Happy Birthday Sampson

I can hardly believe it myself, but Sampson James turned a year old today. Just one year ago, at 11:08am, they pulled him out and he won our hearts. We threw a big party for him on Sunday with lots of friends, family, and Korean food. The family photographer, DZ, took tons of pics and they will be ready soon. Let's just say the party involved a beautiful hanbok, a shopping cart, an apple cake, and Jimmy's face. Oh yeah, it was THAT good.
To celebrate the real day and time, Jimmy took the day off and we headed to the beach! We were married on this beach, and we visit every New Years Day to run into the freezing ocean (There's also a poop story here... ask if you really want to know). On Monday, the ocean was a heck of a lot warmer than the last time I was in it!
So we woke up early to drive down, and Sampson took a a nice nap in the car. When he woke up, he was ready for fun (see mischievous grin above!). We got to the beach around 10 and set up camp with a blanket, two chairs, and an umbrella. We lathered up with sunscreen, plunked Sampson down in the sand and he took up his first fistful.



He liked the sand and fortunately did not attempt to take mouthfuls. He was very interested in the whole situation and found lots of things to explore. For instance, the beach chair made a fantastic jungle-gym. It was low enough to the ground that he could climb all over it and we didn't worry about him falling. He also liked to check out the umbrella to make sure it was good and sturdy (pat pat pat).

Then we took him down to the water for his very first oceanic experience. He took swimming lessons with Jimmy over the summer and spent lots of time in Nana Jo and Papa's pool so we know he likes the water. But Sampson LOVED the ocean! He thought the waves coming in were very exciting and the cold water on his feet make him smile and dance. Jimmy held on really tight to his little hands so as not to lose him to the undertow. He kept asking, "Does he like it? Is he smiling?" And he was...



Jimmy had a great time playing hooky with us! He and Sampson played in the sand for quite some time. They told jokes,


built structures,


and tore them down.


Then we dug the obligatory large hole in the sand. Being the climber he is, Sampson kept climbing down into it! At least he know enough to go feet first. We decided it would be bad parenting to bury him in the sand just yet.

So we buried Jimmy instead! Sampson thought this was fascinating and hilarious.


We spent some time just playing in the shade. He had a molar coming in so he often gnaws on his finger. We think it makes me him look contemplative. I decided to join him.

My dashing husband is half Scottish so obviously sported his kilt (towel) at the beach.

At one year Sampson is standing on his own like it's no big deal. He's taking steps by himself and finds it thrilling to traipse across the room from one person to another. He says "Dad" and shakes his head no when he doesn't want something (like to go to bed). He waves hello and goodbye, claps his hands, and likes peek around corners. His most favorite trick is showing us his tongue, ears, and hair. We're working on learning where our belly is. He loves yogurt, spaghetti, and egg, and he does the sign for milk. He loves pushing buttons, putting clothes in the dryer, and closing the door to the dishwasher. Recently, he becoming more communicative and is pointing to things he wants to see or touch... like the camera.


Finally, our tired little boy fell asleep in no time on the way home. Doesn't he just look like a boy who had an adventurous summer day?
We are overjoyed to have Sampson in our life. He is exactly the little boy we'd hoped for! The last year has been the hardest and most rewarding year of my life. I wouldn't change a thing. Happy birthday little one. We love you.

Dance!

Sampson and I went to Utah! Utah?! Yes, Utah! I attended a conference for Dance and the Child International (daCi) when I performed with a group of dancers from three states, and helped run some of the classes. I cannot speak highly enough of this program and if you are at all interested in dance, please check it out! I met some fantastic dancers from Utah and Texas and we all came together for a piece called "Human Kind" about outer and inner landscapes. I know, it sounds like we all sat around a campfire and sang Kum Ba Ya... alright so we did that once! We worked for months before in our respective states and then had only three intense rehearsals before our performance. We had custom make costumes which looked so beautiful on stage. Of course, we had doubts about squeezing ourselves into unitards (who invented those anyway?!), but when we all stood together and the colors spanned the entire spectrum, we had to admit they looked great. Here are some of the photos I took to make biographies for a display:


Aaron


Shantal


Jeneca


Trevor


Kelli and Trevor


Nana Jo and Aunt Laura came out too so Sampson would have buddies while Oma was at the conference. They did a fantastic job navigating around Provo, UT and kept Sampson occupied at parks, museums, and the swimming pool. BYU campus is so beautiful and everyone out there was so genuinely kind. And I got a really adorable tote bag for just $4.

James, James, James, and Sampson James

Yes, it's true, Sampson could have been James Vennard V! We kept James as his middle name to keep the family name. Isn't it funny how we take to our own name? I can't imagine him as anything other than a Sampson (aka Spam, Sam-a-lot, Sampsonian, Sampsonite, Sam-a-lama-ding-dong).
Our summer is winding down and we are done with our summer adventures. We have the next two weeks to relax and attempt to get on some sort of schedule. Unfortunately, somewhere in our galivanting, we lost our camera battery charger so I can't load our photos onto the computer! Remember when we used to use FILM?! Anyway, these photos are from a few months ago when we were visiting Smyrna. Sampson loves animals and thinks dogs are hilarious. He's a bit nervous when we first arrive and Kimba and Kelsey (their two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers) bark wildly, but he warms up to them as they pad around and let him rub their fur. Mom V captured this beautiful photo of Sampson studying Kelsey in the window and a couple of family shots.




Sampson is almost a year old! Stay tuned for his stats and milestones!

Gallivanting

We Vees have had quite a summer gallivanting all over the country! I do apologize, dear readers, for not sharing it sooner. I will do my best not to miss anything as I recount our tale.
To kick off our summer, we attended two beautiful wedding. Congrats to Dann and Danielle (the newest Vee!) and Brett and Rick. They have earned their own posts since we have many pictures from each.
We then had two lovely guests who arrived on bad-ass bikes. Scott and Brendan were knee-deep into their Great Road Trip across the country with no plans to return. They had a great time crawling around with Sampson and showing him their fancy equipment. Scott put together a legendary playlist which we are still listening to. They showed him their bikes and took him out for spin around the parking lot... just joking! Sampson did not go for a ride, but he did like all the buttons. AND while they were here, we had a hail storm! It came down for several minutes, about the size of lima beans. Don't worry, the bikes were OK!



We spent our week-long vacation in upstate New York at the Powers Resort. It was hot and sunny during the day and cool at night... the perfect sleeping weather I remember. Sampson loves Nana Jo and Papa's house now that he is mobile because there is so much to explore! He likes to crawl up all 14 stairs (with supervision, of course), clear the magazines and coasters from the coffee table, and press buttons and turn the dials on the stereo. He spent most of his days crawling around in a diaper in true summer-baby fashion. Look at these biceps...


Nana Jo has quite a collection of pool accessories for little Sampson. Having taken almost two months of swimming lessons, Sampson is obviously a seasoned pro. You should see his butterfly stroke. When not practicing his free style, he likes to float around in this little floaty.


The big pool was rather chilly as a result of the cool nights so Sampson spent most of his time (with Jimmy) in his small pool. He and Nana Jo went out every morning to blow up this little pool and fill it with water. They left it out in the sun all morning so it was nice and warm for their afternoon plunge.



I have a few other posts in the works. One for each wedding, Sampson went to Camp MuJiGae this summer, SLDS Summer Dance Intensive, Good Shepherd Creative Movement Camp, and of course tons of pictures of our almost-one-year-old baby boy. Next week, Sampson and I are going to Utah for a dance education conference. So if Jimmy sends out an evite for a huge party, you'll know why!

Coming Soon....

Adventures of Ariel

Last weekend was "The Adventures of Ariel" show for my studio! Both students and teachers worked very hard during tech week and the show was a wild success! Sampson was a real trooper as he was strapped to my back for the first two hours of rehearsal and then went home with Dad or stayed with Auntie Colleen (thanks Auntie Colleen!). He was ready to swing in if any of the cast members were injured. I ran around back stage, fixing hair and getting my students ready to perform. Here I am with my clipboard of organization and my favorite pen.


They made me a delightful teeshirt, with a beautiful collaged Ariel icon (Melissa does art) and a personalized title on the back. I heard that the girls were up until all hours of the night working on these and their work certainly paid off. Not only am I impressed that they spelled "Captain" correctly, I found it very touching that they gave me something to remember the show by. Thanks girls! Love it!

I am so very proud of my students! It was so rewarding to see my little ones doing their routine in their pretty costumes. They really enjoyed themselves up there! Thanks to my assistants, Miss Jessica and Miss Lindsey who went up there and danced with them. Here is my Kinder A class who danced to "The Octopus's Garden" (original Beatles version of course).


Jessica and Sherrie played Flotsam and Jetsam and I made their costumes to complete their looks as Fosse eels. Way to go with the awkward walks and hip circles girls!


We had a fantastic cast of parent dancers during "Under the Sea." They were sharks, complete with sharp teeth and maracas. At the end, they busted out the Old Bay and Tabasco sauce and attacked Sebastian! (He escaped, completely unscathed.)


Mr. Jon was a marvelous Prince Eric (all the ladies agreed!) and the this is Friday night's cast of characters with Sarah as Ariel, Ellen as Ursula, Melissa as Mother Ocean (King Triton's wife... which makes her Ariel's mother...), and Nicole as Flounder. This photo is fondly referred to as the "Albert Einstein and Amelia Erhart" picture because of the costumes. The burlap sack is for when Ariel first turns into a human, before she goes shopping.
All of the students have grown so much since I first met them. I can't wait to get started on next year!

Molly's Birthday

Our good friends the Kellers came over for dinner so Don and I could celebrate our birthdays which are a day apart... in December. So we're a little late, but we've been saying we'd get together for, oh, about six months now. We finally got it together and had a wonderful meal. This week also happened to be Molly's first birthday so we visited their house this morning for a little party. Happy birthday Molly!

Molly had a couple of her closest friends over to help her celebrate. Sampson enjoyed meeting some new friends and playing with another baby close to his age. These are our new friends Riley and Mady.



There was lots to do at Sampson's first birthday party. We played with play-dough with cookie cutters and textured rollers. He really liked the squishiness of the dough in his fingers and toes.



It was also delicious! (Don't worry, it was home-made and eatable!)


The older kids enjoyed a kiddie pool, complete with a slide. The little ones stood at a little water table and played together. Besides the bathtub, this was Sampson's first experience with a body of water. He seemed to like it, even though it was chilly! Molly taught him a skill she apparently picked up from her big brother, Joshua... how to make big splashes by slapping the water. He also really liked playing with the little sailboats (probably because he knows how much Papa likes them), but he did not figure out that they would float in the water. Buoyancy will be another lesson...



He play so long in that little pool that his fingers got pruny for the first time. This is, in fact, one of his Oma's biggest pet peeves, but Sampson did not seem to mind.


Instead of a cake, we had beautiful butterfly cupcakes with sparkly sprinkles. Joshua was there to help her blow out her first birthday candles. Sampson looked very interested in the bright little cakes, but settled for a piece of his first cookie. She opened her presents and played with her new musical instruments and push-cart. I think the little birthday princess had a great day.


It won't be long before our Sampson turns a year old! In Korean culture, the first birthday is a huge celebration with lots of food and a beautiful outfit. His birthday is on a Monday this year, so we're planning to have a big picnic the Sunday before at Lums Pond. Keep your calendars open!