Warm and Orange...

Backwards. It seems that every winter cap that Paul puts on Sammy...he puts it on backwards. And Paul doesn't figure it out until he brings Sammy to daycare and they have to tell him...looking at Paul like he is some sort of negligent parent. Anyway, here are some pics Michele took of Sammy (with the backwards hat) today before we had to take him to daycare.

"Someone please stop my parents from dressing me!"

As always, Sammy takes adversity in stride...

Keeping Sammy Warm

Living in Minnesota it is inevitable. Come autumn the temperature starts getting cold. A primary concern is keeping our little Sammy warm. This week we had to bring out a warm coat for Sammy to wear!

A warm Sammy is a happy Sammy...

Sammy's father looks like he needs a hood too...

Sammy's Dancin' Shoes

Since Sammy is moving around (alot!), it was time to buy him some nice shoes. There is a Stride Rite store in town (Schmitts Stride Rite) so we went there and bought Sammy his first real shoes. We got him the the Stride Rite "Sky Lace Stage 2" shoes.

"First he's up, then boom, he's down! The Sky is made for that adorable stage between crawling and walking. Enhanced with our ultra-comfortable Natural Motion System™, these little shoes are packed with features to help babies make the transition from crawling to walking. A contoured landing lends stability and balance, while innovative flex grooves help babies keep their balance. And just for moms, there's a new hourglass shape that make it easier to slide shoes onto those squirmy feet."

The Stride Rite Sky Lace Stage 2...

Sammy can now accelerate faster in his walker...
...due to his new shoes...

Sammy wears socks which match his shoe laces...
...this boy knows his colors...

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.

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...

Daddy Daycare

What goes on while Michele works and Paul watches Sammy on a Saturday? Michele phones and emails Paul often to check on them. But what really goes on? Here's a few pics to fill in the blanks.

Daddy feeds lil'Sammy...

Yummy yummy....

Click on the picture to see why Mommy does not like Daddy dressing Sammy...

A Cookout With Sammy

Well, summer is now here along with cooking dinner on the outdoor grill. For the Fourth of July, Michele had Paul go to Wal-Mart (his favourite store) to get a charcoal grill. Paul bought a Weber "Smokey Joe." So for two days in a row now we've had cookouts. Today, while the kabobs were cooking we snapped a few pics of our snazzy son Sammy. The tasty kabobs were purchased from Rochester's Ye Olde Butcher Shop...a favourite of Michele's.

Sammy & Michele on our back deck.

Sammy wearing a nice hat.

Sammy posing for the camera...

Isn't he the cutest?

Sammy & Paul

The kabobs on the "Smokey Joe"

Mr. Fancy Pants!

One of the kind and very stylish gifts Sammy received was a Ralph Lauren outfit from Chris and Mike. Sammy has received quite a few compliments for his snazzy outfit. His mother also looks good in her RL clothes. And Paul?...well he wears jeans he buys from where else...Wal-Mart. We now know where Sammy gets his good looks from!

We took these pics during our Spring 2006 vacation .

Thanks Mike & Chris!!!!!

Such good looks...such good clothes...no wonder the smile.

Sammy has his dancing shoes on too.

Sammy gestures as he convincingly states his views.