Trains

Sam loves trains....
Wait...let me say it more like I should. SAM LOVES TRAINS.
Oh wait... one more try...

SAM LOVES TRAINS!

Ok that's better.

So for Arnold's 30th birthday we went to a nearby train museum run by amateurs but nicely done. This is Sam seeing the trains for the first time. He was so excited and I wish I would have gotten a video of him because it was so cute. Lots of WOWs were said that day.

Daddy, Sam and some trains. As you can see Sam wanted to climb all of them.

Yet another excited face from Sam.
And yes, he did want to climb ALL of them. That was probably the hardest part of the trip.

Can you find a more happy face than a little boy on a cool train.

We got to go inside one of the trains and see how they work. Arnold got to do all the translating so you can see that in the next picture. Sam is the best though. I don't think there was ever a lack of excitement except when he didn't get to climb all over them.

And finally the group. Dan came all the way from the US just to say Happy Birthday to Arnold! How nice! ;)

This video is of the Yaga Choo Choo. Arnold pulled it out finally since Sam found the cardboard box with the picture and has been asking for it for the last month. It looks like even Marie is going to like trains and legos. I think she was watching it go round and round for about 5-10 minutes.

Dancing moose or something like that :)

I guess I've got a little dancer to be. Maybe one day I'll find the picture of me eating ice cream in this position and post that with it but for now just know that this was how I spent a lot of time before I had kids. Not so much anymore. Eating of the toes...not sure about that one but she does it all the time and it must be hereditary since Sam did and does it too. Maybe I'll get one of the two of them eating toes together sometime.
And for the final show...Rocking Moose is back!!! :) We've been looking for the missing piece for almost a year now and now that we are unpacking EVERYTHING we finally found it! Yea for the rocking moose! :)

Sam and Arnold Artwork

Sam and I have been working for quite a while on a picture of some trains.  We have had a lot of fun drawing this together.  He really enjoys "Choo Choos" and so this was a great father-son bonding time. 

Also, for those doubting my sanity and or fearing the imminent onset of a mid life crisis due to my previous post: doubt not, fear not.  

-A. 

Surprise: New Car for us!!!

Well, Mandi and I had the opportunity of snagging a used car this weekend. We were very excited about it, well, I was probably more excited than Mandi was, but I think that she will get used to the need for speed.

Here is a photo of our new car parked in the sunshine in front of the house. It was the best lighting at the time we got it home, hence it is parked on the street. From now on it will be kept in the garage.

It is a bit tight with the four of us, but we make do. Somehow...

Teething and reading

Lately this is what my kids look like. They are both heavily into teething and as you can see are using their hands as a chew toy. Sam unfortunately already has 18 teeth and is chewing his hands to pieces. The puddles of drool all over everywhere are a little dangerous (on tile) and really gross. However, Tylenol works wonders and is the only way I can salvage Sam's poor hands. I can always tell when they need more because this is what I see. You can guess what happened after I took this picture.

Reading with Daddy is always one of Sam's favorite things to do. Marie is old enough to join in the fun too. They were having so much fun reading Goodnight Gorilla this morning that I couldn't resist taking a few pictures. If Sam keeps up what he's been doing he'll be reading by the time he's 3. I really can't believe he knows his alphabet in 2 languages already. It's still a little rough but for a not yet 2 year old that's impressive. He likes to practice daily with his book and asks me to sing the alphabet song to him regularly. I'm in major shock and I'm really not sure how to keep up with this kid. He's growing up way too fast.

Hmm...

Apparently I now have the power and authority to post on this blog...

The possibilities! Reader beware. Look forward to strange and exciting things.

-Arnold.

I've been busy...

And I didn't even know it. I got on to do another post and noticed that I have 100 posts already! Wow! I guess that makes this 101.
Ok, so I'll admit it...I have the world's cutest kids and I just can't resist putting up more pictures of them. As you can see Sam is anxiously awaiting the time that Marie can play with him. He's always on the ground talking to her and trying to pick her up and have her go somewhere with him. The last one is always a bit exciting and scary.

Sam loves ball and sticks. What boy doesn't. The outfit is from his Aunt Calli and I think it says pretty much everything about him. He's definitely my curious Sam and he's definitely a monkey. Nothing is safe from this child no matter how high I put it, if he wants it, he gets it.



This is a great little video of our little dancer to be. She loves to use her feet for anything she can. It's so fun to watch her learn new things. She's almost mobile now and if she keeps up what she's doing she'll be at a full crawl soon. I'm not sure if I'm ready for that yet but I know Sam is very ready for a little helper.