Saturday, September 23, 2006

What would Ralp Lauren® do? (WWRLD)

We had dinner again at Sammy's Aunt Annie's last week. This time, we got to see Anne, Diane, Brian, Grant, Rose, Chris, and Mike. The day before we went, Macy's was having a sale on children's clothing. We saw a RL shirt which was a "twin" of one Michele had recently bought. Since Mike works in a high level position for the RL organization, we couldn't resist buying it for Sammy...and so Michele and Sammy showed up as "Bobbsey Twins."

The food was tasty, although yet another scandal erupted when we realized that Diane's hand-made lasagna used pre-made tomato sauce!

So at the end of the evening, Michele and Paul were asking themselves the following questions about Ralph Lauren...would he:
  • sneak in pre-made tomato sauce into an otherwise hand-made lasagna?
  • line his refrigerator and with what?
  • let a stuffed dinosaur drown his sorrows away in alcohol?


The tasty but troublesome lasagna made by Diane...


RL Bobbsey Twins...


Rose holds Sammy...and any work secrets she knows about Diane...


Mike and Chris are always fun to visit with...


Sammy's cousin Brian smiles (finally!) for the camera...


Aun Annie's fridge....shelves lined with paper towels!



Sammy's dinosaur drowns his sorrows...
...when he realizes there is no RL line for stuffed dinosaurs.

Sammy "Two Socks"

We are not making this up.

You might say it's one of those things you dread to hear as a parent. And for us it happened yesterday. You go to the day care center and find out that it is your son who is a bad influence on the other children. At hardly over 7 months of age, little Sammy (aka Sammy "Two Socks") caused a bad report to his parents from day care. We are besides ourselves in what to do.

His modus operandi? Sammy delights in pulling off his socks. We're not sure why, but it is one of his greatest pleasures. Put them on him, he immediately takes them off. Apparently at day care Sammy is now "teaching" the other children to take off their socks. Is this how most notorious rascals of history started out? Is Sammy the Roosevelt Franklin of his time? Will Sammy be banned from day care? Will his nefarious ways leave him in the end with a "hot foot"?


Sammy "Two Socks" sans most of the rest of his clothing too...

Friday, September 22, 2006

A very long illness...


Poor little Sammy was the canary in the coal mine. First he gets a cold, then Paul, and then Michele. This whole week we've been battling some sort of nasty virus. So we're a bit delinquent in updating our blog. The good news is that we seem to be on the mend.

Too bad there isn't a real Dr. Gregory House, MD -- we could have used him this week...

JILL: My joints have been feeling all loose, and lately I've been feeling sick a lot. Maybe I'm overtraining; I'm doin' the marathon, like, ten miles a day,
[House looks tired]
JILL: but I can't seem to lose any weight.
HOUSE: Lift up your arms.
[she does so]
HOUSE: You have a parasite.
JILL: Like a tapeworm or something?
HOUSE: Lie back and lift up your sweater.
[she lies back, and still has her hands up]
HOUSE: You can put your arms down.
JILL: Can you do anything about it?
HOUSE: Only for about a month or so. After that it becomes illegal to remove, except in a couple of states.
[he starts to ultrasound her abdomen]
JILL: Illegal?
HOUSE: Don't worry. Many women learn to embrace this parasite. They name it, dress it up in tiny clothes, arrange playdates with other parasites...
JILL: Playdates?
HOUSE: [shows her the ultrasound] It has your eyes.
[it's a baby]

Monday, September 11, 2006

Mr 101°

Today the Sammy's daycare called us up and said Sammy had a temperature of 101°. So we rushed through the streets of Rochester to pick him up (luckily we did not run into a DM&E train). We ended up taking him to the Mayo Clinic that day to have him checked...Paul had to knock over the gurney that Gerald Ford was to bring Sammy to the front of the line (ok, just kidding on that part). We gave Sammy some children's Tylenol and his fever seemed to break. Which leads us to wonder...is Sammy smart enough to fake illness to get out of day care?


15 minutes after picking up Sammy and giving him a bottle...
...and suddenly he's Mr Personality...
...does he look ill to you?


Update 12:27am-Sammy is having a tough night. He woke up at 10pm and it took Michele 1.5 hours to get him back to sleep again. Poor Sammy! Poor Michele!

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Mr 95%

Recently we took Sammy for his 7-month checkup. It should have been his 6th month checkup, but his pediatrician was "volunteered' to work the emergency room for the summer. We could have gone with another MD, but we elected to wait a few weeks...as we really like and trust his doctor. According to the pediatrician, Sammy is at the 95th percentile for height (he's a GIANT!), 65th percentile for weight, and 50th percentile for head circumference. What this means is that Sammy stands tall among his peers but his head has not swollen because of it. Oh, and with everything else the Doctor said Sammy was quite fine...and remarkably well adjusted (just meet Sammy and you'd see what he means).

Speaking of big heads, we bought Sammy a Gatsby cap (it's for infants though) at Baby Gap. It's still a little big for his said well-adjusted-sized head, but since it was cold out today we broke it out. Paul's sister Anne came down today to visit so we went out to lunch at the Outback Steakhouse (which quite possibly has the best hamburgers around) -- so we put the hat on Sammy for the outing. He looked like an infant Robert Redford (link to explain) if we do say so ourselves.

Note: Some people insist the cap is a "flat cap"...but keep in mind that this cap is large on Sammy's well adjusted head, so one can say it is a Gatsby cap for now.



Aunt Annie, Paul, Sammy, and his somewhat large hat...



Aunt Annie, Michele, Sammy, and his Gatsby cap....



Sammy and his Gatsby cap...

Sunday Mornings...

Sunday mornings at our house are usually quiet...we get up, feed Sammy, and watch Meet the Press and Chris Wallace. Here's a few pics of from this Sunday morning...


Veto the cat sleeps over our heads..imagine what it's like when he falls on us...
...yes...those are full size Puff boxes...Veto the cat is a MONSTER!!!



Sammy is all smiles in the morning...


Sammy starts off the day with his reading..."Cookie Kisses" a personal favorite...


But he gravitates towards something more challenging...


How can we keep him entertained?


A real page turner for Sammy....


Like his father, Sammy does calculus but does not like it...

Wednesday, September 06, 2006

I can't believe you are watching that!

The Minnesota Atheists As They Appeared On Our Television...


Michele seems to believe that Paul has a talent for finding the weirdest thing currently on TV and then watching it. One day she caught him watching the cable public access channel while they were broadcasting "Atheist Talk TV." What follows is a conversation between Michele & Paul:

MICHELE: Paul, what are you watching now?
PAUL: Uh...the Minnesota Atheist show.
MICHELE: Since when did you start watching this show?
PAUL: Uh...I watch this show all the time.
MICHELE: Pray tell...why would you watch it?
PAUL: Uh...the inspiring stories.
MICHELE: Such as?
PAUL: The University of Minnesota Atheists are on now.
MICHEL: And how is that inspiring?
PAUL: They hope to get back up to 50 members this year.
MICHELE: Oh, really...and you think they'll make it?
PAUL: Well, you gotta have faith.
MICHELE: Paul, I've never seen you watch this show.
PAUL: Oh, I do...I watch it religiously.
MICHELE: Give me that remote control!


Note: as can be evidenced by the make of our TV in the photo above (you have to click on it to view it larger), Paul does not believe in buying expensive consumer electronics.

Tuesday, September 05, 2006

The Mystery of the Eggplant Parmesian

This last Labor Day weekend, Paul and Sammy took a nap on Sunday. While the two slept Diane, Anne, and Michele snuck out and went to Trader Joe's where they bought just about everything the store has to offer. Later Diane (the cook of the family) whipped up Pizza Frit (pizza dough fried in olive oil with sugar sprinkled on it...actually it's quite good) and Eggplant Parmesan. We marvelled at how quickly Diane was able to make the eggplant dish...until the sad truth came out...


Pizza Frit has always been an ethnic favourite of ours...


Eggplant Parmesan which we thought Diane had made from scratch...


Anne suspects something is up...


Careful inspection shows it was Trader Joe who really made the Eggplant Parmesian...

Monday, September 04, 2006

Czar Sammy!

While visiting his Aunt Annie, little Sammy showed that he has a little Russian royalty in him. His Aunt Diane took and placed one of his toys (a kind of cloth bucket) over his head, and suddenly we had Cossack Czar Sammy! And where would our little Russian emporer be without having a comrade of his own to accompany him on the barren steppes of Aunt Annie's berber carpet....


Одежда красит человека
(Clothes make the man!)


Легко досталось, легко и промоталось.
(Easy come, easy go!)


По одёжке встречают.
(Good clothes open all doors!)


Друзья познаются в беде.
(A friend in need is a friend indeed!)


Для милого дружка и серёжку из ушка.
(Among friends, all things are common!)

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Am I getting under your skin?

...or dinner at Grant's...

...or how to stop a jihadist.

This past weekend we took Sammy up to the Twin Cities to show Sammy the "Body Worlds" exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Basically it was a display of cadavers preserved in plastic or silicon or vinyl or papier-mâché (or something like that). The epidermis has been removed so you can see the muscle, nerve, funny-bone, and other tissue/material.

Aunt Diane & Aunt Anne went with us -- Aunt Anne kindly got us the tickets. Also with us was Grant and Hank. Hank works in the medical profession as a sandman (think about it), so we were able to get the skinny on the exposed corpses.

Afterwards, Grant kindly invited us to his tastefully decorated home (Grant...do you want to sell us that chair?) for an excellent evening of food, drinks, and coversation. Inevitably discussion ended up at one point talking about what is and what is not allowed onto an airplane. Since some of the people there work for one of our government's security, Paul decided to enlighten them to what he thinks is the next terrorist plot involving airplanes. He first asked those in our midst if a bag of flour and some newspaper was allowed carry-on to an airplane...to which he heard a clear "yes." What follows is the nightmare scenario that Paul fears will soon happen:
"If people are allowed to carry on a sack of flour and some newspaper, I fear that some jihadist will attempt to use papier-mâché to bring the airplain down. The way they would do this is by locking themselves in the bathroom and using the water, flour, and newspaper to fabricate their weapon. They would then carry it back to their seats where they would use the overhead air vent to quickly dry it off. What would they make? A piñata of course. And how would this threaten the aircraft? Because it would be a TROJAN piñata...with a jihadist hidden inside. The other terrorist (I hypothesize this scenario would take a minimum of two conspirators) would bring the Trojan piñata to the cabin door of the cockpit and the pilot would be fooled into thinking there was a harmless party outside."

Sadly, the gravity of the threat was not grasped fully by those there. Strangely enough Michele seemed more interested in keeping Paul away from the little umbrellas that were in the drinks. But at least the food was good, the surroundings comfortable, and the conversation engaging.


Science Museum of Minnesota Body Works Exhibit



Grant invites us to dinner at his house...after seeing the corpses on display....


Sammy is all game for a free meal!



Hank, Anne, and the drink umbrella...


Anne's hair sprouts an umbrella...


Hank plays with the umbrella...


Grant and Diane posing together...


Paul's cure to the world's problems is dismissed by Hank...


Under the umbrella of secrecy, the government employee watches you...

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Crawlin' Sammy...

Every day, as Sammy grows, he learns more and more. We can see this when he's "Mr. Grabby Hands", using a sippy cup for the first time, or learning to crawl....each day we see more progress . Paul is now counting the days until when Sammy can mow the lawn for him.


Sammy works on crawling forwards...and sometimes backwards....

Our Good Friend Dave Visits!

This week we were fortunate to have our good friend Dave come visit us from New Jersey. He had some high powered meeting up in the Twin Cities and he swooped down for an evening to visit with us. He got to meet Veto the cat and go on a whirlwind tour of Rochester, MN. After a tasty Mexican dinner at a local restaurant, ice cream from Coldstone Creamery, and some conversation back at our house it was time for him to go. We've known Dave now for over two decades...he has a great sense of humor and we miss living near him.


Dave meets Veto the Cat


No visit to Rochester is complete without seeing the ear of corn water tower (really)....

Monday, August 28, 2006

The Tapioca Pudding Heiress

This past weekend, we went shopping in the Twin Cities. More precisely, we went shopping on France Ave in Edina. As an analogy: France Ave is to Edina as Rodeo Drive is to Beverly Hills. Granted, the chances of seeing a Bently or (*gasp*) Bugatti are extremley lower in Edina than Beverly Hills. Still, Edina is a hot spot where the rich and famous of Minnesota go to spend money. We occasionally go there to marvel in the good and services that are available there...such as a personal favorite of ours, "Restoration Hardware."

While we were in Edina, Michele decided to have her hair cut (as her favorite hairstylist in Rochester is not available for some weeks to come). So she went to Rocco Altobelli's at the Galeria. While she was having her hair styled, she overheard next to her one of Minnesota's rich & famous women telling a hairstylist about herself. What follows is practically verbatim, no exaggerations:
"One of our good friends' son is going marry the tapioca pudding heiress [company name redacted]. The wedding is going to be in the Hamptons. Normally we go to Florida that time of year, but this year we will be going to New York...because this is one wedding we are NOT going to miss!"
There was also some discussion about drinking vanilla vodka rootbeer floats. The hairstylist asked how is just adding vanilla to a rootbeer float any different. The woman replied, "Doing it that way diminishes the fun factor."

In any event, we learned two important lessons from our brief encounter with the rich & famous of Edina:
  1. No more bedtime stories of unattainable fairy princesses whom Sammy might one day save from a dragon and marry. Instead we're going to follow the social pages and find a tapioca pudding heiress daughter-in-law of our own.
  2. Before drinking a vanilla rootbeer float, always make sure you know what is in it

But honestly, we hope Sammy finds happiness in life as we have found in each other. But if he marries into wealth which can secure for Paul his Bugatti, that is all the better.

We later shifted gears to got to the Mall of America (more in our budget) where we bought Sammy a rugby shirt. Later on during the weekend we took Sammy to Silver Lake in Rochester where we took some pics.


Sammy in his new Rugby shirt from Old Navy....



Michele and Sammy at Silver Lake...

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Sammy's New Magic Carpet!

Spurring the economy ever further, our spending spree continues as we purchase a new magic carpet for Sammy. We went to Rochester's Carpet One and found a wool rug that was perfect for Sammy's playroom. As Sammy starts to crawl, walk, and tap-dance we figured he needed something special. As to how the carpet is magical, that is subject to interpretation. But there is nothing less than magical about how happy Sammy was to play on his new magic carpet with Veto the cat.



A small section of Sammy's magic carpet (an 8'x11' wool rug).


Sammy approves of his new magic carpet...


When does the ride start?


Veto the cat *loves* Sammy's magic carpet....


Beware of snakes lurking on Sammy's magic carpet...


Oscar, Elmo, Ernie, and Cookie Monster all approve of the new magic carpet...


Sammy doesn't need a magic carpet ride to display his happy personality...


...but Sammy does insist we keep his things in an orderly fasion.


Sammy has been working hard on standing all by himself...


Ever the scholarly perfectionist, Sammy works to place the edge of the cube perpendicular to the carpet grid...


Sorry Sammy, when the magic carpet is moving no sucking of toes is allowed for safety reasons...