After a couple months of searching, Mel found us an orange tabby kitten to adopt. She e-mailed the adoption agency at 11 p.m. last night and got a reply back letting us know that he'd be available at a local pet store in the morning. So far, Pippen has been very interactive with the kids. I hope he stays that way -- Oliver and Kitty were very aloof around them.

We recently took a weekend road trip to Southeastern Iowa to see Ben's Mom. She helps maintain a farm run by her brother and his wife (Ben's Aunt and Uncle). We visited during the peak of lambing season (see slideshow for pics). The hillsides were littered with hundreds of ewes and baby lambs -- some lambs were only hours old!

On our return, we detoured through Chicago to visit Mel's sister's family for a short visit. We left Chicago at sunset and had a great view of the skyline as we drove back home. For an hour, we tried to make Greta understand how tall the Sears Tower was. It can be hard explaining abstract concepts to kids.

Winter at our house has been a dreary, soupy mess. It seems like Indianapolis has had it's fair share of snow this year, only to be followed by freezing rain, frigid wind-chills, torrential downpours, and/or unseasonably warm weather. As a result, we've been cooped-up inside for most of the winter. So imagine our excitement at today's forecast: Sunny, an afternoon temperature of 35° with no wind to speak of. Combine that with a visit from Mel's younger brother Michael and his wife Julie. Even better! Dirk still isn't too sure about the snow, but Greta certainly feels right at home.

For Mel's birthday, we were able to sneak away to Brown County for the weekend. We spent the weekend at the historic Story Inn, a converted general store from the late 1800's. No phones. No television. Only peace and quiet. Thanks for watching the kiddos, Grandpa and Grandma!

It's official! Dirk took his first steps tonight. And we've recorded it -- check out the video on the right. He's been scooting around furniture and walls for a couple of months, but he's been terrified of walking without help. He still seems to prefer crawling, but I suspect that will change over the next couple of days.

Technical note: You must have Adobe's Flash Player installed to view this video. Chances are you already do. The movie will play best on high-speed connections -- sorry to those folks that are still on dial-up. Hey, at least you can still look at all of our swell photos above!

Mel and I have been trying (without success) to plan a vacation for our 10th wedding anniversary. With two rug-rats who need constant care, the chance to get away for a week is looking grim. With the idea that something is better than nothing, we loaded up the kids, got in the car, and headed for Indiana Dunes State Park. The park is about 2-1/2 hours from our house and we decided that if we timed it right, everyone could get the naps they needed.

One of the things we like most about parenting is watching our children react to the sights and sounds that we take for granted. While Lake Michigan is nowhere near as big or grand as the ocean, I think a 3-1/2 year old would have a hard time telling the difference. Greta's first reaction to seeing the huge lake and miles of sand, and hearing the crash of the waves, was of the purest form of joy. It made all of the "Mommy, I need to go potty," requests worthwhile. I'm sure that Dirk won't remember this trip, but he had fun romping in the sand nonetheless. There is nothing quite like learning to walk with sand between your toes.

Dirk started crawling in earnest today. He's seems a bit happier now that he's mobile. Maybe he just spent the first 9-months frustrated that he couldn't get anywhere on his own. Greta is going to start taking swimming lessons next week. And she seemed less terrified this year of the fireworks. We saw two fireworks shows; one in neighboring Zionsville, and the other at Conner Prairie (an outdoor amphitheater). I also took Greta to see her first movie. We saw Ratatouille. I'm not sure she liked the movie all that well, but the experience was fun, and she can't wait to do it again.