Haul out the Holly

Here's a monthly update for all the faithful of you out there. I don't really know what I used to blog about, but 2010 has been kind of disappointing from a blogging perspective. Our computer has been on the fritz now for quite some time, so I only have access to the web when Paul is home at night and has no work to get done. I'm not complaining...no REALLY, I'm not. I've been a rock star in the mopping/bathroom/dishes department (well "rock star" might be pushing it), but it's amazing what a time-waster technology can be at times. Now if only we could break the T.V., perhaps my status in the laundry department would jump dramatically, but then again, probably not! I'll tell you one thing though, it's not for lack of cuteness that I haven't blogged. These girls (and I say "girls" because Lucy is old and getting older every day) are very fun right now. Here's a Christmas card picture preview...I won't totally ruin the surprise but I will say, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em!



A Few Things About Numero Uno: Had quite a significant part in the primary program a few weeks ago which she did by herself with no prompting (so proud!), decided to start making her bed by herself (I'll have to give you all a picture of it sometime...it's so cute, I can't bring myself to fix it), has some sensitive feelings right now, loves friends, makes me smile everyday, loves drawing pictures for people, LOVES everything about Christmas (asks if Santa is coming every single night), is a very good big sister...will always play with Lucy, has an infectious enthusiasm for menial daily tasks.

A Few Things About Numero Dos: Is quite the comedian and knows it, already has an aversion to the potty and we haven't even tried to sit her on one (not looking forward to training!), is not shy at all but perhaps not in a good way (yelled at a nice lady smiling at her in line at the post office today), randomly says "Happy Holidays Mommy!" and "Feliz Navidad Mommy" (Paul taught her that), actually "said" her first prayer at dinner the other day, loves all things scary (she does animal sounds in her scary voice...like "scary monkey", "scary rooster" etc.), amazes me each day with what she picks up, has started to play pretend alone and with Sabrina.

Couldn't Pass This Up

I have been a little busy lately, I forgot to blog. I have other stuff to report, but I need to get this one down. So this morning I was making breakfast and I overheard Sabrina playing pretend saying, "You butt heads." Taken aback a bit I said, "Sabrina! Don't say that. That's not something we say. Those aren't nice words." She replied with, "Well, Miss Sherrie said it. She read it in a book." My immediate thought was, "What in the world is Miss Sherrie reading?" But alas, then she said, "You know the bulls in the story butt heads?" As in ramming their heads together. Darn you, American Fork Jr. High, for ruining my innocence! I'm glad Sabrina's is still in tact.

Aurora and the Clown

Well, it's Thoughtful Thursday, and I nearly forgot. There isn't much to say about Halloween. We carved, paraded, trunk or treated, partied, and did a little (a very little...like 3 houses) trick or treating in the rain. It occurs to me that this holiday gets busier and busier every year. I don't remember Halloween being this crazy when I was a kid. I NEVER went trunk or treating, I NEVER had a store-bought costume, I NEVER had a family Halloween party. Although, I did fill pillow cases full of candy acquired at strangers' homes, so you tell me which is better.

Note: The Sport Mode is a gem at getting both girls smiling at the camera at once. Otherwise, we have no good Halloween picture.

Dimony Elmo and All the Sports

It's been a good week here. We've already done some Halloween Celebrating which is always crazy, but I'm going to save that stuff for next week.

On Saturday morning, Paul got a call from the judge offering him tickets to the BYU football game. The game started one hour from the time he called, so we scrambled to see if we could find a babysitter to go. Alas, we couldn't. So Paul took Sabrina. When they arrived home (at halftime), I was quizzing her about it. They splashed in puddles, ate treats, watched Cosmo the mascot, and then she said, "Yeah, it was fun. I got tired of all the sports though." A classic comment from our little princess lover. (Although, we WILL keep trying because I believe there is a place in sports for tiny, non-athletic girls. As an observer. At least that's what I was raised to believe.)

Another noteworthy development around here is the naming of future children (not an announcement) . Sabrina has been doing this for a while now. And this week Lucy joined in. Among my favorites for boys: Gago, Ferd, Villany. And for girls: Salin, Fraselle (which sounds oddly like "for sale") Villa, and Vauna (great names for twins). This week Sabrina came up with Dimony for a girl. As soon as she said it, Lucy piped in with, "Dimony Elmo. It's a girls name." Should we be a little worried for our future grandchildren?

Honeymoon Period

I'm going to admit that I sort of miss blogging. I've just hit what I feel like is a honeymoon period in parenting. Sabrina is very enjoyable right now, Lucy has hit the "funny 2's" and says awesome stuff every day. Subby has preschool 3 days per week and I get to shop and hang out with Lucy alone, but then Sabrina comes home and I get to hang out with her while Lucy naps. The weather has been awesome, and I bake nearly every single day. Life doesn't get any better than this; so I think I'm ready to blog again. My goal is once a week. Every Thursday. I'm calling them, "Thoughtful Thursdays". Get excited.

Disneyland 2010

Disclaimer: I was going to post this about 2 weeks ago. Then all the pics got messed up and about 1/4 got erased from our camera. You all may remember that I made fun of my father's lack of technology know-how on several occasions via this blog because I knew he'd never get to a computer to see what I had said. Well, all I have to say is I'm a chip off the old block. Anyway, since I'm never going to fix these pics or this post, let's just post it mistakes and all and give my future teenagers even more material to make fun of me. Enjoy this mess of a post!

We're back from our big vaycay. I'm not one who loves travel log blog posts, actually. So I'm going to post pics with few comments. Let's just say, it was the "happiest place on earth"; we loved every minute of it!


Small World. My smile is staged. Sabrina's is not. This was her favorite.


Maya was such a trooper to do this with her!


Here are Grandma and Grandpa with 5 blonde grandkids. Hint: the way to do Disneyland is to have 6 adults to 5 kids. Great ratios!


Lucy had a definite love/hate relationship with all characters.



Goofy's playhouse. So turns out we could have just gone to the park. J/K. But it did provide a nice little break one day.




"The Minnie Episode". I've never seen so much love and so much fear in one little girl at the same time (Lucy). Lucy loves Minnie. Although you'd never know that based on the kick to the head Minnie received right after this photo.


Hey, the Neals showed up while we were there. Can you tell Sabrina has Delaney worship?








Funny story. We waited for what seemed like an eternity to see the Princesses. After we saw them, we headed for the train. When we came back, Sabrina peeked over the edge of Princess Stadium and saw Snow White, got excited and wanted to go to the princesses again. We weren't going to wait again. So this picture was our compromise. One happy Sabrina, and one miniscule Snow White in the background.


Hotel Room Birthday! Happy 2nd Lucy!





All in all, one great trip! Radmalls, why don't I have any pics with you guys? What is wrong with me? Thanks for going with us, nonetheless. You guys rock. Mom and Dad, thanks too. We MUST do this again!

Happy BeLATEd Lu Lu!

 

Oh, Lucy. My sweet little one. Will you ever forgive your mom for not posting a birthday post for you until she realized she forgot to do it altogether? Never you mind that your 2nd birthday party was spent in a hotel room with zingers. (We were at Disneyland [post to come someday], so that made up for it, but still).

Lucy is beloved in this family. I could write a list of 10 million reasons why we all love this spunky little one. Here's a few: she imitates Cookie Monster, sings a myriad of songs, requests big hugs and kisses, walks around with a "friend" (stuffed animal) in her hands at all times, requests big hugs and kisses for her "friend" too, has the best cheeks (both kinds of cheeks...I know, TMI), has curls I can't keep my hands off of, jumps and runs so bouncy, adds "mom" (which sounds like "mam") to the end of everything she says, is a constant entertainer. Here's a newborn pic, to celebrate the day of Lucy's birth and to make me just a little teary-eyed.

Dog Days

We've had computer problems; we've been really busy; my camera stinks; I am never online. You know the usual suspects in the list of excuses for why I have not blogged anything in over a month, but let's be honest...I WAS JUST HOT, too hot to think, too tired of shorts and swimsuits, too tired of painting toe nails and shaving legs, and too tired slathering sunscreen. Some call it the "August Crazies," and I've had a case of it. Not that this last month hasn't had great moments, but the last thing I've wanted to do is blog about them. (That's a lie...the real last thing(s) I've wanted to do is clean and cook...but that's a post for another day.) I'm not doing justice to anything that's happened lately, but then again, do I ever? Here goes:

*The month started on a low note when neighbor hooligans stole our wagon and wading pool.

*We had a pretty busy weekend where we attended our 10 year high school reunion (or was that Lehi's 10 Year Reunion? Seeing as I knew no one there [except my friends whom I keep in pretty good contact with], it may as well have been) and Brandon and Melinda Boulter's wedding, which was lovely, by the way. It was a great weekend to catch up with everyone.

*We headed off to central Oregon to spend the week with Shannon and Michael and kids and Shelly and kids (and Chloe and Grandma and Grandpa) at the cabin on Lake Billy Chinook. Boy, those Neal's show you a good time! Hiking, boating, eating, trickery (Hayden flipping over Michael on a wake board), and relaxing (there were officially 4 babysitters there...HEAVEN). Sabrina can't stop talking about the kids and how Aunt Shanny is the "bestest surfer"! That's in contrast to me who is "not the goodest" at wake boarding. Thank you Neals! We don't see any of you nearly enough.

*Paul officially started his cushy government job; and we are loving that when he gets home, he's actually done working. It's been awhile! So far he's really liking it. He only goes to SLC 3 days per week, which makes the commute bearable. He also managed to talk his way into a carpool with the Judge, which is always good face time.

*Preschool started and man what a difference a year makes. Sabrina was so nervous about the whole ordeal last year, and this year, she jumped out of the car, slammed the door, ran into the building like she owned it, and left her mother hanging by the car with outstretched arms. She didn't even say bye. Her teacher this year is Miss Sherrie, who seems really nice. So far she's made a friend "with snarly hair" whom she doesn't remember the name of.

*I got back today from the Utah Shakespearean Festival with my mom and sisters, Grandma I, Janet, Mary Ann, and her girls. It was really fun; too short, but really fun. We saw Much Ado About Nothing and Pride and Prejudice. I've always loved that the women in my family are so eager to get together. It's quite the sight to see 17 short ladies, who all laugh exactly the same, walking around in chatty conversation. We're like a circus act. Thanks for the good time!

I'm feeling really honest tonight, so I'm just going to say that putting pictures on here is more than I want to do, so until next time, this is me signing off.

Well, this doesn't happen every day...

so I'm posting about it. We went to Justice Lee's swearing in ceremony yesterday and got to meet none other than Justice Clarence Thomas of the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Lee clerked for him, so he flew in to do his swearing in, and we liked him immediately (mainly because he was a loud laugher, and an overall friendly guy). When we went to shake his hand, the convo went like this:

Paul: Justice Thomas, great to meet you. I'm Paul Sampson, this is my wife, Lindsay. I'm one of the lucky two who get to clerk for Justice Lee this year.
Justice Thomas: Lucky? Boy, you won't be saying lucky in a few weeks.

I thought that was funny. The only down side was that our phone picture turned out kind of blurry. Oh, well. You'll note that Mike Lee (republican candidate for senator) is in the background of this picture.

Cha Cha Changes

I bet you thought you knew where the Sampsons would be come fall/winter time right? Well, so did I, but I've learned something invaluable in my short 6 year marriage...DON'T MAKE PLANS because the hassle of changing them just ain't (and yes, I meant ain't) worth it. On Tuesday Paul accepted an offer to clerk for Justice Thomas R. Lee of the Utah Supreme Court starting in August (the day after he takes the bar, to be exact). This means we will stay in Utah for one more year and then head to D.C. to work for Sidley next Fall. Where to begin? Utah has many things to offer...family, friends, Summer nights (which just cannot be beat), but in my heart, I am still just a little bit sad to not be going to D.C. yet. This, however, is an amazing opportunity for Paul and is something he has always wanted to do, so here we are. We have some logistical issues to work out, but I know it will all work out.

Now, on to the reason everyone reads this blog...MY KIDS! J/K. A quick update.

Sabrina: Dancing, "swimming" in the wading pool (the best $9 I've ever spent) almost every day, smells of sunblock almost every day, wears a swimsuit almost every day, loves drawing, loves pretending, can't wait for Disneyland, can take the playroom from clean to hazardous in less than half an hour (I'm always amazed by this talent), she's a great sister to Lucy and very concerned for her welfare, and has declared "Hey Soul Sister" by Train as her favorite song (it's a phase, we hope).

Favorite Convo of the Week:
In the car heading to Harmon's, our third grocery store of the day.
Sabrina: Mom, we are tired. My legs can't walk any more. Lucy and I will just stay in the car and you can go in the store.
Mom: It's hot outside; you'd be roasting if I did that.
Sabrina: We like the hot, mom. We'll be just fine.
Mom: The police will hunt me down and get mad at me.
Sabrina: We'll be just fine, mom. We'll be just fine.
Note: There was a brief moment when I nearly took her up on this offer. After all, my mom used to do this and we were, in fact, "just fine".

Lucy: Funny, talking a lot, singing a lot, busy as a bee, stubborn as a mule, cute as a button, finally getting hair, still has curls that I love to play with, LOVES and stalks her grandpas (she's no dummy...she knows who will do whatever she wants), starting to cuddle more (she'll come up to me and say "a hug, momma?" or "a kiss, momma?"), started throwing tantrums (and man, are they good), has bleached out to quite the blondie this summer.

Lucy's first ever blog convo:
Lucy: Mom?
Mom: What?
Lucy: Mom?
Mom: What?
Lucy: Mom?
Mom: What?
Lucy: Toes.
Note: This same convo happens about 6 times per day with a different object each time.

Photos: Poolin' and at Cul-de-sac of Fire 2010 hosted by the Radmalls. Who needs Carrie Underwood? You can see the excitement in Sabrina's eyes over cheap fountains, a couple of dud tanks, and some flowers.

Getting Behind and Getting Caught Up

I am behind on this blog in a big way! I neither make nor have any excuses for it. And the thing is, I'm not sure I care much anymore. My posterity cares though, right? Actually, probably not. But just in case they do, here we go.

We went to the farm with our Smith cousins a while back and the miracle of the day was that Sabrina rode the pony by herself for the first time (after, I'd say, 5 trips to the farm in her life). I was proud. Lucy spent the day saying hello to all the animals. ("Hello, cow!" "Hello, horsie!" "Hello, duck!")

Memorial Day was spent visiting graves and having a picnic in the park. Pretty typical, yet still nice.

Sabrina goes to a dance class twice weekly and loves every minute of it. She grins ear to ear the entire time. It's always the best entertainment I get all day, so I enjoy going too. I have decided that with the right editing, her dance class would make one heck of a reality T.V. show. Why hasn't anyone thought of this?

I got together with my friends from high school for dinner at Ruth's Diner and a night over in Park City. We ate, gabbed, shopped, and got no sleep. Lots of fun, and a tradition I have come to enjoy.

While I was in Park City, Sabrina decided to cut her own hair to about chin length. I don't really know where or when this happened. When asked, she only said, "Cohen did it, Mom." Not a terrible alibi. After all, she had played with Cohen, our neighbor, one afternoon. The only problem with her story is that Cohen is blind, and I am pretty sure his mom supervises when he uses scissors. So now, she has a bob. It's really cute, so I guess I can't complain.

The day of the marathon came and so did summer's first deluge and 45 degree temps. Thanks a lot, Mother Nature! We ran in heavy rain for about 5 or 6 miles, and I've never been so happy to have a dorky visor in my life. Around mile 18 or 19 a shooting pain in my right foot began to really flare up (still don't know what's wrong), but by the time I hit that point in the race, I was going to finish no matter what! So I finished. I'm glad I did it, but I'm also glad it's over.

Oh, May.

I don't know about you, but this month has flown by and I have neglected it's happenings long enough.

1. SNOW. What the devil was that all about? In my opinion, Utah usually has 2 (possibly 3) months of solid weather. Months you can usually count on to be perfectly lovely. May and September (possibly June, too). Well, May has gotten all unreliable on me, as we awoke to about 3 to 4 inches of snow on Monday morning. In my head I keep a tally of Utah vs. Virginia stats. Let's give Virginia 1 point as Utah has proven to be a big weather disappointment this year.

2. Park City. Paul and I had the opportunity to get away for two nights to Park City, and it was lovely. We were amazed at how much we can do in one day when our kids aren't involved, so the weekend was action packed and downright enjoyable. So much so that no pictures were taken. (That's a lie. Paul wouldn't pose for a picture at the outlets as he is opposed to any pictures that show us doing normal things like shopping or eating which was pretty much what the weekend was.)

3. Rewind. Let's all take a trip back to the fall of 2004 when a young Paul and Lindsay were newlyweds, and had the opportunity to sit courtside at the Utah Jazz game courtesy of the Petersons. The Jazz press people took this lovely shot, gave it to the Petersons, and Amy e-mailed it to me this week. I wish we looked a little more ecstatic in this photo, as we both put this on our "Top 10 Life Events" list. This is NOT a normal thing, so Paul insisted that I post this. Thanks, Amy!


4. Sabrina's Program. Well, preschool is over. Sabrina had an end of the year singing program at Hadfieldadelphia to close out the year. She was really cute and funny. She smiled not only for our camera, but for all others too. We have really enjoyed watching her grow this year and change. She has LOVED school! After the program they presented her with a quilt of projects that she did throughout the year. It is very cute and a great piece of preschool we get to have forever. I have really loved her teacher, Miss Megan. She has done an awesome job!


5. Lucy Speaks. Lucy is growing and changing each day. This morning (as we were catching our last bit of shut-eye), Sabrina, being a caring and devoted sister got Lucy several stuffed animals and threw them into her crib to cheer her up. Lucy is a not a great "waker-upper" and usually takes a good half hour to get happy. With every stuffed animal that was thrown she yelled, "Don't do that!" at Sabrina over and over again. And Sabrina kept doing it over and over again. We had to chuckle.

A Little Validation

I actually have other stuff to post, but I thought this was too funny not to document. Today as I was changing Lucy's diaper Sabrina came in, noticed what I was doing and said, "Mom, you're changing Lucy's stinker. And you cleaned up my puzzle pieces. Way to go, Mom! You did it!" She then proceeded to chant, "Yay, Mom! Yay, Mom! Yay, Mom!" To which Lucy joined in. I felt like I had just won a gold medal and should take a victory lap around my apartment.

I guess I need to post...

I don't like to get behind on this thing, but this is a moment in time when I really don't have much to tell. So here's a rather boring post, just because.

Post-student-living has been wonderful for Paul so far, but the bar exam class starts on Monday, so we will see. Paul has been working for an attorney in Provo and has been pretty busy with that. He was our neighborhood's State Delegate at the Republican Convention this weekend, and enjoyed EVERY minute of it. I enjoyed getting a play by play via texts all day long.

I spent this weekend in Logan watching Jeffie graduate with a bachelor's degree from
Utah State. Way to go Jeff!

I had a great Mother's Day! I'm so blessed to be a mom and have a mom, mother-in-law, and grandma in my life.

We said goodbye to our Utah Jazz for the season last night. As Paul put it, "It was like a very sick person dying. You're sort of glad they don't have to suffer any more."

Sabrina was supposed to start her dance class yesterday, but came down with a slight fever so had to miss the first day. She'll go again tomorrow.

Lucy is very funny and busy. The other day she called for her dad by saying, "Dad! Dad!" And then getting no response started in with, "Paul! Paul!" How quickly they learn.

We've loved getting out to the Aquarium, Thanksgiving Point Gardens, the Park, and bike riding with our neighbor Sara when the weather cooperates. (I think Mother Nature hates me, as it is currently about 40 degrees outside.) If only I had taken some pictures. I'm going to be better in the future.

We have planned a trip to Disneyland for September and are very excited about that.

There is a possibility (not certain yet) that we may be moving to DC in the fall rather than after Christmas, which is sort of bittersweet at the moment.

Wow! No zest in that post, whatsoever. Blah.

Paul's Big Day

Well, the biggest event in this family since the birth of Lucy has come and gone. Paul graduated from BYU Law School on Friday, April 23rd at the Provo Tabernacle. It was a great and memorable day for us as we got to celebrate all that he has accomplished. (and the end of student living...bittersweet believe it or not)

I must give credit where credit is due. Paul has worked so hard throughout his schooling experience; his diligence to his studies never ceased to amaze me. He aimed high throughout law school and was able to achieve a lot. And while it wasn't always easy to have him gone all the time, I just couldn't be more proud of what he has done the last three years. He worked and worked and worked, yet he was also able to make good friends that we are very sad to have to say goodbye to. He loved going to lunch every day, studying at the carrels, and even the occasional "study session" in the workroom with the XBox or a BYU game on the big screen.

A special thank you goes to my mom and dad and Grandma Irene for helping me wrestle the kids for the entire two hour program. You guys earned your gold stars! (Another thank you goes to the good people who are the makers of the dum dum sucker...lifesavers!)

Here are some pictures of the big day. Sabrina's face is priceless in all these pictures. She may be the most excited of all of us to be done!

Happy 4th Birthday Sabrina!

Cliche, I know, but I really can't believe she is 4. My baby is officially a kid. And she's a great kid! Some things we love about Sabrina:
*She is a great kid at school and in primary. Her teachers love her.
*She is very bright and imaginative. There's always a pretend scenario going on in her little head.
*She makes me laugh every day. Really, every day.
*She loves to be with people. She begins each day by saying, "Mom, who's house are we going to today?" (And is rather upset when we aren't going to anyone's house.)
*She has a good attention span. (She watched the entire BBC production of Emma with me. It's 4 hours long, and for the most part she knew what was going on.)
*She is loving and concerned for Lucy.
*She is a great cuddler.
*She is a great shopper and loves the store.
*She is an overall delight and we're glad she's ours!

Here she is on her birthday's throughout the years. Happy birthday Subby! We couldn't have asked for better.

A Bubbly Birthday

I have been thinking for some time now about what kind of birthday precedent I wanted to set for our family. So when Sabrina's 4th birthday came around, I decided she was old enough to have a friend party, but I don't think I am going to start friend parties until the 4th birthday, and even then we are only going to do a friend party on their even year birthdays. Precedent set. So, with that in mind, I asked Sabrina what kind of party she wanted. She told me she wanted a bubble party. So that's what we did. We had bubble decorations, "bubbles" (white balloons) for them to play with, a bubble wrap dance floor to pop while they danced, and their own bubbles to decorate and blow outside. Add some food and cupcakes with bubble gum balls on top, and you've got yourself a party. It turned out to be great fun. (I had to take pictures of the decorations because I was cutting out circles for way too long!)