Samcakes with Syrup

I have only 11 days of summer left with Sam before he returns to his sitter, Mimi, and I return to work. I am very sad about that. I don't feel like we've done enough special things together and as a family and now our time is running out. So, this morning Sam and I made pancakes! This was a treat indeed because breakfast is usually very routine and very unexciting! Plus, Daddy usually makes us pancakes, so me doing the cooking added another element of adventure! This was also the first time that Sam actually got to help cook. That was a lot of fun! He enjoyed pouring and mixing.

Here he is wondering when he will finally get to eat the pancakes I've been talking about and promising all morning:



Daddy will be very surprised by the lack of mess I made and won't believe how much Sam ate! Here are the pix from our adventure:



With only 11 precious days left, I'll be looking for more opportunities to make Sam feel extra special.

Family "Edventure"

"The South's Largest Children's Museum" is a stone's throw from our house and we finally made it there today. It was the MOST fun! We all agreed that the grocery store in the museum was the coolest as was the little bulldozer that Sam and Daddy got to drive around the construction zone! The bubble factory would have been Sam's favorite had we not waited until after snack time to visit. Sam is like a little wilted flower around 11:00 in the mornings if he hasn't had a morning snack. It's amusing to watch him perk right up once you get something in him. So, lessons learned. Next time, the bubbles come first, and watch the clock so that we don't overlook snack time.

Believing in the Impossible

I know it drives my husband crazy that I take so many pictures. But every time I find myself away from home without my camera, I miss the perfect picture. And I hate that! Take tonight, for example.

This evening, we took Sam to a new park to play for a while. It was a great park with lots of old equipment from our day mixed in with some cool new climbers. Sam had a great time trying to make friends with the "big" kids that were there. He needs to work on his pick-up lines, though. "Hey kid" is about all he's got.

There was also a small basketball court and some basketballs. Two other boys were shooting baskets and Sam decided to play, too. He found a ball, walked right up to the goal, lifted the ball as high as he could and tried to make it in the basket. There. That was the moment I wanted my camera. Sam standing under the ten foot basketball goal with his arms stretched to the sky full of confidence that he would put the ball into the net. I turned to Scott and said "I love that he absolutely thinks he can make that basket." Boy, I wish I could tell you he made it, or even came close. But of course, he didn't. He did, however, try several times, never once getting discouraged.

There is nothing like the vision of a child. To see a world full of possibilities with no obstacles. To be nothing but confident and willing to try almost anything. When do we lose that vision?

I just remembered a book I gave Sam a long time ago. Learning to Fly by Sebastain Meschenmoser is a sweet little book. The man in the story starts "Last winter, I found a penguin. He told me he'd been flying. But...penguins can't fly. He knew that. But, penguins are birds, and birds fly, so...he gave it a try. And, he flew. Then he met some other birds. They said, 'Penguins can't fly.' And he thought, 'They're right.' That's when he crashed." For the rest of the story, the man and the penguin try to figure out how he could fly again.

I guess that little moment in time, the one I wasn't able to capture for posterity, with Sam standing beneath the net, touched me so much because I don't ever want him to lose that "I can fly" feeling. I want him to always believe in the impossible and I will always cheer him on. You can fly, Sammy!

That reminds me of a song...and another kid with a basketball...

Congratulations, Dr. Fish!

I am such an idiot! Sometimes I am so busy being a proud mommy that I forget to be a proud wife.

Congratulations to my husband who received official notice last week that he was granted tenure at the university. He is now an Associate Professor. Way to go, Dr. Fish!!! I am so proud of you!

Our Day at the Farm

Finally, pictures from our day at the farm as promised last week. We can't thank Pat enough for inviting us out and for helping us create such special memories.

Here are my favorite pictures of the day, followed by an album of us enjoying the farm, and then an album of just the animals and Pat. Enjoy!

Serendipitous

I've found a new creative outlet, in case you haven't noticed! I didn't know there was so much you could do to personalize your blog. I've added the new background and a few fun items down the right side for you to check out.

One cool thing I added is an MP3 Player so that you can listen to my song. Here's the story as I know it: My parents had no idea what to name me when I was born. They certainly (and thankfully) didn't like my grandmothers suggestion of Mary Elizabeth. While the name is beautiful, anyone who knows me would probably agree that I am NOT a Mary Elizabeth. Anyway, I hung around the hospital for three days without a name. As Dad was driving to the hospital on the last day, a certain song came on the radio. The rest, as they say is history! (Listen to the song by clicking on the play button.) And, as it turns out, finding just the right name was so grueling for them, that they never did give me a middle name!

I don't know that I appreciated my name as a child but as I got older, I can't imagine having any other name! I would say that serendipity certainly played a role in helping my mom and dad find my name.

Speaking of serendipitous, I think Sam ended up with just the right name as well. I had fallen in love with the name Jacob about 7 years before he was ever born. Throughout the pregnancy, Scott and I mulled over many names. However, he always came back to Samuel and I always pushed for Jacob. Finally, sometime during week 32, I wore him down and we decided on Jacob Dylan. About 5 days later, I woke up at my mom's house, called Scott, and asked him it it would be o.k. if I changed my mind. I have no idea why but I woke up with it in my head that Samuel David was my baby's name, not Jacob, but he has been called Sam ever since that morning! Again, I would say that serendipity had a hand in choosing just the right name!

For those of you wondering, we're pretty sure our next child will be Adam Bradley and then we can have our last child, a girl. I am CERTAIN, to Scott's chagrin, that she will be Ella Scott. Of course, it has to happen that way, boy next, girl last, because I don't think even serendipity would force me to sign my Christmas cards "Love, Scott, Sunny, Sam 'n Ella." Say it a few times...you'll understand.

Meeting Sunny...Finally!

When we first moved here, Scott and I met a very good friend of the School of Music. She owns a large farm just outside of town and has lots of animals, including about 15 horses. The week after we met her, she renamed a horse she had just acquired after me! (While I take that as a huge compliment, I think she just really liked my name! Or maybe I DID leave a great impression...) We've been trying to find an opportunity to take Sam out to the farm to see the animals and to also meet Sunny. Yesterday, we were able to enjoy a morning at Pat's farm with our good friends Missy, Ryan, Carson and Morgan. I'll share more pictures later this week, after I've picked out my favorites, but here are pictures of me meeting Sunny...finally!





What a treat! He was a sweetheart!