pamelamyers | December 28, 2017
Sam finally lost another tooth last night and her tooth fairy, Sparkle, came! It has been since June 2016 since Sam lost a tooth. She was getting very impatient! It has been so long since she came, that Sam even forgot her name! She left her a note, of course, and Sparkle answered all her questions. Here is the note she left, along with some cold hard cash!
pamelamyers | December 26, 2017
Christmas is finally here! We had such an amazing day. It was the most relaxing and fun Christmas I can remember having in a long time. We didn’t have a lot of running around to do, so we got some time to chill out at home and really enjoy opening our gifts, and then had a great homemade pasta dinner at Krista and Adam’s house.
Here is our tree on Christmas morning – Santa left Sam all those gifts wrapped in blue! She is one lucky kid!
Penny wanted to make sure there was something for her under the tree (there was!)
Zach was just trying to escape – this cold weather keeping them off the porch has been hard for the kitties.
The stockings were stuffed to the tippy tops! Sam was worried that her new stocking was so big Santa wouldn’t fill it, but he did!
Zach seems to be saying, “Get on with it, already! It’s present time!”
It kills Sam every year that Mark won’t let her go downstairs until he goes down and lights up the tree and gets his camera ready. This year, she sort of went halfway down the steps though and peeked! Here she is, finally getting to really descend the stairs (with a very half-asleep Mommy behind her!) It was so early! We made Sam stay in bed until 6:30, but she had me awake at 5:00 a.m. I slept in her bed because she thought that might help her stay asleep, but as soon as she woke up and looked under the little tree in her room and saw that Santa had left a gift, she screamed at me, “Santa’s been!” and that was it. No more sleep!
Sam always makes a beeline for her stocking before opening any gifts, which I think is really cute. She was so happy to get a Pikmi Pop.
Sam’s new stocking this year is extra big and Santa still managed to fill it to the tippy top!
Baby Ann’s stocking came next. She got the cutest little princess crown from Santa…
…a new hat and scarf…
…and some itsy bitsy fidget spinners! Sam loves her fidget spinners and couldn’t believe that Baby Ann got her own.
Sam can’t ever forget her bestie, Boo Boo, who got some new clothes in her stocking.
Sam quickly found the Bitty Baby she wanted and couldn’t wait to cuddle her up.
Santa always comes through. She got her brown horse!
Grandmom came over pretty quickly and Sam got to work opening the gifts Grandmom got her. I think her favorite was this kitty unicorn.
The rest of us did get some gifts, even though the day seemed to be all about Samantha. Mark got me these amazing icing piping tips. Sam can’t wait to try them out with me!
Grandmom got some new pajamas…
…and Mark got a mug that he spied and liked in Bethlehem when we went to the Christmas markets.
We weren’t sure if Santa would actually bring the gripper robot, but of course he did! Mark and Sam can’t wait to get started.
There are always some fun things under the tree that Mark and Sam enjoy doing together, and although this gift was for Mark, I know Sam will be ready to help him build this monster!
I think the best gift we bought Sam that Santa didn’t bring is her FitBit. Sam has wanted one for so long, and now she finally has one. Count those steps, Sam!
We gave Grandmom a gift from Bella, an ornament with her new Christmas picture on it.
One gift that I was especially happy to give Sam were these Shutterfly books I made her. I have been accumulating all of Sam’s artwork since she was old enough to hold a crayon and, since you just can’t keep everything, back in September, I took a day and literally spent 6 hours taking photos of everything and cataloging it by date. I had to spend a few more hours on other days catching up because Sam is pretty prolific with her art, but I managed to finish and made her four books containing photos of all her art worth memorializing. This way, she will always have the photos, even if we don’t have all the actual art. I kept the best pieces, but this way, we can have them all. I am very proud of her artistic nature, and I want her to know that we value the art she makes.
There are books for “The Early Years,” “The Preschool Years,” “Kindergarten,” and “First Grade.” Sam loves them! It’s like having coffee table books of her own artwork! It was more work that you can imagine (you have no idea), but it was totally worth it.
Sam had painted this cute little picture for me and Mark.
And I got a new Pandora charm! Sam loves picking out my charms.
Sam made Daddy a Shutterfly book all about their electronics and robot making projects. He loved it.
Sam helped the kitties pick out my gift…
Ta da! Look cozy? Sam said Zach and Penny liked it because it is a mouse.
Here we are in what has become a new tradition – family pajamas, two years in a row.
Zach and Penny had a good time with their toys. Zach loves ripping up pom poms and this jumbo sized one was just what he needed!
My poor new coat, all covered in cat fur before I even get to wear it.
The little goofball all ready for Aunt Krista and Uncle Adam’s house.
Thankfully, cooking pasta is pretty low key so we had time to chat and relax a bit.
Ryder loved his puppy. Sam knew he would.
Sam made Loretta one of her wooden snowmen. She loves giving gifts to everyone, almost as much as getting them!
Bitty Baby! It’s not appropriate to drink wine!
Dinner is served!
After dinner, Mark played his saxophone and the kids joined in for some Christmas carols.
And a few of the adults. 🙂
Merry Christmas!
pamelamyers | December 25, 2017
pamelamyers | December 24, 2017
Finally! After all our preparations, it is Christmas Eve! I thought it would never come. In a way, I am sad, because the lead up has been so much fun, and now it’s all going to be over. Sam was bouncing off the walls, to say the least. The minute her eyes opened, she yelled, “IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE! IT’S CHRISTMAS EVE!” It was going to be a long day.
She knew we were going to Grandmom’s house (who she keeps calling GG now….) and all – day – long kept asking when we were going over. I told her not until the end of the day and she was so mad! She loves seeing her Grandmom, but to tell the truth, she was likely most excited because she knows Grandmom lets her open her stocking and one present of her choosing! Last year, Sam actually picked a pretty small box to open, which surprised me, but this year, she told me she was picking the absolute biggest box!
First, stockings! Sam still loves her stocking as much as ever.
She loved the necklace that Grandmom got her.
And Grandmom loved the bracelet that Sam gave her, as well as this sign. True, true!
I was hoping that Sam would open this one, and she did! It was the biggest box. Her Happy Places High School. She told me that she really wanted it, but didn’t think anyone would ever buy it for her. What are Grandmom’s for?
Sam tried very, very hard to snag Mark’s Sour Patch Kids but he wasn’t having it.
Grandmom bought me the Christmas necklace I had been eyeing forever and never bought.
We had a really good time, hanging out at Grandmom’s with her and Bella, snacking on good food, and opening our stockings. Now it’s on to Christmas Day!
When we got home, Sam immediately got her plates ready for Santa and the reindeer. She made both of these this year and I think they are perfect! I know Santa will too.
She put out the reindeer food she got at school first, then laid out a very nice plate of cheese and crackers and cookies for Santa (with milk, of course!)
Sam heard sleigh bells toward the front of the house and she thought Mark was tricking her, but he was in the kitchen, so she immediately looked panicked and said, “I think I better go to bed!” and flew up the stairs. She did have a hard time falling asleep, but eventually, exhaustion won out and she was a goner. The cats, however, were not tired and had a little fun being mischievous.
Let’s hope morning gets here soon!
pamelamyers | December 23, 2017
According to Samantha it is, anyway. She invented this holiday for the purposes of opening at least some gifts, no doubt. She was begging and begging to open something, so I let her open the gifts that Baby Ann and Boo Boo made for her. With my assistance, of course.
Baby Ann made Sam and ornament that had pictures of her visiting Santa on it. Here is Sam with the ornament, and some of the pictures, in close up.
Boo Boo made Sam a snow globe with a picture of her in a Santa hat with a tree and some presents. It was very cute.
After the gift giving, Sam let her best buddies pop a Christmas cracker. I’m not sure how Hatchimal got involved!
