Valentines With My Sweethearts

Sam was more than excited to make this Valentines Gingerbread House! Since we didn't have the time to make one for Christmas, I promised him we would use it for Valentines. He loved help putting the candies on.
Our dinner for three.
How do you get a 3 year old to eat his dinner all gone? You place a huge heart shaped brownie with candies on it right in front of him while he eats!

Sam's loot of love!

Our First Christmas in California

This year for Christmas was spent with the Stromberg side. Dan's parents drove in from Utah to spend with Dan and his brother Jeff's family.
A tradition for their family is to have a Christmas Eve dinner together with their traditional staples, Shrimp Salad, Honey Baked Ham and yummy Chocolate Almond Balls and afterwards a little game of Philadelphia Rummy.

Sam helping me make the Chocolate Almond Balls. He LOVES to cook, always trying to help me even with his sandwiches. Little does he know a kitchen just his size is on its way!

The family all came to our house to celebrate.

Cousins: Kate, John and Caroline!

Brothers: Jeff and Dan

Jen and Jeff

Sam and Mommy (side note: roughly a month before this picture was taken, Sam came bouncing up our stairs and fell in just the right place and broke his collar bone. So in the middle of moving in we were in the E.R. with Sam. Hence the child leash around his shoulders.)

Grandpa and Grandma Stromberg

Sam's Christmas loot!

Thanksgiving 2009

We had officially moved into our house in Orange County (pictures to come) and not quite settled, so Jeff and Jen invited us to join them with Jen's family as well for Thanksgiving.
This would be a first in a long time to have Dan with us for Thanksgiving Day.
Dan had to work in the morning, but he was able to come a little later to join us for food and football.

Cousin Kate entertaining her littlest of cousins with water paint. What an amazing cousin!

Our Visit to The Reagan Library

There are many things to visit here in Southern California and we chose to visit the Reagan Library as one of the firsts, and we were very glad we did!
Dan and Sam in front of the library.
Sam and Me posing as some important political figure, ha ha!

Standing in front of Reagan's Air Force One.

The day Dan and I decided to visit the library, just happened to be the same day they were celebrating the 40TH anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. After touring Air Force One, we saw that there was a gathering for a luncheon just below. As we were looking below at the crowd I said to Dan, "Do you think anybody important is down there?" Just as I finished my sentence I did capture a glimpse of someone that was pretty well known and frantically told Dan, "I need the camera!"

See if you can catch a glimpse of that someone who is important.

Nancy Reagan

First Halloween in Cali

Sam's pick for this year's Hallloween costume was a Pirate and he loved saying, "I the pirate, Arrr."

For Sam's first time to go trick or treating door to door, Dan was finally around and NOT deployed and able to take his little boy. Sam's cousin John was nice enough to let little Sam tag a long with all of his buds to trick or treat. It was too cute, all of John's buds call Dan, "Uncle Dan."

Sam's form of transportation for trick or treating. Pretty nice to have a ride like this and get candy during it.

His cousin Kate greets him at the door with candy after our adventure out.

Sam loved these cookies that Aunt Jen and Kate made! "Don't gobble up too many gobblins Sam."

Sam's cousin Francis shows off his awesome Halloween costume to us.

Back at the hotel, Sam raids his first ever loot, working oh so hard to reach what lies inside the paper.

The Denver Broncos Rule

When Dan found out that his beloved Denver Broncos would be coming to San Diego for Monday Nigh Football, he HAD to go. I had planned on going with Dan and his brother and sister-in-law, but Sam was just recovering from having his adenoids removed. Dan decided to give my ticket to his niece Kate! This is a bunch of Broncos fans that became their buds among all the Charger fans there.
A fun time was had by all, especially since the Broncos won or as Dan says, "They crushed them, it was beautiful!"
Dan and Kate!

Jeff and Jen!

Time Spent With Family in Fall

Totally unplanned and within even hours of thinking "I am sick of this hotel" and realizing how much space Sam was in need of, Sam and I were on the road with Utah and sanity as our destination.
I called my sister Suzie to tell her of my plan and left it a secret from my parents to have a little fun. Upon arriving, I was talking to my mom on the phone and drove up to their house and rang the doorbell. I had Sam stand in front of the door. My dad answered and of course that made a lot of commotion in the back ground as I was still on the phone with my mom. She said something was going on at the front door and was unsure of it all. I walked in as I was talking to her and well, she was SURPRISED!!
Liam, Tristan and Sam loving the pumpkin playground.
During our break we went to a little pumpkin farm and Gardner Village. Fun for Sam and Me!

Suzie and Mom, enjoying our time together.

Sam and Liam, unsure of this place we have taken them to with all the scary witches.

Go... Dodgers and Angels!

Dan was hoping since his first baseball game was a Dodgers game that he would make that Sam's as well. It turns out we had an opportunity to go to an Angel's game with Sam's cousins first, so we didn't want to pass that up. Sam sporting all of his Angel's attire we, as his parents, felt a need to spoil him with. I think he liked it.

The 2nd baseball game for Sam was the Dodgers, since we live in CA it was easy to do. He actually loved them both. Since the games he cannot stop talking about the Dodgers and the Angels. We just happened to get him a pair of blue shoes and red high top Converse which he has officially named his Dodger and Angel shoes.

We don't know which team will be his favorite, but at least we have a choice. What a fun place to live this is.

St George Excursion with Stromberg Side

Dan's mom and dad decided to have the family get together and do a short trip to St. George this past summer.
We visited Zions National Park and did some short hikes.
Dan and his brother Jeff, poking fun at the sign!
Sam loves his cousin John and any attention he gives him.

We also had so much fun seeing "Annie" the play at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre in St. George.

Jeff & Jen looking fabulous!

It was SO HOT in St. George that we decided to find an indoor activity for Sam. We found a pet store and Sam loved petting the puppies!

Dan's dad took us all out to eat at one of his favorites Gun Barrel. Yummy steak!

Dad and Mom Stromberg

Stromberg cousins: Caroline, Kate, Sam and John.

Sam's 2 Year Pictures

For Sam's 2 year pictures I had my friend Andrea Hanks take them. We met her in American Fork at a place called Star Mill. It was awesome because Sam was having so much fun exploring everything on the lot, that he had no idea his picture was being taken. She did an amazing job!