Surprise Party for Michele...

Last Saturday we gave Michele a surprise birthday party (Paul's sister Diane did most of the planning). We had family and close friends over. We can't say how old Michele is (to protect the innocent)...but we can say it was a milestone birthday. Happy Birthday Michele!

Roses pale in comparison to Michele...

The table & cake...
we had to edit out the numeral candles...

Playing "Cranium Wow", Chris sculpted with clay what looked like a "male appendage"...

Diane tears up with pride over Chris's sculpture...
...then we realized it was an umbilical cord...
...notice Michele's birthday girl head wear...

Molly, Johanna, and the 2oz bottle of Heinz 57 Ketchup...
...Johann promised to take the bottle through airport security....
...to Uruguay...
...and take a photo of her, her mother, and the ketchup...

We had "n" balloons...one for each year of Michele's life...
...so we can't say how many, but one can speculate...

Chris ties up Sammy to the balloons...
...moments before he lifts off the floor...

Sammy loves balloons a lot...
...and a lot of balloons he loves even more...

After some helium escaped from the balloons...
....Sammy touched down...

Ashlynn gives Sammy a hug...

Sammy instructs Ashlynn on how to be a rock star...

Playing Apples to Apples...

Vanessa, Brian, Jaime, Molly, and Chris...

Chris...
...the man of 1,000 faces...

Brian gives the camera his serious look...

Chris and Veto...

Guitar Hero...

While up in the Twin Cities this past Friday, Chris pulled out his "Guitar Hero" game after we celebrated Michele's [redacted] birthday. Apparently while rock music plays on the screen you are supposed to click colored buttons which apparently have nothing to do with guitar strings...let alone music. No matter, they were still guitars and you could see the look on Sammy's face, "When will my time come to be a guitar hero?"

Sammy wonders...when...when will it be his time...

Relaxing in Grant's arms, Sammy daydreams...

Sammy's time has come...

Meanwhile...Vanessa, Michele, and Anne chat...

The case of the missing number...

This past Friday we were hit with a bit of a mystery. You see, Molly (with Sammy's help) made Michele a cookie "cake" for Michele's [redacted] birthday. But something was amiss...it was the case of the missing number (or how to stay young)...

Sammy sees what happened but does not rat out anyone...

Inspecting Molly's work, Chris notices
a number is missing from the cookie "cake"...

Caught...we found out Michele had removed the number from her cake cookie...

Unable to determine Michele's exact age...
...we still lit the cake...

Sammy helps his mommy blow out candles...

But even Sammy's help was not enough to help Michele blow out the candles...
...fearing the smoke alarm would go off, Ashlynn helps out...

Making a cookie "cake" for Mommy...

This past Friday started several days of celebration of momentous event of Michele's [redacted] birthday. Molly made cookies ahead of time and asked Sammy to help her decorate them.

Sammy watches & learns from Molly...

This one looks good for a a taste test...

Sammy loves being where the action is...

Sammy explains his technique to everyone...

Our little cookie monster...

Happy [redacted] birthday Michele!

Buddies...

During a quiet moment this past Saturday, best buddies Sammy & Veto spent some time together looking outside at the cold weather we've been having.

Sammy pets Veto's fur...

California dreamin' on such a winter's day...

Last set of Sammy's 2nd Birthday Portraits...

More Sammy birthday portrait photos...

Some more photos from Sammy's 2nd birthday portraits...

Ride'm Sammy!

Today Sammy's 2nd year birthday portraits came in. In our first installment of those portraits on the blog, we are posting the "yee-hah! cowboy" photos.

I'm an old cowhand from the Rio Grand...
...er...Old Southwest (of Rochester)...

But my legs ain't bowed...

And my cheeks ain't tanned (yet...just wait 'til spring)

Yippie-yi-yo-ki-yay!

Spring Park Visit...

Yesterday we took Sammy to a nearby park. He bounded around the park a burst of energy that seemed to last until 10pm later at night.

Happy to shed his winter coat, Sammy enjoys the emergence of spring...

Things are looking up for Sammy...

On the ropes,
but no stranger to overcoming adversity ,
a determined Sammy climbs the "rope steps..."

Sammy and his father under the slides...

Sammy the caged tiger...

Heir to the throne...
Prince Sammy, along with the Queen Mum...
wave to the adoring crowd thronging below...

I want to ride my tricycle...

I want to ride my bitricycle
I want to ride my bitrike
I want to ride my bitricycle
I want to ride it where I like

Taking advantage of the spring weather, we took out Sammy's trike from last year. It took him very little time to regain the hang of it.

Sammy laughs at fear and caution as he barrels down the driveway speedway...

Enjoying the freedom of a bitricycle, Sammy gives a George Hanson smile...

Nothing is more elemental...

Sometimes there is a TV ad which gives you goosebumps (remember Coca Cola's "I'd like to teach..." commercial from the 70s?). Dow has one which is moving. The wording is especially well done.

Click on image to play...

The Five Day Delay Rebate...

Today Paul took our Passat wagon through a local car wash. After he paid the clerk, she gave him a rebate coupon along with the receipt. It seems kind of strange, when you mail the rebate in, it "...must be postmarked no sooner than 5 days...of application [car wash]." One can hypothesize that they are hoping you forget about sending it in if you wait five days. Let's see if Paul remembers to mail it in (granted, at $.41 for a stamp this turns out to be a $2.51 rebate). Maybe the bigger lesson to be learned is that Paul should save money and wash the car himself.

"no sooner than 5 days"?

Easter Egg Hunt 2008

Grace Lutheran Church had an Easter Egg hunt put on by their youth group last Saturday. They "hid" several thousand eggs for the small children. Sammy was a bit shy with all the people around, but he survived...

If you listen carefully, you can hear other kids crying and screaming...

The Easter Bunny meets Sammy...

The day before Easter, we awoke to a winter wonderland. A local church had an Easter egg hunt with a guest appearance by the Easter Bunny, so we took Sammy (video to be posted later). Sammy was not too thrilled with the Easter Bunny, an aversion based perhaps in the relentless attacks made by the local hares on Paul's landscaping.

It looked more like Christmas than Easter...

Is this the rabbit that ate our flowers?

A compromise, Michele sits between them...

Duelin' ukuleles...

Sammy imagines himself on a album cover...
...notice the religious tattoo on his hand...
...which he received at the Easter Egg Hunt...

Later on in the day Sammy helped Michele & Aunt Diane colour eggs...

Sammy jamming to Johnny Cash...

Last weekend Sammy put on yet another show for us. This time to Johnny Cash singing "Johnny Yuma". Notice how he checks his reflection in the bookshelf doors to make sure he looks good.

Sammy jams...

Conversations with Sammy...

Sammy's Grandpa & Grandpa R. sent us some half-moon cookies for Easter (thanks!). While Michele was working tonight, Paul took out a cookie and shared it with Sammy. The following actually happened:

SAMMY: Daddy! Look! Look Daddy!
PAUL: Huh? What Sammy?

(Sammy points to Paul's shirt where there are now several small chocolate fingerprints. Sammy's face is covered in chocolate.)

PAUL: Uh, yeah Sammy I see it.
SAMMY: Look Daddy, Look!
PAUL: Thanks for pointing it out.
SAMMY: OK.

The Return of the "Lumberjack"...

He swings through that tree,
with the greatest of ease,
that half crazy man,
in my neighbor's elm tree.

Seven months later, the "lumberjack" has returned to finish cutting down our neighbors elm tree. Paul managed to catch a short clip of him high up cutting sections down in a very safe manner.

Notice how he uses the chainsaw with one hand...