Sam Visits New Hampshire
Sam ventured up to New Hampshire to spend x-mas week with his friend Nick and Nick's new sister Cate (Sam's parents got to spend time with Nick's parents Shari and Dave!). We all had a great time relaxing, reading A LOT (Nick is a voracious reader - and at the age of three probably already knows that word!), and taking daily walks around the pond. Sam also got to play with his first batch of Playdough - he loved it!

Sam wanted to do everything Nick did! After a quick breakfast, it was time to play!


Sam loved lighting the Chanukah candles. He would say "hot" as he held his hands towards (but not near!) the flames.


Sam loved taking walks in the backpack. It was so comfy that he always fell asleep half way through!

Getting Ready for a Snowy Winter!
We've already had a few big winter storms this year, and so far Sam is pretty ambivalent about the snow. He loves to look at it from inside and say "snow, snow, brrr"! But once we're outside, he's not so psyched to get into it. Maybe we shouldn't have introduced him to snow when it was up to his waist!


As long as there isn't cold wet white stuff impeding his ability to walk, Sam is pretty okay with winter wear... For some reason (perhaps Brazilian Portuguese influence?), the item below is pronounced "hat-ty!" To further clarify, a "hatty" is anything (clothing, cup, book) that goes on one's head.


But Sam isn't suffering from cabin fever yet - he likes sitting by the fire (and especially likes helping Daddy make fires - carrying wood and crumpling paper)... We've got the word for fire too, only Mom thinks it sounds something like "reby." She's been trying to use her linguistic background to investigate this one, but no clues so far.


Books have become a new favorite... as has ELMO (the red furry puppet formerly known as "Elmie")! Elmo books talk about all of Sam's favorite things: balls, babies, puppies, and food. Really, is there anything else worth talking about?

Thanksgiving 2003!
No Roth Gordon Thanksgiving would be complete without a crazy and hectic travel schedule. This year was no exception. Over Thanksgiving weekend we drove to New York, flew to Cleveland, flew back to New York and drove home to Providence (add one or two stomach flu's into that equation and you'll understand what we mean by crazy!) But Sam, as always, took it all in stride.

Lesson Number One: Don't forget to pack the baby!


Sam had a huge crush on his cousin Lulu. He followed her everywhere and tried to copy everything she did!


Two little monkeys jumping on the bed!


Sam also played with bigger cousin Annie, who took great care of him during the trip!



Bye-bye Cleveland! I'll visit again soon!

Chicago
Sam went with mom to Chicago in November for her annual Anthropology conference. A special treat for Sam was that Aunt Rachel flew in to babysit! They had a great time together, and we think you'll see why in this next picture!


Sam also got to see his old friend Pam!

Halloween
Continuing our theme of things that say "ROAR!" we transitioned from baby Sam the cute, cuddly, brown bear to Sam the toddling green and blue dinosaur! Ya gotta love a kid with a tail!


The festivities started with a Halloween Party at friend Bailey's house. The kids in costume were too much!


Jen shouldered a pretty heavy load at the party - almost 50 pounds combined!


Sam had a ball!


The fun continued when babysitter Judy brought along capes for Sam and Belle - they made a pretty scary pair!


Sam and Belle sneak a smooch under the pumpkin!


And one from Sarah!


Then the party found itself at Jen's class where grateful students received candy from Sarah, Belle and Sam!


Sadly, Belle found out that she wasn't allowed to eat the candy!


Sam's Brown U. babysitter Thuy couldn't resist checking out the sight!


Finally, back home, Sam admired Daddy's handiwork on the jack o' lantern.

Sam's October travels
Sam ventured to New York in October to meet the family of Aunt Jill's boyfriend Brian. He had fun at the party, playing catch with just about everybody. He also made fast friends with Brian's cousin Lana:



Sam also used his time in New York to reconnect with friends old and new. He enjoyed a Washington Square Park playdate with Leo (formerly of Providence), as well as an evening date with twins Isabelle and Fiona...

Sam's September Trip down South
September was a big travel month for Sam. In addition to the Cape (see below) he also headed down to Florida (with mom, dad and grandma) to visit his GG's (Great Grandparents). We had beautiful weather, so Sam got to hit the pool a number of times.

Sam's first Cape Ha Hoo
September meant the first annual trip to Mike's new pad on the Cape. We had a ton of fun that weekend, hanging out with friends and enjoying the last few days of summer weather.

Sam was joined by Sarah, the other "junior" member of the posse. (Fellow p.j.'s (posse juniors) Carolyn, Colin, and Thomas had to cancel due to a prior engagement.) But Sam and Sarah had no trouble "redecorating" the Cape house on their own.


Sam REALLY enjoyed his first lobster meal (though he wasn't as psyched about the clams).



The trip's climax was a bonfire on the beach. The sky was perfectly clear; a full moon, a roaring fire, the scent of s'mores, and the buzz of posse chatter all helped Sam drift off to sleep.


We can't wait until next year!