A Weekend of Birthday Celebrations

Yesterday was my mom's 54th Birthday. It was a "Golden" birthday as she was also born in 1954 (sorry to blow your cover mom!) We we all went out to celebrate with a yummy dinner, sweet dessert and some gifts. Then today we celebrated Madelyn's 2nd Birthday with a big party here at the house. Needless to say, it's been a weekend of FUN and exhaustion for this mommy! Here's a few pics from the dinner last night:

Happy Birthday Mom!

Nana has her trusty little helper! Maddy's a pro at opening gifts.

Me and My Mom

I was just cleaning up my desktop here on the computer and came across this sweet photo from Christmas Day (2007) of me and my wonderful momma...and it made me smile. Here I am in the throws of motherhood and it's made me appreciate my own amazing mother more and more each day. I realized this thought...and this photo were worth sharing today. I love you mom!!!

A Glimpse of our New Nursery

We've been diligently working for several weeks to get our guest-bedroom converted into the new nursery. We actually decided to keep it as a guest-bedroom too...because it's always nice to have a bed for all of you to sleep on when you come visit us!! (Or...in this case, maybe a bed for this delirious, nursing mommy to pass out on in the middle of some long nights we have coming up very soon!) We went with the surfing theme and wanted to still highlight the amazing painting my roommate from Madagascar painted for us as a wedding gift. Thanks Aimee!!!! See how beautifully it still fits in his cozy room??! Also, it was a big project to get the closet organized, so I thought I would open the door and show you the clean, fun space inside. There's still a few things to get done (hang the mirror on the wall for one), but it's finally feeling like a room fit for a new baby boy. We can't wait to meet you little one!

Fun with Stickers

We went to Noah Bieser's "Farm" themed 2nd birthday party this afternoon and Madelyn was thrilled to bring home stickers to play with. She had a great time sticking them all over her body...and then all over mine too. She's such a little ham and we have so much fun together every day. Here's a little glimpse into our world once again:

OSU vs. Minnesota Game

Yesterday, Gary and I had the wonderful opportunity of watching the OSU Buckeye's play down at "the shoe". It's hard to come by tickets for these games and thankfully, my grandparents offered us their tickets they weren't able to use yesterday. Yay! They were GREAT seats and we had so much fun. My parents watched Madelyn most of the day while we were down on campus, and this was a sweet moment I caught on film just as Gary and I were pulling out of their driveway. My dad was in the process of taking Maddy and Bridget (their doggie) on an adventurous walk down by the creek.

Gary and I just before the game started
Go Brutus, Go!

This is how fantastic our seats were. No need for binoculars!

Gordon Gee (back in the presidential role) came over to fraternize with all the students in front of us. In the midst of this he took time to do the O-H-I-O cheer!

The great tradition of singing the Alma mater at the end of the game. You can see Jim Tressel here in the middle of all the players.

We stayed until the very end. It was a gorgeous day...perfect, fun, fall football weather.

Taking "Nesting" to the Next Level

Just recently I was motivated by some of my girlfriends who love to knit. Yes, knit! I learned the great art of knitting last year but hadn't ventured out of the scarf or simple purse territory to see what else I would be able to accomplish. I'm proud to say that I just learned to knit hats and now you can see what I've created! My first project was to knit a little hat for our baby boy on-the-way. Once Madelyn saw my little project, she said "Me, Me?" and eagerly wanted me to knit a hat for her too. So...because the first one actually came out okay, I quickly knit up another for my little toddler. She had a lot of fun wearing them on this particular morning and posing for our little photo shoot. I'm so proud of myself too (if I must say so!)

Yum, Yum, Extra Yum!

Here's a few photos of Madelyn first taste of a Reese's Cup. Up until now, she's never been a chocolate fan (which has often left Gary and I to wonder if she's really our daughter?!) But just a few days ago, she re-considered when she found out it also contained peanut butter (another weakness in the Sammons family). Well, as the photos show, it was an instant love-connection!

Mommy, can I have more???!