First Let Me Say....

That this is possibly the coolest piece of baby/small child paraphernalia that I have seen. So cool in fact, that if I had the money to spare, I would go right out (to the internet, of course) and buy one. And an extra cover in a different, yet equally as cool, color. And then I would spam the company's email address with requests for an adult version.

"What's all the fuss about?", you are surely asking by now. Well, it is the Nook Pebble mattress. I can't even say/type it without sighing and swooning. So in case any of you are thinking of getting Violet a fancy-dancey, eco-friendly, parent-approved gift any time soon, consider this the huge blinking neon sign-with-an-arrow-on-it of hints.

If that isn't in your financial comfort zone, well, maybe you can go halfsies with someone else. Or you can just brush it off and do whatever you want, including nothing at all. Your call.

On to the Violet part of the post. Mike is in St. Petersburg, Russia all week. He left on Saturday afternoon and returns next Saturday evening. We miss him, but are making the best of it. We even washed the car together yesterday, as daycare/school was on holiday and we stayed home (mostly). I can now tell you from personal experience that Violet enjoys helping wash the car. Or more precisely, Violet enjoys splashing in the bucket of soapy water, throwing the sponge into the bucket and making huge, soapy splashes, and running away from the hose in hopes of tempting me to spray her (which I did not). No pictures to share, but I'm sure you can imagine the fun we had.

This evening we head straight from school to the Texas Roadhouse for dinner. I'm skeptical that I will find much vegetarian-friendly food there, but it is a fundraiser for the Cache Humane Society, and I would like to both show my support and get out of the house. We'll be eating with some friends, Tif and Bob, which will also be nice.

Photo Gallery

Vi loves the kiddie pool at school. The kids go "swimming" in their regular clothes, which cuts down on sunburns.

Vi also loves being outside in general. Here she is waving "hello" this weekend on our front porch.

Next, Vi helped me inspect some of our flowers. She likes to smell them!

Then we petted the dog. Trooper is looking a little less black than he used to.

For those of you that aren't up-to-speed with social media (ahem, Phyllis), here is a look at Violet's first pony tails. They debuted on Facebook over the weekend.

Lastly, here's a look at some of my shallot flower stalks (scapes) from the garden. They really are beautiful!