Deb and Bud gave Mike a real nice case of clay poker chips....so we had to try them out. He taught us how to play Texas Hold'm this past Sunday. Paige really got into it and was doing pretty well. I was playing on Megan's team....but then after an hour or so she was bored so I took her place. I ended up winning all the chips.....the last hand we put everything in the middle and I won with the last card...got a pair of ACES to take it all. Paige was not happy about that...then I reminded her it was just for fun not real $.


P.S. This sweater I am wearing reminds me of my Grandma....has her favorite colors in it....and it makes me smile:)

Megan models her scarf and Paige shows off her new puppy purse!



This past Sunday Aunt Deb and Bud came over for brunch and belated Christmas gifts. After all the excitement of the puppy ear (see my picture of the day 1/26/07) we had a gift exchange. A little history and explanation here. .... Last year Bud wrapped Megan's gift in a big box...a case of oil...so when she takes off the gift wrap she says what's this...and someone says oil and Megan burst into tears and says "OH No not oil". So this year to get him back we wrapped all his gifts...fishing stuff and then put them in a diaper box and wrapped that. Megan was so excited to get him back at his own game. A credit to Deb...she told him to play it up and as you see he did an outstanding performance. We all had a fun time as usual. Paige and her new hand knit scarf!
Bud realizes that he just opened a diaper box! Megan can barely contain herself!
Megan thinks Bud may need extra help opening his gifts.
Deb and her new bag to carry her knitting.
Deb loved the photo frame for Joe!

Megan went to a cowgirl themed birthday party on Friday night. One of her little kindergarten friends was hosting. She loved getting all dressed up in her western attire. She had gotten the dress from the neighbor girls as a hand-me-down, the tights and boots had been Paige's and the hat she got from a cowgirl party she had been to in the fall. She received more cowgirl loot at this party as well. She brought it home in a purple back pack fashioned from a bandanna, inside she had another straw cowboy hat, a plastic boot mug, a pink bandanna, a necklace with a pink cowboy boot charm, a western themed notepad, some godrush bubblegum and a gummy horse lollipop. She had a great time and she was even more excited when she got home then before she left for the party. I didn't realize that was possible...but it was! OH to be 5 again!

This is Orange Bridge...it is a little one lane bridge that spans the Olentangy River. It is on Orange Rd. and connects state rt. 315 with High St. a.k.a. rt.23. This little bridge was built in 1898...it is 108 years old....100 years older than Paige. It's claim to fame is that is survived the flood of 1913 when a lot of bridges did not. They have plans to replace the bridge...one is to incorporate it into a new double bridge and another is to just leave it be and have it become a bike/foot bridge. I love going over this little bridge and I do it whenever I get the chance...it makes you slow down but that is okay...I always wave to the folks that come across or the ones I pass that are waiting their turn. I am sad to say that not everyone reciprocates but the ones that do get a smile.

Can you believe that Rebel was 4 months old on Jan.14th? Our little pup is growing up. In this photo he has both ears up. His left ear started standing up this past Sunday and now I notice that the point flops back...little flopsy. I need to start taking him on little short car rides to get him used to the car and so he doesn't think that every car ride ends with getting a shot at the vet. Tuesday I took him with us to run an errand to Mike's work. I could tell he was a little nervous....but I had a towel on his seat so it would be cozy and his blankie and a few toys. Well as we pull into the parking lot he urped up some puppy chow. So I cleaned that up. Then on the way home just before we turned onto our street he urped up again. So I will take him on short little rides around the development and to the post office to let him know that he is safe in the car. Rowdy loves to ride in the car...he doesn't care if it is a long trip to Georgia or just to pull the car out of the garage and put it on the driveway he is always ready to go!

Megan is a Reil weather girl...last thing she said before she went to bed was "tomorrow we are going to get snow!"

Here are the last of the bazillion photos that I took at Franklin Park Conservatory this past Tuesday. We hope you enjoy them, it is always fun to share a piece of our world with you. Hope you all have a restfull weekend. We are starting ours off with homemade pizzas and a movie....the new version of Disney's "Shaggy Dog"...this one stars Tim Allen. We got it from the library yesterday. So that is our Friday night. Ta-ta for now:)

Here are some more pictures from our visit to the Franklin Park Conservatory. The first three photos are from the dessert room.
The paintings are by Ohio artist Bernice Koff and were inspired by the Conservatory's Chihuly exhibition in 2003. The display includes paintings that use unusual paints, unique surfaces such as digital photos, handmade and plastic papers, and tools as varied as combs, spray bottles, sticks, and the ends of paintbrushes.

Paige said" This is like going to the art museum and the conservatory all together." I am so glad that my kids enjoy art and they seem inspired and excited by it.