Valentine Cookie Decorating Party

(or, as I like to call it, More Reasons to Love Cal's House)


A before picture - post decorating first cookie, pre-eating it. "Neemee eat it now?"


mmm... "icing nummy..."


"Cookie!"


Icing! Even pink tastes good. This table is a toddler's dream come true! :)


Clockwise from left: Sammy, Cal, Colin, Hannah - we had *so* much fun!!!


I decorated this cookie special for Daddy. I made it look like "dirt that Digger dug" (a design technique that required me to run my finger through the frosting and eat it - most of it).


Seriously, the chocolate icing was my favorite. I even decided to save some for later.


Leah's Toddler Diner Rules!


My friends and their moms are funny!

I *love* going to Cal's house.

Reasons I love going to Cal's house

(In no particular order...)


Cal's Buzz Lightyear Rocketship (very cool - it goes to the MOON!)


"Baby Ike"


Superbowl cupcakes!


Cal, of course!


Again, cupcakes


And, "Cal nunny" - i.e. Cal funny

"Trucks on the road. They work very hard."

If you didn't know better and were reading the book TRUCKS to me for the first time, you might think I can read. But I just know the words - I don't get the words exactly as they are on the page (except for the first and last page, noted in the title), but I can tell you what each truck does and where it might be going (i.e. over the bridge, in the tunnel, etc.).

I'm a smarty pants. (I'm also currently a cranky pants, but no need to ruin a good story with those details.)

A haircut, "cheese" boots and overall silliness.

Does my head look bigger with this new cut?


Said "cheese" boots - boots are what he calls slippers, and for some reason he thinks Sponge Bob is a big piece of cheese with a toothy grin (he hasn't seen the show so we think this is pretty creative!).

And acting like a nut...






Photos were taken Wednesday night. On Thursday night he came down with another illness, his second of the winter, this one involving a high fever and thus far a couple sleepless nights but so far no other symptoms.

Sammy and Jess photo shoot

Because who doesn't think it's fun to take silly pictures with your mom?


goofy smiles


We look *so* much alike!


I have a great smile.


Here's my Zoolander pose.

I kept saying, "More pictures?" So you can only imagine how many we took.

Sammy peeled a Clementine

I started the first piece, but then I gave him the orange to peel himself. Honestly I didn't expect him to peel it - it was more a desperation, "Here work on this and be quiet/still for a minute!" thing but it worked and he was so proud of himself afterward. And very pleased to *finally* be able to eat the orange.

5:48 p.m. Update: It wasn't a fluke. He just peeled another one. This is great!

Snow day, take 2.

I tried playing in the snow for a second time at Hannah's house. After a huge lunch we bundled up and headed outside.


We all took turns going down Hannah's snowy slide.


Wee! That was fun!


Following the bunny tracks.


Hannah is very comfortable in the snow - she followed the bunny tracks really far!


After one more trip down the slide I was at the door asking to go in, but Cal and Hannah are still content (yeah, that's Cal eating snow). For those of you who were worried, it turns out I'm part Texan afterall. ;-)

Fun at Hannah's house!

I took the lotion out of Mom's bag and we all took turns putting some on. In Minnesota everyone's gotta moisturize!


Miss Lisa organized an exciting game of "Bug Roll" - it was lots of fun!


"mmmm...Sammy eat orange...." After a few rounds of rolling the "bugs" back and forth, we toddlers became overcome by hunger and started seeing the oranges as food again!


The baby brothers were there, too. Someday Matthew and Isaac and my little brother Freddie are going to be a trio of troublemakers like me, Cal and Hannah!

Strange boy

"Sammy drinking milk in the fridge!"


Um, it was about 25 degrees today, so not hot. I am not sure why he wanted to sit in the fridge. After pictures were taken he was told to relocate to a new spot so we didn't have to throw all of our food away.

Cute boy

From Sammy's fortune cookie:

"You will get what you want with your charming personality."

Snow day!

I am not sure about the snow yet. My friend, Cal, however, had a blast out there today. I might feel a little more comfortable in the snow once Mom figures out the correct way to put my layers on. Sheesh. You'd think we're from Texas or something...

Jumping with Kennedy! (and Emma the Dog)

A popsicle for sick boy - he really likes them!

Concocting something in the sink

"Sammy a flirt!"

Tonight at dinner I was flirting with a little girl who was playing peek-a-boo with me over the booth. She would pop up and I would smile and roll my head in a flirty way. I started saying, "Sammy a flirt!" I am very cute.

Also, I now like to sing along to "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Whenever I hear it I join along singing, "Wittle star, wittle star." Also very cute.

Good memories.

The other day I was riding in the car watching the planes take off and land from the airport. I started talking about my most recent trip. "Sammy fly airplane Texas!" Then, a couple minutes later said, "Sammy play piano ee-ma house." Of course, not long after that I ask to go to Leah's ("Cal's green house") and play piano.

And today when Mama asked me what I would like for lunch I promptly replied, "Mowwwnies." (brownies) She asked me where we have brownies and I said, remembering a New Year's dinner we went to, "Kelsey's house." I thought about it some more and said, "Sammy go Kelsey's house eat mowwwnies!" A likely lunch plan if there ever was one.

Ya know, I'm usually a fan of doubles. There's one of my favorite games, "Double Boo" (peek-a-boo with two people hiding), and when you're rocking two awesome things, like a new car seat and boots, "Double Cool." But one thing that comes in doubles in NOT FUN or COOL - a DOUBLE EAR INFECTION.

A double ear infection means the infection is in both ears. The doctor seemed to think mine was pretty nasty. But I'm on antibiotics now so hopefully that gunky stuff will clear up soon and I'll be my normal self once again. At least I'm not contagious so I can still hang with my buddies when I have the energy. But I can't promise I won't have a meltdown if I get past my exhaustion point....

more pictures

Now that our camera has fully charged batteries I can finally upload these shots and show y'all what I've been up to!


Yesterday, testing out the "Cow Car Seat!" Nana got me for Christmas! Also trying on my snow boots. I know, I'm looking good. (Okay, maybe not true since I have a cold and won't let Mom wipe my nose or face.)


December 19th, 2006 - the day before we left for Christmas in Texas. Helping Mom with the laundry.


Hey, I'm a kid. We like laundry baskets.


Later that night, opening Christmas presents from Mom and Dad.


"Wow! A big twain!"


I couldn't wait to get this out of the box and set up. "More twains!"

Happy New Year!

(and happy birthday to my "Uncle" Cody!)


We finally got a good dumping of snow on New Year's Eve.


Daddy and Mama went to an 80's New Year's Eve party (guess what they went as?), while I rang in the new year with Cal and his 'rents. (I was asleep.)


Starting off 2007 with shoveling - a good snowy shot of our "red house."


I love the snow!


So does Emma, although Mom is getting a little tired of wiping soggy doggie paws all day.