Don't Look Now...

I believe we have unofficial confirmation that Spring may actually make an appearance in South Central Minnesota this week. We're scheduled for temps in the 60's almost all week, and that dreaded s-word is nowhere on the forecast. YAY!

Birthday Party - Part One

Donovan had his "friends" birthday party today. He invited seven friends from school, and we also had his friends from here in town - tons of kids in the house! It was a pirate theme this year, so we played "tape the eyepatch to the pirate" and had a treasure hunt outside. When it came time to blow out the candles, Mom told Donovan that, if he left a candle burning, it meant he had a girlfriend. Donovan intentionally left one candle burning, and then said, "I want a girlfriend! In fact, Ana's my girlfriend!" Ana turned redder than the tablecloth! Quite cute, I thought!

8-0!

My bracket had a perfect day yesterday - all 8 teams that earned a trip to the Sweet 16 were on my bracket! I have 7 more Sweet 16 teams alive today (I had St Mary's as a Cinderella team - oh well). I had 26 of the 32 first-round winners - so far, a good bracket season. Look for UNC, Louisville, Tennessee, Siena, Georgetown, Memphis, and Western Kentucky to advance today.

Meet Snowba the Hutt

We went out yesterday in the snow and built a snowman...umm, make that a snow Hutt...

We had a blast making Snowba. It took some time, but it was worth it. Snowba's not going to stick around for long - they're calling for 50's next week.

Somebody Check the Calendar

I could've sworn I saw that it was officially spring. What's going on outside? So far, 3 inches of that white garbage, with another 2-3 coming through the day today. And more Sunday. And maybe Monday or Tuesday. Did I mention that it's spring? Oh well. We're building a snowman later this afternoon.

Kaleigh Is Pushing Buttons

But it's a good thing. We've been trying and trying to get the Bug to sign "more" but she's just not interested. At school, they wanted to try something new. They got a button and recorded "More snack please" into it. They showed Kaleigh how to push the button to get more snack at snack time. Once she figured out what it did, she started using it. She's been using it this week, and we're all so excited. It shows her that she can communicate. The teachers think this will help lead to actual words soon.

She's Walkin'...Yes Indeed...

Yep. Kaleigh is a full-fledged toddler now. She's walking all over the place. There are times when she's almost running - usually when we tell her she's got bites at the table! She's such a big girl!

RazzaFrazza

We got the official word from insurance - BCBSM denied our Corporate Appeals Committee appeal on Kaleigh's Cyclinex-2. They are still playing the "it's not an amino acid based elemental formula, so we're not covering it" game. The next step is to appeal to the Minnesota Department of Commerce. Like the other appeals, the decision is binding on BCBSM but not on us - we would still have the option of civil court if we're denied again. More information when we have it.

Long Time No Type

So I've decided I'm really bad at this. Oh well...can't be good at everything! :)

Kaleigh Bug is getting more and more mobile. She's up to taking 10-12 steps independently now, especially if she sees me take supper to the table! Her new favorite is quesadilla made (of course) with her special cheese. Her babbling is getting more frequent as well. She's almost saying words. You can tell she's got something on her mind to say...coming soon we hope!

Donovan is still the top reader in his class. He is also an ace speller - he got all of his words right on the first test again this week. They have six "regular" words and two "challenge" words each week. They test on Wednesdays, and then again on Fridays where they get a second chance if they missed any on Wednesday. Donovan rarely has to take the Friday test!

Dawn's one-act is wrapping up. They go to the first round of contest on Friday afternoon. She's doing a two-person show, and she says they have a good chance at doing well - the two guys really have their lines and characters down.