Has it really been that long?

Regrettably, yes it has.

So many things have happened since I last wrote.

Owen and I had a nice visit to Grandpa and Nana's over the Martin Luther King holiday. Owen and Grandpa had fun playing (see below) and I had a wonderful visit with Mom. Since that visit she's become more adventurous in her getting out on the town and three months after her "all clear" diagnosis from the doctor remains on her healing path.

A week later, I managed to not kill Garrison Keillor as I drove him back and forth between Bloomington and Peoria despite Winter Weather Advisory conditions. The 15 cars in the ditch gave us lots to talk about on one trip. On the way back, he put the final tweaks on this article which was due the next morning.

The next couple of weeks are a blur. Needless to say, the kids have been wonderful. Maya is talking and talking and is full of pizzaz.

She's all about sentences now. Each day is a discovery of new words put together in perfect ways she's never put them together before. Favorite topics, though, include, "Owen, Mommy, Daddy are nice," and "He's naked!" when talking about a Michelangelo's David bookmark we have.

She's also discovered makeup, as you can see below, and has her first set of perfectly painted toes.


Owen, meanwhile, tried out a new face painting option, a lizard, at a Family Series event at the BCPA in January. He's always gone for tigers before.

He looked great!

... and perhaps it was foreshadowing for the dragon parade he participated in at his school last week. All the kids decorated boxes and the class went on a march around the building with Chinese music playing.

Happy Year of the (wait for it) Tiger!

And he continues to amaze us with all he remembers. The other day I checked out a book about the man who walked on a tightrope between the Twin Towers. We'd read the book about a year before, about the same time I saw the "Man On Wire" move on DVD. Picking books one night I asked Owen what he would like to read. "The book about Philippe," he said. I was confused, but when he pointed out exactly which book I immediately remembered and knew he was right.

Philippe Petit.

Owen, if I'm ever on "Millionaire," my lifeline is you.

We also had a great time celebrating Nana's birthday two weeks ago. I drove up to see her for a couple of hours on the 9th. The weather was crummy and Amy was sick at home, but the opportunity to spend time with Mom on her special day, especially with Daniel visiting from Massachusetts, was just too good to pass up. Happy birthday, Mom! We're all very proud of you.