Something is in the Oven ...

... and it smells like cookies and cupcakes!
Amanda's 6th birthday is tomorrow and we are baking mini cupcakes for her family celebration and a large cookie for her class celebration on Friday. The girls like to bake as they can enjoy making a mess, taste testing, taste testing, trying, sampling, making a mess and eating the treats when they are warm. I am also training them to cook, clean and prepare food for my future as a hands-free parent who will only cook spuradicly (in theory at least). Liana was funny as she had her radar on after dinner time. I was talking to Amanda at the table (Liana was finished so she went to another room). Everytime I said the word cupcakes she would come running in full speed yelling ... "cupcakes, Cupcakes, CUPcakes, CUPCAKES, CUPCAKES NOW?!" I had to calm her down to listen that we weren't ready to start them. That issue lasted 15 minutes until we did make them. Then the "Me lick. Me LICK, LICK, TRY, PLEEEEASE!" Finally I gave her a whisk to lick and she looked like a puppy knawing on a bone.

Friends from the Past Popping up Left and Right
A childhood friend Kevin Brisolara from Roselle, IL moved to Washington state a while ago and is a landscape photographer. He has some incredible scenes, which seem more like artwork than actual places. That description just tells the anal rententive details he puts into his work. I remember when we were kids Kevin use to sort his 3 liter bottles of change by type, date and mint location. He was very anal but that obsession has paid dividends through his work:
http://www.majesticlandscapesphotography.com/

Rick (Freddie, Richard) is back!
I received an email from him last weekend. Oh-MY-God! That is what my parents are saying after that statement. Only a few know who I am refering to (Andy, Jen, Kenny). Rick and I went to Martin High School together for at least a year. But we also worked at McDonalds together. Then we joined the Marine Corps together, went to boot camp together. Got into trouble together, etc, etc, etc. I can't post the stories, some wont believe most of the stories, and I am unsure if we were the people in the stories. Rick currently is a cop in Austin, Texas with 4 boys and a girl! I am glad he popped up after my clearance was processed. If his name was dropped in the "circle of friends" the agency would have had a field day questioning him. Anyhow, I owe him a long phone call to catch up.

A Call from Roselle ...
Ed called and left a message on the weekend as well. A neighbor of ours back in the 80's (Bill Stratton) died from a brain tumor. I remember him but from 25 years ago but my older siblings might recall his name. I called him quickly as I had to give him an update and get the news. I owe his parents a call. Mrs. Jean gave us a beautiful quilt for Amanda way back when and Alexandra is currently using it to keep the light out of her bubble. When I say gave I meant hand made, hand stitched, sewn together. The old fashion way, with a tag that says "Made by Tony Jean". When I went to see Ali today I moved the quilt so I could see her face and she moved her hands over her eyes to cover the light. Then I put the quilt down and she moved them down again. So, I did it again and I think she got pissed at me and started to squirm to turn away. "Can't you see I am trying to sleep?" She will learn to say that from Liana who always shouts in a teenage voice "WHAT!" when you call her name. She will be tasting the pine-nutty sent of palmolive soap in her mouth one day soon. What I fear is her grabbing the soap on her own when she knows she deserves it. Ali is now up to 20ml of milk every 4 hours and they removed one of her lines as well.