Sam – Our Little Corner of the World

So Far So Good

Posted on April 1, 2009June 2, 2010 by missystowell 3 Comments

crazyguy So I’ve been the mother of a teenager for several hours now and so far we’re doing okay. It hardly seems possible that 13 years have passed since we brought this guy home – and I remember thinking at the time that I couldn’t believe they let us out of the hospital with a baby (as if we knew what we were doing) – but now we can hardly remember life before Sam was a part of it.

So here’s a big Happy Birthday to our Sam with 10 things we love about our favorite teenager.

10. Sam is willing to try new things, especially when that means spending time with Dad.

9. Sam is very smart and always does well in school.

8. Sam loves his family and can be very kind to his siblings. Yes, I said “can be”. We all have our bad days…

with-the-girls

7. Sam has an interesting perspective about many things.

perspective

6. Sam loves to have fun and is as silly as they come! Never a dull moment when Sam is around! Do you think maybe that has something to do with being born on April Fool’s Day?

5. Sam has always loved to play games. He loves to win, but is a good sport when he doesn’t. I can always count on Sam for a game of Phase 10, Five Crowns, Blokus, Rummikub, Rack-o…

gameplayer

4. Sam is a movie star! He was an extra in the Joseph Smith movie that came out a couple of years ago. (It’s shown in the Legacy Theater in Salt Lake and in Visitor’s Centers.) It was a great experience, but he hated the wig!

nauvoomovie

3. Sam is becoming quite the accomplished violinist. He’s been playing for about 6.5 years. He’s not crazy about solo numbers, but loves to play with the University orchestra and is always willing to share his talent at nursing homes to the delight of the residents there. I love it when he and Sterling play duets, accompanied by Savannah.

violinist

2. Sam has a tender/spiritual side. He is honest to a fault (unless he’s sneaking extra time on the wii) and always tries to do what is right. (This is one of my all-time favorite pictures. I love the butterfly net over his shoulder…)

jesus

1. Sam is just an all-around-great-kid! He is loved and respected by many. The conductor of the orchestra commented the other day that to see Sam’s smile each week makes the blood, sweat, and tears seem non-existent. His teachers have often told me how much they enjoy Sam in their classes. Sam is one handsome guy and we’re so glad he’s ours. We love you Sam and hope you had a great 13th birthday!

handsomeguy

Only a Flesh Wound

Posted on January 25, 2009 by missystowell 3 Comments

Friday afternoon, Sam burst in the house after school in tears. He ran through the house to find me and then held up his hand to show a missing finger. At first glance it looked real and he got every bit of the reaction he was hoping for. See what I have to put up with around here? Never a dull moment.

It All Started with 2 Hot Dogs

Posted on November 15, 2008November 16, 2008 by missystowell 2 Comments

When your 2 year old takes 2 hot dogs at dinner, holds one to his chin and pretends the other is a bow, you say, “Oh, that’s so cute. He’s pretending to play the violin.” When he does the same thing with 2 pencils, you say, “Hmmm, I wonder where he learned that.” When he does it with 2 screwdrivers, you say, “I think this kid was meant to play the violin.”

Four years later, at the beginning of first grade, Sam started lessons. While he’s a typical kid and hates to practice as much as anyone, I really think he was meant to play the violin. He just gets it. [As a side note, Sterling started taking lessons about 18 months ago just before he started Kindergarten. I decided I’d take lessons right along with him. A friend picked me up a full-sized violin at a garage sale and Sterling and I practiced together everyday. Sterling, like Sam, just seems to get it. He gets such a beautiful sound from his instrument and has made amazing progress in the short time he’s been taking. Me? I quit after 6 months. It’s HARD!!! It made me feel guilty for all the times I was so hard on Sam. I had no idea how hard it is to play! I screeched and sounded awful from the start. I was not born to play the violin.]

Back to Sam — He’s now been playing for 6 years and recently played in 2 concerts with the University Orchestra. There is a program here where “the exceptional Middle School and High School students” are invited to practice and perform with the University Orchestra. It’s an amazing program and one we really appreciate, especially since there is no orchestra in the public schools in this area. Sam has loved orchestra, has learned a lot, and has played some very hard songs -including the 1812 Overture- since he started playing with them at the beginning of the Fall ’07 school year. Because it’s on the same night as church activities, he only participates one semester a year, but it’s an amazing opportunity.

The last concert he participated in was Fright Night where the orchestra is all dressed up in Halloween costumes and they play songs like the Theme from Harry Potter (Hedwig’s Theme) and Raider’s of the Lost Ark (those were in last year’s program) and Night on Bald Mountain and the Planets (this year). Sam was the young King Tut this year. Sam has had the opportunity to work with some very talented and devoted people through these experiences.