Weekend with Penny

Last weekend Sam's teachers handed me a bag with 2 notebooks and a stuffed penguin. They informed me that we would be taking care of the class pet this weekend...it was our turn. The class pet is Penny the stuffed penguin. I don't know if they play with Penny at school or not, but Sam definitely knew her and loved her from the start of the weekend until the moment I handed her back to his teachers.

While Penny was in our care, we were instructed to take pictures and complete the class scrapbook with an entry of pictures and a story about our time with Penny. I felt pretty insecure when I looked through all the elaborate scrapbooking done by the other moms. I've never been very creative in this area.

The first night we had Penny we went to Lakeside Basketball game. Sam loved watching the game...it fit right in with his obsession with balls and basketball hoops! He intently watched the game while holding on to his dear Penny.



The next morning he and Penny did their morning exercises. Here is a shot of Sam doing squats with Penny.



and one of him just loving on her...



Then on Sunday, we watched the Packers beat the Bears and make it to the Superbowl!



We had a great time with Penny this weekend. Sam was sad to send her back to school!

Eighteen Months

Just look at the face on this young man...doesn't he look like a teenager with attitude? Is he eighteen months going on eighteen years?



Our baby boy is quickly turning into a little man. He's already eighteen months old and I think he is in the early stages of the "terrible twos". We see more and more of his funny, sweet, loving, and sometimes stubborn personality every day. The eighteen month check up went well last week. He is growing taller and taller! Alan and I never expected a child of ours to be in the 90th percentile for height and Sam is there! He is still hovering around the 25th percentile for his weight.

I've enjoyed a long winter vacation from work. It seems that my vacation this year just kept going and going. We had 2 weeks off for Christmas holidays and then went back to work for 4 days and then a snow and ice storm hit the area and we were blessed with another 2 days off from school! I have to admit, I felt a bit of cabin fever and was ready to go back to work...then Sam's cold hit and a few days later the ear infection. So after only 2 days of work, I took another day off to take care of Sam right before the long Martin Luther King weekend. I think I've said this before, but I'll say it again.

Stay at home moms have hard jobs.

I found it difficult to get anything done. The only time I could get things accomplished was during nap time. Even trips to the grocery store take longer with a child in tow. We are starting to get back into a routine again and it's been hard for Sam to re-adjust to getting up early and going to school every day. He's become quite the "mama's boy" after all the time we've spent together the past few weeks. I'm not complaining though, it's makes me feel good to know that he loves me. I wish I could bottle that up and save it for his teenage years :)

Here are some pictures from one of our snow days.




Stay tuned for pictures from our weekend with Sam's class pet, Penny :)