Staying under our awning because we finally have hot and sunshine:   working on maximizing her chubbiness:   A painting by my careful, neat, little artist:*    As for me – I’m lamenting the fact that chocolate has become a staple on my grocery list. It’s so good and so cheap here that I’m like…

For about a week I kept telling Brian that I swore Claire was smiling during the day. She’d flash me some grins and wide mouth smiles just one or two fleeting moments each day. But I wasn’t sure – I thought maybe they were still just practice smiles. Then tonight at dinner I was holding…

Finally we had a very summery weekend and we’re soaking it up as much as we can.  The summer sports are in full swing. I loved watched lots of Wimbledon this week. We had friends over to watch a World Cup game on Saturday. And the Tour de France is about to start – can’t wait for…

When Mom was here she was remembering and singing a song that Grandma Dice used to sing when Mom was little. It was a catchy tune but I couldn't figure it out – it sounded like some heavy accent or foreign language. Well Mom asked Grandma about it and now I have the key to…

Brian had some pinch me moments this past Sunday. We went to The Tour of Switzerland bike race and all the big name international bikers were there. It was a time trial so we were able to get a good view of each biker. We saw the best bikers from the US like David Zabriskie,…

Duh – that was stupid of me wasn’t it – getting the weekend of Father’s Day totally wrong. I’m thankful I mistook the weekend before instead of the weekend after at least. Here’s Bea making a potato stamp card for Daddy and then there’s a photo of Bea celebrating with her Daddy. We made rice crispy treats…

  Enjoying dressing Claire in whatever I darn well please. The knee highs crack me up.  

Oh gosh – this house is full of stubborn. I’m currently in the middle of a battle over trying the potty for two minutes. I won’t go into that. But I will point out the fact that Bea and I are two of a kind – we both have this dangerous combination of introverted stubbornness.…