3rd Birthday Party

Last night was L's 3rd birthday party. It was highly successful. We had a fondue party again (although the kids had pizza). We didn't pop any breakers this time and everything went smoothly. The first part was eating and watching UCLA win. Then we moved on to the presents.
L loved all of her gifts. She got a mix of clothes and toys (no clothes trying on this time either). She also got lots of camping stuff....little people camping adventure, a camp set of tools, a Dora inflatable bed and a TENT!!! It's up in the living room and she (and Reggie) love it!
But I think her favorite gift was a baby swing and carseat. She really, really wanted one for her babies. When she went to bed, she put them on the edge of the bed. I told Jeff I needed to take a picture to compare when she has her own kids. Here's the cake. I. Love. It. A wonderful monkey cake that a local bakery made for us. L loved it too. Her request....to eat the ear!

My new table

Jeff and I really needed a new kitchen table. We currently use his grandmother's dining room table and while I like it, the seats aren't comfortable and it's a little awkward to sit at. It will be a nice dining room table in our next house.

So we spent an afternoon checking out furniture in Wichita and found this beautiful table. It's a high top table, which is great. If you want to do something (blog, scrapbook), you don't even have to sit down.

It came with four chairs and we bought a bench seat for two extra places. Actually the bench was the seller. Extra seating and now L and I can sit together which helps keep her staying on task when we're eating.
Reggie also loves the table. I'm sure it's because it's new, but the seats have an interesting feel and she loves that.

Moon Sand. Cool Toy.

L received moon sand from the Easter bunny. Now Denise had warned me that moon sand is a mess. And yes, it's messy, but it's soooo cool. Part sand, part play dohish like...this stuff rocks. We got a bunny mold with it which was fun. I like how my hands don't stink like when I use play doh. I'm a fan and we'll be buying some more. Maybe we'll use it outside so I don't have to vacuum afterwards.

L at the Doctor and other cool news

So L went for her three year checkup this week. She did very well, except for the mini meltdown when she had to wear a paper gown. So off went the gown and she saw the doctor in her Dora panties. No modesty for this girl.

The funniest part of the visit was this conversation. The doctor asked her if she had any friends and she said yes. He asked her who were her friends. Her first reply, "daddy". He asked again. She says, "Haley and Ditto". He looks at me puzzled at Ditto's name. I'm no help since I'm laughing hard and muster out, "that's our dogs!" Oh well...she did go on to say her other friends. That girl cracks me up.

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So small worlds this week. I read a great article in the Wichita Eagle about selective mutism. I thought the woman looked familiar, and sure enough, it's Jeanette (Maria's friend). She was a big help as I have a patient with this condition and that mom needs some help.

Then I was talking to Jill tonight. Her friend, Betsy, (The Bets Week Ever) is coming to town and staying with her aunt and I start putting it together and she's first cousins with a high school girlfriend of mine. Amazing.

Speaking of amazing, check out Amy's blog (Family Wire). Her daughter had a kidney ultrasound today and they found TWO kidneys. That is wonderful news!!

I'm off to read a new scrapbook magazine I got tonight.

Scrapbook Time

I have finished my book club book and got all the cleaning done on Saturday, so after my in-laws left Sunday, I spent a few hours scrapbooking. I haven't taken time to scrapbook since Cropaganza and it felt really good to create. I worked on last year's Halloween pictures. I'm sharing the best ones. My mom gave me some pirate paper and stickers and they were perfect for L's pirate costume. I loved all the old world paper. Thanks mom!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone!! Although today is chilly, the sun was shining nicely. When L woke up this morning and saw her easter basket, she said "The Easter Bunny didn't take a break today"

Grandma and Grandpa Welch came to our place today to spend the day. We started off with an Easter egg hunt. L was very good about finding all the eggs.

She was proud of her loot. Daddy was trying to be Swiper, but L/Dora prevailed!
After a nice lunch of ham, twice baked potatoes, and broccoli salad, L jammed on her Elmo guitar for us. She is a great singer!

NCAA Tourney Central Station

This year, Jeff finally gets to watch all the games without worrying about whether he has to work. He, L and Kurt enjoyed the day by watching all of the games. Tomorrow will be a new round of games and people. Notice the TV setup...only a guy could think of this. Jeff told me that we need a bigger 2nd tv. I think it all works out great the way it is.

Home sweet home

Two days, 18 hours of driving...we are home. I am exhausted. L was wonderful. She was a trooper through the whole trip. She came down with a cold at the end of our trip so she slept most of yesterday. She was spent about Emporia but made it the last hour.

It was very interesting to drive to Pitt and back. The road was great (except for the potholes in Indiana). It is very flat until you hit West Virginia. Then the hills start rolling and it's very exciting. I thought a lot about the scenery. In Missouri and Illinois the scenery is similar to home. But Indiana to Pitt, it's very...different. I couldn't place my finger on it. One thing is, the houses there are very close to the interstate, instead of near home where there are mostly buildings and farmland. But my mom made a very true statement, "this area looks like it could use a good powerwash". Yes, that was the exact phrase I was looking for (sorry if I offended anyone). That area is very old school looking and a little bit dingy. Definitely a change of pace.

I finished Life with Mae. Very good book. After I pass it along, I might even read it again. I started "A New Earth" (sorry Denise, it's the new Oprah book club book). It's very good so far. Lots of thinking is required for this book.

Off to bed.

A couple pics I forgot...

Here are a couple cool things. We shopped yesterday at Stride Ride for new tennis shoes. Grandma thought L also needed some sandals and L picked out these awesome giraffe sandals. They are adorable!! We call them the "hot chick" sandals. I have to say, I'm a little jealous that she gets such cool sandals. L with her birthday cake. She had to blow out the candles twice because she was too fast for the camera!

Fun with the family

We've had a great time with mom and dad. We went to Sarris, a huge candy store. They make their own chocolates and have tons of candy there. I bought a good portion of my easter chocolate. L was a little tired from the ride the day before, but she was kind enough to pose for this picture as we were leaving. Last night, we celebrated L's birthday. She got new toys, new clothes and was proud to show them off. Her cake was gorgeous (I forgot to include a picture...I'll do that later). She danced all night in her new clothes. She also got some "hot chick" sandals.
Today, we did a little toy and scrapbook shopping. We spent the afternoon hanging out at home. Bear (the cat) came over in the late afternoon and stayed until bedtime. He's not a big kid fan, but he really liked L. And she LOVED him. She played with him, talked to him while he ate and snuggled a little. So very cute.
We have a little more time to hang out and then we head back to the homestead. It's been a great trip!

We Made it!!!

We made the trip to Pit. Two days, lots of snacks and movies and everyone was happy. Around Ohio, Jeff and I were tired of the dull scenery. But we hit West Virginia and the hills and surroundings improved. L was a trooper. She learned how to color in the lines today.

We toured the house, L fell in love with the stairs. Mom and dad took us to an awesome Mexican restaurant for dinner. We watched a little basketball and now I'm ready for bed.

I read half of the Life with Mae book on the way here. It's a good book. Can't wait to finish it up.

Ever Have Days Like This?

L did this by accident and I couldn't help but laugh. Some days, I feel like this. Day was a very productive day. I am almost all caught up at work. The house is cleaned and we're almost packed. Just have a few odds and ends to tie up. Hopefully L will do well on the drive. We've loaded the car up with movies, books, coloring books and toys. I have three books to read and a movie as a back up! Wish us luck and some good weather!

It's Grillin' Time

Ahhh....I love warm weather. Today was a beautiful 75 degrees outside. To celebrate, I fired up the gas grill and cooked us some burgers. They were delicious! And to complement the burgers, I made homemade fries. I love this recipe and wanted to share it with you. As part of my "renewal", I'm trying to eat more fruits and veggies (which is going well). And these fries are healthy...baked, not fried.

Unfried French Fries

3 medium potatoes
1/4 c. italian dressing (I use the light kind)
1/4 c. Parmesan Style Grated topping

Heat oven to 425. Wash potatoes, dry with paper towels. Cut into 1/4 inch slices; transfer to a medium size bowl. Add dressing and parm. Toss well.

Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a cookie sheet (I line mine with foil for easy clean up). Spray potatoes with cooking spray.

Bake 12 minutes. Turn potatoes over. Bake another 10-12 minutes or until golden brown.

2/3 cup is a serving....only 130 calories and 2 g. fat. Not bad!!!

A Day at the Vet

Today was an eventful day for the Welch animals. They all went to the vet. Ditto needed a chest xray to see if he had bronchitis. He didn't, but has an enlarged heart. So he goes on the same medicine as Haley and Lasix to drain the fluid off of his lungs. You would think he was sick, but other than a cough we hear once a day, he's just the same.

Reggie went to the vet because she was filthy!!! She keeps biting us when we pet her back. Jeff realized that she has tons of flea dander on her. I have no desire to give her a bath. And the vet only charges $22. It was so worth it. The vet said she was a great patient. She was very upset with me when we got home, but after the back massage she discovered how much better she felt and she's a happy camper. And she smells good. Haley...she just went along for the ride.

I have to agree with Jaime. Turning off the flash does create a great picture.

I am Beat.

I am a bad blogger. And I was going to blog in the middle of last week and I was too darn tired. I was a good girl and exercised four days last week. And we picked up furniture and delivered it to my in-laws. The couch and loveseat looks great in their house. And we were great....we bought the heaviest furniture. My arms were tremoring after we hoisted them into the truck. And then out of the truck. I got a nice Mexican lunch out of the deal. So I'm going to try and be a better blogger, but I'm also getting ready for our upcoming trip.

Apparently, I'm not the only one who's tired.

Time for Renewal

This winter, I have been a slug. I haven't hardly exercised in four (count 'em, 4) months. I haven't gained much weight, but I feel like the tone I had is going away. So here starts March and with it, warmer weather. This winter has been icky. Too cold to run outside, too gross to get up at 6 am to drive to the gym.

But I am renewing my faith in exercising again. Four workouts/week...two strengthening, two cardio. And fine tuning my diet a little ( I overindulge on those 100 calorie snack packs). I have my goals listed in my journal and I'll update the blog once a month.

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So it's really spring. We ran a couple errands today and when we got home, guess who was in our backyard pool? Yep, the faithful duck couple. These ducks have come to our place every spring for the past nine years. Amazing? I'll post a picture later (today they flew away when we went outside to see them).

Sesame Street Rocks!

This morning we went to see Sesame Street Live. It was a great show. We had 3rd row seats and we saw everything up close. L got to give Elmo "five". She loved the show and all the singing. After intermission (so they could sell more stuff), Elmo's World came on. With Mr. Noodle. It was like watching the DVD.
Jeff and I were impressed with the show. We were excited to see the characters close up. I was amazed at how big their feet are.