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  1. Summertime

    Friday, September 27, 2013

    With this intense Florida heat, most of our outdoor activities this summer have taken place in or around water.  Good thing the little man is learning to swim and even better that he loves the water so much! We've found some pretty awesome spots to cool off and make some summer memories.


    Swimming with cousin Collier

    Downtown Winter Garden Splash Pad

    Our favorite pool is the kiddie pool at Disney's Port Orleans Resort
    Sam's newest trick in the pool is diving.  Yep, you read that right... our 18 month old can swim to the bottom of the pool and retrieve a toy.  Shawn and I had a hard time believing it since we weren't there when he first tried it at his swimming lesson.  But his Grandma Ewen showed us video proof, and we soon saw it for ourselves during the next trip to the pool.  It's pretty cool to see how quickly kids learn new skills... especially things that you can't imagine they're capable of doing at their age.

    Speaking of which, Sam is finally big enough that he has started navigating the playground equipment more confidently.  And he gets better at it every week!  We found a pretty cool playground at Turkey Lake Park where Sam climbed his first "rock wall."  He's been a pretty good stair climber for a while now, but we were still pretty impressed as he pulled himself up this plastic wall pretty easily.

    Baby's first rock climb 
    Blowin' up the fist bump
    Here are more photos from our June and July adventures including Father's Day and family visits.


  2. Sam's language is exploding now.  He says a new word almost every day and each one brings the same excitement as the last.  It's just been amazing watching him go from "dada" and "ball" to big words like "applesauce" and "firetruck."

    He is extremely friendly, greeting all of our neighbors with a big "Hiiiiiii!" when we go on walks.  Each morning, when we go to his bedroom, he pops his pacifier out of his mouth and usually says "toys."  And just recently, he said "morning."  He asks for his favorite movie "Cars" by name every day.  EVERY DAY.  And not only does he say "nite nite" when he lays down, but also pretends to snore.  It's hilarious...and he's really good at fake snoring.  What a kid! 

    Most recently, he's started saying "Teddy" (our dog's name).  One morning, I saw him standing over a hole in our carpet pointing and saying "Teddy, no!" over and over.  Even though he's responsible for the damaged carpet, poor Teddy wasn't even in the room at the time.  What's even cuter than Sam saying Teddy's name is that he's learned to make a kissing sound and pat his thigh when he's calling Teddy to come to him.  Makes us laugh every time we see him do it.

    He's also mastered many animal sounds and imitates some of his favorite characters, mainly Mickey Mouse.  Take a listen...

     

    We're very pleased with Sam's enunciation and so glad that his words are coming out so clearly.  He is also working on his manners and says "please" wonderfully.  Probably because it sounds a lot like cheese - his favorite food.  We haven't heard a "thank you" yet, but we're working on it. 

    Here are some snapshots from August including photos from Grandma Kramer's visit.