Squeaky Shoes

Kasia recently discovered she has shoes that squeak.  Obviously, she thinks this is the coolest thing ever.  Though, when she saw the camera, she got a little shy.

We Have a Winner!

I think that it's now safe to say that Kasia has a favorite animal.  Just in case the picture didn't give it away, it's the giraffe.  What is it about this majestic beast that she likes so much?  Is it the elongated neck?  The graceful stride?  Or could it possibly be that it's the one animal name that she really enjoys saying.  She loves pointing at pictures and shouting "DRAFF!"  And hey, that's close enough in our book.  Instead of saying "lion" she just says "ROAR!"  Again, close enough.  I think the SAT board will accept that as an answer.

And keeping with the tradition of tall animals, I think her new favorite Sesame Street character is Big Bird.  I see this as only fitting considering that Kasia is also quite tall for her age.  

The Magic Show

Today, Kasia and I went to see a magician/comedian at the library. It was the beginning of their "Catch the Reading Bug" summer reading program. I think the entire county of Currituck must have turned out for this guy, because the place was packed.

Aside from pulling a rabbit out of a hat and doing the locking ring trick, this guy was able to perform a magical feat that I have never seen in my life before. He was able to keep Kasia entertained for a full 45 minutes. Of course, the show was an hour long, but she did sit through most of it and laughed and clapped for the guy.

Kasia the Kondiment!

Kasia's goal in life has always been to be some kind of condiment on a really large hotdog. Over the weekend, she was able to fulfill that dream. She's now kind of bummed because she's having a hard time picking a new life goal. I'm really pushing for learning to read, getting potty trained, and earning millions of dollars for her parents. Maybe next weekend.

Because $600 For a Purse is Freakin' Ridiculous!

Kara, Kasia, and I spent a lovely day at the mall over the weekend. It had been so long since we have been to the mall, just to walk around and window shop. I really was having a good time, but I think that Kara was embarrassed to be seen with me.

It all started when we were in Restoration Hardware. Now, I always loved Restoration Hardware because they always had those cool retro gadgets that looked like they came out of the '50's. Sadly, most of that is gone now, and what's left in its place was a bunch of stuff that was rather pricey. I was nearly floored when I saw a floor fan that they were trying to sell for $210. You've got to be kidding me! It looked like something my grandmother had stored away in her closet. I was checking this thing over to see if there was something special about it, like if it also doubled as a back massager, but no. It was just a fan. How can you charge $200 for a fan? That's when the embarrassment started. Kara told me to be quiet and not draw too much attention to ourselves. These people charge $200 for a stinkin' fan and I'M supposed to be embarrassed!? Please. You know something's wrong when your store makes The Pottery Barn seem like a bargain.

After Restoration Hardware, we went to the Coach store. I promised Kara that I wouldn't embarrass her. In fact, I told her that I would just say the exact opposite of everything that I was thinking. After being greeted by the very happy saleman (some would even say jolly.... or gay) I believe I used phrases like: "I'm so happy to be here." "Wow! $600 for a purse? What a bargain." "I can't believe the deals in this place." and "I'm going to buy two of these, at least."

I'm not really sure what happened after that. I couldn't find Kara for about an hour, and eventually we met up at the food court to have some dinner.

I love the mall.

EPCOT Forever!

A while ago, I was in a thrift store and saw a classic 1982 EPCOT license plate which I just had to have.  The lady who managed the store never thought that anyone was actually going to buy that old thing, but thought she'd put it out anyway.  It was only $1.

But look how AWESOME it makes the Saturn look.  Just the right color.  Just the right size.  I have to say, style and design really hit its peak in 1982 when this plate was created.

Happy Father's Day!

We had a great Father's Day here at the southern branch of the Gruetzmacher compound.  No father could ask for a better day.  First, Kara let me sleep in and then made me blueberry pancakes.  Then, we headed off to Little Birdies for a round of miniature golf and a little play for Kasia.

I've been playing miniature golf for years, and one question that usually comes up is "what is the most difficult obstacle on a miniature golf course?"  Is it the windmill?  The gorilla that smacks your ball away?  The water wheel that you have to hit just right?  No, as it turns out, the most difficult obstacle on a miniature golf c

ourse is a two year old girl.  Our two year old daughter to be precise.  Or to

 be even more precise, Kasia.  

As if trying to put around wooden barriers wasn't hard enough, Kasia adds the extra pressure of time.  From the moment you first hit the ball, you only have a few seconds before you have to hit your ball again.  If you wait too long, she'll snatch the ball right off the green.  

Here she is after having snatched all the balls and sat with them on the 12th green.  Keep in mind, that we were supposed to be on the 15th hold when this happened.  We took too long in between puts, and off she went with the balls.  We learned our lesson.

Eventually though, we got to the 18th hole where the balls get sucked away and never come back.  Kasia was having a hard time believing that the balls were truly gone.  But she eventually got over it and we went and played in the play area for a little while.  

Later that afternoon, Kathy, Jeff, Shawn, and Chatam came over for a good old fashion Father's Day cook out.  We put our grill to work, and enjoyed a smorgasbord of food including everyones favorite: spaetzle.  

We hope all you other father's out there also had a wonderful time.