Samantha is NINE ....

Happy Birthday to Samantha! Nine years old. Let's dwell a just little on our Sam-ba-lam-ba-ding-dong...
Samantha is athletic. She would rather be outside than inside. She has an infectious smile. She makes honor roll at school and her favorite subjects are math and science. Samantha has a temper and is quick to get over it. She will eat just about anything, but loves fruit the most. Lately magoes are her favorite. When Samantha brushes her teeth, she doesn't put the toothpaste on the brush like the rest of the world, she squirts it in her mouth first, then adds a toothbrush. She doesn't like the nickname of Sam. She'll tell you, my name is not Sam, it's Samantha. Her family gets away with calling her Sam, sometimes. Samantha makes friends easily and likes to be the center of attention. She will be in the fourth grade this coming year.
this is Samantha with Coach Kristen and with her team (Samantha is far right)
Samantha was a level 5 competing gymnast for River City Gymnastics Team and her favorite event was the floor, although her coach said her bars were the best. Now she'll be playing soccer in the fall. Samantha used to mix up two words as a toddler - watermelon was lemonade and lemonade was watermelon. She loves them both. She likes to go to the dentist! Samantha collects Pokemon cards and loves to battle her friends with them. Once when Samantha was about three she fell out of a tree in our yard. She cried and cried and wouldn't move her arm. At the hospital the doctor wanted to take some x-rays and tried to get Samantha to take some medicine to calm her, dull her pain and allow the doctor to position her arm for the x-ray machine. Samantha would have no parts of a doctor giving her any medicine and fought the doctor so hard that she popped her arm back into the socket and went home happy as can be. No x-rays, no drugs, just a good tug.

Samantha wanted a dog from the moment she could say the word. So, after years of patient pleading, she has her wish - this past spring our family adopted two puppies. Samantha is now our resident dog trainer. Samantha is a great sister. She plays with her little sisters (she makes a wonderful tiger or dog or dinosaur, whatever the game happens to be) and she is her big sister's best bud, and best opponent. Samantha is a morning person and while she will beg to stay up late, she's out as soon as she hits the pillow. Samantha is in the habit of standing up to watch TV and she has been interested this summer in making money doing extra household chores. Samantha likes to wear her hair down and has never had bangs. She also hates shorts and capris - for her it's either jeans or a swimsuit.
Samantha is beautiful, funny and passionate. She will be the first of her sisters to blow up, and the first to sit down and make the peace. She colored very well when she was younger, usually using a rainbow of colors in a single space. Samantha is inquisitive and asks very good questions in order to understand something. She likes to be on the go and to know what the schedule is. She's a planner. Samantha still has a blanket on her bed that she was given as a baby. She doesn't depend on it like she did as a baby, but, I wouldn't mess with it, either.
Samantha is a handful sometimes, and so helpful to me at home. She is great company and wants to understand the world around her. She is healthy and strong and has so much to offer this world. I am proud of her and I know she will be a valuable player in this life. She is our Schmooperdoodle, our Sambernista, our Samantha Marie.