Merry Christmas from Nebraska

The snow is falling outside, and will probably continue through the night and into tomorrow morning. Aaron and I are staying warm with lots of hot chocolate, coffee and blankets! We hope your holiday season is magical and that you get to be with those that you love!

Rebound and Sammi

Sammi loves her puppy Rebound. She especially loves it when she has food in her hands and he comes running after her. She loves to torture him! She gives him some sweet little kisses too!

Twirling

RJ taught Sammi how to twirl yesterday. Look at her show off her skills (after her dramatic moment) :)

First Fort

Daddy built Sammi her first fort the other day. They had a lot of fun while mommy was at work playing in their fort. She thought it was so cool to hide underneath it! What fun!

Happy Birthday Gracyn!

Gracyn (Sara and Bobby's little girl) had her first birthday party this weekend. We had fun playing with all the kids and celebrating. Daddy and Sammi also had fun playing in the cold and seeing some pigs and cows. Happy 1st Birthday, Gracy!

Playing Peek

Sam loves covering her face and playing peek. The other day, she thought it was hilarious to play peek inside her hood of her coat. We have even gotten her to play hide and seek in the house. She doesn't quite understand the idea of waiting for me to hide, but when RJ and I are together, we have a lot of fun playing!

Somersault

Sam learned how to do a somersault the other day. She now does it when you tell her to. Pretty cute!

Random Pictures

Just a couple pictures that I thought were cute. Rebound really loves when we put hats on him. The bucket was perfect and he looks like he is really enjoying himself!!

It's Fall!!!

We had fun playing with leaves after our walk tonight. Sammi was a little more interested in the rocks than the leaves, but that's okay. Rebound was more interested in rolling through the leaves to itch his back than playing with Sammi. Mommy had a lot of fun with the leaves though!

New Kitchen

We got a new play kitchen from a friend at work. I think that mommy likes it a little more than Sam at this point. This will be a toy that we will play with for a long time. Thanks Tami for sharing such a fun toy!

Baby Kisses

RJ taught Sammi how to give little kisses. How cute!

Going on a boat ride!

I am my father's daughter. We love free fun!!!! Sam loved playing in the laundry basket one day, so we made it into a boat. I tied a rope to one end of it and we filled it with a blanket, pillow and baby dolls. She loves going for boat rides all over the house and then takes her babies on boat rides when we are done.

Miss Walker!

The last video uploaded really fast, so here is another walking video. She is already pushing her Daddy around!

Walker Girl

Samantha is a little walker now! She is taking 5-12 steps at a time. It is so cute when she is reaching for walls or anything available to steady herself. RJ said, "Man that would suck, you take a few steps, fall then a few more steps fall again." She is getting pretty good!

Miami!!!

Aaron and I just got back from an amazing five-day vacation to beautiful Miami, Florida. We went down there with our friends from Chicago, Angie and Cody. Aaron and Cody taught at the same school last year and coached basketball together before Cody left for Chicago. We try and get together with them at least once every few months. This was such a relaxing trip and much needed before we all head back to school next month!!!

Aaron and Cody hanging out by the pool. We started every morning by the pool and then headed to the ocean!

Angie and I before a fun night out. We were right down on South Beach and had lots of great places to eat and drink on Ocean Drive!

Aaron and I waiting to eat lunch. It was so humid down there that everyone went through two sets of clothes each day!

The four of us out on the hotel deck. Beautiful views and lots of new people to meet!!

The best bar on Ocean Drive; the Clevelander!!! The best things in life ARE from Ohio :)

It was hard to say goodbye but we had an amazing time!!

Ohio Trip

RJ, Sammi and I took our first trip to Ohio to see RJ's family. We had so much with everyone. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful family. We only wished our trip could have been a little longer. Here are a few pictures from the trip.

We went to an Indian's game on Friday July 3rd. It was the first Indian's game for me and Sammi. RJ was proud that Sammi's first professional baseball game was an Indian's one and not a Cardinal's game. Sorry Grandpa!

You gotta love a good crying baby with a mascot! I think it is hilarious! She was not a fan of the mustard mascot. We never did find Slider the Indian's mascot.

I love this picture with her new little Indian's shirt. She is getting better at walking with support and standing for a few seconds, but not quite to walking yet.

We spent the 4th at Aunt Nancy's house. It was GORGEOUS! She lives on a private lake that belongs just to them. We got to fish, swim, boat and walk on the trail around the lake. What a dream house. Thanks Aunt Nancy for a great 4th of July!

I LOVE this picture! RJ is such a good daddy and loves Sammi so much. They are two peas in a pod!

We spent Sunday the 5th at Uncle Marty's house. We got to meet some new cousins as well. Here is a picture with me and Sammi and Justin and Nathan. Nathan is such a good baby and will be a fun friend for Sammi down the road. We loved swimming even if the water was a little cold!
Here are some of the guys hanging out after swimming.

RJ, Justin and the babies. Isn't it crazy how time flies?!
We hung out on Monday at Aunt Carrie and Uncle Jim's pool. It was a great relaxing day in the sun!
That night they surprised us with a party for Sammi's birthday! It was so sweet of everyone. We got to do a practice run for her next birthday cake experience. Let me tell you, she knew what to do with that cake!
Everyone singing Happy Birthday!

Can you tell she was good at eating her cake? She is just like her mommy, she LOVES cake!

Group picture after eating cake and opening presents. Thanks everyone for such a great party!
Unfortuately the sun had to set on our great vacation. I love pictures of Lake Eerie. It is such a beautiful background! Thanks for a great vacation and we look forward to our next visit!

Hello!

Sam thinks that anything you give her is a phone and asks like she is saying hello! It is pretty darn cute. She even has her own little cell phone that the sweet salesperson at Sprint gave her. She will be teaching us how to use our phones better soon!

Omaha Zoo

Sam loved her first trip to the zoo! We went with some friends from work and kiddos. So much to see and do!!!

Gianna, Jackson and Jacob. Not sure where Aubrey was.

I am in love with giraffes! I think they are the cutest animals!

This monkey was working the crowd. A true entertainer.

I think someone needs a nap! I can't wait for many zoo trips in the future! So fun!

The lake

We went to a lake last weekend with some friends from work. Sam loves the water! I forgot to get my camera out until we were out though. She is getting ready for a fun summer in the sun and water!

She played til she dropped! She is difficult to give in and take a nap, but finally she took a little snooze on some towels and a raft underneath her!

Runza Basketball

We had a very fun weekend watching Aaron and RJ coach the Seward Runza basketball team. They have been practicing the last two months and the kids did great!

Sammi got to spend some time with her cousin Doc this weekend. They are two peas in a pod. Wherever Sammi goes, Doc will soon be there. What a sweet dog!

Ta Da!

Sam learned how to do Ta Da after her flips that she does. She evens tries to make the sounds for it as well. She loves having an audience for anything!

RJ had his final track meet for the middle school kids on Saturday. We got some cute pictures of Sam with Daddy and my parents. His kids did great!

Sam and Grandpa found the press box. Sam had fun hitting the glass and trying to get Mommy!