We finally have a pet

As we were getting ready to go to bed last night, and Anna said, "oh, I almost forgot" and ran to get her jacket, a cup, and a fork. Her jacket pocket was taped up, presumably to keep a treasure safe. She started scooping out her pocket with the fork, and a pile of worms landed on the table. Apparently, she had collected them at recess and wanted to keep them safe. She filled the cup with worms, dirt and water and happily declared, "Finally, I have some pets!"

She skis!

We had a fund long weekend in Whistler - courtesy of my parents who came out and watched the kids while we skied. To our delight (and relief) Anna really learned how to ski this weekend. She can go down the hills all by herself.

Next quiz: where are we?

Italia! Randy and I took a two week vacation in Europe - starting in Vienna, then Venice, Rome, Florence, and Berlin. I was lucky enough to have two conferences in Europe. And have generous family who would watch our kids while we galavanted around Europe. And to top it off, we got to stay with wonderful friends in both Vienna and Florence. Here we are on the Rialto Bridge in Florence, and in the Colesseum in Rome. It was a wonderful trip - I highly recommend it.

Where in the world are the Templetons?

Check out the photos and see if you can guess.


We were back in Maui this week - for a medical conference of course. It was a lot of fun to have my parents join us this time. And, the surf was way up, we watched a surf competition, saw 30 feet waves.

It's such a beautiful place, that we immediately came home and starting searching for real estate there. Don't hold your breath - I doubt we'll have a guesthouse in Maui anytime soon.

First day of kindergarten!

I put my little girl on the bus this morning for the first time. She, and all her fellow kindergartners were all smiles and they eagerly hopped right on the bus.

Hum the song "Sunrise, Sunset" from Fiddler on the Roof, while you view these pictures.

And then she was gone.

No, I didn't cry, but I thought about it.

Camping

We bought a big family tent, (which makes our 4th or 5th tent now, I've lost track). The kids loved it. Tyler diligently "roasted" his marshmallow for a good 20 minutes, before he realized that he could eat it.

Bedtime

We're so lucky that our kids enjoy each other so much.