New Blog Site!

Over the past two years we have really enjoyed sharing photos, videos, and other family updates via "Sam's Blog". It's been a great way to keep in touch with family and friends--especially those we don't get to see as often as we'd like. With the newest addition to our family, we decided a new blog site was in order, so we created www.nowaknews.com. We'll be adding regular updates with photos and videos of the whole family, much like we did with Sam's blog.

You can still view Sam's Blog (and there is a link to it on the new site) if you'd like to see photos and videos from Sam's first two years, but we won't be adding any new posts here. We hope you like the new site!

~The Nowaks

Sliding

The weather is quickly changing, so we spend any time we can outdoors. Sam really enjoyed going on the slide..over and over and over again! Each time he insisted that Mommy go down after him too:

Pumpkin Patch

Today we took Sam out to the pumpkin farm. We went on a hayride and chose our pumpkins for Halloween (Sam told us they were "heavy pumpkins"). Sam also got to play in the corn pit, which is like a large sandbox, but filled with dried corn--Sam thought this was pretty great!

New Chair

Sam has graduated from the high chair! So far he really likes his booster seat:

Ringtone Dancing

Dancing to these ringtones really never gets old...

Swim Sunday

Daddy took Sam to his swim lesson yesterday. Sam was checking himself out in the mirror at the locker room before his class. Looking good, Sam!

One Cool Kid

Swinging

Sam likes to swing in the big-boy swings. Thankfully this one is only about a foot off the ground!

Helping Mommy Rake

Sam was a big help with the yard work today. (Actually, he thought running through the piles was much more fun!)

Apple Farm

This afternoon we took Sam to the apple farm! He had a great time picking apples (both from the trees and up off the ground) and putting them in the bag. He was particularly good at telling us which ones were "yucky".

Playing at the Park

Enjoying the Fall weather while we can!

Elmo Sheets

Sam was very excited about his Elmo sheets from Grandma and Papock. He was even more excited to see that there are LOTS of Elmos on them!

Little White Lie...

Sam didn't exactly tell the truth...

Sam's First Swimming Lesson

We signed Sam up for swim lessons for the fall! They are on the weekend, so he'll get to spend some special time with Daddy every Sunday morning. Today was his first day, and he did great! He did not like getting his face wet, but the rest was a success:

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Walking home from the park with Daddy. Sam is completely smitten with Daddy--he'd rather walk hand-in-hand than ride in the stroller.

Swim Trunks

Sam really wanted his wet swim trunks off, and he didn't want any help from Mom or Dad...

Breakfast Friends

Sam likes a lot of company when he eats. It's starting to get a bit crowded on that tray!

Time for Bed!

Bed time is pretty exciting! Sam loves his new Elmo toy from Grandma and Papock..he also loves these new Elmo pajamas from Mom and Dad. He really wants to put them on all by himself:

A Man of Many Hats

Sam wanted to wear all of these hats while playing with his pig. I'm not even sure how he can see!

Toddler Bed!

Sam was starting to climb out of his crib, so we converted it to a toddler bed over the weekend. We weren't sure how he'd do, but so far so good. He loves it!

Lunch

Deep in thought while having some granola...

Popsicle

One of Sam's favorite after-dinner treats is a little popsicle:

Great Marketing

Sam has never seen Sesame Street. He doesn't own any Elmo toys or books, but he sure know who he is from his diapers!

Under where?

For some reason Sam thought it was pretty fun to put all of Mom's underwear on his head...until he realized it wasn't as easy to get it off:

Hi Mom!

Golden Lake

Yesterday we took Sam to the beach at Golden Lake. It really combines a few of Sam's favorite things--playing with water and scooping up rocks. He had fun with his bucket and shovel, pouring sand and water on Mom's feet and splashing around with Dad:

Ringtone Dancing

Sam loves this old cell phone. His favorite thing about it is listening to the ringtones and dancing to the music ones:

Filling the Pool

Sam likes to be the one to hold the hose while we fill up the pool. He doesn't always have a great aim (or he's not paying attention), so the grass gets quite a bit of water too:

Raven's Mouse

Any time Sam finds a cat toy he tries to give it back to them...even if they show no interest:

Lake Kabetogama!

This week Sam and I went up to Lake Kabetogama to spend a few days with Daddy, Grandpa and Papock on their fishing trip. Sam had a little cold, but he still had fun riding on the pontoon boat, feeding the chipmunks, and playing with Grandpa and Papock:
 

Uh-oh

Sam's fruit snacks are all gone!

Playing at the park

This summer we are really making the most of the nice weather. Sam loves to play at the park. It's no wonder, because there are so many fun things to do: going on the slides, laying in the "tubes", driving the train and car, playing on the cargo net, crossing the "bridge" (doing this solo took a lot of courage), shoveling rocks, picking flowers....

Eggs

We go to a farm up the road to buy our eggs, which are produced by these happy chickens. Sam gets to feed them every week:

Happy 4th!

It's very hot here this week, but Sam and Daddy went out for a walk after breakfast this morning:

Blocks

Playing blocks after dinner with Dad:

Quack Quack!

Sam and I were walking through Target today and I heard him saying, "quack quack quack". Sure enough, there was a bin filled with rubber ducks:

Happy Father's Day, from one cool kid!

(and one cool dad!!)

Fishing

Sam has a big fishing trip coming up with Daddy, Grandpa, and Papock. He's getting in some practice!

Picnic

H. B. Fuller had their annual family picnic yesterday, so Sam and I went out to meet Mike in the afternoon. Sam had a great time dancing to the music, watching the balloon artist, and playing with the other kids on the "bouncy" train. Actually, he was having so much fun in the bouncy train that we had to lure him out with a cookie so we could go home.

Our friend Phil snapped this photo of Sam while he was having some dinner:

Please?

Sam wants a piece of Mom's bagel, and he's learning to ask politely:

Cousins

Sam has spent lots of time playing with his cousin Maddie this week. She helped me go get him after his nap:

Helping Daddy

Sam likes helping Daddy push the cart...until he gets side tracked by some sandals:

Thirsty Animals

All of Sam's animals are very thirsty--the ones on the floor already had a drink before Mom could grab the camera. It's a good thing he shares his water:

Swimming

We had some hot weather this weekend, so it was time to get out the pool! He hopped right in when Mom blew it up, even before it was filled up with water. Sam really likes his new swimsuit with the sharks on it (he didn't even want to give it to the cashier to scan).

Shiner :(

Sam was playing with an empty cup yesterday--he fell and it got him right in the eye. It doesn't seem to bother him, but it left quite a bruise!

New Friend

Sam made a friend at the park today:

Happy Mother's Day!

Sam and Mom had a fun Mother's Day at the park:

Mustache

Sam knows just where Mr. Potato Head's mustache goes. (And no, mom didn't put it there!)

Truck Day

Today was Truck Day in Lino Lakes. It's an annual fund raiser for the Early Childhood Family Education program, where Sam goes to "school".  They had lots of fun trucks for the kids to see and play on. Sam got to see an army truck, a monster truck, a fire truck, a crane, a garbage truck (not stinky, thankfully), a moving truck, the UMN Gophers truck, and lots more--he even got to sit in a school bus (he is always pointing at them when they drive around our neighborhood). I think Sam's favorite part was the candy though!

Lamby is thirsty

Good thing Sam shares his water!

Bath Time!!

Every night before Sam's bath, we clean up Sam's toys and then Daddy sings the "Bath Time" song and Sam does a little dance because he's so excited. Sam loves the song and is clearly very excited about his bath!



In case you were wondering, the lyrics are: "Bath time! Bath time! It's time for a bath, if you've got time!" And, yes, Mom was laughing so hard taking this video she could barely hold the camera still.

Big News!

Sam helped Mom and Dad share some BIG news. He's going to be a big brother!! (In these videos Sam's wearing a shirt that says "Big Brother" on the front.)





 We had our first ultrasound last week and the baby looks very healthy:

Baby Goats

Last weekend we took Sam to see the baby farm animals at the Minnesota Zoo. This part of the zoo is only open during the Spring, just after the farm babies are born. He got to see calfs, piglets, ducklings, bunnies, chicks, and his favorite--goats! Sam thought feeding the baby goats was fun:

Foam

Before we bought the foam tiles for Sam's play area, we got some free samples from one of the manufacturers. Sam thinks the little foam blocks make great toys:

Glasses

Sam knows where these go! They also go on Mom, Dad, his horse Josh, and the cats (if he could catch them). Oh, and sometimes on Mr. Potato Head.

Need any Tupperware, Mom?

Sam loves to play in this drawer...though he usually doesn't literally get in the drawer!

The Nowak Men

Sam with Daddy, Grandpa, and Great Grandpa: