Here's the thing.

You know how sometimes when you're painting your toenails bright pink and you suddenly think, I should blog about this!

No?

I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes I get this huge urge to blog but I've really got nothing to say. It's kind of like when people get up during testimony meeting (a monthly meeting in my church where people can stand before the audience and proclaim what they believe) and say something along the lines of: I really don't have anything to say but I knew I needed to come up here because I've got fire in my bones. You know? And then they ramble for the next 15 minutes? That's the best metaphor I can come up with for my intense need to loiter around on blogdom tonight.

Here's what's new!

Our little miss is a downright joy to be around these days. She's grown fond of showing affection. Her new thing when we pick her up is to pat us on the back. As if she's saying, You're doin' a good job at this parenting thing. Keep up the good work. And kissing? Oh, man. She'll kiss anything. Here's hoping that's a trait that'll die off by the time it actually matters. Today during sacrament meeting she got in one of those kissing moods and wanted to smooch me, then Tom, then me some more, and then she leaned in to the lady in the pew behind us, with lips all a-puckered. She kisses her stuffed animals and she'd kiss you too if you came near. Kissing on the lips (or sometimes nose when she misses) not your thing? Well shoot, she'll blow you a kiss then. I'm telling you, this girl is loaded with love and it's to die for.

And more newness!

One of Tom's animation professors invited him to an animation conference in L.A. It's exciting because not very many people received an invitation and he'll get to enjoy some awesome workshops from big-wigs and tour Nickelodeon and Dreamworks. He's been on cloud 9 ever since the good news. I got all mopey though because guess who gets to spend her birthday all by herself? The agony! The pain! The misery! I guess we should change the subject before I fall completely apart.

The last morsel of new.

We bought one of those handy-dandy Pass of All Passes that gets you into everything in the world. Well, I kid, but barely. But anyway, we've been spending a fair amount of time at the nearby water park, Seven Peaks. Clara's first few dabbles in swimming pools were filled with nothing but fear and torture, but we've recently turned a new stone and she doesn't seem to be nearly as nervous about it anymore. Shoot, yesterday Tom even took her down a waterslide!  (You know—the big one at the kiddy pool). From my angle down at the pool below all you could see was Clara's head coming down—made her look like a 5-foot tall toddler. I think she may have even enjoyed it! In a terrified sort of way. They went down three times, the thrill-seeking maniacs.

Well anyway. I think my work here is done. If anyone should need me I'll be applying top coat to my shiny pink toenails.