Don't ask me about my business

Penny is no dummy. She got this board game as a prize at Wendy's this week. It's a pretty straightforward game that has you picking a number card and moving your piece along the board to the finish.

But the game also included two Lose Your Turn cards. Penny does not like losing her turn. She also pretty much hates losing, but I digress.

So for nap, she found those two cards and said she was going to take them to bed with her. Later that day, when she wanted to play the game for the 10th time that day, I asked her where the cards went.

"Don't ask me about that," was her answer, complete with very sly, evil grin.

So I guess she no longer has to lose her turn. But she still sometimes loses. Maybe she'll figure out how to end that next.

First day of school

I'd be remiss for not blogging today, Carolyn's first full day of kindergarten. It's sort of a new chapter for us, one that takes Carolyn away from us for six full hours every day.

Truth is, I don't really feel like blogging about it. I sort of hate it. I feel sad and a tiny bit pissed off. It sort of feels like the end of something. Once school starts, that's it. There's no going back. Unlike preschool or swimming or library story hour, we can't just decide not to go. It's like having a job, one she'll keep for 16 or more years.

But I'll just go ahead and hide this little disappointment from Carolyn, who feels just about as happy as one little girl can. She's enthusiastic and excited. She could hardly contain herself last night.

So, I'll just post some pictures, so it looks like I'm excited too. Because Carolyn can't read yet (although, she is in school now so maybe she'll be able to read tonight), I'll just tell her this blog is about her great new adventure.

Here's Carolyn with her teacher, Mrs. Newton.
First day of school. Ready to go!

The girls getting ready to head out to Carolyn's first full day of school. It's about an eight minute trip on the bike. Slightly less coming home with 50 fewer pounds.


Carolyn waiting in line to go into school for her first full day. Backpack? Check. Lunchbox? Check. Giant smile? Of course...

Poop in the public pool

Hey, if you want to read more about this, you'll have to visit my new blog, The Worst. It's just a fun thing my gal pal K-Carr and I are doing to pass the time. It's about thing that are "The Worst..."

It's here, worstlist.blogspot.com

Come on... You know you want to.

Kitten fever

We've all got it. Talk at our house has turned to kittens, and the girls have the worst of it.

This is because I decided I want a kitten for my birthday. My big girl is headed off to school, there's no more babies arriving and Fife is much too old to deal with a new puppy.

Plus, I sort of love cats.

Anyhow, the girls are all about helping me out in this endeavor. We got books from the library about taking care of kittens, and then we flip through the books and give each of the kitties a name. We talk about how cute kittens are and think about what it'll be like to have our very own super cute kitten living right here with us.

It's all very exciting.

Penelope, in particular, has come down hard with the kitten fever. Yesterday, before we went to the shelter to look at the dozens of kittens just waiting to be taken home (I now realize that any thoughts we had about maybe getting a kitten were killed by this visit), we were talking about the "possibility" of maybe getting me a kitten for my birthday.

"But Daddy," Penny says. "You don't want a kitten."

Well, he says, maybe it's not such a horrible idea.

"Well, if you want, we can go get you a kitten today."

Then she looks at me and give me a secret "thumbs up" sign to let me know she's taken care of the Daddy factor. She's got him.

Loving these fading summer days

The girls and I had the best time yesterday. We went to the zoo, and for the first time ever, all the animals were totally entertaining. Then a picnic lunch. Then the playground. Then the hair salon, because you can't start school without a cute new cut.

I even took some pictures. See....

Warren Dunes 09

The family first camping trip. And by first, I mean first ever... Steve and I had always meant to try camping, but we really lacked any sort of knowledge or courage or equipment to make such a daring venture.

Turns out, modern amenities have really helped out the non-campers among us. There are showers! And if you forget something, there's this little overpriced store. And there's an electrical outlet for Pete's sake.

But there was still a touch of nature. Mosquitoes, for instance, didn't know this was a modern campsite. And there was still plenty of sand.

But overall, just the best vacation ever. We climbed this giant sand dune known as Tower Hill, which **towers** 240 feet above Lake Michigan and the nearby park. Climbing up 240 feet of sand is not only not easy, it really is a test of the human spirit, especially for Steve who helped our 3-year-old Penny reach the top. The water and weather were both lovely, thank goodness, and we even stopped nearby on the way home to pick our own blueberries. And let's not forget about the most wonderful Lake Perch.

In addition to the outdoorsy goodness, we also stopped by Battle Creek and went up to mom's farm to visit her and great-grandpa. Those trips were also full of fun, except for a two-day fever that put Penny out of commission. But no trip is perfect, right...