Updates from the Creek

Hi, all. I tried to post this yesterday, but it wouldn't publish for some reason! Hopefully it will go through today. I just wanted to let everyone know what we've been up to the last couple of months. In January, we took advantage of MLK Day to take a hike at Usery Pass. In retrospect, we probably should have chosen a more kid-friendly trail. Although there were plenty of kids Melanie's age and younger, Beatrice was definitely the smallest person on the trail that day, and she of course had to be carried much of the way. On the way back down, Melanie slipped and cut a gash in her lip. Fortunately, discomfort and swelling were the worst of it, and stitches were not required. February seems a bit of a blur. When I was little, I used to think how funny it was that people made such a big deal about February being a short month. It's only 2-3 days shorter than all the other months, after all. As I get older, I do see how those 2-3 days make a big difference! March has come and almost gone, as well. We hosted a mini-family reunion for Dale's family over Spring Break. One day we all went bowling and then to Organ Stop Pizza for dinner. The next day we went hiking and to the newly re-opened Dollar Movies at the Superstition Springs mall. Of course, one of the most enjoyable things about any family gathering is having time to talk and play games, so that was my favorite part. Dale has enjoyed another year of coaching sports at school. First it was volleyball in the fall, then cross-country in the winter, and now track. His boys' team has been doing great, winning three of four track meets so far. Melanie is bright and sassy as ever. She's improving all the time with her reading skills and is starting to recognize a handful of words at sight. We are hopeful that she will start kindergarten next year, but since she has a September birthday, we will not know for sure until this summer. We would appreciate thoughts and prayers on that subject. She has long hair that sometimes bothers her, and she doesn't particularly like taking the time to have it combed. This morning she brought me a ponytail holder and said, "I don't need you to comb my hair, but it's getting in my face and it's not listening when I tell it to stop, so can you put it in a ponytail?" Melanie also loves to sing and is usually able to sing along after hearing a song a few times. The words aren't always right, but that just makes it more fun to hear. Beatrice is our little precious. She's quite the busy Bee and adept at what we call "menacing," i.e. getting into anything and everything. She's so cute it's hard to complain, though. She's talking all the time and using more and more words, and putting sentences together as well. "I want cheese," (I'm hungry) "I want juice" (I'm thirsty), "I did it," "Look at me," and "That's funny," are some of the more commonly used phrases. She loves to watch Melanie and copy just about everything she does. She also likes to sing, "E-I-E-I-O," being her favorite.