We had Christmas Eve with all the family this year at my Mom's house...then we spent the night there and waited for Santa to come!!  Samantha left him milk, cookies, a piece of chocolate and a candy cane.  He must have been hungry after bringing all her presents down the chimney because he ate it all.  She was so excited to get up in the morning and see that Santa had come.  She got her dollhouse and a stroller for her baby doll and of course just a few other things...
 

Santa brought me an iPad....

 

Our first Christmas as a family of four!!

After all the presents were opened and the rest of us were watching the parade and cleaning up this was how we found Samantha and Papa.....passed out!!!

We had such a great Christmas and hope that everyone else did too!!!

Christmas with 'Family'!!

We celebrated an early Christmas with or second family...the Beeghlys and the Coburns!!!
It was a cookie decorating party. Samantha decorated some cookies to leave for Santa on Christmas Eve and then quickly ran off to do other things like color and play hide and seek with Uncle Jeff. The rest of the 'kids' finished the decorating and lets just say cookie decorating is always fun when there are Coburn kids involved!!!

Samantha loves her Auntie and so does Sheldon already!!!

Our two kids are so spoiled by these two families. Tio Brian even bought Samantha her own GIANT box of Chex Mix so she wouldn't have to get it out of the vending machine at the bowling alley every week. Like I said...spoiled but loved so much too!!!

Family Pictures 2011.....Take Two

After our Sheldon came home we rushed to do a round of picture of just our little family for our Christmas cards. Paul did them here at home and here we are...a brand new family of FOUR!!!!

I am pretty sure this one is my favorite. It just says so much about our life right as this moment in time....

Santa Clause

We are pretty sure that between all the trips that Samantha took with us and my parents this year that she saw Santa about 7 times....I guess she really wanted to make sure he knew what she wanted under the tree!! Christmas is an absolute obsession in our house. We watch Christmas movies around the clock, talk about Santa and where he lives and have started a new Elf on the Shelf tradition (If you don't know what an Elf on the Shelf is you will have to ask Samantha...the story is so much better coming from her). Samantha even has her own Christmas tree in her room passed down to her from Auntie Jess.

Oh and this year she asked Santa for a dollhouse and a stroller for her baby. So much different from last years pizza request!!

Sheldon Leo

Our baby boy is here!!!
Sheldon Leo was born on December 1st at 8:05am. He was 6lbs 6oz and 19in long. He is already such a sweet baby and we are so happy to have him in our lives!! Samantha loves being a big sister...it is the first thing she tells people when she sees them. It is really cute how much she just loves him. We spent 4 days in the hospital and then finally got to go home once both of us were in the best of health. I am still on the LONG road of recovery and we are all learning how to have a newborn in the house.....

Tiny Dancer

Samantha is now a tiny dancer and loving every minute of it...she is learning so much so fast and then she comes home to teach us!! She wasn't quite sure she liked it in the beginning. After a few weeks she decided that she wanted to wear the fun skirts that the other girls were wearing and now she asks to go every day. She even has her first recital coming up in December and we are so excited. Hopefully I get a good picture of her in her outfit!!

Cute as a....Penguin!!

This Halloween all Samantha wanted to be was a Penguin....I tried to talk her out of it but she was stuck on the idea so that is what she was complete with a penguin face hat, white belly and yellow penguin feet!!! She was definitely the cutest penguin I have ever seen and had so much fun trick-or-treating!! We went to so many houses that I am pretty sure I was the one that looked more like a penguin waddling down the street by the end...

Family Pictures 2011

We did this years family pictures a little early this year so I wouldn't be too huge and uncomfortable while taking them...I think they turned out beautiful!!! There are WAY too many to post on the blog so here is just a glimpse of our good looking family.

Somehow it is when I am looking at these pictures that I realize how big our 'little' girl is getting. It makes me sad...

Sea World

Paul had to go to San Diego for work so we took advantage and made a family fun weekend out of it!! Samantha loved the hotel room and jumping on the bed into all the pillows...she thinks it is her exercising (I wish it was that easy). There was a pool but we had so much to do that we didn't even have time to use it. The highlight of the weekend was taking Samantha on her first trip to Sea World!!!! She would ask us to take her so she could see the penguins and whales every time she saw the commercial on TV so we got her tickets to go. She was in heaven....

After we got used to the very cold water in the tide pools Samantha didn't want to leave and then she wanted to watch every show again and again!! We were able to see every show and of course the favorite animal of the day were the....

PENGUINS!!!!!
Samantha is just absolutely in love with penguins. She picked out a very cute stuffed one with a Sea World sweater on to take home with her. She loves him and treats him like her baby...before we left the penguin even got his own photo shoot!!!

We had the best time and hopefully we will get the chance to go back someday soon!!!

Gymnastics!!

This summer Samantha started gymnastics!!!! She has so much fun running around and learning how to tumble....she calls it her 'exercising' and looks forward to it every week!!!