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Temporarily that is...taking the week off. See you on the flip.

Falling down...

Sailor had her first real bad fall this past weekend. She was getting a little too big for some of her shoes and had to start wearing some new ones. She wasn't quite used to them and was running down the driveway to the car when she took a tumble. Usually she is good about shaking it off but this time she was pretty upset. Over the course of the evening her scrapes looked worse that I initially thought they were but she hasn't complained or let them bother her. My girls are pretty tough and I'm glad. For as active as they are and all the crazy stuff they attempt and get into, a good base of resiliency will be an asset.

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Fairy Godmother

     Uncle Greg was in town visiting this past weekend. The kids love him and we enjoy having him around too. Ruby has been drawing fairies a lot lately...fairies with wings, wands, etc. She drew the above picture on her Etch-A-Sketch Sunday morning and we got some big laughs out of it. Ruby kept talking about her big "wings." Greg said "I wish I had a fairy godmother with wings like that." I'm not sure she understood why we were laughing so hard but she had fun laughing with us. 

The Band

So Ruby, Sailor and (possibly) Chopper have a band. Ruby will give everyone an instrument and they will play songs that she counts off. Most of her part is the flamboyant rock&rolling and occasionally singing while Sailor keeps time and Chopper...well if nothing else he is there for moral support.

After their last performance, I asked Ruby what the name of the band was. She quickly said "rock&roll." I explained to her that that was the style of music that she played but to be complete, the band needed a really good name. She looked at me, completely deadpan and said "Sophie Makes Fire." She then walked to her room and onto other things.

You can't make this stuff up. It's always good to get some verification that you are raising your kids right. I don't know where the name came from but it sounds to me like the title of a late 70's B-movie you would see Elvira presenting at 3am on local television. I'm thinking something like Carrie but a lot grittier. Anyhow, here's to a successful future for SMF, heaven help us when they get their hands on real instruments.

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Seamstress

Just a great shot of the girls with some of their church pals in matching Valentine's Day outfits. My wife made these herself. olivia actually worked her rear-end off and fought a malfunctioning sewing machine and got these done just in time for Sunday. She's a workhorse when she needs to be and I am very proud of her determination and spirit.

When she got her sewing machine, I never imagined she'd be behind it so much. I am truly impressed with the skills she has built and what she is able to do as virtually a beginner. I think she might be on a little break but there are already some folks requesting more projects to be done, including myself.

Take the week off from sewing babe, you deserve it.

Rough Week

With both girls dealing with a stomach bug, me dealing with back issues and olivia working on a deadline for a sewing project, everyone has been having a bad time this week. When one of us is having a rough one the other can usually step their game up and compensate. When everyone struggles, it all kind of just falls apart. There are so many things that have been neglected lately, going to try and play a little catch up today...and believe me, there is plenty to do. 

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Playground

The girls love a playground and I really enjoy taking them to one. Seeing them light up when we get close and watching them sprint out to it once we are there...it just makes me feel good inside. This particular playground makes it even cooler for me. It is one of the playgrounds I played on when I was a kid. None of the equipment is left but the space is the same. Knowing that their feet are running, jumping and climbing in the same place I did as a kid just carries some extra weight. I'm glad that as much as Birmingham has changed since I was young that there is a lot of it that has stayed the same.  

Soup Week

I'm not quite sure when it happened, but my Mom developed an uncanny ability to make soup. She must have been hoarding recipes for quite some time because she's got her favorites and always manages to throw something new at us occasionally too. We usually get a couple meals worth at a time so we'll eat one and freeze the other.  Last week we noticed the freezer was starting to fill up so we decided this week was soup week. It's been great, especially with the bad weather. Thanks Mom for all that you do, soup and otherwise.