- Alexis has developed the habit of YELLING the COLOR of the LIGHT and what that MEANS as I drive through an intersection (she talks in all caps quite a bit these days, so I thought I would give it a try for a while). It's going to be very difficult to explain to Mr. Officer that the light was orange when she's screaming "RED MEANS STOP" from the back seat, isn't it? (And why exactly did I think it would be a good idea to teach that to her? I can't seem to remember.)

- I neglected to charge the battery in our camera for a solid week. That is why there has been an utter and complete lack of photos as of late. I charged it last night, however, so we will be back in business soon. (And you thought I was being clever with my New Years' post, didn't you? Really, I was just finding a way to make use of photos I already had.)

- Alexis' best bud, Bear, looks like she participated in some sort of wrestling event involving a whole lot of mud, a few Cheetos, an ounce or two of applesauce, and a smattering of raspberries. I think it might be time for a bath. That is, if I can ever steal her long enough to sew up her three holes before sending her through the washing machine. Methinks Bear is going to have a tough time surviving the next few years of Toddler abuse. Those Zoo stuffed-ees just aren't of the highest quality.

- Congratulations goes out to Brian and Melanie on the birth of little Zachary. How did you ever think of such a great name? You know, now that I think about it, I really like that name. I mean, REALLY, I do. In fact, Alexis' name would be Zachary if she had been a boy. Let's refer to my very first blog post from just about exactly two years ago:

"Thursday, January 5, 2006
Just 3 weeks until Alexis or Zachary is due
We plan to use this space to share pictures and information about our new family member with you."

(Yes, I have been blogging for two years tomorrow. Most of you don't know that because everything on the first blog is in private-land not to be seen be the likes of you. Trust me, you're better off that way.)

Anyway, congrats, you two name thieves!

- Trying to get Alexis dressed in the morning is starting to feel a bit like a professional wrestling match, except that I didn't get a copy of the script. This morning's Toddler-wrangling match lasted no less than 20 minutes. I'm pretty sure she used a half nelson, a piledriver, and a facebreaker while kicking my butt. Since when did it get to be so hard to pin her down? I need a chair to whack her over the head with or something. Could we write that into the script?

- Alexis is trying to potty train herself. Actually, she was trying to potty train herself. She sort of got a bit traumatized yesterday morning when she fell in (as in REALLY fell in, I think her bits and pieces may have exited the toilet and found themselves in the pipes she was so far in). She hasn't asked to go since. (Note to self: They do make those fancy little toilet seats that can prevent such occurrences. You really should consider purchasing one. Maybe even one with Dora's face on it since that would be GREAT fun to watch the little one pee on Dora's face.)

- In case you were wondering, I love, love, LOVE my new job. And not just because I can use a few minutes at lunch to knock out a blog post when we're having friends over for dinner.