Weekend Roundup (pt. 1)

Friday was "Farm Day" at preschool. I don't know either; just go with it.

Missing from this photo: a bandana (and hat and any actual farming implements -- but I dressed him in all denim, because that's what farmers wear, right?). Later, Sam called himself a cowboy. So, whatever.


On Saturday we hit Tar Heel Town again, and Bruce lured Sam down a giant inflatable slide. He refused to go down it by himself this time, even though he braved it alone numerous times in the past. A mercurial boy.


Saturday dinner meant cold beverages and warm soup parked in front of the Georgia/Florida game. Go Dawgs!

On Sunday, we went to our old neighborhood's fall festival. Nothing like a little party crashing! We arrived sans costume, but Sam was wearing a kicky raccoon hat, so people thought we'd dressed up. Despite an inexplicable face plant on the sidewalk, which involved a bloodied lip, Sam had a blast.

Jumping in the bouncy house with James.


Listen, Sam loves pink, and Sam loves swords. If you are mistaking his balloon creation as anything other than a pirate sword, well, then, that's on you.


Eli, James and Sam! (Eli is dressed up as a construction worker. James is either dressed casually or dressed as a coach.)


James is saying, "Shut it down, Sam."


Love this shot! (Note: the missing bat face is the person taking the photo.)


ME-OW. Sam missed out on the face-painting table at the festival and insisted I turn him into a cat once we got home.

The old gang

Sam had a playdate with Eli and our other former neighbor-friends, James and Tyler, last night. We miss having them right down the street, but playdates now are something we definitely look forward to rather than take for granted. Meanwhile, Sam and I are still working on our campaign to woo our new neighbors into letting us into their homes.

Head wear

He thought wearing his pajama bottoms on his head made him look like a pirate. I can see it.


REALLY?

Fire Prevention Week

Sam's preschool is celebrating Fire Prevention Week, complete with a visit from a firetruck today.

Here's what Sam has learned from his fire safety lessons this week, as shared with us this morning.

Sam: "Ms. Cindy says 'One-One-One' and 'Roll.'"
Me: "Run, run, run and roll?" Sam pronounces his R's as W's, so it was an honest mistake. (More later on the speech pathologist's report he got yesterday at school.)
Sam: "NO! One-One-One and Roll!"
Me: --- 

Later, we figured out he meant 9-1-1. And, of course, his "roll" was of the well-known school of "stop, drop, and roll."

Needless to say, we won't count on him in an emergency.

Sam's September Highlights

Bruce and I may have been busy packing and planning, but Sam still managed to squeeze in a little fun over the last month or so. Here are some highlights.



First ride on the birthday bike.


Fun times tailgating at Tar Heel Town.


Inked up with Ramses.


God bless America. Otherwise known as a particularly lucrative trip to Trader Joes (they show Sam lots of love at the checkout and give him stickers).


Balloon animal at the law school's annual alumni weekend festivities. I went to work, and Sam went to play. We are obviously turning him into a Tar Heel fan, when in reality we are just taking advantage of free children's activities in close proximity to the house.


Celebrating his inauguration into the Clean Plate Club.


Up a tree.

On Turning Three

I just read a tweet the other day that made me laugh -- because it's true.

That's pretty much sums up my reaction to Sam's recent birthday. I haven't had time to post about his awesome parties -- at home and at school -- because we also thought it would be a good idea to move three days before Sam turned three. The dust is starting to settle, though, so I'm hoping to get back to a regular blogging schedule now.

I'm still pulling together a birthday post for Sam -- to memorialize who he is at this point. But for now, here are some birthday party photos. I was pretty busy partying, so these photos are terrible. And we got no video. I hope Sam has a good memory.

Shots from the party at home.






 
A belated shout-out to Jed and Macon, seen here waiting for the firetruck to pull up. Jed is the one wearing the swimsuit and fire boots.







Shots from the party at school, which happened exactly two days after we moved. The party included leftover fireman hats from the first party; angry bird cupcakes, which were the only cupcake available in bulk at HT with no prior notice; Pirate Booty (a request from Sam); and a Thomas the Train balloon, which was an impulse/guilt purchase because I was pulling together such a crappy party. Bottom line: Sam LOVED it. Like three-year-olds care about themes.

Another note from school

 

When Sam first started his new class, he got a sweet note sent home with him everyday. Lately, the notes are coming less frequently, and I have to wonder if it's because many of them would read like this one.

"Welcome back! My friends were excited to see me today. Today we went to yoga but I did not seem to be very interested in participating. I laid or sat on my yoga towel and preferred to watch my friends and our teacher, Mr. Brian. My teachers were very appreciative of the fact that I stayed quiet and didn't distract my friends, so they were OK with that choice."

Today is yoga day again, so we'll see if Sam is more interested in joining in. At drop-off today I encouraged him to participate, and his teacher, Ms. Cindy, said, "That's Sam. He just sort of does his own thing." Is the honeymoon over?