Santa Claus!

Last Saturday we went to the Air Guard Kids Christmas Party, where Santa Claus was making a pre-Christmas appearance. He was flown in on one of the jets, and we were told that was because he couldn't risk injury to his reindeer before the Big Night. Sami had fun and sat so good with all of the other kids, watching Santa as he handed out 'sneak peek' early Christmas gifts.

Watching the clown do a little pre-show (sorry, no pictures of the clown).

The jet carrying Santa has landed!

Santa getting off the jet.

Working his way through the crowd of kids out of the hanger and over to the club where he will hand out gifts.

Santa Claus getting ready to hand out an early gift to each of the guard kids.

She was uneasy about getting too close to Santa, so she grabbed her presents and ran!

Still wanting to keep a safe distance from the big scary man in the red suit that's handing out gifts to all of the children, even when she's safe in Grandma Pam's arms.

Diva

This is my favorite picture of Samantha! It was taken August 24th with my cell phone after I had put my sunglasses on Sami and she was totally diggin' it. It was only two days ago that I finally put a little effort into figuring out how to get pictures from my phone to my computer so that I can share it. Too bad you can't see the pigtails she had in her hair that day!

Road Trip

As we do every year, we took a road trip to Kansas for Thanksgiving this year. The way there went okay. As well as it could go with a toddler, I suppose. This was taken on the way back, which was a little bit more challenging. At this point, she was humoring us with a fake smile. Really, it could have been a lot worse - she did very well for a two-year-old restrained in one seat and one position for almost the entire day.
We had lots of fun in Kansas. Filled up on turkey, stuffing, potatoes and gravy, cranberries, sweet potato casserole and more. I always look forward to Thanksgiving - not so much for the traveling, but for the time we get to spend with my dad, Angela, Nick, Leah and the rest of our family. Hope everyone else had a great Thanksgiving as well.

More Birthday Pix

From her actual birthday...

Finally...Happy Birthday Sami!

Sweet & Sassy Samantha's birthday party was back on Saturday the 15th and I am finally posting pictures from her big day(s). She was less interested in gift opening because she had her cousins to play with!

Her actual birthday was on the 17th. HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA!!

Elmo and Ernie!

On Saturday we took Sami to Sesame Street Live (Elmo and Ernie are her favorites). She was feeling pretty cruddy, so was her mommy, but we decided to at least give the show a try so we could get some of our money's worth. Turned out that Sami loved the show and watched the whole thing. She wasn't super excited about it or squealing with delight like I thought she would be, but I know she was loving it because she was so attentive during the show (couldn't even get her to look at the camera for a picture).

Day.4

So today was day 4 at my new job. I love it! Also day 4 (or maybe 5) of a 'cough.' I wasn't about to let a silly little cough put me out of commission but, after coughing nonstop like an 80 year-old emphysema patient, I went to the doctor this afternoon to find out that I have bronchitis (and not much of a voice left). So this stinkin' cough did put me out of commission.

Will get some pictures of Sami up soon, hopefully by the end of this weekend.

Happy Halloween!

I'm sorry, but this is the best picture that I got of Sami with her costume on tonight - without the monkey hood up, so you can't get the full effect. She hadn't adjusted to "Mullett Daddy" at the time that we were taking these pictures, so we were lucky to have gotten this one before Mullett Daddy got too close.

Tattoos

I got home from walking Leroy last night to find out that Joe had decided to start tattoo sleeves for Samantha. The pictures were taken halfway through the process. It was just a few minutes later that Joe remembered the stash of Harley Davidson tattoos we have, so now Samantha has the HuHot, a rodent (not really sure what it is), and two or three Harley Davidson tattoos on her hands and arms. She is already begging for more tattoos, just like her daddy!

Coffee and Gas

As I was driving myself to work yesterday, after I dropped my daughter off at daycare, I decided to swing into the gas station to fill up (price of gas went down!!) and most importantly get a cup of coffee. I had just under ½ tank of gas, so I wasn’t running on fumes, which is usually the case when I pull into the gas station. The coffee was much needed as my husband has been getting up much earlier than normal (which means so have I), and also because I needed a little lift in my eyes (can’t wear eye makeup due to the stupid rash under/on my left eye that won’t go away…well I could wear makeup on my right eye, but that might look funny don’t you think?)

Here’s how my day was kicked off:

As usual, I put the hose in my tank first, then I stick my credit card in the pump (not actually in the pump, but in the designated spot for credit cards…I’m not THAT stupid, although I had some concerns this particular day). I select the grade of fuel that I want as I was directed by the computer screen. Nothing happens. I am tired, I want coffee, and I don’t have much time before I need to be at work. Not enough time to dink around with an uncooperative gas pump…I Need COFFEE!!! So I am slamming my hand on all of the possible buttons available, one of which was green (green means go, perhaps pushing this button would make the gas GO). It was a help button. I am not a big fan of ‘help;’ I prefer to learn my lessons the hard way, that way I remember them – usually. Sometimes. Okay, I’ve probably remembered two of my hard learned lessons. But that’s not the point here. I looked like a fool and the last thing that I wanted was to draw attention to myself. I, however, did not realize that the green button was a ‘help’ button until I heard a voice above me (and it wasn’t God. The way the morning was going, I think I would have been afraid to hear what He had to say). “What can I help you with?” the voice says. “I put my credit card in, the hose is in my gas tank, I am pushing the button but I am not getting gas!!!” The cashier decides to come out and get a closer look at the idiot who can’t pump her own gas. Ms. Cashier quickly and simply fixes the problem (put the hose back in the pump and wait for the lights to flash before removing it, duh!) and returns to assist the large crew of morning customers (this was prime pre-work stop-at-the-station time). I had a good-sized audience.

I set the nozzle at slow flow (heard that’s the most efficient way to pump your fuel) and follow the cashier inside while making fun of myself (it’s just what I do. I like to make fun of others as well, as long as they will make fun of me in return. However in this situation I was the only one deserving of fun making). She at least humored me with a fake laugh.

Got my coffee, going back to my car, the man at the pump next to mine is standing there staring at my car and then glances at me (matching me as owner of the mess) and then back at the car. It wasn’t until I was standing in a puddle of gas rubbing my hand on my car under the gas tank wondering why it was wet that I noticed that the fuel dripping out of my tank wasn’t from the kickback of the nozzle’s auto-stop. That was when I realized what had happened and I turned back around to ask the wonderful, kind, courteous, generous gentleman what the hell his problem is that he can’t STOP the pump when he is there watching it overflow; but he was driving off. I was tempted to chase him, but refrained. Back inside to tell the cashier she needs to get some sand (or the fire department) for my disaster (this would have been a more appropriate time to press that green ‘help’ button. I, of course, didn’t think of that. Instead, I went inside and stood in line. Dimwit.). Ms. Cashier asks me how much I spilled. I wasn’t there, but judging from the dollar signs rising up with the fumes off of the ground, I would guess about $20-$30 worth. Don’t ask this butterbrain to do the math.

At this point, I am late for work, covered in gasoline fumes, exhausted, dealing with day 3 of a headache and strongly considering taking up smoking. I got a car wash instead. And GUESS WHAT!?!?! They gave it to me for F R E E! Woopdeefreekindoo.

I resented that cup of coffee so much that I couldn’t take the first sip until it was cooled off. That first sip is what gets my adrenaline going. The anticipation of how hot it is going to be and if I am going to burn my tongue and if I am going to take too big of a sip and really burn my tongue, that gets my blood flowing. What’s the point in even drinking it if I had already taken half the fun out of it.

I have let stress get the best of me and have been a big butterbrain since I started my new job, and it seems like every day, my butter has melted a little more. I think that this was the grand finale. Actually, the grand finale was when I was sitting in the car wash watching the big roller come down towards my windshield, envisioning it not stopping at my windshield but just crashing right through, all while crying like a little pre-school girl who just lost the fight for the best toy in the bin.

***I must have cried it out, because after lunch today I came back to work and let everybody see the goofy, annoying twerp that I generally am.

Gymnastics!

Being a goofy girl, nosing up to a coach instead of doing what everyone else is.

On the trampoline.

Samantha started gymnastics today and she had a blast! I think her favorite event was the trampoline. She did a somersault, a cartwheel, the balance beam, the trampoline, crawled through the tunnel, danced and sang and more! When it was dance and sing time, she went crazy!! She's not so good at following directions yet, so she was doing her own dance...and pretty much marching to her own drum the entire time!

Flower Girl

the zoo (08.20.08)

Sami & I went to the local zoo yesterday. The zoo doesn't open until 10am and SJ starts her pre-nap downward spiral around 10:30-10:45am. The last picture below was the last picture taken at the zoo yesterday. She was in the petting zoo area with the goats when she was bumped by a passing goat. I think her feelings were hurt the most.

Posture Makes A Difference

Pictures speak louder than words.

At The Park (8.3.08)

Back to Blogging

Finally, I have a computer that I can use. My other computer is now in computer heaven.
Joe spent last week in Bemidji for work, and will be heading off to PA in the morning for another week of fun away from the family (for work). So last week Samantha and I decided...well, it was mostly my decision, but we decided to take a road trip to Bemidji to see Paul Bunyan, Babe the Blue Ox and have dinner & a swim with Joe. I also took Sami to the Science Center for 'Tots-n-Science' to learn about what we thought was going to be ducks but turned out to be birds in general. I wasn't the only kid that was disappointed, but after eating Sami's edible birds nest I felt better. Here are some pix from our adventure.

Our good friend Paul.

Samantha making a splash for her buddy Babe.

She's standing in goose poop.

Our good friends saying, not 'goodbye', but 'see you later' to us.

No Blogging

I have 2 computers. The laptop and the desktop. The laptop is old, but the desktop has been acting weird for the past few months and I have not been able to upload my photos on it, so I have been updating the blog with photos from my laptop. My laptop is now on what seems to be its deathbed. So, rather than updating the blog with more pictures, I have been trying to save all of my photos that are on the laptop before it is too late. It's not that easy though. Since it is crashing, it is shutting down every so often and it doesn't detect discs or anything, so I am trying to upload all of the photos to the internet which is taking forever. So in a nutshell, YOU MAY OR MAY NOT SEE PICTURES ON THE BLOG AGAIN SOON.

Vaseline

I was in the kitchen this morning when I heard it. Silence. Anyone with a toddler knows that silence can be deadly. So I rushed out to the living room to find Samantha smearing vaseline all over her face and arms. She found the diaper basket with all of the diapering essentials, including vaseline. She managed to get the lid off of the Vaseline and began moisturizing. I didn't get a picture because by the time I got the Vaseline away from her, my hands were too slippery & slimy to hold the camera. Needless to say, she has shiny cheeks.

Happy.Anniversary

Today marks three years that Joe and I have been married. Seems like it's been longer. Not a bad thing.

So, tonight Grandma Deb came over to babysit Samantha so that Joe and I could go out on a 'date' (dinner & movie). We decided to do the movie first (Hancock) and then dinner or appetizers or something. Unfortunately, I forgot about my body's intolerance for action films on the big screen and got motion sickness less than halfway into the movie. As I was working on convincing myself not to throw up, Joe's stomach began rumbling from eating a big greasy Qdoba burrito for lunch, and then popcorn, M&M's and Diet Dew for supper at the theatre.

Needless to say, no dining out tonight. We'll have to do that another night.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Long Time No Blog

It has been one full week of staying at home with Samantha. It is so nice to get to spend time with her and not worry about work. No rushing in the morning to get out the door to daycare and work. No getting home late after picking Sami up from daycare, rushing through dinner to have only an hour of time to spend playing with her before bed. No work stress. No eating junk food and drinking soda while sitting on my butt at a computer all day. ~No money.~ So Joe and I have decided that this is just my somewhat summer vacation. I am going to watch a friend's baby in July for a few weeks (super excited!!!) and then I plan on getting back to work-somewhere-by mid-August. My hat's off to all of the mom's out there who are able to stay at home with their children. I need to get back to work so that I can keep us (as my dad says) in the lifestyle to which we have become accustomed. ~Kate

A Day at the Park

The Stars

Many of you know that I put in my resignation at the law firm. I left the fate of my future (and Samantha's) up to the stars. I had applied for a job that was too good to be true, but was also thinking about primarily staying at home with Sami. So if I got the job, i would work; if I didn't get the job, I would be a SAHM. The stars think that I should give SAHMing a shot...i didn't get the job. I will probably find a part-time job for a few hours on nights and weekends, but I am still letting things fall into place. I never thought I would be the type to "stay at home," but I surprise myself sometimes. Can't wait to spend the days with my sassy baby girl!! We'll start potty training as soon as I start my new position as SAHM! So Excited! ~Kate

Reason to Celebrate

Samantha's 18-month doctor appointment was last week. She received (best way I can put it) 4 shots, and was told that she won't have to get any more shots until her 5-year checkup. That was reason enough for me to go out and get a celebratory cake. I had planned on taking a picture of the cake before we cut into it, but I made the mistake of handing it off to Joe when I walked through the door. Next thing I know, we're all sitting at the table eating Samantha's cake. So, here is a picture of the cake which read "No more shots for 4 years!" and also a picture of the slice that Joe cut for himself the other night, which was too funny to not take a picture of. No Sh.