Poptart and Popcorn

Well, I woke up this morning with a headache again, but not quite as severe as yesterday's. It still required an imitrex to relieve the pain, unfortunately. But, it worked.

We just hung out around the house this morning. I packed up and showered, while Katie played with Justin and Josh. We ate lunch, took some photos and by about 2:30pm Katie and I were on the road back to Regina's parents' house in Waynesboro.

Below are some of the pictures I got of Katie, Justin and Josh before we left. Oh, and the bunnies, too. The dark one is Josh's and he named him Poptart. The white one is Justin's and he named him Popcorn. They're really sweet. I shot some video of them which I'll post next week after we get home.

Katie and her cousin Justin

Katie holding Popcorn

Josh holding Poptart

Justin holding Popcorn

Justin giving Katie a ride.

Josh holding Poptart,
Justin in the back
and Katie holding Popcorn

Ugh!

Darn it, today I woke up with a pounding headache. Right behind my forehead. Katie woke me up at 6:41am, which surprised me because so far on this trip she's been sleeping in until 7:30am - 8:30am. I promised her that most likely nobody else was awake yet, so she climbed into bed with me and fortunately, slept for another hour or so. I managed to take some caffeine tablets (no-doz) and Aleve, because they were within reach. But what I really wanted was an imitrex which was all the way downstairs on the first level and I was on the third level. I just couldn't bring myself to make the trip so I decided to lie down in bed for a while longer to see if the caffeine and aleve would do the trick.

When Katie woke up, I realized my head was still in a lot of pain, but I had to get up with her anyway. We went downstairs and I quickly took an imitrex and grabbed an ice pack out of the freezer. Katie, Justin and Josh watched a movie for a little while and I managed to eat some breakfast while holding the ice pack to my forehead and visiting with Peggy. Within an hour or so, I began to feel better.

The combination of pills I took made me feel pretty out of it, so I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon. I was bummed about that because the sun was shining and it would have been the perfect day to be outside with the kids.

Fortunately, when I woke up, I felt pretty good. We then went out to dinner with our twin Aunts, Sharon and Karen (our Dad's sisters) who live in the area.

After returning home, we enjoyed some homemade vanilla ice cream Peggy had made earlier in the day. We topped it with strawberries, whipped cream and blue sprinkles. That was quite a treat!

The kids were exhausted and went to bed at a pretty decent time, allowing me to watch LOST, which was an awesome episode, by the way, and I can't wait to rewatch it as soon as I get an opportunity.

And now, everyone else is in bed, but because I slept all afternoon, I'm not quite tired yet. Even so, I should go lie in bed. Maybe I'll surprise myself and actually fall asleep.

View of tonight's sunset from Kenny and Peggy's house.

More Cousins...

Today after lunch, Katie and I drove to my brother's house to visit them for a couple of days. He and his wife have two boys, Justin and Josh. Katie's excited to be here visiting her cousins and getting to know her aunt and uncle.

The first thing we did upon arrival was to open a whole bunch of wonderful presents they had for Katie. One of the presents was a t-shirt with a black velvet image on it which she got to color in with markers. She put it on immediately after completing it and it took a lot of convincing to get her to take it off for bed time. She loves it.

Katie's cousin Josh helped her color the t-shirt they gave her.

And here she is, modeling the finished product.

Later, at bedtime, Josh offered to read Katie a bedtime story. From his extensive library of books, he chose The Little Engine That Could.

Somebody's Watching Over You

That's what Jim the plumber said after inspecting Regina's parents' broken water heater, "Somebody's watching over you, that's for sure."

Regina and I had noticed that when showering, we would run out of hot water before finishing. We didn't remember that happening last time we visited, so we figured we should investigate. The first thing we thought of was to check the temperature on the water heater. Maybe it was set too low. Well, this water heater didn't have a convenient, well-marked dial on the outside, but rather it had two panels secured with screws. We suspected the temperature control was behind one of those panels, but we weren't sure. We also couldn't find the manual. So, I looked it up online and learned that this particular model is old enough that the manufacturer didn't have its manual online anymore. Regina suggested looking at the manual for one of the other similar models. Why didn't I think of that? Good idea. I learned that the temp control was indeed behind the secured panels. I removed both panels and found a bunch of wires, screws and jumpers, protected by a plastic shield and on top of that was a layer of insulation. I couldn't figure out how to increase the temperature, but I did notice that there was a lot of corrosion. That prompted me to call the manufacturer's tech support. He suggested calling a plumber to replace both heating elements.

Jim the plumber arrived at about 2pm and took a look. He said he could certainly replace the heating elements, but his recommendation was to replace the whole thing. He proceeded to show us how the wires were falling apart and there was evidence of fire inside the unit that had burned the plastic shield and the insulation. He said we were lucky it didn't burn the house down and that if we hadn't called when we did, that's exactly what would have happened. Needless to say, Regina's Mom took his advice and replaced the whole thing and upgraded to a higher capacity heater. So now, we're back in business. Hot showers for all!

Sunshine and Yard Work

On our first full day here, Katie played with her cousins continuously, after having spent last night over at their house. Tomorrow, "the cousins", as Katie calls them, have to go to school even though it's their spring break. They are making up for snow days earlier in the year. So, because it's a school night for them, Katie couldn't spend the night at their house. Tonight when they left after dinner here at Regina's parents' house, Katie cried and cried because she was so sad she wasn't with them. I got lots of cuddle time, which I don't often get anymore, but hated to see her so sad.

Regina, her sister Edy, and Edy's husband decided it was the perfect day to do a little landscaping in their parents' backyard. So, while the kids ran around outside in the sunshine, they dug up old, unwanted plants, tilled the dirt and planted a couple of dogwood trees and a bunch of plants and bushes. They did all this work in the area of the backyard where there used to be a water feature. Regina's Mom had it removed a while back, but never did put anything in its place.

The next and last step is to add mulch, which will happen another day this week. Of course it'll look better in a year or two when the plants have had time to flourish. But, here are a couple of pictures of their hard work today:

Regina transplanted some petunias in the planters on the deck outside the master bedroom and she also hung some flowers as well.

We ended the day by grilling hotdogs and hamburgers for dinner. Katie was exhausted and went to bed easily. Yay!

Heading Back East

Our 4:45am wake up call was brutal, but necessary to catch our 7:45am flight from Portland to Washington Dulles. Almost immediately after takeoff we got a nice view of Mt. Hood, so I snapped a few shots of it.

We arrived in Northern VA without incident, although our landing was rather tipsy due to high winds. I've been a frequent flyer since early childhood and this was the first time I worried that we might not experience a safe landing. Fortunately though, the pilot was able to stabilize the plane before we hit the runway.

Within about an hour after landing, we had claimed our bags and were in a rental car, heading south toward Regina's parents' home. About three hours later, we arrived safely.

Katie is spending the night with her cousins, so Regina and I are enjoying a bit of peace and quiet as we wind down from a long day of travel.

Supervise Your Children, or Else!

I'm sitting here watching a recording of yesterday's Oprah, featuring Michael J. Fox, and suddenly I recalled something I read the other day. It made me laugh out loud, so I thought I'd share it.

A couple of days ago when my Mom was here and we drove along the Columbia River Gorge scenic highway, we stopped at the Crown Point Vista House. I needed to stop, primarily to use the bathroom, but while we were there we visited the gift shop (of course) and admired the spectacular view of the gorge. What made me laugh out loud was the sign they posted inside the Vista House which read:

Unsupervised children will be given

espresso and a free puppy.

Grandma's Visit is Over

This morning I dropped Katie off at school and then dropped my Mom off at the airport. She caught an 11am flight home to Kansas after spending 10 days with us. Last week, Katie's school had their Spring Break, so she had plenty of time to pal around with her Grandma.

Next item on our agenda - 8 days in Virginia visiting family.

Road Trip With My Mom

Tolovana Beach State Park, Northern Oregon Coast

My Mom and I left the apartment at about 10:30am and drove a 235-mile loop today. We took highway 30 west to the coast where we turned south on 101 and spent some time at Fort Clatsop learning a little bit about Lewis and Clark and their Native American guide, Sacagawea.

We continued south on the Pacific Coast Highway 101 and ended up in Seaside, Oregon. We walked on the beach, browsed through a couple of the shops and ate dinner at Dooger's Seafood and Grill.

After dinner, we made our way to Tolovana Beach State Park where we photographed the gorgeous sunset over the ocean.

Highway 26 east took us back to Portland and we were home by about 8:30pm. It was a good day, but I'm exhausted and ready for bed! Signing off ~

Sure Is Quiet...

... when Suzie is busy! I haven't talked with Suzie or Katie since they headed up to Seattle. And, very little texting or emails either! I am sure they are enjoying the space, neighborhood and Suzie's Mom. They head down here tomorrow -- long drive along the coast -- I think. I will do my "no rain" dance... I only do it when we really need sun shine in the Pacific Northwest!

Katie Just LOVES Her Cousin Abby!

Cousin Abby stopped by for a quick visit before driving back to her home in Southern California, after spending three weeks at Hedgebrook for a writer's retreat. Hedgebrook is a rural retreat on Whidbey Island where woman writers gather from all over the world to write, rejuvenate and be in community with each other. It's quite an accomplishment to be selected as a participant and we're so proud of our Abby!

Katie and I drove up to Seattle on Friday, March 20th, picked up my Mom at the airport the next day and we're planning to stay here for the majority of the week. It's Katie's Spring Break, so no school for her. Abby spent last night with us, which was a treat since we don't get to see her all that often.

We had a lazy morning, while we waited for the refrigerator repair man to arrive. After that was fixed, we ate lunch and took Abby to see Snoqualmie Falls. At about 4pm, she continued on her way. Katie was especially sad to see her go. From the moment Abby walked in the door yesterday, Katie was all over her! I think it's safe to assume she's looking forward to the next time we get together.

Hokies Out

Well, March Madness ended for the Hokies as the fell in round 2 of the NIT tournament today. They could not buy a basket. At least for me, still a little bit of excitement as I head back out today to watch the second round of the NCAA tournament here in Portland. We have a lot of folks who have attended three of the four schools playing today - University of Washington, Gonzaga & Western Kentucky! So, I am cheering for UofW in game 1 and Western Kentucky in game 2!

Had a great time on Thursday but boy was it a long day. I can't complain as I was sitting in a box suite. Today, much more manageable!

Another Interview with Katie

1. What is something Gina always says to you?

"Ouch", when I pull her hair.

2. What makes Gina happy?

When I wrap something in a box, with paper and ribbon and I let her open it up.

3. What makes Gina sad?

When I pinch her.

4. How does Gina make you laugh?

When she tickles me, and I laugh.

5. What was Gina like as a child?

She was funny.

6. How old is Gina?

29

7. How tall is Gina?

4 tall

8. What is Gina's favorite thing to do?

Her favorite thing is to play with me.

9. What does Gina do when you're not here?

She likes to run around the house. And she goes to work to get money and stuff.

10. If Gina becomes famous, what will it be for?

Earning lots of money.

11. What is Gina really good at?

She so good at earning money.

12. What is Gina not very good at?

She not really good at sewing.

13. What does Gina do for a job?

She does nice things.

14. What is Gina's favorite food?

Phish Food (Ben and Jerry's ice cream)

15. What makes you proud of Gina?

If she runs just like me, but faster than me.

16. If Gina were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Horton

17. What do you and Gina do together?

We do races.

18. How are you and Gina the same?

We both are going to the same place.

19. How are you and Gina different?

When we go to our rooms, but not the same room.

20. How do you know Gina loves you?

Because she says, I love you, to me.

21. What does Gina like most about your other Mommy?

When she gives her a present.

22. Where is Gina's favorite place to go?

Work.

Men's March Madness!

Wow! It has already started... Go HOKIES! While they didn't make it to the big dance, they got a #2 seed in the NIT tournament and won in double overtime to win the first game.

Tomorrow, I spend the day at the Rose Garden watching the four games set to play in Portland, OR for the NCAA tournament! We are taking clients and sharing a box suite with two other companies. Everyone is excited because it is the first time the tournament has been played in Portland and we got Washington and Gonzaga. Even though they are not Oregon schools, they are considered "local" favorites! Unfortunately, Portland State (located right here in the city) was sent to Idaho.

I've never been to the big dance and I don't think I have watched that much basketball at once, either! We head out at 10:00am and will more than likely get home at 10:00pm as I think we have the last tip off at 9:55 Eastern. And, that's not all... we head back on Saturday for the last two games!

I want upsets and close games!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

I picked up Katie today at school and here's how our conversation went driving home:

Me: Did you do anything for St. Patrick's Day at school today?

Katie: We had green milk for lunch. But, I didn't like it. My teacher finished it for me.

Me: Were you the only one who didn't like it?

Katie: No. Everyone at my table and even the kids at the other table didn't like it either.

Me: Well, why not? What did it taste like?

Katie: It tasted like poopy.

Me: What? Poopy? How do you know it tasted like poopy? Have you ever tasted poopy to even know what it tastes like?

Katie: Well, yes I have.

Me: No you haven't.

Katie: Yes, I have.

Me: Oh really, well when did you taste poopy?

Katie: Well, one time when you and Gina weren't home and it was just me there, a bad guy came in and he made me eat poopy.

Me: A bad guy, huh? Whose poopy did you eat? His, yours, or did he bring someone elses?

Katie: He made me eat his.

Me: So, how exactly did that work? Did he poop right there in front of you and hand you a piece?

Katie: Yep, and he made me taste pee, too.

Me: What did that taste like?

Katie: Pee.

Me: Hmm, ok. So, how did you finally get rid of this bad guy?

Katie: Oh, I killed him.

Me: Really? How did you do that?

Katie: Well, actually, I didn't kill him. I just chased him out of the house with a broom.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium

Today we felt like a road trip and Regina had heard good things about the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport, so we all buckled in and headed out. It was a rainy, yucky day, but we were able to forget about that during our visit to the aquarium. It was totally worthwhile.

Katie's Colorful Playdate

Today after school, I picked up Katie and took her over to her friend's house to play for a while. She was excited to also eat dinner at her friend's house, because that's what big girls do.

After I dropped her off, I drove over to pick up Regina at her office and we went shopping for a portable gas grill. Regina had done some research online and found one she liked, made by Coleman. Living in this apartment, we really miss being able to grill meats for dinner, so Regina thought we should buy a portable model for while we're in the apartment and later we can use it when we go camping. We found the one we wanted and bought it. At that point, it wasn't yet time to pick Katie up, so we went out to dinner, all by ourselves! What a treat!

After dinner, we picked up Katie and discovered that she and her best buddy had drawn all over themselves with red magic marker! Oh my goodness, they got it everywhere, and I mean EVERYWHERE - you know what I mean. Crazy girls.

After laughing about it and taking pictures, it was time to get serious about cleaning it off. Regina put her in the shower and began the process of scrubbing it off. She wasn't having much success and asked me to look online for solutions. Of course, every parent has a "magic marker" story, so google turned up numerous suggestions for the most effective method of removing magic marker from skin. Each person swore that their solution removed it like magic, although we failed to have the same magical results! We tried bath soap, dish soap, olive oil, sunscreen, toothpaste and A&D ointment. It was also suggested we should try baby wipes, alcohol and makeup remover but we didn't have any of those in the house. Actually though, we think the toothpaste worked the best out of all the things we did try.

Now she's ready for bed, minty fresh and with only the slightest evidence that just a couple of hours ago she was pretty messed up.

An Interview with Katie

1. What is something mom always says to you?

She always says to "go potty" when we leave.

2. What makes mom happy?

If the key been broken and we called someone to fix it, and then we screwed it back together, put it in a box, and gave it to Mom, then she would open it up and hug me. Then we would tell Gina about it.

3. What makes mom sad?

When you hit her and then stick your tongue out.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

When she tickles you, and then you laugh.

5. What was your mom like as a child?

Sweet.

6. How old is your mom?

Five

7. How tall is your mom?

A hundred ninety tall.

8. What is her favorite thing to do?

To take pictures of me.

9. What does your mom do when you're not here?

She works.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

For a rocking show.

11. What is your mom really good at?

Getting me dressed into clothes.

12. What is your mom not very good at?

Not really good at climbing houses.

13. What does your mom do for a job?

She help Gina sometimes.

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

Ice cream.

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

If she gives me a stuffed animal, like a teddy bear, and wraps it in a box, gives it to me and I open it up.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Mickey Mouse.

17. What do you and your mom do together?

We go to the park together. The one that has the dinosaur bone.

18. How are you and your mom the same?

We both wear jewelry.

19. How are you and your mom different?

We don't wear the same clothes.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

Because she loves on me.

21. What does your mom like most about your other Mom?

Her curly hair.

22. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

To Disneyland.

Katie Portrait

We went to downtown Portland today to check out the Portland Saturday Market. It wasn't quite what we'd hoped it would be, so we didn't stay long. I did however, find a brick wall I liked and had Katie stand in front of it for an casual portrait. And here it is...

Extreme Spring Forward

While we were busy advancing our clocks one HOUR last night, Katie seems to have advanced hers by about 10 YEARS! Our little "teenager" has either outgrown most of her clothes, or she has holes and stains in the knees, so we went shopping yesterday for her. At Old Navy she picked out these low-rise jeans with a belt (which she loves - she always pulled her pants down below her waist anyway...) and a cool cat t-shirt. Her white leather shoes are new too and you can't tell in this picture, but they are Mary Janes. She needed something other than dirty sneakers to wear when she dresses up.

This Little Piggy Went to Market

And we'll be hollering "Yay, yay, yay, all the way to closing!" With any luck. Hmm, we'll see.

Yes, the house is going on the market today. I've been preparing the house for the last couple of days and then tonight I'll drive back to Portland.

Last year when we tried to sell, our realtor staged the house, which is something we've never done before. After seeing what she did, we realized we loved how it looked. So this time, we staged it again, but on our own. I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of what we did.

In the foyer, we never could figure out what to do with this space. When our realtor staged the house last spring, she put a small table with a lamp and artificial flower against the wall. So, we figured we would just do that again. But, last week we were browsing a furniture store in Portland and saw this combination of two chairs and table which immediately seemed like the perfect thing to put in the foyer. And, to make it even more fun, it was all marked way down and in Oregon we don't pay sales tax!

This is the kitchen table all set up.

And here is a closeup of the setting. We already had the gold chargers. The plates, napkins, and napkin rings all came from the clearance shelf at Pier One. I absolutely love these plates and loved them even more when I realized they were marked down 75%.

This is what we did with the dining room table.

And here is a closeup of the setting. We already had the white plate, but bought everything else at Pottery Barn at about 80% off. Well, not the napkin rings. Unfortunately, they are new this season so we paid full price. But, I loved them and really, really needed them. The placemats were a steal because they were considered Christmas merchandise. If you look closely, you can see a pattern on the surface. It is made of gold seed beads sewn on. Really gorgeous.

Okay well, I have a little bit of cleaning left to do before I start my drive back to Portland. Gotta go...

Birthday Party!

Jack and Avery turned one this year. Lucky for me, I happened to be in town and was able to attend their party. The party was also for Jack and Avery's cousin, Lillie who turned six. Happy Birthday!

Not The Greeting I Was Hoping For Today!

Suzie is up in Fall City, WA -- once again getting the house ready to list -- and Katie and I are hanging around Portland until the weekend. Originally, we were all taking the two days off but when we went back East to visit with my Aunt and take care of getting her settled in a home we decided to just have Suzie go up early. I would save the days. The biggest challenge for me is getting Katie out of the door in the morning so I can get to work on time. It hasn't been too bad because I had blocked these days off as vacation so no morning meetings!

Today, I picked Katie up from school and as I approached the door one of the kids yelled to Katie that her Mom was here. It is so funny, but there is always at least one kid that pays attention to the door, who is coming in and then announces the Mom or Dad. Katie, totally absorbed in tracing a truck and cutting it out, didn't even look up. As I walked closer, the girl sitting next to her said to me, "You're not Katie's Mom. Are you her Grandma?" Why do they always go to Grandma?!

I kindly said no, and confirmed that I was her Mom. Katie, still not paying attention, finally looked up and said "Hi Mom, I am busy can you come back?" I went to get her blanket and coat from her home room. I was thinking about what to say next if the kids said anything and then decided I just needed to hope for a better greeting when I came back in the room.

This time no one paid attention but Katie. She asked "Where is Suzie?"

The Changeling

We rented this movie last night and I cannot get it out of my head! It's a very good movie, but a horrific story. Even worse, it's a true story. Click the image below to visit the movie's web site.

Baby Suzie

I came across these baby pictures of mine that I had scanned a while ago. Thought I'd share them. In this picture, I was 14 months old.

Then I decided to compare pictures of Katie and me at about the same age to see if there is any resemblance. I suppose there is a little bit. When I go home this weekend, I'll pull out some of Katie's younger pics to see how they compare, too.

All Things Gross

Since we hear about this stuff every day lately, I just thought I'd share this drawing Katie did the other day. I always ask her to tell me about her drawings and for this one, here's what she said, "This is a silly cat. He's going poopies and pee-pee at the same time, and he's also doing a bottom-burp (aka fart)! He's also crying tears and burping out of his mouth!" Now, while she's saying all this, she could hardly contain herself. When she was done, she covered her mouth as she let her giggles out and watched me intently for my, um, reaction.

Katie and Her Buddy

I picked up Katie from school early today so she could come home and spend the afternoon playing with one of her friends who goes to the same school, but she doesn't attend on Fridays. Because the weather today was so perfect, we took a walk and ended up at a playground where the girls spent most of the time on the swings.

We had a little trouble with Katie being jealous of any attention we paid to her friend. We had to be really careful not to show any preference at all to her friend, which made things more complex than they really needed to be, but oh well. Eventually we convinced her that even though we interact with another child, we don't love her any less. She's not really interested in sharing her parents with anyone right now.

So anyway, after we got back to the apartment, they were silly and I got the camera out. That energized them even more as they hammed it up for the camera.


At this age, unfortunately, their favorite topics always include private body parts, body functions and fluids/waste. All things gross are of particular interest. So, of course, they thought it was hilarious that I was willing to take a picture of them showing me their butts. Fortunately, it didn't occur to them to show me their bare butts. That's reserved for when they're teenagers, I suppose.

And finally, they're worn out - at least until their second wind kicks in... (I have to admit though, this picture below was posed - they weren't really sacked out on the floor!)

Entertaining Katie on President's Day

Katie's holiday is not my holiday! Because now I have to think of something to do all day so I don't have to deal with the dreaded, "Mom, I'm so boooored!", as she throws herself on the couch like a Raggedy Ann doll, to emphasize her point. Like I don't get it.

So, for today I decided we would go to the Portland Children's Museum. She enjoys it there and although I'll be bored, at least she won't be.

One of her favorite things to do is inside the area called the Kids Care, I think that's what they named it, anyway. It's set up to look like a doctor's office. Kids can pretend they are a doctor, nurse, patient, receptionist, or even an ambulance driver or paramedic. Within the clinic is a computer workstation with a digital camera connected to it. Kids can take a picture of themselves and print it out. The software asks them questions about themselves and gives them space to type notes that will print with their picture. She's not really interested in the whole doctor's office play area, though. Just the picture-taking computer.

Okay now, let's take a moment to examine Katie's outfit. She dressed herself today. Although I wouldn't have necessarily put these two prints together, the colors don't clash, so I don't care!

A very popular attraction at the museum is this mock-up of a grocery store where kids can pretend to shop, stock the shelves, be a cashier, or bag the groceries. Katie loves playing here.

We were there all afternoon, until they kicked us out at closing time. Katie was exhausted.

Regina worked today, so she picked up a Garlic Jim's pizza and met us at home for dinner.

Pre-K Valentine's Day Celebration

Today Katie's class celebrated Valentine's Day, first thing in the morning after everyone had arrived. When it was time to begin, the teacher flipped the room lights off and on, which the kids all know is the signal for "time to quiet down and go sit on the carpet for roll call and a story". Once it was determined who was and wasn't there yet, the teacher read them a short story that had an appropriately Valentine theme. While that was going on, the other teacher was getting the tables set up, with the help of a couple of the parents, so the kids could decorate sugar cookies later.

After storytime, the kids all grabbed their Valentine Box, which they decorated earlier in the week, and found a place to sit down so they could look at all the Valentine greetings they had received from their classmates. I sat with Katie and helped her to read each one so she would know who they were from. It was so cute as the kids began thanking each other for their cards and some gave out candy treats as well. I didn't include a candy treat with Katie's cards - I just figured there would be enough candy in circulation without us contributing to it too. But, I did handmake all of Katie's cards yesterday! And last night, she signed them, even though she complained the whole time because it was just too much, she said. I'm glad now I didn't also ask her to help me make them, as I had originally planned.

After going through their Valentine cards, it was time to decorate cookies. I did my part and contributed heart-shaped sugar cookies and the kids decorated them with frosting supplied by another parent, and sprinkles supplied by yet another parent. This is always a big hit with kids around this age. Katie especially loves it. Probably more than actually eating it, because she ate only about half of her cookie and offered the remainder to me! Believe it or not, I didn't eat it. I've GOT to get some weight off. I love how Katie eats only what she wants, even if she's leaving only a bite or two on her plate. I, of course, would just finish it, but not Katie!

When the festivities were over, I came home. Now it's time to get some laundry done!

Flower Power 2

Check this out - My Mom has a couple of her original paintings showing in a gallery in Topeka, Kansas. Click here to see all the paintings in the show, including the two submitted by my Mom, Kathleen Cobb.

Springtime in Katie's Art

I mentioned "birds singing" in my last post and it reminded me of these wonderful drawings Katie did in the last few days. Can you guess what kind of bird she's portraying here? The red belly should give it away. That's right - Red Robins! Notice in the top drawing there is a worm and bee around the bird's head. She did that to show us some of the things the bird eats. Also in that top drawing, we've got some Picasso going on when she combines the front view with the side view of the bird's head.

The Sun is Shining Today!

It really is true that sunshine raises the spirit. This morning for instance, it's like act one of a Disney movie. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, little buds are forming on all the plants and trees in preparation for spring blossoms, and it made me happy! Oh, and the days are getting noticeably longer, too. So, anyway, just thought I'd share that.

Okay, now for a Katie story. For Christmas, she got a kid-proof keyboard and that you connect to a PC via the USB port. Well, one of the features is that it requires a password to exit the program. This prevents kids from exiting the program when you're not looking and gaining access to the Windows desktop, which is not kidproof. So, I set it up with my usual password and everytime Katie tells me she's done with the computer, I exit out of the program for her by entering my "secret" password. Well, one day when she was finished with the computer, she asked Regina to help her turn it off. But, I hadn't yet shared the routine with Regina, therefore she didn't know what to do. No problem, though - Katie showed her what she needed to do. She said, "Here, you have to press these keys, like this." And she pointed to the letters and numbers in my no-longer-secret password! Once again, she demonstrated that she does indeed pay attention to EVERYTHING, even if it doesn't seem like it!

Happy Birthday Grandpa Curt!

Curtis E. Anderson in his early 20s.

(My Mom's Dad)

If he were alive, he'd be 99 years old today.

It's All About the Mouse Today

After lunch today, Katie and I vacated the premises so Regina could have some time to herself to watch the Superbowl without distractions. Of course, I couldn't care less about the game, so I didn't mind missing it. I have to say though, I do enjoy the commercials. But these days, you don't even have to watch the game to see the commercials. They've become an event in themselves.

Katie and I went to a nearby playground and she played for a couple of hours there. Fortunately, we had good weather today. By that, I mean it wasn't raining. It was still cloudy and cold though. By the time she finished playing, we needed to warm up. Katie's little hands were icey!

I decided we could head over to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner and games. Katie was beside herself with excitement. She'd never been there before, but had been asking about it for a while now. Turns out she's got some talent for skee ball!

Anyway, on our way over there, Regina called the cell phone to tell us she just saw a tiny mouse scampering across the floor in the apartment! At first she thought it was the biggest cock roach she'd ever seen, but quickly realized it was a mouse. Our two cats proved to be useless in capturing the critter. They spotted him and ran to see what it was, but the mouse quickly escaped and hasn't been seen since.

I thought it was funny that while Regina was at home being spooked by a baby mouse, we were on our way to a pizza joint whose mascot is a huge mouse, and I was wearing a mickey mouse sweatshirt. That's why it was all about the mouse today!