Family in July

Wow! It's been a whole month since we posted anything. I finally had to take a few days off of work and the first thing on my list was to finish this post!

My Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Sharon came to visit in early July. It was fun getting everyone together. I'm glad we have a house that is big enough to have lots of family over!



Here's a picture from the last time we got together, 5 years ago! That's Melanie in the first picture and Andrea in this one.



We had a lot of fun cooking together. Here's Sam watching Aunt Sharon make a pineapple upside down cake.



Sam and Lulu playing in the kitchen.



Making salmon for dinner.



Momma's birthday was in June, but we waited until she came to visit to celebrate.



I got a birthday present too, and of course Sam got a few. It seems like his birthday has been two months long.



Here is Sam pointing out on the computer which Thomas the Train pieces he wants next.



Our little coffee drinker. Yes, Sam loves "toffee." He honestly slams it when we give it to him, and asks for more, more, more. Of course it's mostly milk and sugar, but he loves it.



The bounce house is still inside and is still a big hit. Sam loves to jump with the Mardi Gras beads.



Deflating the bounce house with Great Grandma.



Sitting around the breakfast table talking while Aunt Sharon styles Melanie's hair.



A nice photo of Great Grandma.



Playing at the neighborhood park.



Another photo at the park.



Sam playing keep away with Aunt Sharon.



Sam loved playing with Aunt Sharon. She also got him to eat a lot by playing "I'm gonna eat that." Sam's favorite was the square dance that she made up.



Good-bye hug for Aunt Sharon



Good-bye hug for Great Grandma



My dad came to visit the next week. Sam loves having family around.



We all love it!



We also love to cook (and eat)!



This was a new recipe that we tried for ribeye roast. You coat the whole thing with butter, salt, pepper, garlic, etc. Then cook it at 5 minutes per pound at 500 degrees. Then you cut the oven off and don't open the door for an hour and a half. It was easy as could be and tasted wonderful. The left overs were great too.



This was another easy but wonderful meal of pesto salmon, potatoes, and salad. We've been cooking at home a lot more lately. I probably only ate out three times in the last month. We've been looking for quick, easy, healthy things to eat.



Good-bye hug for Pops. You can tell Sam's hair was getting pretty long here. We got it cut a few days later. Sam was dressed for Splash Day at day care.



Melanie had her wisdom teeth removed the day that Pops left. I took this picture about six hours after the surgery. The swelling got a lot worse, but I didn't think she was in the mood for more pictures then.



Sam likes to line up his chairs like a train.



This is one of Sam's favorite places to be. He stands on his stool at the end of the kitchen island while we're cooking, cleaning, and just standing around.



We actually have better luck getting Sam to eat standing up than sitting at the table. We try to get him to sit down with us at the table, but he usually only lasts about five minutes. We eat our dinner then chase him around the house and put bites in his mouth when we get the opportunity.



Sitting in DeeDah's chair eating a pancake.



Washing the truck with DeeDah.



Hanging the whiteboard with DeeDah, and playing with magnets.



Painting with water.

A conversation with Sam at the dinner table. He was eating ravioli. He has this cute habit now when he talks ... "I break it, cracker." "I build it, [train] track." "I kick it, ball." "I drink it, milk." " I make it, poo poo."

Yes, we are attempting to potty train Sam. We are really just trying to get him comfortable with the concept. He's used his potty a few times at home and a few times at day care. He thinks it's fun, but he's easily distracted.

No pictures on this one, but Sam's two year molars are coming in. It hasn't been nearly as bad as his previous teeth coming in, but he has woken up several nights because of the pain. He goes right back to sleep after getting a little medicine.