Fall Photos

A few weeks ago, we went to Boom Island in Minneapolis and had some lovely pictures taken by Debra Ackmann. Here is a sampling of my favorites: 

Sam's South Carolina Adventure!

Sam and I had the joy of a visit to Lexington, South Carolina to stay at my sister & her husband's home.  It was a rare treat to all be together! Sam loved seeing his grandma JoJo, Aunt Mindy, Uncle David, and his sweet cousins Luke (age 5) and Evie Joy (age 2 1/2). Some pictures from our adventure:

Sam and I ready for his second airplane adventure - this time without help!
Sam continues to prove himself to be an awesome traveler. 

Enjoying the outdoors. I think Sam gave Aunt Mindy baby fever . . . 

JoJo with Luke & Evie on the carousel at the Columbia Zoo.

Sweet sibling love.

Too much fun with JoJo!

A real giraffe . . . "Can I chew her face?"

Zoo train fun!

Sam's turn on the carousel!

Clap, clap, clap your hands, Clap your hands together!

Home again, home again, jiggity-jig!

7 Months

On the day Sam turned 7 months, it was just one of those rough ones. Teething, cold, extra spit up, exhaustion, etc. And when I realized I wanted to take his 7 month pics, I was going to clean him up and put on a cute outfit. And then I thought, no. This is real life. Mismatched socks and spit up is where we're at. And I'm too tired to wrestle him down for a clothes change right now. Let's capture it. :)

The month for Sam started off with a trip to the North Shore for the Superior Sawtooth 100 Trail Race.

Crewing for Pops in his big race.

The urge to crawl seemed to vanish with the 'happily sitting up and playing' phase. And we're ok with that for now. 

Still BFF.

The best toys are household objects!
This face is reserved for only the most serious of play.

We've been relishing this amazing fall weather before the 6 months of captivity begin.

Water break during a run with Dad while Mom does some substitute teaching.

Enjoying the fall leaves!

Visit to an apple orchard on a chilly fall day.

I think we were confused why people were shooting apples out of a canon. Still, I kinda like this picture.

 Honey crisp.

Sam liked the apples at the apple orchard so much that I give him apple slices at home now,  too!

Sam continues to be a joy and so, so much fun! In the past month he's weathered his first cold and his first tooth. There have been some tough days and nights. Chris and I have definitely felt wearied by lack of sleep. We are working on some new sleep training methods to try to help this little dear sleep at night and nap better. I feel like Sam is my little guinea pig; all this trial and error with the first baby - poor baby! We're making it, though. Day by day. Moment by moment. Leaning on grace. And I'm amazed how my heart continues to grow for this little guy.

What a day! Bedtime, . . .

Trip to the South!

One of the hard things about living in Minnesota is being away from family. (Winter might be another.)

Kennesaw, Georgia—where my family lives—is about 1,100 driving miles from our doorstep here in Minneapolis. Dothan, Alabama—where much of Ashley's family calls home—is even further at 1,250 miles away. Both are technically drivable, but that's a long way—too far for a long weekend. Flying shortens the miles, but finding those longer open windows in the schedule still makes frequent trips difficult.

A few weeks ago, we finally found that open window . . .

Meeting Grandmother!



Story time with Mema Lois!



Playing @Water World!



Other Snapshots . . .

Sam found a friend at the Georgia Aquarium.

Fun with Auntie LaLa!

Givin' Rosemary some cuddles.

With Aunt Celeste and Uncle Steve

With Aunt Glenda

Four generations!

With Ms. Patti and Mr. Tony

"Papa Bear", Sam, and Daddy! The blue polos were just a coincidence. Seriously.

"Hi, JoJo!"

Happy morning with Beth at the mountain house!

Meeting sweet Adelaide and Katie for the first time.

Y'all come back now, ya hear?

6 Months!

It's been a busy summer full of travel, camping, & races. On September 5, Sam turned 6 months old!!!

At his 6 month check up he weighed 16.7 lbs. and measured 25.5 inches - 20th % in height and weight. The pediatrician noted that he was very 'proportionate'. We are so thankful for this healthy little guy!

All milestones call for a cookie cake!

A friend told me the 6 - 9 month age was her favorite baby phase, and I can totally see why! Sam is just so much fun these days. Being able to sit up and play independently while not yet mobile makes for a happy boy and mama! He is napping very well these days, but still not sleeping through the night. Working on that one!

Experimenting with solids now. Lots of good faces!  It is so funny to try to watch him figure out what to do with food. He's just starting to get the hang of rice cereal. We've also tried a little banana, avocado, and sweet potato, too.

Preparing for a mobile baby any day now! 

Sam & Mona from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.
Sam and Mona decided to become friends.

MVI 1790 from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.
Just starting to get the hang of cereal.

Belly Laugh! from Chris Robbins on Vimeo.
Belly laugh!