When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking twenty-five miles to school every morning .. uphill BOTH ways .. through year ’round blizzards. Carrying their younger siblings on their backs … to their one-room…

DSC01458.jpg Originally uploaded by 347. Katie had a great time at her birthday party at The Little Gym. Check out the set at Flickr. If you don’t have permission to see them, please email me and I’ll add you to the list.

DSC01401.jpg Originally uploaded by 347. Katie received matching Simba and Nala plush animals from one of our neighbors. She re-discovered them around Christmas and, for some unknown reason, started calling them “reindeer.” Every night before bed she asks, “Where’s my reindeer?” Well, it so happens that today she took her “reindeer” to the zoo with…

Katie Is Two!! Originally uploaded by 347. Katie has been practicing blowing out candles for weeks! Today was the big day and she was so excited!

Katie iPod Originally uploaded by 347. I bought my wife an iPod for her birthday. Today we put the earbuds in our daughter’s ears for the first time and tuned her into “If you’re happy and you know it.” The room was completely quiet, but as the song progressed, Katie started clapping her hands and…

Have you heard of the Birthday Paradox?

Say Cheeeeeeeese Originally uploaded by 347. In traditional girlie fashion, Katie loves to put on Mommy’s heels and don a pair of shades.

Painting Originally uploaded by 347. Aunt Mimi gave Katie a set of water colors. One of her favorite new activities is to paint pictures with all the bright colors.

The following story appeared in Reader’s Digest: “One evening a woman and her husband went with friends to the restaurant where their teenage daughter, Misty, was working as a waitress. A man at a nearby table, who was probably fifteen years older than Misty, began flirting with her. She ignored his request for her phone…

Earlier is better.