1. A fancy new collar for Kimber that she hates but, we all love her when she's wearing it. Basically, it restricts her so that it's very uncomfortable to jump and run when it's on. She walks so nicely right next to her leader who's arm doesn't get torn off! She only gets her doggie biscuits when this collar is on and someday she will associate it with good things.
2. Decided to agressively cut our electric bill. We're renting a meter that any appliance can be plugged in to so we can measure the amount of energy each one uses. We're all learning a lot about where we use the most. Turns out laundry is a bigger culprit than climate control! So, we wash in COLD water only (except for the really icky stuff) and line dry the bigger items. We're also trying to switch over to a shave peak plan for a high efficiency water heater and the baseboard heaters. I'll let you know in a few months how successful our efforts are in actually cutting the bill.
3. I have unburied a gold mine of friends on facebook! Catching up with College and Career friends and thinking a 20 reunion would be amazing!!
4. Last Sunday was the Benton County 4-H Talent Contest and Share The Fun Acts. Portia to Joy are officially Members this year and they performed "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound Of Music.
5. The Kids:
Portia is working hard at organizing a fund raiser and preparing to go with the Platts in July. Read her blog if you want to follow that endeavor. go-upsidedown.blogspot.com
Paris is revealing her technical prowess almost daily. If Ken isn't home to fix something, all is not lost!! Also, it turns out she's more stubborn than a deaf German Shepherd which works to my benefit.
Joshua still sings with lolcb. They have a new CD coming out in May and will be touring Iceland, Germany and France this summer. Now, if we can just keep him off the computer for more than an hour at a time we'll be in business.
Petra is our writer/actress and if we point her in the right direction she won't get lost on her way to wherever it is she's go-go-going.
Bethany/Piglet is braver than she thinks! She gets the honor of being the youngest Mickelson to use a passport. She and Petra are headed to Ecuador with Mimi and Poppi in May.
Nathaniel has DS envy. Joshua bought his very own after 4 years of choir without one and although he's very generous about sharing it, Nathaniel just wants more! When he's not glued to a screen, he talks almost constantly... you'd think we were blood related or something. He stunned me with his ability to focus and participate in rehearsals for the Talent Show!
JoyAlaia, well, just when I thought I'd seen maxed out spunk in Petra, along comes JA. She rarely lets N. get the best of her, or anyone else for that matter, but sometimes a little imp inside of her gets her into trouble. Her 4-H career officially debuted last Sunday where she earned an honest to goodness ribbon.
Kyla May turns 5 next month. 'nuff said.
Raven Leigh turns 3 next week. She'd like a yellow heart cake with yellow frosting, three layers please. I think I can manage that. She's learning how to want to be a big kid.
Autumn Rose has no idea how much she blesses us every day. It's so hard to look at any 5 month old and imagine that they will soon behave like a normal kid. She's just precious and thankfully, she won't stay that way, but I'm loving right now!!
Ha! Some short list!
