Future Kayaker?

Over the weekend, Joe took Sam kayaking in the harbor. Sam insisted on wearing a helmet like Dad's even though it is several sizes too big. He also helped man the paddle. (You can imagine how much help that actually was.) About 30 minutes into the adventure, Sam was passed out between Dad's legs. There must be something about the rocking motion. While the boys took the afternoon to play, I enjoyed a yoga date with the little one in my belly, a hot bath and then sat down with a good book. We hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. FYI: Sam is no longer using the s-word. Phew!

Potty Mouth

Yes our sweet little Sammy has discovered how to use one lovely swear word: sh....t. I noticed it a couple of weeks ago and ignored it hoping it would simply go away. Joe finally was witness to Sam's naughty word last week at dinner when Sam 's guy fell off the table. We both could hardly contain the laughter. Of course that didn't help. So last weekend we are at a new 3 yr. old friend's birthday party when Sam accidentally drops the crayon he was coloring with. I bet you can guess what came out of his mouth next. Yes and he didn't just quietly say it. He yelled so that all around could hear. Those near were laughing and amazed at his ability to use it in perfect context. As responsible parents, ignoring this behavior is no longer an option. We've given him some new words to use like "oops", "uh-oh", or even "shoot" (despite that it is so similar to the real deal). This is working part of the time, but Sam still prefers the effect of the big S word. Yesterday when he used it once again I told him that it is not a nice word to use and that if he says it, he'll need to take a time out. Sam shaking his head from side to side says, "No, no, no-sh...t." I guess the next step involves washing the mouth out with soap-uuuhh-. Two can be so entertaining.

Sam enjoying the party.

"Happy Birthday Kati"

We love you Kati and are thinking of you on your special day. Sam would love to give you one of his spectacular hugs.

Also sending big bear hugs to Grandma and Grandpa Carberry. Thanks for coming to visit. We miss you already. Enjoy some of our photos from the beach:

Sam loved all of the extra attention. Due to this, Sam decided he should start waking up at an earlier hour (6:30 am regardless of when he goes bed). Every morning he would go knock on the grandparent's door and say, "Sammy wake up." Luckily they would play with him and let us go back to bed. Kids need grandparents around and so do parents. Sending love to all of our family and friends.....

The Really Big Birthday Boy!

We celebrated at our favorite beach, San Onofre (known to surfers as Old Man's). This beach is where we typically do our campfires in the evening. For this occasion we went early in the morning and then made brunch: pancakes, eggs, sausage & bacon (perfect for the birthday boy).

While dad was surfing, Sam found some new friends to play with. Sam is always looking for the kids.

That evening we went over to our friends place which is conveniently located right on the beach. In Sam's eyes a birthday party wouldn't be complete without cake and candles.

Sam rallied into the evening and took only a short nap in the car. You think he would've crashed that night....if we were only so lucky!?

Spinning!

If you have forgotten Sam's contagious laugh, this will help you remember.

Glimpses of Cali

Our backyard patio is getting more and more complete. We now have a table and BBQ (thanks to our neighbor).

The oranges here are amazing. Sam finished two and still wanted more. The juice was running down his face and hands.

This trail is close to our place. We call it the snail and lizard trail due to all of the little creatures we find along the way. It also provides a great view of the ocean. As does the photo below which is our street directly out from our driveway.

This is our new home. The middle garage is ours and our front door is along the right side of the house.

So we'll leave you with a clip of Sam runnnnninnng. He loves watching this over and over again. A lot of the parks around here have grassy hills so he has been taking advantage playing on them. Another favorite is to roll him up in a blanket and then push him down the hill. Believe it or not he can't get enough of this and therefore I have to redirect his attention so that he doesn't get sick from all of the spinning. Notice in the video that Sam always finishes with a crash. Enjoy!

Our Backyard (hooray!)

We are enjoying the added features of our new place, namely a garage and a backyard. I don't think that we'll ever be able to do without these again. Sam now has a small pool to play in, concrete to ride his trike on, and simply a place outside to run. We are refinishing some chairs that were left back there and looking for a nice deal on patio furniture. This is taking precidence over the inside because of the optimal temperatures most of the year here. Now ladies, you can see that I do indeed have a belly. Joe seems to think that I am a lot bigger than I was with Sam. I'm not completely sure about that, but I do know that I feel different (mainly more tired, nauseated still sometimes, and the occasional headache). Hmmmm....maybe a girl... however I continue to go back and forth.

All of these photos were taken by my dear friend Jenna Biggs who came and stayed with Sam and I while Joe was away for work. As you can see, she's a professional. She called this one "Meeting of the Minds". I think that Sam was actually trying to attack me here (a.k.a. pinch my face and grit his teeth).
Sam loves the water. He is perfectly at ease relaxing on his back. He often hangs out like this in the bathtub.
My little baby! He enjoys it when I wrap him up and hold him like he was still my little baby.
What a handsome boy. He often asks to go to grandma's house, or to visit his friends in Steamboat. I tell him that we would have to go far away on a plane. He's always up for it. His usual response: "Let's go!"

I wish we could. Thinking of you all.....Jenelle

We're Back!

It has been an eventful summer so far, and we are happy to be settling into our new home in Dana Point, California. Of course the hightlight of living here is being so close to the ocean. Sam loves the sand and the crashing waves. Joe takes the opportunity to surf nearly everyday. And I simply love that the beach provides something for the whole family. One of our favorite things to do is take a picnic and have a fire on the beach in the evening. We have made a point of doing this at least once a week. Sam has fallen in love with hotdogs from these outings. In the picture below Sam actually went over the handlebars when an unexpected wave crashed and dumped him into the water. Dad quickly caught him and luckily Sam didn't get too upset. He simply said, "All done." (I will get more pictures posted from Cali now that the camera and computer are back in action.)
The following photos are from our trip to Idaho:


Sam enjoyed riding in the boat with Grandpa Carberry on Payette Lake. He especially liked watching Dad waterski and crash into the water.

Sam continues to be obsessed with helmets. This one is Grandpa's motorcycle helmet. He insisted on wearing it despite the sweat rolling down his face.

We spent the first couple of weeks up at the cabin in McCall with extended family, and Sam loved all of the attention. Here he is teasing Uncle Ed.

California is proving to be a nice place to live. However there have been a few growing pains... dealing with all of the people and traffic, but mainly just missing our friends and family. We are thinking about all of you and looking forward to your visit.

Sending our love, Jenelle, Joe, and Sam