Yeah. Right.
My husband was reminiscing about the weekend events during the drive into work on Monday. Apparently after spending 3 months in Australia, he has turned into Steve Irwin, because out of the blue he said, “I feel like I could have pulled that Python out into the sidewalk for a better picture.” After I nearly spit my mouthful of tea out onto my lap, he said, “what? They don’t bite. I really could have. This is going to be my one regret in Australia.” Good lord….

SYTYCD.
I was really excited to watch So You Think You Can Dance Australia. Jay even offered to wash dishes after he had cooked supper so we could watch it (thanks babe!!). It was…interesting…. Paula Abdul is one of the judges (she really gets around, doesn’t she?). The producers took a different approach to the show. The first episode was already narrowed down to the first 100, so they didn’t have any of the initial auditions. The contestants were all one of 4 types of dancers (jazz, ballroom, hip hop, or contemporary). The first day of top 100 competition was group dances, where they all learned the same choreography. There were only a few clips about the stories of the dancers. And this isn’t meant to be mean, just an observation, but most of the contestants on SYTYCD USA are attractive people with crazy good dance skills. The Aussie version was average looking people with average dancers. I could use the word “lukewarm” to describe it. The best part about it was that Ty turned the living room into a dance floor. He had better moves than most of the contestants. I don’t think I will be giving up other things to watch the series. Bummer.

Valentines!
Auntie Shell sent us Valentines! Have I mentioned how much I love real mail? It has been a long time since I have seen Auntie Shell’s handwriting – probably the last time was on a yummy recipe card. There is something about seeing the ink placed on a piece of paper by a hand that belongs to a loved one that makes me smile. It doesn’t matter what words that ink has to say, it just matters that the ink exists. I love how a random note about life as we know it can make me smile, laugh, and shed one tiny tear – all in 3 short pages.
One fun outcome of her note was to let me know that Luanne is now on Facebook!! I have such fun, happy memories of time with Luanne in Wyoming. One of the coolest days of my life was spent sitting at her table listening to stories about life on Alcatraz.

7 Months!
Lily has been a part of our family for 7 months now. I can barely remember what life was like before her. She is the happiest baby – her smile is contagious. She really wants to crawl but hasn’t quite figured it out. She spends a lot of time up on all 4s, and can push her way backwards, but not forward. She can get herself propped up to the sitting position. She squeaks, squawks, gurgles, coos, and pretty much says dada (haven’t figured out if it is intentional or just noises). She can wave – so cute. And her laugh. *sigh*. Such a sweet sound! We celebrated Lily’s 7 month birthday with a little ice cream. Yum!

TV.
We have been reducing the amount of time that Ty gets to watch TV – wanted him to realize it is a privilege, not a right, to be able to watch it. The new way of thinking must be setting in, because yesterday morning he came to us and asked if he could watch TV (before he would have just turned it on). Before I could lay out the criteria, he said, “I will be a good listener and I will turn the TV off when it is time to get ready for school.” Love that boy!