Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Squeaky Clean




Thanks to Chris for bringing me my camera during Pen's bath. Penelope was really cute today in the tub. It sure is a great remedy for a sour mood.

The Awful, Rotten, No Good, Stinking Rat


A few days ago the Esplin laundry room started smelling a little foul. It started out smelling like moldy towels or dirty socks. Nothing new. Then a day or two passed and the smell went from bad to much, much worse. Molly Poop? Possible. Vomit? Likely. So Sunday afternoon, when the smell was starting to spread past the laundry room, brave, stomach-of-steel Linda decided to smell it out. She needed to find out what had gone terribly wrong.

She quickly diagnosed the problem was with the dryer, but couldn't quite find the source. She set Cordell and Chris to work. Cordell plummed the innards and Chris inspected the behind to find a dead rat.

Exhibit A:


The rat somehow found his way to the dryer vent and died, but not before losing control of his bodily fluids. By the time Chris and Cordell found him, he had started to bloat and his insides liquify. Looking at these images really brings back the smell.

Exhibit B:


Farewell dear rat. You will NOT be missed.

Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Happy Birthday Pen!

Happy Birthday, Penelope, Nelly, Nels Bells, Nels, Nels A PEA, Pearl, Belle, Goobie, Pen, Lope, PP, Little P, Miss P, Nelly Pea. . .

penelope is a year old

I can't believe that it was a whole year ago that you made your very timely debut. Not only were you born at just the right time to give Chris his full two weeks of parental leave, but you were also born on your cousin's birthday and Earth (aka Earf) day.

It's been a good/really, really stinking hard year. You've grown a lot. Your head is enormous. Your little body is slimming down and lengthening (boy, will I miss those chubs!) and learning how to do all sorts of cool things! You're scootching, almost crawling and just dying to walk. You've mastered sitting and drinking a bottle at the same time, drinking out of a straw, pulling yourself to stand, clapping, flapping your elbows around with your hands on your ears, being the center of attention, eating strange foods like sauerkraut and red curry.

We've had a great time with you this year. Happy birthday my dove. Your mommy and daddy love you oh so very much.

Friday, April 10, 2009

Better than an Abacus. . .

. . .but not much better.



Gramps was impressed to see Chris's handy-dandy iPhone, especially when he found out it cost the same amount as his first calculator.

Mining for Gold



Looks like she found a hidden treasure. Y-U-M.

Friday, April 3, 2009

Allergy Season in Phoenix

I'm surely glad I don't have to go anyplace today.
I'm an itchy puff ball.

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Penelope & Olivia


Yesterday we visited with the Raffy Taffys. We love them oh so dearly and we're so excited to be living closer to them!! Now Penelope & Olivia can be best of friends. They played really well together and all of us are blown away at how they seriously look like they could be sisters.
We also got a kick out of how stone-faced Olivia was. So funny.