Happy Birthday, Steve!

Today was Steve's birthday and Samantha was SO excited about that. As soon as I told her this morning, she said, "presents? ... cake? ... blow?" Of course, these are all of the things that she associates with birthdays (blow -- meaning to blow out candles).

When Steve came home from work, we had his presents wrapped and balloons set-up (Sam could barely keep her hands off them until then). We had dinner ready and angel food cake with strawberries for dessert - YUM! Sam was so eager to be his little helper after dinner when it was time to open cards and presents ... you would have thought that it was HER birthday all over again!

A Nice Surprise

Steve came home from work yesterday with a surprise for Samantha and me -- flowers! Every once in a while, Steve does this ... completely out of the blue ... and it brings a real smile to my face. Yesterday was no exception. He always seems to pick out a beautiful arrangement (no standard roses for me -- I like a bouquet with a lot of different colors). Samantha told him, "thank you" right away (so cute!) and we set to work making an arrangement in a vase. Then< samantha got to choose where we displayed them. Thanks again, Steve!

Then and Now ...

Steve brought the "baby" carseat up from the basement last night so that I could wash it and get it ready for him to install today in our car. Afterall, we will be bringing the new baby home in just over a week from now ...

Samantha has been absolutely infatuated with it -- fixing the belt and getting into and out of it only about 1000 times now. I laughed when I saw her sitting in it last night because I clearly remember how small she was when we first brought her home from the hospital over two years ago:

Then:



Now:

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,
Samantha

Setting Up the Pack 'N Play

For the first couple of months, the new baby will sleep in our room in the Pack 'n Play. This is the same little bed that Sam slept in and we have gotten so much use out of it (a very good investment). Last week, while I was at work, Steve and Sam surprised me by getting it all set-up and into place. It's a good thing too because we will be welcoming our new addition in less than two weeks!

Sam loves to set-up and "fix" anything

Helping Daddy (as usual)

Making some minor adjustments before putting her baby in the bed


The finished product (complete with her baby doll)

A Fun Day

Samantha helped to frost cookies with me ... just in time for Valentine's Day. We had a special cookie all ready for Steve that said, "I love Daddy," but unfortunately that was the one casualty that we had. Oh well, there were plenty of others for him to choose from.

Later on that same day, Steve blew up some balloons for Sam (its amazing how much fun she can have with something that is so cheap), and they had a blast creating static and making the balloons stick to her hair. How cute!

Giddy Up!

Who knew that this rocking horse was going to be such a hit in our house?

I believe that I posted about it after Christmas, but just in case, I will remind you: This horse was made by my grandpa for my little sister many years ago, and when she outgrew it, my dad stored it in the attic. He found it this Fall and asked if Sam would like it. Steve and I took it home and cleaned it up and then saved it for Christmas.

Well, Sam LOVES it and we often hear her in the other room saying, "WEEEEE!" as she is rocking back and forth on it. Notice that she even uses her special, most sacred blanket as a saddle blanket sometimes. Oh, and that is her doll's diaper bag hanging from one of the handles (another favorite in our house). I think that this horse will be a permanent feature in our home for quite a while ...

Snow Days

We got a lot of snow in our area last week, so Sam and I spent a great deal of time INSIDE where it was nice and warm. When Steve got home from work though, Sam would get all bundled up and he would take her outside to play. She loves the snow!

Admiring the snowfall from inside

Getting stuck in the deep snowbank

Going down the small hill in our backyard

Sliding down the mountain that Daddy constructed

Dolls Galore

My mom was in town yesterday and we decided to venture out (before the big snowstorm) to get Samantha a couple of new outfits for her baby doll. As I mentioned in the last post, Sam is taking a sincere interest in her doll and being the best mama that she can be to her. My mom felt bad that Sam only had one outfit for her baby, so off to the store we went ...

And we returned with a couple of new outfits, some doll diapers and a diaper bag filled with all of the essentials for her baby. Well, these new purchases have captured her total attention and she has played constantly with her baby. Before long yesterday, she had gotten out her shopping cart and told me that she was getting groceries with her baby. In the photo above, she was feeding her baby in the cart, while loading her groceries into the cart.