Family Dates

Spencer and I go on dates. He and Lucy have been on "daddy/daughter" dates. So why not family dates? :) We've been on 2 this month and they have been a blast! For our first date we took Lucy bowling for the first time. She had so much fun! She would push the ball down the ramp and then cheer for it as it went toward the pins. Then she'd jump up and down when they hit. She also got so excited when we would hit the pins. Sammy was in love with the balls and loved to just stand and touch them. Don't you just love these little bowling shoes? :)
We ended our date with root beer floats. I think we have a fan!

Valentine's day weekend, Spencer and I got to go out twice - to a dance and a movie, so on the actual day, we decided to have another "family date." He also had the day off which meant our options were unlimited! I decided to do a "choose your own adventure" date. After breakfast, he and Lucy opened an envelope with 4 different pictures - a bird, a volcano, a bee, and a train. They had to choose one and that would be our activity. They chose the bird so we went to the Tracy Aviary. (The volcano= Boondocks, the bee = Discovery Gateway, and the train = This is the Place Heritage Park.) It was a beautiful day - 55 degrees! - so it was a perfect activity to choose. We saw lots of birds and Lucy and Sammy loved it. It's mating season and the peacocks did not disappoint! There was one male showing off his feathers the whole time we were there and it was awesome to watch. Lucy's favorite birds were the flamingos - here she is showing us how they stand! :) Lots of the birds are so used to humans being around that they came right up to us - no fear at all. We also fed the ducks before we went, which if you know Lucy at all, you know she loved. After the aviary we went to lunch at Zupas (YUM!) and then after a dinner of heart pancakes, she got to pick from another envelope. This one had a picture of a tower, a fort, some boards, and a flower. She picked the flower so we did a fun flower art project. It was a fun way to spend the day with those we love the most!

Out & About

To start, how about a stinkin' cute picture of Sammy?

Now, on to the post! :)

After a couple of weeks of sick kids, we need to get out of the house. The last week of January, we did just that. The last Wednesday of the month during the winter is free at the zoo, so I packed up the kiddos and we headed there.

We had a lot of fun! The weather was reasonably nice and the animals were out. Lucy really liked the giraffes and we spent a good amount of time there.

We also saw monkeys, tigers, and an elephant. Her favorite though, was the vulture - or in her words, the "bird with the funny nose."

Here's proof I was there! Some neighborhood friends were supposed to come too but I think the storm the day before scared them off. It was nice, though to just be us - kind of a relaxing, fun bonding time.

Two days later, Spencer had an all night Young Men's thing and I didn't feel like staying at home while he had fun so we went to the Children's Museum. Lucy loves that place and can play there for hours (which we did!). Grandpa and Nana Mac came with us for a couple of hours too and it was fun to visit with them.

Every time I go there I discover something new - we spent a lot of time upstairs in the building area which we haven't done before. There were all sorts of things to build with, including these giant legos.

Sammy thought they were great!

Lucy also built a path with these guys, which Sammy was all too happy to try out for her!

Sammy 9 Months

Our little man turned 9 months old at the beginning of the month. These pictures, however, were taken in the middle of it. The day I planned on taking his photos, he smacked his face on our bed frame and got a nice scab right in the middle of his face. Well, it took way too long for that to heal, so it took a bit longer than I'd have liked. At his 9 month appointment, Sammy weighed 21 pounds 7 ounces - down to the 65%. He is also 30 inches long and has a gigantic head! The doctor was a bit worried about his weight - not that he is skinny or anything but that he has moved down the scale so quickly - at his 6 month appointment he was in the 93%. Lucy did the same thing though and she was just fine. Plus, we talked about what Sammy is eating and decided to make a point of putting more protein and dairy in his diet to see if that makes a difference. Sammy's biggest news for the month is his teeth - he got his first, second, third, fourth, and fifth teeth all during this month! Which means he was drooly, ornery, and oh, so much fun! Yes, sarcasm is intended! He has his top middle four teeth and one middle tooth on the bottom. He really has done relatively well with it all though. January was a sicky one for us - Lucy got sick, then Sammy got sick, then I got sick, and at the beginning of February, Spencer got sick. In fact, Sammy even got a double ear infection, poor guy! It's been fun to watch him and Lucy start to interact more and more. In the car sometimes they will just laugh and laugh with each other. Sammy will also follow Lucy around sometimes at home. He loves to play now - especially with things he shouldn't like cords, pens, and basically anything electronic. When I pull out my camera, he goes straight for it. We sure love this little man!