Keeping Up with the Kramers

We had fallen behind on regular blog updates earlier this year (right around the same time Sam turned one year old and started walking...coincidence?).  So the next couple of posts will be a quick catch-up, mostly via photos, of some of our favorite memories from the Spring of Sam's second year.  We are so grateful to have been able to enjoy so many great moments with our family and friends in March.  Here are the highlights...

You've already seen the photo album from Sam's one-year photo shoot, brought to you by the genius behind Ella Lu Photography.  Here is a cute look behind the scenes as photographer Kristin works her magic with our little toddler supermodel.

Professor Sam in his reading nook

Sam giving his photographer some editorial direction

Sam has grown so strong and has become very mobile in his old age, and every day with him just gets more and more fun!  But as much as he is a fast-moving machine and a fun loving big guy, he is still also a sweet little boy who loves to cuddle and play with his mommy and daddy.  We couldn't be more in love with all of the dynamic moods of our Sam.  Take a look at these snapshots from some of our favorite fun or snuggly moments...

Nothing beats morning snuggle time on the couch with Sam

Tickle attack!

Another of our famous "No Paparazzi" shots

Bath time just isn't complete without a mohawk

I love you, Stinky Face

One of Sam's favorite big boy toys is his classic red Radio Flyer wagon, a gift from our very sweet and thoughtful neighbors, Ken and Julie.  Although he sometimes prefers to get out and push the wagon himself, Sam also loves to ride in the wagon all around our neighborhood and beyond, smiling and waving at everyone he sees.  Lately he really likes to say "Hi" to everyone, in his very sweet and gentle little voice, with an almost two-syllable pronunciation ("Haah-eeeeee").  So cute.

Sam shares his ride with cousin Olivia

We had some very special family visitors this Spring, including Sam's Uncle Rick (Shawn's brother) who was visiting from Illinois to celebrate a big milestone birthday!  We treasured this special time, having Rick all to ourselves for a few days here in Winter Garden, and also sharing some amazing times with the rest of our Florida family in Palm Harbor.

These two guys had lots of fun and smiles together!

They tried to blend in with the other monkeys at Disney's Animal Kingdom

Hiya, Pal!

Sam preferred to be silly for this family photo at Lake Tarpon

Showing Uncle Rick how to use his iPhone

Our entire Florida family came together once again to enjoy more visitors, this time from Oklahoma!  We had a really fun weekend with Shawn's nephew Chris, his wife Katie and their precious daughter Collier as they were vacationing at a resort near Walt Disney World and invited us all to join in the fun.

Snugglin' with Collier and Chris

The whole fam-damily played at the pool and water park

For more photos, click here to look back at our albums from February and March.

Looking back to our last blog post has made us realize just how quickly time is passing and how much Sam has grown and changed since you last heard from us...in February!

Well, it's not necessarily the hottest news off the press, but Sam is walking now!  He started walking with his alligator push-around toy and, with lots of practice, quickly progressed to walking independently (right after our trip to Indiana, at around 12 1/2 months). Sam is quite the explorer now. He gets into the dog food daily (which means he also gets scolded daily), he is exploring the contents of the lower cabinets and pantry, and has even started to climb up on things. He even showed us early on that he could climb a whole flight of stairs!  Where did he learn that?!




We think Sam is going to be very musically inclined, like his father, because he's quite the expert drummer (like his father, ahem).  Anything resembling a drum stick is immediately picked up and engaged in banging on any surface that will make noise.  The washing machine is his favorite instrument right now due to the thundering bass sound it delivers.  He has an actual drum (um, thanks Aunt Kath & Uncle Mike) and several other small percussion implements to play with, but he's also not afraid to kick it old-school with a plain old wooden spoon and tin can combo.  We often set up a small "drum set" of cans, pans and cups on the kitchen floor to keep Sam occupied while we cook meals or do the dishes.  That was no problem until we noticed he started putting out a tip jar while he played.  And Sam is no one-trick-pony.  We're not sure what he likes more now - drumming or dancing.  This little dancin' machine loves to get his groove on!  Anytime he hears a good beat, he starts dancing and waving his arms without a care in the world.  His favorite songs are all from Disney Channel shows, despite his daddy's best efforts to hook him on the dusty old classic big-band tunes and even some more modern drum corps music.  Baby steps...literally.  No matter what style it is, if it has a lively beat Sam just can't resist the urge to shake what his momma gave him!

Yep, even the washer and dryer are a drum

Sam has also started to say several words and is actually connecting them to their meaning. At 15 months, he was saying things like ball, mama, dada, go, please, shoes and uh-oh. He also knew how to "arf arf" like a dog, "moo" like a cow and "ooh ooh eee eee" like a monkey. He's still working on saying "octopus", which is adorable to see and hear, even if he hasn't completely mastered the pronunciation.  His vocabulary now includes a couple dozen English words, a small mouthful of  Vietnamese words, and about a thousand words if only we knew how to speak Toddler.  New words are coming out of his little face every day and we continue to be amazed and amused by how quickly he learns, and by what catches his attention.

Sam was also still a great eater up until about 15 months.  At that point he began challenging us more when it came to eating fruits and veggies.  He's still okay with blueberries and strawberries, but we're finding it difficult to get him to eat any other fruits.  He refused pretty much any vegetable for a while, though by the time we are writing this, he has once again decided that carrots and green beans are approved.  He still loves cheese, pancakes and goldfish and shoves scrambled eggs into his head with both hands.  He will sometimes eat everything as fast as we can put it on his plate, but then often just considers his dinner to be confetti for the kitchen floor (at which point we are grateful to have a dog).  Ah, welcome to the toddler diet plan.  Enjoyable for them, sometimes frustrating for us...and it's a new adventure every day!

Speaking of adorable, we had Sam's one-year photos taken at the beginning of February. We absolutely love how they turned out and how they capture his little personality so nicely.  He's such a fun kid and we feel incredibly blessed every day to be able to watch him grow, learn and play.  Our sweet little boy makes us smile and laugh until our faces hurt.  Here are a couple of favorite moments from the photo shoot.  You can see the rest of them in this album.

The kids really enjoyed being outside on this beautiful sunny day.  There was chasing, laughing, swinging and smiling...all followed by lunch at Chic-Fil-A.  Life doesn't get much better than this, I tell ya!

Sam and his cousin Olivia surveying the egg-scape

On Easter Sunday, we decided not to go to church since Sam had surprised us with a mild case of pink-eye and we didn't want him spreading anything that might be contagious (sorry if you caught it, Easter Bunny...we didn't know!).  Instead, Heather got a head start on cooking Easter dinner for the family.  And Sam got to enjoy the goodies in his Easter basket - sidewalk chalk, bubbles, books and a Dino-popper toy from Aunt Deb.  The Dino-popper is pretty cool and was a big hit with Sam AND his parents!  One of the best things about being a parent must be playing with the fun toys your kids receive as holiday gifts.  We all like playing with this stuff!

Sam's first Easter Booty...uh, Basket!

Heather's dad and sister, along with their families, came over for a delicious meal and an Easter egg hunt in our front yard.  Shawn and Steve helped the Easter Bunny hide the eggs before any cocktails were served, so they remembered how many eggs were hidden and the kids actually found all of them.

Sam doesn't really eat candy (yet) so we decided to stuff some eggs with goldfish (duh), yogurt melts and fruit puffs.  He didn't really understand the egg hunting concept at first, but we encouraged him to find the eggs and put them in his basket.  More than once he wanted to pick up each egg and sample the treats right then and there.  And we couldn't resist letting him.  It was too cute watching him stuff his chipmunk cheeks full of snacks.  Kinda makes us wonder how long we can keep this candy-free Easter thing going, so that we don't have to worry about him overdoing it on sweets. We know, not a chance!  It's all downhill after the first M&M.  (and wait until Daddy introduces him to Gummy Bears!)


In any case, it was the perfect way to spend a gorgeous Florida day. We celebrated all the blessings that have been bestowed upon us and enjoyed sharing in some family traditions. And carrot cake. Did I mention carrot cake?  Happy Easter, everyone...bock, bock!

We journeyed back to the homeland the weekend following Sam's birthday party. We wanted the chance to celebrate with Grandma Kramer and the rest of our Indiana family including Heather's Aunt Linda.

Sam had not been on an airplane ride since he was three months old, but he showed us that he is still a little travel pro!  He fell asleep right at take off and slept for three quarters of the flight. The change of pressure on the descent was a bit more challenging for him, but nothing a little snack couldn't fix.  And kudos to Sam for ensuring an easy passage through TSA by flirting with the lady agents!

Our first stop was the Kappa Kappa Gamma house at Butler University to see Aunt Linda (and of course Shawn Sam wasn't at all put out that he got to flirt with the sorority girls). After visiting over lunch at The Aristocrat, some shopping to stock up on toddler necessities, and a little nap, we were off to Monticello.  Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go...

Sam & Aunt Linda

While visiting Monticello we stayed in a lovely bed and breakfast on Lake Schafer called The Lighthouse Lodge. The Lodge has several private entry large guest rooms with mini-kitchens, and a couple of lakeside cottages. They do a lot of weddings and family reunions during the summer season as they are right on the lake. Luckily for us, we visited in the off season and got the full attention of the very hospitable owners, Mike and Bonnie. Bonnie makes a homemade breakfast each morning that's just out of this world. She even gave us a few tips on how to make fluffy, tasty scrambled eggs. We've since tried her recipe at home and Sam approves!

Speaking of delicious food, Shawn's mom decided to host us for dinner one night. She is an amazing cook and we always look forward to her meals. So it was a real treat to go to her home and smell a scrumptious roast cooking! It was frigid outside, but so warm and cozy inside Grandma's house.  We gathered around the table with two of Shawn's brothers, Butch and Jim, and their wives for some good laughs over an amazing meal.  Special thanks to Uncle Jim for helping Grandma with the dinner preparation...what a team! Butch and Sam really hit it off too. Being the experienced Grandpa that he is, Uncle Butch had some tricks up his sleeve to make Sam laugh and win his heart. We think that this look on Sam's face says it all.

Jungle Baby, oh-wee oh-wee OH!

Grandma Kramer & Sam

Despite the frigid wind coming off of the lake, we really enjoyed our stay in the two-bedroom lakeside cottage. It was very comfortable and we instantly felt right at home. We had a full kitchen with dining area, living room, two bedrooms and a bathroom with stand up shower. It really felt more like staying with friends than at an inn. Particularly when Mike and Bonnie let the whole Kramer clan crash their rec room for an impromptu reunion and birthday party for Sam. They put together a delicious salad for us, we brought in pizza and just made ourselves at home.  Thanks Mike and Bonnie, and all who joined us to celebrate!

"So this is what a -14 wind chill looks like" Sam loved hanging out on the bunk beds in his room

Stealing Aunt Kim's pizza...his first taste of Arni's, a northern Indiana favorite

Goofing around with Uncle John

Blowing out the candle on his birthday cake

Cousins Christian, Sam and Arrick

The area experienced a record low temperature while we were there (it never fails to drop well below normal when we visit a cold weather region, which Heather despises). But we made the best of it, and it did finally warm up just enough to introduce Sam to the fun that you can have in the winter.  Below are a few photos of Sam's first snow play!

Tobogganing.  "Mush, Daddy...Mush!"

"MAYDAY! MAYDAY!"

Snow daddy

Snuggling to keep warm

It was a wonderful trip all around. We had the best time catching up with everyone, enjoyed a fabulous home cooked meal courtesy of Grandma Kramer, and made some wonderful memories.  We can't wait for the next trip back to our Indiana home, and to this little gem of a spot called The Lighthouse Lodge.

Check out more photos of our trip in our January photo album.

• Chew sticks (pretzel rods) 
• Puppy chow (a chocolatey-sweet version of Chex Mix)
• Doggie treats (cheese cubes) 
• Ruffage and dip (veggies and dip) 
• Pup-corn chicken
• Corn dawgs 
• Rawhide chips (Ruffles potato chips) 
• Sam-wiches (in honor of the birthday boy) 
• Puppy water (lemonade) 
• 
  

All of the kids got in on the gift opening action!

While it's been a bit quiet on our blog, it's been anything but that in our home over the past few weeks. It seems that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas went by in a wink, as did the passing of Sam's 10th month.

In the beginning of November, Sam started crawling on all fours.  He was slow and cautious at first, taking several breaks just to cross the room.  Then, seemingly the next day, he was gone in a flash!  He went from barely scooting along, to crawling lightening fast.  Sam is now able to walk while holding only our fingers (like handlebars), and is pulling himself up to cruise along every piece of furniture he can find.  He has even started walking on his own behind a push toy!  It scared him at first to do it, but he's quickly gained a lot of confidence. It's been an amazingly transformative two months.

Christmas is our absolute favorite time of year.  We've been looking forward to sharing this holiday with our little man since before he was born.  And we've been especially excited to carry on some very special family traditions.  We kicked off our Christmas celebration with a visit to the big guy, Santa Claus!  Sam had a very "nice" visit with Santa, despite the photographers distracting him with toys in order to get the best photos.  He did finally look right up at Santa curiously, and smiled at the jolly old fella.  He must have been thinking, "I've been good this year. I promise!"

Santa!

The weekend before Christmas brought a whirlwind of family visitors.  First, Uncle Mike and Aunt Kath, along with Craig, Shell and Lleyon, came to visit us.  We had a lovely meal together and then the boys got to exchange gifts.  Sam figured out quickly how to rip the paper off of the packages.  He received some pretty fantastic toys including a drum, a classic spinning top, two Little People books and a Cloud B turtle that shines stars and the Moon onto the ceiling when the lights are out.  It's pretty neat!  The grown-ups shared many delicious treats including a glazed ham, plus Mommy's rockin' homemade au grautin potatoes and perfect pumpkin pie.  Aunt Kath was kind enough to leave behind some of her home-baked sweets, including her famous cut-out sugar cookies and some Chex mix (which Sam has enjoyed munching on every day since)!

Cousin time with Lleyton

Playing his new drum (Daddy quickly taught him to turn it on it's side for proper bass drumming)

On Christmas Eve, we went to Grandpa Ewen's house where we enjoyed another delicious meal.  Bella, the house dog, made Sam's nice list, for sure!  Have we mentioned how much he loves dogs?  Sam kept chasing Bella (crawling, of course) and hugging her when he would finally catch up.  And appropriately, Grandpa Ewen gave Sam a toy dog that walks, barks and pants.  Sam also received a remote control Thomas the Train which, we have to admit, we enjoy playing with more than he does!  He also got some new clothes, pajamas, a cute book and stacking rings.  Sam also really dug into his Christmas dinner.  He had a sampling of ham and stuffing - both firsts for him - which he put away with sheer delight.

Love for Bella

A big boy Christmas dinner

Christmas morning was spent relaxing at home. Sam magically slept until 7 a.m., which was a nice Christmas present for Mom and Dad!  When we all woke up, we headed straight for the tree where Sam received his first Christmas stocking.  Santa packed it with two new books, Sesame Street's Murray's First Words and Doggies, a new Sesame Street sippy cup with a big boy straw, and a Let's Dance Disney CD.  Then, after some picture taking, we moved on to unwrap some new clothes, a magnetic fishing pole and a toddler dice/card game.  Sam also received The Giving Tree book, a personalized place mat and, the ultimate gift, the Little People Barn from Santa! As much as Sam liked the gifts, we think he had the most fun ripping off the paper and playing in the midst of all the trash.

Sam's First Christmas

"Whoa, Santa. You really outdid yourself."

"I like this mess, but my favorite thing is Daddy's iPhone."

"I've got this unwrapping business down."

A birthday cake and a rose with the same Nativity pieces from Shawn's childhood (thank you, Grandma Kramer!)