Rest In Peace

Can you see them? The specks in this tank are hundreds of tiny baby sea monkeys. Unfortunately, this post serves as a memorial for these little nameless lives, who didn't survive into adulthood. I'm not sure what happened - there are so many variables to be considered. Did I feed them too much or too little? Supply too much oxygen or not enough? What about sunlight? What about temperature? Were Will's constant sound effects simply too much for their little ears? Do they even have ears?

I have more eggs but haven't yet decided whether I'm going to try again. Is it better to hatch and lose, or never to hatch at all?

Grack!

So I have to admit it... Although I try not to, I have slipped a few times and said "Crap!" in front of Will, generally when I tripped over a toy or otherwise injured myself in some minor way. I had hoped he hadn't picked up on it, although some of you who know my kids best understand that was probably unrealistic.

The other day, Will came tearing down the hall as he is prone to do. When he bumped the door or experienced some similar minor calamity, he said, "Grack!" Then, to make sure I understood what had just happened, he explained, "Mama, I hit the door, so I said 'Grack!'".

Needless to say, he was not corrected.

My Fashion Consultant

I had no idea it would start this soon. Earlier this week, I walked out of my closet in a black top and jeans.

Sophie looked me over and advised, "Mama, don't wear dat shirt."

"You don't think I should wear it? Does it look bad?"

"Yeah, it look ba-ad. Wear sumpin else."

I decided she was probably right and disappeared back in the closet to find another option.

Sophie's Mirror Face

Every morning, after I fix Sophie's hair, I tell her to look in the mirror and remind her that she's a pretty girl. I know this seems shallow and pandering, but she makes such a cute face that I can't resist. Here's how she smiles for the mirror...

And since this expression (which we've now named her "Goofball Face") requires closed eyes, I'm not sure if she's actually seen the results of my efforts with her hair each day.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Sophia Gayle Flanigan

9/12/06

Frog Fun

Grandma and the kids caught a frog last time she was here. I cannot possibly find words to express how exciting Will and especially Sophie found this accomplishment. Our little "Rof" jumped up and down, squealing and laughing with delight for several minutes.

More Pictures from the Dream Cruise (And One Of The Aftermath)

Cruisin'

Even I, definitely not an automotive enthusiast, must admit that the Woodward Dream Cruise is a must-see. It stretches several miles - and through several cities - down historic Woodward Avenue. Since there are no tickets or registration, it's hard to describe the scale of this event. Detroit-area media estimated that there were around 1.4 million spectators and 30,000-40,000 collectible cars in attendance!

Our happy group upon arrival:

Unfortunately, they were out of the junior-size AllStar pops, so we were forced to get large ones.

Grandma Spangler enjoys the dream cruise:

Oak Hill Manor Update

These pictures are now several weeks old, but we still thought you might be interested to see what's been going on at Oak Hill Manor. The new roof is being installed below.

Above is the newly reframed addition (the addition was existing, but in bad repair and with a flat roof). The new floorplan Andy devised adds two nicely sized bedrooms in the addition's space, one of which you see below.
Here's the Guesthouse, with its new siding. What an improvement!

We'll try to post another update soon to show the recent weeks' progress.

We're good!

In case anyone has had concerns about the blog's lack of activity, I wanted to take a second to alleviate them. We're doing great! It's just been busy. There are some updates coming down the pike soon. I know you all will be waiting ever-so-anxiously!