The First of Many...

So up to this point, Sammy has managed only to give himself some bumps and bruises, but today marks the first of (I'm sure) many self-inflicted injuries. It isn't really bad, but Sammy was walking around holding one of those thought for each day books and fell with the book in hand, jabbing himself just under the eye and making himself bleed and will probably have a black eye tomorrow! What can I say? Boys will be boys!

And here is a photo of the wonderful fence Robert and I built together last night to keep Sammy away from the stove since we use it daily. Not too shabby for being homemade, eh? Robert came up with the idea and did the piecing together while I did all the sanding. We are thinking of spray painting it, but we'll see.

Shopping with My Boys

So last night we went to Idaho Falls to return some stuff and also to do a little shopping. Upon arriving at Walmart, we decided to split up to accomplish more. Robert took Sammy to return a few items and I was to start the shopping and they would catch up. Lo and behold, I take my eyes off my boys for two seconds and they get into trouble. After completing the returns, Robert decided to make a pit stop at the donut section to "pick up a few things" (Uh huh)
While he was loading up, Sammy took great notes from his Daddy and ran up to the donuts, grabbed one off the

bottom shelf and ran away as fast as he could, stuffing the donut in his mouth! What a turkey!! It just goes to show that I can't take my eye off either one for a minute and they are off into trouble! :)

These are just some random pictures I took of Sammy yesterday when he was being absolutely adorable. And yes, both of them are from yesterday, it's just that with all the chocolate and frosting from his birthday the night before, we had another little party that required a bath and an outfit change! Ugh!

Baby Tag

Ok, so my friend Melissa just did this for her sweet 2 month old Lucas and I thought it would be fun to do for Sammy, since he just turned 1! I will have to do it again in 3 or 4 months, though when our little girl arrives, too so everyone can find out the juicy details we tend to forget to tell everyone! Anyone who would like to do this for their baby/infant/toddler/kids is welcome to!!

Remember, this is for Sammy:
1- Where were you when you first found out you were pregnant? In our apartment in Washington
2- Who was with you? Robert
3- How did you find out that you were pregnant? I did a home pregnancy test. Then, I didn't trust it, so I went out and bought two other kinds and tried them, but they all read the same (to my relief)
4- What was your first reaction to finding out you were pregnant? "I'm so excited it finally happened!"
5- Who was the first person you told? We told our moms because it was Mother's Day and thought it would be a great present
6-Did you plan to get pregnant? Yes, we had been trying for two or three months
7-Was everybody happy for you? Yes, everyone was excited
8- Did you go out and celebrate? Not really
9- Did you want to find out the sex? Of course!!
10- What was the sex? Well, they first told us it was a girl, but then at the end of the ultrasound, he came out of hiding and we were so thrilled it was a boy!! (we both kinda wanted a boy first)
11-Did anyone throw you a baby shower? Yes
12- If yes, who? My visiting teacher at the time
13- Did you get any outfits at the baby shower that you just knew you weren't going to put on your baby? No, I got all cute and adorable stuff
14- How much weight did you gain? Do I really have to tell? Ok, well, I think it was around 30-40 pounds, but I wasn't sure on my weight before I got preggo because I had been going up and down...
15- Did you lose all of the weight that you gained? Unfortunately, no. I got preggo again before I could lose it all, which means I will have that much more to lose after this one! Grrr!
16- Did you get a lot of stretch marks? Yes, I have very irritable skin
17- What did you crave the most? I craved sugar
18- Did you crave anything crazy? Not really, I would just see something and then HAVE to have it, like caramels, ice cream, and starbursts for example
19- Who or what got on your nerves the most? That no one thought I was pregnant. On my due date (as if being depressed about not going into labor wasn't enough) I had someone say "Oh, you're pregnant?" My continuous thoughts were: "No, I'm just this fat ALL the time!"
20- Were you married at the time? Yep, and still am!
21- Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Not a one!
22- Where were you when you went into labor? At my parent's house when the contractions started, but actual labor, I was at home
23- Did your water break? The doctor did it when he got to the hospital to check on me
24- Who drove you to the hospital? My hubby (three times)
25- Did you stay at the hospital after arriving? No, I wasn't progressing like they wanted, so I was sent home and came back 4 hours later in hard labor
26- Did you go early or late? Three days late
27- Who was in the room with you when you gave birth? Just my husband, but my parents were out in the hall getting a drink until the baby came
28- Was it video taped? No, it was difficult enough
29- Did you have any drugs for the pain? Yes, I had to have two epidurals
30-Did you go Natural or have a c-section? Natural
31- If natural, how long did you push? 15 minutes
32- What was your first reaction after giving birth? "He's finally here" and "He looks just like his Daddy!"
33- How big was the baby(s)? He was 9 pounds even and 22 inches long
34- Did your Husband cry? I don't think so
35- What did you name the baby(s)? Samuel Kent Skousen
36- Did the baby(s) have any complications? He struggled with his blood sugars being borderline for a while and then his bilirubin was also borderline for a few days, but nothing major
37- Who came to see you at the hospital? My parents (they were actually at the hospital), my little sister April, my two little brothers Daniel and Matthew, and my older sister Candace
38- How old is your baby today? One year and one day old
39- When is the next one(s) coming? Sometime around April 8th, 2009
40-If you could, would you do it all over again? I already am

Sammy's Birthday

Sammy's first birthday cake - a dinosaur. No, he doesn't love dinosaurs, I just thought it would be fun. Besides, he doesn't care! I took Sammy to our ward's play group for the first time, but it ended up only being kids much, much older than him and a little girl came up and slapped him across the face because she thought he wanted her cookie! Poor kid! He was just excited at all the little people running around him. But, things got better when we blew up the balloons left over from Lisa's wedding, opened presents, and had yummy chocolate cake.

Sammy was so excited about all the new books he got for his birthday from both grandmas and from Mommy and Daddy

Getting started on reading his new books

My first attempt ever at decorating a cake beyond spreading frosting over a rectangular cake and putting sprinkles on it. I feel like it turned out pretty well

Sammy at the end of his cake-eating. He really didn't eat that much cake and didn't make much of a mess, but who's complaining? He did, however, have a great time!

Trying to get it all in...

Daddy showing Sammy what it is that we have just set in front of him

The decapitated dinosaur cake

Daddy and Sammy blowing out the candle together

The stuffed dog Sammy got from Mommy and Daddy

Opening the first present

Sammy learning that balloons are actually fun toys and not something to be afraid of

Sammy's new favorite toy - Daddy's mini flashlight that fits perfectly into his mouth

Lisa's Wedding

Sorry it has been a while since my last post, we went to Arizona this week for Robert's little sister's wedding in the Mesa, Arizona temple. We loved getting visit with family and friends we haven't seen for a while and Sammy loved getting play with his cousins, even if they are all girls!

Sammy with Grandma Skousen

Robert's older sister, Kayla and her beautiful family. Clockwise L-R: Kayla holding Gracie (3 mo old), Adam (old), Ellie (6), and Emma (4)

Sammy loved getting to visit with his aunts and uncles again, especially Aunt Shanna

The happy couple, Lisa and Eric, posing with the grandkids from Lisa's side of the family

Getting Crafty

So since Robert bought me my sewing machine last month, I have been getting really excited about all the crafty things I can do with it, especially anything concerning our new little one. So, after Robert got home from work yesterday, I sat down and got to work on my first project: baby blankets. I got fabric to make two for our baby and two for friends who are having boys and this is my first attempt at the project. It is definitely a work in progress, but I feel like it turned out pretty well for my first try. I have also been putting my machine to use patching Robert's work pants and making crazy towels for our parents for Christmas (pictures to follow later)

Walking to Daddy

So Sammy is now walking on his own, although he won't do it if you want or try to get him to. It normally happens when no one else is around and nobody is paying attention to him, then he will cruise across the room like it's no big deal. I can't believe how much my little boy has grown!!

Pictures of Sammy

These are pictures of Sammy enjoying his newest toy - a piano/xylophone that Oma (my mom) sent him for Christmas, but the post office decided to not deliver until yesterday

Here, Sammy is playing peek-a-boo with Robert's aunt in the box my new dishwasher came in. I was soo excited when they came over to help us install it all in one day!

Sammy's favorite toy of all time - Mommy or Daddy's cell phone. We tried getting him his own baby cell phone and even giving him an old one we don't use anymore, but they just aren't the same!

Sammy loves his bouncy horse from Grandma and Grandpa Skousen. He either rides it or stands on the edges and bounces it with his hands!

When Mommy is busy on the computer, Sammy's busy getting into trouble! :)