Memorial Day Weekend

Dancers

Vivian's caregiver has a friend who taught ballet in Columbia and comes to house to dance with the girls.  Here they are ready for "class." 

Sleeping Arrangements Part II

This is how the night typically begins.

We can't quite seem to get it right around here.  My father took the crib down for us and we put Sam back in his toddler bed as he and Vivian were trying to sleep on one toddler mattress and would squish each other.  She would wake up crying and end up in our bed.  Now, Vivian is on the floor on a mattress and Sam is in his bed.  Until he falls out and lands on top of her, night after night.  And she rightfully wakes up and yells for me or Chris, and "no Sammy! Owie!!!" as he continues to sleep through it all.  He doesn't even seem to wonder how he goes to sleep in his bed and wakes ip on the floor each night.  She ends up in our bed.  The one night he didn't fall out of his bed, they both slept until 5:30   am in the nursery, possibly a first.

This is what I found last night.  Vivian is regarding Sam while crying.
His head is where she had been laying, his butt on her pillow and his feet
are still on his bed.

Basketball

Vivian's stance and Sam's attempt at scoring on the regulation height net at the park.  It's great to watch.

5 Years Ago

About 4 weeks old Sam and his cousin met, Sam is on the right.

 

This past month, Sam is on the left.

Soccer

Soccer is prefaced by a song about not using hands- apparently it takes a while for the kids to remember. 

Vivian today.

Sam over the summer when he asked hands could be used near the goal (or something along those lines).

Rusty Chains

Sam found a very cool piece of very rusty chain the other day in his grandparents backyard that was wonderful to play with.  At least it was great to play with until the adults explained that rust can cause children to have to get tetanus shots (with very long needles).  Sam proceeded to get pretty nervous about this and decided to not only wash his hands, but also agree to have a bath.

I thought all was said and done, but then a couple of days he brought it up again.
"So, if you get rusty, what happens?"he asked.
"What do you mean?  Rust is caused by the oxidizing of metal, like when it's been in the air or moisture too long."
"So oxidizing is the sickness?  What happens to you?"
"No, oxidizing is the process of the metal…  wait, you mean if you get rust in a cut what happens?"
"Yes, what's the sickness?  Ebola?" (damn Ebola, he has apparently not stopped thinking about that).
"No, you don't get Ebola."  (Come to think of it, I have no clue what happens if you get rust in a cut), "you get a shot and nothing happens, you're all better."
He shoook his head, "that was silly, of course you wouldn't get Ebola from rust.  You get Ebola from a bug and Africa is too far away.  The bug could never fly across the ocean.  It would die.  That's why we don't have Ebola."
"Um..." (trying to decide if I correct this line of thinking).
"Bugs are very small and oceans are very big."
"Yes," I agreed.
"So the bug would die.  And fall into the ocean." Pause.  "Oh."
"What, Sam?"
"I hope the fish don't get Ebola."
"Yes, me too."

Mailbox

I found a series of small scraps of paper around today, even in Sam's lunch bag.  Eventually they led to a stapled paper pouch, his mailbox.

Apparently full of important information.  I'll have to ask him what it all says.