Sam at Age 2!

Today is Sam's second birthday! Last night we celebrated with a friend and her four boys with pizza and cupcakes. Sam loved all the attention! Today I had a meeting, we did errands to prepare for the "great snow storm" that is coming tonight, Sam got his second haircut and we made a mini cake to celebrate. On Friday my mom, dad, and little sister, Lizzy, are coming to see us while Justin is away (training at Fort Benning) and give a hand with Sam's actually birthday party on Saturday. Clearly, we like to celebrate around here! He LOVES opening presents and is enjoying his art supplies from Nonna and PopPop, farm set from Grandma and Grandpa, and his canvas play tent from Mom and Dad. 

Here are a few fun facts about Sam right now:

- He is extremely verbal and loves to talk. His preschool teachers always have a funny story when I pick him up. 

- Currently, he loves to dub things "my favorite" - "my favorite bed", "my favorite boots", etc. (he only has one bed and one pair of boots).

- He is suddenly being a "big boy". He sleeps in a twin bed, doesn't usually take a nap, will not eat in a highchair, insists on full cutlery at every meal and we will attempt toilet training in late February.

- His favorite foods include avocado, smoothies, Annie's macaroni and cheese, cheese cubes, yogurt, TONS of fruit, cucumbers, green beans and of course, ice cream with Dad. 

- He greets everyone with, "Oh hi guys". Even strangers at Target or wherever we might be. 

- He continues to love books and must sleep with about 12 in bed with him (maybe he does have some Sutherland tendencies). 

- His top interests: animals of all kinds, pirates, climbing, trains, Daddy's Jeep and "all my toys" 

- He always says the sweetest night prayers and greets Jesus every time we walk into Church. 

- He definitely is so much like Justin - same body type, athleticism, determined temperament and according to Justin's mom, same toddler temper tantrum tendencies. :)

We love you, little Sam! 

September and October 2013 Photos

Fall is our favorite season at Fort Riley and we are enjoying every moment of it before the long, cold winter comes. Sam is keeping us entertained and growing way too fast! Here are some photos and highlights of the two months. 

Sam now insists on riding in the "car cart" at the commissary and grocery store. 

Sam started a one day a week preschool in September and loved the back back more than anything!
 He still enjoys filling it with this favorite toys on non school days.
And he likes eating cold black beans for a snack, hence the little bowl on the floor (I thought that deserved an explanation).

Try on the little fox back pack for the first time!

Ready to head off to his first morning of preschool!

In September, my little sister, Audrey, came to Kansas City for a college visit so Sam and I went to see her and show her around Kansas City. Sam loved all the attention from Aunt Audrey!

Sam has never been a big sleeper and the only time he will sleep is in the car or snuggled into his crib. One day after a long playdate with a friend, I found him like this in the living room. Still the one and only time he has done this!

Sam excited to take a ride in Daddy's Jeep - one of his favorite things to do with Justin. 

First snow of the season in October!!!

Sam loves dressing up! 

He actually fell asleep during a play date with a friend. I guess playing a dinosaur wore him out!

Shortly after we returned from the beach, my little brother, Patrick, came to visit us. He is beginning his college search and wanted to visit one in Omaha, Nebraska - not too far from us. Patrick is always a fun guest to have and Sam adores him! During the day Patrick hung out with Sam and I doing our usual routine but the evenings we tried to take him to all the fun places in Aggieville/Manhattan. These trips usually included a stop at the world's best gourmet donut shop, Varsity Donuts, where he joined Justin in his goal to eat his way through all the flavors before we leave Fort Riley. 

Trying to sit as close as possible to Uncle Patrick!

In Aggieville, getting some coffee grounds from our favorite local shop, Radina's. 

Sam has begun imitating many things we do, such as using a coaster for his drink. Very cute! 

The only show Sam ever watched was Curious George, just last week he suddenly decided he loves trains! This opened up Thomas the Tank Engine as a whole new world of excitement for him on Netflix. His interest in the shows usually lasts 5 minutes then he is back to playing, which is just fine since we would like to keep his TV time as low as possible,

Justin has been dying to take Sam to Waffle House to get one of these snazzy hats and begin instilling love for this southern staple. In Georgia I passed 23 Waffle Houses during my 25 minute commute to work (not exaggerating), but here in Kansas we had to drive almost two hours to find one. 

Who doesn't love WH waffles? They taste better when wearing the hat.

At our last Starbucks trip before dropping Patrick off for his flight.

Family Vacation 2013

In late July we traveled to the Outer Banks, North Carolina for our family vacation with Justin's immediate and extended family. The weather was perfect and beach was beautiful. Sam had a blast with his cousins. We all stayed in a big beach house with plenty of bedrooms and bathrooms, which made for a very comfortable stay. 

The Outer Banks does not have a local airport so we had to fly into Raleigh and drive the 4.5 hours to the Outer Banks. Unfortunately our flights were delayed (again!) so we arrived at 2:00am. Seems to be our luck lately when it comes to traveling. On the way home, we had a hotel room in Raleigh so we could easily make our 6:00am flight. Raleigh turned out to be a very nice city so we did a little exploring the night before. 

Here are a few pictures to document our trip and wonderful vacation! 

Beginning our journey in the Kansas City airport.

Checking out the planes . . . he is becoming quite a seasoned traveler. 

Michael, the oldest Ducote cousin, showing Sam how to use the iPad. 

Justin and Sam enjoying the pool at our beach house. Sam seemed to enjoy the pool more than the sandy beach.

Digging in the sand under Nonna's watchful eye and Uncle Brent enjoying the sun.

Enjoying dinner together at a waterfront seafood place.

Our little family! 

Sam's first boardwalk ride . . . not a fan. Poor little guy cried and the ride was stopped early for him.

Early morning cousin playtime (John, Michael and Sam).

At our hotel room in Raleigh on the way home. 

Our last flight on the long journey home!

June with the Ducotes

June was a busy month in the Ducote household! Mid-June we traveled to Michigan for my brother's wedding. Going in line with our recent travel luck, our trip from Kansas City to Detroit proved to be quite an adventure. Unfortunately due to cancelled and delayed flights we missed the rehearsal dinner and arrived at our hotel at 2:00am. Sam decided the hotel crib was not to his liking and required Justin to drive him around in the car until after 4:00am. We all slept soundly until 8:00am. Sam, despite the severe lack of sleep, did perform perfectly as the ring bearer. While in Michigan we received the exciting news that another Ducote cousin had joined the family! Justin's brother, Gary, and his wife, Amber, welcomed Annabelle Reece to make a family of four with big brother, Max (babies are only 13 months apart!). We can't wait to meet her!

During the month Sam also became well acquainted with the pool. I began making morning trips before it became too hot and crowded.

Here are a few photos of our month!

Sam loves wearing Justin's PT belt and will wear it until we force him to take it off!

Modeling his new shades - getting ready for the beach in July!

Making breakfast with Justin on a Saturday morning. 

Sam was a great ring bearer but did not last long during the Mass. Justin had to take him to the playground.

Outside Sainte Anne de Detroit, the church we were married at 2 1/2 years ago. Our favorite church in the world!

At my parents' house in Michigan. The little girl who looks like she just woke up (and she did) is my sister Lizzy.

Cuddling his new teddy bear which he named "Dog" (???)

At a Fort Riley pool on a sunny June morning. 

Sam and his sweet little friend, Genevieve, watching Baby Einstein. 

Sam's First "Bike"

One of the highlights of this 4th of July weekend was Sam getting his first little Radio Flyer "bike". The photos say it all!

Add caption

Celebrating Spring!

After what seems to have been an ENDLESS winter here in Kansas, we can finally say we have crossed over into warmer, sunnier spring weather. Sam loves being outside and we take daily park trips to get out this boundless energy. He is beginning to tackle the play structures in the toddler side of park and is proving to be quite resilient to bumps and bruises. 

Recently we took a little "getaway" to Kansas City where we ate at our favorite Italian restaurant, Jasper's, ate at Chick-fil-a and ate at Waffle House - notice a pattern? Yes, we have to drive 2 hours to get to a Chick-fil-a and Waffle House (in Atlanta I used to pass about 15 on my way to work every morning). In between all the eating we took Sam to a little street fair for children, visited the City Market and spent some fun time at the hotel pool. Sam is now comfortable dunking his head underwater and would be happy being in the water all day. Mom also got to do some of her favorite things - like take a long bubble bath, visit Pottery Barn and make a huge "stock-up" trip to Trader Joe's. 

Dad and Sam riding on the little train at the street fair to support Children's Hospital in the Power and Light District.

Sam loves hotels almost as much as Mom (but not hotels with colors or numbers in the name like 6, 8 or red). We stayed at the beautiful Sheraton KC that we found on Hotwire. Sam was clearly loving the ice bucket and the phone.

In front of our favorite City Market Italian import grocery.
Sam looks a little funny because the pollen was bothering his eyes.

City Market is one of the oldest continual running farmer's markets in the country - over 120 years! We discovered it last summer and love the local produce and agricultural bounty of MO/KS. The perimeter is amazing ethnic groceries, bakeries and cafes. 

Kansas City BBQ and the Market entrance.

Below are a few pictures of Sam taking in the lovely spring weather.

At the Manhattan Park splash pad. We stumbled on the opening of the splash pad so it was a spontaneous decision to let him play in it, hence the lack of water shoes and rash guard. Eeek! I am just glad no foot diseases came home with us. 

Justin is trying to pass on his love of Jeeps to Sam. He is too young for a ride, but had the treat of sitting in the seat!

Drawing with sidewalk chalk outside our favorite breakfast place, The Chef, in Manhattan. 

Next to Fort Riley's "Old Bill" statue, the resting place of the last Cavalry horse. The lush parade field next to the statue is one of our favorite places to play in the grass - our yard is torn up for utility work so we've had to look for new places with grass.

The big news - Junction City (closest city to Fort Riley) has a Starbucks!!! Sam now says "yum, yum" every time I drive into the parking lot. Since he doesn't eat/drink anything at Starbucks I am a little unsure why he thinks it is yummy. I guess he figures it must be something good if we go almost everyday!