Happy Birthday Sammie

Happy 4th Birthday my little Sam! I can't believe how fast time goes! You were a baby just four years ago and now a little girl! You are so independent and smart and you amaze me every day! I love your charm and personality! You are so observant and appreciative. You are strong willed but it will take you far in life! You have completely changed me as a person and I have never been the same since you arrived! I love you so much Sammie and I love being your mommy!

We had a fun day today! We went to Disneyland for Sammie's birthday. We started our day on the horse drawn street car as usual. We know several of the horses. They have 23 that they rotate on a regular basis! We know 7 of them now. ( Chief, Caleb, Brother, Orve, King, Bert, Ernie) Anyway.. that is one of Samantha's favorite things to do while we are there. She sits in the front and holds the excess reins and helps "drive". Today was special because while we were getting on the car, so was the quartet of singers and so they sang Happy Birthday to her. That was great!

For weeks now, Sammie has been talking about riding Splash Mountain. She is just a little short for the ride. (About 1 /2 inch.) I have been telling her to eat all the healthy foods she can and that's how she can grow. Well, she has been eating and eating and she keeps saying she wants to grow so she can ride Splash Mountain. Almost every day she asks me if she is tall enough. Well today she woke up and asked again. I said I wasn't sure but we'd see. She asked me again and again to go on Splash Mountain and so we walked over there. I told her that it was a safety issue if they told her no and not to get upset. She agreed. Well, today she got to ride Splash Mountain and wow, was she HAPPY! She absolutely LOVED the ride. The kid is FEARLESS! Now here is the sad part. We went on a few more rides and then went back again to ride it and a different ride attendant was at the front of the line. They measured her and said, I'm sorry, you are not tall enough. Well how do you explain to a 4 year old that an hour ago, you were tall enough and now you are not tall enough anymore??? I guess the first lady let her "squeak" by and this lady was the "tough" one. Well, Sammie burst into tears right there and cried and cried. She clenched the rope and wouldn't leave the line. I felt so bad for her. She said, "Why?" " Why can't I go on it?" I had to say, you are not tall enough, NOW. ( you just were but not now) Anyway.. I'm sure it was a judgement error from the first girl and Sammie finally got over it after a long meltdown, but it was tough. At least she got to ride it once! I told her to keep eating the healthy foods and hopefully next time she will grow that 1/2 inch we need.

We also celebrated her birthday at Disneyland in the Plaza Gardens. They have a special Disney birthday party. We met "Patrick Edward Cake" who is also known as Pat E. Cake. He came out and sang to all the birthday kids and they served small cakes and punch to all of us. Each person got to decorate their own cake and then Mickey and Minnie came to visit and take pictures.

We rode a few more rides and then headed for home. As soon as we got in the car and I was leaving the parking lot, I said to Sammie, "you were a good girl today, did you have fun?" and there was no answer. I turned around and she was out cold! I guess that's the sign of a wonderful birthday when you fall asleep instantly! She had a blast! We came home and she opened some gifts from Brad and I and then went to bed. I still can't believe she is 4 years old. Happy Birthday Samela!

Scrappy Stuff!

I went scrappin' by myself on Sunday. I just wanted a little quiet time and I made these pages. I really like how they all turned out. Sammie has been sick so we stayed home all weekend. I can always find things to do in the house to keep me busy, although, I'd much rather go running around!!! I have been sticking to my goals of not buying scrappy supplies ( I think I have spent $8.00 since Jan. 1st which is a HUGE change for me!) I am trying to use what I have already which is enough to open my own store!! I have also been walking for 30 minutes on my treadmill like I promised! I think it helps to post it publicly on my blog so you all hold me accountable!! tee hee hee!

Mickey Hugs

 

 

 

 

Sammie and I went to Disneyland all day yesterday. We had a great time! The park wasn't very crowded which is exactly how we like it! We went on so many rides and got to spend some time with Mickey Mouse who isn't out very often. We also rode the horse drawn street car ( a must every time!) Sammie sat up front and got to help "drive" the horses. When we finished I grabbed her for a photo and the horse, King, saw her and turned his head towards her for a great picture!
Her favorite ride is the Matterhorn. We also rode Snow White, Autopia, Pinocchio, Pirates, Winnie the Pooh, the rockets in Tomorrowland, Small World, saw the parade and went to the Tiki Room too! She fell asleep in the stroller on the walk to the tram to go home. I had to snap a pic because she was being sooo cranky right before she fell asleep so I found it amusing! tee hee hee

On Sunday we went to the park. We walked around, visited the ducks, played with a soccer ball and she played on the playground. She had a great time. I am amazed at how well she can run and kick a ball. She is really coordinated. I guess I will join the ranks of "soccer mom" someday!

Today Sammie went to school and I helped in her classroom. It is fun for me to get to know the kids in her class and I also get my "little kid fix" because I really miss teaching Kindergarten! I really enjoy all the fun art projects and music that I did with younger children.

I have been a good girl and have been keeping up with my New Year's goals. I have been exercising on my treadmill at home, watching what I am eating and have not been spending my paycheck on scrappy supplies! (not really my paycheck but I spent a lot of money on scrappy stuff in the past) I am really focused on using what I have and not buying more except for the occasional adhesive. I do have a gift certificate to the Scrappin' Table from Brad. I am saving it until I get that "buy scrappy supplies" urge. I should put it in a glass case with a hammer and hang it on the wall like a fire extinguisher!

I am having lunch tomorrow with my Nana (who is going to be 94 next month) and my brother, Jeff. I don't get to see him very often because he works 2 jobs and goes to school full time. He is a very busy guy but is finally almost done with college (he's on the 20 year plan) and will graduate in June with a degree in Communications/Journalism. I am so proud of him. He has had this goal for a long time and is finally completing it. He is a brilliant writer and speaker and he will be very successful at whatever he does. He is 2 years younger than me. I wish we lived closer so we could see each other more often. We were always so close growing up and now that we are both working and have families, it is tough to keep in touch. Not to mention the fact he lives in Ladera Ranch which is a little far away.

I am keeping busy with homelife, work, occasional scrapbooking and playing on the computer! I am not much of a TV person. I have a few shows I HAVE to watch ( Desparate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy) but I'd rather surf the net or play Webkinz! (this is my newest obsession!) I love Webkinz world. Brad and I fight over who is going to play all the daily games! :0) (I usually win) I am going to get him a Webkin for Valentine's day so he can open his own account! It really is so much fun! Sammie learned how to navigate on the computer by playing it. Now she knows how to play some of the games on the website.

I guess that's all for now. Thanks for visiting my blog! Leave a comment so I know you were here!

Hello January 2008!

Hello blog readers!
I am here to say hi and keep up with my goal of posting more than twice a month and as you can see, it is already January 8th! I had a busy, but fun winter break. It always goes so fast and I always want more time but don't we all???

We went to the movies a few times. The Main Place mall has $1.75 movies all the time and they are $1.00 on Tuesdays. We saw Mr. Megorium's Wonder Emporium which I thought would be cute but it was a little slow and Sammie lost interest so we left about 45 minutes into it and just walked around the mall. On Sunday we went to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. That was a cute movie and Sammie really enjoyed it. I remember the chipmunks when I was a kid. It has been around for a long time! Not too much to report today.

I did get to the gym and took a mommy and me exercise class with Sammie. It was a lot of fun but they only have it once a month. They set up stations of jump ropes, balls, bean bags, and hula hoops and we rotated around every few minutes. In between rotations we would stop and do a dance, like the Macarena, the chicken dance, YMCA, etc. I would like to do that every month in addition to going on the treadmill a few times a week. Well, that's all for now, I'll be back again soon. I have to go to work the rest of the week. Boo hoo!

Woosh!

Well "woosh" is for two reasons. One is that this month just flew by and it is now going to be January and I am finally updating my blog! (Some blog reading friends of mine have asked me to update!) The second reason is this photo of Sammie bungee jumping high in the air!

My parents were in town my birthday weekend and we were supposed to go to Knott's but it was super crowded so instead we went to Tom's farms in Corona. It is a great place to have a family day. There are kiddie rides, ponies, a petting zoo, train, food places and bungee jumping!!! All the kids doing it were like 7-8 years old and then went 3 year old Sammie flying high into the air while I held my breath praying!! It was soooooo scary but she LOVED it! The kid is fearless which is good but scary for me!!
We celebrated my "21st" birthday (wishful thinking) at Disneyland which was fun! The weather wasn't great and it even rained for a bit but it wasn't crowded at the park and we got on so many rides again and again. We watched the Christmas parade and the fireworks over the castle. I love to see the holiday decorations.

We celebrated Xmas eve at Brad's parents' house. We ate dinner and exchanged gifts. This year we took turns opening presents for the first time! I have been asking for years that we do that because I never get to see what anyone gets. It took a long time but it was fun! I hope this will be a new tradition! This is the first year that Sammie "got" the idea of Santa, etc. She talked all about it and said she wanted a pony. We told her Santa doesn't deliver live animals because it is too tough for the reindeer. She had her own ideas of what to leave out for him and it was not the traditional "milk and cookies" but an apple. It was all her idea to leave something for him anyway. It was very cute. So I guess that will be our treat for Santa. A nice healthy apple. ( He cut it in slices and ate it)
She tiptoed downstairs on xmas morning, then came and woke us up to tell us that Santa came. Sammie and I had matching jammies this year which was fun. We opened presents and spent the day playing with new toys, etc. I took her to see the Disney Princess Wishes show on ice. Brad didn't want to go to such a "girlie" show. It was a great show actually and he probably would have enjoyed it! We had a nice time. It was very "Disney" with lots of fancy costumes, famous songs and fireworks at the end!!
The next morning Sammie and I went to Vegas to visit my parents. The drive was miserable! It took us 7 hours and it usually takes 4. There were an expected 300,000 people heading to Vegas for New Year's. We had a nice time. It was nice to see my parents. They really miss Sammie and she just adores my mom. The weather was very cold and windy so we stayed indoors mostly. We drove back yesterday so I could be home for a party at The Red Bee. It was nice to have dinner and play some games with the "bee gang".
I am off work for another week which I need to catch up on things at home! I have so much to do!
So, I wish you all a Happy, Healthy New Year!
Here are a few of my goals:
1. Stop spending so much money
2. Lose weight and exercise more ( more than twice a year LOL)
3. Organize my house
4. Lots of scrapbooking and MUCH less scrappy shopping! (this is HUGE for me)
5. More blogging than 2 times a month!
6. To follow my advice in my last post and NJY TDAY~

There is that enough?? I hope I can accomplish even one of those!! I figure if I write them on my blog, everyone will know and I will be more accountable! What are your goals??

NJY TDAY

So I don't usually post 2 days in a row but I thought I would share a little random good thought. Can you figure out the title? I saw it today on a license plate. It says "Enjoy Today". I thought it was a good little piece of advice. It made me think. Especially this time of the year when everyone is so busy. I am always thinking of tomorrow or what I have to accomplish next and find myself so busy all the time. This made me stop and appreciate today and realize that tomorrow is another day to do more stuff but today is where I should be and just go with it! So on that note, instead of doing the daily tasks, chores, etc. I am going to go do something creative that I enjoy and that is scrapbooking! So my challenge to you is to "enjoy" and do something today that makes you happy!

December Already!

December always comes so quickly for us. We have many celebrations this month so we are always so busy! We started the month with a holiday party for Sammie at the Craniofacial unit at CHOC. I forget that she had a cleft lip but when I see all the other families in various stages of the surgery process I vividly remember what it was like to go through it all. I am so grateful that Sammie's lip was so minor and that we are most likely done with surgery. I am glad to be able to talk to other families and give them support as they go through it themselves. It is always a great party. They serve food/refreshments and have entertainment. They have therapy dogs dressed up to visit the kids and then Santa comes and brings a nice present for each child.

We go to Knott's Berry Farm every year. Brad gets in free as part of Law Enforcement. When Sammie heard me say "We are going to Knott's Berry Farm" she immediately said "Farm?" Are there horseys there?? There is a horse drawn stagecoach but when we got to it, it was already closed for the day. She did see the horses running by a few times and was very excited. She had a great time on the rides at Camp Snoopy but loved the "big people" log ride the most. We picked a great day to go and it wasn't crowded at all. We were able to stay on some rides again and again without getting back in line. (the log ride was one of them) Some rides Sammie went on completely by herself. I can't think of a time at an amusement park when NO ONE ELSE was on a ride! That was cool!

Tonight was the 6th night of Hanukkah. Sammie enjoys lighting the candles with me and saying the prayers. Or as she calls them, "the pears". The prayers are in Hebrew (I have a phonetic cheat sheet) and she tries to repeat some of the words. It is cute! She especially likes opening presents. The first night she got a Snow White Dress. Some of her other gifts were, PJ's, a Dora (cowgirl) movie, and a My Little Pony playset.

My parents are coming in town this weekend. Their anniversary is Dec. 17th and my birthday is the 18th so we usually celebrate together when we can. I think we are going to go back to Knott's for the day and eat at the Chicken Dinner restaurant.

We will celebrate Christmas with Brad's family on Christmas Eve. I am taking Sammie to see the Disney Princess on Ice show on Dec. 25th. She will love it! She likes the Disney princesses right now. (Ariel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and especially "Belt". ( Belle)

I guess that's all the updates for now. Just trying to keep up with shopping, wrapping, cards, etc. Happy Holidays to you!