knock on wood!

At the risk of tempting fate, our normal luck seems to have returned. The car is fixed, the various cards are on their way, our new kitchen faucet is beautiful and functional, the heating specialists identified the problem, and we had a good family weekend together... The Steelers lost their playoff game yesterday, sadly, but we ate BBQ pulled pork and had plentiful snacks and invited Anne and Cuong for company (and post-game solace), and so altogether I'm feeling restored.

Saturday was the usual flurry of activities - indoor soccer game, dance class, basketball practice, birthday party - lots of car time, and waiting for children.  But since today was a holiday, and the heavy rains of January took a brief break, the children and I went for a hike along the Balch Creek trail. The creek was running high but had not overflowed its banks - unlike our local Forest Heights streams, which have been wreaking havoc on the trails of our neighborhood. The kids continued their game of doggie and owner - red leash in hand - and had a grand time. I love watching them reconnect on the weekends and really play cooperatively and imaginatively with each other. (Seb and I went grocery shopping while Liesl was at gymnastics, and he commented at the end: "It's just not as much fun without Liesl.")  The icing on the cake of our lovely morning was that we ran into our friends Adrienne and Elise (and kiddos) on the trail! We love our like-minded friends and our local forests and trails and this small town we live in.  :)

Spot the Liesl face!