Last week, Dorien underwent a much needed procedure to put tubes in his ears and remove his adenoids. Apparently, so far, August and Dorien inherited my adenoids. Which does not appear to be a good thing.  It means they're too large, and they impair drainage from their ears which results in hearing issues. I had mine removed at Dorien's age, and August had...Read More

Brooklyn taught herself to braid recently, and now takes every opportunity to braid my hair. This works out particularly well when it's time for me to read aloud to the kids for school.  She stands behind the couch and just goes to town on my hair. This day, she braided all my hair up in about 7 different braids. I looked a little...Read More

After a quick, post-gym dash into Kroger last night for some milk and veggies, this lovely sight greeted me in the parking lot! What you can't hear are the cheers and yells they gave me. What a happy crew!  So glad they're mine! ...Read More

On May 17th, Brooklyn participated in a piano recital marking the end of their piano year and the end of her second year of piano lessons. She played Bach's Musette, a piece she learned earlier this year and played as part of a Music Federation. She earned a Superior rating with her piece at the Federation! I feel compelled to point out here...Read More

The Main Library downtown is one of the most beautiful places. The views from the children's floor are particularly lovely. On this visit, lovely may not be the best description of the exposed/decimated parking deck that has been unearthed, but it is at the very least, interesting! I love the alleyways between buildings, the spiral staircase leading to the roof, the interesting facets...Read More

There are times when it seems like all we do is fend off viruses of one sort or another. Picked up at church. Or at least, that's my suspicion since they usually start on the following Monday. The above picture is from a week when we caught a stomach bug that worked its icky way through everyone but me and Kyle. The silver...Read More

My brother Jeremiah returned from a 2 week visit to Turkey bearing a gift for me from our mutual friends, and his hosts in Turkey, Sevinc and Melih. This precious couple lived next door to Jeremiah for a year while they furthered their already substantial education here in the United States. Jeremiah became part of their family, and as the result of a...Read More

My hilarious (and vigilant) daughter Brooklyn took it upon herself to leave the above message in the Loft of one of the DD&F buildings a few weeks ago. Every week, we clean one of the buildings - it's a really old building, an old house actually, and there are always bugs or things (we found a baby squirrel once...) that find their way...Read More

For the past 10 years, we have driven a 2002 Audi A4 Quattro which we loved to pieces. We bought it in 2004 from a guy in New York City. It was Pre-Kids, so we flew to NYC with a one-way ticket and drove it back home. It was so much fun, and we got a great deal on the car. At the...Read More

For the past 8 weeks, ever since the half marathon on March 1st, Kyle and I have been in training for our first sprint triathlon.  This has involved lifting weights 4 times a week, swimming at least twice a week, cycling several times a week, and running about 4 times a week, until my plantar fasciitis hit at the beginning of April.  Since...Read More