Carrie Bradshaw or a Shriner's Fez

This is the last one I'll post and my favorite. The red in her cheeks and lips is from the red ornaments she tried to stuff into her mouth.

If anyone wants a copy of these, contact Mommy.

Wet Kisses

This is Sammy's very first cousin, Kadence. Kadence loves Sammy and Sammy is well used to doggy kisses with proof by her facial expression, "I know what comes next!"

Christmas Traditions: JEWELRY!

I promise! This will be the last of the traditions that I'll bore you with. Scout's honor.

Maybe.

Long ago, in the ice age, Grumpa decided to buy me a very lovely ring for Christmas. He and little toddler Daddy went to the jewelry store and purchased an opal ring. Little Daddy was beside himself with the excitement of being included in a present for his Mama. It was a BIG SECRET. WE MUSTN'T TELL ANYONE. He hopped on one foot to the next in his excitement about the present. Christmas morning came, all the presents were opened and exclaimed over. But Grumpa (and little Daddy) said, "There is one more present!" And Grumpa made me go to the Christmas tree and look for something sparkly...and he told me whether where I was looking was either Cold...Warm...or HOT! When my eyes or hand veered to where the jewelry was hidden on the tree, he or Little Daddy would yell...Warm! or COLD! until I finally found what he had hid. Next time you see Mommy, take a look on her right hand. She now wears that very first jewelry present from Grumpa and Little Daddy to me. It seems fitting that Little Daddy's present now resides on his wife's hand. So with this in mind, Sammy experienced her very first Christmas tree jewelry present.

She immediately put it in her mouth.

Christmas Traditions: The Night Before Christmas

When Daddy and Auntie Kenna were little kids along with their two cousins, their Grampa Wint would read the Night Before Christmas to them on Christmas Eve. We all gathered at one of the family's houses for a big feast and the close of the evening was this story. This went on until Grampa's health declined and he passed away. He read it to them long after the magic of 'Santa' had been discovered by the four cousins. It didn't feel right to read it to the teenagers after he passed. Certainly Grumpa or his brother did not take up the mantle to replace the storyteller. The story has not been read in our family until now-- this truly special year with the birth of our first grandchild. So here for the very first time is Sammy with Grumpa reading the story to all of us and particularly to the little girl in his lap. It was particularly bittersweet to watch Daddy and Auntie and Great Gramma Jeanne listen to Grumpa read the story to the family after all these years on Christmas Eve. The last time we had heard it as a family was when Grampa Wint was alive and healthy. But this night it was the initiation of Mommy and Uncle Dave to something that this family holds very dear. Mommy and Uncle Dave gave it such respect; my heart was incredibly touched.

Wheels

This is Sammy's new scoot around walker. Right now she manages backwards only. Given time, she will be all over the place. And that brown plastic thingy she has in her hands? No it's not meant to be a chew toy (but was); it's a dog training chukar decoy. Yep. Grumpa gave that to Sammy to play with while we opened our gifts. Oh, and he just recieved it as a gift so you don't have to worry that the dogs have played with it before Sammy did...

Table Manners

This is a short clip and it's a dark clip but you'll get to see what we saw having dinner in SF with Sammy. The people sitting behind her commented on what a good baby she was. Well, of course she is!

"Oops! I dropped my napkin!"

First Christmas

Sammy seemed to have enjoyed her first Christmas very much. She really enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper! Stuffed animals, books, and a scoot around walker were among her many gifts. Camp Cluster was in full force here Christmas morning. Did all of you have a nice Christmas?

Merry Christmas

Luke 2:10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

Christmas Eve

Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright round yon virgin mother and child. Holy infant, so tender and mild, sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace.

Tickle Me Elmo

On the way back home from SF, Daddy decided to amuse Sammy by tickling her with a pheasant feather from the front seat. Sammy loved it!

Christmas Traditions: Nutcracker Ballet

Many years ago, Auntie Kenna and I went with some friends to see the Nutcracker Ballet. Auntie was probably 8 years old. We had so much fun that we invited Daddy and Grumpa to go with us the following year. They enjoyed it, too. From then on, Christmas time was also Nutcracker Ballet time. We know the story by heart and can tell you if you're listening to songs from the ballet on the radio. Of course there were a few years when we couldn't go because it was BASKETBALL SEASON and there was no way that any coach would even consider letting a player out of a game to go to the ballet. I mean, really. What were you thinking? Anyway, basketball season is long gone for Daddy and Auntie and we started back up going to see the Nutcracker. We introduced this tradition to Mommy several years ago and she loved it. We introduced Uncle Dave to it last year and he's, ah, getting used to it.

This year the anticipation was up because it's such a fast weekend run that we do to go to San Francisco. (Yes, we have the ballet here but we quit going to it when Jabba the Hut was one of the principal dancers years ago. That guy was FAT and it JIGGLED. It was not a pretty sight. It was at that point that we decided to try San Francisco's ballet.) So we drove down on Saturday morning with one and all.

Yeah! We're on our way!!

I remembered that I FORGOT the tickets, had a heart attack, called the hotel's concierge, get duplicate tickets, arrive at the hotel, run to Will Call, pick up duplicate tickets, go back to hotel, get ready, jump into the limo and sit in traffic for 30 minutes for a 10 minute ride. Whew.

Arrive late for our dinner reservations, order the fastest food to cook, (some foods faster than others!)

guzzle our drinks, back into the car.....and now the anticipation is really climbing. Will Sammy be interested in the sound and the movement on stage? Will she pitch a fit? Will all the people around her frighten her? Will there be another earthquake like two years ago? We all knew that this night would be precident setting for her. And now you want to know. Did Sammy enjoy herself for her first ever Nutcracker Ballet? You tell me......

And the trip home Sunday? Oh, so much fun!!

Carmen Miranda

You can tell that this is a headband now. Mommy found someone on the internet that makes these things to order. No, really. I can still hear you laughing.

Who remembers these things?

I remember as a little girl in order to go swimming in a public pool, all girls/women needed to wear a rubberized swim cap to keep hair out of the pool. Swim caps came in the colors of the rainbow and most of them had decorations on them. Flowers. Rubber flowers. When I see this photo of Sammy in her flowered headband, I smell chlorine for some reason.

Santa Claus!

The other day, Daddy and Mommy took Sammy to the mall to have her first visit with Jolly ol' St. Nick. Everybody was happy until...the manic photographer went berzerk immediately upon seeing that there was a BABY on Santa's lap! A BABY! So of course that means putting his face right into Sammy's thinking that it would make her laugh. Not so much.

Right before seeing Santa...lalalalalalalala

With Santa

After seeing Santa and getting away from crazy photographer. Note the red eyes from crying.

Welcome Uncle Mitch!

I've heard that you lurk about this site but didn't think I'd ever see your darling face as a Follower!! Now let's see if you can figure out the Comment section. Love Mama

OR DID CHRISTY DO THIS?

As sweet as a rose

As most of you know, we like to put hats on Sammy. I have never been a fan of the little headbands made for babies; the elastic looks like it's squeezing their tiny little heads into a point somehow. But hats? oh, yeah. However, those headband thingies are changing! Mommy and Daddy and Sammy recently had some professional portraits done. The proofs came back yesterday. I will showcase each separate pose. Some of these are X-rated as only baby pictures can be.

Morning giggles

If you woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, this will set you right for the rest of the day.

.

Snow Day

Yesterday we had a pretty good snow storm for most of the day. By pretty good, I mean, it snowed all day long. The sun peeped out for maybe 30 minutes total. So it was a great idea to stay in PJ's all day long....

Pfffttt!!

Christmas traditions: Y**** Family Party

Sammy was introduced to and participated in her very first 'Y' Family Christmas party. She met her second and third cousins and her great aunts and great uncles. She was a trooper because when we all get together it is total mayhem. This was also her first visit to Camp Runamuc which you read about here. This is a picture of Sammy with her second cousin's wife, Jamie. Jamie kept her entertained while the rest of us acted like idiots and opened our White Elephant gifts.

Many many hats

It's been awhile since you've seen a picture of Sammy in one of her many hats. Here is her Uncle Dave's hat from the other evening. She looks good in anything! This also brings out the blue in her eyes. And it brings out her tongue, too....

Christmas traditions: Plastic Santa

One more item absconded from my mom's stash of decorations. This one screams 1960's. I don't like it at all but both of my kids and Grumpa insist, no, DEMAND that this Santa makes an appearance every year. It used to plug in and light up, but the light bulb burned out in 1965 and can't be replaced. Thank God and Greyhound for small things. Last night we all gathered to decorate the tree and Auntie inquired as to the placement of the Plastic Santa. I told her that it wasn't 'out' this year. Oh, the uproar! Apparently, being 'out' is the new 'in'. I located it, grumbling all the way, and introduced Sammy to it. I didn't want her to even touch it. You can see how the white has yellowed with age. I'm sure that Sammy in years to come will consider it part and parcel of Christmas decorations at Mimi and Grumpa's house. A battle I will continue to lose.

Wet Willy

Here, Daddy, let me drool into your ear...

Like mother like daughter

See this toe curl? Mommy does this too. All the time. In her high heels.

Fairy Tales

Thank God Sofie went to France! She had her consult, met with her new doctor, and had her facial transplant. I'm so proud of her and the courage it took her to undergo this life altering procedure. She now can go out in public and not be ashamed any longer. And I love her new hair do!

Sofie has also met someone. Someone who understands the hurt and pain she went through. He was also at the same hospital. Another coincidence? I think not. Meet Gerard:

And they lived happily everafter. The end.

Peace on Earth

Goodwill towards man

Christmas traditions: Cutting the Tree

One more of our Christmas traditions that we introduced Sammy to was cutting down the family Christmas tree. When Daddy and Auntie Kenna were young, we would travel to northern California with our close friends "The B's" to their family ranch. We would spend a weekend with the "B" clan eating and playing and of course cutting the tree. After acquiring the necessary permits and clearances from neighboring ranches (**ahem**) off we went in search of the perfect tree. We made a day of it out in the forest. Here is a picture of Daddy and Auntie Kenna with their good pals, Jimmy and Mandy B. These four were a BIG HELP in the scouting and locating of said trees. We would point to a thicket of trees and say, "Go there, look there, it might be THERE!", or "Go Fetch!" while we parents would stay at the trucks talking it up. When they found something they liked, we would set off to give our approval or not.

Yesterday, after acquiring the necessary permits, TWICE, off we went to a national forest nearby. I have to mention permits in this post because apparently I've been purchasing permits for a forest that would pretty much cover the family ranch area BUT NOT IN THE AREA WE'VE BEEN CUTTING FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. Obviously, I've been confused.

Permits + tree cutting = always illegal.

So here is the current version of Christmas tree cutting:

And guess who we saw while we were in the forest? A pretty pink bear!

Red White and Blue

Can you imagine the expression on her face if the wrapper were off this candy cane and she tasted mint for the first time? As it was, the drool was non-stop during this photo shoot.

Christmas traditions: Elves

This is our Christmas elf. It has no name; it just shows up early December and makes his last appearance on Christmas Eve. My mother bought this set of elves. It could have been three elves or two or maybe a whole herd, I don't remember. This is the only remaining elf. I do remember her setting them out each year as part of her holiday decorations. It certainly doesn't resemble Peter Jackson's idea of blondish elves now, does it? Anyway, when I got older and had children of my own, in the true spirit of Christmas I stole this from my mom's stash of decorations. This elf would appear one day in December surprising all of us and we would find him in different rooms during the day. Daddy and Auntie Kenna's eyes would get big when they would find him in either of their rooms as we had explained that this is how Santa found out about being naughty or nice. Every evening the elf would appear in the dining room making sure that dinner plates were cleaned of every broccoli spear and chicken leg. This worked for many years; it was great. Today I introduced Sammy to the Christmas elf. She was enchanted by the elf and wanted to experience the texture and flavor I believe. Sorry, Legolas, this elf has my heart.

Car Keys

I bought Sammy a little new toy to play with. Plastic car keys. Shake them and they make noise, but best of all? They're tasty! And yes, Daddy, Sammy is on her (your) blanket DAILY either sitting or laying. Get used to seeing it.

December 5 means it's time to decide if I want to spend the bazillion hours to make Lefse or not. (Lefse is a Norwegian flat bread made of mashed potatoes. When rolled out and cooked, and then slathered with butter and sugar?....oh baby)

Sleeping Beauty

When Sammy takes her naps, we have a bed for her in the guest bedroom. I keep it dark with the shades drawn for her. It's nice and quiet and she sleeps pretty well in there. What I don't get to do and haven't done for some time now is take pictures of her while she's sleeping. The flash I have would wake her up and she'd be on the ceiling holding on like a cat should I use it. However, the other day, she struggled with laying down even though she was obviously tired. I though, "Oh, well, let's just put you here on the floor and you'll either nap or not". She napped and I had the perfect opportunity to take all the pictures I wanted since it was so light in here and I didn't need the flash. And watching her sleep like this made me drowsy as ....zzzzzzzz

December 4 - now I'll start looking up all those recipes for 'comfort' food and begin cooking all those calories...

Papparazzi

"Mimi, now I know how Suri Cruise feels. That camera of yours in ALWAYS in my face!"

December 3? Um, now it's ok to start hauling out the boxes and boxes of decorations and decide when they are to go up....gah.

But what about that rubber backing?

Sammy showed up with these pants the other day. They were the softest, fuzziest pants I've ever seen. It was a good color blue for her and her eyes. The pink top carried the pink flowers that were on the front of the legs. They looked so comfy that I'm this close to going to Bed Bath and Beyond, buying some bath mats and making some for myself.

Oh, and being December 2nd and all, it's ok to start chowing down on Christmas cookies now, too.

Hypnosis

You're getting sleepy....very sleepy.....listen to my voice....sleepy.....

Happy December 1 and (my) start of the Christmas season. Now it's ok to listen to Christmas music, send cards, and eat fudge.