVES to color. That is all he thinks about is getting back to coloring! He even wants to color in the car! We love all his pictures. Most of them are very colorful (I need to take more photos of them).
- Went off the high dive for the first time (Sunday, July 31st - 4.5 years old). Loved it!

SAM:
- Sam's new words: Cooool!, Okay, Nooooooo, Miiiiiiine!
- He shakes his finger at you and tells you "Noooooo!" (he puckers his lips up when he says no - it is pretty cute)
- Laughs when you put food in front of him
- Likes to drink mommy's iced tea
- Gives kisses and hugs all the time
- His favorite toy is anything he can stack - lately it is my silicone muffin holders

- They both love to play the "night night game" (as they call it). Daddy puts them both to bed in Clayton's bed, lights out and leaves the room. He comes right back in (they are already out of bed) and jokingly tells them to "get back in bed right this minute!". They think it is hysterical!
- LOVES to be outside - he doesn't care if it is 104 outside, he loves it!
- LOVES his big brother (when he isn't irritating him!)
- He likes to get stools to reach things
- Really likes bath time
- Likes smoothies (the only way we can get him to eat fruit)
- Also likes chips & salsa
- He really wants to go off the diving board - he sees Clayton do it and wants to go too!

Happy Fourth of July!

2011-07-06T20:46:00.007-05:00

We had a great fun filled weekend and we wanted to share some photos with you. I am also attaching photos from a few weekends ago (Father's Day weekend). We are having a fun filled summer!

Spiderman climbing the tree

Happy Father's Day!

Underrrr-doggggg!

Daddy!

Change of costumes, he is now the "Real Batman"

I did not spill those bubbles

Sam built a tower!

This is why we eat outside...

Yummy corn!

Watching the skydivers land at VillageFest

Happy Independence Day!

Our neighbors brought back the party from Nebraska :)

Another neighbor brought out s'mores...can't say no to that

Playing in the fountains at Crown Center

All smiles...

Ta-Da!

See ya next time!

SAM
- The most recent funny video of Sam - Smartie Pants
- We officially have a first word! The word was "WOOOW!" when he saw a piece of chocolate cake. (6/15/2011)
- Don't worry we also have a few more words too.... kitty, uh-oh, ahhh!, baby
- His favorite word is "DUH". If you ask him to say a specific word, he will respond with DUH everytime :)
- He holds his finger up for "one more time?" or.... "can I have 1 more?"
- He likes to dance and "snap" (though it never makes the snap noise)
- He loves to give hugs and kisses
- He loves to look in the oven when the light is on, and point at whatever is cooking
- He loves to build towers with blocks!

CLAYTON
- He loves to climb trees!
- Jesus lives in the sky in heaven right mommy?....And there are these little orange crackers called Jeez-Its that we use to eat in Ms Patty's class.... (don't you see the correlation?) :)
- Jumped off the diving board for the first time! (7/2/11)
- He likes to swim laps in the lap pool at the indoor pool by treading water and he does sometimes stick his head in the water and pull himself (looks similar to breast stroke) while kicking his legs (he has never had a swimming lesson)
- He is still fascinated with Spiderman
- He has started coloring really pretty pictures with his crayons (I need to take a photo)
- He still insists on writing his name backwards, and spelling it backwards when I ask him how to spell it?

Fishing with Friends

2011-06-14T13:55:00.005-05:00

Last weekend we had the opportunity to go fishing with our friends. Alexandria & Catherine caught the most fish, and we had a great time! We will definitely do it again soon!

Sam about to feed the geese, he doesn't realize he is about to be ambushed!

Aren't they cute? :)

Checking out the first catch

The second catch was a catfish!

My little fish :)

He was very pretty though!

Clayton's first catch!

Clayton wanted to hold it :)

Our latest summer project, a robot!

See y'all next time!

Great start to the summer!

2011-06-05T16:27:00.009-05:00

We recently got back from a trip to Mexico. When we got back from Mexico we went to San Antonio to visit family. We had a great, fun filled, vacation! Check out our photos.

Where he discovered his love for coffee

His favorite place while we were in Mexico...

SAN ANTONIO....

Our trip to Sea World!

Feeding the sea lions

It was HOT!

Shamu!

Feeding the dolphins

At the Kiddie Park with Gramsey & Pops!

Sam was very amused by the "wizard" at the Kiddie Park arcade

Witte Museum

Checking out the treehouse

Riverboat ride on the Riverwalk

Back home! See you next time!

New & Funny Happenings:

CLAYTON:
- He thinks he is "Peter Parker" - for those who don't know, this is who Spiderman was before he got bitten by the radioactive spider
- Any spider he sees, he asks us - "Mommy, is this a radioactive spider??". He wants to be bitten by a radioactive spider so he can turn into Spiderman :)
- He likes to use the word "actually"
- His latest funny saying was when we were at the grocery store. I pointed out the peonies and how they smelled pretty. He smelled them himself, then looked at me and said "Sorry mom! Those are only for Mother's Day!"

SAM:
- If you tell Sam something he doesn't want to hear (like "no" or "stop that!") he covers his eyes with his hands
- Sometimes when a stranger tells him how cute he is, he closes his eyes and smirks (it is really cute!). He is a flirt too!
- He still isn't talking but he understands *everything*!
- If you ask him what he wants he will take you by the hand and show you what he wants (lots of pointing and grunting noises)
- If he makes a mess he will immediately point at it, grunt as if to say "can you clean that up?" If you give him a rag he will attempt to clean up after himself :)
- If he wants to read a book he will pick a book then pat his hand on the floor (like - "you sit here next to me").
- Loves bathtime!
- He screams a lot! He makes any attempt at a meal out-to-eat miserable!
- He does this new thing now if he doesn't understand he will put both hands up like "huh?"
- He is an animal lover and is very gentle (especially with our kitty). He laughs everytime he sees a cat
- Loves to be outside!
- Kisses with his mouth WIDE open!
- He can put on his own shoes. You will often see him with just 1 shoe on, as he likes to take the left shoe off all the time. So far we have managed not to lose any shoes!
- The kid loves to clean! :) You can catch him vacuuming, sweeping, or wiping things with a rag.
- He likes coffee (we discovered this while on a trip to Mexico)
- He likes to color
- He uses stools (or other props) to reach things he shouldn't, and to climb up onto furniture
- When he sees someone crying or upset, he will walk over and pat you on the head as if to say "it's okay".

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T17:02:00.006-05:00

Happy Mother's Day to all!! We celebrated with breakfast out this morning, then a trip to the grocery store :) After that I got to go get a manicure & pedicure. The best part was coming home to a QUIET house - the kids had gone down really late for a nap so I've also been able to enjoy a few hours of peace and quiet ahh!!
This past week we also had the Arts and hors d'oeuvres show at Clayton's school where he showed off some art work.

Here are a few of our latest photos:

Clayton showing off his artwork at school

Sam enjoyed a creme puff (or 2 or 3) :)

Clayton doing a craft with his preschool buddy

Just a swingin'

Quickly trying to make his escape

We also got to visit Alexandria's chicks over the weekend

Gentle....

Mother's Day breakfast...

Only 2 of my favorite people

We also played a game of tennis at breakfast :)

These were the pretty flowers I got from Clayton & Sam :)

Night night!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-22T21:20:00.009-05:00

Hello to All! It has been awhile since we have posted last so I have a few pictures to share, and some funny stories too.
We hope that all of you have a very Happy Easter with your families this weekend!

Happy Easter!

Easter baskets

Getting breakfast before church

Happy baby!

Cutting flowers for the cross

Flowering the cross

Family photo (best we could do) :)

Ready to hunt Easter eggs!

He could have cared less about the eggs!

Clayton had a blast!

He even shared his candy with his little brother

So much for dyeing Easter eggs!

New & Funny Happenings:

SAM
- Sam is good at communicating what he wants without using words. He points, claps, and shakes his head "yes" and "no". He follows directions on command, like "Sam can you bring me the ball?". He understands us completely. Now if he would just talk so we could hear his sweet little voice! :)
- Sam loves bath time and can be persuaded to do most anything by simply asking "do you want to go home and take a bath?" He and Clayton still fight over who gets the front :)
- He fell off the 3rd step of the playhouse. He face planted on the ground and is lucky he didn't break any bones or knock out any teeth
- He likes to get my hand mixer out and drag it around by the cord like a dog
- He tries to copy everything he sees us do, and he loves to be in the kitchen
- He is constantly getting into the lip gloss but hasn't figured out how to unscrew them yet - yay! Next thing I know he will be copying me and putting it on himself!
- He likes to put on mine and Kevin's shoes if they are left out where he can reach them
- He smiles really big when you clap for him
- He is super ticklish under his chin. I can't even clean his neck without him flailing in the tub
- Still the messiest eater ever...
- He loves to figure things out. We find him trying to put the house key into the front door, or setting off the car alarm and dropping the keys like "who did that?"

CLAYTON
- Clayton is starting to fib to us (already?!). The other day I heard him in his room with markers and he dropped them and I asked through the door - "Clayton do you have the markers in there?" (he knows he isn't suppose to) - and he says "NO mommy, that was just a monster!" - he isn't a very good fibber yet :)
- If he hears me arguing with Kevin he says "Mommy - are you back talking daddy??"
- He is really into drawing pictures of people and writing his name. So much fun!
- He is obsessed with scotch tape and likes to tape things. Once he even taped his mouth shut - I'm okay with that too :)
- Clayton has had the "sharing bag" at school 3 different times. He has taken both Buzz Lightyears, and most recently took this book - which the kids (and teacher) loved!

Spring is almost here!

2011-03-23T13:06:00.012-06:00

We are calling it Spring already anyway, even though they are calling for snow next week! We are starting to plan what we might plant in our gardens this year and playing outside quite a bit.

Sweet boys

He gets mad if I won't give him the vacuum

It got warm enough for the park - for awhile!

He was pretty proud of himself :)

Ladies man!

Just getting organized

Sweet face

Always so serious

Yummy!

f
Clayton with his friend Hudson

New & Funny Happenings:

Sam
* When he takes a drink from his sippy cup, he puts it down and says "Ahhhhhh!" really loud
* He has suddenly become a VERY picky eater. We are working on it though! He still loves guacamole.
* He shakes his head yes, and most of the time shakes it NO! :)
* He still loves to climb, we most recently found him on top of the dining room table. I have to watch him closely because next he will be hanging from my chandelier!
* He points, claps, and waves bye-bye
* He really likes when we sing to him
* He likes to flip through books and look at the pictures
* He can climb the ladder on the playhouse and go down the slide by himself - as long as someone is there to catch him!
* He can do the turtle (baby) slide at the swimming pool by himself. He loves the swimming pool - and still mostly loves the hot tub
* Sam's favorite toy is the "Mr Porkchop" from Toy Story who spits out a coin when you push his tail :)
* He would rather eat his lunch & dinner "on the go". Meaning, he would rather eat it in his car seat or while out playing. He is "too busy" to sit down!

Clayton
* He is asking us LOTS of why? questions! Lots that I don't know the answer to - and that it is not easy to come up with answers - like Why do we have 2 hands? Why are there so many houses? Why are there so many people? You get the idea...
* He is trying LOTS of new foods, and it has been very positive. He actually requests things - like carrots or salad. He recently tried salmon and sauteed spinach and liked both and came back for more! He is still a big fruit eater.
* His favorite movie is "The Aristocrats"
* His favorite toy is his Spiderman Scuba action figure

Happy Birthday Clayton!

2011-02-16T14:24:00.010-06:00

Hard to believe our baby is 4 years old! He had a great visit with his Gramsey & Pops on his actual birthday. We celebrated with a Superhero birthday party the following weekend. The weather is cheering up around here, we hope it stays that way! Melt, snow, melt!

Super Sam!

Super Clayton!

Brothers

Hurt feelings face :(

His friend Sara makes it all better

Snowman 2011

Sam's first sledding experience

The boy loves his guacamole

Hanging with Gramsey & Pops

Clayton & Pops

Clayton & Gramsey

Storytime

Happy Birthday Clayton!

No one touch my brothers cupcake!

Happy Birthday to you!

Gifts galore!

Super Annie!

A new favorite!

Sword fighting with Grey

Our very own Spiderman

New & Funny Happenings:

CLAYTON
- Clayton had his 4 year checkup. He weighs 44lbs and is 43" tall - 97th percentile for both!
- Clayton likes to ask me "Mommy - do you want to watch Spiderman or Sunnyside Daycare?" Then I give him my answer and he acts out the "story" with his action figures. His imagination is wild!
- He gets himself up and fully dressed in the mornings
- Clayton is getting much better about trying new things - his new favorite food is oatmeal!
- Clayton can get himself in and out of his carseat with ease - much easier now that winter has taken a hiatus and he doesn't have on a big coat!

SAM
- Sam says "da-da!" for almost everything
- Likes to push a stool up to places to reach things
- He can apparently say "cracker" according to the ladies in the nursery at church, though he only says "ga-ga" for us
- His new favorite foods: bananas, oatmeal, apples
- He can run!
- He likes to dance!
- He loves to take toys Clayton is playing with and RUN, then drop them when he is about to be caught, he likes to be chased
- He gives great hugs! He puts his arms around your neck and squeezes!
- He loves balloons and likes anything he can pull on a string (alligator toy, milk truck)
- He likes to dump out the markers and get the watercolor tray out, and the glue. I think he will be my crafty baby :)
- He really likes his new chair his Gramsey bought for him

Cabin Fever

2011-01-16T21:31:00.015-06:00

We are ready for Spring - enough with the snow!

He's a climber!

The stressed out look - like when he gets told NO :)

Getting his teeth brushed - he loves it!

Clayton telling Sam "you're a good baby!"

Sitting in the big boy chair

Hanging out

The Elmo trance

Clayton with is favorite friend :)

Look at me!

Practicing to be more handy than dad!

Brotherly love!

New & Funny Happenings....

CLAYTON:
- "Of course mommy!" and "OH yes - you are RIGHT mommy!" Ha!
- Recognizing letters very well. He says "C starts with Cookie!" and "T starts with TV" - a little backwards but that is ok
- He also likes to point at letters and name them (like the letters on the backpack)
- He can tell you where he lives (city and street) but not the number of his address yet - when I ask him to he says "Mommy STOP asking me that!"
- He is becoming less picky at mealtime. He is usually eating what we eat. If he says he doesn't like it we just leave it there and when he gets hungry enough he comes back and clears the plate, he knows he doesn't get his evening snack otherwise :)
- Can do the lazy river at the swimming pool without any flotation - by himself! He bounces his way through the circle. He is very comfortable in the water (though he still hasn't had swimming lessons).
- He can also do the SLIDE which makes him very happy! :) He can swim to the wall by himself and it is a pretty tough current
- Has a new belt (for his pants) and he is VERY proud and likes to show it to everyone
- He is writing his name, and quite well! At night he says he is "doing his homework" and writing his name over and over again.
- He can zip his own coat, and get his own hat and mittens on all by himself
- Favorite tv shows: Curious George, & Martha Speaks

SAM:
- Understands "on your bottom" and "no touch!"
- Runs anytime you pull out a wipe or kleenex (he hates having his diaper changed and his nose wiped)
- Found him standing on the play table and also standing in the play table drawer!
- Loves the hot tub at the swimming pool
- Sam's new favorite foods: kidney beans (from mommy's chili), bananas, guacamole
- His favorite toy is Mr. Potato Head
- Very ready to be a "big boy". He wants to sit in Clayton's high chair. We have been pushing his high chair up to the table because he wants to eat off of a plate with a big utensil (adult size). He is much happier, and eats better this way.
- He loves Shadow and likes to make purring noises when he sees him. He loves to play with Shadow.
- We love to play hide and seek! Sam gets so excited when he finds either of us. Watch a video of it HERE.
- He said "daddy" (1/16/10) and he says things that sound like words - especially for cracker (ga-ga) and "Shadow!" though not clear at all yet. Hurry! (I know I will regret wanting/trying to get him to talk - ha!)
- He loves to get his teeth brushed
- He is usually cranky in the afternoon after waking up from his nap, this seems to be getting better though (finally!)

Ashley