March of the Sammies

Inspired by the movie "March of the Penguins" and a fondness for dressing Sammy in costumes he loves, we thought we had an idea for a Christmas picture. Here's some out-takes from the"photo shoot"...

Our little penguin Sammy...

Even without ice he has trouble sitting up in his costume...

Who invited Veto?

Uh...Veto...can you get out of the picture?

Artic friends, penguin and cat...side by side...

Our little Penguin...

"Samousa?"

Sometimes feeding Sammy lately is a challenge. He doesn't always cooperate. But we have found that if we sufficiently "entertain" him he tends to cooperate better. Paul often entertains Sammy by loudly humming John Philip Sousa songs...and Sammy really responds. His favorite song is the "Washington Post." The last few days we noticed that Sammy taps his feet and nods his head to the beat of the song.

Sousa...his true achievement is to be appreciated by little Sammy!

Poor Veto

Veto the cat went into the vet's office this past Tuesday for some dental work. The vet thought he would need to have a tooth or two removed. In the end it was seven (7) teeth! Veto (not the vet) was under anesthesia for several hours. Since it was such an extensive operation they kept Veto at the animal hospital overnight. He's home now where he spends his time taking recuperative naps under our artificial Christmas tree. With the help of our in-house pharmacist, we keep him medicated with pain killers and antibiotics.

Poor Veto...he will never have a Cheshire cat smile...(archive photo)

Gremlins in the machine(s)...

When Sammy's birth neared late last year, we decided it was time to get our first ever dishwasher. So we decided to get a matching Kitchen Aid dishwasher to match the stainless steel refrigerator we bought a couple of years before. Then it was like, uh, the cooktop vent does not match...so we got one from Kitchen Aid. Then it was like, the wall oven did not match...Kitchen Aid yet again. Our house was built in 1960, so the existing cabinet only allowed a 24" wall oven...luckily (so we thought) Kitchen Aid had a matching model. We also bought a new cooktop too...though not Kitchen Aid.

In the past year, we've had the following problems:

• cooktop's ceramic top came chipped. Sears quickly replaced it. Works fine.
  
• dishwasher burnt out while we had 3 children under the age of 2 in the house. Once fixed, has worked fine since.
  
• cooktop vent's "squirrel cage fan" came broken, Sears replaced it. Works fine now.
  
• wall oven keeps burning out a thermostat whenever we run the self clean. This has now happend for a third time. Paul called up Kitchen Aid and they extended the warranty for an additional year to "allow time to fix the problem." We anticipate having to purchase the extended warranty.
  

Here are the lessons we learned:

• A married couple's quality of life improves significantly with the addition of a dishwasher.
  
• Trendy maybe, but stainless steel is a pain. You have to constantly clean it and even then it never really looks clean enough. And if you have kids, get used to the stainless appliances looking like a crime scene from CSI.
  
• Never try to make grilled-cheese sandwiches directly on a ceramic cooktop. (This is an inferred lesson we got from someone else who made toast on a ceramic cooktop)
  
• Buying a decent brand name is no guarantee of trouble-free operation.
• If you buy a self clean oven, make sure you run the self clean multiple times during the warranty period.
  

Paul can hear laughing gremlins inside our wall oven...

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...

Looks are deceiving...

Perhaps the handsomest cat we have ever seen, Veto looks impressive until he moves. He is about as graceful as a...well, let's face it...Veto is not even remotely graceful. But he is a loving, gentle cat who enjoys being around people. Purring all the while, he lets Sammy crawl all over him and pull tufts of fur from his belly.

Veto...the 18 pound wonder cat...

Sammy and Santa 2006

A short while ago, Michele went to the mall to do some Christmas shopping. Upon seeing Santa there, she rushed home. We bundled up Sammy and drove him the 4 blocks back to the mall where he had his picture taken with Old Saint Nicholas.

Santa and Sammy had quite the conversation, but we aren't sure what was said since we were out of ear-shot. But they whispered to each other, laughed, and smiled.

Sammy and Santa...
...notice Santa is a snazzy dresser like Sammy's Daddy.

'Hugh' would have thought so?

Who would have thought so? A co-anchor ABC's 20/20 for over 20 years, Hugh Downs is now peddling health secrets as a host of an infomercial. And who would find it on TV and watch it? Paul.

Note that old-man Paul watches tv with captions on...
...also note what the cure is for on page 126 .

Number One Son

Similar to a Charlie Chan movie, Sammy is our #1 son. And speaking of Charlie Chan, when Michele went to San Francisco for a conference, she bought Sammy a Chinese outfit. So just a short while after Halloween, it was picture time again!

Hong Kong Sammy...number one super guy!

Sammy follows the Hong Kong Book of Kung Fu

Always appreciative of his mother's costume choices for him,
Sammy expressses his satisfaction.

Every Parent's Worst Fear

Or so it might seem. Apparently little Sammy has taken up the drums. He has a LeapFrog "Learning Drum" which until very recently he displayed no interest in. Then suddenly he took up an intense interest in it. He really enjoys making music to his own beat, so to say. We hope he still wants to go to college someday!

Sammy is all smiles when he's playing the drum!

"Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom!"

"So do you think I look like Phil Collins?"

"Tada!...now where are my groupies?"

Bushy Cat and the Sammy Kid

One of the best buddy films ever is "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Paul Newman and Robert Redford just seem to click together on screen. We may have the beginnings of such a pairing here in our own home. Sammy and Veto the cat are pretty much inseparable now. Partners in crime you might say.

"You just keep thinking Sammy, that's what you're good at."

"I have vision, and the rest of the world wears bifocals."

Sammy's First Halloween

As fall descended on us, so too did little Sammy's first Halloween. We bought his costume (made partially from "Performance Fleece") from Old Navy a few weeks ago. So on October 31st, Michele dressed our little bundle of feathers and then took him out trick-or-treating. Since it was windy and chilly 28F outside, she took him to trick-or-treat Johanna's house. Later on after the sun set and a spooky chill overtook the barren frozen tundra of our lawn, Sammy was excited to see the few brave souls who swept up on our doorstep for candy. Here are some pics from the day of our little Henery Hawk.

Michele helping Sammy into his costume...

Sammy appears happy with his costume...

Our fine-feathered friend...

He's as light as a feather...

"I'm not a chicken, I'm a chicken hawk!!"

Sammy's first trick-or-treat ever...at Johanna's house!

Sammy Learns His Shapes! (video)

Click on the picture to see a short video of Sammy impressing us (well with our help) of his grasp of geometric shapes!

Flashback: What to do with a disposable camera

Ever go to a wedding and find yourself sitting at with a disposable camera on it? You know, where the happy couple strategically place one on the table so you can take photos for them. Well, that happened to us when Paul's brother remarried in Austin, Texas a few years ago. Our good friend Dave who went to college with Paul and his brother was with us.

So we decided to photograph a story on the camera (in sequence) and leave it for Paul's brother and new wife to see when they developed the pictures.

You'll have to click on the photos to be able to read the information (view them at 100%). The names have been changed to protect the innocent. But basically, we decided to present a real "toast" to the newlyweds. Oh, and the names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Injured!!

Warning, graphic images follow!

Tragedy struck us today when Sammy was injured at daycare. A conspiracy between an "activity table top" and gravity resulted in him getting a bruise and some nicks on his head. He bled apparently. But ever the man's man, Sammy was "more upset about the ice pack & tlc than [the] actual fall."

Sammy has a nice sized "goose egg" on the side of his head...

But he shrugged off his injury asking no pity...

The official accident report with portions redacted...

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...