The cutest pumpkin ever!

I mean, really, isn't she cute? And I don't even like Halloween! The pumpkin's a keeper!

Belated

These days, about all I can muster is updating a week late. I'm sorry. We LOVED apple picking at Brooksby last Saturday. It was a perfect day. We picked our pumpkin, ate apples galore and visited the animals. Fall in New England...sigh!

California Dreamin'

Last weekend, Samara and I traveled to San Francisco to meet baby Fiona. It was a SUPER meeting/reunion. How lucky I feel to have a sister with a baby so close in age. There really is no bond like motherhood. Here are a few pics from our trip. Above is the reaction the lovely little one gave Samara upon first laying her eyes on her.
Below is me and Sammy watching the blue-angels in the famous San Francisco Bay.

My pretty sister and her pretty baby.

Cousins! Smiling! So happy to be together!

Me and my perfect niece!

I'm a lady who likes my baths

My baby and her baby

According to Steve and Samara's toast this evening (I say anything for a cheers!) I am now a Granny!

Sunday

Earlier, I popped out to take a few photos in the yard and Samara made it very clear she wanted to come out again, for the 10th time that day. First she tried to make it about finishing that book we'd just read a couple dozen times, but then, book to the floor, well you can see for yourself, it's pretty hard to resist that face... (As you can see from the dirty fingers on the glass, she spends a fair amount of time waving at the world going by.)

She is sporting the Babies for Boobies shirt she got at last year's Breast Friends walk in Marblehead. We did it again this morning in memory of Sara who so sadly lost her fight this past Wednesday. Samara walked about a 1/3 of the neck (!) and was a great sport. It's pretty incredible how little ones have an innate sense of when it's time to be at your best. Yesterday was one year since Papa's death; August 12 was Nana's one year mark. It is hard and sad to believe it's been a year already. I remember little 8 week old Samara sitting with me at Nana's funeral, our reason to go on, being the angelic and perfect doll we so needed right then. She has a big heart, our little girl. We were proud of her today, doing her part in the fight against breast cancer.

Thanks, Hurd

Sweet Hilary send me this gorgeous color dress for 2 year olds, but Mama and Dada like me in the European look, not showing to much skin, and so I wear it now.

Reading bilingual books is one of my favorite smarty-pants pass times, when the computers are hidden away!

Animation Studio

Thank you, Godmother

Godmother Susan got October off to a fab start with my very own spooky package complete with...

Glowsticks!

Crazy creatures!

Flatware!

And a witch's hat!

Crazy thanks!

What you doing...? Talking on the phone...

Here's Sammy D talking to her sweet cousins in Texas. She LOVES it when they call her, just her.
Here below she's giving them a phone hug.
I wish we lived closer!

I'll smile sweetly if you play it again, Mama.

S.O.S - Dancing Queen

We have a dancing queen alert! It sounds cute, okay, it is cute, but there also needs to be an off switch! I dropped Samara off with my mama at 7:45am on Wednesday morning. When I returned at 10:00, she reported that Samara had not stopped singing and bopping (a girly sort of head-bang) since I left. Lucky (another new name!) of course, had to constantly push replay, repeat and change the song. That's over two hours, non-stop. I believe it, because it goes on for hours and hours here at home. Steve and my role in Sammy's life is simply that of DJ. Of course we join in for the family favorites, but it's pretty excessive! Our little girl does nothing in a whisper. I'm zonked, but I secretly love (and admire) that in her. I often have to wake her up to go to school and you wouldn't believe the sparkiness with which she opens her eyes. From the moment I enter her room she is ALL smiles, and before her eyelashes can even peel apart she is pointing at the photos in her room and saying, "who's da" while reaching with the other hand for her stuffed animals and giggling away. Amazing. Truly. I remember trying to convince Fernie that she was a calm chica like her padres, when she scarily stopped moving in the womb. Kind of fun to be proved so wrong by a wee one!