the alphabet

I was finally able to get Jake to say the alphabet on video last Thursday. He has been able to sing the entire song for over a month now, but as soon as I would try to get him doing it on camera, he would clam up. I am so impressed by his focus in the video- despite Sam's best efforts to distract him. He was in the zone!

Jake loves the song "Come Thou Fount" and wants to sing it all the time. He tends to get the words mixed up but it is so precious to hear. I included the beginning clips because they are too funny. Every time I watch this, I crack up laughing. Enjoy!

28 months

Jake was 28 months on August 16th- now closer to 2 1/2 than 2! He is such a sweet boy and we are so blessed to have him in our lives. Here is what he is up to:

• Can now jump and actually have his feet leave the ground:)
• Uses past, present, and future tenses very well (even knows some of the exceptions to the -ed rule like "went" and "broken" as well as -ing exceptions like "ran).
• He is VERY verbally precocious!
• Uses pronouns appropriately; his sentences are impressive:) We are constantly amazed by his understanding of grammar. These are some he uses regularly:
• personal (singular and plural)- I, me, we, us, she, her, he, him, it, they, them, you
• demonstrative (singular and plural)- this, these, that, those
• indefinite- either, someone, each, something, all, some
• reflexive (singular and plural)- myself, yourself, himself, herself, itself, ourselves, themselves
• interrogative- what, who, whose
• possessive (singular and plural)- my, your, his, her, its, mine, yours, hers, our, your, their, ours, your, theirs
• Can correct his own grammar mistakes most of the time. If he uses a word incorrectly, all we have to say is, "No, Jake. You would say..." and he fills in the blank.
• Imaginative play- pretends to be different animals and acts them out
• Plays with Sam- gives him roles in his imaginative play:)
• Can sing the whole alphabet song and recognize/identify all capital letters.
• Loves to make up silly words and then tell us what they mean. He is very creative!
• Asks questions (What is ___'s name? and Where did ___ go?) all the time, especially when he knows the answers. He just wants you to ask him the question he asked so he can tell you the answer. Absolutely hilarious!
• Still loves to buckle everything!

He is so much fun, and we are enjoying watching him play with Sam. They sure do love each other!

27 months

Jake was 27 months on July 16th. When we moved into the new house at the end of June, we moved his twin mattress off the floor and into a bed frame. And we transitioned him out of the bed rail at the same time. His bed looks so high! But he is loving his new room and big boy bed.

This boy loves nutella!

Playing with his water table on the new deck.

26 months

Jake was 26 months on June 16th. Enjoy the pictures from the beginning of summer.

Love this boy!

Jake really likes dogs. I see having one in the future. The very distant future:)

Loving on his Daddy. Precious.

ice cream cone

Mark has football games to cover on Friday nights, so the boys and I are on our own for dinner. As a special treat we went to Chick-fil-A last Friday night for dinner. We tried the one in the mall so we could eat in air conditioning, but they did not have the carrot raisin salad. Since this is Jake's favorite part, we headed to the drive thru Chick-fil-A with outdoor seating. Not a big deal, except it was 95+ degrees and no high chairs for babies. This means Sam and I became a big, hot, sticky mess with him sitting on my lap to eat. We did get to see all the cars decked out with their local high school flags and decals. They were ready for the season opener! 

Jake ate his carrot raisin salad, a fruit cup, and a few grilled chicken nuggets. Sam had some carrot raisin salad, too, and finished off the rest of the grilled nuggets. Everyone was happy. Jake opted for an ice cream cone instead of the toy in his kid's meal. He was in heaven! He couldn't eat it fast enough- it was melting everywhere. He took a lick and then immediately gave Sam a lick. He knew Sam wanted some and was very willing to share. If it had been up to me, Sam wouldn't have had any ice cream yet. But Jake was sweet to share that I gave in pretty easily:) It was definitely fun, and I see more outings like this on Friday nights.

Even Jake does the scrunched up nose smile like Sam:)

45 weeks

Sam started saying "no no" in addition to "mama". He is pulling up on everything and even takes a few steps around the coffee table while holding on. He seem to be using objects for balance not stabilization. He can even stand alone for a few seconds- that is, until he realizes he's not holding on:) I think he is going to be our climber. He loves climbing into boxes and onto low shelves!

He is an eating machine! This boy will eat anything you put in front of him. You name it, and he's probably had it. Jake loves to share whatever he is eating with Sam, and Sam is more than happy to share right back. It's adorable- each feeding the other. Too funny!

10 months

Sam is one busy little man! He is crawling all over the house and will follow Jake from room to room and even come looking for me:) And he is fast! Sam loves it when Jake crawls and chases after him. He even pauses to look back, checking to make sure you are coming. He just laughs and laughs. Sam pulls up to standing but hasn't started cruising yet. He's not so sure about walking toys, dropping to his knees when I try to coax him into taking a step with them. Hopefully this means I have a few more weeks of just crawling:)

He has four new teeth (7/25- upper L lateral incisor; 7/26- upper R lateral incisor; 7/27- lower R lateral incisor; 8/4 lower L lateral incisor), bringing him to a grand total of eight! Three teeth in three days is quite a feat, and he handled them remarkably well. Other than the large amounts of drool, you wouldn't have known he was teething. I think he is now working on his first molars because he is shoving his hands way back in mouth all the time. We'll see...

We took away the pacifier on July 31st, and Sam hasn't missed it. Other than a little extra crying the first night, it was a very smooth transition. We would have taken it away sooner (once he teeth came in), but Gammy asked us to wait until after Peru:) It seemed like a minor request considering they had him for ten days:)

Another big thing is that Sam signed "more" last weekend. He's done it since, but he isn't using it consistently. It is exciting that he is starting to communicate with us. Jake loves to remind Sam how to sign and demonstrate for him. Too cute! He definitely uses mama intentionally and can also say dada, gaga, nana, and baba indiscriminately.

He is finally starting to get some hair, and it is definitely coming in red! It's not that visible yet, but when the sun hits it or it is wet, it is very obvious. We'll have to wait and see what shade of red it will be.

Sam is a sweet, fun-loving boy. His exuberant personality is really coming out, and he is such a ham. He is a boy who knows what he wants and wants it now! He is in a screaming phase as of late, letting you know when you're not fast enough for his liking:)

He has been really attached to me since I've been back from Peru. He likes to have me in his sight. I think he's scared I'm going to leave and not come back:) Although, this might just be separation anxiety that is normal for this age.

Jake and Sam are really starting to play together, and it is so sweet. Sam will feed Jake if Jake comes up to his chair while he's eating. And Jake always wants Sam to play with him. They are very good about sharing toys, too. We really enjoy watching them interact. We are so blessed!

Showing off the red peach fuzz:)

Such a sweet little face. Everyone tells us he looks like the Gerber baby:)

Playing in their new killer whale pool on our new deck.

Classic Sam face:) Love that scrunched up nose!

38 weeks

Sam is 38 weeks today! He is crawling much faster, especially on hardwood floors. And the newest thing? He has decided he wants to pull up and stand. Ha hasn't actually succeeded completely- only to his knees, but he sure is trying. A little tricky when there are boxes everywhere and we're in the middle of moving. We can't take our eyes off of him or he'll pull something down on himself trying:) It won't be long before he figures it out!

Full of smiles and giggles.

His top front teeth have gotten so big so quickly!

37 weeks... and crawling!

Sam was 37 weeks on June 24th. It was a big week for him. He started crawling! Just in time for packing and moving:) He goes about a short bit and then his knees go out from under him. He then has figured out how to army crawl to get the rest of the way to his destination! Another thing... he must be working on some new teeth because he has his fingers in his mouth constantly accompanied by lots of drool.

36 weeks

Sam was 36 weeks on June 17th while we were at the beach in Litchfield. The biggest accomplishment this week? Figuring out how to sit up on his own. I think it happened by accident the first time. He crawled backwards into a wall and kept going. Somehow he ended up sitting up:) He then managed to repeat it. Multiple times. He is quite proud of himself. The other big news this week is that he got another tooth., His upper left central incisor came in on June 13th. Now he has two front teeth!

So happy!

He tried frozen bananas for the first time. He made this hilarious face because it was so cold. As soon as it warmed up, he started smiling. He kept eating more so he must have liked it!

Our little Cardinal fan.

8 months

Sam turned eight months on June 8th while we were in Kentucky. He is crawling backwards and rocking on his knees, but no forward motion:) He is a great eater- fruits, veggies, cereal. He's not picky. He'll eat anything you put in front of him! He is still sleeping great. Sometimes a catnap in the morning and then about 1 -1.5 hours after lunch. Then to bed at 7pm until about 7am. He is just so HAPPY! All. the. time. He like swinging and really likes Maggie, Gammy and Papa's dog. When she would bark, he would just laugh and laugh. And the best part about being eight months? His brand new upper right central incisor (June 7th)!

Showing off his lower teeth.

Love those baby blues!

He has discovered his tongue. It is constantly hanging out of his mouth!

His hair is finally starting to grow back. It still looks red...

The tongue really hangs out when he's concentrating:)

So handsome.

His rare serious pose. Love those sweet cheeks!

34 weeks

Sam's loving this house!

His bottom teeth have gotten so big:)

we're moving!

Yep. That's right! No, we're not leaving Greenwood; Mark starts his primary care sports medicine fellowship on July 1st. We are, however, moving out of the apartment and into a house. With a big backyard! One of Mark's classmates is going to rent us their house for the next year as the housing market is pretty slow and there aren't many lookers:( We have loved the apartment and have no complaints. In fact, if we live in an apartment community again, it's going to have big shoes to fill because we love Regency Park! God has orchestrated all the details and timing for this move, and we are so blessed by this amazing opportunity.

We are so excited about the extra space for the boys. Don't get me wrong, I'm going to enjoy an actual pantry and cabinet space in the kitchen. In fact, they have an attached garage so I will not have to carry all our groceries inside in one trip! This means I can get more at a time and go to the grocery less often. Yippee! And the car will stay a little cooler during the hot summer months. Maybe the boys won't break out in a sweat as soon as they're buckled into their car seats:) Their upstairs is larger than our apartment, and they have a full finished basement which will be great for riding bikes and playing during cold or bad weather days. And there are four bedrooms so there is an unused guest room (instead of Sam's room doubling as a guest room) available for any visitors that want to make the trek to South Carolina and visit us:) We are so blessed by this generous offer from Gerry and Sara. Thank you! We will be praying for a better housing market next year and that your home will sell quickly once it's on the market again.

This month is going to be crazy busy with trips out of town, packing, moving, and graduation. Then July brings our mission trip to Peru and the Clement (Mark's maternal grandmother's side) family reunion at the beach. Summer is going to fly by! All this to say, don't worry if there aren't many posts in the upcoming weeks. We're here and will catch up later!

fire station birthday party

Last weekend we went to Noah's (one of his four friends named Noah!) 3rd birthday party at the fire station. What little boy wouldn't want a birthday party right next to fire trucks?! We had a great time and were sad that Daddy was on call and couldn't join us. The firemen did a presentation for all the kids, explaining equipment and putting gear on a willing, but unsuspecting, partygoer:) They even did a puppet show complete with songs about fire safety. Jake was super excited to watch firemen slide down the pole and can't wait until he's old enough to try it. It was an excellent idea, and we might have to borrow this party theme and locale once we move back closer to Uncle Tom!

Listening to the fireman explain the gear.

Very attentive.

Sam was listening, too.

The birthday boy.

Jake checking out the inside of the fire engine.

Ready for the cake.

Can you tell he's excited about the cake?!

The boys in their fire hats.

Jake loves these hats. He's constantly putting one on Sam or himself:)

33 weeks

In lieu of pictures this week, here is a video that shows what Sam is up to these days:)

sam's baby dedication

On Mother's Day we had the opportunity and privilege to dedicate Sam to the Lord. We publicly professed in front of our church our commitment to seek Godly wisdom as we raise Sam, to teach him God's Word, and to show him Christian love. It is a great privilege and responsibility to be parents. We truly desire our children to know the Lord personally, and we pray daily for guidance and wisdom as we teach them Truth.  We know God has a mighty purpose for Sam, and we can't wait to be a part of it!

I had delayed this post because I was waiting to get some pictures from Danny to include, and he has been out of town and very busy. It was definitely worth the wait because his pictures are great! Thanks, Danny for capturing this special day for us.

There is something special about this photo with the open Bible in the foreground...

 I love this sweet smile!

None of our immediate family was able to travel down for his dedication, but some of our good friends joined us for this special occasion.

Trisha, Chris, Leigh, Beth, Sam, Mark, and Danny.

The whole family. As soon as we walked to the front for the dedication, Jake told us he needed to go potty:) He stayed with us for the dedication but went back down to the preschool department for the rest of the service.