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Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Sam - 2.5 Years

Sam, 

I don't even know where to begin. Technically, you are a bit older than 2.5 right now. You'll be 3 in just over a month and I am in compete denial. You truly are at my absolute favorite age right now. I want to bottle you up and keep you, as you are right now, forever. I don't know that I can even adequately express the love that I have for you but I will try my hardest. It brings my such a great amount of joy to watch you grow and also heartbreak at the same time. Not heartbreak in a bad way, but as your mom, every emotion I experience with you I feel so deeply that it hurts. I am trying live in the moment and enjoy every moment with you because the time is passing so quickly. Just know that there isn't a thing on this planet that I would not do for you. 
You are my little sidekick, my favorite cuddle partner, and my biggest helper. You are strong-willed, kind, considerate, and hysterical. You are always making me laugh with the things you say. I am amazed daily at how smart you are. You are a sponge and remember things that I don't even remember telling you. You pick up on everything and are constantly asking questions and connecting the dots on how things around you work. Believe me when I say, you NEVER stop talking. From the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep at night, you talk and talk and talk…and talk. I love it! We chat all day long. I really savor the one on one time that I get with you while your sister is napping. I love that we can have conversations now. You are one smart cookie. I can't believe everything you know! You know your ABC's like the back of your hand and love to read signs while we are driving and tell me each of the letters in the words that you can see. You know all your shapes (you pointed to a stop sign the other say and told me it was an octagon!?) and can count higher than I can remember. You have several of your favorite books memorized (your current favorite is "Dragons Love Tacos") and love to read to your little sister. You love to talk about animals and tell me what noises each of them make and what types of foods they eat. 
You are the most happy-go-lucky kid and have taught me to slow down and appreciate all the small things in life. When we are out site playing and you can hear birds you always stop to find the bird, then look up at the bird and yell "thank you! thank you bird for singing to us!". You are truly the sweetest little boy.
Sam nothing has brought me more joy and more pride as a parent than watching you take on the role of big brother. I could not ask for a better big brother for Ellie than you. That girl adores you! And you adore her! And I adore the two of you together! I can always count on you to entertain and play with her when I need to get ready for the day. Hearing you two giggle at each other in the next room is absolutely my favorite! You are the first to run to her room when you hear that she has woken up from her nap. You give her the sweetest kisses and always make sure she has a toy to play with while you are playing with her. She is right on the brink of crawling and whenever you see that she is trying to crawl, you get down right beside her and start cheering her on. You sing her songs and read her books, which she loves! She lights up when she see's you. I hope that you two will always remain the best of friends. 
I had the sweetest experience with you the other day that I never ever want to forget. I was putting Ellie down for her nap and when I walked out of her room I saw that you were laying in the middle of your room staring up at the ceiling. I laid down next to you and asked you what you were thinking about. You told me that you were thinking about Jesus. You went on to tell me how much you loved him. You talked about how he has "a belly, and hands and feed, and  fingernails and toenails" and how he wears a towel (I'm guessing you were referring to the robes Christ wears in most pictures). You said that he makes you so happy and that He loves us so much and that he gives the best hugs. By this point I had tears in my eyes. I just kept listening to you go on and on about how much you loves Jesus and how He loves us and He wants us to be happy. I was so proud of you in that moment. I never want to forget a single detail of that conversation. You love nursery and you love going to church. Each night we say our prayers with you and you say some of the cutest things. For the most part, we just have you repeat after us but every now and again you'll throw something in of your own and it's adorable. You are the first one to say (more like shout) amen during prayers at church. 
Your best buddies right now are you cousins Cooper and Charlie. You love them more than anything and you three have so much fun together. I love that you have two cousins your same age! When you were younger and couldn't say "Cooper", you called him "Pooker" and even though you can say Cooper now, you still call him Pooker and I secretly hope you never stop. You love any sport that involves a ball. Baasktball, baseball, football and soccer are your favorites. I am convinced that if we just got you a ton of sports balls for your birthday, Christmas, etc. you would be totally content. Your dad just got a new long board for Fathers day and you are obsessed! Dad takes you on rides each night and you are in heaven. I love watching you two together. Speaking of, there isn't anyone in this world that you idolize more than your dad. You look up to him to much and it is the sweetest thing to witness. You and your dad are two peas in a pod! Dad seriously can't wait until you get just a little bit older and he can really start playing baseball with you. He can't wait to teach you everything he knows! I have a feeling that you'll take to it just like your dad did. 
You love to FaceTime with Grandma and Papa is Fresno. When we FaceTime you want to hold the phone and go around the entire house showing them all your cool things with the phone. You know you way around an iPhone better than I do (seriously). The other day I caught you using Siri to send Grandpa text messages. It was crazy! I don' t know how I feel about this so we've been on a little technology cleanse. 
It's summer time and we have been taking full advantage of being outdoors. You are starting to get those cute tan lines and I just can't take it! We have been going to the splash pad almost daily and you love it! You love the park, too! Anything outside, and you are all in. You love to go outside with me and water the plants while Ellie takes her morning nap. I let you do all the watering and you are so meticulous about getting every last plant and bush. We got a trampoline this summer and you would stay on that thing all day long if you could.
You are totally potty trained and it is such a relief! We started in February (just before you were 2.5) and the first day was pretty rough but after that you seemed to pick it up fairly quickly. It took about two and a half weeks and you were good to go. I kept you in pull ups at night but one night I forgot to put them on and you woke up dry anyways. So, from the point forward, it was all underwear all the time! We still have occasional accidents but the whole potty training experience has gone relatively smooth. I am so proud of you! 
Now that you aren't wearing a diaper your pants just seem to slide right off your bum. You are one skinny boy!
One of your favorite places to go right now is the temple. We will usually head up to the temple for FHE and let you roam around the temple grounds and then sit and hang out on the lawn. You love it and are always asking if the temple is open and if we can go. It is the sweetest. 
Sam, we love you more than I ever thought possible. You are our pride and joy. There are definitely long days where I am counting down the minutes until bed time, and even on those days, your dad and I find ourselves missing you as soon as we put you to sleep and scrolling through pictures and videos of you on our phones. I hope you always know just how much you are loved. 

-Mom and Dad


























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