Let’s see, what’s happened around here of late…

John got a lip bumper put in as a precursor to braces. This thing should gently push his teeth back to make room for them to grow.

Lauren and I successfully closed out Dry January. On the 31st we went out for a Thai dinner with the Plumpes and brought the dog.

On February 1 we celebrated Lauren’s birthday by hosting a gathering here at the house. I built a bar out of scrap wood and served drinks to our guests. It was fun!

It was a perfect day for entertaining! 70º for a daytime high that day.

Not to be outdone by John’s dental fun, Edie lost a tooth that night.

We celebrated Lauren’s actual birthday on the 2nd with a trip to a renowned burger joint. Minnie came along again and got plenty of treats.

On the 5th I went to an actual barber and got a legitimate beard trim, which I never do!

On the 7th, Lauren and I enjoyed happy hour from Little Woodrow’s patio while finishing out the work days. Yup, the dog was there for that, too.

The next day Lauren test drove a Kia EV9. Edie sure approved of it. We didn’t buy it but Lauren is definitely considering getting an EV soon.

At night we went to our friends the Novaks for a little socialization.

The basketball season came to an abrupt end Sunday morning with a difficult defeat. The boys fought hard in a 28-24 loss. John scored 5 points including his fourth three-pointer.

Wait, what?! No, you’re not seeing things. The kids actually played with a toy for a change. That rarely happens.

On Wednesday, Minnie wore a t-shirt and snuggled up in the shed for the day. She spent much of the day trying to bite my feet. Oh btw, my left big toe was officially diagnosed with hallux rigidus, or arthritist, to the layperson. When it gets cold and rainy like it was that day, I am in severe pain.

The 12th was also 2025 Topps Baseball Series I release day! I sprinted down to the local card shop to buy a Jumbo Hobby Box and rip open 400 cards. This was the gem of the box.

On Thursday after school, I escorted Edie to the Valentine’s Dance at the school. She had a blast dancing with her kindergarten friends after a few minutes of shyness.

On Friday I attempted to work like this. My left eye once in a while gets blurry, and it can be fixed by focusing through these pinhole glasses… but then what is my right eye to do? It didn’t work very well.

It’s a 3-day weekend now. I ordered a car on Carmax that could be here early next week, and then it’s sayonara Chrysler.