Tom and Arnie

When Steve came home from Mexico/Texas last week, he brought with him another little surprise for Samantha. This time, the stuffed animal of choice was Arnie the Armadillo. It was love at first sight:

Now, whenever it is time for Sam to get into her bed (either for a nap or bedtime), Arnie and Gus (the alligator from Florida), have to come with her. Often, they also ride in the car with us. I'm not sure if the love that she has for these two animals is based purely on the fact that they are so cute ... or if it is because her daddy is the one that got them for her. Maybe it is a combination of the two.


And then there's Tom.

On Steve's way home from work this week, he stopped to pick up a turtle from the side of the road. It is turtle mating season around here, so they seem to be EVERYWHERE these days. When Daddy pulled in the driveway, Sam met him out there and Steve introduced her to the turtle that they later affectionately named Tom.

I had to leave for work, but I hear that Tom eventually came out of his shell and moved pretty fast through the grass, later disappearing into the woods. But not before Steve took a couple of quick pictures.

And, because I don't want to forget this -- Last night, Sam was playing with Sophia on my bed. I don't think that I could ever put into words how much my heart swells with love for these two girls, especially when they just lay there looking at one another, smiling and laughing. Sam took a moment, right then, to look away from her sister.

She turned to me and said, "Somebody got sister for me."

I said, "Who got your sister for you?"

Without missing a beat, she said, "Mommy and Daddy got sister for me."

And that is what makes me smile even more. She loves her sister so much.