Cate Loves Music

Cate likes to sing and dance. We often hear her singing and clapping in bed in the morning before we go in to get her. The other day, she was singing during dinner. PopPop (Grandpa Martino) encouraged her by singing one of her favorites, Bingo. If you listen at the end, she asks for it again by saying "name-o."

A quick Easter pic

Cate was adorable in her Easter dress. She wore white gloves (and a white hat not in this picture)! Even though the gloves were far too big, she insisted on wearing them. It really is fun to have dresses, tights and all the fun that goes with a little girl.

Easter preparations

Easter is just a few days away and I am really bummed about the turn the weather has taken. It's pretty chilly outside at 8:30 this morning --- around 35 degrees. The weather forecast calls for a high of 53 on Easter Sunday. That's not exactly prime egg hunting weather. Regardless, I've got plastic eggs all ready to go for Cate. We've got a complete outfit too (dress, shoes, hat) courtesy of Grandma and Grandpa Martino. I'm sure she will be the best dressed little girl for miles and I'll be busy with the camera.

In case you haven't heard, Kansas passed legislation authorizing expanded gambling in the state. After counties vote to approve it, there may be new destination casinos as well as slot machines at three existing racetracks. Since Stephen's job involves regulating the racetracks, he is a very busy guy at the moment. His job duties will continue to increase over the coming months. Luckily, the Legislature has gone home for a short break, so we are both taking advantage of a little break in the action. They'll back at the end of April to wrap up budget issues. We both have more budget issues before the Legislature, so we'll be busy again for a couple of weeks at the end of April and beginning of May.

We are still training for our marathon in June. We've got about 8 weeks left to train. For about 5 more weeks, we'll keep adding distance to our runs. After that, we'll start to decrease our distance so our bodies are rested for the marathon. It seems hard to believe that we only have about 5 more long runs before we go to San Diego. I think we are both doing well, but I would be happier if warmer weather would return. I was really enjoying the spring/summer temperatures.

Cate is obsessed with blowing bubbles when we get home in the evening. As you can see from the picture, we have to help her with the difference between blowing bubbles and chewing on the bubble wand.