Who's Missing?

Last year for Samantha's Birthday, she had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party. She got Minnie and Mickey Mouse as gifts. She seriously has not played with them until just the other day! She rediscovered them and hasn't put them down since! She kept asking, "where is the rest of the gang? I need Goofy, Pluto, Donald and Daisy!" We went to 3 different stores trying to find Mickey's pals.

We found everyone....except for....
Can you guess?
I'll give you one hint.
It's a she.
Grandma ordered her off Ebay and she's coming in the mail. Sam reminds me every day!

Astros vs Phillies

We got free tickets to the Astros vs Phillies on Saturday night. This was Samantha's 1st game! She loved it! Mom, Dad, Blake, me and Sam and Melissa with her 2 friends Kellie and Stacey. It was a long walk from the car to our not-so-sweet seats. Sam found something to distract her at every turn.We found our seats and starting right into the baseball festivities:
NachosIce Cream in Astros HatsBinocularsJack in the Box sponsored our section and we all got t-shirts, gift cards and balloon animals....AND we put on the big screen cheering like a bunch of idiots.

The game was fantastic! We were winning all the way through the 8th inning. The Phillies decided to come back and have a lead by 1 run. At the bottom of the 9th, the Astros rallied. Sam was trying to cheer like everyone else. She got the shape of her mouth just right, but no sound was coming out.With bases loaded...hit a grounder and got 2 runs in...ASTROS WIN!

"Hosbibble"

Yesterday, Blake, Sam and I took a quick trip to the hospital.
There is good news and bad news.The bad news (as many of you have already heard), we had a miscarriage a few weeks ago. For whatever reason, my body was not letting go, so my doctor scheduled a D&C.

The good news. Samantha is adorable. We have a lot of funny stories from our few hours at the "hosbibble" ... as she calls it.

It was quite the family affair. We all went together to check in and do the pre-op stuff. As we walked in the doors to register, Sam was greeted by Al...whom apparently everyone that works at the hospital, knows. He works at the front desk and was pleased to meet Samantha. He gave her a little rubber duck that looked like a lion. She felt pretty special. Now, remember, she carries quite a few "friends" around with her nowadays. She was already lugging around Donald Duck and Minnie Mouse (this is after we talked in out of bringing the whole gang). So, one more toy and we were on our way.

After we were registered, we did a count of all my new "bracelets" and headed upstairs. We were greeted by the nurses station. Samantha introduced herself..."Hi, I'm Sammie." The nurses asked who she was with...she said, "This is my mommy and this is Blake." That got a few laughs. She calls us by our first names now. It's really cute and weird at the same time. A few more bracelets and we got settled in our room. The nurses and anathesiologist all came in to say hello...but Sam kept asking, "where is Docca Cole?" Dr Cole was the last visitor and Sam was thrilled to see her and asked, "Where have you been? Have you been eating?"

Blake and Sam headed downstairs to visit the cafeteria and meet Pappa and Grandma while I was wheeled in for the surgery. It was pretty quick and painless. We were home in just a few hours. Papa and Grandma had taken Sam home to "take a nap." This rarely happens with those 2 in charge. We came home to a slumber party in Sam's room with everyone still awake. They were trying to tell Sammie where I was. Their conversation went something like this.
"Why is mama is the hosbibble?"
"How did mama get hurt?"
"Did someone push her?"
No.
"Did someone hit her?"
No.
"Did someone knock her down?"
No.
At least she is learning it is not a good thing to do those things. Our 3 rules for playing are still in effect: No hitting, no pushing and always share.

Overall, it was a day to remember. Luckily, the emotional side of dealing with the miscarriage was well behind us, as we found out 2 1/2 weeks ago. Otherwise, this would have been a lot harder to deal with. We had a lot of family and friends sending flowers, food and well wishes which makes everything easier to bear. We are grateful to have the physical side of this over with. It was really something hanging over us and causing a lot of anxiety. I am feeling great and have no more excuses to being lazy and start losing these lousy 5 pounds that crept up on me!

1st Day of Joy School

Samantha went to her first day of Joy School today! This first month she will be learning about the Joy of the Body with Ms Kim. We put together her backpack of supplies: crayons, scissors, glue, extra pair of undies (which she unfortunately needed) and show-and-tell. For show-and-tell, she picked out her newest ball. Blake brought it home from the airport and it lights up! She thinks it's pretty great. After breakfast, Sam made herself a sandwich and we packed her new lunch bag with all kinds of goodies that she didn't eat. Grandma bought Sammie a new dress for her first day of school. Sam picked out her bow and shoes to complete her outfit. A few pictures on the staircase (her favorite spot) and the front porch (my favorite spot) and away we went.The whole drive over, Sam kept asking if I was coming to. I said yes, I was going to drop her off and come back and get her after lunch. To this news she was very upset. "Mommie, I need you to stay or I just want to see LuLu's house and come right back home."Lauren (LuLu), Davey, Samantha, Avery Luckily, she changed her mind and wanted to stay, so I snuck out for a few hours to myself. Too bad that now involves working out...urg! Overall, Ms Kim said everything went very quickly and smoothly! Time to close the Joy School windows and say goodbye!I can't wait for my turn to teach so I can watch the kids in action! We came home, finished lunch and made cookies. Sam told me all about her day...well, at least the things she remembered.

Thanks Kim!

Kool-Aid Playdough

Blake is out of town on official Commissioner of the Fantasy Football League business. It is the ever-important draft. That leaves me and Samantha home alone. After her nap, we made Aunt Nittney's cinnamon rolls! Sam always likes to play with the dough, but because it had to rise for an hour, we decided to make homemade playdough. Sam has been rolling and kneading and making 'cookies' for hours!Here's the recipe:

1 1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup salt
1 pkg Koolaid
1 cup boiling water
1 1/2 tbsp vegetable oil

In a bowl, mix flour, salt and koolaid. Stir in boiling water and oil. Knead with hands for about 5 minutes. Store in a ziploc bag for up to 2 months.

Pool Season is Over

Just when I can't bear going to the pool another day, school starts and the pools close...and we are upset. Seriously, the pools should be open year-round with this Texas weather!Sam definitely learned a thing or two this year...all without a swim lesson! Most of her friends took lessons, and Sam just watched them and learned on her own. Being fearless sure helps.

Big Kahuna!

The other day, Samantha called up Grandma to say hello. Grandma said that she had a present for her, and was going to come over that night with Papa to give it to her. That was enough to keep Sammie excited and asking about this present all day. Our conversation went a little something like this...

"Mama, is it a birthday present?"
No.
"Is is a cake?"
Nope.
"Is it a big kahuna?"
Huh?
"A big kahuna!"
Seriously, a what?
"Am I getting a big kahuna?"
Um...no.

When Grandma and Papa did come over, this is what she got...VCR and Disney Movies!And yes, she called it a big kahuna. Blake recalled where this random phrase came from...none other than a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Episode.