Saint Patrick's Day 2012

It was that time of year again to dress up in green and eat corned beef and cabbage. Exactly five minutes before the big event, we realized that Elena does not own a single green shirt. Fortunately Alice gave her a green vest a while back, so we were in business.

Tthis may be the best corned beef and cabbage that Karen has made to date. I think Elena ate more of it that I did.
St. Patty's day is a bittersweet holiday for our family. The first time that Karen made corned beef and cabbage was the day that her grandmother passed away. (I know what you're thinking, and no, she didn't eat Karen's cooking that day). Anyway, we have taken the opportunity to celebrate Ardith's life every year since.

Karen Needs Friends

For those of you who don't already know, Karen has joined Facebook. As you can see below, she doesn't have any friends. I urge all of our blog followers to send her a friend request in order to prevent something like this (warning, graphic language) from taking place.

This morning I saw Karen's name show up on my 'people you might know' list. When I asked her if she joined FB, she went into a 1/2 hour rant about how she didn't want to but was forced into it. A simple yes would have sufficed.

Elena update

This has been a week of doctor appointments for Elena. On Monday, we went to the pediatrician to follow-up on her pneumonia. That had pretty much resolved, but she had an ear infection. Now that's better and she's back to her old self again.
On Wednesday we went to the orthopedic doctor. He took an x-ray of her hips and that showed that they are still dysplastic. We will just continue to wear the brace and go back in a few months for another x-ray.
Yesterday, Barry and Elena went outside and were flying her mini kite that she got for her birthday. She is still getting the hang of it, but seemed to enjoy herself. Hopefully we'll be able to get outside more this weekend and enjoy the warm weather.

Spring in Idaho

Today's weather: snow, rain, ten minutes of sun, then windy. It looked like winter when I got up this morning, but I guess the birds have decided that spring is on the way.Elena is doing much better today. She is running around and pretty much acting like her old self again. Here she is double-fisting her drinks two days after refusing to eat or drink anything. Her oxygen tank, which she no longer needs, is in the background.