After playing in the ocean, we made our way up to the pier for more fun. (And more crowds, what else would you expect?) Sam wanted to ride the ferris wheel, but settled for a couple of the kiddie rides, and the carousel, even riding a horse that moved up and down (last year he wanted to ride the non moving bench).
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Santa Monica Pier
After playing in the ocean, we made our way up to the pier for more fun. (And more crowds, what else would you expect?) Sam wanted to ride the ferris wheel, but settled for a couple of the kiddie rides, and the carousel, even riding a horse that moved up and down (last year he wanted to ride the non moving bench).
California Vacation Day 2, Saturday July 14



After a brief stop at a Toys r Us that we saw from the highway, we dropped off Uncle Kevin at his place and returned to the Comfort Inn for some awesome swimming.
California Here we Come! Day 1
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Day 1: No that-that
I just had to write this down before I forgot it. Originally Sam was going to give up his that-that (pacifier) when Ben was born, but with everything going on, Sam didn't volunteer, and we didn't enforce it. The next d-day was when he turned 4. We kept telling him that it was only a few more days until he was 4, and we would give up the that-that. His response was "I'm not 4 yet!" So last night, I took the that-that out of his room. There were a few sobs and tears. I put a sippy cup of apple juice on his headboard with the explaination that if he missed his that-that, he could just take a sip from his cup. I ended up laying with Sam in his bed for about 30 minutes before he fell asleep. He became concerned that I threw the that-that in the trash. Then that maybe he could "borrow" one of Ben's that-thats. There were moments that he was fine, then moments that he didn't think he could do it. I came close to caving in a couple of times, but figured that if we didn't do it when we said we would (when he turned 4) he would use it for the rest of his life. He kept saying,"I miss it." then would take a sip from the cup. I suggested that he just take a sip from his cup, so he wouldn't run out of juice. "Just enough to wet your whistle." Sam then responded, "Is whistle spanish for sip?"
I was expecting several visits in the middle of the night as he would wake up and not find the that-that, but I just got one visit and there was no mention of a that-that. I just took him potty and laid in bed with him for a couple of minutes and he was asleep!
Our boy is growing up!Thursday, July 05, 2007
Mrs. Bowlby
We have been visiting Mrs. Ethel Bowlby off and on ever since Sam was a baby, but over the last year, we have been going once a week. A visit to Mrs. Bowlby was actually Ben's first outing. Sam has brought books that I have read, or we get ice cream, or we just watch Sam be funny. Mrs. Bowlby was crucial to Sam's potty training. She always has a bowl of candy, and whenever Sam arrives, he "has to go potty," because he gets a piece of candy if he does. This has been going on for about a year now. It's always funny to see how long it takes once we arrive for Sam to magically have to go potty. Sometimes he has to go potty several times, and sometime he has "pretend potty." His candy of choice: Hershey Miniature Chocolate Bars.
On Wednesday's visit, Sam actually read 2 books to Mrs. Bowlby. He even turned the book around a couple of times so he could show her the pictures. He follows the words with his fingers. I think he is really enjoying the satisfaction of reading a whole book by himself. He knows several words by sight, some I think he had memorized from when we read the book to him. But the times that we had to tell him what a word was, he has remembered it the next time he reads it. The two books Sam read were, See Pip Point, and I Will Fly Today.
Independence Day 2007
If you recall last year, Sam enjoyed the "fireworks" from the front porch step. He started out in his lawn chair, then moved to the porch, then all the way to the front door. This year started out the same way. Since it was raining a little, we moved the car out of the driveway, then set up our chairs in the garage. Once the first firework went off, Sam immediately got up and said that he was going inside. It took me promising that he could sit in my lap for the other fireworks, and I would protect him. Gradually (after the smoke bombs) Sam decided it would be ok to hold a sparkler. There were a couple of other times that Sam tried to escape inside, but by the end of our stash of fireworks (actually leftovers from last year) we popped some popcorn and sat in the garage and watched the neighbors light all of their fireworks. (they apparently spent more on fireworks than we did, because their show lasted about 3 hours- and actually since it did rain last night, the city is allowing fireworks to be shot off until midnight tonight, and so they are STILL shooting off things over there.) There were several kids across the street, playing on their scooters and running up and down our street (which is usually a very busy street). At one point Sam said "Hey boys and girls, do you have a mom and dad? A very interesting observation from a boy whose parents do most everything with him, made about kids who are obviously not supervised.
Sam took these action shots with the camera. I told him tonight that he should be a photographer. He said he didn't want to be a photographer. Ben "enjoyed" the fireworks from his stroller in the garage.
Ben turns 6 months old!!!
It is incredibly hard to believe that it has been 6 months since Ben arrived in our family. It has gone by so quickly. Ben visited his doctor today for a check-up and shots. He tipped the scales at 15 lbs. 14 oz. and is 25 1/4" long, both of which are in the 20% for his age. He babbles, and if you listen hard enough every once in awhile you might hear a "da-de". He has sampled sweet potatoes, squash, and green beans, and seems to appreciate all of them. I asked Sam tonight if he wanted broccoli for supper. He immediately replied "NO." I told him that when he was little he loved it. That didn't change his mind at all.