Imagine

Sam: Can you imagine that everything can mix together and make a whole world?!?!?

Sam: We need to get a triangle battery to make it louder.

Me: Where you get triangle batteries?

Sam: At the triangle battery store.

Me: Where is that?

Sam: In the Moneytown.

Photoshopping Sam

We took this picture by the creek in our neighborhood. I love this photo of Sam. I think I'm going to frame it and hang it on our wall. That's saying a lot considering I don't have a single picture of the kids framed in our house, but that's another topic for another day.

I've been saving some random photos of Sam with the intention of doing a little post about him and what he's been up to lately. I ended up going off on a tangent and learning a little about Photoshop while I was at it.

The first thing that you need to know is that I edit most photos that I post on the blog. It's usually cropping, straightening, and adjusting exposure, levels, and temperature ... a little noise reduction here and a little sharpening there. Those are all basic options in iPhoto. Every now and then I venture into Photoshop, but I don't know it well enough, so I usually get frustrated.

This weekend I learned a little something about Photoshop actions and brushes. Actions let you auto-apply a set of changes to have an effect on the photo. Brushes let you overlay or stamp the photos. There are lots of free actions and brushes available for download. Goggle is your friend.

You can mouse-over any of the photos on this post to see the original/cropped photo.

Sam loves his computer. I think he could sit in front of it all day if we let him. We are amazed at how well he navigates through his different (educational) gaming sites since he can't really read yet. I laugh every morning when I get out of bed and see Chris on his laptop and Sam on his. Two peas in a pod.

This is a photo we took of Sam getting ready for the neighborhood Easter party. He had just gotten his hair buzzed the week before.

This is Sam's best friend Hagen. They've been together since they were a few weeks old. I think they act more like brothers than friends sometimes. This was taken at the ice rink while Hagen's dad was playing hockey.

Sam is starting to want to hold Cleo's leash when we go for a walk. She's still a lot bigger than him, but she's very gentle.

And just a little dancing for a good laugh.

Ben at 6 Months

It's hard to believe that Ben is half a year old now! He's changing so fast.

We took Ben for his 6 month well visit this week. Here are the stats:

Weight: 15 lb 13 oz (21%)

Length: 26 in (36%)

Head Cir: 16.75 in (19%)

He got the Pentacel, Prevnar, and Rotavirus vaccines. He's on track or ahead of where he's expected to be so we didn't have much to discuss with his doctor, except how much hair he's gotten since his last visit.

As you can see here, Ben is starting to stand on his own for a little while. He isn't pulling up on his own, but if you put him next to something he can hold himself there.

This is a smile for Cleo.

Can you believe he is starting to hold his own bottle?!?!?

This is a video of Ben starting to babble. It also shows how he can move an object from hand to hand and put stuff in his mouth. Sounds pretty easy, but that's a big skill for babies to learn.

Expressions ...

Oh, did I mention he's getting his legs under him? He'll probably be crawling in a couple of weeks.

First Annual Presentation Day

Sam and Ben's school, The Montessori School at Star Creek, had their first annual presentation day last week. Sam is in the Primary program and Ben is in The Nest.

Sam is very interested in math right now. He is currently focusing on learning his teens.

The Montessori program facilitates the independent learning of skills, moving from the concrete to the abstract learning process. In this exercise, Sam first slides the 1 - 9 cards in over the 10s on the board. Then he uses the beads to reinforce the concept of 10 + a number.

Next he transfers his work to paper. He colors the pictures of the beads on his paper to match the beads on his mat. Then he writes or traces the corresponding numbers.

His finished paper, complete with his name (he wrote himself without tracing).

Since Sam started TMS, I've been amazed how the kids sit in a circle and do their own work while staying very well behaved.

The other half of the classroom is made up of tables. They have a good balance of circle time and table time.

When we first arrived for Presentation Day, the kids had a play on the stage in the gym. They had been practicing for several weeks and even made their own costumes.

After visiting Sam's room, we were off to the music room for a sing-a-long with Ben's class.

They showed us some of the songs and activities that they do with the babies during their weekly music class.

We didn't get any non-blurry pictures of Ben. He was moving the whole time. We had a blast though.

While we were at the school with a camera, I figured I'd snap a few pictures of the rest of the facility for the blog. Here is the library.

This is the backyard of the school. There is a creek with lots of trees that separates the school from our neighborhood. That's a spray-yard on the left. They'll be using that in summer school. There is a nice sidewalk path around the school. The babies get loaded up in a stroller for four and taken for walks around the school. There is lots of green space for picnics. They just had one last week for Earth Day and we'll have another in May for Field Day and the last day of school. There is a music circle on the front right with drums and other percussion instruments. If you enlarge the picture you may be able to see the garden beds and playground equipment beyond that. Of course every school has to have playground equipment, but the garden beds are really neat. They have gardening day once a week.

This is one of Sam's favorite rooms - the computer lab. They come here once a week during normal school hours, but Sam gets to go every day since he is in the after care program.

The kids especially love the SMART board. They have interactive lessons and the after care kids get to play games on it.

This is the art room.

This is the science room.

This is the big fish tank between the lobby and the science room. All the kids and babies love to watch the fish.

I can't say enough great things about this school. The kids love it. We love the teachers.

Peter (Sam) Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny

Yay!!! It didn't rain this Easter! For the first time since Sam was born we were able to hunt Easter eggs outside.

Sam went straight for the basket and then straight for the chocolate.

An Easter hug for Mimi.

Sam was a good big brother and showed Ben how it is done.

First Easter basket.

Anything good in here?

Baby's first Easter.

Sam got a Peter Rabbit book and chocolate Peter Rabbit. Ben got a Benjamin Bunny book.

Sam is a professional egg hunter now ...

and that Easter Bunny really hid them well too!

Of course you can't hunt eggs with out your special Diego Easter pail.

So happy ... so sweet!

Look a soccer ball one!

Pops sent the Easter mask and yummy rice crispy treat. Sam was in candy heaven.

The egg hunt - uncut and uncensored.

Nap Time

Me: Sam, do you take a nap at school?

Sam: Yes, but I sleep with my eyes open.

Spring Fling

Our HOA had a Spring Fling the weekend before Easter. Sam was very excited about hunting Easter eggs.

He did a great job and was going so fast that Chris could barely snap a picture of him.

He didn't stop going until his pail was full.

I'm thinking this picture might have been better without the yellow caution tape in the background. Oh well.

They had different Easter themed arts and crafts projects for the kids to do.

This one was one of those plastic "stained-glass window" ones. Sam picked the basket of carrots to paint.

Ben picked the bunny, but chewed on it instead.

Ben watched every move Sam made.

They also had a sugar cookie painting station set up. I thought that was a really fun idea. Like I might borrow that idea some time.

There was a lady dressed like a bunny-clown. She was doing all kinds of fun things with the kids. They all loved the parachute games.

Here is Sam running under the parachute.

So much fun!

Bouncing the ball.

Walking in a circle.

Here's Benny soaking it all in.

Mmmm ... candy!

They had a little pen with lots of different animals for petting. Here is Sam petting a turtle.

Of course, what is Easter without dyed baby chicks!?!?! I remember the one Easter Andrea got a pink baby chick and it lived in our house for while. I think it had a really out-of-the-box name like Pinky. Of course our cat's name was Inky, so it was sort of a rhyming color theme.

Benny-boo in the Bjorn.

Sam wanted to see the hedgehog, but he wouldn't pet it once they got him out.

Hilda the hedgehog.

Sam said the guinea pig was his favorite.

Duck

Chicken

They were so exhausted from all of the excitement that they nearly fell asleep when we tried to get a picture of the two of them together.