Whew! We made it!

Today my amazing daughter turns one. I can hardly believe that it was just a year ago that we were all camped out in a hospital room getting to know her. I have this whole sappy letter for her that I plan on posting but for today I'll just put up the pictures from this mornings' celebration and say that being a mom is so much better than I ever imagined. And I can't wait to see what adventures are in store for us next.

We decided to steal the doughnut for breakfast idea from Christina and Michelle and it was a BIG hit. Actually as I wrestled the mangled doughnut from her hands (because no one year old needs an entire doughnut before 7am) she melted down. Red face, tears, screaming, the whole bit. But then I brought out the balloons and she perked right up. Thank goodness one year olds have short memories.

One year ago today....

Yes, I know the whole orange tinted skin really brings out my eyes...

This morning...

She kept trying to reach out and grab the flame. Notice the one finger? We have been working on that for about a month now. And yes, the candle is blue and green. As I have said before I am over my aversion to pink. Target just didn't have much of a selection when it came to the number one - blue and green stripes or blue and green polka dots.

Not too sure about the texture but the sugar - Yummy!

That first bite was pretty tame compared to what came next. Before we could stop her she was shoveling it in like a squirrel (and ended up with the cheeks to prove it).

So very, very proud of herself and her mangled doughnut.

I really, really, really never ever thought I would say this

I want to move back to Pennsylvania. More specifically, Yardley. Actually, If I could move right back into the house I grew up in I would. (Don't be offended Mom but I'd probably make some changes.) Anyone who knows me is probably picking their jaw up off the floor right about now. We have spent 7 years in Texas. Almost all of which I have spent insisting that we will never move back home. We will never move anywhere the has actual winter. But we just spent 5 fabulous days back at home. And now I'm all over the place.

I'm not sure if it was the fall weather, my favorite season at home (no summer humidity, no spring rain, and no frigid winter temperatures). Fall in PA is brisk and bright colors and the best smells (burning leaves is at the top of my list). It might be the wonderful friends and family we have there. I can't help but envision play dates and dinners out, days at the local farms. All of it made me nostalgic. I passed by my elementary school and saw where our 5th grade picnic was, the community pool where we spent so many summer days, the favorite local restaurants that might encourage me to never cook again. I think becoming a mother did me in. Growing up where we did was so much fun. I don't know what Sam's experiences here in Texas will be. But at home I know what pumpkin patch we would hit every year (Shady Brook Farms) and where we would go to cut our Christmas tree down every year (Indian Walk) where we would play miniature golf on warm summer nights (Snipes). It's hard not to think about what our life would be like if we lived back in PA.

Now, before you get all "WHAT?!? You're moving?!?" we're not. In less than 2 years we will officially have no family left in the area. As much as I love, love, love all our friends but we want our kids to grow up with family. And not family that 1,000 miles away. Family around the corner and over for dinner on Sunday afternoon.

The fact that it has snowed in Philadelphia in the last few days has tempered my wistfulness for living in PA. That is just what I needed. Thanks Mother Nature!

How 'bout those fightin' Phils?

I know I have mentioned what big Eagles Fans we are in a few random posts. We faithfully watch every Sunday, even when our quarterback just can't figure out how to close the deal we keep coming back for more. But KC is actually an even bigger Phillies fan. Something most people don't know about him since due to contracts with cable provider we can not get any Phillies games on TV in Dallas, even with the MLB package from Direct TV.

This is a somewhat small example of memories and something special he got from having family that lived nearby and was an integral part of his life. His Great Grandmother (Mable Whittaker - also where KC got his first name - Whittaker not Mabel) lived until she was in her 90's, right down the road from where we grew up. And until she died she was the biggest Phillies fan ever. She kept the box scores in marble notebooks and watched every game with a package of cookies in front of her. KC has all of these amazing memories of watching games with her and having cookies for dinner. I don't have a lot of memories of my grandparents. Partially because we didn't grow up close to them but also because by the time I was 10 there was only one still living. Great Gram memories aren't the only legacy from KC's grandparents. His Pop and Gram taught him to golf. Something he would rank a close third on a list of things he loves (right after Sam and I of course. No wait, Andrew might be third. Maybe golf is fourth? Care to offer a guess Christina?).

That's what I want for Sam. All of those small special things that when shared with a grandparent make them more special. I anticipate hearing Sam stamp her feet in frustration with something I am doing and threaten to live at Grandma's around the corner. I even plan to let her think she's gotten away with it for a few hours (maybe squeeze a movie in?). Maybe it will be hitting the garage sales first thing on Saturday morning with Grandma, or sailing with Mom-Mom and Skipper, and golfing with PaPa and Pop. Or maybe if it's cooking with MeMe and riding carousels with Grammie Di. I want her to have those things. Those are the kind of things I think you carry with you forever. They shape the person you become. Sam is so very lucky already. She has 7 grandparents who adore her and want to be part of her life. As big a part as they can be. I think maybe if we just went away and set up a rotation we might not be needed for about 2 months.

This all came about because of the Phillies recent post season success. If you aren't a baseball fan (and really it takes a special person to be a fan of a game when nothing happens 90% of the time) then let me tell you the Phillies are on fire. Winning playoff games for the first time in 15 years.

In honor of Great Gram - GO PHILS!!

I had Sam's picture taken as a surprise for KC's first Fathers Day. I intended for her to look much more like a girl but the bow I had attached to her head with syrup kept falling out. After a while I just gave up. We know she's a girl.

Auntie Kara goes virtual!

Well, we have another blogger in the family. Auntie Kara has started a blog about her adventures as a teacher in Houston with the Teach For America program.

I have 2 sisters who share the same mom and dad as I do. There are also 3 step sisters and one half brother but that's a story for a whole different blog. Out of the three of us Kara is the baby. She is also the one with the biggest heart. She volunteered in high school, not because it would make her college applications look good but because she felt like she should. (Although it did make her college applications look good and she got into a kick butt college.) In college she got amazing grades and could have scored a summer internship at any PR firm in Dallas but she went to work for a non profit. And after graduating with a seriously impressive college record (ridiculous grades, more volunteering, Panhelanic positions galore) she decided to work for Teach For America. Teach For America is a program that takes some of the brightest college grads, trains them in an excruciating summer program, and then places them in some of the worst school districts in the country. Just to give you an idea of how selective this program is - in 2008 18,000 people applied and 2,900 were accepted. She has faced some crazy challenges since starting last year. After being trained in kindergarten she was placed as a 6th grade English teacher. She spent 6 weeks getting her bearings, learning her kids names, and making lesson plans. And then on a Friday afternoon her principal mentioned that she was being transferred to 8th grade reading on Monday! Some of the things she has seen completely blow my mind. Kids that drove themselves to 8th grade registration, no books for the kids, books that they do have the kids aren't allowed to take home, lots of Katrina survivors; things that you just don't really think about until your sister is telling you that about half of her class couldn't even come up with the name of one college because they had no hopes of ever going. Or how when one girl got pregnant the little girls in her class couldn't get over how cute her school uniform looked with her belly. Are you questioning the effectiveness of a teacher trained over a summer and then tossed into some of the most challenging classrooms in the country? Read this. (Is it really obvious how proud I am of her? She was just asked to speak at a fundraiser becuse her test scores last year for her classes were THAT good. Yea Bear!)

I know this is a baby blog. So how does this relate to Sam? There are things that I hope she will learn from all of the people in her life. From Kara - I hope that she sees what a difference one person can make.

Auntie Kara and Sam (almost a week old)