Toes!!

Let the flip-flop wearing convention begin! Next I will have to paint Rory's toes (as if!).

Meet "Darth Truck!"

So our good friend, Harlen, just got a new truck - DARTH TRUCK. But that's not the entire story. He used to have a red 2000 Toyota Tacoma. Toyota recently announced that there was a rust issue in its 1995-2000 Tacoma line, and Harlen finally got his "come in and get inspected" letter. He went in on Tuesday, and his truck failed (aka, was rusting out from under him).

When I say "it failed," I mean they wouldn't let him drive it off the lot. Harlen wasn't planning on buying a new truck that day; he had checked local inventory, and hadn't seen anything that was interesting to him, though he knew he'd stay in the Toyota family. But here is what happened.

For the 2000 Tacoma, which had 50,323 miles on it (he doesn't drive much), Toyota paid him $17,520 (about 1.5 times blue book). They threw in a $1,000 customer loyalty bonus, and then didn't tax him on the purchase price of Darth.

So in a nutshell, Harlen paid $6,500 for a 2009 truck with all the bells and whistles. Lucky, lucky day!

Product recommendations

I rarely do things like this (and certainly not in my blog), but recently I have been lucky enough to stumble upon three products I just HAVE to recommend. Drumroll, please!

Newman's Own cereals: I have only tried the strawberry one, but it is fantastic and very good for you! Y-U-M!

The PedEgg: My sister recommended this one to me, and I was hesitant. I saw it at Target recently, and because it was under $10 I snagged one - and I am so happy I did! It is fabulous! I suggest using it within five minutes of getting out of the shower, so your feet are still moist. It really works!! My feet look "spa done!"

Scunci "no-slip grip" ponytail holders: OMG. These are the best (impacting my daily existence) of the three products I had to blab about. I am in a constant search for the perfect ponytail holder, and I have finally found it. They have a tiny strip of soft rubber in a ring around the inside, and they truly don't slip. You'll have to try them for yourself, but I adore them!

OK, off my product soapbox now. And no, no one paid me to say the above things. I just loved these three things and wanted to share! =>

The Sybase chapter is finally closed

I just sold my Sybase stock options. Can you hear the door slamming behind me?

Fiona is 17 months old!

And is full of vim and vigor! She weighs 30 pounds (same as she did at 12 months of age), and spends most of her day running like a wild, happy thing! She is talking up a storm (most is unintelligible to anyone but us, and some even we can't get!), loves books, adores the cats, is a great climber, and has a magnificent giggle. She and Rory spend large amounts of time wrestling (to be correct, Rory body-presses Fiona to the floor, and Fiona howls with laughter), and they enjoy each other (unless Rory is cranky). Can't believe she is almost 1.5 years old! And Rory is nearly 3... where does the time go!

Take me out to the ballgame

Tonight, to celebrate our friend, Subir's, 40th birthday, we went to see the Potomac Nationals play baseball (they are the NL Washington Nationals single A farm team).

It was Rory's first baseball game, and she asked me where the goalie was (I was *so* proud). We only stayed for a few innings, as we had already been there for almost two hours before play started, and it was well past her bedtime when the first pitch was thrown.

On the way to the game, we saw a blimp, several silos, and sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" many, many times. On the way home, we saw two baby foxes frolicking in a field. So cute! For dinner at the game, Rory ate two chocolate chip cookies and some frosting - no wonder she wouldn't sit still! On the way home, she ate a bit of Cracker Jack, and we sang "TMOTTBG" again. Thanks, Chakladers, for a great night!!

Happy 4th of July!

For the second year in a row, we took the girls to Leesburg to see a true, small-town parade. Anyone can march: there was a fife and drump corps, Irish dancers, politicians, antique cars, veterans being driven about in old Jeeps, and even a camel (her name was Chewy). Here are some pics of the girls from the day, including a July 4th kiss and Fiona, passed out at home post-parade. =>

Moving on up!

Thursday was Fiona's last day in the infant room at daycare! She is moving to the Toddler room on Monday. Fiona is currently the only girl in the baby room, which means that the ladies in that room (Khaleda - pronounced "Halda" by Fiona, and Saima - pronounced "Sama" by Fiona) will be in an all-boy zone. Have fun with that!

The women in this room are wonderful with the babies, and they are going to miss Fiona as much as she misses them. That said, the ladies who run the toddler room - Shia and Nureen - adore Fiona, and stole her away from the baby room as often as possible. Both Shia and Nureen also took care of Rory, and Rory still loves them.

My, how time flies!!

Swimming with Ethan!

On Sunday, I took the girls over to visit their good friend, Ethan. Ethan's mom, Shelia, put a kiddie pool on their back deck and the kids went wild.

I took tons of pictures, including some from the next night showing Fiona's "hair bits" (courtesy of the daycare ladies), and of Rory in a bathing suit that turned out to be sized 18 months. Fit her like a sausage!! I thought it was a 4T, and was shocked that it was so tight... until I stripped it off her at bedtime. Well, duh!

Cherry season!

June rocks.

It contains my birthday, summer officially begins, the school year typically ends, and it is cherry season. I love cherries, and the girls are learning to love them, too. Rory likes to color her tray with them, in fact. I cut them in half (quarters for Fiona), and Rory colors nice, juicy red streaks all over the tray. A budding artist!

Plus, they color themselves.