We Have an Announcement!

It is January 6th, 2010 and we finally received the news we had been hoping for.  Samantha is going to be a big sister!!  We are all so very excited.  The message on the board in the picture above is how I told Andrew the big news.  I had thought about it and researched different ideas online how best to break the news, and this is what I came up with.  Andrew passed by several times without paying any attention to the message board so I finally had to drop a hint.  Samantha was squeeling and laughing and he came out of his office and asked what the excitement was all about.  I told him she was really happy about the message that was written on the board.  It took a few seconds...and then we celebrated.

Three Christmases

Christmas at Grammy & Papa's

In order to avoid any scheduling conflicts, Joe & Peggy decided many years ago that they would host the Herb Family Christmas the weekend before the actual holiday.  This means that everyone in the family gets at least two Christmases!  It is always a lot of fun and everyone especially looks forward to the traditional evening meal of fried chicken and oysters. 

The younger cousins, Brett, Brianna, and Samantha get to open their presents first. 

Samantha sporting her new scarf, made by Brianna!

Brianna getting silly with new underpants.

Adult Present Time!

Papa Joe, Aunt Debbie, Uncle Scott, & Cousin Christopher

The Littlest Photographer

I love this look on Andrew!!

Sami very excited about the Ewok - an old toy that belonged to Andrew when he was a teen.  Dan & Kelly decided it was our turn to take possession of these hairy creatures.

Big smiles from Papa Joe & Uncle Dan.  Must have been a good Christmas!

Christmas Morning

Andrew and I enjoy spending Christmas morning with just our family.  This was technically our second Christmas as parents, but this year we weren't quite as overwhelmed as last year...and it was also so much fun to watch Sami open not only her presents, but ours too!

Ross Family Christmas

After a nice morning at home, we headed over to mom and dad's for more Christmas fun. 

Now that she's a real pro at gift opening, Sami jumps right in to lend a helping hand to Uncle Ryan.

What better way to wrap a new frying pan!

Favorite picture of the year...a monkey from uncle Chris.  So much joy on her face!

Hobo Chris

Enjoying one of his last opportunities to snugle with little Sami.  Chris was off to Australia for a whole year in just a few days.

I just love her messy hair!

Good ol' fashion family time.

New jammies and new rocking chair.  Life couldn't be better!

Merry Christmas Everyone and Have a Happy New Year!

Thanksgiving Weekend at the Herb Farm

Our family tradition for the long Thanksgiving weekend has been to spend Thursday with my family and then we jump in the car on Friday morning and head south to Stayton to be with the Herb clan for the remainder of the weekend.  Once again, we made great time with no traffic slowdowns or weather delays.  That's the good news....the not so good news is that little Sami was not feeling 100% and just after midnight the first night, woke up with a high fever of 105.  As a new mom, and this being the first major fever, you can imagine I was a bit shaken, but after making all the phonecalls to on-call nurses and a doctor, was able to calm down a little and get through the night without having a nervous breakdown - and of course I have to mention that Andrew was amazing and spent much of the night rocking Sami, trying to keep her as comfortable as possible.  By mid-morning the fever broke and we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the weekend.  Phew!

Papa Joe had the brilliant idea of teaching Sami how to rub the top of her head...and at mealtime when her hands were smeared with sweet potatoes, bananas, or yogurt...he would remind her of this nifty skill.  :)

A happy birthday card from Auntie Mary.

Hangin with cousin Joe

Gettin' squirmy with cousin Christopher

I think the boys were trying to intimidate me to keep me from taking their picture.  Didn't work though...I'm just too dedicated to my blog! :)

Sami's bib says, "What Happens at Grandma's Stays at Grandma's".

Joe admiring a special ring, a gift from Grammy & Papa.

The story that goes along with the ring in this picture (I hope I get it right) is that it belonged to Papa Joe.  It was Papa's senior ring from 1960.    50 years later, it was showing a little wear and tear, but after some time with a professional jewler, it looked as good as new.  Thankfully. the inscription of Papa's initials and the date are still legible.  And if that wasn't special enough, young Joe's initials and graduation date were added, not to mention the diamond from one of Mama's watches that was set into the newly polished onyx stone.  Now Joe doesn't normally display a lot of emotion (at least not that I have seen), but on this occasion, everyone could tell that he was truly blessed and appreciative of this very special gift. 

Thanksgiving just isn't Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie!

Sooooo Yummy!

The fascination with adult shoes has begun!

Just can't leave the Herb Farm without a Christmas tree!  And we found the perfect one.  This is to be Sami's tree and the plan is for her to help me decorate it with indestructable ornaments only!

This is the tree that Dan, Kelly, and the kids picked out and marked for themselves.  To play a fun joke on them, Andrew added all the extra ribbins with phrases like "do not touch", "hand's off", "this tree is mine now", etc.  I'm sure future customers had some questions when they saw this :).

He was so very proud of himself :)

Happy 1st Birthday Sami!

We made it!  Yesterday was not only a celebration of Samantha and her first birthday, but also a celebration for Andrew and I and the fact that we survived our first year as parents - wahoo!  The past year has been unlike any other as we have experienced amazing joy and delight and countless moments that we cherish more than words can describe.  We couldn't be more proud of our little Sami and we thank the Lord each and every day that he has allowed us to be her parents.  Happy Birthday sweet baby!

Dinner time.  One of Sami's favorite food is noodles, so I decided to have chicken and mushroom fettucine alfredo.  She is a real pro at slurping up the noodles :)

Besides my immediate family, we had a few other family friends that joined in on the celebration including Odette Singleton, Jared and Dianne Dodson, and Heather Wallace.

And now for the main event....presents of course!

This gift bag, when opened makes the sound of a baby laughing.  It is the cutest thing and Samantha got the biggest kick out of it and joined right on on the laughs which infected the rest of us as well :)

Reading a card from Uncle Ryan and Uncle Chris.  "Little Lady....You are the queen of cute!" 

A few weeks ago when we were at Macy's with my mom, shopping for Sami's birthday, I had let Sami down so she could run around a bit.  On the floor there were several baskets full of stuffed animals that caught her attention.  She looked them all over and picked out this cute little lamb.  Then she grabbed another lamb just like it proceeded to run around the store with her two little lambs, one under each arm.  She was hugging them and burrying her face in their soft fur.  Of course, I couldn't help but buy one. Then at home, when she wasn't looking, I put it away and she forgot all about it.  When she opened it, she was just as delighted with her little lamb as she was at the store.

Visiting with Odette...for a moment...and then she was off again.

Excited about the bouncy turtle from Auntie Kay!

She hopped right on, knowing exactly what to do.  Giddyup turtle!

First babydoll from Grandma (Mary) - complete with stroller, high chair, and playpen.

And now for cake...

I almost forgot about this hat I bought and once I put it on it lasted for...oh about a half second.

Later I felt guilty about letting her eat so much frosting.  The adults felt a little ill just watching her shovel it in.

Back to the toys....got lots of energy now!!

New outfit from Uncle Ryan and Uncle Chris.

Spiky frosting hairdo!

"Thankyou for the presents!  I love them all!!"

"I sat by the lake. I looked at the sky, and as I looked, a fly went by."

Sami's Grammy and Papa sent this very special book which has been a Herb family favorite since her daddy was a little boy.