Halloween, HALLOWEEN, Halloween!!!!

Confession time... Halloween is my least favorite holiday. I am not sure I want my posterity to know this about me. After all, how could someone not like Halloween? So I am attempting in this post to be positive about this most pagan, sugary holiday.


We attended the Law School Halloween party and costume parade, where Sabrina and Lucy got a ton of OOHS and AHHS for my rendition of "Little Bo Peep and her sheep." Despite being downright adorable, they failed to win a prize. The prize went to the "Risky Business" cop-out costume where a baby came in nothing but a collared shirt and a diaper ala Tom Cruise.(Hey, I may not be into Halloween, but I am still competitive. Next year I am taking it to the Old Navy for costumes.) We then trick or treated through the study carrels and came home with a TON of GREAT candy!! (We actually really did have a good time at this event, despite my sarcasm).






Halloween came the next day, and we did the traditional party at Grandma Shar's with all the kiddos. Grandma outdid herself and made mummy pizza, cracker spiders, and apple monster mouths. After that we headed to Grandma Irene's and Grandma Sampson's. By the time our visiting was done, Sabrina had chocolate on her costume, had an accident in her bloomers, and refused to wear her hat. So that was that. Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Note: Paul and I didn't dress up. In fact we have only ever dressed up once as the "color red"...all red clothes bought at DI. I also must apologize to Lucy for the hat. It reminds me of that scene in the Christmas Story where Ralphy comes down the stairs humiliated in the bunny costume.

Fun in the Fall

Here are some classic Fall pictures of classic Fall activities that we participated in this year. Classic.




There are 10 months of the year that I adore the big mature trees that cover our yard. Can you guess the 2 months that I don't? Luckily, Shelley and Nolan stopped by to help this year. At least Sabrina likes this kind of work.



Same pumpkins, different year. I guess I really should add "different method" to that list. Call me a scrooge, stickler, neat freak, or what you will, but I just really didn't want to clean out pumpkins. So we took Sharpies to ours. Paul will forever commemorate this special time of year (the start of the NBA season) with a Utah Jazz pumpkin; I will forever make a silly face; and Sabrina will find her own signature pumpkin in due time.

Who is this baby?

I remember thinking this with Sabrina too. Lucy is changing every day. She is one month old today and cuter than ever. Formula really packs on the pounds! Sabrina still likes her. Don't let the pained look on her face fool you! She's actually trying to smile.

Lulu at 3 Weeks

Today we had a little photo shoot. Tomorrow, Lucy will be 3 weeks old. Last week she weighed 6 lbs. 5 oz. and was 19 1/2 inches long. She is still very tiny, but I think she is gaining weight every day. I have changed my mind...I don't think she looks like Sabrina very much any more. Although, I change my mind every day. She's not sleeping through the night...not even close. I don't know who's in charge of handing out the "natural sleepers" in heaven, but we are 0 for 2 so far. Sabrina took some training. In time, we will sleep again. This is what keeps me going!!!

Oh, and of course, a little someone refused to be left out of the photo fun. So here's one of her.



We are hoping that in time, she can teach Lulu to cheese.

All About PJ...

I was tagged for Paul. I thought I should note that Paul and I started this blog together (each posting) and slowly I have taken over. In fact, isn't it weird that women have slowly taken over these blogs? Didn't blogs used to belong to computer geeks? Just a thought. On to the tag...

What's his name: Paul Joseph Sampson (PJ, PJ Funny Bunny, Peej, Linda)
How long have you been married: 5 years in April
Who said I love you first: Paul (not surprising...he made all the first moves)
Who is taller: HELLO! How many guys do you know who are 5'1'?
Who sings better: I'm going to go with me on this one since it has recently been proven that Paul does NOT have perfect pitch.
Who is smarter: Paul is extremely smart in all things important (church, school, etc). I am extremely smart in all things unimportant (reality TV, chick ficks, Jane Austen novels, etc.)
Who pays the bills: Student Loans right now. Oh, you mean who actually writes the checks? Me (my handwriting is better).
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed: Usually Paul, but lately me so I can get to Lucy without hassle.
Who mows the lawn: Paul. I have never mowed a lawn in my life.
Who cooks dinner: Me. Paul has never cooked dinner in his life.
Who drives: Paul always drives.
Who is more stubborn: Me.
Who kissed who first: Paul kissed me. Terry patiently waited in the car.
Who asked who out: I asked Paul to Sadie Hawkins when we were 16. Post-mission though, he asked me out (nearly killed me twice on that date).
Who proposed: Paul did. I'm not that kind of gal.
His best feature: His smile.
His best characteristic: His optimism and work ethic.
Who has more siblings: Paul has 4 brothers and 3 sisters. 2 of each for me.
Who wears the pants in the family: According to our landlord, me. I'm actually not really sure.
What do we like to do together: Talk, watch sports, watch shows, watch movies, covet houses, share cute stories about our kids.

Now I tag: Anyone who wants/needs a time waster.

Thanks and No Thanks

I just thought I'd give some "thank yous" to the things/people I love about having a new baby (and also some "no thank yous" to some things I don't love about postpartum life).

Thanks to the people who brought us meals. There is something so nice about not having to prepare your own food. Aish really outdid herself with some great tilapia (sp?) with lemon cream sauce. Delightful.

No Thanks to me for freezing a lasagna that I thought would be just as good as fresh lasagna. Not so.

Thanks to the person who decided to put the 2% spandex into our jeans. I am not saying the fit is flattering on my "3 sizes bigger than usual" jeans yet. They are, however, zipped.

No Thanks to me for trying on my "normal" jeans before the 2 month mark (Who am I kidding? The 5 or 6 month mark seems a little more realistic).

Thanks to Sabrina for being great with the baby. She loves Lucy.

No Thanks to sleep deprivation.

Thanks to Lucy for making sleep deprivation a little more enjoyable. There's no one I'd rather be with at 11:30...2:30...4:45...6:45.

Thanks and No Thanks to Sabrina for somehow slipping her sippy cup of milk past her distracted mother and placing it in her pretend fridge in her play kitchen only to be found a day later. Thanks for the laughs. No Thanks for the smell.

Thanks to Paul for taking the between 5 and 7 AM feeding, having laundry parties with me, doing dishes, etc.

And lastly, No Thanks to Lucy for already getting bigger. I think I could be happy holding a newborn for the rest of my life.

You tell me

Here are some pictures of our sleeping beauties (or as Sabrina would say "sweeping gooties"). Lately, Lucy has been looking a lot more like Sabrina as a newborn. Darker, yes, but there are some similarities. What do you think?

Sabrina:



Lucy: