Summer!

Wow - it has been way too long since I have updated our blog. Summer is in full swing and Sam is having a ball. He is definitely moving from our little baby to a little boy. He loves being outside and is amazing us with new words every day. I will try to update the side bar with some of his new words for each week. Below are some pictures of the highlights so far.

Sam at the parade at Cutlerville Days after the Diemer 5k run that Kath ran. He did quite well for his first time getting candy that was thrown our way.

For Kath's birthday we went to Battle Creek for the weekend to check out Binder Park Zoo. When we woke up at the hotel, it was pouring rain with thunder and lightning. We decided to at least drive to the Zoo and as we entered the park it stopped raining and we had a great time.

Giraffes in Michigan!.... who knew?

Sam taking in all the amazing animals at the Wild Africa area at Binder Park Zoo.

Sammer's first slam dunk on his new basketball hoop.

Sam absolutely loved playing in the water and in the beach sand in Grand Haven.
Kissin' lips for Mama!
Loungin' in his beach chair.
Who can resist this face?

15 1/2 miles...

Kath ran the 25k River Bank run on May 12th in 2:24:26. She was part of a reality team of 10 runners called the Road Warriors. She really thinks she was a rock star because of how she was treated throughout the training season. And of course Sammers was very proud of his mom and put in a lot of miles in the jogging stroller with Mom during training.

Here are some of the Road Warriors with Greg Meyer at the 30th anniversary celebration.

Egypt

Kath and I are back from an incredible trip to Egypt. Our team of 8 enjoyed a couple of days touring Cairo and then spent a week with amazing kids at a camp. Here are some pictures of our days being tourist.

We enjoyed our layover in Amsterdam at the Keukenhof gardens.
Over looking Cairo from a park.

Tickling the Sphinx

Trading head coverings with Abdulla during a camel ride.

Kath riding on her camel named Moses.

Our whole group.

Pounding Sammer's

Little Mozart...

Playing in the snow!

Mom and Sam are King of the mountain... or snow bank...

"Come on Dad, let's go faster..."

Sam loves to go across the street and visit Molly. When Sam eats at the table he always looks outside to see if Molly is out, and when she is he gets excited and tries to make dog sounds.

Mom and Dad both pulled Sam around the yard several times. He had to pause and look at the butterfly chimes on Abby's tree.

Sam loved watching Dad snow blow the deck. He is very intrigued with anything that moves and makes a lot of noise.

Goof Off!

I had to post this picture. I laugh every time I see it! What a goof off!

Happy 1st Birthday Sammers!

Cute even when he's mad!!

Sam's first ride in his sled, "go, go, go!"

Alright! New trucks to play with! What a great birthday!
Sam loves to make truck noises as he drives them around. He was excited to open his presents with Luke's help and then had fun pushing him saying "toot toot!"

And did he dive into the cake...?

Oh, yeah, he liked the cake!

Sam's birthday bib and shirt are from our friend Ingrid - check out her website:
www.whim-z.com

We celebrate Sam everyday, what a precious gift he is! Thanks for loving him with us.

Sam's latest entertainment

Sam having a blast running into Dad!

Christmas in Florida

Congratulations to the bride and groom!
Duane's niece Julie was married to EJ on Dec 23, in Orlando, FL.

Sam and Kath getting ready to hit the dance floor at the reception.
Our boogie baby just kept going and going.

Kath captured the big blue eyes during the reception.
He is finally starting to wind down at this point.

Sam is excited about all the presents (this is at the Vander Meulen Christmas weekend), but does he realize what a precious GIFT he is?!!

Grandma, Grandpa and Sam really getting into the holiday spirit on Christmas morning in Florida.

It was so cool to watch Sam take in the sights and sounds at the beach. We stayed all afternoon and he could not get enough... He fell sound asleep on the drive back.

Remembering Abby on Christmas Eve at Cocoa Beach.

It doesn't get much better than this. Sunday afternoon at Cocoa Beach was an incredible experience for Kath, Sam and me. We missed church but I would argue that God was speaking to us loud and clear at the beach. God continues to redeem tears in ways that we cannot even begin to explain. What a gift Baby Jesus is to us!

Dancing Sammers

Sam Dancing to U2

First Word

Sam doing his best "Wasssssuuuupp" impression.

Kath and Sam enjoying the first snow of the season together.

Three cousins hanging out Thanksgiving weekend. From left... Samuel, Luke and Nathan.

Sam's first word? You guessed it... Clock. He definitely knows what the clock is. Kath often hears Sam waking up saying "clock" after he hears the clock chime. He loves to tell stories in his baby talk. There are many "clocks" sprinkled into his stories.

Go Blue!

Sam and Dad are ready and excited to watch the Big Ohio State - Michigan football game on Saturday.














This was definitely not a sit down and relax game to watch. Sam had to stand up and cheer his team on.

No more rain!

Sam is so excited that the rain stopped long enough to enjoy the leaves outside.

Sam getting to know his first pumpkin. He is really getting into the fall festivities!

Sam thanking God for this beautiful fall day.

Fall Fun!

Playing peek-a-boo with Mom.

Sam enjoys an apple from one of Grandma and Grandpa's apple trees.

After Mom spent a lot of time teaching Sam how to do "touchdown", he did it for the first time on my birthday. Now that is a great birthday present!

More Southern Family

Sam got to hang out with his Aunt Marlene and Cousin Julie while they were up for Julie and EJ's wedding shower. We look forward to seeing you all again in December for the wedding.

Southern Family

Sam got to hang out with his Aunt Darlene from Florida last Saturday. Hanging out in person is definitely better than a blog update. See you again this December.

All Boy!

Sam was very excited to watch Grandpa VM on his tractor. He was moving his arms and legs and making tractor noises. Hmmmm no one taught him how to do that. He is definitely all boy!

Remembering Abby

Happy 2nd Birthday Abby! Sam spent some time at big sister Abby's memorial and then helped Mommy bake a birthday cake. So many emotions swirled together for Kath and I as we celebrated 10 years of marriage yesterday and honored Abby's birthday today.

Thanks for celebrating and remembering Abby in your own way; thanks for the cards, phone calls and flowers. We are so blessed.

Happy birthday Baby Abby,
we love you!