Devon and Andy's Visit

Our friends from college, Devon and Andy, came to visit this weekend. In fact, Andy came with Keith to pick me up from the airport upon arriving from NC (post on that trip to come).

We had a great time catching up with them. It had been a long time since we had seen each other, and this was their first time getting to meet Samantha. Thankfully, it was also a beautiful weekend, so we got a chance to get out and take a walk at Ritchey Woods. The dogs - our Sadie and their Carmen - were so excited to be able to get out with us.

The visit flew by, but after our nice walk Devon and I whipped up some oriental cuisine - Kung Pao Chicken, rice and home-made egg rolls -- yum!! :) We also experimented with some apple and cinnamon filled eggrolls coated with powdered sugar -- yes, as sinfully delicious as they sound! The guys also bonded over X-box -- just like old times at WVU! :)

They even got to attend church with us and before they left today, we got some more pictures. Of course, we had to make the guys pose -- men are so difficult. ;) They just don't understand women's needs for pics.

Devon also got some good cuddle time with Samantha. I shared the bicep workout of holding my Chunky Monkey. I loved this cute picture below.
Thank you Devon and Andy for coming this weekend! We loved seeing you guys! :)

May She Be Dancing in Heaven

Grandma and me at a reunion when I was in high school.

Tara, Grace, Mom, Grandma and Great-grandma LeMaire.

Grandpa, Grandma, Great-grandma, Anita and Gene.

Grandma (left) as a young woman, sitting on her father's lap - Mr. LeMaire, Great-grandma LeMair (right), and her sister Anita (back row).

On Sunday morning my Grandmother, Maezelle Beach, passed away from cancer. By the time it was diagnosed, it had consumed most of her body. From diagnosis, she only lasted a few days. Her death brings a great sadness in our lives, esp. to that of her surviving children - my mother, Mitzi, Theo and Eddie. Tomorrow Samantha and I travel to NC to be by their side for the funeral.

Despite the sadness of this loss, I cannot help but be overwhelmed with the loving memories I had of her. She was a vivacious woman. She epitomized the women in my life - she was made of a tougher fiber - of pure grit. She was not the "typical" grandmother or woman of her time, wrapped in an apron and ever present with a warm plate of cookies, or dressed in linen and pearls. She was hard-working, charismatic, gregarious, and a woman who was never limited by her circumstances or time. Barely at 5 feet tall, she was a woman bigger in presence than her mere stature.

She worked until her mid-seventies, only when her eyesight was too bad. She competed in the Senior Olympics as a dancer, leading and choreographing cheerleading, jazz, and country line dancing teams. We even choreographed dances together when I was home for the summer. She was funny, spirited and a great shopping partner. She loved you, no matter the time or distance that separated the visit. She took care of her ailing husband, my dear Grandfather, when he was dying of cancer. And, if you were at my wedding 5 years ago, you saw her dance her butt off and drop lower to the floor than the girls my age. She was in one word - remarkable.

I am proud to have that type of woman running through my veins. I am so blessed to have had her in my life. And, I just know that heaven is more fun because she is there. I know she is dancing in heaven; having already organized the angels into an all out team.

As she use to say, when she coached the dance teams in her seventies -- "those old ladies couldn't do the moves she could." I will always remember her as the woman who defied her age and was blessed with many talents.

We all miss you Grandma -- Love, Dana

Easter Weekend

Keith got off of work last Friday and this Monday, so we went to WV to celebrate Easter with his family and coincidentally my 29th birthday that fell on the same day! We have a great time. We got family pictures done on Saturday and even got Samantha's picture with the Easter Bunny. Samantha also got to meet the rest of Keith's family and was so excited to have so many people entertaining her that she was showing off -- she was big smiles and was talking (albeit in a foreign language ;) ) nonstop. Below are some pictures from the weekend. Enjoy! :)

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Big Girl in the BUMBO

My baby is getting SO big!! sniff, sniff. She is a little over 3 months and she can sit up in the BUMBO Aunt Tara got her. It is amazing how quickly they grow, change and learn. She is giggling, interacting so much, and you can see the gears turning as she takes in the world. And, now she is getting such good head control that I know it won't be long before she is sitting up on her own.

3 Month Portraits

Samantha finally got her 3 month portraits done at JCPenny's last weekend. After a meltdown at the last attempt we were SO nervous, but this session went wonderful and we got some amazing pictures! The ladies working with her did great to get those smiles and perfect looks out of her.

We get in the final pictures here soon and will send them out to our family - so no worries. Here are just 3 teaser photos that I loved via the website! After I sort through pictures to send out, I will email the online site with all of the pictures in case anyone wants to order from the full set, or if you want a certain size.

We were so proud of her and no shock to us, she showed off beautifully in these pictures. She is truly our little angel.

Samantha's First Giggle

What a weekend. She finally giggled today! We also had her first portraits taken this weekend and she did great! The proofs are adorable!

A Great Weekend with a Few Tears

After Keith working a long stretch of days and a weekend of call, we enjoyed a nice family weekend together. Friday night I made a homemade Potato Pizza (so good!- even Keith had three helpings :) ) and we settled in front of a movie. Saturday morning we got going early to get Samantha in her Easter dress and get together all of the stuff for her 3 month/Easter picture. However, I had a feeling from early on that Samantha had other plans. After skipping her morning nap and the photographer running late, by the time they started positioning her for poses and the assistant made smacking noises with her mouth in Sami's face, the shoot was over. Poor Samantha broke down into a puddle of tears and was inconsolable. I was annoyed because I had looked forward to the pics, but soon realized that it was not important enough to make my baby sad. We might attempt them again, but if not we will keep snapping photos at home. ;)

To recover from the tears, we popped over to Red Robin and downed 1,000 calories in burgers and fries, and spent the day out shopping and just enjoying each other. We went everywhere from World Market and Hobby Lobby to Lowe's. It ended up being a fun day out, filled with a lot of laughter, some spring decor purchases and a great cup of latte from Panera. To end the day perfectly, we went to our friends Heather and Freddie's house for their son Porter's 1st birthday party. We got to see their adorable kids again and got to meet some great people, including some new neighbors. Plus, there is nothing more adorable than seeing a 1 year old enjoy their first birthday cake (See Porter below).



Sunday began with an enjoyable church service, where Sami and I bounced half of the service together -- along with half of the other mothers and babies in the audience. ;) Keith spent the afternoon prepping the yard for Spring -- his favorite pasttime, I took care of baby and relished in her ever expanding vocabulary of "ah-goos" and grunts. ;) I also finally decorated for Spring and got down all left-over winter decor. Then we came back together that evening over a movie and Taco Bell.

Yes, these might seem like small things, but all of these things added up to a great weekend with my family -- even despite the few tears.

It Is SO Hard Being a Girl ;)

Poor Sami - Mommy dressed her up like a doll baby the other day because I couldn't decide which Easter dress I wanted to take her 3 month old pictures in. On Saturday we are taking her first professional pictures and I am doing an Easter pic with one of these dresses and her bunny and/or lamby. Of course, I have socks, shoes and headbands for both -- but I can't decide. Luckily, Samantha didn't seem to mind the dress up period and the posing for me. I love having a girl!

Still undecided about which dress - no need to worry though, it will probably be the one that she doesn't spit up on before pictures start. ;)

Meeting Sarah

Samantha got a chance to meet my good friend from Herron High School, Sarah, this past Sunday when we met for lunch at Olive Garden. I have missed Sarah dearly, but between the holidays, her long hours of work and school, and how far we live apart from each other - this was our first time to reunite. It was great to laugh, talk and just catch up. I realized how much I had missed our daily chats at school. And no surprise, Sarah was a natural with Samantha. Plus, I got to go to my favorite restaurant (even if that is sad in and of itself) and Samantha was awesome! Have I told you that I have Super Baby - yes, I am biased....oh well. ;)

Myrtle Beach and Dani's birthday

We celebrated Dani's 8th birthday in Myrtle Beach the last weekend I was home. I can't believe how grown up Dani is. Isn't she gorgeous! Nana did her hair special for her Birthday celebration at Build-a-bear.

Sami got to bask in the sun at Broadway on the beach, where we met up with some friends to go to Build-a-bear and Johnny Rockets for lunch.
Nana, Papa and Daddy pose in front of Avista, where we stayed at north Myrtle.
Sami went to the beach for the first time and we shared a family kiss.

Tara, forgive me for the above picture of you bathing beauties - but it was too cute not to post.

Going Home to NC

Mom took some baby and me pics while in NC. Luckily Mom has a great camera that can rapid fire shots, so a decent one is bound to come out - though, Sami ALWAYS looks beautiful.
Sami also got to meet and hang out with her cool neices - Dani, Grace and Allyson. Despite her face in this picture, she had fun. I just think she was done with pictures for the day!
Samantha also really found her tongue in NC. She is like a little lizard and she is fascinated with your mouth, so she tries to mimic what you do - esp. if it has anything to do with the tongue. It is crazy even just watching her take in your facial moments. You can just see the gears turning in her head.
Sharing a sweet kiss -- look at that girl opening her mouth. Should I be worried? ;)
That's my baby! She is one happy little girl and she was so excited to see family. Nana kept her laughing up a storm.
Here is Nana cuddling with 3 of the 7 grandchildren. We girls run the roost in my family - the men have no hope!
Mom and Dad also posed with baby for me on their back porch. What an amazing view to wake up to every day. I never get sick of seeing it when I am there, but it sure makes it hard to leave.

I love NC and my family SO much. I miss you all already!

Tara's Visit

Tara came to see Samantha for the first time the last weekend of February. We had a great weekend in IN! We went out to eat, shopping and just catching up. It was so special to have Tara here.

This was a precious time for Tara and Samantha. Like Tia, it is rare that my sisters would get this one-on-one time with Samantha with three kids of their own. So Tara spent some quality time cuddling, talking and loving on Samantha. It meant so much to me to see my sisters making over her. I have such an amazing family.

Thank you for coming Tara - I can only imagine how hard it was to leave your babies for a few days. I love you!!

Just Some Thoughts...

I've been reflecting a lot about motherhood and how our lives have changed and I thought I'd jot down a couple of my thoughts on how the last almost two months have been. I have been overwhelmed with how natural motherhood is and yet, how much it changes how you view everything. My life seems so much more complete and happy now, but scarier. I worry about things I never considered before, like the flight we are taking next week, the cars driving around us on the Interstate, how to keep Sami safe, if I am doing everything I can do to be a good Mom, etc. All my prior worries seem so vain now, so inconsequential. I don't worry about my make-up, my hair or the latest fashion. I don't remember the last time I put on more than a dab of blush and lip gloss, considered my outfit for more than a brief second (that time including - "what is best for nursing"), wore jewelry or even touched my once prized shoes. Life is simplier and more complicated all at the same time. But, instantly on December 22nd I went from being Dana to being Mom - a job I have cherished more than words can express. Something that means more to me than all the shoes, jewelry or "me" time. And while I am reminded of how blessed my life is now whenever I look at her, there are moments that esp. take my breathe away. For example, I am a huge advocate of co-sleeping and while I realize some people's fears surrounding this issue, it seems as natural as breast feeding to me. The other night Samantha was sleeping nuzzled into the crook of my left arm, to the left of her was our dog Sadie and then Keith who had his hand draped over all of us, and resting over my hand. I woke up early that morning to this picture and the soft sighs of contentment from my daughter. Right then I lifted up a prayer of thanks to God. Yes, sometimes motherhood is hard - she might cry for no reason, spit up on your clothes, and you might always smell like rotten milk ;) - but one smile or baby hand resting on your chest during a nap and that it's -- you are smitten.

Aunt Tia Comes to Visit

Samantha got to meet my sister and her Aunt Tia this past weekend. Tia flew in from Colorado Thursday night and we all spent a wonderful weekend together. Samantha modeled her wardrobe and was on her best behavior. :)

Samantha models her Snoopy gear (above) and shows Tia all that she has learned so far - from how she can lift up (below), to her head control and even how she rolls over. She is an amazing baby!
I took tons of pictures of Tia with baby, so that these memories are frozen in pics for Sami to look at one day. Plus, Aunt Tia got Samantha a "Who Loves Baby" photo album, to help her get to know her family.


We all went to church together. Samantha slept through the whole service -- I truly believe that God must sing a lullaby to babies in church, because they all seem to do so well there. Sadly, we had to see Tia off last night. It is always hard to say goodbye, but we are all excited about seeing her again in June (albeit we wish it was sooner) in Disney for our family trip.
Thank you sis for coming! We love you so much. It was great to see you and to have someone to get out and about with all weekend. Everything from just chatting and catching up, to seeing "Confessions of a Shopaholic" with Sami, to shopping, lots of eating ;), and playing a ruthless game of Sequence -- it was all so much fun!

Sam-Bug

Make a Smilebox photobook

Aunt Tammie comes to visit!

Keith's sister Tammie came to visit with Ken and Karen. This was her first time seeing Miss Samantha. So, Sami was on her best behavior - sleeping well, smiling lots and posing for pics. She was so excited to finally get to meet Tammie!
Samantha being held by Karen for a nap - such a rare sight to see this baby held, huh?! It is hard not too want to hold her all the time, when you look at her squirrel cheeks and puckered lips. :)
Ken walking and talking with baby. Ken seems to have to touch to calm her down! :) She is so lucky to have two sets of great Grandparents that love her so much!
She's posing with the pink teddy bear that Aunt Tammie brought. She was fascinated with it. That and her Elmo are her favorite stuffed animals.
My other baby, Sadie, also got a special visitor. Her friend Scooter came in with Ken and Karen. They have a blast together. Prior to this pic, they were playing back and forth with this toy. It is adorable to see them interact - well, until Scooter starts to hump her. Unfortunately, Sadie does not fight him off and therefore we are all on high alert when they start playing. Luckily they are both fixed, but we'd still rather keep their relationship platonic. ;)
Here is one more great pic of the weekend with Tammie and Samantha. It was sad to see another visitor leave at the end of the weekend, but we will be down to see the whole Newbrough clan over Easter and my birthday.

This coming weekend my sister Tia is coming in and then the next Tara is coming in. After that, I fly back with Tara to NC to visit my whole family. I am so excited about all the visits and the upcoming trip. February has been a great month - every weekend packed with visits from family. Samantha and I are getting spoiled - we love it!!