It lives!

HA! We're back up and running. All it took was Becky going away for a sleepover with her sisters so I could spend several annoying hours backing up our documents and pictures and totally wiping our hard drive clean. We're still not at peak performance, though. Lucy ripped the already damaged "N" key off the keyboard, so we have to really mash that letter down, and I forgot to backup my illegal copy of photoshop, so that's not handy. I suppose I shouldn't complain. There are little children in Somalia who still have to use dial-up.
And on we go.
Samantha Love Tolman turned 3 years old on the 22nd. We had what turned out to be a fairly large party for her with most of the extended family showing up along with the lovely and long-haired Grace Neidholt making an appearance with her siblings and mother. Both Becky and I felt mildly embarrassed that it turned into such an event. Oh well. Good times were had by all.


Sam requested a blue cake with blue frosting. Her wish was magestically granted by her very talented mother. Bystanders cowered in fear of the all-consuming blueness.

Sam got more presents than she deserves. Thank you to all of you who didn't receive any thanks from our ill-mannered child at the party.
After presents and cake, all the kids got to take turns beating Dora the Explorer with a broomstick. Becky was dismayed when I insisted that the entrance for the Halloween candy was behind Dora's face. Funny that she didn't have any problems with us hanging up Dora's decapitated torso after her head came off.
We had the party at a spray park, so the festivities eventually devolved into a water balloon fight. I think Grandma Thorne was the only one that escaped unscathed. Curse that respect for seniors!