Days at Home

As of August 15th I am now officially unemployed, which is a crazy concept for me. I've never really been without a job since my first year of college.  My department in Phx was laid off back in June and my official last day was in August. But it's given me a chance to be at home with Sam which has been fun. Although he is nonstop and i'm pretty tired by the end of the day. I actually fell asleep on the couch the other day using Katie as a pillow. As much as I love being at home with the little guy I am anxious to get back to work.

I taught Sam how to say stinky the other day and to hold his nose. His poops are horrible. And now he likes to try and hold my nose sometimes missing it completely and sticking his fingers up it instead. LOL!
His cousins decided they no longer wanted their play kitchen and Sam LOVES to play with it. We went out and bought some play food and he likes to put it in all the doors and holes. That and his Mega Blocks. Looking forward to some fun days ahead.

Backyard

Let the mayhem begin. We have started work on our backyard. Full landscape and we cannot be more excited. We are finally going to have a place for Sam to run around and play and not have to worry about him running into the street. We haven't mastered the before and after pictures so we don't have any pictures of what the yard looked like before. But if you've been to our house you will remember the big ugly gate that blocked off the patio from the rest of the yard. Yes it was a pool gate and necessary at the time but not anymore. We will be putting up a pool fence directly around the pool so that Sam and the dogs have most of the yard to run around.

Pavers covering patio

BBQ grill directly to the right of patio

area in the corner will have a fire pit and bench. Fake grass will be in dirt area

pathway leading to side, dirt area will be grass

Just some of the plants

I believe Sam is getting his back molars because he is drooling like crazy and shoving his fingers to the back of his mouth and chewing on them. He has also been incredibly fussy, more so then usual. Our sweet little boy is hitting those terrible twos. But very mildly. I will hate to see his full blown. Yikes.
He is talking so much. AND i'm happy to note he know says Momma just as much as he says Dadda. :)
He very much hates changing his diaper and the really messy ones are just a battle. If we are both home we are both changing him. He loves to grab at himself and he is not very gentle about it. BOYS!

Loving the Sam selfies lately. He is very happy to take them.

Kisses!

Whooa

Drinking and Driving!

Happy 4th of July

Wow the time is flying by!! I can't believe how big you are getting and how much you are doing.
Walking everywhere and even running. Also you can now open our doors they have the long handles. Very easy for you to use. Your favorite game is to go into our pantry and close your self in. Now once in there you will do one of two things, you will continue opening and closing the door and SCREAMING at the same time or you will try to get into anything and everything.
You and Katie are starting to become friends. She will actually play fetch with you which is amazing since she will not give the balls up to us, but apparently she really likes your throws...about a few feet in front of you so maybe that's why.
You are hitting your terrible twos even though two years is a way off. When you get mad or we tell you NO you get mad and scream and cry. If you can't figure something out you throw it and scream. We are in for some interesting years.
You are talking so much. Your favorite words are Uh oh and ouch and Poo Poo!!! And Grannie will back me but you uttered Daddy go Poo!!!!!
 You know Food and Eat very well as well as the hand motions. Its the first thing you say some mornings, and speaking of food you are going to eat us out of house and home. Growing boy and you are hungry all the time. You eat so much but you love pasta and Blueberries are still your favorite and will eat it no matter what
You also make a lot of noises with your mouth. You pat your hand over your mouth while go ahhhhhh and your Grandma Eileen taught you to flick your finger over your mouth and make noises.
YOU love your little Cars couch/bed that we got you. You will throw yourself down on it and cover yourself with the blanket that your Great Grandma Walters made for you. You also like to sleep with a blanket. It's instant calming for you although its so hot out that you kick it off pretty quick but you like it to be there.
Speaking of HOT is July in Arizona and it is so hot out and of course another word you learned was Outside and you say it all the time but we can't take you out for too long. You are going to love the fall and winter. Hopefully we have a completed backyard for you to play in.
We had some sad times around our house. Our favorite babysitter Mrs. Liz is no longer watching you. Adult stuff. Sadly we had to find a new babysitter it was the hardest decision on both ends as she didn't want to let you go. You have already had a play date with them since. You know go to Mrs Kathy, there are a lot of kids for you to play with but I think it's been a bit of an adjustment for you and you do get a little cranky at drop of. I'm thinking you are no longer the center of attention as the Linford's adored you and treated you as royalty. But i think this will be good for you to get some interaction with other kids of all ages.
You are the biggest Daddy's Boy right now. Daddie is your mantra and a lot of the time it is when Mommy is holding you. I try to tell myself that it's a phase, but you really want to be around him and held by him and just in his general area.
So we just celebrated Fourth of July. No you didn't make it, and you were unimpressed by the NY fireworks that we watched the next day. Not a very exciting holiday. Maybe next year they will be more fun for you to watch.

Walking Man!!

Well it has finally happened you are a walking. We are so excited and not at the same time. Luckily you are just getting your walking feet so you still stick to crawling most of the time.
Wednesday April 30th. was your first time. You did it over at Mrs. Liz's house. When Daddy came to pick you up he got a little show and then he showed Mommy when you came home. We were so excited. Lately you are starting to walk on your own and can go quite the distance before falling. We LOVE it!!!!
You have also started to growl, it is Hilarious!!!!
I think you learned it from Leilah at the babysitters. Apparently you two have growling contests with each other.
Also you have quite the little spin move going on. Like you are in a cop movie. You sit on the floor and just start to spin. I love watching it, but can never get it on video.
So we are hitting 14 months in a couple of days and you are the growing boy. You eat the biggest breakfast most mornings. You love blueberries, probably one of your favorite fruits right now. You are not the biggest fan of cheese anymore. Hopefully that comes back, we are a cheese loving family.

EASTER!!!!!

So i'm horrible at this blogging thing so i have a little make-up to do.You had such a fun Easter. In the morning when we woke up you went through the Easter basket left from the Easter Bunny. You loved to pull out all the fun toys you got and then you had funny pulling out the Easter grass!

That morning we went over to your Aunt Sara and Uncle Mikes house for a Easter Brunch. You tried Ham but wasn't a big fan...just like Mommy. There was a little Easter egg hunt where you debut your Bear crawl. Apparently the fake grass was a little hot so you crawled with your butt in the air on your hands and feet. But you did like picking up the eggs and the rocks. 

From there you and Daddy went to your Great Aunt Barb's house. Mommy was feeling pretty sick that day so she went home. But you had a blast over there and you came back with lots of goodies. You really started to get the hang of picking up eggs. Next year's egg hunt should be a lot of fun.

Your Easter Basket!!!

Sickies!!!! 

Speaking of Mommy being sick we have had a sick household for some time.

It started with you getting the stomach flu. That was not a fun time. You woke up one Sunday morning covered in poo and throw up. Daddy was sick the same day, it took Mommy two days to get it. But we survived for a little while.

But Mommy got sick again with a horrible cough that ended up being Bronchitis. Let's just say I hope to never get that again. It keeps me away from my favorite little nugget for too long. 

My One Year Old!

I can't believe the day has come that you turned One years old. You have grown so much this past year and you have been such a joy to your father and me. Even your bad days which are few and far between. It's so much fun to see what new discoveries you make and to see you play with your cousins and friends.

You have pretty much moved to eating solid foods. Hot dogs being your favorite, but you do enjoy blueberry waffles and pancakes. You are not to picky about your veggies yet. but if you are your mothers son that will come soon. But my fingers are crossed you won't be picky.

You aren't walking on your own yet but you like to walk around the coffee table. We have a keyboard on the table that you love to play with. You sing into the microphone and groove out to the music.

Speaking of music...You love it!!! You have some serious moves(for a baby) My favorite is when you are sitting on the ground and your butt just starts to move and you are moving forward all the while do the white guy hands in the air.

You have your top four teeth still coming in. Not fully in yet, but getting close. They don't want to seem to grown in anymore then they are.

You talk a lot and can form so good words. Daddy is teaching you thank you!.

You loved your cake on your birthday!!!
It was a very fun day. So many people came to celebrate with you. Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents', Cousins and friends. We had a full house and you got so many great presents. You are such a special loved little boy.

I can't wait to see what this next year brings and all the new things you learn. 

Stay precious and sweet my little boy. We love you so much!

Mash-Up

Okay so I'm really bad at keeping up with this blog. Let's just get right into this.
Sam's first Christmas was so much fun. The kiddo got SO many toys and not just from Mommy and Daddy. He is one spoiled little man. He enjoyed opening the presents that were in bags he loved to pull the paper out of them and then put it in his mouth. We can say that Sam enjoyed his many, many Christmas's. This lucky kid gets to enjoy quite a few. Lots of family in Phx.

Happy Family First Christmas!!!

Moving right along lets talk about what this kid is doing because it's a lot. 

He is now crawling on all fours and he can move especially when he sees an open door. Watch out!

He is standing a lot holding onto furniture or toys and he gets a second or two or air time when you let him go before falling down. Walking here we come. 

He is getting into everything. He has figured out our trash can (smarty) he just waves his hand and OHHH so many fun things to get into. He can open the drawers in our kitchen (also fun) and i swear it's a matter of time before he figures out how to open the freezer, he is sooo close.

He now has his two front teeth and the ones next to both have popped through. 

Kid is growing like a weed. He is in 12 month clothing and certain brands are already tight. 

HE loves table food. Does not want his baby food a lot of the time. Loves Hot Dogs and graham crackers. He also eats bananas, string cheese, turkey, raviolis, and puffs( of course)

We are also very excited as Oliver Izzo was born January 27,2014 and Madalyn Fisher was born February 18, 2014. He hasn't met either yet but we will be having many play dates with both of them when they get a little older. I'm so excited. 

Sam also has his first girlfriend, a very aggressive one. Little Miss Layliegh LOVES Sam and gives him kisses whenever she can pin him down. It's very cute to watch her chase him and try and kiss him. 

Mr Noah Leptuch just celebrated his 3rd birthday and these kiddos are starting to play very nicely with Sam. I love that he can be close with his cousins. I'm excited to watch them grow up together. 

We are going to celebrate Miss Ava's 5th birthday today.

Let's hope i can keep up with this, this year all though it's not looking to good so far!!!!

Thanksgiving, A Baptism and DADA!!!!

Time to catch up a little, I've been very behind on this and SO much has happened since Halloween.

Sam has started crawling and he can move. He does an army crawl and before you know it he is in the kitchen banging the cabinets. Another favorite of his, opening and closing cabinets, and doors.
He trapped Mommy in the kitchen pantry one day, I didn't realize he could close doors and then BAM the door was closed.

He is now sitting up on his own and can pull himself up on to things. Although this is a little bit harder in our house as he is usually in footie pajamas and we have laminate wood floors so he slips and slides a lot.

We went to ZOO LIGHTS, it was a lot of fun and you loved looking at all the lights. You managed to stay awake most of the night.

Zoo Lights

We celebrated your first Thanksgiving and you slept through a lot of it, but you did wake up just as Mommy and Daddy were starting to eat dinner. Thanks Sam!

Happy Thanksgiving

You were Baptized on November 24, 2013. Aunt Sara and Uncle Mike are your godparents. We were able to celebrate with a lot of family. All the grandparents came out and a lot of Aunts and Uncles and Great Aunts and Uncles. Very special day.

Baptism

Your first words have been spoken and sadly it was not Mama :(  But....you did make your father very happy but saying DADA. He even got it on video which Mama was very happy to be able to see since it took you forever to say it to me.

You are waving HI and it is sooo stinking cute. We were at the mall today finishing up Christmas shopping and we were watching the kids playing on the toys and you were waving at them and were so Happy to do it.

Your 9 month Doctor visit has you weighing at 19 lbs 7 oz and 27 3/4 inches. You are such a growing boy.
We also found out that you have 4 teeth coming in. Very much looking forward to the next few weeks.

We started giving you puffs, which you love and you are even starting to get most into your mouth. Mama fed you some scrambled eggs yesterday and you enjoyed those as much too.

We threw a Baby Shower for the Izzo's. It was a lot of fun, a lot of people showed up and there were a lot of little kids running around. Most were toddler age, but there was one little boy that was your age and was crawling around on the floor with you. When you two saw each other you just crawled into each other and squared off for a minute and then went on your way.
We are anxiously waiting to find out if the Izzo's are having a boy or a girl. We still have a little bit of time left until we find out. Mommy is hoping for a little boy for you to play with.

We just went and saw your Cousin Ava sing at her school. It was So cute. The kids sang 10 or so Christmas songs with dance moves. Ava was front and center and at times singing the loudest and I think she really liked the Little Drummer Boy, or at least I loved watching her do it because her arms were swinging pretty high.

Here you are playing around with a Santa Hat. Mommy's favorite.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!!