Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats??

That is the name of the poem by T.S.Eliot that inspired the musical Cats. I had never seen it (frankly the idea of people dressed up as cats gave me pause), but when my friend Brooke spearheaded the idea of a Girls Night Out to drive to Portland and see it, I decided it would be fun to go. The 2 hour drive to get there went by real quickly. It's amazing how fast the miles go by when talking with friends, and not settling disputes between the kids in the backseat! Dinner at Macaroni Grill was delicious and then on to the theatre.


Beth & Donna................. Niki & I ...................Brooke & Pam

Now the big question: How in the world did Cats last so long on Broadway??
I was thoroughly confused during the first half, and if it would have been a tv show, I would have changed the channel long before intermission! The second half was better (maybe I was used to the weirdness by then?), but I still don't understand why it was so popular. I remember reading The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock by Eliot in High School (thanks Mr. Peterson) and thinking it was a bit depressing, but not weird.

I grow old … I grow old …	120
I shall wear the bottoms of my trousers rolled.
Shall I part my hair behind? Do I dare to eat a peach?
I shall wear white flannel trousers, and walk upon the beach.
I have heard the mermaids singing, each to each.
I do not think that they will sing to me.

I am glad I went. I will say that the dancing was Absolutely Amazing! It was the redeeming factor for the musical. Thanks for a fun night ladies!! - April

Intrepid explorer

Monday's weather was perfect for some outdoor exploring. Abby had a great time looking at all the life in our backyard. I didn't get pictures of the worms she found, or the 3 frogs she and Dave captured. Nor did I get pictures of the rolly-polly's she squashed (oops!), or the centipedes and beetles. We found this great caterpillar on the retaining wall.
Here is the dead bumble bee she found. As with all the other wildlife, she did not hesitate to pick it up and poke and prod it.

An up-close of the poor, dead bee.

Once Caleb got home from school, he and Abby and a neighbor friend worked hard to make a proper final resting place for the bee. Any bug should be so lucky to have such a resting place! - April

Thanks, Uncle Sam

Today was a very noisy day at our house. But not because of the kids, or even the adults for that matter. We had an unexpected tax return and after daydreaming, and even window shopping, for all sorts of fun, unnecessary items (see below)we decided to do the responsible thing with the money and got a new roof put on our house. For those of you who have never been inside of a house while this is going on, it is unrelenting and a very noisy business. We used a local company that has been around for 40+ years; The Roof Doctor; and they tore off the old roof and had the new one up all in one day! Although I failed to take pictures of the moss-covered old one, trust me, it was in dire need of replacement.It may not look it, but this was done on purpose. Looks bad, doesn't it?


The kids were fascinated by the conveyor belt that took the shingles up to the roof.


In progress...

Good for another 30 years! - April

This one is for my dad...

Daniel Alan May
June 5, 1950 - January 8, 2010

I love you dad. - April

Happy Birthday, Peanut

I'm a day late, but Happy Birthday Abby. I can't believe our little peanut is 4 years old! 4 years of that irresistible smile; 4 years of happy laughter; 4 years of chasing all the animals you love so much; 4 years of pink, princesses, and ponies. Oh, it hasn't all been smiles and sunshine, and I know once those female hormones kick in she and I will butt heads more than I can imagine. But she is my joy; to paraphrase a friend of mine: she was sent from Heavenly Father to weed out the insides of me - to help me be a gentler, more loving mother. She adores her brother and is Caleb's little shadow. I truly pray they continue to lovingly bicker, hug, tickle and love each other for the rest of their lives the way they do now. Growing up I always wanted an older brother, and I am jealous, and so happy that my daughter does. She has Dave wrapped tightly around her little finger. And it isn't much of a secret that he probably loves her more than he does me. And that is ok.
Happy Birthday little peanut! - April

Happy Birthday 'Sam'

When I was pregnant with Caleb, we called him Sam, since we didn't know if he would be Samantha or Samuel. Since then, he has had numerous nicknames: peanut, goobernut, mr. moose. Sunday this little moonface turned 8.
How quickly he went from being a peanut to a goofball!

This is the Commander Cody (from Star Wars the Clone Wars) cake I made for his birthday party. It was my first time using fondant, so judge gently!
The Star Wars fanatics that attended his party: Brendan, Caleb, Zane, Logan, Zane.

4-Eyes

He never had a fighting chance. His genes are against him. On both sides of the family. Really, he's lucky he made it as long as he did - one month shy of his 8th birthday. Today Caleb got glasses. He really, really, really likes them. It's all he can do to stop staring at himself in the mirror and grinning from ear to ear. And if you all thought he looked like Dave before, you better be sitting down. This kid is a spitting image of his dad! I present to you: Caleb with glasses! - April