Whirlwind Weekend!

Congratulations to Aaron! He graduated with his Master's Degree last weekend! I am so proud of you sweetheart! We were so excited to have Aaron's parents, Kimball and Shelley, in town for this momentous occasion. It was a wonderful graduation ceremony! I will post more about the graduation in a few days, I need to finish editing some pictures!

The day after he graduated, we moved to another town on the southern coast. We owe a big THANK YOU to Kimball and Shelley for being so kind to help us pack and move. We definitely couldn't have done it without your help! Kimball is quite the babysitter :)

Shelley and Sam and I have had a lot of fun adventures this week exploring the area. Below are some pictures from Busch Gardens.

Thank you Kimball and Shelley! You are wonderful! We love you!

Sun Country

Sam has ENDLESS energy. In an effort to wear him out, we took him to Sun Country, a children's gym - hoping he would sleep better that night. After two solid hours of Sam running and jumping nonstop, the only person who was tired was ME.

He LOVED the trampoline!

And of course, this is Sam's dream come true. Swimming in a sea of balls!

We love our little ball of energy!

Sweet Dreams

Most kids snuggle with a blanket or a teddy bear. Nap time at my house is a little bit different. Sam will cry and beg for every piece of sporting equipment possible. You may think that two footballs, two basketballs (one is under him), one baseball, and a golf club is a bit excessive, but considering that I said no to the baseball bat, baseball glove, full size basketball, full size soccer ball, and the remaining golf clubs - I'd call this a success.

Boiled Peanuts

We had a lovely weekend. My idea of a perfect Saturday morning is meandering through the Farmer's Market, searching for the best produce. After we loaded up on our favorite fruits and veggies, we came across a man selling boiled peanuts. Living in the South, we have had many different cultural experiences. Often on the side of the road, we will see people selling fresh Georgia peaches, homemade pies, BBQ ribs, fresh catfish, etc. We have sampled many of those things, and have come to love these "southern delicacies" - however, we always avoid the people selling boiled peanuts on the side of the road. So, when we walked by the man selling hot boiled peanuts at the Farmer's Market on Saturday, we tried to pretend we didn't hear him telling us about his special "Cajun Boiled Peanuts," but then he said the magic words... "Free Samples!" My wonderful and frugal husband can't pass up a free sample, so he tried some but said he only had a dollar in an effort to not buy any. But the man insisted, so he scooped out a dollar's worth of boiled peanuts out of an old cooler filled with dirty brown water and soggy peanuts into an old grocery bag, and gave it to Aaron. The man smiled and said that he had a feeling that he just created a customer for life. Not a chance!

Anyway, the point of that long and winded tale is that our picky eater Sam loved the soggy peanuts, and ate them by the handfuls. And now he has food poisoning. Coincidence?

After our trip to the Farmer's Market, we went on a really beautiful hike. The scenery was gorgeous! There were hundreds of stairs, and Sam was really enthusiastic about jumping down each one for the first ten minutes, but he was losing patience towards the end.

Sam's latest sentences:

Sam: You ready?

Me: Yes, I'm ready. Are you ready?

Sam: I ready! Yeshhh!!!

I have a feeling he overheard Aaron and I as we were frantically getting ready for church that morning.

The Boss

Today our Stake was fortunate enough to have Elder Russell M. Nelson speak at our Stake Conference. We arrived at the meeting early to get a seat, and Aaron and I took turns taking Sam on walks in the hallway to get some of his wiggles out before the meeting started. When it was my turn, I took Sam to look at the paintings of Christ on the walls. While we were looking at some paintings in an empty hallway, Elder Nelson walked out of an office right next to us. He smiled and shook my hand, and then I introduced him to Sam. Elder Nelson asked "Are you The Boss?" to which Sam replied by smiling coyly. In our brief encounter with an Apostle of God, he managed to sum up Sam in two words. The Boss. How fitting.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game!

I hadn't planned on posting about yet another baseball game, but these pictures are just too cute to pass up!

Here is Sam enjoying his popcorn.

Sam, Daddy, and Albert the Alligator!

Go Gators!

Happy Mother's Day!

Hello! It is hard to believe that we only have 6 weeks left here in Gainesville! Summer has been in full swing for quite awhile. Last weekend we took Sam to the baseball game vs LSU (Gators won!) and Sam LOVED it! He would clap and cheer at the right moments, and would even add an occasional "Uh-oh!" when a strike was thrown.

Some cute things he is saying:

-I love you! He pronounces it "I wuv you". The other day at the supermarket, he shouted "I wuv you!" to everyone he could see.

-"I shoot! I shoot!" He says this after he makes a basket in the hoop.

-Sam is so polite, he always says "Pease" and "Tank you!". He also always reminds us to pray before each meal by folding his arms and saying "Amen!".

Happy Mothers Day!