Snips and Snails and Puppydog Tails

Last weekend, Mommy got some way-cool-awesome non-kiddo time. My bff Tori was in town for the weekend, and she and her dad were nice enough to offer me an extra ticket to the TCU-OU game. Bryan said, “Go, have fun.” and I did!

Now, y’all know the significance of a WHOLE football game (plus tailgating!) sans kiddos, right?

It meant I got to carry the tiny non-Mommy purse.

It meant I got to actually watch the game (and halftime, of course)!

Yes, that’s “SAM” spelled out on the field. No, it’s not for MY Sam. He’s not that famous…YET.

It meant I actually got to visit with friends who all have more members in their family now than the last time I saw them face to face. Yes, I realize how sad that is. It’s also life, my friends (thank goodness for FB and email).

It meant I got to wander through campus on the walk back to my car and see the huge campus tree and find my senior brick yet again.

It. Was. Glorious.

Yes, I know it’s now December, but I was just going through some photos on my phone and found  some great ones from Turkey Day.

First, Sam’s Turkey artwork from school:

Next, we watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special together just before Thanksgiving:

On Turkey Day, we started out with a little light reading:

Then, off we went to Granny’s for Turkey Day meal. As usual, the food was amazing and I ate far too much.

Sure am thankful for these two guys! We missed the big boys, but we know they had a great time at the deer lease in Llano with their Mom and Stepdad.

After dinner, Sam learned to play dominoes with Uncle Rocky, Aunt Marq, Eliot, and Grandmommy.

At the end of the night, during the first half of the TCU-Texas game, a couple of bucket-heads showed up.

It was a fabulous Thanksgiving. Sam was very upset when we had to leave to go home. He wanted to stay with Granny. I foresee some sleepovers with Granny in his future! 🙂

How could this sweet face be capable of that much drama?

Oh my, the toddler years are full of drama. We’ve begun drama about clothes, shoes, food, baths, anything that keeps Sam from doing what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. Usually, the fits are short-lived. Take this morning, for example: Sam wakes up, screams for me calls to me from his bed. I go in to get him up and he wants me to hold him. The phone rings – it’s Daddy, asking if I could bring him something that he left at home. As He and Sam talk a minute, I pick Sam up out of his crib and hold him. After they’re done talking, I ask Sam what he wants to wear, and the drama begins.

M: Can I put you down so we can pick out your clothes?
S: noooooooooooooooooooo!
M: (puts him down anyway) Do you want these pants?
S: nooooooooooooooooooo! Dose pants! (pointing at jean shorts…it’s 40 degrees out)
M: No, you can’t wear shorts today. It’s too cold. What about these pants? (pointing out jeans)
S: noooooooooooooooo!
M: Are you sure? Mommy and Daddy are both wearing pants like this today.
S: no000…yes, dose pants.
M: What shirt do you want? Longhorns?
S: nooooooooo!
M: Alien?
S: Noooooooooooooooo!
M: button-down?
S: noooooooooooooo! Want DAT one! (pointing indiscriminately to all the shirts in his closet.)
M: which one? this one?
S: nooooooooooooo!
M: this one?
S: noooooooooooo!
M: (finally landing on the red, white, and blue tie-dyed shirt his teacher made him for 4th of July) this one?
S: YES!

Um, well…maybe drama’s not SOOO much of a stretch for him, based on this.

Drama 1, done (finally). I suggest we go downstairs for breakfast, and Sam wants to be carried. Okay, now, Mommy has pants, shirts, and half a dozen empty hangers in her hands to take downstairs. Sam has Dark Brown Sugar Bear and Light Brown Sugar Bear in his hands. Naturally, I suggest that Sam walk down the stairs like a big boy (with my help, of course) because Mommy’s hands are full. Queue Drama 2:

S: Up! UP! UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP!
M: No, baby, Mommy can’t carry you right now. Let’s walk down together.
S: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
M: Sam, come on, baby. Let’s go have breakfast.
S: NOOOOOOOOOOOO! (heading back toward his room)
M: Do you want to go back to bed? Are you not ready to get up yet?
S: (dancing between going back to his room and coming toward me) NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I don’ WANNA go back to bed!
M:  Ok, then let’s go downstairs for breakfast.
S: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!
M: You don’t want breakfast? We have cinnamon rolls…
S: NO-YES! I want cimmanin rolls!

Drama 2, done. Thankfully, that was the last drama for this morning. Typically we have at least three, with one centering around getting fresh pants (which, of course, interrupts the playing) and getting teeth brushed (which is a fate worse than death lately).

What are your morning dramas? Clothing? Food? Diaper changes? Teeth brushing? All of the above?

Sam has been interested in the camera lately. Some of his work will be featured today. Enjoy.

Still life (mostly) in Mommy's room

Artist's self portraits

The resident canine - somehow it's fitting he mostly has her rear end here.

Views from the artist's level.

More self portraits.

The artist's cute little piggies.

Clearly he’s an artistic genius, like his big brother Caleb.

Because it’s the last hour of my oddly-scheduled work-week, and I’m not particularly busy, here are some fun snippets of things heard around my house lately.

Sam: I da Monster and you da Monster-ee. RAWR! (note: if you are the monster-ee, when he rawrs, you’re supposed to act scared.)

Sam: Dose tires are CLEAN! (said in complete disgust that the tires on the tractors that are supposed to be working hard, clearing a road in one of Sam’s recent favorite books, are spotlessly clean instead of dirty, as they should be.)

On a recent day the big boys had off from school, but Sam went to school because Daddy and I both had to work (from home):

Caleb, at about 2pm: Where’s Sam? Is he at school?

The rest of us: Um…yeah…where’d you think he was all this time?

Caleb: I don’t know…napping?

The rest of us: laughing uncontrollably

On that same day,  later:

Caleb, to Jacob, while playing video games: You’re a screen peeker!

Caleb, you are a fine young man: smart, funny, handsome, loving, and a fantastic big AND little brother. I am so proud of you in all you do and can’t wait to see the wonderful man you will become. (Just don’t grow up too fast, ‘mkay?) I love you to bits!

CAKE!

Party and Presents!

And more PRESENTS!

(I know, I know…I’m a terrible step-mother and am more than a week late posting this. Since it’s mostly pictures of my adorable middle little, will you all forgive me?)

That will be mostly adorable pictures, I promise. That way, you will have to forgive its tardiness.

Several pics from Sam's school trick-or-treat

"I have a PUMPKIN!"

My favorite picture of my Peter Pan from the morning.

Lest you think I’ve forgotten big brothers…(and, for the record, they are now of an age where it’s MUCH more fun – and way less lame, I’m sure – to go trick-or-treating with friends than with Dad and me)

Jacob and Caleb ready to trick-or-treat.

Granny came over and took Sam on a round of trick-or-treating, and this is what I saw when they got back. This is my favorite picture of the night, blurry and all. It just screams the joy of Halloween, doesn’t it?

"Mommy I got CANDEEEE!"

And, of course, the loot. Oh, the loot we, I mean, THEY got…

Overall, I’d say it was a successful Halloween.

Guess who learned how to do the “Fancy S?” I received a full-on tutorial Wednesday night while Daddy and Bubba were at practice. 🙂

You know you remember how cool you felt when you first learned to do these. Heck, I feel cool that I still remember how to do them!

We all know I’m not decorator – I often opt for practical over pretty – but the kids and I had a little fun putting out Halloween and fall decor.

Scary window clings and creepy-crawly spiders (And, for the record, no, I haven

Gotta have a cute ghost and a crashed witch, right?

And for a couple things that can stay out till Thanksgiving:

One of my favorite fall hangings; it makes such a lovely clanking sound in the wind.

Pretty fall table. Don't blink; it wasn't this clean for long.