Mmmmm....Peanut Butter

Sam loooooooooooves peanut butter.  It tastes even better when Mom just gives you the sandwich and lets you go hog wild!  First, you start out by squishing it between your fingers...

...then you rub it in your hair.

I cannot BELIEVE I just did that!

Mmmm...delicious!

Wanna know Sam's favorite time to give Momma kisses?  I'll give you 3 guesses...

Fan Day

A couple of weeks ago, we took Sam to Commonwealth Stadium for UK's Fan Day.  I can't speak to how much Sam liked the football, but he sure was crazy about the stadium steps.  Lord, help me.


Daddy sure was proud.

Escape Artist

After the flip-flop incident and a couple of housebreaking mishaps, I finally convinced Shawn that Molly HAD to be put up when we leave.  So, for the last week or so, Molly has taken up residence in our bathroom whenever we're gone.  It's not such a bad scene.  She has her bed, a toy, food and water in there with her.  We even give her a treat just before putting her in there just so she knows she's not being punished.  It does tend to get a little stuffy in there with the door closed, so we decided to just put a gate up. 

Yesterday, I came home and found this:

What's missing in this picture?  The dog???  Why, yes!  The dog is missing!  And where was said dog???

She was on the couch.  Looking very self-satisfied, I might add.  She didn't even have the common decency to act ashamed. 

Is it a bad thing that two adults can be so easily outsmarted by a dog?

Is It Already Monday???

I'm not sure what Sam did in his bed last night to get his hair to look like this.  Rock on, dude...rock on.

Trike As Nice

Shawn's mom got Sam this really cool convertible tricycle thing for his birthday.  I am only just now getting it put together, but I can already tell this is going to be a favorite toy.  Check it out:

There are a couple of things I want to point out about this picture:

1.  Notice the large gash above Sam's right eye.  That is Mommy-inflicted.  Sam was trying to walk to me a couple of days ago, and he stumbled.  I tried to catch him and break his fall and I just managed to catch him above the eye with my engagement ring.  He hasn't really tried to walk since. 

2.  Notice Pooh in the basket of the tricycle.  This might be my favorite thing about this picture.  Pooh goes everywhere with us these days.   His arms are flimsy and worn from Sam chewing on them.  He smells faintly of strawberries and peanut butter.  His yellow fur is slightly tinged with brown from being tossed in the floor of the car and dropped on the ground.  But he still smiles his Pooh smile.

3.  Notice Sam's feet propped on the front wheel of the tricycle.  I tried to show him how to rest them on the pedals, and he would have none. of. that.

4.  Notice Molly in the background.  I am so glad we brought Molly into our family.  It really is true that if you see someone loving your kids it will make you more fond of that person (or dog in this case).  And Molly looooooooooooves Sam.  She patiently and obediently made lap after lap up and down our driveway, walking by his side.  Another pretty cool thing about Molly--she has a thing for stuffed animals.  She tosses them in the air and rolls on them and rips them to shreds.  I have been a basket case just waiting for the time when she locks her radar on Pooh.  But he is the only one that she has completely ignored.  Do you think she knows just how special he is to Sam?

Thankful Thursday

I'm straying from my normal Thankful Thursday format this week to tell a slightly mushy story. 

Last night I was giving Sam his bath, and we do this thing when I get him out where I sit him on my lap and put the towel over his head then SCRUB, SCRUB, SCRUB.  He thinks it's hilarious and will usually start shaking his head violently after I stop.  It's just a quick little game we play.  Last night, I scrubbed as usual, then he shook his head and giggled as usual.  But then he paused and suddenly laid his head over on my shoulder and rested it there for the briefest of moments.  And for a second, I stopped breathing. 

I'm sure I'm not the only one, but as a mom, I sometimes have these moments where I think, "Gosh, how is it possible to love someone so stinkin' much?"  That was one of those moments.  Just a silly little habit that turned into a big ol' jewel in my memory treasure chest.  And someday when he's trying my patience either by having a meltdown in the middle of the grocery or stomping off while rolling his eyes at his so uncool mother, I will pull that jewel out and give it a shine. 

I'm so thankful for that little boy.  For his sweet, loving nature.  For the way he giggles so easily.  For the way that he's not yet embarrassed to show his momma that he loves her.  But most of all, I'm thankful for those everyday, forgettable moments that a mom never really forgets. 

Funny Faces

I have a bunch of pictures (and posts) that I need to get up.  Oh...to have a few more hours in the day. 

A couple of weeks ago, I slipped out on our back porch to water my very thirsty petunia.  I'm like that with flowers.  I do really well for the first few weeks, then I walk out one day and what was once a colorful bounty a beauty and fragrance is just...brown.  So I'm standing out there trying to revive my little flower basket, when I look inside just in time to see this little feller looking out at me...



Embracing the Camera

So...I'm embracing the camera today. 

This picture is a few months old.  We went to the park for Sam's birthday, and we just had a great time.  It was one of the first really pretty spring days.  We played on the swings and slide, then afterwards we went and got ice cream. 

Here is why I love this picture:

1)  It's of Sam and me.  Duh.  But really, I don't have many pictures of my mom and me.  One reason is that she was always taking the pictures, but mainly because she didn't really like being photographed.  She always wanted to lose 20 pounds, or her hair wasn't fixed right, or her shirt didn't look good with those pants.  And to be honest, I really couldn't care less about the weight, her hair or the shirt. 

2)  This is not one of those everybody-smile-and-say-cheese pictures.  We're laughing.  You can tell we're having a great time.  Shawn captured us in the middle of a moment.  This picture has a memory attached to it. 

3)  Sam's nose is wrinkled.  It's cute.  I don't specifically remember, but he probably snorted either right before or right after this picture was taken. 

What about you?  Wanna embrace the camera?  Head over to The Anderson Crew and give it your best shot.

Thankful Thursday

This week, I am thankful for...

1)  Sam's first steps!!!  Yep...Sam took his first independent steps this weekend.  We cheered, then he looked at us as if to say, "What's the big deal?" then dropped to his hands and knees and took off crawling at mach speed.  We will work on a video to come...

2)  A clean bill of health from the pediatrician.  Sam had his 15 month check-up this week.  My "little" boy was 34 inches tall...98th percentile!  Shawn wasn't able to go with me to this appointment.  It's always amusing to me when they look at how tall Sam is...look at me...then say, "And how tall is Dad again?"  Yes...I know my son is going to tower over me when he starts preschool.  Just let me enjoy the fact that his feet don't drag the ground when I carry him juuuust yet.  Other fun stats from this visit:  he weighed in at just over 28 lbs...which makes me even more thankful for #1!

P.S.  Dr. Riley bragged on Sam for being so easy to examine...his words, not mine.  Love my laid back boy!

3)  Home-grown tomaters!  If I knew how to upload audio pieces to my blog, I would play that Guy Clark song.  My tomatoes are coming in like cuh-ra-zy.  I never really liked tomatoes until I became an adult.  What was I thinking?!  Nothing says summer like a good ol' red tomato sliced up with just a smidgen of salt on it. 

What's on your thankful list this week?  Linking up to Black Tag Diaries.

Trial By Jury

The Prosecution:  We will prove that the defendant knowingly left the dog out when he left the house, not because he "forgot" but because he thought it was mean to lock her in the bathroom, despite his wife's request to do so.

The Defense:  The defense will prove that the dog is very mild mannered so there was no reason to lock her up in the bathroom, forcing her to lie on the cold, hard floor.

The Evidence:  Exhibit A

The Verdict:  The defendant must endure a shopping trip and purchase his wife a new pair of flip flops of her choosing.