Christmas Day!

We had a very nice Christmas! Samantha and Woody made it through all of the present opening with minimal breakdowns. They got all sorts of toys and clothes. Samantha got the roller skates that she wanted, but it will be a little while before she is cruising down the road. Samantha had many outfit changes through the day. She loved everything and wanted it right away.

Woody had fun with some of the wrapping paper. He was a good boy during all of the festivities.

Ernie received his Phillies hats, and one Auburn. He should be set in the hat department.

I represented Indiana with my new Colt's hat.

Samantha and her doctor kit. She was a little scared of the shot.

She loves her pajamas! She put the Dora nightgown on over her dress, and then was trying to figure out how she was going to get into her new elephant pajamas.

Woody received all sorts of lap time. He loved the attention and his aunt and uncle.

We kept Samantha as busy as possible. She helped open everybody's presents.

Samantha got her first pair of soccer cleats. Daddy is very excited that she will be able to play this Spring. Watch out Abby Wambach!

She was a happy little girl all morning.

Roller skate heaven! It didn't hurt to have a "little" help:)

She loves this fish magnetic puzzle. She has the fish gene.

Christmas Eve

Nana and Grandpop drove up from Florida, and Aunt Tracey and Uncle Z flew in from Florida. Ernie had a stomach virus when they arrived, which turned into a full blown flu bug. It started with Ernie, and then Samantha, I, Uncle Z, Nana, Aunt Tracey, Grandpop, Woody, and Grandma Susie(in that order) all had the pleasure of wanting to die for the holiday. It was the worst bug ANY of us have had in many years, and that is all I am going to say about it. There was always one place empty at the table. Santa still braved our sick ward and was very nice to the Yarborough family this year. Nothing like hanging the stockings on the window for Santa. Samantha was very excited that Santa came down the chimney, moved the TV, and ate his cookies. She still likes to tell me about it.

Three Ernies: II, III, and IV

Nana, Grandpop, and Aunt Tracey enjoyed holding Woody. This was 24 hours before they were attacked by the bug.

Getting Ready for Christmas

We were about two weeks behind this whole holiday, but we caught up in the end. We took the kids to see Santa the Friday before Christmas. They tried to deny us entry, but Ernie had a long talk with one of the elves and we made it. They both liked Santa, and Samantha asked for a rainbow. She is one of a kind! Woody's hair still sticks straight up and is everyone's favorite feature.

Samantha did a very good job with the tree. I keep waiting for her to get a little grabby, but she just looked and occasionally snuck a touch.

Grandma Susie got them matching pajamas, so we could not resist the photo op. Woody was ready to go to bed after we were done.

Woody is still a happy little boy. We think he is adorable, but we are his parents! Samantha still loves her little brother, and he definitely loves her.

Memphis Soccer Tournament

We went with Ernie on a recruiting trip to Memphis. He watched the soccer matches and we kept ourselves busy. Samantha loves to stay in hotels and gets very sad when we leave. She used to try and escape from the room whenever she got a chance. She did much better on this trip with staying in the room. On the last day, we found a park that was close by and wore off some energy before the drive home. It is hard to get both of them to look at you at the same time! Samantha likes to look away at the last moment.

Woody got his first winter hat in Memphis. It was a little chilly! We still need to get him a warmer coat, but we have not needed it in Birmingham, yet.

Samantha likes to go down slides head first. She landed straight in the mulch on this go around.

They both still love each other a lot! We hope it lasts as long as possible.

Woody's hair is getting longer, but it still has a mind of its own.

Samantha is playing hide and seek with daddy. This is her hiding space behind the tree.

Ernie is now hiding from Samantha. It is pretty funny to watch the whole scene unwind.

Tag is her favorite game right now. She still is figuring it out, but she loves to "tag" you whenever she gets a chance.

Everybody needs a hot chocolate break.

A little help from daddy never hurts. She can do it by herself, but she knows a sucker when she sees one.

We walked around the tournament with the baby jogger. Samantha would walk and ride, but Woody used it as a good nap time.

She was very excited to wear her hat, scarf, and gloves from Gramma Donna. I had to keep my eye on her to make sure we didn't lose any of them.

She watched her Tinker Bell movie when it was time to relax. She carried the DVD player around with her all over the room.

Woody enjoyed his breakfast in bed while we were on the road.

Here is a good picture of Woody taking a nap. He passes out pretty well.

Samantha loves her reindeer she got for Christmas last year. Anything that makes noise makes her happy.

Christmas "Friends"

I took out some Christmas decorations and Samantha thought I had some long lost friends for her. It was very funny to watch her talk to the figures! She told them that she liked their hats and scarves. She then hugged and kissed both of them. They are on the front porch and every time she sees them she greets them the same way. She loves her "Christmas Friends!"

She still is not sure what the stockings are. They make great mittens and ear muffs!

Samantha's First Movie

We took Samantha to her first movie which happened to be an IMAX Christmas special. It was only about 45 minutes long, which was just right. She had a good time and stood for most of it. Woody had a bottle and was not quite sure what was happening. It is part of the McWane Science Museum, so we spent some time wearing her out before we ventured into the theater. We sat right beside the exit just in case we had to leave early. I am not sure if she could sit through a longer movie, but popcorn is always a good bribe! She loves popcorn.

She really enjoys building towers right now. She stacks anything that she can get her hands on!

Woody actually tried to play with a few toys in the play room. He is beginning to use his hands a lot more, but he still does not put too much effort into anything. Samantha was standing at this age, but Woody will occasionally roll over if he feels like it.

Samantha loves to play with this car at the museum. She is wearing tutu's one minute, then pretending to fix a car the next minute. She is very well rounded!
Woody is a happy boy! He loves to watch Samantha and laughs a lot. She makes us all laugh, which saves her from getting in trouble some times.
She is starting to play with more and more things at the museum. She had fun making shapes with her body on the screen
We purchased our tickets and got her to stand still for one moment.
She was very excited to see the movie. I bet we see it at least one more time before Christmas.