Vegas Baby...

This photo is a little blurry, but so were we...

Chuck and I survived Vegas. It was a lovely 105 degrees which really thaws out us Washingtonians! I had a fantastic time getting away for a couple of days. There were two highlights to my trip. First being the dinner we ate at Emerils. We decided to indulge with the Chef's tasting menu. If you have never done one of these, they bring you about six courses of food. By the third, I was taking two bites and passing my plate to my husband because I knew I would never last if I cleaned each plate. The food was amazing, and by the last course I was begging for them to stop. Chuck will not let food go to waste, so I think he was pretty miserable by the time we got done. A delightful miserable though.

Next, my fantastic husband took me on a shopping spree to my favorite stores. I cannot get enough of the mall there. We ended up having to lug four bags of clothes onto the plane. Shopping is amazing therapy!

Oh, as we left The Venetian, Chuck ran into Jessica Simpson and he got a little friendly with her. I'm not a hater though- He's all mine.

Lakefair fun

We had a nice break at Lakefair this year, and it brought the HOTNESS which was better than last years rain for sure. Let's see, so many people to visit this week- my little sister is in town, and we got to hang out for a while. We went to the high school battle of the bands- the kids did not seem too excited for that. Ooh, Nicci and Michelle stopped by the boat. Nicci looks so good- she is a Cali girl for sure! Michelle, you look good too! No slights here. We had a nice visit over a couple of brewski's. OH- and my fascinating thing of the weekend- I saw a bobcat on a leash. Kind of weird. This was in a pretty crowded parking lot, and the lady made the comment, "she's not that friendly." Good to bring your 'not friendly' bobcat to a crowded environment with lot's of small children. Also, Shad was in town with his band Hellrancho. It was nice to visit with him, screaming over a LOUD opening band. Kind of awkward in a make you feel weird and old kind of way. His band was quite good though. Mudhoney and Motorhead happily blended together. Chuck was extremely happy to be there. Pun intended! Happy to volunteer to leave and walk Katie to her car. What a cute preggo lady! I'm thinking the bun in oven was feeling the same as Chuck. Anyways, Nic, we will have to visit more when we decide to make the Cali drive.

Happy 4th! We have all our didgets!

I am happy to report that after much blowing of things up, all of my children have all of their fingers and toes intact! It has been a successful 4th of July! One note about the economy- when Chuck went to the tribe to get his fireworks this year, he got the same pack that he does every year, The Thunderchief, it was cleverly packed smaller and the guy was not negotiating on price- at all!. The fuel prices are far reaching- even when buying illegal fireworks! What are we to do? We did have a good time in our new neighborhood. I cannot believe the amount of fireworks that we witnessed. They went on until 1 am. The only bad thing is my old dog Max just sat with his head in the corner all night- it was pitiful. Poor guy!

Also, Ella has a new friend- Tyanna who just moved in next door. They have been like two peas in a pod since day one. I really like the little girl, however, she comes with about 5 big and little brothers and sisters. In addition, we just can't shake her. If you open the front door, her and her clan will be waiting on the front porch like strays- "Can we come in? Can I spend the night? Where are you going? Can Ella play? Do you have any ice cream?" At all times of the day- there will be six kids in our front yard. It is all I can do to keep Chuck from being the grumpy old bastard on the block screaming "all you kids get the F off my yard!" We have been trying to set some kind of boundaries, but it is hard because they are really nice little kids and it is rare to find playmates that are not too annoying. Their parents are the types to just kick the kids outside to play, and we are micro managers that watch Ella every moment of her existence- and we have otter pops... I was always told to never feed strays. I think that is my problem.

Check it out.

For a girl with curly hair, THIS is a minor miracle. Only my hair dresser can do it, but it is nice for a day. If I was to try this at home, I end up looking like Roseanna, Roseanne Danna of SNL.

Baby Baby Baby, Baby Baby Baby...

Have you seen a prettier baby for a while ??? Shhhhh- do not comment on the bald head. He probably does not know it's there.

Here she is_ Margot Ayn 2 months old.

Where did I find this?

After my grandmas fire a few years ago, I found some boxes with pictures and quickly packed them in my garage without really looking at them- until now... We have been arranging the garage in the new house and cleaning everything up and look what I found. I think this one is from my 8th grade graduation dance. Look who was there. What a cutie patootee- and she's with the object of my obsession. Nicci, why were you there? I can't remember??? There are more good ones where this came from too.

Simply titled....MAN AND HIS CAT

Jack Bazil slipped out the door yesterday and we we're all scarred that he would not come back. I found him chasing birds up the street and brought him home. I even caught Chuck having a moment with him today. Our best fun lately has been giving the cat fresh cat nip and watching him go crazy. Yes, we are easily amused.