Surf's Up

Eli got the coolest inflatable pool in town, and Sam was invited to his pool party! Highlights: Sam trying to take off his clothes because "My pants are wet!" Sam having to take a potty break and then refusing to put his pants back on (see previous comment). Sam missing his mark during said potty break. Sam overstaying his welcome.

Goin' to the Chapel

One of my closest friends, Drew, got married this weekend in Winston-Salem. The wedding was at St. Phillips Moravian Church in Old Salem.

Here's a shot of the groomsmen prior to the wedding (I am the third from the left).



Here's a shot of Sam at the wedding, before he was escorted out due to loudness.


Here's a shot of Sam wandering outside the church after he was escorted from the wedding due to loudness (and after Allison allowed him to get bitten by a local, ne-er-do-well cat). He was fine, though.


This was supposed to be a photo of Sam standing by the sign. You can see his little head as he runs up the hill.


Here's a close-up shot that Allison took of me scowling (I was caught off guard!), while Sam hung out in our hotel room with Allison's friend, Allison, who thankfully agreed to watch him (along with plenty of videos of Curious George and Dinosaur Train).

Sam's Room

Sam's nursery was a modest affair. The colors were light blue and light green. The light blue ticking quilt we already had, and I found a discontinued Land of Nod crib set on eBay that sort of matched. We turned an old dresser into a changing table. We kept the double bed from the room's days as a guest bedroom, and let me tell you, it came in quite handy those first few months. But Sam's nursery days are behind him, and I'm planning on turning his room into a big boy room.

I've had tons more fun thinking about Sam's Room 2.0 than I did the beta version. I can only imagine that's due to my obsession with Pinterest. And, am I late to the game? I also discovered another fun website to wile away many the hour, called Houzz, which has some fun kid's rooms. And then, just in case I'd like to quit my full-time job to pursue a life of interior-design, I found Olioboard.

Olioboard is fun. I created this board in a half hour. I just pulled together all the ideas I've had floating out there for Sam's room into one place. People are doing some really amazing things with their boards on the site, but I've barely scratched the surface.

I'm thinking a mix of different, perhaps even clashing, hues of blue (really trying not to be too matchy) with some orange accents.

My goals for this room:

• To keep the chair we have already (a sweet deal from Urban Outfitters that I first discovered on -- wait for it -- Pinterest), in addition to our blue rug -- a great find from the Pottery Barn outlet in S.C.
• To reflect Sam's personality. His favorite color is orange. He has a passion for all vehicles. And we think he may have a real penchant for geography.
• To paint the walls a bolder hue. Maybe just an accent wall.
• To introduce elements that will grow with him.
• To turn his room into a place where he will actually want to hang out and play (he currently views it as a sleep-only space).
• To gain more storage. Currently his books are randomly tucked everywhere, and I'm sure we'll continue to accumulate toys. The plan is to get some variation of the Expedit from IKEA, perhaps coupled with some colorful storage baskets.

I have heard from a reliable source that my stepfather is itching to make Sam a toy chest, so that will be taken care of, if we're lucky. We're also thinking about buying him a trundle bed (see the image in the montage with the green quilt), in anticipation of future sleepovers. And I'm almost 100% sure I'm going to buy this sweet DwellStudio comforter I've had my eye on. Just don't tell Bruce.

What do you think? Is it a little too stimulating? We don't want him sleeping less than he already does.

Sandy & Dandy

Sam loves sandboxes. Every day when you ask Sam what he did at school, he answers, "Played in the sandbox." Of course, when you ask him what he had for lunch, he answers, "Pineapple," so we should all take his answers with a grain of salt sand. My mother, aka Mama Jane, couldn't wait for warm weather so she could give Sam a sandbox. We opted for the sandbox's more portable cousin, the sand and water table. We figured it will be easier to move should we find a house to buy (our lease is up the end of July), and Sam might enjoy something a little different from what they have at his daycare. Well. He loves it. After having to discourage him at first from trying to actually climb on it, he really got the hang of it. He also loved the water component (I am somewhat less enthusiastic). His only problem, he doesn't like getting his clothes wet. But you can see he quickly remedied that problem here.


Figuring it out.


Showing Mama Jane how it works. I would like to point out the big boy underpants, but that's a whole other blog post, or book. I may have to write a book about potty training, because we were that successful.


Ahem. OK, so Sam got a little carried away. He's fully clothed now. As far as I know. You may want to call before you drop in.

Take Me Out...

To the Ba-all Game! Sam had his first Wool E. Bull sighting at the Durham Bulls game last Thursday night, thanks to a sweet neighbor who dropped free passes at our door.

The standard covered-ears shot:


Holding his ticket:


Wool E.!!


Pretty sweet view:


Sam says, "Look! A Cow!" Sadly, the bull did not light up and blow smoke while we were there.


I [heart] Durham:

Walking the Dog

Sam decided this morning that he needed a leash for his beloved stuffed dog, Woowoo. Of course that snowballed into Sam deciding to take Woowoo for a walk. It was not yet 7 a.m. Woowoo seemed as unmotivated to go for a walk as I was.