Happy Birthday, Chase!

My sweet nephew Chase is 13 today. Time is flying by...Happy Birthday!!

Photo taken August 2004

Another musing from Jonathan

Hopefully you remember Jonathan - he is my sweetheart who has been a Kindermusik student of mine since I started 5 years ago. His mom sent me a funny note today...

Jonathan said something really funny about you yesterday and I meant to write it down but of course I didn't. But the gist was, "maybe once the baby is out Miss Amy will go back to being Miss Amy without this Aaron guy, etc and then I will marry her when I'm bigger." That really was the main point. Aaron better watch out!

A KU Prayer

This was sent by my friend Carrie...let's all have a moment of silence in preparation for tonight's game!


Our Father, who art in Lawrence,
Hallowed be thy Game.
Thy tourney come,
Thy championship will be done,
In San Antonio as it is in Allen Field House.
Give us this day our deserved victories.
And forgive us our turnovers,
As we forgive Roy who double-crossed against us.
And lead us not into defeat,
But deliver us from East Coast bias,
For Kansas is the basketball kingdom,
And the tradition,
And the glory,
For ever and ever.
Amen.

What's in a name?

A few months ago, I hung a poster in my piano studio and asked my students to come up with suggestions of baby names that start with the letter "A." We have had our baby names picked out since before we were even engaged, but it's been really fun seeing the suggestions the kiddos have come up with. They have ranged from the kids' own names to famous names to made up names...and several correct guesses! Here they are (spelled exactly as the kids suggested):

Al, Andrew, Andrea, Apricot, Arkansas, Ad, Angel, August, Allyson, Avery, Angela, Aardvark, Anya, Annabella, Aidan, Allie, Alden, Abry, Addy, Ally, Anna, Agaplobla, Ava, Apple, Arnald, April, Adelaney, Alba, Amy Jr., Adelyn, Abe Lincoln, Archaball, Alexsander, Abbgill, Aaron Jr., Annika, Amelia, Abby, Alex, Alysas, Ariel, Arswad, Austin, Audery, Adrianna, Adian, Alyssa, Asland, Anastasia, Annarojo, Ann, Andrea, Annie, Ange, Antonio, Auggie, Aty (Ty with a silent "A"), Amalia, Alcie, and Amalia.

So far, Abe Lincoln and Agaplobla are our favorites:)

Happy Birthday to Wiiiiiiiiii!

So I have been coveting a Wii for a while now, and bless Aaron's heart, he has been searching high and low for one for months. He finally found one last Friday at GameStop at Oak Park Mall - so very exciting! Listen closely...do you hear my productivity plummeting???

Happy Easter!

I was a slacker and didn't make Easter cards this year - other than this one that I made at Stamp Camp a few weeks ago. We hope each of you has a wonderful Easter and remembers the true meaning of the holiday!

We're going to New Theatre tonight...looking forward to some rare quality time together!

A note from Aggie

Dear Mother and Father,

Please go out of town again so Miss Heather can return. She spoonfeeds me, as every cat's servant should.

Sincerely,

"Agatha"

Happy Birthday to MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

So today I am 32! As I was telling Aaron's mom this morning, I have no problem with the number...I honestly feel that each year gets better and better, and I'm so lucky to be where I am in my life.

Stay tuned for pictures from our road trip yesterday and today!

Good things on a Sunday

Knitting with my girlfriends for the first time in ages.
Spinach and egg crepes for breakfast.
First pedicure of the season.
KU winning the Big 12 Basketball Championship for the third straight year.
Playing Guitar Hero, Rock Band, and Sing Star with Heather, Don, and Ben.

Here's hoping your Sunday was filled with good things...

Rock Chalk

There are few things in life more enjoyable than Connie's Cookies. It just so happens that my esthetician's office is across the street from all of Connie's yumminess, so every three weeks when I get my brows waxed, I stop in for a little treat. To my delight, in honor of the Big 12 Tournament, they had Jayhawk cookies! I couldn't resist:) Go Jayhawks!!

26 week update

This is overdue, so I'm sorry! We are 26 weeks along as of today, and less than 100 days left to go. It's been fun over the last 6 weeks to start feeling the Nugget kick and punch, especially when we are hungry or getting ready for bed. I gained just a couple of pounds last month but still nothing significant and Dr. Heit is very pleased with our progress. At our last appointment, I was measuring at 24cm, just perfect for our timeline.

My appetite has started returning, and of course I'm not hungry for anything healthy. (Last night my supper consisted of barbecue chips with cream cheese (Aaron's favorite snack) and a cup of chocolate pudding. Nice!)

We registered at Babies R Us this month. Aaron loved being in control of the scanning gun and had so much fun picking things out for the Nugget. Among his favorites are the sportscar walker and giddy-up horsey jumperoo. He was very thorough in his research for the safest stroller as well as our high chair, which hooks onto one of our kitchen chairs instead of being a huge free-standing one. Many thanks to Miss Heather, who came along with us and made her best recommendations.

It's just about time for us to start painting and decorating the baby's room. Hooray! Tick tock tick tock, we don't have much time to waste:)

I need this

My friend Dana just sent this to me, from Land of Nod...it may be the cutest thing I've ever seen!

A note from Aggie

Dear Mother,

Please make that imbecile stop kicking me when I fall asleep on your ever-growing mid-section. The "present" I left you in the hallway this afternoon is only a sample of my capabilities...

Very Truly Yours,

A. Helen Pennington

Cutie Booties

As my knitting friends will tell you, once you get pregnant, your ability to keep knitting CEASES. I don't know what it is, but I am lucky if I get 3 rows done during our Sunday morning gatherings. So it is a sheer miracle that I finished these little "Ugg" suede booties for the Nugget. They will be just perfect for him/her next winter!

Fantasy Camp Photos

Fantasy Camp - Day Six (a.k.a. The Dramatic and Overdue Conclusion)

After finally sleeping all night and no longer praying to the porcelain Gods, the journey home began. Aaron graduated to three pieces of toast for breakfast with some apple juice and hopped on the first bus to the airport.

On the bus, Dennis Leonard told a story about signing a contract in the mid-70s that paid him $32,000 a year and he couldn't believe what a huge raise he'd just received. :)

The plane ride home was made interesting by one of the fellow campers passing out on his way to the restroom. Yikes! He had caught the flu also and hadn't eaten all day, in hopes to get home without getting sick. Upon landing, the paramedics and fire department were waiting to offer assistance. He ended up being fine - but it was a scary moment for everyone aboard the plane.

I was excited to pick Aaron up from the airport...and even more excited when he walked toward me shoulder to shoulder with none other than Joe Randa. Aaron was telling him about our trip to St. Louis when #16 hit a home run and we were giving him a standing ovation among thousands of Cards fans, several of whom chose to pelt us with beer and peanuts.:) My eyes were probably the size of half dollars and I remember mouthing, "SHUT UP!" when I heard Joe Randa say, "That must be Amy!" I went to shake his hand but he greeted me with a hug and let me know that he enjoyed our phone conversation and wished us the best with the baby. How cool is THAT.

At the baggage claim, it was neat meeting several more Alumni, who Aaron was so star-struck by just six days earlier...but now considers friends and teammates. Les Norman was really cool - told me what a great ballplayer Aaron is, and how he scouted him early on Monday that week and bent the rules a bit in order to get Aaron on his team.

John Mayberry was hilarious - at baggage claim, he smiled at me so I said, "How are you?" He replied, "Fine, just fine. I'm Big John Mayberry." I said "I'm Amy Pennington, Mrs. Penny to you." and he proceeded to tell me how much he enjoyed Aaron throughout the week..."That Penny is a ball player. Damn good ball player." :)

One camper noted on the way home that Reality Camp starts now, and it's 51 weeks long and much more expensive! :)