Blog re-design

So we've updated the look of our blog a bit. I have yet to find wide blog designs so this is what we're using in the meantime. Check out where I got it at http://cutestblogontheblock.blogspot.com/

Your latest Piper fix

We took some pictures of Piper a few weeks ago wearing an adorable dress her Grandma Ann gave her. I thought it was going to be too big but it fits her even better than the green Easter dress she wore. Piper was obliging and let me do a little French braid in her hair for the first time. I know it might be overkill with how many pics I posted of her but I can't resist - she's too gosh darn sweet.

This is Piper's "I vant to be a modehl" face.

See the hair.

My two cute ones decked out in their KU gear to watch the championship game. Piper's clutching her baby Jayhawk and says "good luck."

Piper and I went to the Australian museum recently. We hadn't been since she was probably 8 months old. She liked lining up the dinosaurs and wooden animals. Lining things up is a new fascination for her.

We will rock you (rock chalk, that is)!

Well, after a very harrowing, nail-biting game on Tuesday the Kansas Jayhawks did what we knew they could do all along: win the NCAA National Title. We are the champions, my friends. You wouldn't believe the amount of hugging and jumping going on in our house both after that unforgettable 3-point shot by Mario Chalmers, and after we actually won. And to think that my brother Mark was there! Rick was incredibly jealous.

Piper kept telling Rick that he was loud and looked at us funny when we yelled at the TV. The yelling has stopped, for now, at least until next year.

We love you Mario! We love you Bill Self!

WE LOVE YOU JAYHAWKS!!

Guess who?

The other day I ran into another famous Australian actor in our neighborhood: Cate Blanchett. Piper and I were heading home from picking up pizza for dinner. Cate looked like she was headed to dinner with her two sons. I hadn't even realized that it was her until I was right next to her. I gave her a smile and she smiled back. Quite a fun little experience.

This is in addition to the fact that David Wenham from Lord of the Rings lives around the corner from us.

The Road to the Final Four

Rick sent me two text messages this morning while Piper and I were out. They were equally important in his eyes (maybe leaning more towards the second text).

1) Jetstar has your wallet
2) Final Four

That's right - the Kansas Jayhawks are going to the Final Four! This is the first time since 2003 that we've been to the Final 4. It's about time. I only have two things to say about that. One, it will be very loud at our house during the next game. Piper even says "loud" when Rick is doing all of his yelling and clapping and stuff. And two, rock chalk. (For those of you that don't know, Rock Chalk is what KU fans yell when we've clinched a win. Now you know.)

Since we were away for Easter Sunday Piper wore her Easter dress to church yesterday. It was a gift from her Great-Aunt Mary. I had to include the photo of Piper with the dress over her head; it gives you an idea of the funny girl we have on our hands.

Our Easter break

I apologize for the long delay in sharing our Easter pics. My cousin Natalee was in town visiting and we've just been enjoying spending time together. We went to the Great Barrier Reef for the long Easter weekend (it's a four-day weekend in Australia). The weather was great most of the time so we could enjoy it.

The trip didn't start too well though with me losing my wallet somewhere between our house and the airport in Cairns. We've been keeping an eye on our bank accounts and credit cards while waiting to hear back if anyone had found my wallet. I was just about to start replacing everything when Rick got a call that the airline in Sydney found it. An answer to many prayers. Now we'll have to see if everything is still in it.

I'll have to post more pics when I get copies of Natalee's photos. There is a funny one of Piper from the day we went snorkeling.

Piper and Natalee chilling on the couch



Piper and Natalee chilling on the boat

Great Barrier Reef







Rick swimming with Marvin the maori-wrasse


We saw clams like these on the reef. It's really cool when you see it breathing.

This is just about the only good photo we could get of Piper on Easter morning. She loved what the Easter Bunny brought her. She said "Jesus" when she picked up one of the eggs in her basket. I think that some of what we've been teaching her about Easter is getting through.

Here's the family in the Daintree Rainforest.

Rick and Piper on the boat trip through the rainforest

If you look closely you can see a mother crocodile in the middle of the photo.

These are some amazing mangrove trees in the rainforest.

Here's a photo of us on a stop at the Daintree Ice Cream Factory. They grow all of the fruit they use in their ice cream.

A view of the rainforest from Alexandra Peak