Learning to use a spoon

Learning to use a spoon is hard work.

Not everything makes it into your mouth.
But don't worry, you can just pick the food off your clothes . . .
. . . and eat that too.
And it tastes SO good!

It's a . . .

BOY!! We're so excited. Bryce called it. Everyone else thought it was a girl.

Bryce woke up the other morning and said he had a dream that we were having a boy and that his name was Stanford James. I told him if he wanted to name him Stanford that he should read a book about Leland Stanford who founded the Leland Stanford Jr. University. I have already done some research. Mr. Stanford was a governor of California although originally from out east. He originally went to California with the gold rush and set up a store for miners. He was also the president of the Union Pacific Express Company which merged with Wells Fargo and Company and presided at the Golden Spike ceremony in Promontory, Utah in 1869 when the transcontinental railroad was completed.

He and his wife founded Stanford University in 1885 and named it after their only son who died as a teenager of typhoid in Florence, Italy the previous year. The Grant of Endowment makes some specific stipulations about the powers of the trustees:

• To establish and maintain at such University an educational system, which will, if followed, fit the graduate for some useful pursuit, and to this end to cause the pupils, as easily as may be, to declare the particular calling, which, in life, they may desire to pursue . . .
• To prohibit sectarian instruction, but to have taught in the University the immortality of the soul, the existence of an all-wise and benevolent Creator, and that obedience to His laws is the highest duty of man.
• To have taught in the University the right and advantages of association and co-operation.
• To afford equal facilities and give equal advantages in the University to both sexes.
• To maintain on the Palo Alto estate a farm for instruction in agriculture in all its branches."

Not bad, eh? I guess it wouldn't be such a bad thing to have a son named Stanford.

Chocolate Icing and Graham Crackers for Breakfast

...mmmm...Delicious!

Kitchen Helper

Today, I tried a new recipe for Swedish Rye Bread. It made me feel like I was getting in touch with my roots. Kimball helped me and after the dough was set to rise he insisted on being allowed to continue dumping flour into the bowl of the KitchenAid.

Who is more inept?

I feel this new sense of freedom now that the blog is private and I know who is reading. I feel like I can post my innermost thoughts. Or tell you all a dumb story about myself. How about this one?

I purchased a camera lots of years ago. Before the baby, before Bruce, even before Bryce. And I immediately lost the cord to plug it into the computer. So to get pictures off my camera I need an SD card reader that plugs into a USB port. A number of months ago the one I had ceased to work. (It was as old as the camera, so not much of a surprise). I purchased a replacement on eBay for all of $2 including shipping. I thought this was a GREAT deal. A few weeks ago my great deal also ceased to work. So I needed another replacement.

Not wanting to repeat my same mistake, I decided to call around to office supply stores to find a good deal on a card reader. I was willing to pay a little more than $2 but did not want to spend a fortune. My first call was Staples. They had a multi-card reader starting at $19.99. Too much. So I called OfficeMax. They claimed to have two SD card readers starting at $6.99. PERFECT! Kimball and I trudge over to OfficeMax.

The lady points out the card readers to me which are just under the camera display. I see a card reader under a price tag of $6.99. It is the only card reader in sight and I assume that this must be the one the guy on the phone was talking about. So I purchase it. When I arrive home, I discover that the card reader is for memory sticks. It will not read and SD card!!! And I think to myself, "The guy at OfficeMax is an idiot!"

I tell Bryce this story and he has zero sympathy for me. Why? Because I didn't bother to read the package before my purchase. (Let's just say that this is not the first time). At this point I am trying to decide who is more at fault for my having to make a second trip to OfficeMax: the idiot on the phone or myself? Please don't send me your response.

I did, however, cough up the $19.99 at Staples and purchased my multi-card reader. Here are some of the pictures I found on my camera.

We're going private!

We have decided to take this blog private. If you would like to read the blog, please email me at katenhansen@gmail.com and I will send an invite.

Farewell Bruce

On Saturday it will be two weeks since we ushered Bruce into a new life via the Humane Society. There are a number of things I will not miss:

1. Pee on the carpet.

2. Pee on my sweaters.

3. Pee on Bryce's computer bag.

4. Pee on Bryce's wool coat that had to be dry cleaned.

5. Pee on the kitchen floor.

6. Pee on the kitchen cabinets.

7. Pee on the laundry baskets.

8. Pee on Kimball's toys.

9. Pee on my pillow.

10. Having to climb over the child's gate to get into the kitchen because Bruce was locked up for peeing too much.

11. Pee on the child's gate.

12. Stepping on poop in the back yard.

There are, however, several things I will miss:

1. Loud breathing while trying to watch a movie.

2. High pitched howling for no good reason.

3. Barking at fireworks.

4. Walks around the block.

5. Car rides.

6. His patience with Kimball's hugs.

Here are my favorite Bruce memories:

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Early Morning Snowfall

Merry Christmas!

Halloween

I'm not sure which Kimball enjoyed more--playing in the leaves or eating a tootsie pop while trick-or-treating with Grandma Hansen and Mom.