Snow Day Part 2

When we got home from Nana's house I went out to measure our snow. It measured 4.5 inches which is a lot for us.

When Sam got home we went straight outside because it was getting dark. By now we had even more snow. It had not stopped falling.

Sam made a quick mini snowman.

Caroline was not as into the snow tonight. She just wanted to be held. I think that being all dressed up it was a challenge for her to walk through the deep snow. She fell down often.

We noticed that there was a lot of snow on the slide. I challenged Katherine to go down it.
She is normally not very daring so I did not know if she would go down the snow filled slide. She did!
I was expecting a faster ride with snow flying up but she just pushed it down as she went.

She thought it was pretty cool and there was quite a pile of snow at the bottom when she got off.
Caroline thought it was pretty funny.
And seconds later just wanted to be held again.
Katherine made snow angels.
And she made a quick larger snowman with daddy. By now it was dark and getting colder so the snowman did not get any facial features or accessories.

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Sam!

I feel lo blessed that my kids have such a wonderful daddy. When he comes home from work they are both so excited to see him. I love that he is such an involved dad that does not hesitate to jump into any parenting task. I got lucky that when I married Sam I not only found a great husband but a great daddy too.

We had a great Father's Day. After church we went to my parents house where we had lunch, opened presents, watched TV and took naps. The girls even cooperated and took some good pictures with their daddy.

It was a little more difficult to get a good picture with Pops.

For Father's Day I made Sam a scrapbook to put a Father's Day photo with the girls in each year. It was so easy as this was only the 4th Father's Day. I think we should be able to keep up with it. We also gave him some BBQ accessories and a day to work in the workshop with his friend Richard. That was yesterday and I will post on what the girls did later.

Pops was also given some new BBQ accessories to go with the BBQ grill that we gave him 2 years ago. Pops is a wonderful grandfather to my girls and a great daddy to me. His New Year's resolution was to see the girls more, weekly if possible so when he hears that they are going to be at their house during the day he will come home for lunch if he can. He and Katherine like to go out in the backyard to play soccer. Considering he was my soccer coach for years I would not be surprised if he has her doing drills before long.

We were all tired. Caroline fell asleep first so we decided to put Katherine down for a nap. Then Sam and Pops fell asleep on the couches.

I did a little Father's Day questionnaire with Katherine. Her answers were pretty funny and seemed to revolve a bit around food which was funny.

Katherine’s 2009 Father’s Day Questions

I really love it when my daddy bake a cake.
My dad likes to bake eggs.
My dad always tells me to make bagels.
The best thing he does is bake eggs.
It makes him happy when he eat cake.
My dad loves to relax by on the bed.
The best thing he cooks is pancakes.

When my dad shops he likes to buy pizza.
My dad’s favorite household chore is clean the floor.
My dad’s favorite TV show is basketball.
If he could go on a trip, he would go to Austin.
I love my dad because I like to kiss him and hug him.

My favorite thing to do with daddy is play puzzles and play dress up.

Sweet Snuggles

We are so lucky that both of our girls love to snuggle. One of Sam's favorite things is when Caroline falls asleep on his chest. So sweet.

Babywearing

At the NASA center in Huntsville, AL

This is an entry for the June Babywearing Photo Contest at Peppermint (a great online and DFW resource for baby carriers). This month's theme is dad's carrying babies. I am so lucky that Sam is such a helpful dad and he carries Katherine almost as much as I do. The only reason it is less is because I am with her more.

I am so excited about baby Squeak arriving in a few weeks because I will be able to try out a lot more baby carriers. With Katherine we had a few but I was a little timid for some reason. Then when she was about 15 months we bought the Patapum. I LOVE IT. This is a back carrier but not bulky like the hard frame backpacks that most people have. I love that it folds up small enough to keep in the car and even carry in the stroller. I like having options. She is 28 months old and still gets carried in the Patapum several times a week. I love that it keeps her with me and allows me to still use my hands. It keeps her safe (several photos are from very un- childproof outings). It also allows Katherine to see from an adults eye level. We have used it for walks around the neighborhood and walks across Scandinavia. I have been through countless airport security checks with her on my back. It is the best $$ I have spent on a baby item.

Anyway, here is a tribute to Sam, my baby wearing husband.

At the Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen





On a boat visiting the fjords of Norway

In the Vasa Museum in Stockholm
In Helsinki in a full snowsuit, hat and mittens
In Colorado at Bishop's Castle

Happy Birthday

Today is Sam's 34th birthday. We discussed that birthdays are no longer as much fun as they used to be. The reason - you still have adult responsibilities of work, cooking dinner, changing diapers and taking care of sick kids. Add that to the fact that the gifts are not as exciting and you are no longer able to have your party at places like Chuck E Cheese or Pump It Up and it is just kind of a downer.

Today was especially low for Sam. It started when Katherine woke up at 6:15. He is taking morning duty as we are finishing off weaning. As soon as he went in to get her she wanted to eat so there was no chance of getting her back to sleep. Since she has been a little sick we decided that only one of us should go to church and the other stay with her. He chose to stay with her for some quality father daughter time. Usually a good choice, today bad move. Katherine was still having some stomach issues and was a bit fussy.

We were going to meet my parents for lunch and to see the train display at the mall. Sam had a hard time getting out of the house and by the time he got to the mall, Katherine had fallen asleep in the car so he decided to go home. Usually she transfers pretty easily to her crib but not today. After a lot of crying and clinging to mom and dad I finally got a 30 minute nap out of her. Not enough sleep! So she was cranky all day.

Our evening plans included having Jen, Richard and their 1 year old Evie as well as Gary, Alysha and their 2 boys Caleb and Ethan over. Katherine was so fussy (read hysterically crying) and we were having such a hard time getting dinner ready that I thought about calling to cancel. I am so glad we did not. The evening with close friends was what salvaged Sam's birthday. Both of these families are some of our closest friends and they understand things like fussy kids, dinner that runs late and a less (much less) than perfect house. Luckily, once Katherine had her friends over her attitude changed and she was a pretty good girl.

After everyone left and Katherine was in bed, Sam was able to open presents. Like I mentioned, a 34 year old does not get the best presents. He received a rain check for brown dress shoes, a casual shirt, an electric tooth brush, king size pillow cases for his funky chiropractic pillow, 2 CD's, Godiva coffee (a perk of after Christmas sales), and a BBQ wireless thermometer. I think he ended up doing just fine.

Another perk of his 34th birthday. It is the eve of his last day working at his current company. He has had the last week off for the holidays and he has the next two weeks off before he starts his new job. We are enjoying time with the family, completing projects and getting things done.

Happy Birthday Honey! I love you!