Hot Tees In The Hole

Sam is CRACKING US UP lately with asking to hear "Hot Tees In The Hole", which we refer to as the Warren Haynes cover of "30 Days In The Hole". Since he was born, his daddy has played music CDs and DVDs of Warren Haynes, Government Mule, Dave Matthews Band and John Mayer - check out an older posting of them watching at this link. I think Sam is developing the same love for the music... as well as daddy's "jamming" style. Mikes says that he can't even get him into his seat before he starts asking to hear "Hot Tees In The Hole", then he says "Get it louder, Daddy!" We can't even carry on a coversation in the car these days. He's hilarious!

Expecting Baby Max

Today, my sister came over to snap a few shots of me and my growing belly - hoping to get a few good ones before baby Max gets here next month. She has a passion for photography and rightfully so. She's pretty good at it to not have any professional training. Thanks SO MUCH for taking time out of your day to do this for me, Mandi!

Here's an alteration to my and Mike's homemade nursery decor - all we had to do was swap out the "S" for the "X"

Here's a few "comfy" shots that we thought would never turn out worth a flip, but we ended up really liking!

I had to have a shot wearing my Christmas present from Mandi - cute scarf and earrings from the LOFT!

Normal Day

Seriously, how is my baby this big already?

Night Time Routine

Sam has been pretty clingy lately. I don't know if it's his age or if he has an inkling that baby Max will soon be here. As the day grows dim, he periodically asks me through the night, "Mommy, is it playtime?" It's like he wants to confirm that the day isn't over quite yet. We all enjoy the fun times after his bath when he smells of baby lotion and fresh shampoo. He loves to color, run around banging on his musical instruments, climbing on mommy and daddy, but most of all reading. When the clock finally strikes the hour to get in the bed, he starts to fall apart. Lately, it's been a nightmare trying to leave the room. As soon as we say good night, he says, "Mommy! Don't leave me! Lay down with me!" He does the same to daddy if he's in the room. Tonight, he grabbed Mike's arm and hugged it tight to his chest. Hopefully, this is just a phase, but we LOVE those precious moments of reading before bedtime. Here's a few pics of my two loves...

Manners and Talk of New Baby

So I realize that it's been a year since I posted, and Sam has hit so many milestones since the last post. He's doing so much more than walking and talking now. Take a look at Sam and Daddy's afternoon conversation. This will be so much fun to look back on!

1st Birthday Party

Sam's first birthday was a blast! He loves the book "The Poky Little Puppy" and his Nana made one heck of a puppy cake to go along with the theme for the party. The weather was HOT, so we had baby pools covered by umbrellas and a slip 'n slide. All of this fun was set up at my mom's house in downtown Gadsden. I was hoping it would serve as a central place to meet for all of the family from Birmingham and Geraldine. Sam loved opening the gifts and he was so careful with his cake. His Aunt Mandi said that it was so characteristic of Sam; he's so careful and clean. As we were opening his gifts, I looked down and Sam was standing ALL BY HIMSELF! I was so excited! It was the first time I had seen him do it. Congratulations and Happy Birthday, Sam!

My Nana makes the best cakes!

Thanks Aunt Lauren for my own cake!

"If You're Happy & You Know It"

Sam loves to sing and dance. I can tell he's trying to sing when we play music (which is almost everyday). He'll say, "Ahhhhh! Ahhhhh!" Mike has loads of music/concert DVDs, and we love to listen to them while we cook or relax when we get home from work. Sam really enjoys them too. We caught him clapping his hands, waving and dancing - all things he started at 10 months old.