On Samuel...

Here's what folks say about Samuel these days..."he's so tall!"  Our little guy is growing and growing!  He eats absolutely everything and loves to help in the kitchen.  His most popular phrase is "on my own" and he usually says it in a very demanding voice...he doesn't want any help washing his hands, or carrying his plate over to the sink after meals, or getting into the car.  Chris says Samuel is the best negotiator in our family...if he doesn't get what he wants he just stares at you...with those big brown eyes and zero expression on his face...it WEARS.US.OUT...thankfully he spends most of his time joking around and making us laugh! 

For his third birthday in February our family celebrated him at a Mickey Mouse party - Samuel had SO MUCH FUN!  Just the other day, over four months after the party, he said "thank you for my Mickey Mouse party" during his prayers at night...he really enjoyed it and loves a good party!

 
We had our two-year follow-up visit for his adoption in March.  Our Social Worker asked "what is the biggest different this past 12-months from the first 12-months?"  Chris told her that Eli and Samuel's relationship has really grown.  Samuel bonded with Lucy first - she acts like his second mother - but it took longer for he and Eli to figure out how to play together.  Now, they are such big buddies!  Samuel barely has his eyes open in the morning before he says "Where's Eli?"

The above picture shows their normal before-school antics (when the weather is nice)...all the parents form a car line and the teachers come get the kids from the cars.  We are usually near the beginning of the line because we drop off Lucy first, then go to Eli and Samuel's school.  They love to stand up with the heads out of the sun roof...chatting with their friends and watching the construction-workers...very entertaining!

The picture above is priceless to me...a wonderful example of their sense of adventure...they couldn't build their "car" on the floor, oh no, it needed to be elevated to the dining room table.  It is a unique car - two steering wheels - and clearly very fast since they need eye-protection.  

Samuel's speech is continuing to improve and we are so proud of his hard work!  When he turned three he transitioned to receiving speech therapy through our school district.  Here are his therapist's comments on his last evaluation: "It has been a joy to work with Samuel!  He is such a hard worker and very observant of the therapist's mouth when learning his sounds." 

When Samuel isn't at school, speech, or watching one of Lucy and Eli's activities, he continues to love playing trains, being creative with Lucy and Eli, looking at books and doing puzzles.  He is such a joy!