Happy Birthday to She

Sam and Sofie have a honorary aunt who we'll call "She". She is a wonderful friend and a fabulous aunt to my girls. Today is her birthday, so of course Sam and I called her and sang "Happy Birthday"!


10 things we love about "She":

1) She is extremely patient even after 13+ years of friendship.
2) I can giggle with her like no one except my mom.
3) She has a thing about privacy and a need to burrow... it's just one of her lovable quirks.
4) We can "philosophize".
5) She is great with my kids and the closest thing I'll ever know to a sister.
6) Our art projects are always fun, sometimes even the next day!
7) She is my favorite vacation buddy... roadtrip?
8) We have an interesting history (I hated her at first sight, but after fate intervened I got to know her!)
9) She is a Disney movie fan and doesn't mind my sappier side.
10) Our conversations can go on for hours and we're still not done talking!

Samantha's birthday celebrations

Whoa - what a week it's been!

Sunday was brunch with the grandparents... very nice and I think the most relaxing part of the week.

Tuesday was her actual birthday and the girls went to Leslie's as per the usual schedule. After walking down every aisle of toys, Sam picked the Barbie pool for her gift. (She has been playing with it constantly in the bathroom or the kitchen sink!) We then headed to gymnastics, followed by dinner out. She hid when they sang, but it was very cute! The pictures of that are on another post.

Saturday was the party for her with her friends. Especially since starting preschool, she has a lot of friends! We had kids from school, daycare, playgroup and cherished family friends. What could be better than kids running around and jumping, followed by pizza and cake? (Sofia didn't make it two minutes in the car before passing out.) Everyone had a great time and Sam enjoyed her "throne" that she sat on to open her presents. It was also the only day so far in the year that made it above freezing!

Grandparents - Thank you for all your help and ongoing support! Our kids are so blessed to have you in their lives! (We are too!)

A general feeling

If you read any of the mass media (i.e. cnn or any newspaper) or socialize with anyone, you know that the world is going through a hard time. The economy is in recession, genocides are in progress and people are generally feeling a lot of stress. It is a scary and uncertain time.

Then there are my girls... what a motivator to stay positive and be grateful for all we have! I am thankful that we have two wonderful and healthy children and I have a husband who is an inspiration. Samantha just moved up to the "big kids" preschool classroom and she's happy to be with more of her friends! Sofia is talking more and loves to cuddle. Both of them love books and being read to which is a joy for us! Daddy is an all-around good guy with a heart of gold. I couldn't be prouder of all of them!

I even managed to have a true girls night out last weekend. It was long overdue and so much fun! We giggled and shopped (of course, I bought nothing). I discovered I do not like most cocktails, but I can't resist marshmallows and chocolate in any treat! I've missed going out lately and am making an effort to indulge occasionally and take the time! Daddy seemed to enjoy his time with the girls. Sofia was all about him the next morning and wanted nothing to do with me! Sam and I enjoyed ourselves though!

Happy Birthday Samantha!

Yup, my first baby is 4 years old today! She is sweet, caring, helpful and she's not afraid to share her opinion, especially about an injustice! Sam is outgoing and social and we are so proud of her!

She went into "shy mode" when all the servers surrounded her to sing, "Happy Birthday"!

When we got home, she took out her new Barbie pool. Thank you Leslie!

Show week for gymnastics

Last week was the final class for this semester of gymnastics. (one more to go!) Samantha loves her class and it's always a great part of her week! Daddy got to bring his new camera and below are some highlights:

Ta-da!

Elmo Live!

Sammy got to have another day with her parents while her sister went to Nana and Papa's for some quality time. Her friend Angelica invited her (and us) to go to the Sesame Street Live show last weekend. We were spoiled with appetizers, dessert and a suite at the Target Center. Sam danced the night away and is still enjoying her souvenir! Angelica's mom and I discussed how our kids have no idea how good they have it, especially since we've both lived out of our cars previously and have known a level of poverty! We all had a wonderful time!

Pictures will be added soon!

Sick days

What a weekend! The girls have colds and I got a horrible case of flu or something Saturday night. Daddy got no sleep and then had to deal with the kids on his own yesterday because I was in an out of consciousness. Not only did the girls not sleep most of the weekend, but Sofia wouldn't even go into her crib at bedtime. She wanted to do anything except lay down and sleep - even in Mom and Dad's bed. I finally got so frustrated last night that I used my "stern" voice to let her know that it was bedtime and let her cry it out (a whole 3 minutes).

I know that someday the girls will sleep in their own beds all night... I personally hope that someday is sooner than later!