The dogs are officially not allowed on the bed anymore, as of two days ago. They are handling it really well, and that alone makes me feel much more affectionate towards them. I decided not to crate them at night, but let them sleep on a blanket on the floor of the bedroom. It's been a teensy bit annoying because they get restless and walk around on the floor, and their toenails going click click click click on the floor keeps me awake, but I'm sure that will improve as they adjust. It's just unfortunate for them that we don't have carpet on that floor - they would be much less annoying if we did. Maybe I should knit them some socks!

We have been making some progress, albeit slooooow progress, on the office. The wallpaper is down, so I guess that's the first big step out of the way. Unfortunately a lot of the paint that was underneath it chipped off so Steve has a big spackling job ahead of him. We also got our tax refund, which means that the van shopping can begin anytime! When it actually will, who knows, but at least it's a move in the right direction, right?

Emma is really into doling out compliments lately. Out of nowhere, she will say, "Mommy, you look so pretty this morning," or "I always have such a nice time with you," or other sweet things. She is quite the charmer. Anyway, she has a pair of plastic dress up shoes that have heels on them and because they make it difficult for her to walk, she calls them her tricky shoes. Occasionally we'll see a woman wearing heels, and Emma always notes the "tricky shoes". The other day we were at the store and a lady walked by us wearing a pair of boots with heels, and as she passed us, Emma said to her, "You are really good at walking with those tricky shoes!"