a lover of words

I have a budding logophile. Katie absorbs words. She revels in them. She loves the way certain words feel in her mouth and roll off her tongue. She will say unfamiliar words she hears in songs, on tv and in people's conversations under her breath...testing it out, to see if it makes the cut. The words don't have to be long, pretentious or unusual. They just have to feel right when she says them. When she finds a new word to add to her list of favorite words she likes to announce it to me and then she can't resist saying all the words that she loves as well. She draws each word out and pauses between them making sure to give each it's due. "Mumma, I like the word stuff...and bake...and carousel...and pinochle...and cake...and pickle...and fudgsicle...and Angelica...and brickle...and emperor." After which she sighs in delight.

it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye...the canine version

Daisy has spied her prey and is in position, ready to pounce.


Mudge feels uneasy and looks around, but doesn't catch a glimpse of the super stealthy Daisy.


Suddenly, Daisy makes her move and the chase is fast and furious


She catches up but Mudge evades her with a rare, but effective, backwards kangaroo leap.


With ferocious growls, they finally clash and they grapple to each get the other into a pin.

Using his ten pound weight advantage, Mudge manages to force Daisy down but she wrestles in the deep snow to avoid being completely down and out.


With a lunge, she is free and she goes for the jugular!


Tune in next time to see the dramatic conclusion ; )

Just in case anyone was worried, they aren't really fighting at all. That is just how they play and they never bite down or hurt each other in any way. I mean, really, look at them. These pups are two big marshmallows when you get right down to it.

batteries not included

One of my daycare friends brought in a spiral shell to show her friends. She excitedly told them that if you held it up to your ear, you can hear the ocean. Katie expectantly held it up to her ear and listened hard. She took it away and shook it a bit and then placed it against her ear again. After a minute she passed it to the next child remarking, "It isn't working. I think it needs new batteries."

do I have to make a Valentine?

I received this Valentine from Sam. The analytical scientist side of him couldn't resist putting a scientific tweak to the Valentine heart. I know he's a romantic though because as he handed it to me he said, "Mumma, you are in the inner core of my heart." ♥ swoon ♥

snowed in

Remember this picture? It showed up in the post about our recent snow day. I blithely stated that our jeep was completely covered with snow. HA! Little did I know...

Exactly one week later we got another snow day. Doesn't look like we have much snow though, does it? I mean, it doesn't even come up to the kids' knees. Take another look. See that black bar on the ground by Sam's feet? That there is the roll bar of our little jeep. The kids are walking on top of about two feet of ice solid snow. A few days after this we got even more snow and the jeep was then, officially, completely covered in snow. In that there was no sign that it existed under all that snow.

Thankfully things are starting to thaw out around here. The roll bar is once again visible. I am afraid however that we won't see the tires of that there jeep for quite some time.

so I'm sappy, sue me

Moments like these bring tears to my eyes. Teresa is singing "Never grow up" by Taylor Swift to Katie. Honestly, it cannot possibly get any sweeter.

a two hour delay means I can sleep in...right?

4:55 dogs jump up barking when Joe locks the door behind him
5:05 phone rings...it's connectEd letting me know there will be a two hour delay due to snow
5:11 the two girls come downstairs to tell me they brought their water bottles downstairs and put them on the counter
5:18 Sam comes in to ask if he can watch tv
5:20 dogs begin to whine incessantly until I let them out at 5:27
5:27 stand at the door and wait for the dogs to come back to the door
5:34 back to bed
5:38 dogs bark at a loud noise from the kitchen which winds up being the cat knocking his bowl to the floor
5:39 girls come downstairs to see what the loud noise was and start complaining it's not fair Sam is watching tv
5:40 tv goes on in my room so the girls can watch something too
5:45 I finally decide to give up and get the hell out of bed

Happy freaking snowday....grrrrrrr!

picture of innocence

Don't believe a word she writes about me. I am innocent of all wrongdoing. Banana bread crumbs on my muzzle? Oh those...well, is it my fault she put the loaves of banana bread easily within my reach to cool? The top of the refrigerator is not "easily within reach?" I beg to differ. However, let's not quibble over details. I'm innocent, I tell you, innocent.