Just us Girls

Rarely do Samantha and I get to "get away" for a few hours without the boys.

I always have to be paying waay more attention to Andrew often, because he's so fast and sooo busy/mischevious.. he'll wind up in the ER if left alone too long..ha just kidding, sortof...

 

 

Im pretty big on one on one time with my kids.

So this weekend Samantha and I had 2 events that we spent just us girls.

 

Saturday we went out to the country to visit our cousins.

They have a beautiful log cabin in the woods, and I loved every single thing about it.

They had invited us out to see their baby chicks who had arrived 2 weeks ago.

 

The chicks were adorable.. but I think Andrew would have done some permanent damage had he tagged along.

 

A big ole orange cat.. 

The house is amazing.. and I only took one sadly of the inside.

I could live here..

We hung around with the chicks and then headed outside to see the coop and the bigger chickens and rooster. We peeked inside the coop, and saw todays eggs.. so cool.

I really hope to have our own eggs someday.. and so does Daddy.. We are realizing that we truly do want to live somewhere with a little land.

Our adventure out to the country was so much fun.

Samantha had such a good time, and took a looong nap

 

Sunday, Samantha was invited to Lily's Birthday party.

The theme was Rapunzel, and Maria did a wonderful job.

Look at these cupcakes.. and the TOWER? I die.. right up my alley..

 



Sun and Crown cookies & snacks, and white chocolate covered pretzels with sugar sprinkles.

So yum.. I think SJ ate about 10 of the pretzels.

The party was at a really fun interactive play place.. full of toy stations, dress up clothes, chalkboard and dry erase walls, lego areas, trains, 

We had lunch and then it was time for a craft

right up her alley.. she loves painting.

The birthday girl

I had so much fun with my little "big" girl this weekend.

I look at her face, and I can still get flashbacks of when she was just 10 months old. She still has that same little baby face to me.. Getting bigger by the day, and I love this girl more than words!

Samantha Jane {You're Almost Three!}

Samantha Jane

You're almost 3

Gosh where does the time go..

I'd like to say I remember when you were just 4 months old like Andrew, but I really dont!.. It seems like yesterday, but yet I cant remember you being that teeny tiny.

Here are some things you are in to these days..

The first thing that comes to mind is:

The Wizard of Oz.

You are obsessed with this movie...and you are obsessed with your Ruby Slipper Shoes.. You love playing "Dorothy", singing "Somewhere over the Rainbow", and making "yellow brick roads" in the driveway.

Im making your 3rd birthday party theme The Wizard of Oz.. it seems only right!

You love Marching Bands/Parades

This has been an obsession since last year when you watched a few local parades.. Now you love watching parade videos on YouTube, or marching around the house with various instruments

Carnivals

You love rides, ferris wheels.. I think we took you to a few last year, and we're just waiting for them to come back, because this year you are SO ready , and you really get it now.

Last year was your first time on every ride, playing every game.. Its going to be fun this summer seeing you in action now that you're an expeirenced little girl.

Princesses/aka "Little Girls"

You recently have shown interest in the Disney Princesses.. Belle, Sleeping Beauty, Ariel, Cinderella, Snow White. We have Cinderella on DVD, and I played it one day, and you werent really into it.. I think you enjoy reading books, playing your IXL Princess video game, drinking out of princess sippy cups, and doing princess puzzles.. Im sure its only a matter of time before we find ourselves collecting all the DVD's and buying costumes so you can not only dress as Dorothy but now all the "little girls" as you call them.

The ipad


You are a master.. you can turn it on, navigate to the apps, play games, ... you are amazing with it.. sometimes i have to take it away though.. you get a tiny bit frustrated when you cant figure something out. I dont let you play with it a TON, but when you do play I try to download some pre-school apps, counting and matching games, but you do enjoy Angry Birds ... haha

Random Things:

Airplanes - sometimes we take you to the runway to watch the planes take off/land

Parks - we try to go all the time

The Fresh Beat Band - although it is sometimes on my last nerve, you love this show.. and especially since they came out with a "Wizard of Song" episode entirely comparing to the Wizard of Oz...we sometimes watch it daily.

Papa - you love your Papa.. Of course you love Baka too but seeing a little girl with her grandpa is something so cute to me.. when we visited you were so cute with him. You only wanted Papa to swing you on the swings, you wanted to sit next to him for every meal, and you wanted to know where he was at ALL times while visiting.. so adorable. You love your Papa.

Going Pee Pee - You stay dry, you hold it, you go when you need to.. we're working on #2..but for right now you can pee pee on the potty.

Overall you are so sweet. You are ALWAYS trying to please us, and do your best, but your still a toddler, and being bad sometimes comes with the territory. Your MEMORY is amazing. You'll recall facts about trips we've taken, people's houses.. You always find Daddy and Momma's cars on the roads or in parking lots and say.. hey thats your car! You even point out my old car, anytime we see a Black Rav4.. and you say "thats momma's old car, now we have a new white car".. The cutest things come out of your mouth, well usually.. sometimes we have to be careful what we say ..even if we're an entire room or floor away.. you hear EVERYTHING!

I am so so proud of you and I cant wait to do so many fun things with you this summer.
I cannot beleive you will be going to school in the fall.. i am soo not ready for that.. There are days I get really sad and weepy ...its the emotional momma in me, and I think .. Gosh I cant even remember when you were Andrew's age.. seems like a lifetime ago...
You are growing and changing every day, getting taller, smarter, and I just want time to freeze!
With all the growing I suppose will come new things that you and I can do as Momma and Daughter.. and I cant wait .. but i can.. does that make sense?
We love you so much!
Love,
Mama

Easter Egg Hunt {April 1, 2012}

Our village puts on an egg hunt every year.

Last year Samantha was too little, but this year she was ready to go.

The weather however was really crummy.

Sleet...

Yes sleet and rain.. gross.

But we made the best of it, bundled up, and got our baskets ready...

She was so excited.

She could hardly wait to cross the lines...
Her quick smile.

And then she was off. She was so funny, she really didnt care about getting as many egg,s as she could, but she was slowly making her way around the park... asking if she could go in the sleet and rain covered swings and slides..

She got the hang of it eventually... after she realized we werent there to play on the wet swingset

This guy however was the highlight of the Egg Hunt for SJ.

She could have stayed there all day talking to him.

She took a pic, and wanted to keep giving him hugs.. etc..

We had to literally bribe her to leave the park..

It was a cute little egg hunt.

And she got to cash in her eggs for a bag of candy on the way out!

Samantha Jane Lately....

I wanted to take out some time to update about our little peanut.. Who wont be an only child for very much longer!

At about 28 months..

You are so many things.. but one that comes to mind lately is Hysterical.

You wanted o pose in front of the tree with your Monsta for this pic below...

You are a thinker thats for sure... You love putting things together figuring them out, taking them apart. Last week we went to Barnes and Noble with Samantha, and she sat here and said to us.. "Im doing blocks now".. in other words.. dont bother me.. haha..

She loves to play independently which I am so thankful for.

There are times when she'll ask to play in her room,and I'll walk her up the stairs, and she'll be in there for a while having a tea party, reading books, tending to her babies...

She is still a really good eater.. I'd say she LOVES her vegetables more than her fruit these days though.. Her favorite fruits are Pears, Bananas, Apples, Blue and Raspberries...

We do a lot of smoothies/shakes and I sneak in Berries

She's a very independent eater..I mean right down to the utensils...wants to pick out her own bowl, spoon, etc..

{breakfast pizza last Sunday 12.11.11}

Singing: We recently bought a piano. My hubby can play very very well, and we alreading started teaching Samantha. He will play a song, and she'll pick out the melody..
Her favorite songs right now are "You Are My Sunshine," "Twinkle Twinkle," "Jingle Bells," to name a few...

Vocabulary and Speech:
Is through the roof! Its unbeleiveable how much she talks, remembers to say and articulates!
Our nanny did a "psych" test on her.. since she's in grad school..and she said SJ is in the 99th percentile for speech and language.. Which was no surprise to us... Not only can she speak extremely well, but she has also mastered the art of stalling, manipulating and bargaining.. uh oh... yeah.. some days are harder than others thats for sure. But in the end Im thankful that she's a strong willed child for sure.

Cooking:
Sometimes I cannot get through preparing a meal without my sidekick sous chef next to me.. She wants to "cook" at almost every meal.. so I try to distract her and sometimes it works, and other times Im getting out her little stool, spoons, cheap spices, noodles, oats and bowls..

At 2.5 years old Samantha is at such a fun age. I am dying to see how she reacts to her new brother. Of course there will be adaquate time for adjustments, but I know she loves babies already and I cant wait to see her be my little helper.

{SJ after her last session of swim class this past Monday}
We go to the Dr's next Month for SJ's 2.5 year checkup .. so maybe I'll post some stats from that. All in all she is so much fun to be around, she makes my/our days so enjoyable

Samantha Jane is 2 - July 5th 2011

Samantha Jane is 2!

Like I mentioned in the previous post, she spent her "actual" birthday driving back from Ohio in a car.. poor thing! ha! Now we're back, laundry is done, almost all put away, and we're getting ready for her family party this weekend which Im so excited about!

We had of course our dr's appt last week, she got 1 shot and 1 finger prick.

This pic was taken OBVIOUSLY way before the shots!

She cried for a little bit, but nothing too dramatic.

She grew 2 inches - and is now 34" (56 percentile)

She gained only 1lb? .. and is now 26lbs (couldnt read the dr's scribble for percentile)

Overall got a good healthy report!

Here are a few stats as a big 2 year old.

Still in size 4 diapers

We've attempted to do the potty training, but she has NO interest. The Dr said it has to be "her idea" and that we shouldnt rush it or force it if she truly is not intereste yet.

Naps: 1xday around 2.5- 3hours. We always wake her up though so I think she could very well sleep longer.. We just want to make sure she's good and tired before bedtime!

She talks NON STOP.. sentences and clear thoughts that have Daddy and I in tears laughing.

Her memory is amazing, and Momma can hardly remember when she'll mention something we did last week, or even last MONTH!

Appetite: Still very good... Loves her Broccoli, Peas and Corn the best out of veggies

Loves Pears, Raspberries, Blackberries, Apples the best out of fruits

Loves meats and cheeses too, and loves Momma's Smoothies and Shakes!

She counts to 12 now

Knows all ABC's, Colors, Shapes, Numbers, Animals, Food

Loves reading books, loving her babies, and putting them to sleep, and feeding them,

Still obsessed with vacuums and lawnmowers.

She still loves her blankey.. which we call "blabey" and "debbie"

Loves music, and dancing...

Last week we had oldies playing in the garage, and she walked away and we found her in the garage dancing by herself to Michael Jackson, I WISH I would have had a video of it.

After her Dr's appt last week, we went on a Momma/Daughter date to Dairy Queen.

I got one cone thinking, she'll never eat the whole thing.. and she DID!!

We are so happy and feel very blessed that our little girl has been so healthy for the first 2 years of her life. I can honestly say she's been sick ONE time, and for that I consider us very very blessed.

Happy Birthday Samantha Jane
We love you more and more each day!

So now we party, and I have 2 menus.. Food and Sweets.. and Im sure you all know Im way more excited about the sweets!

Dear Samantha Jane

Dear Samantha Jane,

I wanted to tell you...

That you are so sweet.
That every day I thank God you are my little sweet pea.
And even though, you are rounding the "terrible 2's"
I love you more and more every day

Sure you've been drawing with crayons all over:
the couch
your puzzles
your books
daddy's leg
our hardwood floors

and throwing tantrums, and deliberately testing to see if Momma or Daddy will really put you in time out....

These little moments I sometimes have to leave the room and laugh

Because at the same time you're being bad.. you're so damn cute!

It is so hard to beleive that you're almost 2... the time sure has flown by,

and Momma has quickly forgotten the:

sore boobies

dirty pacifiers

sleepless nights

blow out diapers

spit up

But ... it never seems as bad now, as it was in "the moment"

and I would do it all over again with you 10 more times!

You are hardly a difficult toddler,

But when you do something mischevious...we have to let you know.

You are such a sweet loving girl

You give kisses and hugs to us all day long

You say please and thank you

You ask before you do most things

You listen so well.

You are my little peanut and i love you!

momma

When Daddy's Away...

...Samantha and Mommy will play!

We had a good week. Most of the week Daddy was away for work, so it was just us girls.
We did some shoppin’ and she was SO well behaved, esp since I took her to JoAnn Fabrics twice! ) I always seem to forget something there) AND the grocery store.. and she just sat there like a little princess…


{Okay maybe it helps that at our grocery store they always give her a cookie…}

She looks like a slight hot mess in these pics.. Her hair was cute at the beginning of the day, ha!



Attention coconut lovers!…. I found this AWESOME cake mix at our grocery store.. Coconut Supreme by Duncan Hines.

It was so good.. It didn’t even need frosting.. but of course I added White Frosting and Shredded Coconut to ours..
I shared a BIG cupcake with Samantha, and she was in Heaven! I rarely give her sweets like this, I have a feeling she's gonna have a nasty sweet tooth like me.

We took a nice hot bath, and she went to bed really good.

{I think she could stay in there all day if I let her}

A trick that seems to motivate her for bedtime has been.

We settle down, etc.. turn off the lights. Then we ask her to “go pick a toy”…and she’ll run over to her toy area (most of our living room)… and pick one, and then she knows its bedtime, and she runs to us to take her to her crib.

So far so good (Im knocking on wood right now).. I know toddler sleeping habits can change, I just hope since she’s had some troubles, that she’s in a good habit right now..

Its been pretty mild, and warm(ish) for the North. So in light of our great day yesterday.. Little Miss decided not to take a nap till 2:30pm. Normally this is when she’s waking up! … She was a bear.. and I took her for a walk, and she was out cold after only 15 minutes..

Daddy comes home today and we are so excited. We had fun though just us girls… I love my little baby…and I cant wait to look back on this journal and be doing fun things as she gets older like baking cookies, and painting our toes…and more shopping!

Today its 50 degrees! WAAHOOOOO....

We have a fun weekend planned ... stay tuned!