Delaying Bedtime- Samantha Style

I'm getting much more advanced in my stall tactics to delay bedtime. Tonight it was asking for my two stories to be Curious George. I ran to the bookcase and picked out the Curious George book that is eight stories in one book. You can bet that it's super big and heavy. And you'd be right.



I wanted to play catch with my board book and Mommy shrieked that books were not somthing to play catch with. Harumph!



Mommy read me the stories, but I got a little distracted and hopped down off her dwindling lap. I ran to the center of the room and started singing Ring Around The Rosie super loud to drown out her reading. Why was I singing? A bear was coming, of course.



After I calmed down enough to finally be ready for night night, I wanted to give Daddy a kiss goodnight. On my way into the hallway, I stopped mid-step and shrieked, "bug, bug" and ran into Mommy and Daddy's room to hide from the scary bug. Thankfully, Mommy is super skilled in catching and disposing of stink bugs. Off to sweet, sweet slumber.

Daddy Duty

Now that we're back at home, Daddy is ready for his second vacation. His work closes down between Christmas and New Years. Mommy's work does not. So, today was all about Mommy's stinkin' work. I am starting to learn that year-end in the world of accounting just plain stinks. Daddy got me ready and took me to school while Mommy worked.

I pulled up some of my antics. Plate on the head!

It sure makes a nice hat, doesn't it?
I think I just might wear it to school.

Daddy even ran all the errands then picked me up from school and took me to library. The library trip resulted in a panicked call to Mommy asking where the mouse is in the computer games. Mommy laughed and said, "Welcome to my world. There is no game with a mouse, but that doesn't stop Samantha from begging for the game everytime she is at the library."

When we got home I asked to wear big underwear. Then it was time for our annual family Christmas tree. It was super messy and I just loved it! Then I asked to sit on the potty and immediately went pee pee. Mommy and Daddy were super proud of me. Frankly, I was super proud of me, too!

After my super messy art project, it was time for a bath. I chose blue fizzies and splashed and splashed until I heard a bear. Turns out it was Daddy and he busted into the bathroom and roared while I laughed so hard I nearly busted by gut. I totally love Daddy when he's on vacation!

Snowed In

The bestest thing about being snowed in? Getting to raid the fridge and eat non-traditional meals. Take breakfast. Today it was a mound of shredded swiss cheese. I simply insisted. Yummy!



And, as an added bonus, I got to open even more Christmas presents that arrived while we were out of town. This has got to be the best Christmas ever! I can't believe my luck. I simply adore stickers and have never seen a book of stickers before.
Think I'll hang my sticker art on the fridge. Just need a clip. Why are they always just out of reach?
Ha, take that clip!
Mommy wanted a picture of the two of us. She was way more into it than I was. I much prefer art to cameras these days.
Not to be swayed, Mommy told me to look up from my art. Okay!

Blizzard of Christmas 2010

Thankfully, we made it home safe and sound around 8am. Daddy and I banded together and declared it to be a day of rest. Daddy oscillated between reading and watching tv while I played on my new best companion. Go iPad!



Yes, this photo was taken HOURS after the first photo.
I'm so glad we made it home safe and sound, catching the last flight out of Phoenix before the snow storm closed airports and canceled hundreds and hundreds of flights.

One Of A Kind Christmas

What a lovely Arizona day- perfect to celebrate Christmas. Merry Christmas!


We celebrated by opening stocking stuffers first. I'm totally into opening presents and guessing what each one will be. "I know what it is. It's a monkey." Yes, that really was my standard response. There was lots and lots of laughter this morning. Mostly at my expense, I suspect. Oh, well. Maybe I really did think I was getting a lot of monkeys!

Pretty necklace!


Oh, a journal for me to color and write in. Yay!
Wowsers. A super cool tea set, complete with a basket. Just what I wanted!
Gotta put this to use right away! Tea, AH? No worries, "it's not hot".
I also got a medical set, which is perfect timing with the pending arrival of my little sister. No need for a pediatrician. I've been a patient long enough. I know just how to check little sister out myself.

And now, for a special event on this here blog- a guest blogger! From AH and UB, I present the story of this super cool rocker.

So here I am sitting in a super-cool rocking chair. Why is it “super-cool?” Well, let me tell you.
This chair originally belonged to my great-great grandfather. That’s right, my grandfather’s grandfather owned this chair.

Here is the story. My great-great grandfather was a fellow named Waclaw Bill. In 1913, he married a wonderful woman named Ewa Pasek. He was 21 and she was 18. (I’m only two but I’ve already promised my parents I won’t get married at 18 years old.) Wow…1913…2013 will be the 100th anniversary of their marriage. Maybe my Great Uncle Bob will wear a funny tie or something to mark the event (a whole other story).

Anyway, Waclaw and Ewa had four children: Wanda, Chester, Emily, and John. Waclaw and Ewa and their four children lived in Detroit. Wanda Bill is my great-grandmother. She married Frank Krempa II who is my great-grandfather. Frank and Wanda’s son is my grandfather, Frank Krempa III, and he could tell you stories about how he and his sisters Diana and Helen (my great aunts) as kids answered the telephone at the family business (W. Bill Moving, Local and Long Distance) and stories about my great-great grandfather sending the kids to the store to buy him yucky cigars. And the kids could spend the change. Awesome! Great-Great Grandpa Bill used to sit in this very chair I am pictured in now. It used to be on the porch on the house in Detroit and Great-Great Grandma Bill thought he was stuck in the chair as he was always rocking away…
Somewhere in the process of life, the chair ended up in my great grandfather’s basement in Wyandotte, Michigan and when he passed away in 1993, my Great-Aunt Helen and Great-Uncle Bob got the chair refinished. They took it to Arizona with them and here I am rocking away in history.

As for Great-Great Grandpa Bill and Great-Great Grandma Bill (I hear she was a heck of a cook) and Great-Grandpa Krempa and Great-Grandma Krempa, sorry I never got to meet you. Hope somehow you are looking out for me and my soon-to-arrive sister.

P.S. I like to rock too, but I’ll pass on the cigars.

Keeping the decorating theme alive it was high time to decorate cookies! Yummy. This trip is when I officially discovered candy and I wouldn't have it any other way.
Food Network, here I come!
If I don't eat all my creations, that is!
Candy Addict in the making....
UB is super great with me. We had a blast playing Strawberry Shortcake. He was way more dressed for the occasion than I was..
Then it was time for bed. Or so I thought. Just as Mommy lied down with me, she was called out of the room. Turns out the massive snow storm that was a brewin' caused us to run scared back to NJ. We changed our tickets and got the 11:30pm flight out of Phoenix Christmas night and I slept with Mommy's ever dwindling lap as my pillow. Sorry to run out a day early on vacation but it was worth it as we got the last three seats on the plane before everything shut down.

I had a blast, AH and UB. Please come visit me soon in NJ. I'll even let you meet little sister!

Christmas Eve, Samantha Style

I'm not sure what screams Christmas Eve more than getting totally spoiled from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to sleep. I'm here to tell you that Christmas Eve is amazing and I totally love being spoiled.

AH and UB kicked off the morning by taking me to one of their favorite pancake restaurants. They were super tasty. I ate them by the fistful, literally!

Then we headed to my little heaven on earth- Target. We walked all around and I had a blast checking out a different Target.

Then we were back to work, building houses in this economy sure isn't easy but we were up to the task!
I take quality control on my building materials very seriously.
Very seriously.
Very, very seriously.
Pass!
After all that "quality control" my hands were sure sticky. The things I do for my trade. Time to wash up!
Maybe I've found my calling in construction. This is a blast!
Score!
UB came to investigate all the giggling and cheering going on in the kitchen and came to investigate. He was soon sucked into our party. The more the merrier!
Time to clean up again!
Who knew getting clean could be so much fun?
Mommy totally needs to learn AH's tricks of the Mommy and Teacher's trades. AH sure knows how to make life super fun.
Mommy wasn't sure what to do with my newfound appreciation for quality control. This is the first time I've ever really eaten candy in any substantial quantity. Oh, well. It's my Christmas Eve and I should be spoiled rotten.
Wowsers. What is this whole gravity thing and why is it making my roof decorations slide to the ground?
Nothing a little "glue" can't fix!
Gosh, we make a high quality, colorful house!
Here we are making a mini house for Mommy to live near me. I'm taking the mother-in-law suite to a whole new level.
But I'm making sure it's pretty. Thanks for spotting the construction, UB!

Mommy spent most of this time asking if I was hungry. My reply? "Not now, maybe later. Okay?" We also practiced spelling my name. Sammy, with a 'y'. In fact, make that two of them. Sammyy. Looks good to me!

I'm also into putting my own socks on. It's going as well as you can imagine.

After such an eventful morning I had a great nap before heading to the park. Can you tell this swing is my current favorite?
Can you imagine how old this turtle must be to get this big?
Since it's Friday, I simply insisted on pizza. With lots and lots of buttered bread, of course! The interesting twist on dinner? My tushie had a minor rash so I repeated over and over, very loudly, that I needed diaper cream because my tushie hurts. Note to others, nothing gets attention more than screaming this statement in a family restaurant. Thankfully, Daddy and UB ran home and picked up my beloved diaper cream and all was fixed quickly. Dinner was awesome. Pizza is the best and pizza with family is even better!
Back home I was so hopped up on butter that I ran around the house. Mommy loves my facial expression on this picture and I can't disagree. I'm cute no matter what!
Can't wait for tomorrow!

PS- I made the snowman dance, so much! I just love him. Except when he dropped on my foot and I cried. Momy asked me if I could stop crying long enough to answer a question and then go back to crying. I was stunned at her lack of sensitivity and stopped crying long enough to digest her question, answer and promptly went back to crying.

PPS- Daddy put me to bed and we cuddled since I reallly have them over a barrel. With the ability to get right out of bed, I find myself getting a little extra attention these days to make sure I actually go to sleep. Mommy walked by to hear me saying, "No, I love your ear". Jealous Mommy, me thinks!

Fountain Time!

When I woke up this morning, AH and UB gave me a super special treat to go with my fish sticks breakfast. A new mouse book and a real life stuffed mouse for me to keep forever. Score! Note to fellow toddler travelers, I am a huge fan of Trader Joe's fish sticks and found myself living on them while vacationing out west.

If you read it a few more times then I can learn it well enough to fill in the blanks. Once more, please?

AH and UB taught me the coolest card game called Faces. The dealer puts cards on the table face up and the players ignore cards with numbers but try to slap the cards with Faces and then you get all the cards in the pile. I'm good at Faces. Did you catch my new, super special mouse playing with us?
After a great nap and more fish sticks for lunch it was time to check out the big kid playground. Boy, am I up high off the ground!
Totally worth it for this slide with an amazing view.
I really flew down the slide. See the wind in my hair?
Then I saw three cute boys on the twisty tire slide and begged Mommy to let me join them. Boys are rougher when playing and you can totally see how much I dig joining in their rough and tumble fun!
And we stayed long enough for the fountain to make it's amazing appearance. What a perfect day!