The absent blogger...

I have been absent from my blogging because of a self-imposed disciplinary-action! I absolutely HAD to get my taxes ready for the accountant, so I banned myself from blogging until I got it all done... thank goodness - it is done... and I can blog again!!!!

Lots going on these past couple of weeks... and lots of pictures...

We went to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge a couple of weeks ago. Tons of fun. We took the camper - and I'm sure everyone is wondering, "What the heck were they thinking?" Fear not, we took reinforcements... Mama and Daddy went in their motor home, and Bo and Jen went in their camper. Sam stayed with Mama and Daddy and Jake stayed with me and BJ. Sam would climb up our steps and say, "See Mommy and Daddy's camper," then climb back down and say, "Go see Sam's camper!" Yeah, I don't think he'll ever stay in 'his' camper as long as Mimi and Pop Pop are there!!!! He did really good riding there (in the motor home) and went without a nap on Saturday. Jake slept the whole time, just about, that we were in the car - thank goodness. He's really a GREAT baby! Now, though, he's showing some resistance to the car seat... probably because he spent so much time in it that weekend!

We took Sam to one (or two) of the amusement parks in Pigeon Forge. He LOVED it! Everytime he saw one, he would say, "Go play!" He rode the airplanes that went REALLY high first thing. Can you believe he is THREE FEET TALL?????? I took him to the gate and gave the lady his ticket, totally expecting her to let me ride. No, adults can't ride. By that time, there was no turning back with Sam - his little heart was set on riding the airplane. The lady took him, picked him up, put him in the plane and buckled him in. At that point, I expected Sam to reach out for me and cry and say, "Git out." NOPE - not a chance. That little booger never looked back! He grabbed the yoke and was ready for take-off! The planes "took off" and went over eight feet high. Yes, I was FREAKING OUT!!! I hollered at BJ to stand close to the fence to watch Sam... as if he would be able to catch him as he was going in circles... so I was a LITTLE bit delirious!!! I guess I thought he would run under Sam as he went in circles or something, I don't know... but I had to take pictures!!!???? We eventually got Sam to look out at us (he was too busy 'flying' to pay attention to us) and wave. When the ride was over, there was a loud air noise as the shocks let the planes go down and 'land.' Again, I just KNEW that would freak Sam out... not at all. The lady got him out and he was ready to go again!

BJ and I each got to ride the train with him! Everyone else had kids that were 4 or 5 - oh, no! I let my not-yet-two-yr-old go on and ride everything! He's fearless!!!! I just ignored all of the funny looks I was getting from other parents... hey, if Jake had wanted to go, I would have probably let him go too!!!!! =)

Sam also rode go-carts for the first time! He looked frozen and 'scared' while he was riding. He rode with Mimi first, and she just knew he was going to cry and want to stop, but he never did - he just didn't move! He did smile, though, when they bumped Pop Pop! When they got back into the pits, he whined, "Go AGAIIIIINNNNN!" OK, so he liked that too!!!! He rode again with Jen!!

Can you tell how far down he was sitting? He didn't care - just stared ahead and didn't move! You know, I am just jealous of girls who can be out ALL DAY and still look this good after being outside, windblown, etc... Jen - how DO you do it????? =) All-in-all, it was a great trip... although, it needed to at least be a day longer! It felt like we got there, set up, ran around for a day, and packed up and left... well, that's basically what we did!!!!

Last minute (hour) 'man-work' on the car before we left...

The girls (patiently) waiting...

Jake ready for the cold... Ober Gatlinburg... I just can't bring myself to comment any further on that - this is basically what we did while up there!? Potty Break before going in a restaurant... Sam did great with the potty-ing and didn't have a single accident - no nap either!!!! Playing in the snow!BJ went to NY for a day-trip for work this past Tuesday. Had a great time - I was so jealous!!!! Sam, Jake and I went to Mama and Daddy's for the night, b/c BJ didn't get back until close to midnight.

Our alarm went off at 4 AM the other morning... that was SO SCARY! Especially when we looked at the key pad and it said front door. I had to go across the landing to answer the phone for the alarm company calling, and saw the door ajar (of course the phone in our room doesn't work!)... I told the lady, "Someone has tried to break in our front door!" Well, after some evaluation, we saw that BJ had forgotten to deadbolt the door and the wind had blown it open. BJ had put one of those security flip-locks on to keep Sam from walking out without me (thank goodness, he has never tried, but we nipped that before it ever became and issue), and thank the Lord, he had flipped that, so it didn't blow ALL the way open. I can't imagine if I had seen the front door standing wide open in the middle of the night --- FREAKY!!!!!!!! OH! And NEITHER child EVER woke up!!!!!! That alarm was BLARING!!!!!! I don't know how or why, but God watched out for us on all fronts that night!!!!!!

And the biggest news for last... Sam got his first haircut today! It was bittersweet! He was such a champ! He cried before he ever got in the seat, but once he was up there, he never knew she was even cutting! He started playing and before he knew it, she was done. THEN, he started whining that he wanted to play some more!!!!!!!

The lollipop... his first - and he has YET to forget about it!!! Couple of funny stories: the other morning, I was on the phone with my parents, and I held the phone over to Sam and told him to say hi to Mimi and Pop Pop... he held his hand up and said, "Playing..." Like I had interrupted him and he was too busy 'playing' to say hi! What a mess!

And tonight, Sam climbed up on his little step ladder we keep in the kitchen for him to be able to "help" in the kitchen and grabbed the Wheat Thins box and stuck his hand in and helped himself! BJ asked him to come help pick up his blocks, and he said, "Hold on a minute!" MAN - they grow up so fast!!!!! It's like the haircut turned him into a little man overnight (not even overnight!)!!!!

More pictures...

The infamous Elmo shoes...We're up... we're playing...And, we're out!

This is usually how we find Sam when he's napping or sleeping at night... it's sideways, or his head is completely at the other end of his bed!

Sam the tool man... well, his 'tool belt' carries much more important things right now!

Ahhhh... I feel better having blogged!