Christmas Shopping

We did a little Christmas shopping this weekend. Christmas window shopping, that is. I took Sam to NorthPark Center this weekend and we invited Gram and Pops to join us.  NorthPark is a very well-known shopping center, the oldest and largest in Dallas.  It has fountains and sculptures and the kinds of shops you usually only see in fancy magazine ads! Gram and Pops brought me here to see the Christmas decorations, from the time I was a tiny baby, so it was nice to be able to bring Sam as well. While some things have changed, there was a lot that felt very much the same!




Pops, Sam and Gram in front of one of the many Christmas trees placed throughout Northpark.


 Sam was ooohing over these guys:



They are mechanical, and I remember coming to Northpark to see them when I was very small.


 He really, really liked the moving sculpture.  Such a guy.


Whose presents are these, flying overhead?


 Why, it's Santa Claus and his reindeer!  Santa and his crew are made of very old nuts, shellacked marshmallows and other petrified bits.  We know they are at least thirty-something years old...


 Rudolph, with your nose so bright!


There were no penguins, as there were when Momma was a little girl, but they did have ducks and turtles.  That's two of the three WonderPets!




 It was love-at-first-sight for the salesgirl at the Nasher Sculpture Center Shop, so she had to find lots of fun toys to make Sam laugh.


Because our timing was a little off, we didn't make any of the puppet shows like we'd planned. But that was okay.  Sam enjoyed a snack in front of the gingerbread house and met a couple of babies while we listened to the Plano Civic Chorale sing Christmas carols.

There were lots of fun things to touch, too, like these very soft cactus forests. 




They looked like little Christmas trees, and we felt like GIANTS!


But the best thing about the day was that Mommy's sweater had buttons.  Go figure.

We'll be back next year, for sure, although we might try for a weekday instead of a Saturday afternoon!  And next year we'll make the puppet shows and, if he wants to, we'll take Sam to the Miniature Train Show.  Can't wait!

Family, Food and Fun



What a wonderful First Thanksgiving we had with our baby Sam. Happy to have Papa Emil and Grandma Jan with us, we spent the day eating, playing with Sam, chatting and eating some more! Gram and Pops prepared a great feast and Sam entertained us all. He looked so handsome, too!

Enjoy these photos and a short video of our Thanksgiving Day with our special guests and of course, Samuel!
































If you listen carefully, you can hear baby Samuel snoring in the video. 
Looks like somebody had too much turkey!

Too Much Turkey from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

We Are Thankful



We are so thankful that Papa and Grandma came to visit us. It made for a very special Thanksgiving.

They arrived at our house late-morning on Wednesday. Sam was just waking up from a nap as they walked through the door, so Papa and Grandma joined us in getting Sam out of bed. He was sleepy and a little shy at first, but he really warmed up quickly.



The first order of business was opening the presents Grandma and Papa brought for Samuel.  They brought two handsome outfits - one to wear while watching baseball with Daddy - and a really colorful bag that was fun to look at!





Sam showed Grandma and Papa all his toys while I finished getting lunch ready.



Grandma was good at playing giraffe. She really kept those blocks moving!


After a yummy lunch and a tour of the neighborhood, everybody took a little snooze. Then it was time for more toys! Papa was really good at the musical keys. He just kept pushing that sunshine button and singing Sam those nursery rhymes. I'm not sure how excited Papa Emil is to have this video on the blog, but it's just too sweet to keep hidden in the camera. What a great Papa!



A Sing Along with Papa from Sara Straka on Vimeo.


After all that playing our tummies were starting to rumble so we headed to Plano and ate at Mi Cocina, (which also happens to be Uncle Jeff's favorite Texas restaurant).



The Christmas tree and lights were up and looked so pretty. Sam was such a good boy and enjoyed his baby food at the table with the grown-ups.




We took a stroll to see the lights before heading for home.
Such a fun first day with Grandma and Papa!





Moo. Cluck.


Happy Halloween from The Funny Farm.


Sam had a great First Halloween. Gram and Pops came over to join in the festivities. Sam dressed up as a cow - a costume I received at a shower. Sophie was a chicken, a costume that suits her perfectly.

After dinner Sam and Daddy and I went to a couple of houses, mostly neighbors that we know, while Gram and Pops passed out candy at our house. Sam was a really good boy. He just held on to whoever was holding him and took it all in. He stayed up about an hour-and-a-half past his bedtime and wasn't even too fussy. He had a great time!

Enjoy the photos and the short video at the bottom!












Pops got swamped by trick-or-treaters!


Spoiled Little Pumpkin
(this is Sam's new "I'm excited" move - more on that later...)

Sam got a ball he can hold and a (baby-safe) hammer he can bang with.



We finished off the evening celebrating Gram's birthday with presents.

Happy Halloween!

Sam's First Halloween from Sara Straka on Vimeo.

Happy Father's Day



"What Makes a Dad"
(unknown author)

God took the strength of a mountain,
The majesty of a tree,
The warmth of a summer sun,
The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature,
The comforting arm of night,
The wisdom of the ages,
The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring,
The faith of a mustard seed,
The patience of eternity,
The depth of a family need.
Then God combined these qualities.
When there was nothing more to add,
He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad

Weekend, Part 2


I'm one lucky Mommy. Despite being exhausted from helping me all night with a fussy Samuel, Brian was up at 8:00, ready to make my first Mother's Day special. When I walked into the kitchen, there were pretty pink flowers on the table, which was set for breakfast, a card from each of my guys, a present from Brian (a journal), a framed photo of Sam with his Mother's Day sign, and a sweet letter from Sam. After our special dairy-free breakfast (fancy scrambled eggs with mushrooms and tomatoes and waffles with peanut butter), we got dressed and made our way to Granny Nell's for Sam's first visit to Duncanville. We all had fun visiting, exchanging gifts and playing with Baby Sam.

Unfortunately, Brian had to work later that evening, but Sam and I still had fun with Gram, Pops and Uncle Andrew, who stopped by for a visit. Gram and Pops helped with Sam's bath for the first time which was interesting to say the least. I forgot to warn Pops that the water that comes out of the vegetable sprayer is pretty cold at first, and instead told him to spray Sam's head while I get the shampoo out. Boy can Sam can get red when he holds his breath and screams! He had a tough time recovering from that bath.

Gram and Pops gave me a couple of special First Mother's Day gifts. Gram found a book about Mommies for Sam and I to read together, and Pops gave me a Willow Tree angel holding a litte baby bird, just hatched from his egg. Doesn't get more perfect than that, does it?
Thanks to everyone for a special Mommy's Day. :)
*Sara