Here's my rose bush saying "Look at me, Daddy!"

I couldn't bring myself to chop that picture. Here's a closeup (even though the ceap camera refuses to focus on the flower):



I figure they'll be gone by tomorrow afternoon. It barely hit 50 degrees today. I figure we'll get a frost tonight and that'll be it for flowers.

Niina likes to turn around (spin would be too strong a term)

in circles and try to sing "Ring Around the Rosie." You can recognize the words she's trying to say, but, except for "Rosie" and "ALL FALL DOWN!" (her favorite part) it's not really English yet. "Pocket" comes out as "potuct" and the rest is pretty garbled. But it's all very cute.

Oh! Man! (Warning: delicate medical talk ahead.)

I picked up Aliina the other day, while I was sitting in an easy chair. And she did a dance in my lap and absolutely drilled me in the bladder (I needed to "go" at the time, naturally--no, I didn't do it on the spot). I felt ok, more or less, at the time, but apparently it's bruised.

No blood and no fever (yet), so I don't think I need to see a doctor, but I've been rather protective of it for the last couple days. I'm walking a little slower and not taking the long walks. I'm saving my energy for the healing process. Rather than the usual "I need to see a man about a horse" feeling, I get a nauseous, kicked-in-the-groin sensation.

I was feeling better tonight until I picked her up to put her to bed and she started playfully swinging her feet around and nailed me again! Not anywhere near as hard as the first time, but it doesn't take much to cause even more pain now. When I flinched she got me in the you-know-whats.
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I didn't drop her. I'm proud of that.
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Children are a wonderful, unqualified blessing, aren't they?