Samantha At 5

I remember thinking when Samantha was a couple months old that I only had to make it until she was 5 and then she'd go to kindergarten.  By the time she got a little bigger and was more interactive I wasn't in such a hurry for her to reach this milestone. Now I look back and cannot believe how fast the last five years have gone. It's been fun to watch Samantha grow into such a smart, sweet girl. Here's a look at who she is at 5:

• She loves animals...they can be stuffed or real, it doesn't matter.
• She is developing a bit of an attitude.
• She loves to swim, and is actually pretty good for not having swimming lessons. She can currently swim about 15 ft without assistance (although it resembles a cross between a dog and actual swimming)
• She is willing to share with anyone except Paul. This probably is because he is always taking things from her.
• She LOVES to go to garage sales. Every Saturday this summer has been spent in search of a deal. She saves her money so she can buy what she wants.
• She hasn't shown too much interest in learning to read or learning her letters so it may be awhile before she is able. She does know all the letter names and many letter sounds, but she really has ZERO interest in learning more.
• She loves having people over and playing with friends.
• She is really excited for her sister to get here. We talk a lot about babies and what they can do. We also talk about what she'll be able to do and how she can help.
• She likes to help Paul with his speech, but it frustrates him to have her involved.
• Her favorite shows/movies are Phineas and Ferb, anything Barbie, Godzilla, and Strawberry Shortcake.
• She likes to play with Polly Pockets, Barbie, small pretend animals, and Littlest Petshop.
• She can't ride a two wheeler yet because we haven't had a chance to teach her. Monument is just too hilly so we'll need to take her to a parking lot. Since I can't even see my toes anymore, bending down to hold on to her bike isn't an option so we're waiting for Adam to have some time.
• She loves to wear skirts/dresses. She won't fight me on wearing shorts but she really dislikes jeans.
• Her favorite color is purple.
• She is always very complimentary to people. She tells me every day that I am the best mom of all the moms and that she loves me more than anything. 
• She is finally getting into arts/crafts and is enjoying coloring. It is definitely nice at church that she likes to work in her coloring books.

The Party

Last year I really wanted to do a party for both Paul and Samantha. I spent a lot of time, especially on Samantha's and by the end I was a little tired of planning. Granted, Mother's Day and Father's Day were both crammed into those same weekends so I had to not only plan two parties, but make presents for everyone as well. I also decided to make Samantha a felt playhouse which took a ton of time. I was pleased with the results, but just wasn't feeling up to that much work this year. 

This year the kids agreed to have a combined party at a park. I didn't want to plan so much, and I was also unwilling to fork out the $150+ it would cost to have it somewhere else. We invited Paul's friends from nursery and all the girls in Samantha's class. Unfortunately, since school was out most of their friends were out of town and not able to make it. Plus it was really windy and cold that day so the party didn't last too long. I walked away worrying that the kids would be disappointed in how things had turned out, but I was wrong. It was a lesson to me that my expectations are not the same as my kids. Just because I have an idea that something will be fun/exciting/dumb/whatever does not mean that my kids feel the same way. I am trying hard to remember that and to ask them what they think and feel about certain things so that I know what they want and not what I think they want. 

Anyway, the one thing they both did really want was for me to make them a cake. Samantha really wanted a Barbie cake, and while I'm not a huge fan of the doll stuck in the cake idea, I thought hers turned out fairly well. Paul wanted a monster cake, but his was one problem after another. The idea was simple enough but since I tried to make both of the cakes in the same day and neglected to keep Paul's in the fridge while I worked on Samantha's his just ended up falling apart. I was actually going to make his be a set of three smaller monsters, but we only ended up with one large one. Luckily, although it is far from my best cake, Paul LOVED it, and talked about it for days after. In fact, when we were at the park I asked the kids if they were ready for cake and didn't get much of a response. I was going to wait until I looked around and saw Paul running to the table. He sat down and was waiting all by himself, ready for cake. Even if it didn't look perfect, it was fun to see Paul so happy. 

Overall, despite the weather and vacation plans of friends, the party was definitely a success.  I doubt I'll do a combined one next year but I'm glad this one was a little more low key!

Paul's Cake (don't look too close)

Samantha's Cake

Paul excited to eat his monster cake

Meet Our Pets

Samantha is desperate for a pet.  Her first choice is a dog or a cat, but neither of those are workable options right now. When Adam went fishing a few weeks ago he brought home a few worms he didn't use. Samantha decided these would be her new pets.  See, desperate. She named them Wormy, Mala, Julia, Piratey, and a bunch of others that I can't remember. They were all girl worms and she let them go in the potted plants around our house. It was at least an hour before she lost interest and moved on to another activity. Since then she has asked multiple times if we can go buy more worms or if Adam is going fishing again so she can have the ones that are left.  I never would have guessed.

The Trampoline

Oh, the trampoline. This has been the best purchase of the year. By far. I am SO glad that we decided to combined birthday presents for the kids because they have spent hours (and by hours I mean hours, and hours, and hours) playing out there. They have made up games where they jump in/through hula hoops, jumped over the sprinkler, chased each other, etc. It's also nice that every time we've had friends over the kids have something to do. I have noticed that the more time they spend out there, the longer they sleep at night...I am going to have a rude awakening in the winter when they are no longer wearing themselves out every day playing outside.

Paul at Three

I can't believe my little boy is three! He and Samantha had a combined present of a trampoline this year and are also having a combined birthday party in about a week so his actual birthday was pretty uneventful. We started the day with chocolate cereal and chocolate milk. After playing at the mall with his friend Alex and naps we came down to dog-sit Bailey and went to McDonalds for dinner with his friend Caeven. We finished off the day with a few small presents just so he had something to open and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate frosting (can you guess what he likes?).  So, in a nutshell here is what Paul is like at three:

•  He still loves trucks and trains.
• He LOVES swimming and would stay in the water all day if I'd let him.
• He copies anything Samantha does, which usually means he'll be found playing kitty with her.
• He is affectionate. He wants everyone in the house to tuck him in and he is very willing to give hugs and kisses to family.
• He is protective of his sister. If Adam is wrestling Samantha, Paul will run up and start kicking Adam so Sammi can get away.
•  He still naps every day and gets crazy if he doesn't get enough sleep.
•  He is ready to potty train, but hasn't yet because I am not ready to deal with it. :)
•  He is a picky eater and it's hard to get him to eat healthy foods. Usually he'll have 1 fruit/vegetable that he'll like at the moment and he'll eat that with every meal. Anything else he'll refuse.
• He is talking SO well now and we are able to understand him almost all of the time. Even if we can't get every single word, it's rare that we miss what he's trying to tell us.
• He has some good little friends. I was always worried about his social development since he has Apraxia, but he's able to speak well enough that he can play with others.
• He was attached to me for awhile and wouldn't let anyone else do anything for him. Lately that's diminished and he'll let Adam help.
• He's still really shy, but it seems to be getting better. He has a hard time leaving me and will be sad for a couple minutes, but gets over it pretty quickly. He doesn't scream at strangers in the store anymore, but will cover his eyes if they try to talk to him.  
• He is fairly good at playing independently. If I'm busy he'll get toys and play near me, but not need me to constantly interact with him.
• He doesn't like TV very much. Whenever we turn a movie on, he'll watch for a few minutes and then wander off to play something else.
•  He is getting easier to reason with. If he's upset it's getting easier to talk him down and explain why we're doing what we're doing. It doesn't always work, but it's getting better.
•  He doesn't throw temper tantrums, never has. He'll cry, but he doesn't kick and scream and throw himself on the ground.
• If he's really upset we'll send him up to his room and he'll come out 10-15 min later happy.
•  He is very determined. If there is something he wants or wants to do he will keep asking/trying/etc until it happens. I'm sure that's a big part of the reason he's been successful in speech.

He is such a wonderful son and I truly couldn't ask for a better little boy. We love you Paul!!

Miss Cheri

Since Paul turned 3 he is no longer eligible for Early Intervention (speech) though the state. He has been passed off to the school district. That meant we had to lose our WONDERFUL SLP, Cheri. She has been such a blessing in our lives and truly and answer to prayers. When she started working with Paul he had no words and only a few vowel sounds that he could make. He is now talking up a storm and I know it's because of her help. She told us in the last session that he has progressed beyond any other 3 year old that she's seen with Apraxia.  Paul truly loved her and we will miss her as we move on to a new speech pathologist.

Caught

My kids have decided that it's okay to sneak snacks/candy/etc as long as they are hiding behind the couch. Paul was mad the night of Mother's Day because he didn't like what we were having for dinner. He ran off crying and it was awhile before we noticed that it had gotten quiet. Adam went looking for him and Paul ran out from behind the couch and tells Adam, "go in kitchen." Adam thought Paul was right behind him and started heading back. By the time he got there he realized Paul wasn't coming. He went back into the living room and found that Paul had managed to find and unwrap the candy bar I had gotten at church. He was about to start enjoying the treat when Adam came back in. Paul immediately started yelling "STOP, stop looking, STOP!!!!"  The only reason Adam got a picture is because he told him he could have one bite. Ever since then I am constantly finding crumbs/wrappers back there....I guess we need to have a little talk about sneaking candy.