The Driving Range

Jack got his first set of real golf clubs yesterday (they even fitted him!), so we went to the driving range so he could try them out and hit the ball “big” instead of “gentle”.  And look at these two-I’m sure I’ll be seeing much more of this sweet sight as our boys grow! After a little instruction from daddy,he was on his own! He definitely whiffed his fair share, but he made good, solid contact quite a bit, too!  We’re proud of you, t-tiny!

The happiest baby I know!

32 weeks, 1 day

and I love this one, too!

If we even as much as look his way we get that precious gummy grin.  He is such a joy!

Part of our day

I’m kinda hooked on the Instagram app.  And I’m totally hooked on our boys.  So, yeah, I take a lot of pictures with my phone-and I’m so thankful for it!

Sam usually falls asleep on the way to day school, and today was no exception.  It’s rough being a baby, huh?! Jack saw his birthday hat, asked me to put it on him, and then started singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to himself!  Of course I joined in!  And Sam showed off his one little tooth and new baby hair he’s growing.  (Now that I have a better look at the tooth, it’s the one next to the bottom center left.)  You boys are too cute-too cute, I tell ya! After supper, we played outside in the much-cooler-than-our-current-normal weather.  Sam and I watched Jack ‘work’, and Sam drooled.   Our boy, is ALL boy!  I’m so thankful to be able to enjoy days like these!

The simple things

This simple little car brought such entertainment to our boy this afternoon.  He loved to pull it back, let it go, and then see where it ended up. He hid it under his shirt, looked for it, and was THRILLED when he found it!

We had a lot of fun with that little car!

Jack’s first visit to the dentist

It wasn’t his turn in the chair, he just came along to watch what goes on.  He did a great job and even helped clean my teeth!  He showed Dr. Hoffman his teeth when asked and was most excited to be rewarded with a new toothbrush-one for each of us! I hope his first real visit goes as smoothly as this one did!  He’s been talking about the dentist and checking out our teeth, so we’ll see!

Smiley thing!

This is how I found Sam when I went to get him after his nap-just laying there as happy as can be! And when I got him out of the crib, his big brother promptly requested his company for story time.

A ‘boat’ trip

Jack taught Sam the finer points of ‘boat building’ this afternoon,he made sure Sam’s ‘hiney and his toes’ were in the boat,and then they headed out for a boat ride.  Jack checked for rough seas, and Sam was the perfect first mate. They shared some laughs and decided that today was a great day for a boat trip!

The brothers

And the easier-to-take-pictures-of-because-he-still-sits-still little brother.

Seven Months Old

I would say, for sure, that I was just in the hospital soaking up your newborn self except for the fact that your monthly picture now says July! How in the world? But what an amazing seven months it’s been! You’re a roller and a scooter right now, so it was hard to get a laying down shot-this might be the last monthly shot that looks like all the others. We’ll see.You want to crawl so bad right now and I’m guessing we’ll see some movement in the next couple weeks. How cute will that be? You got your first tooth this past month and handled it like a champ. It actually took me by surprise-you got a tooth four months earlier than your brother did, so I wasn’t really looking for it. Slow down, sweet boy!You also started eating pureed foods this month and you’re getting really good with it. You don’t like oatmeal cereal (Jack never did either), but you do like sweet potatoes, butternut squash, and bananas. Green beans-we’re still working on those. Right now you give me a terrible face and then gag, even if I mix a spoonful with another veggie. You’re such a mellow little guy and are very generous with your laughs and smiles. You’re easy to please and such a cuddle bug, which I LOVE! You sleep like a champ (wake at 7:00, two naps a day, and bed at 7:30), don’t care for a paci, and drool with the best of ‘em! I could just eat you up!!Jack is always interested in your monthly pictures. I think he thinks there’s something special about the calendar. As soon as he saw us, he came up and said, “I wanna be nakey like Sam.” So he took off his shirt and shorts and hopped right on the calendar!He loves, loves you, Sam. What an answered prayer! He calls you Sammy Lamby, Sammers, GeeGee (not sure where that one’s from) and my bruder. He’ll bring you toys, show you new things, and talk to you all the time. If you fuss, Jack will go to you and say, “It’s ok, Jack’s right here.” Oh, may he always look out for you!Sam, you are the most precious thing. You make our little family laugh and smile every day and you fill us all with so much joy. We love you from the top of your head to the tips of your sweet little (curled up and still so baby-like!) piggies!

Because he’s potty trained!

Yep, he’s potty trained, and it’s bittersweet.  I really don’t mind changing diapers but I DO really mind how fast he’s growing up.  How can my first born be out of diapers?  But since that’s been my reality (for the past three or four weeks now-except for bedtime) we’re celebrating it.

Mark ordered some really fun big boy toys the other day and when Mr. Craig delivered the box, Jack was beside himself with excitement.  Mark took the box up to Jack’s room and locked the door to set it all up.He could. not. wait!  If this is a preview of Christmas mornings to come, I can’t wait-it was so wonderful to make him so happy!Mark finished up and I snuck in so I could see his reaction.  We let him in, and he was thrilled with his big boy presents!He’s still a Dino Dan fan, so these ‘dino-walkies’ were right up his alley.I would say, though, that the cowboy gun was his favorite.  I mean, look at that smile!  We let him take his gun to bed with him, and after a bit of figuring it all out, he said, “This is pretty neat, huh, mom?  You wanna try?”  Oh, sweet boy, we think you’re pretty neat, too! The tent was another big favorite.Man, he’s all boy, and I love every last bit of him!We’re so proud of you, sweet boy!  We hope you enjoy your big boy toys, but even more, we hope you always know how happy you make us and how much we love you!

John Robert Thomas

He makes me smile!

A quick stroll to the field

The boys and I went to the field at Hand this afternoon to run and play. We didn’t last long, though, because the gnats were getting us! So we drank some water and loaded back up to head home. Look what I saw when I leaned over to check on them.  Love!