Hooray For Me, I’m Finally Three!

It started like most mornings do in our house... early! I was up at 5:45 a.m. and ready to start the day. My third birthday, that is! But Mommy and Daddy made me wait a bit until they got some more rest. I guess that was okay. I knew they were really going to need it!

Our living room was turned into a Big Bird wonderland. This giant picture of BB was on one wall...

... and a giant Big Bird airwalker balloon was in front of the fireplace. It was the perfect photo-op for this birthday girl!

You mean I get presents, too? (The Big Birds were enough, but don’t tell Mommy and Daddy!)

When people ask me what my favorite gift was, I shout: The Big Bird balloon, no the Big Bird on the wall, no the Big Bird blanket. Oh, how can a girl decide? This is harder than Sophie’s Choice!

After the gifts were opened, Mommy dressed me in my birthday tutu (I picked it out because of the yellow flower on the front) and put on my mini tiara. I was ready to party!

Mommy and Daddy seemed surprised when I worked the room, playing the hostess with the mostess. But I really was in my element, surrounded by all the people that I love!

Grandpa was one of the few who managed to slow me down long enough for a photo. But that’s just because he’s had so much experience chasing after me to get a kiss!

Mommy didn’t seem very happy when I pulled off all the Big Bird cake toppers before she could get a good shot of my yellow birthday cake...

... but I didn’t really care. Because this day was all about me...

Samantha, who is finally three!

Happy Birthdays For Everyone!

Do you want to know why November is such an amazing month? Because so many of the people I love were born during that month! And if it’s a month filled with b-days, then it’s also a month filled with parties. Boy, do I love parties!

First up was dinner with birthday girl #1, Mimi! We all met at a nice restaurant in Mt. Kisco (also the site of Mommy and Daddy’s first date, FYI!) for an evening of dinner and dessert! That’s right, I’m not afraid to admit it: I’m all about the birthday cake. In fact, just a couple of days later, it was Grandpa’s turn to be serenaded by me!

Just click on this link to see what I’m talking about!

Next up were cousin Nick, Poppy and cousin Brittany’s birthdays all in a row. You’d think I’d get tired of cake, but you’d be wrong if you did!

Oh, there’s another thing I really like about November -- leaves! Here I am helping Daddy with the leaves in our backyard. The best part was that it seemed like the piles of leaves would never end. For some reason, Daddy didn’t seem to enjoy that fact as much as I did!

As the month drew to a close, there was one more thing to celebrate: Thanksgiving! I didn’t really like turkey, or stuffing, or ham... but I did like spending time with my family! Oh, and singing songs about the fall season. Click here to hear me sing one of my favorites!

Trick Or Treat!

For months, I was convinced that I wanted to be Big Bird for Halloween. And even though Mommy kept trying to convince me to be something else, I stayed true to Mr. B. That is, until I saw the Abby Cadabby costume and realized that I could have my hair in "picktails" and carry a magic wand!

My month-long Halloween celebration kicked off with a trip to The Count’s Halloween Spooktacular at Sesame Place. (Yes, it’s my third time this year -- but who’s counting?) I was happy to have Grandma and Grandpa along for the trip this time. There was so much I had to show them!

Even though I’ve been to Sesame Place a half a dozen times, this was my first time sitting on the steps of 123 Sesame Street. This is the same stoop that Gabi sits on! But she was nowhere to be found that day, so I quickly moved on...

... to the Abby maze! It’s been a year since I last visited this fun maze, but I knew exactly where I wanted to pose for a picture -- in front of this picture of Abby with her eyes closed...

... so that I could pose like this! (I really have been waiting a whole year to do this!)

At the end of the maze, there was a chance to meet one of the charaters. I had hoped it would be Abby, so that we could pose in our matching outfits. But I was almost as happy to meet Rosita since I’d never seen her before in person.

Oh, and did I mention that there is a carnival section at Sesame Place that we’d never noticed before? I spotted the giant pirate Big Bird before anybody else, and I declared, “I have to have one!” Mommy and Daddy laughed at the idea of someone actually being able to win one for me. But $4 later, Grandpa had thrown his ring on the bottle top and this baby was mine! You should have seen the looks of happiness on Mommy and Daddy’s faces! (At least, I think that was happiness.)

Next up in my month-long celebration was the Halloween parade at my school. As the parents and other friends and relatives lined up outside, I couldn’t resist taking a peek to see where my “peeps” were!

I loved walking in the parade with all the other kids at my school!

And I really loved the cool Halloween bag that my teachers gave me. Or was it just the sound of it dragging on the ground that I loved?

Everybody’s costumes were so cool!

After the parade, Grandma and Grandpa were there to congratulate me on a job well done!

And my teacher, Ms. Jodi, even came over to show me all the cool things she had put into my bag. She even made sure to pick all yellow things especially for me!

The next day, Mommy and I made cool Halloween ghost brownies. I decorated this one myself. I ate it myself, too!

When the big day finally arrived, I was so excited and ready to trick or treat. And, I had my sparkle shoes on to help me get into character. Boy, did it work. I even waved my wand at a few people as they gave me my candy! You know what the best part of having a month-long Halloween celebration is? When it’s over, you only have to wait 11 months till you celebrate Halloween again!

A September To Remember!

You may have noticed that I haven’t posted since my first day of school. Well, I have to be honest: It hasn’t exactly been easy getting used to this new phase. But despite already catching a really bad cold there, I think I’m finally getting the hang of it. Sure, there are mornings when I just want to crawl under the covers of Mommy and Daddy’s bed and play hooky, but I always wind up pulling myself up by my sneaker straps and heading off to school.

It’s been really nice to have some distractions to keep my mind off of things. Like having the Knies family visit! They brought me the coolest doggy playset. I really enjoyed spending time with them... especially Jillian! She’s so much fun!

And it’s not just because she gave me her super-cool playhouse, either. (I know, I couldn’t believe it, either!)

It’s the greatest house, filled with fun gadgets like a sink and a clock. Oh, and Daddy installed a yellow phone for me. Hey, maybe I can use the phone to call out sick from school? (You can’t blame a girl for trying, right?)

Another great thing about September is that it’s my Daddy’s birthday! Mommy and I went to the store so I could pick him out a special present. Mommy nixed my first choice: a stuffed Big Bird. But when I found this adorable puppy, she just couldn’t say no. Daddy loved it, just like I knew he would!

Then we went to see Sesame Street Live again. I don’t actually remember the first time, since I was only one at the time. Elmo and I are old friends by now, but I had never met Super Grover before. And let me tell you, he did not disappoint. From his shiny cape to his silver helmet, he really does live up to his name: Super!

Daddy and I posed for a quick picture before heading to our front row seats!

I had told Mommy before the show that I was going to tell Abby Cadabby that I was dressing up as her for Halloween this year. I don’t think Mommy felt that I would actually do it. But if you click here, you’ll see that I proved her wrong!

And I even came home with a fun new Elmo balloon! Just so you don’t think I’m fickle, you can see that I was wearing my heart on my shirt. Too bad they didn’t have Big Bird balloons there!

School Daze!

I couldn’t wait to go to school. On Tuesday, Mommy took me to orientation, where I got to meet my teacher, Ms. Jodi, and see my classroom for the first time. Everything was perfect! When I walked into the room, the first thing I spotted was the book shelf... stocked with Sesame Street books! I immediately grabbed one with Big Bird on the cover and showed it to Ms. Jodi. We sat and talked about the book and Sesame Street for 15 minutes. And when it was time to leave, she even let me borrow the book!

So we were all excited when Thursday came, and it was time to begin my school adventure. I even posed for this great picture. But as soon as Mommy and Daddy walked me into the room, I knew that something was different. This wasn't going to be a half-hour visit. Despite some rough patches, I was a brave little girl. I got a little extra attention from Ms. Jodi to help me through the day. And when Mommy and Daddy arrived to pick me up, I showed them around the classroom before leaving.

Now, I won’t lie and say I’m looking forward to going back on Monday. But I know I’m going to do everything I can to make the best of it. Wish me luck!

Parks And Recreation!

August was one busy month, filled with lots of fun experiences!

First, I got a surprise in the mail from Aunt Tine! It was my very own Lucky pup! He’s so cute and furry, I just love him. Take a look at how much by clicking on this video link!

I have the greatest Daddy in the world! A couple of weeks ago, he told me about this cool playground he spotted on his way to the doctor. When he took me there, I couldn't believe my eyes. This playground had five different slides! Daddy and I made sure to go down each one -- at least three times!

Then it was off to my regular haunt, the playground at the Duck Pond in Ridgewood! I didn't need any help on these rides because Grandma takes me there all the time. In fact, I was able to show Mommy and Daddy the ropes while we were there!

My next big adventure was riding my new Twist Trike for the first time! As soon as I had my helmet on, Daddy helped me to push the pedals. But I was soon ready to fly solo. To see my first ride, click on this link!

Then right before I was ready to start school, Mommy and Daddy took me to my school to check out the playground! They have the best yellow slide, a playhouse and some cool ride-on toys! We all left there feeling like I was ready for my first day of preschool. Stay tuned...

Our "Wild" Wildwood Vacation!

Don’t believe what you hear about the Jersey Shore, everybody! You can have fun there without getting into trouble! Want proof? Take a look: There isn’t a mug shot anywhere in this blog!

Walking in the sand for the first time was fun. But the first time I put my hands in it, all I wanted to do was have Mommy wash them off for me! Daddy couldn’t help but smile and shake his head!

Daddy couldn’t wait to show me the beach and the waves! I didn’t want to run in by myself, but I had no problem letting Daddy carry me in and dunk me in the waves!

The best part was going to the Boardwalk to go on all the rides! I wasn't afraid of anything. I went on every ride that a 36" girl was allowed to go on!

When we weren’t at the beach, we spent our time in the pool at the condo. Daddy taught me how to swim and let me jump into the pool over and over again!

It was my first time swimming with Grandma and Grandpa, and as you can see, I really enjoyed it!

It took me a few days, but I finally had fun digging in the sand. Of course, all I was interested in was making a nest for Big Bird! You see, you can take a girl to the shore, but her Big Bird obsession will come along, too!

To see the entire photo album of our trip, click here!

Mmm Mmm Good!

When Mommy and Daddy told me we were going to see my first movie, I was so excited. Of course, I didn’t really know what I was excited about... I just knew I was. My first comment was: "Maybe there’ll be food there!" When Mommy told me that there would be popcorn, I was very excited. Of course, I didn’t really know what I was excited about (again!)... I just knew I was!

Since it was my cousin Jason’s idea to take me to see Toy Story 3, we all went to the movie theater where he works in Pennsylvania on the day after his graduation party. My cousin Britt showed me around the theater (she works there, too), while Mommy and Daddy bought me my very own bag of popcorn! Once we settled into our seats, I dug into the bag and realized what all the fuss was about -- popcorn is delicious! I couldn’t stop munching the entire time. And the movie? That was pretty good, too!

Once we were back home, I became obsessed with the ice cream truck that comes through our neighborhood. It plays fun music as it drives very slowly down our street. For days, I kept listening for the music, wondering when the ice cream truck was going to come by our house again. Well, today was the lucky day! Even though I was in the middle of eating dinner, Daddy took me outside to pick out my ice cream. As you can see by this video (click here), I was very pleased with my choice. But I soon remembered why I’m not too crazy about ice cream. It’s cold! And this Dora The Explorer ice cream was as hard as a rock! I gave it the old preschool try, but I just wasn’t feeling it. That’s why I decided to swap it out for Mommy’s ice cream sandwich and all was right with the world! (click here)