Take a hike...

Today was so nice that we decided to go for a nature walk...
Before we even got on the trail, Michele and Alex saw a snake bathing in the sun...
Alex was a little miffed that she couldn't ride in the backpack anymore...
But this is the year she will start to hike on her own. We did a short half mile, and she really enjoyed looking at the trees and birds...

A great walk, and a great start to spring!

Comparisons aren't always odious...

Alex is a fickle beast. She knows what she likes... and then she likes for a long time.

A few weeks ago she came home from a trip to the mall and was very excited. Her friend Amy had bought her some new shoes. Michele and Robin snickered off to the side, and I knew something was amiss. The box was opened, and the zebras presented...

Now, don't get me wrong, I consider myself a fan of fancy. I can get behind a three year old having a fun wardrobe. But, at the same time, I am practical and err on the side of "too dressy" at every turn. I was not a fan of the zebras. I hated the zebras. I plotted a life of solitude in the closet for the zebras. I schemed.

Then, a week later, something happened. The shoes that Tia Robin had purchased her on the same day arrived.

And that's when I realized that the zebras weren't so bad. In fact, they were pretty cute. And she has worn them almost every day since.

And that's okay, because the fish shoes are high up in the closet...

Click... click...

Michele got me a new camera. A fancy camera. I have had it for a day or two, but was too scared to take it out of the box. This will take some getting used to... but here is the first pic I took with it...
Pretty nice, eh? Maybe this will encourage me to take more pics and write more blog entries.

My Left Thumb...

A little story about my left thumb. You may remember my left thumb from such stories as "Oh Snap, I Shot a Nail Through My Thumb". Well, the fun doesn't stop there!

Last night I was prepping for dinner. Alex was "helping" me, standing on her tower just to my right. I chopped carrots and onions, and started on the celery (mirepoix!). The whole time Alex and I were having a discussion that centered around Mr. Dinosaurhead and went something like this...

A: My dinosaur.

W: Yes, my dinosaur.

A: No, my dinosaur!

W: That's what I said... my dinosaur.

A: No Papa, my dinosaurs!
W: We're saying the same words, why don't we agree? My dinosaur.

I was trying to teach a lesson (and maybe push her buttons a little), she was getting frustrated. As my expertly honed Japanese chef's knife came down toward the celery she yelled "MY DINOSAUR!!" and hit my arm. More of a tap really. But, as it turned out, enough to make me nearly cut off the top of my thumb instead of the celery.

I cut myself cooking often... frighteningly often. Wrap it up, and move on. This time was different. It wouldn't stop bleeding. It wouldn't even slow down. Apparently the baby aspirin I take daily really, really works well. So, off to the Urgent Care and four stitches.

Other than the throbbing, it's all thumbs up now...

Friday unwind...

There are several great things about living in the wireless world that we find ourselves in. Facebook, Twitter, texting,,, that's all great. But when Michele and I can each work on a Friday afternoon sitting in the pub, that is money... even if she looks a bit sheepish doing it...

It happens...

Yesterday, as is the norm lately, Michele was leaving for work while Alex was just starting to sleepily eat her breakfast. As usual she rushed to the front window to watch Mama pull out of the drive and wave. Then suddenly she stood up quickly and said, "I have to go potty".

I am not very smart or observant. If I were, I would have noticed the urgency and the look on her face. "Well just hold it for a second and watch or you'll miss Mama leaving." So she did.

The next thing I heard was a splashing noise followed immediately by a tiny, worried voice screaming, "MY PEE IS COMING OUT, MY PEE IS COMING OUT!!!". And it was.

I scooped her up and headed to the bathroom, but before we could even get there she was patting my back and saying, "it was an accident Papa, it happens".

OMG, OMG...

Alex got her hair cut! Like, for real cut!! Not just trimmed... CUT!!!

I'm not sure that I'm okay with this... but Michele assures me that I am.