Sam turns 1!!!

...three months ago!
I know, I'm tardy to the party for this one. Sam's Birthday was way back in December and it's now March. But I couldn't let the whole things pass by without showing you how amazing it was. Because it was amazing. (And I can say that now because all I have are pictures and no recollection of the stress and exhaustion of putting on a much-too-extravagant-for-a-1-year-old party.)
The good times started a couple weeks before when party guests recieved this invite in the mail:

I designed this fun invite to excitedly announce the upcoming birthday of our little man, and establish our MONSTER theme from the start! (Don't worry, these weren't mean or scary or gross monsters, just friendly fun monsters at our party!)
We ended up using a room at our church for the party. While I would have loved to have the party in our own home... our tiny house limits us to about 4 guests. Also... it was december, and we already had Christmas decor up, and I didn't want his party to compete with Christmas in anyway... So we used a big empty room at the church to fill with friends and celebration. It worked perfectly.
I did my best to keep things simple (HA!) and revised the menu about 14 times... but in the end I decided easy snack foods (fruits, veggies, and crackers) were the way to go.

I made small 'tents' to label the foods, get more monsters at the party, and added fun facts about Sam on them. For instance this one says: Even monsters eat their vegetables! ...And carrots are Sam's favorite veggie!

We also had limeade, water, and fun straws! (kids like drinking from straws...)

And a hot chocolate bar... with a fun surprise! The hot chocolate was monster chocolate... it was ORANGE! And guests had marshmallows, chocolate chips, sprinkles, crushed peppermint, whipped cream, chocolate and caramel syrups, and cookies to top their drinks with. It was a big hit.
Oh, also check out the cute monster cups with google eyes on them! My sweet MIL sat there all morning gluing google eyes onto things for the party. Thanks Linda, you are awesome!

And what party is complete without a cake? This awesome Monster Cake was made by our good friend Donna (of DonnaCakes) And I loved it so much! It was absolutely adorable and perfect and delicious! Thanks so much Donna!

I debated about games/activities for a 1 year old's party. I mean, obviously the guest of honor won't be able to participate in much... but I didn't want everyone bored either. And since we had 13 guests under the age of 7, I knew SOMETHING was necessary.

This was the popular Slime monster table, set up with a slime monster for every kiddo!

 I made these guys using this tutorial... and all the kiddos (and adults!) had so much fun playing with them. After the party, each kid got to take their Slime monster (housed in a re-purposed baby food jar) home with them. Party activity and favor in one. Inexpensive, and SO MUCH FUN.

Even the birthday boy got a little Slime time in!

 I also had a table with coloring sheets (that I got HERE) but I think more adults colored than kiddos!

And with all that fun stuff going on... the favorite activity for the under 4 ft crowd?

BALLOONS. I purchased a couple packages of balloons to blow up and toss about the room for colorful decor... I had no idea how much the kids would love balloons. They chased them, kicked them, threw them, hit them, stomped them, and had such a grand time. Sam loved them too... pretty sure that was the first time he ever saw a balloon. He was a big fan.

SO in conclusion: have Balloons at your next kids party. You're welcome.

I also made paper party hats for each kiddo at the party, which also served as table decor until they all snatched them up to wear them. Also on the tables were the 'favors'. I found mini bottles of hand sanitizer in green, blue, and orange (perfect!) that had a germ-monster thing on the front them (more perfect!). Each one got a note tied on thanking his guests for coming and celebrating with us! So each kiddo took home a slime monster, a hand sanitizer, and a handmade paper party hat for favors. (several of them also snagged a balloon or two on their way out the door!) Not extravagant, but useful, reminiscent of the party... and not candy. (You're welcome, parents!)

So there was hat wearing (even by the little littles)

There was singing and cake eating...

There were lots of pictures taken...

 Lots of playing with friends and family...

There were even a few gifts... (though we requested no gifts... our friends are obviously lousy at following directions. ha!)

...And maybe trying to sneak extra sweets out of the cooler.
But all the necessary fun stuff for a successful 1st birthday party. Sam had a great time playing with the kiddos and eating cake and carrots like it was his job.
If you want to see more ideas and inspiration for a monster party you can check out my One Monstrous Party Pinterest Board. (Do you follow me on pinterest? You should. I pin cool stuff. Just a side note.)

 Happy Birthday to our sweet baby boy! Every new day with you is an adventure and a joy. I love you, big 1 year old Sam!

Sam I am

Well... I am only a couple weeks behind here, and October has long past us, and I am sure your Halloween spoils long since devoured. (Don't pretend like you don't gank your kid's candy) I couldn't let us pass over it entirely without sharing pictures of Sam's first Halloween... I know i'm late, but back up your brain just a smidge and soak in the cuteness that is about to hit you like BAM.

After much debate we landed on the perfect, clever, comfy, warm, and simple to sew costume for the boy. A little Dr. Seuss action... Sam I Am!
I used a pair for Sam's pj's as a pattern and whipped up some pants and a tunic out of fleece. Usually I am anti-fleece, but it's super cheap, stretchy and easy to sew with, which makes it perfect for costumes and fun. Plus it was super warm, which was important as it was super cold out during our festivities!

Sam was a huge fan of his sign, and the felt green eggs and ham. He also rubbed his legs and laughed hysterically the first time I put the fleece pants on him. The thing he didn't love... was his hat.

But with a little sweet talking, fast camera work, and a carrot bribe, we were able to get a few pics of him with it on... before he burst into angry tears or ripped it off and threw it.
Poor kid.
He did like being the center of attention though (he usually does) (Because he usually is). Mama even threw together a quick coodinating outfit, that was a hit with the kiddos! So many kiddos came by our house and shouted excitedly, You're the Cat in the Hat! or It's Dr. Seuss! Which made me laugh. My parents joined in on the fun and donned Thing 1 and Thing 2 visors with awesome blue hair. Good sports.

It was the perfect first Halloween costume for our little Sam I Am. I was happy that everything turned out well. I even got it done early-- and in time to submit pictures and be featured in an online costume parade on one of my favorite blogs! Fun!
Our little Sam was cute as can be. Can you even believe that little boy sitting on my lap is the same one in this picture at just 2 weeks old???

Tiny sweetie Sam I Am baby. How did you get so big???

That was Halloween around here! Better late than never.
I'm already onto all kinds of projects for other holidays and festivities... including a holiday market I am to be a part of next week. Whoo am I sewing my fingers off these days! What have you been up to while I've been away? :)

Dear Grandmas, don't be mad.

I know you said-- don't you dare!
But I think a lot of grandmas must say that, which is why a lot of little kids end up with the baby mullet.

But you know how I feel about mullets. And the long hair that Sam could tuck behind his ears was getting silly. Too silly to keep around for a grandma's sake.

So this little gentleman got his first official haircut this weekend. Just to clean up the edges and reduce mullet happenings... and to keep him looking sharp and clean cut.

Isn't he dashing?

Dedication

This is a few months old, but I finally got it edited and uploaded. This is Samuel's Dedication on Mother's day.
It's a two part video, (and sorta long-ish) the first is his dedication at church, the second is the family blessings. I don't know if this video is significant to anyone else, but it's very special to me.
The second part makes me laugh because it's so... us. Donnie cracking jokes about husbands, dogs running in and out, teary grandmas, the oven beeping incessantly in the background, and Sam sleeping through the whole thing. And through all this chaos that is our quirky family, we were trying to create a special moment...
Watching it all again, I think it's all the chaos and the quirks that made it special... it was us unedited, I love that.

Sam's weekly photo project

When I was pregnant I took a picture each week of my growing belly. (By the end I kinda regretted documenting how uncomfortably huge I was... but... you know.) After Sam was born I continued the process. No, not pictures of my belly... but weekly pictures of Sam.
I got my inspiration from here, they took weekly photos of their daughter in a white onesie, then photo-shopped in the number. It's amazing how much our little man has changed in just the short 12 weeks since he was born.

So I got little else done the first few weeks of Sam's life... but I got a picture every Friday to document our growing little man.

(I love the little legs that are at the same time chubby and scrawny!)

Someone asked me how I am going to find that many back drops... I think I can do it, I have a small stock pile of fabric to draw from. (And I delight in buying fun new 'boy' fabric too!)

Also, I have been learning more about using my camera and using photoshop to edit photos. Not that I am a pro at either, but I kinda think my skills are slowly improving.

Z asked, "Are you going to do this every Friday for the rest of this kid's life?"
YES!
Okay, no. But I want to make it to 52.

(weeks that is... not years. 52 weeks. 1 year.)

We even have seasonally or holiday appropriate shoots... (which doubled as our christmas cards, and valentines, so that was helpful!)

I've actually been really enjoying our weekly photo shoots. And I think that Sam is enjoying them as well...

Except for when he doesn't...

(oh, tell me you can resist that little pouty face?!?)

Sam has so many expressions and so much personality! This is a fun way to document his changes. Check back here every so often for more of the weekly photo project!

Tell me, please...

How am I supposed to get any work done???

Two Months

Hey Little Man! You are two months old! Mom and Dad are delighted by you daily. Especially now that you are responding to us, we think you are more fun than ever. Here's a little about what you've been up to this month:

Samuel at Two Months

Weight:

at birth: 9lbs 2.7 oz

two months: 11 lbs 3 oz

Length:

at birth: 19.5 in

two months: 23 in

Eating

 You still nurse a bajillion times a day, but mama has never been able to keep up with your voracious appetite so we supplement with formula. You eat every 2-3 hours and after nursing will down 3-4 oz of formula. You scarf it down-- you love to eat! In fact, other than mom and dad there are only two other things that you consistently recognize and respond to; a boob and a bottle. You hate wating for your food though. You go from happy baby to hangry baby (hangry= hungry+angry and stuff gets DRAMATIC fast) in about .2 seconds and refuse to be satiated by anything but food.
Really, though, it kinda makes mama's heart happy that you are such a good eater!

Sleeping

9:00 p.m.  ~  Midnight  ~  4:00 a.m.  ~  7:00 a.m.  ~  9:00 a.m.
That's when you wake at night. Pretty consistently for about 2.5 weeks now. You wake up, eat for about 30 mins, and then mama wraps you up and lays you down in your crib, and you go back to sleep like a champ. It is actually a pretty tolerable schedule for night time. 
During the day? It's anyone's game. Sometimes, you sleep for hours and mama has to try to wake you so you can eat (and avoid one of those hangry situations discussed above). Sometimes you are wide awake all day--we're talking 5-7 hours at a time-- and those are not happy days for mama or baby. Most days it's kinda in between those two extremes, but we just never know what kind of day it will be.

Likes

Sitting in your chair in the kitchen while mama cooks or cleans. You will sit quietly following mama around the room with your eyes. Sometimes we play music and Daddy says you 'dance'-- or at least shake your little fists in excitement. You also like crackling and staring at your firefly.


Freddy the firefly. A toy you got from Great Aunt RaeNell is totally your fav. We will set him on your lap and you will literally sit quietly staring at his black and white wings for hours. When you are tired of staring you grab at the wings and to your delight they crackle for you, and theres another hour of good clean fun. Seriously, Freddy, we love you.


Your play gym, particularly the carrots that you bat at, and they jingle in return. And... you coo and squeal and squawk your excitement.


Rocket ship with Daddy. Mommy counts down, and you and daddy 'blast off' and sometimes fly around the room. Also Daddy's beard makes you smile and giggle. Sooo... Daddy is still the favorite. Sigh.

Dislikes

Having you nose cleaned. Not a fan. the minute anything touches your nose you start shaking your head and screaming-- even though mama tries to convince you it will be better in the end.

Hats. We used to put cute little hats and caps on you all the time-- no more! You are hsving none of this hat junk. We can't even sneak one on while you sleep. You scream until the hat is removed, and you have impressive stamina in the screaming department.

Being alone. You are a social boy. Awake or asleep, you want to be where the people are.

Firsts
Roadtrip to St. Louis and then Iowa. You met so many people! You slept almost the entire trip in the car. You were a champ-- thank you for making that an easy trip!

Smile. Daddy got it. More specifically, Daddy's hairy chest got it one morning when daddy was asleep. Really, Sam? The hairy chest when mama had been playing with you and talking to you and begging for a smile for weeks? No fair. But now you smile for mama all the time, and there is just nothing in this world better. I forgive you.

Cloth Diapers! You are finally big enough for your fancy diapers... and I kinda think you like 'em. We only do it at home right now, not brave enough to deal with poo away from home at this point, but we'll get there. Daddy asks if you are ready for fluffy goodness when he puts one on,  and it makes me laugh. You are a happy boy when you are clean and dry, and you look charming in all your pretty colors. Mama is pleased.

Things we love

Waking you in the morning. You are happy and sweet and you kick your legs and smile up at us through droopy eyes. It's awesome.

When you see your fist. You will all of a sudden hold it in front of your face and go cross-eyed studying it. You are fascinated by your fists and are trying to figure out how to work them.

Seeing you interact with your grandparents. They are crazy about you, and you love them a lot too. Grandpa P can talk you out of crying. Grandma P snuggles you and rocks you to sleep. Grandpa S loves to 'bounce' you. Grandma S feeds you, rocks you, and sings to you. You love all of them.


And here's some footage of you at two months old.
You are so cute, it's almost painful to watch-- as in I dare you not to smile watching this, but your cheeks will be sore from smiling. Painful. You've been warned.

Sam @ 2 months from Valerie Pogemiller on Vimeo.

We love you so much little man!

Happy Valentine's Day, Baby!

We decided to make a few valentines to send to our family this year. We had a photo shoot the other day, then I just did a little editing in photo shop and added some text.

I had them printed at walmart one hour photo.... because I don't plan ahead. I am not a fan of walmart photo, quality is not stellar, and they always crop things a little weird regardless of what their website 'previews'... but whatever. It worked in a pinch.

 There were so many cute shots I couldn't pick just one! Sam has many expressions and facets to his personality these days... so each of his loved ones got a unique valentine, which is kinda fun.

We are not big into celebrating valentine's day in our family. It kinda seems like an unnecessary 'holiday'. However... I cannot resist an excuse to take and distribute photos of the little man. Sooo... Happy Valentine's Day to all! Hope your day is filled with happiness and loved ones, and that you aren't rendered useless from the cuteness overload of this post...