suffering

Don't let that sweet little face fool you.
I'm pretty sure this little girl is suffering from a bad case of

Early On-set Terrible Twos.

She insists on climbing into her car seat unassisted.
If you try to help, you hear

"No, me!"

She struggles to get the straps over her shoulders.
If you try to help, you hear

"No, me!"

She fumbles with the metal buckle thingees.
If you try to help, you hear

"No, me!"

She wants to put on her shoes by herself.
She ends up with them on the wrong feet (or not even being able to get them on at all).
If you try to help, you hear

"No, me!"

She tries to put her pants on by herself.
She ends up with both legs stuffed into one leg (does that make sense?).
If you try to help, you hear

"No, me!"

She's gotten pretty good at saying mine also.

She actually cares which clothes I pick out for her to wear.
She's not allowed to do that yet, right?
If I pick out a dress, she says no and goes into the drawer for something else.
Most times, she chooses her piggy jammies.
Every time, she ends up wearing the clothes I picked out...and crying about it.
I know, it's a tough life.

She thinks it's funny to not give me a kiss when I ask for one.
Of course, I kiss her anyway.
Then she wipes the kiss away!
Who taught her such nonsense?


And then there's my little boy...

He's suffering from a bad case of

I'll Do What I Want, When I Want To Or Else

I don't like it. It's not good.
He's spent a lot of time in his room lately.
By himself.
Without Star Wars toys to keep him company.
The light sabers have been put away, maybe forever.

This picture was taken on Sunday at Cousin Andrew's farewell family gathering.
We just wanted a picture of all the cousins together one last time.
(Ok, so there might be more pictures of all the cousins together but not for at least 2 years.)

Danny did not want to participate.
Dan held him. He cried. He squirmed. He was seriously not happy.

To those of you who witnessed the fit he was pitching, I'm sorry.
It was embarrassing. It was ugly.
I feel like the most craptastic mother ever.

I love my kids.

They're kind and loving and sweet and good.
I love them.
I'm grateful to be their mom.
Right now, they're just making me prove it.

Heaven help me when the teenage stuff happens.
I'm gonna need it.
Mostly because I'll be pushing 50 and suffering from a bad case of

Holy Crap I'm Old.


p.s. I did have a better picture from Andrew's farewell. Stephanie's eyes were open. Melissa was smiling at the camera. Rusty, Ricky and Billy were too. I chose this one because I think Dan looks quite handsome in it. And in the end, that's really all that matters.

an early mother's day gift

Here it is, Grama Bama.
Your very own folding chair with an adjustable canopy thingee.

You'll keep extra cool and shady while watching your favorite grandkids play outside.
You won't be bothered by that pesky sun while watching the Round-up parade this summer.
You'll be reminded repeatedly that blue is Danny's favorite color.
(And he'll wonder if it's yours too.)

But that's not all.
Look what else awaits you.

a mesh cup holder for your bottled water
(or a spot for Luke and the Storm Trooper to rest side by side)

and a pocket on the under side of the canopy for safe-keeping of your car keys, Nitro, cell phone and Grizzly Mint

Maybe you could even put your sunglasses up there too.

Happy {Early} Mother's Day, Grama Bama!

We love you!

a good reminder

{found here}

Could someone just turn this into a humongous poster for me?

Maybe the size of my bedroom door.

It seems like a good thing to look at every morning before I head out to

feed children
(mostly my own)

change bums
(usually just Cate's)

clean up messes
(never my own)

fold laundry
(way too much)

wipe away tears
(sometimes my own)

wash dishes
(way too many)

break up fights
(way too many of those too)

scrub toilets
(not very often)

sweep floors
(I actually enjoy that one)

pull weeds
(what I hate about spring)

and all that other fun stuff that helps me wonder who the heck I really am.

flashback on a friday

August 1977

Jenny, me and Mary

I really hope we're just playing dress-up in Grandma's backyard.

If not, someone's got some serious explainin' to do.


(Is it just me or does that kid in the middle look a lot like Danny?)

junk in her trunk

I was doing a little bit of organizing Monday morning. I removed winter clothes from drawers and closets to make room for summer stuff. Cate got in on the action in her room. She kept pulling out her bloomers from the bottom drawer and handing them to me. I'd say, "Do you want to put these on?" And she'd reply, "Yeah!"

So that's what we did. I think she ended up wearing every pair of bloomers that she owns. And two swimsuits as well. Her bum grew to twice its size (maybe even thrice). She couldn't bend over. She was having trouble walking. It was quite funny (at least to me).

I suggested we go outside to wait for Kris to come home from preschool. She thought that was a great idea. "Do you want to go out front?" "Yeah!"

I started taking the bloomers off. She let me remove one of the swimsuits but the other one had to stay. I obliged. When I took some pants out of her drawer she said, "No no no no no!"

I put on her socks and let her pick out some shoes to wear. She chose the winter boots that I had set on the floor to pack away. Fine with me. So with that, we headed outside to wait for Kris.
And to work on tanning those chubby little thighs.

potpourri

I took the kids to McDonald's to play and eat junk one day during spring break. The weather was crappy and I had no desire to be cooped up in this house with four kids. The teenager working the register asked for my name so he could let me know when my order was ready. I've had people spell my name with a K many times in my life. I've even had it spelled with an ie instead of a y at the end. Kathey was definitely a first.

Here's the comment Ella left my previous potpourri post.


If I knew how to sew, I would totally make them. And not because I love my cats and want them to have warm legs. I think it would be quite entertaining to watch them try to remove them. Here's the link in case you want to make your very own Kitty Legs for your favorite felines. It's supposed to be an April Fool's joke but I say, joke's on you, kitty!

I almost cried at the gym. I was on the elliptical machine watching the Jim and Pam get married episode of The Office. I teared up when all the office friends were dancing down the aisle. I'm a weirdo.

I'm glad Buzz is off Dancing with the Stars. It was painful to watch him. I had to fast forward through his dances. Poor guy.

Dan recorded the last 18 minutes of the Duke vs. Butler basketball game so he could put Cate to bed. When he was done, he came back into the front room to watch those last 18 minutes. The recording stopped when there were about 20 seconds left. Butler was down by one point and had the ball. It just stopped and flipped back to live t.v. just in time for us to watch the Duke guys celebrating. Dan was not happy (about Duke winning and about how the t.v. screwed up). Poor guy.

I found two earplugs and 3 tubes of Chapstick under my night stand. That's where all the Chapstick was, Dan.



Today is Grandpa Chet's birthday. He'd be 72. Danny was wondering how we'd be able to give him his birthday balloons.

I think I have a cavity.

I'm pretty sure the two things I like least about this whole parenting thing are losing sleep and cleaning up bodily functions. I did a little too much of both of those last week.



I watched an episode of 19 kids and Counting recently. I cried a little bit when Michelle and Jim Bob were holding their tiny baby in the hospital. It made me remember visiting my tiny baby in the hospital a few summers ago. I got my act together quickly when Danny came over and stared at me with a puzzled look on his face. I wonder if Michelle and Jim Bob still had to complete their ward float and walk with it in the local parade even though they had just become parents to a premature (and still in the hospital) baby six days earlier. No? Just us? Oh. That's what I thought.

Cate puked at Target on Wednesday. We were in the toy section. Danny was looking at Star Wars Legos (no surprise) while we waited for Cate's prescription to be filled (another ear infection and possible sinus infection). She was eating popcorn and then coughed a little bit. I knew she was about to upchuck everything (because that's what she does when she coughs while she's eating) so I grabbed a burp rag from my purse. Sure enough, everything that used to be in her stomach ended up on her pants, her shoes, the floor and the burp rag (but mostly in the burp rag, thank goodness). There were two teenage boys in the aisle a few feet away from us looking at Legos. I heard one of them say to the other, "Dude, that kid just puked."

Top Chef Masters is on again and I'm thrilled. There's this one lady on that looks like a man. I wasn't sure at first if she was a lady but her name is Monica and she has boobs. Poor guy/girl/whatever.


My friend made a hat for Cate. Doesn't she look thrilled to be wearing it? I think it's adorable. Thanks, Arlene.

I stopped at the car wash yesterday afternoon to vacuum the truck. I started on Danny's side. Then I just climbed all the way in to reach the floor on the other side. Danny yelled, "Mama, if you put your whole body in then the truck will TIP OVER!" Nice. Looks like I need to lose more weight than I thought.

No naps yesterday. For anyone. I have officially gone crazy.

frequently asked questions

photo of Anakin Skywalker taken by Uncle Tony

from Danny's mouth

Who turns into Darth Vader?
Why does Anakin turn into Darth Vader?
Why does Luke have a blue light saber?
How many times do I have to poop?
What happens if I drop that in the potty?
What's in here?
Why does Luke Skywalker have hair?
Is Judy's baby out of her tummy?
Remember when I go to bed I leave my hair on?
Mama, are you tired?
Are Jarrett and Kris here yet?
Can I watch Wubbzy?
Are you a perfect mama or a bad mama?
Is Luke bad or perfect?
Is this how you do Rock On?

from Cate's mouth

Go?

from Dan's mouth

Could I take the trash out now?
Am I snoring too loudly for you to sleep again?
How did I ever get so lucky to have you as my wife?
Did you really spend an entire nap time ironing all those shirts for me?
You packed a lunch for me to take to school again?
Are you sure you didn't go to culinary school?
Have I told you lately that I love you?

from my mouth

How much weight do you think I could lose if I cut my hair?

a little clarification

Just to be perfectly clear, I do not weigh 138 pounds.

I am 5'11'. The average (or acceptable or healthy or whatever you want to call it) weight for my height is 155-175 pounds. I'm not going to say whether or not that's where I am right now, but I don't weigh 138 pounds. Holy moly.

As I was getting ready for bed tonight (meaning checking my email and stuff one last time), I noticed a few comments on the previous post that I hadn't read yet. Then I went back and read the post again. Plus, I like to look at that picture of my feet. I think it might be one of my favorite pictures of myself ever (even if it is a picture of my freaky finger toes). I never thought I'd see that number on a scale that I was standing on ever again.

I'm not even really sure I saw that number in 10th grade (or 9th or whatever). I do know that I weighed 128 pounds in 8th grade. (Why I remember that, I have no clue. I'm just good at remembering numbers sometimes). That was when I was 5'8'' and puberty had not done evil horrible things to me yet. I was just guessing on the 10th or 9th grade thing since that's when puberty did start doing evil horrible things to me.

When I re-read the post, I was a little worried that the first sentence of the p.s. part sounded a bit like I was saying, "Wow! I am so happy that I weigh 138 pounds again! I haven't seen that number on a scale I was standing on since 10th (or maybe 9th) grade!"

That's not what I was saying. What I really meant was, "Wow! There's 138! I haven't seen that number since 10th (or maybe 9th) grade and I'm pretty sure I won't ever see it again unless I'm standing on the scale when it's on carpet." Does that make sense?

The digital scale only reads accurately when it's on a hard, flat surface. I usually weigh myself on the tile floor in the bathroom. I brought the scale into my bedroom because it has better natural lighting at 7:00 in the morning. My initial plan, after weighing myself in the bathroom this morning and then being so excited to see my drivers license weight that I knew I must share it with all my friends and family (and a few strangers), was to take a picture and then just blur out the number. I like to have a picture along with my words but no way was I going to tell my actual weight on here. That's all.

When I got on the scale in my bedroom and saw 138 pounds, I was beyond thrilled that I had lost even more weight on the way from the bathroom by Danny's room to my bedroom. Woo hoo! Then I remembered that the carpet isn't exactly a flat surface and it was just absorbing some poundage (a lot of poundage) and not letting the scale read properly. It was nice to see that little number though.

Plus, who writes down a number that doesn't end in a zero or a five as their drivers license weight? You round down, right? Or in my case, way down. You don't write down a number ending in an eight. Or do you? I don't.

This little clarification was probably totally unnecessary. I just can't go to bed in good conscience feeling like I've misled anyone into being more jealous of me than necessary (because I'm thoughtful like that).

Plus, I can't go to bed with all the snoring Dan's doing anyway.

I feel much better now. Thanks for listening (or reading or whatever).

Now, who wants to come with me to get a pedi? My treat.

reconciled

It happened this morning.
My drivers license weight and my actual weight have finally reconciled.

rec·on·cile

to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent

And lest you feel a twinge of jealousy, don't.

I ate celery for this.
I exercised my butt off for this.
I drank lots and lots and lots and of water for this.
I stopped eating Ben and Jerry's New York Super Fudge Chunk for this.

Just be happy for me.

I am.

p.s. I haven't weighed 138 pounds since 10th grade (maybe 9th). Those are my feet though (and I desperately need a pedi). I just weighed myself on the carpet. Apparently, it's kind of like weighing yourself on the moon. I'm not sure why I didn't try this earlier.

best banana bread ever

I think I make this banana bread at least twice a month, sometimes more. It seems like I'm the only one in this house eating bananas. I can't get Danny and Cate to eat them. I have no idea what's up with that. Kids are supposed to love bananas, right? It's ok though. Danny loves banana bread. Cate can take it or leave it.

The recipe I use is from a cookbook I received many years ago. I think my mom gave it to me but I can't be positive. I'd ask her but I don't think she'd remember either.



The book is called How To Catch A Man Cookbook. I think my mom gave it to me when I was in college. Maybe she was trying to drop a not-so-subtle hint. It was published in 1979 (when I was only 6...I'm not that old). Does that make it vintage? Does that make me vintage?

The dedication reads, "This book is dedicated to 'dear' hunters on all levels of experience, who want to catch and keep their man." Lovely.

I've only ever used this cookbook for the banana bread. I'm sure there's lots of other yummy man-catching recipes in it. How about Best Hamdogs? Those are sure to get the men running to your kitchen, right? Maybe some Lazy Daisy Cake for dessert. And what man can turn away a big chunk of On Target Meatloaf? No man I know, that's for sure. I'll save those for another day.

Check out the binding on the page before the banana bread recipe.



Yep. It's been broken in. There are a few tips on the bread intro page. Stuff about yeast and kneading and flour. My favorite is the last sentence.

"Keep these tips in mind and your chances for catching that man of your dreams will be greatly increased!"



Banana Nut Bread

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3 large bananas, mashed
1 cup or more pecans
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix well and bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes. Important not to over cook. Does not spring back when touched to test for doneness.

My changes:

I leave out the nuts. I like them. Danny doesn't. He calls them seeds and picks them out.

I add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter. That's what makes this banana bread the best.

I also add 1 cup (or way more than that) of mini chocolate chips. Who am I kidding? That's what really makes this banana bread the best.

I use mini loaf pans instead of the regular ones. I think the bread cooks more evenly that way. Plus, the slices are just the right size for Danny.

I turn the mini loaf pans over onto a cookie rack to cool. That way, they loosen out of the pans in their own time, leaving no chunks at the bottom of the pan. Also, the cookie rack leaves nice little indentations on top for cutting even slices (although I would be able to figure out how to slice a mini loaf of banana bread without the little lines).



Here's the picture Danny took of me baking. He picked up my camera and said, "Hey, Mama. I take your picture. Now, bake someting!"

Now go and bake the best banana bread ever for yourself and the ones you love.

Enjoy!

nine on the ninth

one: watching cartoons with a storm trooper (who stole Darth Vader's light saber) on his shoulder

two: playing with the people from the paper city I cut out for him

three: trying on her new shoes

four: crying against her bedroom wall because I took her new shoes off (after she kept saying ouch) to see if something was stuck inside *check out those piggies*

five: playing at the yellow park (only for 5 minutes since it was so stinkin' windy)

six: hanging out with her cousin (minus the piggies)

seven: playing cars with her future brother-in-law

eight: tempting me today (I gave in once or twice)

nine: going Numero Dos on the potty in exchange for Luke Skywalker



And since it's so stinkin' cute and I really want to share, here's the paper city I cut out for Danny. He wasn't very happy that the faces had no mouths.

Ummm, Mama. Aren't you forgetting something? Their faces!

So I drew mouths on a few.

Ah. Now they're beautiful!

I downloaded the paper city and little people here (after I found them here) and printed them on cardstock. Would anyone like them? Danny wasn't happy about the little stands for the guys. He preferred to have them just lay around. Then he told me he didn't want them. I believe him. He didn't touch the paper city the rest of the day. I'd let Cate have it but she'll probably just try to eat it.

I'd like it to go to a good home. Any takers?

love this girl

I sure do love this little girl.

Even when she keeps me up at night.
Twice in one night.

Even when I have to clean puke off her blankets.
And out of her hair.

I might love her even more
{although I'm not sure that's even possible}
if she'd let me get a decent amount of sleep tonight.

That's what I'm hoping for.
But even if she doesn't,
I'll still love her.

Just look at that face.
How could I not?

or else

Here's a little something my son hears from my mouth several times a day:

Danny, I need you to listen and obey or else I'll have to take your Star Wars toys away.

Sometimes he listens. Sometimes he doesn't.

Sometimes the light sabers (or, according to Danny, just sabers since they don't light up) get put in an out-of-reach spot until he can obey.

Sometimes he cries. Sometimes he acts like he couldn't care less. It's hit and miss.

I take away the Star Wars toys because I know that most of the time they're his favorites. I'm thinking he's noticing what my favorite toy is too.

At bedtime a few nights ago, he told me that he wanted to watch Oswald one more time. I told him no. And then he told me this:

Mama, you have to listen to me else I'll take your da-bee-duh away.

I guess I need to stop "playing" on my computer so much.

a conversation, a cough, a cake and a contest

{a conversation}

Who are the flowers for?

Grandpa Chet. We're going to put them on his grave.

Oh.

Remember? That's where his body is.

Is it far away?

It's by Grandma's house. We can walk there.

Oh.

Where's Grandpa Chet's spirit?

Gone to Jesus.

Yep.

Then what happens?

When Jesus comes again, his body and his spirit will be back together again.

Oh. Will I be there?

Yep.

But I'm scared of Jesus.

Don't be. He's nice. He loves you.

But I'm scared.

Why?

Because I'm mean.

{And then he walked away. I'm not sure whether to feel sad that he thinks he's mean or to feel happy that I'm raising a God-fearing boy. Or is it just time to have a Family Home Evening lesson about repentance, forgiveness and love?}

{a cough}

Danny started coughing and his nose started running on Sunday. I was thinking it was just a cold. He seemed fine at Grandma's house, just lots of wiping his nose on his arm (since he didn't have a sleeve long enough to use as a tissue). It got worse.

Dan woke me up Monday morning at 1:39 to let me know that Danny was crying. I went to check on him, got him settled down and went back to bed. Then Dan woke me up at 2:39 to let me know Danny was crying again. (I sleep with earplugs in my ears. I don't hear the crying. Or the snoring. Dan's snoring, not mine. I don't snore.)

I was in Danny's room with him until 5:00. We were both awake the majority of that time. It was not good. He was crying, coughing and at one point, puking. He also complained over and over that his mouth hurt. At 5:00 I brought him into bed with Dan and me. He fell asleep next to Dan. At 6:00 Danny started whimpering and we were awake again. I brought him back to his bed (after making Dan switch to my side of the bed because Danny's pull-up had leaked). I turned on Star Wars, walked out of his room and tried to get some sleep on the couch.

That lasted until about 7:20 when Danny started banging on his door. He was up for the day. I took him to the doctor. I was worried he might have strep throat. He didn't. She said there was some goop (my word, not hers) in his ear (the one that still has the tube in place) and suggested I use the ear drops for a few days. She said he probably just had a virus.

He spent yesterday coughing, whining, and taking a mega nap. He seemed better after he woke up. This morning he woke up with a mega amount of goop coming out of his ear. Maybe when he said his mouth hurt, he was feeling the pain of an ear infection. I don't know. I'm just ready for him to feel better.

{a cake}

We celebrated Jarrett's birthday yesterday with dinner (my favorite meatloaf) and birthday cake. He's a lucky seven-year-old.

{a contest}

Last week I entered to win two passes to the Casual Blogger Conference. I thought it might be fun to attend. Maybe learn something. Maybe just have a little fun. I didn't think I'd win. I never win anything (except when I won $91 at my high school graduation party).

Sunday night I was checking my email and saw that I had a new comment on my recent post. It read "winner winner chicken dinner." I thought that was weird because I had posted a picture of my dad holding an Easter basket in 1949. Huh? I clicked on the comment and it took me to the blog where I had entered to win the passes. I read the post and realized that I had won. All I could think was holy crap. And then I had a headache.

So now I have two passes to this conference and I need a friend to come with me. I'm socially awkward so the friend who comes with me needs to not be socially awkward. That would be helpful.

I need a personal shopper to help me find a few new outfits so that I don't appear to be fashion challenged and socially awkward at the same time. That would be tragic.

Also, now I need to find someone to watch my kids while I'm away maybe learning something and maybe having a little fun at the conference.

So who's it gonna be? Any takers? A conference companion. A personal shopper. A babysitter. I'm now accepting applications.

As a bonus for the friend who comes with me, I'll even let you drive. That's the kind of friend I am.

You're welcome.

Happy Easter

{that's my almost six-year-old dad in the hat}

flashback on a friday

The Original Danny

1 year old

potpourri

There's been a dead tree branch stuck in the tree in the backyard for quite a while. Like months and months. It's really been bugging me. The tree trimming guy who came last summer couldn't even get it down.

Thanks to the gusts of wind a few nights ago, that dead branch is now out of the tree! It's the small things that make me happy sometimes.


I think I'm feeling sympathy nesting for the pregnant ladies in my family. Either that or I'm bored of the decor (or lack thereof) in my house. I am not pregnant. Don't even ask. It's sympathy nesting.

I bought some spray paint a few weeks ago. When I bought it (at Walmart), the register let out a long beep and asked the cashier to make sure that I was over 18 (because of all the hoodlums and their graffiti). I told her I was. She said, "Are you sure?" Wow! I'm twice that, lady. I have a three-year-old with me. Should I feel flattered that she thinks I look half my age? Or is she just a bad judge of age? The lady in front of me bought a pack of cigarettes. The register asked if she was under 40. I have no idea why it picked that age in relation to cigarettes. The cashier asked to see the lady's drivers license. That lady had gray hair and was obviously (at least to me) over 40.

I want to buy these baby legs for Cate. She's one fourth Canadian after all.

Danny asks to go to Target to look at the Star Wars legos almost every day. It's getting old.

I'm thinking about making some motherlode cookie bars. I'm worried I'd eat too many though. Could someone else make them and just bring me a tiny square to taste?

Cate likes to use glue sticks as if they were chapstick. She has to be heavily supervised during arts and crafts time.

Thanks to Forty by Forty, I am now only 2 pounds away from weighing what my drivers license says I weigh. Two pounds over, that is. Am I the only one who lies about their weight on their license? If the policeman pulls me over and I happened to put my actual weight on it, he'll see it and laugh at me, right? That's what I thought. That's why I lie.

Kris told me the other day that he's a hard guy. That means he doesn't get hurt much. According to him, Jarrett is a soft guy. He gets hurt more easily.

Google search results led someone to this here blog on Monday as a result of entering these key words in the search box: "lady just ate whole row cookies." Huh? I kept clicking through the results to find out which post had anything to do with eating a "whole row cookies." I got to page 10 and just gave up. I have no idea what that's all about. If I was the lady who "ate whole row cookies" I would never admit it in writing.

I think Cate said her first sentence yesterday. I can't even remember what I was doing when she said it though. She said, "No no, Mama." Does that count? I say it does. She does say no no no no no about lots of things though.

I am dragging my husband and kids (kicking and screaming) to my mission reunion tomorrow night. I've been home for 14 years and I've only attended two reunions. Wish me luck. And the kicking and screaming was referring to my husband. My kids don't know what they're getting into.

I just remembered I have to bring "finger food" to the mission reunion. Maybe I'll make the motherlode cookie bars.

I'm starting to wonder if my son is ever going to just tell me when he needs to go Number Two. Will I always have to watch for the signs (strained look on his face, squeezing his bum cheeks) and then rush him to the toilet? Please say I won't.

I let Danny take a few pictures with my camera while I was getting ready for a meeting a few nights ago. He thought this one of Mama Cat was pretty cool because he could see all her teeth.


He liked this one he took of Baby Cat because he could see her tongue.



And he told me I look booo-ti-ful in this one.


That's a compliment from a kid who usually says that guh-wuls (girls) are dose (gross). Like almost every night when we make him give his little sister a kiss and a hug good night. It's as if we're asking him to lick the trashcan or something.

Kris likes to watch Tom and Jerry and Scooby Doo.

Danny can now sing the Star Wars theme music, in addition to "The Imperial March." I'm so proud.

I might make some chocolate chip cookie dough truffles for the reunion instead of the cookie bars. They seem like less work. And bite-sized. I like bite-sized.

We saw a big group of kids (and a few adults) walking down the sidewalk yesterday morning in the blowing snow. They were headed away from the elementary school. I figured they were going on a fieldtrip, maybe to the museum on Center Street. Danny asked me if they were in a parade. I told him they were just walking somewhere. He insisted they were "making" a parade.

And finally, Dan has off work today, tomorrow and Monday for spring break. Woohoo! Panama City Beach, here we come!