Dear Dogs & Cats

Our Little Family - before our human kiddos came along.

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

* My dad sent this to me and I though it was pretty funny. :)

Spring Break in Minnesota

We enjoyed spring break in Minnesota, but I didn't have the camera so blurry iPhone pictures will have to do. We spent most of the break in Golden Valley with Philip, Sue, and Mari. It was a grand time. Ella Bean loved playing with Mari and Sue. Although it was funny because she could never remember Sue's name so she referred to her as "that lady".

Some highlights where:

- An afternoon in Mankato with my folks (It would have been nice to stay longer, but we wanted to spend as much time as possible with Philip and both the girls had icky colds.)

- Meeting little Everett (My cousin's baby. He was super cute and so little!)

- Dinner with the Klaber-Nathan family (Ella LOVED playing with my cousin Julia. She really likes playing with the "big girls".)

- A date with Philip! (We went to Water for Elephants and ate dinner out. It was a good movie, not great, but good.)

- A trip to Coma Zoo with grandpa, aunt Maureen, and cousin Sean (Bean loved the polar bear the best.)

- A wonderful 90 minute massage thanks to Sue (Her friend Ellien is a gifted massage therapist. She's got magical hands!)

Hannah got her own seat on our Minneapolis to Atlanta flight. It was wonderful. She sat like such a big girl and loved eating off the tray. (I choose to not think about all the germs on the tray because it entertained her for an hour and was worth it!)

Bean enjoyed playing in the play area at the Humphrey Terminal. I love the Humphrey Terminal. It's not busy at all and has a great place for kids to play. (In this picture she is flying the airplane.)

Hannah going up the stairs in the play area. She is a little monkey!

I love this picture! It's Taffy, Penny, and Bode on the sofa at Sue's house. They all get along so well. Taffy is the cheese to Bode's macaroni. They are so happy together. I have never seen Bode play with other dogs until now. Bode and Taffy run around the yard together. They hunt squires together. They sleep on the sofa together. I think it will be hard on them when Bode and Philip move out in June. They are such good friends.