Sam Turns Four

Sam wanted a Carolina theme for his birthday party. Then he wanted a Buzz Lightyear theme for his birthday party. Then he wanted a Carolina and Buzz Lightyear theme for his birthday party. Then he wanted a Duke theme for his birthday party. Then my head exploded.


You can see we settled on a Carolina-themed party. (I conceded a bit and put Buzz Lightyear trinkets in the treat bags, much to the confusion, I'm sure, of the party-goers.)

Some party highlights:

Dipping His Toe in the Water

Last weekend we joined my family to celebrate my mother's birthday at the beach. The weather was perfect, and we were happy to just wander around the beach and dig in the sand. Based on Sam's extreme distaste for the ocean during the entire week we were at the beach in June, we had no expectations for this trip. In fact, the complex where we stayed had a pool, and I figured we would spend most of our time there. But Sam surprised us. At first we played in the sand, building a "mud hole," and then the surf encroached slowly, and instead of running away, Sam just celebrated the fact that he had more water in his mud hole! After a while he even went in the surf with us and enjoyed jumping over the little waves. The next day was more of the same. The surf was rougher, but Sam didn't seem to care and was acting quite crazy, jumping around and splashing. He said, "I didn't used to like the ocean, but now I do!" If for no other reason than it offered Sam the opportunity to shed his fear of the sea, I'm so glad we snuck in this last, brief trip to the beach before fall.


Starting off the day with storytime.

Day One: Just enjoying our mud hole.



Day Two: Suddenly I am an ocean fighting crazy man.

And because a still picture couldn't fully capture the moment:



But wait, there's more! Including a trip to the zoo with his main man, Uncle Randy. And the birthday girl, herself, Mama Jane.


During which he did his best impression of an angry Emu.


This is Sam reacting to the extreme cuteness that is a baby goat. "I want to be a baby goat," Sam said, repeatedly. "You mean you want to have a baby goat?" his Aunt Robin asked. "No, I want to BE a baby goat." "Oh. OK."


And, a trip highlight: Sam got a complimentary pirate hat at Drunken Jack's, or, as Sam calls it, Jumpin' Jacks. Sam took his hat to mean some type of membership into a pirate fraternity, which therefore gave him permission to approach everyone (mainly tipsy adult males) to chat about their hats, gold coins and the pirate's life in general. So I guess you could say a good time was had by all.

Weekend with Sam

We had a fantastic weekend, but -- still -- Sam did not hide his relief last night when I reminded him that today was a school day. He's a tough one.

On Saturday, it was the first Tar Heel Town of the season! I think Bruce and I were looking forward to it more than Sam, which is the only possible explanation for how disappointed we were at the new Tar Heel Town set-up. Bruce is known to be averse to change, and he was plenty dismayed that the campus tailgate went from a low-key affair with bouncy houses and bbq to something a little more overblown with a live band and food trucks. Honestly, I think I could handle it if the speakers weren't set to an eardrum-blowing decibel. Sam wasn't the only child walking around with his fingers in his ears this time. We thought about complaining, but since we (1) never actually attend the football games, and (2) aren't donors (at any level), we figure we aren't exactly their target audience.

But Sam was still happy because they had bouncy houses!

Waiting in line. (During a nice break from the band.)






Gotta love his expression.

Then on Sunday, we rented a paddle board for the day and headed out to Jordan Lake. Sam was unconvinced at first, so Bruce and I each headed out on our own to give it a try.





Then Sam decided he did want in on the fun after all.



And then it was picnic time!

Soccer Season is Here

You may recall that in the spring, Sam was a valued member of the Cracker Jacks soccer team. I am now proud to announce that Sam is a Duck. We requested a new team because the Cracker Jacks practiced at 4 p.m. two days a week, and it was nearly impossible for us to get him there. It also turned out that on the rare occasion we could make a practice, Sam was always bleary-eyed and grumpy, having just woken up from his nap at school and been forced to forgo snack time (his favorite time).

SO, Sam's a Duck, his practice is at 5 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays, AND, a bonus -- he LOVES it. He has three very enthusiastic coaches, who are men, which I only point out because apparently it matters very much to Sam. While he seemed to like the three young women (UNC students) who were his coaches in the spring, there is certainly something about these guys that get him totally pumped up. He works very hard for them and likes to show off how fast he can run, often to the detriment of the game -- mostly he just runs past the ball or trips over it. I'm still trying to wrap my head around his change of attitude. A lot of it is developmental, to be sure, but I think Sam is also responding to the very male-ness of these guys. There's a lot of fist pumping and high five-ing and yelling. I don't know.


Here we are, warming up.


Talking about Duck game strategy.


Practicing the super kick.


Sweaty boy.

Practicing his dribble and pass.


Sorry this is sideways, ugh. But you can see how quick Sam is off the line. Too bad this wasn't a race.

Sam at School

Sam was totally rocking it at school today! Go, Sam, go!

He is a gentleman and a scholar. (If you don't count the fact that his favorite thing to call anyone right now is "fart man." We're working on it.)

Sam's Weekend

Not bad for a near washout, weather-wise.

At ease.

This is a photo Sam's preschool teachers sent us today. Nothing unusual, just Sam looking at a picture book. The one thing that strikes me, though, is how comfortable he is. How relaxed. He is perfectly contented just sitting there, by himself, looking at a book. On Sunday, we were talking about how most everyone will be moving up to new classes at his school soon. Sam and a couple of his friends will stay behind with their current teachers. We talked about how new friends will be joining him in this class and how he can help them learn their way around since he has been there a while now. He could, I said, show them where the cool toys are and make them feel more comfortable.

"And I could help them stop wandering around," he added. My heart sunk. Wandering around is exactly what Sam does in the classroom (or any new environment) when he is not yet comfortable. His teachers reported it at his last daycare when we first moved back to the area and at his new preschool when we finally got in this past March. In all of the photos they sent us each day, Sam was never in the foreground, participating, but in the background walking through the shot. Sam is an observer, and he will often just hang around the fringes, taking it all in. In both classes the teachers connected his tendency to wander around the room all day as an inability to focus or sit still, and they would always praise his developmental growth and maturity after a month or so when he would finally start spending a significant amount of time at any given center. But I know that is really just how Sam copes with being the new kid, reflecting the fact that he hasn't yet found his place.

Sam remembers that feeling, it turns out. When "nobody won't play with me," he said. I'm glad to see him sitting still now, even for a moment. And I'm glad when I pick him up these days, he is always angry with me because I'm too early, interrupting play time with his friends.