Back to Florida

We are back to reality. Sam and I were gone for exactly one month, spending the first half in Spokane, and the second half in Utah, where we met up with Aaron. Aaron was unable to make it to Spokane because he was finishing up a rotation, and so we really missed him. When Sam saw Aaron for the first time after two and half weeks apart, it was one of the sweetest moments I have ever witnessed. Sam’s jaw dropped, and he started screaming “daddy” over and over, laughing and running into his arms. Aaron is definitely Sam’s best friend.

We had a great time being with the Rasmussen’s over the holidays! We spent our time playing board games together, eating delicious homemade chocolates, visiting with family, and we enjoyed every minute of it! Christmas was especially fun for Sam. All of the family spent Christmas Eve together and opened presents. Santa gave Sam a lot of fun toys (Thanks Grandma and Grandpa)! In fact, putting him to bed that night was extremely challenging. All that Sam wanted to do was play with his toys, and so he cried almost all night. Around midnight I went to see what the matter was, and he was sobbing, pointing upstairs where the toys were, and saying “BALL! BALL!” over and over. The poor boy just wanted to play with his toys! Occasionally he would interchange “ball” for “beep beep” (which means car) or for “Ho Ho Ho” (which means Santa). We finally gave in around 3am, and Aaron brought Sam upstairs to play with toys. What a patient daddy! So after wonderful visits with our families this past month, we are in Florida, and back to reality.

As we have settled back into our routine this week, Sam has provided some good entertainment, as always. Sam has a vocabulary of around 15 words, which is constantly growing. But, as most of you know, he has a one track mind for a…you guessed it…BALL! He loves every kind of ball: football, basketball, golf ball, etc. Well, he has reached new heights with this passion. The other day I was cleaning up around the house and I wasn’t paying attention to what Sam was up to, but I heard him say “Ball” over and over, so I knew it was nothing unusual. When I walked over to him, I saw him sitting on the couch, with a Sports Illustrated on his lap. He was carefully and meticulously going page by page, staring at every picture of the various sporting events, until he would inevitably spot the ball in each picture, point to it, and proudly exclaim “Ball”! He even offered an occasional “Wow” every once in awhile. Aaron and I couldn’t be prouder! J Usually,Sam will pick out a book from the bookshelf, bring it over to us, and climb on our laps when he wants to be read to, but now it’s a whole other ball game (pun intended) because Sam’s reading interests have expanded! Before bed the other night, Sam sat quietly on Aaron’s lap as Aaron read articles from Sports Illustrated. It is so fun to watch as Sam develops such a fun and sweet personality!