So I've slacked a little...

and I have a lot of catching up to do.

First of all, Merry Christmas! We have finally recuperated from our trek all over the state of Mississippi, and I must say that Sam performed rather well. Our holiday started in Jackson where we "had Christmas" in two different locations. We then loaded up and drove north to hang out with my family, and we rounded out our tour by spending a night in the Mississippi Delta with Anthony's grandmother.

We managed to make quite a scene at our Christmas Eve service. They were short an usher, so my FIL was asked to fill in. Everything was going well until Joe walked up front to get the collection plates. Sam went ballistic. He started flying down the aisle screaming, "Papa! Papa! Papa!" He then proceeded to help Joe with the rest of his ushering duties. I was really, really, glad that the service was dominated by families with small children.

Check out his knee socks and saddle oxfords. Love them.

What did Sam get for Christmas? I think the better question is what didn't he get. Our house looks like a molded plastic factory exploded, I have a tee pee in my dining room, and books are everywhere. In short, Sam made out like a bandit.

To kick things off, MP and Joe gave Sam a Thomas the Train set Christmas Eve night. I have a feeling that it will be a long-term winner.

The scene at our house Christmas morning. Where am I going to put all this? Santa and his elves must not have thought about storage problems.

Notice the fire on the television set. Anthony personally worked really hard on chopping firewood and keeping us toasty warm Christmas day. He's such an outdoorsman.

He really digs his new wheels...

and his new tee pee...

and his easel...he loves to "color" now--especially with "lello"

and his basketball goal...
and his computer.

I'm happy to report that although he is his father made over, he does still really love books, so there is hope for me yet. He got a ton of "literature," and several of his favorite--Curious George. He is OBSESSED. It's pretty cute.

Next year he will be a huge help with our cookie decorating. His clothing will be protected, too.


Overall, we had a great holiday, and we're fortunate to have such wonderful family near and far. We send love and lots of kisses, along with our hopes for a wonderful 2010!

My favorite sous chef...

Every year since we've been married, (and a few before that) I've baked and decorated Christmas cookies with Anthony's dad. We have a great time, and we've perfected our recipe. This year we decided to add to the fun and chaos, so Sam was given a little bit of cookie dough to play with.

Things started out fairly well. Cute Christmas outfit--check. Cookie dough--check. Good time--check. Then he ate the cookie dough...so we tried to take it from him. His reaction?

To make things a little safer/salmonella-free, we gave him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich which he then insisted on icing. I can't say I blame him.

Anthony thought it would be hilarious if Sam had an icing mustache. I didn't really think it was that funny. Sam did. (Notice we transitioned to a much-needed bib.)

By the end our our night, he was practically naked with icing from head to toe. Bath time was interesting.

And now, the score:

Sam--5

Christmas tree--0

Please pick up an angel...

I'm sure many of you know that there are still hundreds of local "angels" who have not been adopted for Christmas. Money is tight, donations are down, and charities are suffering. I cannot imagine waking up on Christmas day, and not actually having Christmas. I was fortunate enough to be born into a family who was financially stable, full of love, and more than generous. Now that I have a child of my own, it hurts my heart even more to see the list of children who may not receive gifts this year. I encourage you to pick up an angel.

http://www.wapt.com/money/21882562/detail.html

This Saturday is the last day to adopt an angel and next Monday, Dec. 14, is the last day to turn in gifts.

Angels can be picked out at Northpark Mall in Ridgeland or the Salvation Army.

People can also adopt an angel online at angel.jcpenney.com.

I went online, typed in my zip, and picked out my angel. Now all I have to do is shop for her and drop it off at the Salvation Army.

A trolley, some snow, and a little caroling...

I firmly believe that my husband is one of the hardest people to buy for in the world. He doesn't want anything for Christmas, and he doesn't care if he gets anything. (Although the Egg Bowl win was a nice little happy.) On top of that, his birthday is in December, which means that I have to scrounge up a good birthday gift, too. Despite the herculean efforts it takes to come up with something appropriate, I think I may have finally done it.

With the help of his and my parents, I rented the Fondren Trolley last Friday night. I had him invite his friends, we donned our tackiest Christmas duds, and we had a very "spirited" night. I even conjured up some snow.

Modeling his Christmas finery. He wasn't even close to being the tackiest.

I'm sporting my 3XL men's t-shirt that I wore as a dress. If you would like one of your own, you can pick it up for a meager $4 at Wal-Mart. And yes, that's a Santa Claus necklace around my neck.

This needs an explanation...We decided to give a small prize to whoever wore the tackiest outfit. Some friends showed up in these matching, denim jackets. The jackets were given to them as a wedding present. For real. No lie. They are hideous--and hilarious. I'm glad that they can now honestly say they've worn the jackets.

The trolley did not run us over--it was parked. And I'm wearing running shorts under my shirt/dress. I promise.

We stopped by Belhaven to do a little sledding. It wasn't that easy considering there wasn't a whole lot of snow, but we didn't really care.

Anthony's parents graciously let Sam spend the night with them that night, so we were able to sleep in. (Thank goodness because it was one of the latest nights we've had in awhile.) Joe took Sam out in the snow the next morning. Forgive Sam's motley outfit. I didn't send appropriate clothes for him because I didn't believe it would actually snow. Serves me right.

Saturday night, we headed to the Belhaven Singing Christmas Tree. It was beautiful, but pretty darn cold. We had dinner with friends after the program, and we decided to top off the night with a little bit of Christmas caroling. We didn't leave the house to subject anyone else to our singing, but we had a great time nonetheless. It was so cliche, but it was ridiculously fun!

Yes, that's the lamp from A Christmas Story. Awesome.

If you look closely, you can see our tip jar. If you missed out on tipping us that night, feel free to send us a check in the mail.

I promise I'm alive...

We've just had a lot going on lately. We had a wonderful, laid-back Thanksgiving holiday--which was capped off by a Bulldog win. Anthony still hasn't come down from his cloud. The Christmas tree is up, and although it hasn't proved to be quite the sticky situation I feared, Sam has still managed to kill an ornament or two.

We have a birthday party for Anthony tonight; I'm not going to divulge his age. I'll be posting pictures from this event ASAP. It ought to be interesting. Two words: Tacky Christmas.

And now, for the score:

Sam 3, Christmas tree 0

Chief Demands-Milk-And-Cackas

It's been a few posts since I inundated the web with pictures of my son, so I figure you're due. His little school had their Thanksgiving feast today, and he had a fine ole time. We have been so happy with his school, and I'm grateful that Sam is comfortable there. He is definitely coming out of his shell. He was an American Indian today, complete with headdress. I didn't ask him what his Indian name was, but I'm sure it's something like, "Chief Demands-Milk-And-Cackas." He and his tribe had big plans for a huge meal, a quick pow-wow, and then a communal nap.

Somebody's got gas...

On Tuesday, it wasn't us. Our sweet little gas company decided to do some maintenance on our gas line, but they apparently forgot to turn it back on. Luckily for us, Tuesday happened to be pretty chilly, and we had no hot water and no heat. I think Anthony's shower lasted all of 20 seconds, and I didn't get to take one at all. While I waited on the gas people to come back and correct the issue, I wrapped myself in quilts and sat on a heating pad. I looked like the scene from Christmas Vacation when Clark accidentally gets trapped in the attic. I'm not exaggerating. I looked ridiculous. Fortunately, Sam was at MMO that day, so he didn't have to freeze with me.

We have now rejoined the 21st century--I have heat, hot water, and I am now clean as a whistle. I even took the turban off my head.

For all you future mothers...

Yet another thing that they don't tell you in pre-baby classes--how your shopping experiences will change. Let me enlighten you.

You will not be able to leave the house without diapers, a massive, cumbersome stroller, wipes, an extra outfit, goldfish, and juice/milk.

You will attempt to buy a book, and end up buying one for your child too because he/she starts throwing a fit in the super-quiet bookstore and screams "Book! Book! Book!" at the top of his/her lungs.

You will go into your favorite store, Anthropologie, and attempt to find something cute, weather-appropriate, and inexpensive (good luck with that one) to wear to a football game that weekend. You will take the huge, cumbersome stroller into a handicapped changing room and strip down as quickly as possible. Your child will tire of the book you just got him/her, and he/she will demand "cackas.'' Cue the goldfish. While you attempt to wade through the pile of potential outfits, your child will open the door and show everyone in the dressing area what you look like without a top on. Awesome. You will leave a trail of crumbs Hansel and Gretel style all over the store, therefore making it easy for the employees to figure out which person made a fantastic mess. You will turn red with shame.

On the bright side, you will get 3 cute tops and a blazer. Your child will be so exhausted from peeking out under the dressing room door that he/she will fall asleep on the ride home.

I'm just warning you.

Super fun...

Insert sarcasm...

This weekend we noticed that Sam had a small, seemingly insignificant rash on his face. It turns out we were really wrong about the insignificant part.

By late Sunday afternoon, the rash covered pretty much every inch of his body, and it looked horrendous. Our pediatric group is open every day of the year except Christmas and Thanksgiving, so we took him in Sunday night at 7:30 and a doctor checked him out. Hand, foot, and mouth disease was the diagnosis. If you're not familiar with this particular brand of torture, it's a super-contagious virus that causes a person to run a low-grade fever and break out in a rash all over the body. (Specifically the hands, feet, and mouth.) Poor kid even has sores in his mouth, too. Good news is that it's nothing major. Bad news is, it has to "run its course." No Mother's Morning Out for us this week.

I would post pictures, but let's face it, that'd be gross. Feel free to google it.

What's even more fun is freaking out every time I have an itch...I'm terrified I'm going to get it. I bet you're itching now, too.

The Samburger

Warning--disgustingly obnoxious amount of pictures to follow.

On Friday Sam had his first "school" party. Talk about organized chaos! Toddlers were everywhere, art projects flew through the air, and all kinds of food ended up on the floor. I really don't know how his teachers handle it every day. They totally won my admiration.



Sam wore his delicious hamburger costume to the party. He had a good time, but he didn't smile for the camera very much. I promise he enjoyed himself.

The cheeseburger cheesin' for the camera

Serious face

Working on his "art project"

Hangin' with his friends Snow White, Ladybug, Angel, and Frog

This pic has absolutely nothing to do with Halloween. I just think it's funny.

Halloween night

Yes, that's me. I have always wanted to be Snow White...

At 30 years of age, I made it happen. When I googled "Snow White Costumes" a ton of trashy versions came up. Who knew that you could make Snow White look promiscuous? I passed on the bows and garters and went with the traditional version.

We took Sam to a few friends' houses and then headed to a Halloween party. He hung out with us for a little while, but we had to call in reinforcements to take him off our hands.

Family portrait

Sookie Stackhouse, Willie Nelson, and S. White

Anthony dressed up as a friend of ours; it's an inside joke that would take way too much explanation, so I'll pass. Anthony's posing with John Gosselin and an Ole Miss fan. That's right...someone dressed up as an Ole Miss fan. He's an Auburn grad, so his costume was particularly timely on Saturday.

Hope your Halloween was full of treats!

Ace of Cookies?

First of all, I want to give a shout-out to my MSU bulldogs, who gave a valiant effort against the #1 ranked Gators. Progress, people...I'm seeing lots of progress from those guys.

We've got a busy week at the Sherman house, so get ready for a lot of posts and pictures over the next few days. I'm sure you're sitting on the edge of your seat.

Anyway, earlier this year, I attended a super-fun Viking Cooking Class with mis amigas. We ate, we drank, we conquered--pasta.

Monday I had the pleasure of attending another class, but this time I was solo. The goal? Decorating cookies in honor of Halloween. I had a blast. I love crafty stuff, so this was right up my alley. (No pun intended.) We worked with rolled fondant and royal icing, and my work turned out pretty darn cute if I do say so myself.

Deciding on a plan of attack--this was before I figured out that I needed to pull my hair back.

Hair taken care of--working with some fondant

My witch--isn't she sweet?

Pumpkinhead

The finished product

I have a feeling that my Christmas cookies will be a little more sophisticated this year. My next goal is to round up my husband and some friends for a group cooking class. I can only imagine how that will go.

This weekend...

I went to the fair for the first time since I was 17. There is a reason for this; the fair kind of gives me the creeps. I guess it's not the fair itself...or even the people who run it. I'm mainly wigged out by the humanity that pays to get into the fair. (Yes, I know that includes me.) I was greatly reminded of why Mississippi is one of the fattest states in the nation. This fact did not stop Anthony from eating a chicken-on-a-stick...

a fried snickers...

and a fried twinkie.

I tasted the twinkie, and it was worth the heart attack it will cause later.

Sam couldn't do a whole lot, but he loved checking out the lights.

Saturday Anthony and I headed to New Orleans for a night out and the Saints game. We had a great time, and the game was fabulous. What wasn't fabulous was having obnoxious Giants fans sitting right behind us. I'm pretty sure I heard some of the most colorful language of my life. And that's saying something. I don't have pictures yet, which is probably a good thing since it was a trip to New Orleans.

On a completely different subject, today was pajama day at Sam's "school." He was pretty pleased to be in his sleeping duds. I, of course, thought he looked ridiculously cute.

My Friday Night Part II...

The discovery of 2 week old milk wasn't enough excitement for us this weekend. (See previous post.) Sam decided to throw us a real monkey wrench and get sick. Hooray.

While most young people (a category I no longer belong to) were out at 11:45 on Friday night, I was cleaning up vomit. Awesome. No one likes vomit, right? I know I don't, and I became close friends with Captain Puke during the 40 wks. of my pregnancy. I was one of those lucky people who physically threw up the entire 9 months. I've been fortunate to avoid dealing with this oh-so-fun brand of stomach upset since Sam's arrival, but he happily reintroduced me Friday night. I can't complain too much...Anthony had to take a second shower at midnight.

Poor baby Sam was confused, frightened, vomiting, and running fever, and his parents were just trying to hold it together. Now that Sam's nausea free, I can only think about what we must have looked like--Sam in a diaper with puke everywhere, Anthony with upchuck running down his chest, me trying not to slip in it.

Parenthood.

My Friday night...

Tonight we picked up hamburgers and kicked it at home. It should have been a fairly normal night...until the smell.

Anthony sat down in our living room, and sniffed. "What smells so bad?" I responded, 'I don't know--I smelled it earlier, but I never could find anything." We decided that while we were out getting burgers one of our pets decided to use our house as a toilet. We got down on all fours and tried to figure out where the cat/dog had done the deed, but then we found the source of the odor, and it wasn't a pile of poo.

Sam's sippy cups have been disappearing, you see. So much so that I went this week and bought four new ones because I couldn't find the other cups. Well, we found them. One in particular that I haven't seen in weeks. And it still had milk in it. Spoiled milk. That smelled more like rotten cheese. Or cat/dog poo. Disgusting.

Yes, we fought over who would wash it out. I won.

Right now...

My child is as happy as a pig in slop. He is currently sitting on top of my dining room table, and he is DESTROYING my cute, festive, Halloween centerpiece. (Proof is below.) Right now, he could run around naked while screaming obscenities, and I wouldn't care. The beginning stages of a sinus infection do not equal happiness, so we're just trying to make it until the end of the day.

On a side note, I'm not sure what happened in the last month or so, but the kid has developed a TEMPER. If you walked by our house at certain times, I feel sure you would call the police. When he gets mad, (because I won't let him stick his finger in sockets, for example) he acts as if I'm beating him with a garden hose. It's not pretty. All I know is we're about to implement some discipline tactics, which ought to be hilarious. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to bestow your veteran advice.

P.S. There was a question about safety plugs...We do have them, but Sam still wants to pull out anything that is plugged in-- then he tries to stick his fingers in there. I've also had to stop him from attempting to remove safety plugs. He'll either be a mechanical engineer or a criminal. We're keeping our fingers crossed.