Really liked this; thought I'd share

"There have been times, often at Christmas, when we have felt parts (forgiveness, charity, and light) of what we will experience when we at last come home to the Father who loves us and answers our prayers and to the Savior who has lighted our lives and lifted us up. I testify that because of Him you may have an assurance that you can go home not only at Christmastime but also to live forever with a family whom you love and who love each other."

-President Henry B. Eyring (Ensign-December 2009)

Monthly Update

I want our 2009 book to be complete, so every now and again, I need to do a general re-cap of our latest happenings.

1. Lucy has gone vertical. Our little one seems too little to walk. At least that's what people keep telling me as she toddles around everywhere. She is pretty fearless so far too; she heads right for stairs any chance she gets. I have tried to teach her to turn around to go down them, but she refuses. She wants to walk down them like every one else. I both admire and fear her courage. She loves her "da", saying what we say, Curious George, Elmo, tickling, dancing, the toilet (gross), and following Sabrina and me around all day long.

2. Sabrina had a field trip to the Lehi Hutchings Museum. I think we've seen more interesting artifacts at my parent's house, but the kids seemed to have a decent time. There was a tribute to Porter Rockwell there; I took a minute to tell Sabrina that this was her 5th great grandpa, to which her teacher piped in with, "Oh, well that explains where Sabrina gets it from." Thanks, Miss Megan. (I'm pretty sure she was kidding... pretty sure.) As for Sabrina this month, she digs drawing, dress ups, cooking with mom, Angelina Ballerina, reading stories, and still playing with kids.

3. Paul and I got to go with the Petersons (Dave and Amy) to the Jazz game and had a swimming time despite the loss to Oklahoma City. There was one intense moment in the game when out of frustration I accidentally hit the guy in front of us. (Amy I don't think I shared this with you.) My bad. Thanks Dave and Amy!! It was great to have an evening out.

4. Thanksgiving was great and solidified itself as my favorite holiday. We went to Shelley's this year, and we had a fantastic day.

5.I did Black Friday this year with Natalie. We laughed our heads off all morning long watching the spectacle that is this day. It's ridiculous.

7. The Blackhursts were doing a good deed by hanging out with me while Paul studied, and Baby Kate (who's not a baby any more) broke her foot while she and Sabrina jumped on the bed. Nice. Aish, will you ever forgive me?

6. I'll end this post with the Sabrina conversation of the week:
(Scene: At Costco pushing both girls in the cart)
Sabrina: Mom, this cart is like our carriage.
Me: Oh really. Are you a princess.
Sabrina: No, I'm Sabrina. Lucy is the princess.
Me: So you're just riding with her.
Sabrina: Uh huh.
Me: And I'm the driver.
Sabrina: No mom, you're the horse.

Glad to know where I stand. Happy Holidays!

My First Half

I finished my first half-marathon in St. George with a time of 1:49. That's faster than I had planned; so I was pleased. Justina and Jessica came to St. George and did the race with me, and Shelley and Emily Smith came down and did the 5K. As you can see from the picture some people look like they are ready to have their picture taken for the cover of Elle Magazine after they run 13.1 miles. Others...are NOT so lucky. I would have felt like I was in the shape of my life after completing such a feat if I hadn't spent the rest of the weekend eating...and eating...and eating some more. A huge thanks to my mom, Carolyn, and Paul for watching my offspring so I could relax and refuel. I had a great weekend!

P.S. Justina, I stole your pics!! I'll be sure to take some next time!

30 for 30

Paul's favorite sports writer, Bill Simmons, had a brilliant idea for ESPN's 30th Anniversary. He thought it would be cool to get 30 acclaimed film makers and give them free reign to do a documentary about any sports story they wanted. They are going to play one every week for 30 weeks. They are on every Tuesday night on ESPN or ESPN2. If you are not watching these, you should be. I think we're on week 5 now, and while I am not a fan at all of some of the sports they are talking about, the human interest stories have gotten me, not to mention the different styles of the documentarians (pretty sure I just made up that word). We watched the story of Len Bias last night, and I'll admit, I was bawling. I was even riveted by the Ali v. Holmes fight, and that's saying something because I hate boxing in general.

There is no excuse for what you are looking at

Thanks to the Selims, Paul and I broke a streak of 5 years of not dressing up for Halloween. We could have gone as Romeo and Juliet, George and Martha, even Spencer and Heidi, but no. This is what we ended up as. I don't think this look would have been possible without the help of our sponsors, the Radmalls and WalMart. I'm guessing that when Mel Radmall wore this racing suit in the 70s, he broke more than a few hearts, and yes, I have never been as body conscious in my life as I was in those pants.

Halloween 2009

We are officially DONE with Halloween this year. I did enjoy it slightly more than in years past, so maybe I'm coming around on this holiday. The girls were butterflies this year. Well, Lucy actually never wore her entire costume at once and wasn't too thrilled about the whole thing in general. We'll bribe her with candy next year!

A Few Highlights: Sabrina's first Halloween Parade, SBA Law School Party and trick-or-treating in the study carrels, The Selim's ROCKING Halloween Bash (see next post...or don't...save yourself!), Playgroup Talking Party (with a few Halloween treats), Grandma Shar's Halloween Extravaganza, and Trick-or-Treating Lehi Style. It was all great, but I think I have to mention that my mom claims to hate Halloween (that's what 26 years of teaching will do to you), but always throws the most creative/fun Halloween party for her grandkids (that's also what 26 years of teaching will do to you). This year she had the kids make a witches gruel (party mix) with spooky names for all the ingredients. They made white chocolate ghost suckers. She also took all their pictures before hand with her Mac and distorted their faces. They then glued them on paper and drew monster bodies on the bottom and made a monster wall of fame. Add some treats and a show and there you have it. One good time! Happy Halloween Everyone!

Carving Pumpkins

We went for it this year and carved our pumpkins. No, I did not give Sabrina a knife. She did pick circle eyes, a triangle nose, and a "really happy" mouth. I made the Boo pumpkin, and Paul...well, Paul has done a Utah Jazz pumpkin for the last 5 years. (Note: I had a small Halloween [it really turned into a play/talk fest]themed playgroup at my house on Friday. Kasey said that she wasn't sure which apartment was ours until she saw the Utah Jazz pumpkin.)

I see nothing wrong with an update

Well, seeing as the last post received no comments and gets the "Slightly Inappropriate" award for posts this year, I figured it's time to get back to our updating roots. FYI: Paul posted that last one, and we have now decided that doing posts exclusively for Dansie is not the best of ideas. Here is my general update on the happenings of each Sampson, starting with the oldest:

Lindsay: That's right. I am, in fact, 5 months older than Paul. I am pretty much doing the day in and day out of mothering. I will be running in my first half-marathon in 2 weeks in St. George, and I think I am finally over playing the comparing game with 22 year-old, pre-pregnancy, fast me. I am just going to go, relax, and run. "Do your best and forget the rest." Thanks Tony. Also, I am stoked about our new book group where we read all the books we didn't really read or didn't understand in high school. The first book: The Great Gatsby. Oh, and I quit Facebook. Very liberating.

Paul: After a hectic start to this school year, Paul is finally feeling slightly trunky in school. I am basing this on how much golf he is playing; I don't think he's not doing the work, I just think the work is getting a little easier. Of course, the golf season is ending and finals are coming, so this may be short lived. We still don't know when he will start at Sidley; we are hoping to find out soon (like last week soon). He plays basketball 2 nights per week, with 2 different wards. I am constantly amazed by how easily he makes friends through ward ball. It's a gift. I usually only hear about people losing friends over ward ball. Paul is a gem.

Sabrina: IS FINALLY GROWING. You can see in the picture that this jacket is a little small. I also noticed this week that her pants are becoming high waters. This thrills me. She has discovered a love of ice cream and is becoming a social butterfly before our eyes. She loves preschool, our weekly playgroup, being the big kid in nursery, and hanging out with ANY kids. I wish she had a friend over at all times, and I am being serious when I say that if you have a child between the ages of 2 and 5, I will be a free babysitter any time. She is learning to write her name and is still our family comedian. She declared the other day that she wants to either be a mom or a butterfly when she grows up.

Lucy: Has developed some "sauce" in her personality (to use a Cousin Mark saying). We knew it had to happen some time. She has started to say some really cute things like, "uh oh" and "all done". She loves to sing songs and do hand games. She now dances whenever she hears music. My favorite is when I catch her dancing in the car. She fell down the stairs for the first time the other day. She only needs to do it about 1000 more times to tie Sabrina's stair falling record. She is starting to take steps; her PR is 7 consecutive steps. I think she'd be really happy if she were permanently attached to my hip, but even happier if she were permanently attached to her dad's hip. She LOVES him.

That's all I've got.

There's only one October

Go Angels!

Where The Depressed Things Are

Did anyone else see this movie this weekend? Did anyone else feel as though they were going through group therapy with Max and the Depressed, I mean "WILD" Things? The art direction was cool, but man, they totally missed the whimsy. We were leaving the theater, and I asked Sabrina, "Did you like the movie?" She said "Yes (pause)I mean, No, I did not." I'm with her.

What?

It must have been a slow year for peacemaking. Kind of like the year Titanic won "best picture".

Untitled

I couldn't think of a title for this pretty random post, and I think that the more I do this, the less creative I get...either that or apathy has set in.

This week has gotten cold, which is great because I got to bust out my jean jacket that I like to wear. When arriving at the Ricks/Barney Book Club, I noticed that Shelley was wearing her jean jacket with the sleeves rolled just like me. Twins again! If she starts humming the same song that I am thinking in my head at the exact part of the song I am at in my head again, I'm going to demand that testing be done to be sure that we are not, in fact, twins. And speaking of, I just love the Ricks/Barney Book Club!! It's exclusive to only those who have ever had the surnames of Ricks or Barney; how we ever came up with this idea, I know not. All I know is that no one gets the Ricks girls to laugh until we cry like those Barneys.

Sabrina-ism...
Sabrina: Dad, can I have some water?
Dad :(gets water) Here you go.
Sabrina: (cheerfully) You're amazing dad!

I got my hair cut today. I went in for a 1 to 2 inch "healthy" trim and came out with a bob. It's not terrible, it's just that I did not intend for this to happen; sometimes hair dressers have their own agenda, and there really isn't a worse feeling on earth than paying for a hair cut you didn't really want. I take that back... I bet paying for a tattoo you didn't really want is much worse. Miller, not that you're reading this after giving birth, but words cannot express how much I missed you today, but my hair can! (Oh and Welcome Baby Griffin!)

Sabrina-ism...
She plays and "reads" stories to Lucy every morning, then Paul and I will hear the bedroom door open, and she'll say, "Okay, Lucy, I'm going to go get mom. I'll be RIGHT back. You be happy. Don't cry. I'll be RIGHT back. Just be a good girl. I'll be RIGHT back." This is officially the BEST alarm I have ever been awakened by.

The Lucy Monster. This is the nickname I've given to my sweet child. It's just that sometimes she "attacks" or surprises me under foot when I least expect her. Trust me, it's a term of endearment, and I think monsters are cute. That's what years of Sesame Street watching will do to a person. Hence, we've been singing and dancing to "Monster Mash" a lot in her honor.

Sabrina-ism...
(Mom comes out of her room with a trendy [okay, maybe not so much] scarf on in an effort to be stylish despite the 80 degree weather that day)
Sabrina: (sincerely) Hey mom, is it snowing outside?


Happy Fall!

Stats

Alternate titles: Here We Go Again, Orange on a Toothpick, Little People Big Heads

Lucy went to the doctor today, and to my surprise her weight is 17 lbs. 13 oz. (5th percentile); she is 28 1/2 in. tall (5th percentile), and her head is 45 cm in circumference. On seeing the stats the doctor said, "You can give her everything I usually tell parents to avoid...ice cream, butter, high fats." She is currently snacking on chocolate chips, bread with about 2 tbs of butter on it, whole milk and cheddar cheese. I'm thinking I'll make cookies, sausage, and creamy pastas part of her daily menu also. Why does she seem so much more fleshy than Sabrina? I'm blaming a round face, head and full cheeks. She is smaller than Sabrina was at 1...this is NOT a good sign.

Celebrate!

Here are some pictures of Lucy's birthday celebration over the weekend. She loved her gifts (although probably not as much as Sabrina has loved her gifts). I made two small cakes. One for Maya (we celebrated her birthday too) and one for Lucy, and since this domestic endeavor may never happen again, I thought I'd better document. Her cake moment was picture perfect as she began digging in before the singing was over or the candle blown out. And dig in she did! A mess was made; so in sum, she had a pretty perfect 1st birthday!

Happy Birthday Lucy Mae!

Well that was the fastest year ever, now wasn't it? Our baby is one. These kids keep ignoring their mother's pleas to stop getting bigger and just keep growing and growing. Some things we love about Lucy on this, her special day:

1. The way she says "hi" every time you look at her matching your exact intonation.

2. Her little wagging bum as she crawls.

3. Her beauty.

4. The curls that surround the back of her head and neck.

5. When you ask her how big she is and she throws up her hands for "so big!" Then randomly her hands go up in the air for the next hour.

6. This one sounds strange, but I get a kick out of the fact that she doesn't smile for everyone...she has very discerning taste.

7. Her cheeks which I'm pretty sure have been kissed all 365 days of her life.

Lucy, we are so happy you're in our family. Happy 1st Birthday!

This news is GREAT!

It turns out, Paul is as impressive as I've always thought. He got a job offer from Sidley Austin in D.C. on Friday. So yes, we will be going east coast at some point. We aren't sure when he will start working there, but it is good to have some idea of the future.

Dreaming of somewhere...

I have been thinking that Paul and I need a vacation after he graduates. This is, of course, in the dreaming phase. It all depends on our tax return, sadly enough. I was thinking Hawaii would be nice, but right now, we are watching Dog the Bounty Hunter and this show does nothing for Hawaii. Any suggestions?

Product Placement

A few things I love lately:

1. The Swiffer Wet Jet. Yes, this is a bit of a scam, and I still believe nothing beats a good "hands and knees" cleaning. But, I will never use a mop again.


2. The Magic Bullet. It is magic! I believe everyone needs one of these.


3.Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (I'm becoming a huge fan of books on CD!). I have done all my housework the last few days while listening to this gory story. And although I am disgusted by it, I love it at the same time.


4. My new treadmill. I don't technically love this yet, but I will be getting my new treadmill in one week, and I am so excited to not have to go to the gym anymore (since the treadmill is really the only thing I use)! And I am excited that I don't have to wait on Paul's schedule which is proving to be more intense than expected.

The Blonde in the Crowd

Today, President Obama visited Wakefield High School in our old neck of the woods, Arlington. It also happened to be Chloe Sampson's first day of high school there. Here is the video. It's rather long, but if you go to the 9:42 mark you'll see a stunning blonde just above the podium. If you go on to the 17:21 mark, there's an even better shot. Chloe, we hope your day was memorable!

Good Idea/ Bad Idea

In an effort to try to teach Sabrina some responsibility, I decided to start a small job chart. Most jobs on it are tasks that we do everyday anyway (I wanted some sure-fire sticker-getters)like "get dressed", "eat breakfast", "take a bath". With these, I threw in a few "help mom out here" jobs like "pick up toys" and "make your bed". Good idea, right? Well, the last few days have been a little nuts with Sunday (Sundays are always a little off schedule here) and Monday being our apartment complex barbeque. Last night before we put the girls to bed, Sabrina was looking at the job chart and said, "Hmmmm. We didn't make the bed; we didn't pick up toys; we didn't read stories." Great!! I'm beginning to think that this is really a test of "What exactly did we accomplish today, Mom?!" My how the tables have turned. Here are the jobs on her next job chart: Are you fed? Are you healthy? Are you happy?

In other news, I'd say Paul is about 85% convinced that his wife needs a treadmill for her birthday. I'm pretty sure some encouraging comments from our friends and family would put him right over the edge. (Subtlety is a gift of mine)

First Day of Pre-School

Today was a big day for Sabrina. She started pre-school. I am not going to lie to you; I was a nervous wreck. When you have a child who is a little "slow to warm up" to new scenarios/people, starting school can be a little scary for all involved. But I also know that "slow to warm up" children are exactly the type of children who need new experiences. So here we are. When she got in the car at the end of the day, she said the following: "I was shy," "I didn't ride the train," "I say 'I want my mom' when I went to the potty." So I am wondering exactly how the day went. Oh to be a fly on the wall, my friends. She was excited about it when we left this morning, and still excited when she got in the car at the end of it. So all in all, not so bad!

Lucy seemed to do fine without her other half, as you can see!

Whew! What a Week.

1. We made the drive from D.C. to Utah in 3 days. I can't say it was always enjoyable. In fact at times it felt like an episode of Double Dare with all the bending, climbing, feeding, sticky messes, reaching across the car, making sandwiches in less than a minute to avoid screams; not to mention the time when Sabrina slimed herself, me, and the car seat (car sickness). Although I kid, I have to say that every now and again, it was downright pleasant. I read out loud to Paul and did not worry about cleaning, laundry, or Lucy getting into anything she shouldn't. Yes, there is something nice about sitting, doing nothing, and strapping the kids down for 12 hours a day.

2. We moved into our place. This would not have been possible without the brute strength and kindness of our family and friends. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And yes, the third bedroom is changing my life.

3. The Sampson Family Reunion was a hit. We really enjoy when we get the opportunity to see everyone, eat great food, chat into the wee morning hours, make fools of ourselves in the talent show, and just enjoy each other. We missed Shannon and Brittan this year. Get well soon, Britty! Can't wait for 2011!

Pictures to come soon. I first need to find our camera amid boxes.

Kids Are Funny, Moving Is Not

I received my 2008 blog book the other day (Thanks, Tara, for the blog2book.com suggestion!), and I was quite pleased with the fact that I had documented things about our life, Sabrina's life, and Lucy's birth and pregnancy. I am giving myself an "atta-girl" on this one, and I'm not ashamed. There were many things I had written that I had already forgotten. So, while you all are getting tired of the funny things my kid says and how cute my kids are, I am not, and I don't want to forget them. So, with that said, here is yet another conversation that occurred this very evening.

Sabrina: Mom, I love my Luce.
Me: I love Lucy too. And Lucy loves you.
Sabrina: And I love Dad.
Me: I love Dad too. And Dad loves us.
Sabrina: Mom, I love you.
Me: I love you too.
Sabrina: Mom, because we are a family. And Heavenly Father wants me to play princesses and not go to sleep.

I don't think that her goal in initiating the conversation was to avoid bed time, but if it was, I have to give her props.

In other news, we are packing, driving 2000+ miles over 3 days, spending the night at the Radmalls, moving our stuff to our new place, buying a washer and dryer, unpacking our stuff, getting my hair done (it's been 3 months AHHHH!), and attending the Sampson Family Reunion within the next week and a half. Wish us luck!

Getting Big

I'm not sure I even recognize these faces. They are getting so old. Lucy now puts food (and everything else) in her mouth. I am wondering why I ever wanted her to do this! The tub pic makes me laugh because they are both "thrilled" to be having their picture taken. The only way I got Sabrina to cheese like this is to say, "Smile for grandma!" So mom and Carolyn, that cheeser is for you!

Another update and kid report

Happy 24th of July everyone. You in Utah are enjoying boating, days off of work, fireworks. We are enjoying sitting at home, PB and J's, toys everywhere, and possibly the park later (we'll see how long Lucy sleeps). I am spending most days right now gearing up for another drive across country, a new apartment, the start of pre-school, and Paul's last year as a student (hallelujah!). As mentioned above, we did find a new apartment in Orem, and I'm pretty sure that all my wishes and dreams are being fulfilled by the fact that we will have 3 bedrooms and a dishwasher! I may put a small desk in the third bedroom for Paul to study, but the majority of the room will be toys. There is just something about having a place for all the toys that brings a warm feeling to my heart.

Paul is working long hours right now but still seems to be enjoying himself. He got to meet the Cuban Spy the other day, which was a thrill. Nothing like last summer's drive with the Po Po, but he'll take it. He's been playing on the company softball team and had a double play this week that he was stoked about. He also gets taken out to lunch at very nice places every single day. In fact, he informed me that if he doesn't have a lunch scheduled, the firm has set up an "emergency hotline" to contact so that someone will take you. I'm not jealous or anything. It's just a little hard to swallow Sabrina's leftovers as my lunch knowing this information.

Sabrina is her usual funny self. She has started getting around the house with a slow little jog instead of walking. It makes me laugh for some reason. She is still a great entertainer for Lucy and me. She loves to draw spiders and read Biscuit books. She has many of them memorized. She takes gymnastics and loves it...well, loves it now. Our first class was an adventure. Last week, I overheard her tell the teacher, "It's okay. I can just walk" instead of doing a trick that would get her across the mat. Efficiency is a good thing, right?

Lucy's big milestones as of late are crawling everywhere/pulling herself up and (drumroll please...) feeding herself graham crackers!! I thought this would never happen! She hasn't ever put things in her mouth at all; so I actually had to teach her that she could. She still has no teeth. None! She is a gem of a baby and loves peek-a-boo, the tub, and talking/laughing with Sabrina. I am finding that watching your children interact (positively) is one of life's joys. She loves to move too, and just recently has had to be taken to the foyer at church. (I really haven't missed Relief Society until now...that's how perfect she's been!). It may be too early to tell, but I detect some curl in her hair which is thickening up nicely.

Well, there you have it. A real update.

Just for laughs

We haven't been up to many noteworthy things lately (except a visit from the Blacks and a hang out with the Toones and Boulter. I took no pictures...but we did have a great time!). I'm getting anxious, however, to see these goof balls (as well as many others).

Note: You know how everyone has those things that every time they think of them they laugh out loud. This picture is one of mine. Shelley, thanks for this. As well as your "pants-optional, goggles required, pj's till noon dress code."

Saving details for another day.

An update in 100 words or less: We are still here. We have had visitors (Grandmas and Grandpas and Jac). Toured A LOT. We love our visitors. Sabrina and Lucy went to the beach for the first time. Paul went to the beach for the first time. I loved the beach. We had a great 4th of July. Eli got baptized. We love Eli. Fireworks were great. Lucy is mobile. We still have no place to live in Utah. I like Ade, Brandon, Jeanette, and Janine. Sabrina takes gymnastics. Gymnastics was rough at first. Gymnastics was better in the end. I'm caught up.