Christmas 2013

Christmas 2013, a set on Flickr.

It took me forever to weed through all the Christmas photos from this year, but I really have no excuses. It's February 7, and I'm just now getting them up. But I had to get this done for posterity. So I can move on to our fun sledding photos and video.

These shots really do speak for themselves (as poor quality as many of them are). What can I say? We had a blast. Sam was truly obsessed with Santa and presents and cookies and all the trappings. Good times.

Milestone Alert: Sam's First Football Game

On November 30 Sam attended his first college football team -- a classic rivalry between Duke and UNC. The game was sold out, probably due to Duke's stellar performance on the field this year. We brought along my dad and stepmother, because my dad is a life-long Duke fan. The weather cooperated -- it was crisp and clear, just as you always imagine it would feel like when you see yourself sitting at a football game. I think Sam enjoyed it. It was a bit of a mixed bag, but overall he did great, and I know he won't forget it. The whole outing almost failed from the start, when UNC launched a cannon and/or fireworks at the beginning of the game. Sam, whom you know has never been good with loud noises, panicked, started crying and immediately begged to leave. I tried to calm him down by telling him that they only did that at the beginning of the game (I was wrong -- they shoot them after every touchdown), but he couldn't settle down. The scene was dramatic enough to elicit the sympathy of a man sitting one row back who gave us earplugs. I still think about him and wish I could thank him again. He saved the game! Sam loved the earplugs and was really able to enjoy himself after that. Add earplugs to the list of things (wet wipes, bandaids, etc.) that I will always remember to pack.





This is right before the crying started.

Then and Now, Williamsburg Edition

Then....


(December 2009)

Now....
(November 2013)

Thanksgiving 2013

Thanksgiving fell so late in the month this year, I felt like I was a week behind the whole month of December. I was behind at work and behind on Christmas preparation. I probably have the same feeling every year (and if you look back at my archives, my blogging is always light at the end of every year), but it had to be worse this year. Which is what brings us to my Thanksgiving recap here on December 28.

Sure, I may not remember the finer points a month out, but I recall clearly that we had a great time. While it may not have been quite as awesome for Sam as Thanksgiving at the beach last year (he was under the same roof with his cousins for 48 straight hours), he still had a blast.

The first thing Sam dove into was Grandma's collection of toys.


Next came the football sweater. Tis the season!

And then we played football (oh yeah, and there was a huge, delicious meal)!

Here, Uncle Tomato gives Sam the next play.


The best part for Sam was hanging out with all his cousins (especially his main man Daniel).

The day after Thanksgiving, we all went to Williamsburg.



Here's the whole group of cousins, with the exception of the youngest, James.

This is a poor shot due to the position and angle of the sun, but I couldn't miss the chance to show how much Sam (quite literally) looked up to Daniel.

A Walk in the Woods

Remember the little story I told you about how Sam and Bruce walked across a creek on a log, but I had no proof? And you didn't believe me, did you? Well, joke's on you. While I in no way was prepared to encourage them to do it again for purposes of posterity, when they did attempt it a second time, I was there with my trusty iPhone. This is how America's Funniest Videos get made, after all.

The bad news is we have nothing to contribute to AFV, but the good news is that nobody broke a leg or got too wet. Another great day on the trail!

Happy Halloween!

Maybe you don't know what a minion is. Maybe you've never seen Despicable Me. For you, then, I present Sam's favorite minion video. There is singing, there is silliness, and there is a little bit of violence. Sam loves the minions.



This Halloween, Sam went as the minion they call Dave. So he told people while trick-or-treating that his name was Dave. I think they thought Sam was just a really polite kid introducing himself, not that he was actually "Dave the Minion." Anyway. His costume was a hit amid a sea of ninjas and bumblebees. We thought about sending him around with a banana, but his hands were full with a flashlight and a candy bucket.






But Mom, minions don't wear crocs, Sam said. So we weren't 100% authentic. Next year.

Some action shots:


Walking around with the neighbors.


Hi. I'm Dave.


Swarming the bowl.


This is the "haunted" house around the block that we've been looking forward to visiting.


Thumb's up for candy.


Sorting through the goods.

He ate two pieces last night (and then asked for some apple because he was still hungry), picked out 10 pieces to save for later, and left the rest for The Great Pumpkin, who visited overnight and traded Sam's candy for a monster truck. Would've been a fool-proof plan except that Sam woke up well before 6 a.m. this morning in anticipation of The Great Pumpkin's visit and couldn't fall back asleep. On a related note, Bruce announced that we are canceling The Great Pumpkin for next year.

Frame-worthy

We had one of those weekends that wasn't anything special, and yet it was incredibly special in its routine. It didn't hurt that the backdrop was beautiful, crisp fall weather. We went out for a hike on Sunday, and Sam surprised us -- as he does every day. Things that, heretofore, we had not been able to convince him to do, he wanted to do. He wanted to walk barefoot in the freezing stream. He wanted to climb a tree. He wanted to hold Colter's leash the whole way. He wanted to cross the creek on a rather thin log. And he did it, with Bruce's help! Bruce and I were marveling at the fact that they made it across, and then we marveled at the fact that I didn't take a picture of it. I guess it's hard to do much else when you are holding your breath and covering your eyes.