Christmas 2010

Merry Christmas 2010

Christmas Eve 2010

I love my house at Christmas time, really I love everything about Christmas time. . .who doesn't. Love the food, the lights, the spirit, the smells, the snow (well it was 2 days late, but that's ok), the nativity, the excitement, the cards from loved ones, I can go on and on. . . .but I won't. We haven't lived near family for 9 years so we are used to celebrating as a little family. Of course having Samuel has made Christmas so much fun. It really is the happiest season of all. I made a big Christmas Eve dinner for 3 - too big, but leftovers are a good thing. I attempted to make the most delicious orange rolls, soooo good. Almost as good as "Neighborhood Bakery" orange rolls in SLC. . .almost. All this talk of Christmas is getting me so excited for the upcoming season!

Gingerbread Houses . . .Jeppson Style

Pete's family has a fun tradition of making gingerbread (graham cracker) houses. I love this tradition and want to carry it on. And so we attempted to do so last year. Rather than using hot, melted sugar I made royal frosting to avoid burns. It worked ok. . . Samuel wanted a train, so he and PJ worked hard on that. Mostly Pete worked on it while Samuel ate the candy. Ah well it's time spent together.

Family Pictures on a budget

So last year, and actually this year as well, we didn't have a photographer or the funds to get a photographer. We attempted our own family pictures with our handy dandy point and shoot camera. Oh and Pete's mad timer skills. Here are a few of our outtakes. It was pretty hilarious, mostly to us. One of those you had to be there. . . .I guess.
But hey, in the end one worked out and the Christmas cards got out on time.

Mom & Son Adventures

The older Samuel gets the more fun we have (and the harder it gets, sheesh.) We have had some fun adventures discovering all there is to do in Rhode Island while PJ is hard at work. Here we are cooking up a yummy cake and another day exploring the Audubon Refuge. I am so grateful I can stay home with my little guy. Time is passing too quickly.

Fall 2010

We have since moved (yes again!) but last year we had an amazing backyard. It was big and beautiful and Samuel was in heaven.

Halloween 2010

Probably not a big surprise that Samuel wanted to be a fireman for Halloween. He was a great fireman! We had a ward Trunk or Treat, which was so fun. Then on Halloween he and Pete walked the neighborhood. After he was happy with all his candy he sat on the front porch yelling for kids to come to our house. Fun Times.

Memories from November 2010

Last November (yes about a year ago!) we had Pete's sister, Marianne and family come out and visit us. We toured all of RI and Boston. It was so much fun! So much fun that they are coming back again this year.
( Hopefully it won't take 11 months to post those pictures.)

Yes I know this collage looks more like "the many cute faces of Samuel" but really how can I choose just one when he is so darn cute. Love this guy.

Here we go again. . .again

Yes I've said it before, but hopefully now it will be the real thing. I've discovered picnik and made some collages. Before I catch up I thought I'd try it out first. Here is what we did this weekend.

Seafood Festival in Newport.
Delicious food and great music, another reason to love RI.

Later in the afternoon we went to Clark Farms for some fall festivities.





More to come. . .

More Catch Up - it's a long one

We had an amazing fall that lasted forever, I think I can get used the weather here. We took advantage of the lovely weather and went on a couple outings. Our first outing was to Lincoln State Park, it was very pretty - but I have to say I was a bit let down. I guess because I just have grown to love the ocean so much. Then and there we decided as long as we live by the ocean that is where our outings will take us.

A few weekends later some people told us about Beavertail State Park. It's a favorite spot now. There is a lighthouse and cliffs you can hike on, all while watching the sail boats in the bay with the sunsetting in the west - perfect.

One Saturday we were driving through the country side enjoying the fall leaves when we stumbled upon the cutest little farm. They had all the fall festivities going on there, but for some reason it wasn't crowded at all. We had such a great time.

I'm telling you people I'm really falling in love with Rhode Island.

I feel like I'm living in a lands end catalog

-I just need a New England cottage and a chocolate lab to complete the picture-

Lincoln State Park

a view from Samuel's eyes

Beavertail State Park

obviously not my picture

We played a little football, drank hot chocolate and ate homemade donuts.

Clark Farm

Not really sure why, but I love this picture of Samuel. love his little legs, shoes and hat. I love how he's always so curious - trying to look under the hood of the tractor. such a cutie.

please take note of the smiling donkey. as soon as I started taking pictures he started smiling. NO joke!

long, fun, pipe slide that we went on again and again and again. . . .

when it got dark they lit a big bon fire and had s'mores, really how great is this farm?!

we ended the evening on a tractor hay ride through the woods. we'll definitely be going back next year.

Fireman Sam

I'm sure I've mentioned a time or two (or three) how obsessed Samuel is with fireman. Did you know that there is a show on PBS called 'Fireman Sam' - crazy but true. One of Samuel's little girlfriends here in RI calls him Fireman Sam, like that is the name he was born with, I love it.

Anyway I found this awesome fireman costume at Costco, so we got it for Halloween. Being the amazing dad that he is, Pete often takes Samuel for a walk to our local fire station to see the trucks and firemen. On this particular day the firetruck was just getting back and they were draining the excess water out of the hoses and let Samuel HELP! I wasn't there, but luckily Pete had the camera to capture the fun.

THIS. IS. LITTLE. BOY. HEAVEN.

The firemen all LOVED his costume and said it looked better than what the state gives them to wear - poor firemen.

okay here we go again. . .

December is a crazy month. Love it. Don't understand why it goes soooo fast. Faster and faster the older I get.

Now I sound old.

Anyway here's a little of what I've been up to the last couple of weeks. Monday and Tuesday after New Year's Weekend I started the "deep clean" and some organizing. I found some ikea bookshelves on craigslist for Samuel's playroom. I've been dreaming of these shelves for a couple years, so I was so excited to find them for a steal on craigslist. I've also wanted to get some shelves & baskets to organize my kitchen a little better.

Thanks to a Target gift card for Christmas all my dreams came true!

thanks marj!

The Playroom

Kitchen Shelves

The other small project I worked on this weekend was making cake plates. A few months ago I went to my new favorite store - SAVERS (it's like goodwill or DI) anyway I found some cute plates and candlesticks with hopes of making cake plates to handout Christmas treats.

Oh that darn road paved with good intentions - I know it well.

No treats were handed out. . .but I still wanted to make the cake plates.

I think they turned out pretty cute.

So cute I'm not sure I can part with them now!