Cheetah Girls

Today we want to wish Cousin Maren a very Happy Fourth Birthday! Maren is the big sister Audrey and Fletcher never had and is great at helping feed Audrey her bottle, singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to both kids, and also makes for a great sous chef when I am scrambling eggs for Fletcher in the morning ("my grandma always lets me stir the eggs in the skillet when it is on the stove," um, sure she does).

A couple of days ago I may have casually mentioned to Aunt Angie, who was on the way to the mall, that Audrey was rapidly growing out of all of her clothes (wink, wink). Well, Aunt Angie, being an excellent personal shopper for all of her nieces and nephew, couldn't let that continue, and showed up at lunch with a bag full of outfits, including this cute cheetah print ensemble.


Apparently Maren must have took special notice because the next day my mom had stopped by a resale shop to look for puzzles and Maren ran straight over to the dresses, found one with a cheetah print, and insisted that my mom buy it so she could match Baby Audrey. Then, as soon as they got home, she called me and asked if I could bring Audrey over so they could both wear their cheetah dresses.

Of course I came right over. Who could resist a photo shoot with such cute models?

Succumbing to Apple's Siren Song?

I've never been a techie, or a gadget person, or a computer geek, or any other term that may be used for someone up on the latest technological trends. In college and law school, while many of my *cool* friends complained about the PCs in the computer labs (yes, I went to school before everyone owned laptops and there were designated rooms here and there containing a couple of rows of PCs) and insisted on using their own Macs, I couldn't have cared less. Yes, I did have a blackberry for years, through work, but as soon as I stopped working I immediately got a plain phone, no email, no Internet access, in fact, I don't even text.

I am not anti-technology, and I guess by even having a blog I have embraced the technology trend a bit, but I have never had the slightest impulse to get the "latest and greatest" gadget. Which, lately, at least to this layman, seems to revolve around Apple. Nope, no iPhone for me, and no iPod or iTunes for that matter, either.

But, times might be a changing, and I am finding that I may not be able to resist Apple's newest product. I can hardly believe it, particularly as we have been majorly pinching pennies around here, but I am seriously considering getting an iPad... for my three year old.

Before you think I have totally lost my mind, check out this post discussing the impact the iPad may have on the special-needs community. It is so rare to have a mass-marketed device that can also work as a tool for someone with special needs. So exciting!

Wordless Wednesday: Less than Zero