Mandi's favorite things

I recently have come across a few things that I think are very cool.

First of all, those of you who know me well, know that I HATE to get my fingers dirty. So...this chopper thingie from Pampered Chef is one of the best inventions ever. It chops a chicken breast into little pieces in no time flat, and without me having to touch it at all! Love it.

Second, I've had this ice cream maker forever, but Michael and I decided to try it after watching Paula Deen make some recipes with it the other day. It's super fast and easy. So far we've made butter pecan and chocolate peanut butter cup. Yummy!

Third, a shout-out to Shelby for giving me this Baby Beatles CD. She knows how much I love the Beatles and this CD is a very mellow version of some of their best songs without the words. I can't wait to play it for our baby and make him/her a fan too!

Last, Michael built me some awesome flower boxes last week. He did a great job and they are beautiful.

Do you like my new outfit?

Michael bought me a new outfit the other day. I think the blue makes me look tough. What do you think? Did you notice the chewed-up deck in the background? I did that a long time ago! Michael wants to fix it when he's sure I won't chew on it anymore.

I just wanted to prove that I can sit still for more than two seconds. Of course, what you can't see is me lunging for the camera after the picture was taken! Hee hee.

Mandi and I had fun taking some self-portraits too. I licked her face a lot, but I was trying really hard to be good in this picture.

Weekend trip to Washington D.C.

I (Mandi) went to Washington D.C. this past weekend with 14 students, 10 other staff, and one really big double decker bus! This was my 6th trip, and I think it was also the best one yet. We left at 6:00 Friday night and arrived back at school 6:00 Monday morning. We slept on the bus and showered at a campground Sunday morning. Showering only once is NOT my favorite thing! In D.C. Saturday we toured the Capitol building, the National Archives, the Holocaust Museum, and several monuments and memorials. Sunday we went to church at the Naval Academy chapel in Annapolis, Maryland, and then did some shopping...my favorite part of the trip! We finished up by seeing the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington, Virginia. It is a lot to pack into one weekend, but it is SO worth it for the students who earned the trip. I wish I could post some pictures with my students included, but I can't, so here are some of me with my friends!

Tyson, Jill, Mandi, and Tim

Jill, Mandi, and Tim

Mandi and Jill

Our bus

And what did Michael do while I was gone? You guessed it... mowed the yard and watched tv! He did say he missed my cooking and hated doing his own laundry. It's good to be needed!

It's Kramer Time!

Just a quick hello from me, Kramer. I can't wait for some warmer weather so I can play outside with Michael and Mandi, but I don't mind playing in the rain too. They've been a little mad at me lately because I keep barking in the middle of the night. Michael thinks I'm doing it just to get some attention but I swear I hear something. By the way, my birthday is coming up on June 1st. I'll be 4 years old! That means I'm more mature now. I don't chew on things (the deck, golf clubs, Michael's truck) like I used to, although I still love to pee on Mandi's tires.

Spring Break Fun

For Spring Break Mandi and Michael went to visit Michael's Uncle Bob and his wife Vicki in Southern Indiana for a few days. Unfortunately the weather wasn't very nice, but it was still fun.

First we visited Bob's friend Junior. Junior has horses and mules and a really cool buggy that Mandi got to drive. (She's an excellent horse and buggy driver, in case you were wondering!)

Mandi was also going to ride a mule, but it was starting to rain. So, here's a picture with Albert instead...or maybe it was Dan...or Elvira?

The next day we went to Brown County (Nashville). For those who have never been, you should definitely go! But maybe when it's warmer, and only if you like shopping or eating.

Michael is not so much of a shopper, but he had fun anyway!

Notice the sign. (You can almost see his wings!)

Here is Michael and Uncle Bob flirting with the "barrista" (in the background)at a local cafe. She thought they were quite funny and gave them a French lesson.

Thanks for the visit, Bob and Vicki!

Mandi's Birthday (Pajama) Party

Mandi's family came to visit last weekend for her birthday. She is now the big 3-3! We aren't sure how it became a pajama party, but along about 4:30 Brayden and Audrey decided to put theirs on.

Michael already had his on...check him out in the background.

Eric wasn't wearing his jammies but thought naptime sounded good anyway. (That's Doug he's cuddling with.)

It was quite the wild party, as you can clearly see!

Update

And that's all I have to say about that.

-Forrest Gump