Deck the halls...

well the holiday's have come and gone

and this year was the best in a long time.

not to say i don't enjoy

CHRISTMAS

every year.

it is my absolute

favorite time of the year.

but this year was so much

fun!!!

sam was a blast

he loved all the lights,

trees,

treats,

and presents.

but this year he got a lot of new things,

seeing as his birthday was only a week before CHRISTMAS.

anyway,

i was very very very sad to see the holidays

end this year, and am really looking

forward to all the years to come.

there are some pictures,

unfortunately we were so busy

this whole holiday weekend

that i didn't even take my camera with

me to all the festivities!

so there aren't very many pics of

actual CHRISTMAS day

but here is what i got:

we went to see the zoo lights!

i love the zoo lights

they encorperate everything i love

lights

animals

and CHRISTMAS!!

this is my favorite tree every year!

sam and i went with our

good friend jill

to see the temple lights.

it was freezing and in between rain storms

so it was perfect because there were hardly any people there.

bundled up

sam was totally excited about all the lights.

CHRISTMAS day was so much fun

everytime sam would open a gift he got so excited!

sam thought it was too early for me to be so excited
his cute CHRISTMAS pj's.

it was an awesome CHRISTMAS

and i can't wait to do it again next year.

***because no..i don't think the world will end next year***

A RAY OF SUNSHINE....

december 8th...

one of my favorite

christmas albums is

ray charles

spirit of christmas.

this is a very underrated

christmas album in my opinion.

~~i couldn't even find it on itunes~~

but it reminds me of my childhood.

i have been listening to this for as long

as i can remember..

it reminds me of my mom and aunt.

it's great,

and i love every song on it.

i highly recommend this album.

so here is one of the songs from it,

even though like i said

they are all wonderful.

JUST .....BREATHE....

alright so i missed a day...

remember...

nobody is perfect...

but before the noose is slung from the tree..

WAIT!!!

i'm doing 2...

that's right 2!!

blog posts to make up for everyone.

~~~insert applause now~~~

so for december 5th...

i have to say

i know that every song i talk about

i say is my favorite one...

but this one has a special place

near and dear in my heart.

it is

BREATH OF HEAVEN

(Mary's Song).

i think it is such a tender song.

i've always felt the words of this song

have spoken to me.

but, it particularly felt near and dear

to my heart last year when i was actually

pregnant with a little boy, and then

i really felt the words.

but there has always been

a particular part in that song that has always

gotten to me...

Do you wonder

As you watch my face

If a wiser one,

Should of had my place

But I offer - all I am

For the mercy - of your plan

Help me be strong

Help me be

Help me

by the time i get to the last bit of this part

i usually am crying.

every...

single...

time.

this part reminds me i think

of a prayer i seem to often mutter.

why me?

can i handle the challenges of life

that are thrown before me?

am i strong enough?

shouldn't you have given this test to

someone who would better be able to handle it?

i know that this is your plan...

to help me be stronger.

to help me grow closer to you...

to help me return home to you.

and i would do anything for you

even though it totally sucks!

but can you help me be strong?

well can you just

help me?

please? help me?

help...

i can listen to this song over and over

again.

and every single time i do

i cry.

and i will continue to cry.

because sometimes

pleas for help

seem prettier

when set to music.

so here's to my favorite christmas song...

i hope you get something as wonderful

from it as i do.

ps...it also makes me cry everytime i see it set to the nativity story.

ok this is such a good

song and meaning

i'm going to count this towards 2 days.

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS IS SHOES...I MEAN YOU...

december 4th...

ok so for today's christmas song

i'll speak of a particular ditty

that gets me singing along

every time i hear it.

it's mariah carey's

all i want for christmas.

i really like this song.

and when i sing it in the car

i sound exactly like her...

it's weird, yet totally true.

anyway...

i highly recomend you

download it or buy the CD.

and play it in your car...

and you will see...

you will be magically transformed into

mariah carey!!

YOU ARE THE BING TO MY CROSBY....

december 3rd...

so today i would like to

tell you one of my very

very

most

very

absolute

FAVORITE

christmas song.

JINGLE BELLS

but not just any jingle bells.

bing crosby's version

of jingle bells.

the whole white christmas album

is fantastic

~~~who doesn't like mele kalikimaka??~~~

but the best song is jingle bells

i love it.

it's just so lively and you can't help but sing along

it also for reminds me of

one of my favorite christmas movies...

a christmas story...

this song gets me in the mood for christmas like no other!!

so enjoy!...

WHERE FOR ART THO....EMMANUEL...

one of my all time favorite songs

of the christmas season

is

oh come, oh come emmanuel.

i love this sone.

the tune always draws me to it,

it's kind of a sad tune.

~~~i'm always drawn to tunes that bring tears to my eyes~~~

it's just a beautiful tune.

but the words are awesome as well.

check out this site for the full meaning of the song

very interesting...

http://www.gbgm-umc.org/BensalemPA/Emmanuel.htm

it basically talks about how

Emmanuel brings us out of the darkness

and He absolutely will if you let Him.

anyway...

i definately think it's one of the most underrated

christmas songs

but enya does a pretty good spin on it

if i do say so myself...

MEE- ME-ME-ME-MEEEEE......

ok...

so bad news folks...

my computer is currently down for the count till

we get a battery.

so in the mean time i'm using adam's computer.

i like it way better

~~~~aka = newer~~~~

but then the bad thing is that i don't

have any pics on this one.

including the few thanksgiving pics

that i was able to take.

so i wanted to do something in the mean time

to show just how much i love

christmas time.

so what better way than

by the music that helps inspire said holiday.

yes...

i was listening to them on the radio

even before thanksgiving.

so i was thinking a countdown of sorts

would be good. so here it goes.

december 1st:

this is one of my all time favorites ever

and i'll venture to guess that

this is in the top 10 of anyone

who is reading this blog...

so enjoy and and don't forget to

sing along loudly and energetically!!

TRICK-OR-TREAT SMELL MY FEET...

well halloween has come and gone and that is to my liking

because halloween is fun and all but now we are getting

to my 2 favorite holidays..

THANKSGIVING

and

CHRISTMAS

but i digress...

lets do a retelling of halloween first..

for it was sams FIRST halloween!

and he was such a cute little devil...

literally..

he was a little devil.

and he is extremely cute.

we really didn't do much in trick-or-treating.

i think it's a little ridiculous when parents

push their kids who can't even eat candy

around in their strollers

under the guise that it's for the baby

~~but we still gave candy to the ones who came to our house~~

but we did go to a halloween party at my in-laws casa

and sam did excellent with people in costumes!

we gave same his first pumpkin

no not to carve

do you really think we would give a 10 mnth old a knife??

no just markers.

he was very happy

but really just wanted to chew on it

the marker goes the other way

a beautiful piece of art

but then he got mad cause he then just wanted

to eat the markers instead of drawing with them

i hope crayola markers are non-toxic

our family halloween picture!

such a cute little imp

almost walking on his own

he wasn't too sure of grandma mary at first

but thought she was pretty funny

the grays as snow white, dopey and the wicked witch

bunch of clowns,

ready to fly away!

it was a fun halloween,

i can't wait to take him trick-or-treating next year

DR. DOOLITTLE I PRESUME.....

i really LOVE the fact that

sam LOVES animals.

i always knew he liked our dogs.

he will follow them around...

eat their food...

chew on their toys...

laugh at them even if they aren't doing anything

except sleeping.

well this past month has just verified the fact

that this kid LOVES animals.

we got to go to the zoo with our friends

abbey, jack and rhett.

sam got to babble to a horse.

he loved playing with the goat.

he kept playing with his short little ears.

mmmmm....milk.

let me stick my fingers up your nose.

then a few weeks later we got to go

to the arizona state fair.

sam got to ride his very first ride.

the merry-go-round..

don't let the expression fool you..

he enjoyed himself.

at one point he was clapping.

but after the thrill ride we

decided to go check out the livestock area.

sam was so excited to see the animals!

DONKEY!!

GOAT!!

MORE GOATS!!!!

he really liked the llamas..

i'm not too sure they liked him back.

SHEEP!!!

he even liked the chickens

looked like sam even made a friend with the sheep.

we will see as he gets older whether he enjoys

helping animals or torturing them! haha

i'm gonna lean on the side of loving them.

DON'T BOTHER ME...I'M BUSY....

so i'm trying to blog a bit more often

than once every month or so.

which is actually

kinda nice

since i don't have as

many pictures to go through.

sam has made many new

leaps and bounds lately.

i never realized how quickly they change.

literally one day they aren't doing

something and the next

they are!

it's amazing.

well here are some milestones in no particular order:

sam likes to think outside the box.

why drink from the correct side of the cup??

sam is not a morning person.

if you look closely you will catch a glimpse of the

elusive tooth.

to see inside this kids mouth

a plan similar to ocean's 11 is needed.

sam needs his beauty sleep

sam is a connoisseur of sorts.

these toys must taste pretty good,

since the dogs are always chewing on them so much!

sam has decided to try out for the next milk ad.

sam will let you know when he

disagrees with you

sam has the kind of hair that makes for great bedhead.

so in a nutshell there are some of sams

feats of late.