Gusto

Lucy does everything with great gusto. She jumps in with both feet, embracing whatever task happens to be at hand wholeheartedly, whether she is simply choosing socks to wear for the day or coloring a picture or giving a hug. It's one of my favorite things about her.

Now check out this snapshot. This was what we witnessed last night as we tiptoed into the bedroom for one last tuck-in. Have you ever seen such an ambitious roll out of bed in your life? She even took her baby doll and the covers along for the ride.

Now, apparently, we can add "falling out of bed" to the list of things which Lucy does with gusto.

My New BFF

So the greatest part about having a birthday is that gifts tend to arrive in the mail all week long...a cookbook one day (thank you, Kate!), a set of pretty cocktail napkins (thanks, Paula!), and a gorgeous set of pjs another day (thanks, Bahrmans!). So today when the FedEx truck stopped in front of our house, I wondered if it was another thoughtful friend's gift arriving.

Turns out I'm BFFs with Pop Chips! Seriously, it was a box filled with six bags of Pop Chips, six coupons for six full-sized FREE bags of Pop Chips (!!!), and a handwritten note from "your friends @ Pop Chips," saying they thought I might enjoy the treats. For reals.

Now, I think somewhere along the line, I signed up for a coupon from them because I love their products. But in my wildest dreams, I never imagined they would FedEx me a week's supply of their delicious little saucers. What a fun surprise!

The best part? You can be a BFF of Pop Chips, too. In my package is a note saying they will share some Pop Chips with a few of my favorite snackers. Interested? Let me know in the comments, and I'll make it happen. We are BFFs, after all.

(By the way, for Nana, BFF means Best Friends Forever. And one other note: if my super-snacker pal Lianna does not comment on this, I will be so disappointed that she might lose her status as my most snackiest friend!)

Beach Birthday

We escaped to a lovely beachfront home for a night for my birthday. It was fabulous, even though I came down with a lousy cold that prevented me from fully enjoying the celebration. However, my little ones wrote me a wonderful message in the sand, which I enjoyed from the wall-to-wall windows of the family room of the house. Talk about a million-dollar view!

Published!

I'm published!

Okay, not really. But, kind of.

My amazing aunt Joan (once again evidence that I have the best extended family on the planet) sent me the most incredible package for my birthday. It's a hard-bound book, filled with every single one of my blog posts since I began this silly task. Over two years of tales chronicling our daily adventures, bores, gripes, sorrows, and joys, all rolled into one beautiful, polished book. A gift of the most special and thoughtful variety.

You can bet this will be our favorite coffee table book for a very long time!

Leprechaun Lucy

Oh, yes, we do live up to expectations, don't we?

The sentiment on the shirt (in case you can't read it) is, "The leprechauns make me do it." Which fits Lucy to a tee (pun intended), courtesy of a favorite auntie.

And just what did the leprechauns make us do? Well, today, the leprechauns made Lucy press the "help needed" call button at Nana's retirement home, setting off a loud alarm. And yes, that was every bit as mortifying as it sounds.

Sorry, Nana. I think it's fair to blame those Irish genes from the Fisher side.

Pie for Papa

Last year on this special day, we celebrated Great Papa's birthday with him-- and with a lot of pie! Today, we are missing his presence in our day-to-day lives, though we know he is smiling on us from above.

So, we made a pie in honor of Great Papa's special day. Unfortunately, I used one of those pre-made crusts that turned out gummy and without flavor. Quite disappointing. Which is, ironically, just like this day without our Great Papa here.

We miss you, Papa!!

Day late, million dollars short

On days like today, I think to myself that it's really too bad that Marley and Me has already been written, because otherwise, I could have been rich. Really rich.

Yes, this house is ripe with canine mischief. I won't name names, of course.