A very happy birthday....

It was my birthday today and it was a day full of reminders of just how blessed I am.

It was a reminder of how many great things have happened to me

and how many great things are yet to come.

I have these great kids, and an amazing husband...a brand new house to call home...a beautiful mom and a dad watching over me in heaven....great in-laws and sisters and family all around.

Good friends and good health...Today was a good day.

Here are some pictures of some latest happenings....

Carson sung me "Happy Birthday" this morning in perfect pitch. :)

Here's his self-portrait...

My mom and I took a girl's trip to San Diego last weekend while Jason and his parents watched our babies. We had a blast!

Dipped our feet in the Pacific...shopped a lot...tasted some wine in Temecula....had breakfast at the Hotel Del Coronado with some old, good friends. It's a rough life, you know!

Samantha is really into reading and standing up.

Carson got into my bright red nail polish this week and did some "painting" on himself.

Luckily this happened before his bath.

It's going to be a great year...there's so much to be thankful for!

His shadow...

Carson sees a little 21 lb. shadow wherever he goes.

If he's in the bathroom decorating himself with stickers...

"You know who" is right there with him!

Love Sam

According to the latest Us Weekly, there is a new brand that celebs are wearing called

"Love Sam".

Here our Sam thinks this over while taking in the latest in celeb gossip....

New trick this week - standing by myself!

And peeking around corners...

At her 9 month dr's appointment last week, we found out that our little Sam is...

NOT SO LITTLE.

She is 21 lbs, 11 oz, and 29.75 inches.

She is slightly heavier than Carson at this age.

Good thing the waif look is out and healthy body types are in!

Sam is keeping up with the Kardashians!! :)

Here comes trouble...

Sam is trouble.

She is getting into everything.

Carson likes it because he isn't the only one hearing the word "no" all the time now.

Here she demonstrates how someone can look so cute tearing up a magazine.

Home inspectors....

We met the painters at our new house last night to get an estimate.

We gave Carson and Sam a chance to check out their new digs.

Here's Carson in our new living room...

Carson and Angelina - Vanessa is Angelina's mom and she was also our realtor!

Samantha checks out her new yard...

She loves the grass!

Feels like home - let's get moved in!

The new normal...

While I put the newly purchased Target items away,

Samantha tries to eat a piece of paper while inspecting an outlet.

Not pictured: Carson, jumping off the couch while these photos were being taken.

Oh the times, they are a changin'!

Baby Pool Time

The three of us enjoyed a dip in the baby pool this afternoon....

Silly kids

What's wrong with this picture????

Samantha was doing this goofy "cheese" today when I pointed the camera towards her.

Carson and Samantha = Ham and Cheese!!

A new girl in town....

Our good friends Dean and Sarah Oliver had baby Isabella Patricia on 7/15/10.

She is the newest member of our Las Vegas family.

She is beautiful!

(And already a Hawkeye fan, obviously.)

Samantha and Isabella will be taking girl power to the next level.

Carson and Isaiah play so well together.

Here they eat dinner naked in the backyard.

Clothing is optional when it's 110 degrees outside and you're two and three years old.

Sam at 9 Months

Samantha is growing like a little weed - just like we knew she would!

At 9 months, she is in full crawl mode and pulling up to a stand. She is very tactile and loves to touch and feel everything in her environment. She is a curious soul, constantly exploring and searching for something that's not a toy that she can try to play with.

I am not sure how much she weighs, but my guess from holding her all the time is that she is approaching the big "2-0" lbs if she isn't there already.

She finally has her first tooth and based on her consistent 5:30 AM wake up time, I am betting she is cooking up a few more.

She tracks Carson like a GPS.....I think now that she's on the move and gaining speed, things will get pretty interesting around here.

Samantha is babbling more and more - she used to be quiet but now she is pretty noisy.

When she starts shouting and squealing, there is no stopping her.

We love our beautiful 9 month old Sam!

Our lives are lit up by her preciousness!