Laura's birthday party was a success. My sister's friend Amy brought her children, and Mom's friend Caroline brought her grandson. That meant lots of children running around and getting soaked under the wading pool/sprinkler. I held the instructions and tried to look involved while Dad and Uncle Tom assembled a new gas grill.

When it was over and everyone else went home, we went swimming in the big pool. Laura, Andy, and Emma liked that even better. Naturally, I'm sunburned. It was worth it, though; I haven't been swimming in five or six years.

As promised, here are photos from the party.


1) The kids loved the little wading pool.
2) Andy, Laura, and Emma splash around
3) April and Dad make burgers and hot dogs on the new grill.
4) Amy feeds the children.
5) Laura gives me a hug while wearing her bike helmet.
6) Emma discovers a lawn chair.
7) Andy doesn't pin the tail on the donkey.
8) Caroline and Mom watch the kids play.

Today is my niece Laura's birthday. It's hard to believe it's already been four years since her birth.

Let me tell you, Laura is sharp. I'm constantly amazed at how quick she is, and her verbal skills never fail to impress. If there's a four-year-old sensible drama queen running around on the face of the earth, she's probably learning a lot from Laura. Andy and Emma couldn't ask for a better older sister. I'm looking forward to the birthday party this weekend.

In other news, I bought The Return of the King on DVD yesterday and immediately watched it (with a quick break to attend the PFLAG meeting). It's a good movie, and I felt a little weepy near the end... again.

I also loved the Lord of the Rings "supertrailer" they added. I'm a big fan of movie trailers, so seeing one for the entire trilogy was a bonus. Now I just have to count down the days to the release of the expanded edition on DVD. I'm not going to be happy until I see Saruman's staff broken.

Eric Idle has written a little song called "The FCC Song" (Lyrics). It's available for free download as an MP3 at Pythonline.com. This could be my new theme song.