TWENTY on Tuesday!

1. At Barnyard last week, they gave out tattoos. Alla had some tattoos of cows with conspicuously protruding udders for a few days. She liked to call them her tutus.

2. We have 3 more swim classes. I am counting down because I spend the entire time freezing and looking forward to the hot shower in the locker room.

3. On Friday we went blueberry picking with our neighbors. Alla LOVES Carter and Canton. LOVES. Always wants to be over there. Anyway, for a girl who isn't too much into blueberries, she was way into the picking aspect.

4. And of course you have to find something great to do with them, so you check out Martha Stewart and find an amazing muffin recipe that your charming little daughter wants to help you make. She's so cute with her measuring cups, Daddy this is one quarter spoon.

5. Random picture that I lomo'd using my friend Suziebeezie's link.

5. Saturday was BIG. HUGE. Let's get this out of the way first: This came.

6. And then, hold onto your seats, ALLA POTTY TRAINED ON SATURDAY.

7. Yes, I said potty trained.

8. As in NO MORE DIAPERS. I don't know why I insist on using Ron's crappy camera with all that grain but hey it got me a photo of my potty girl.

9. We're pretty excited, pretty proud.

10. But...there was nothing wrong with diapers. They were a heck of a lot easier than wondering if and when she's going to poop.

11. We also got rid of the highchair and she moved on up to her new cooshee booster, in her favorite blue of course.

12. Speaking of colors, you know blue is her favorite color, right? Yes, well did you also know that no one else is allowed to have that color? For example, Ron's favorite color is [was] also blue, but she has reassigned him: Daddy, there's your favorite color black.

13.Yesterday was Leigha's cast-away party. Little Leigha had a "turtle shell" (cast) on her broken leg for four weeks, and today we went to her party to celebrate its removal.

14. Alla started talking about Como Town the day that invitation arrived. And then did not want to ride the rides when we got there. At all. But convincing her to get on one stinkin' ride with her friend must have given her the bug 'cause after that she was an amusement park junkie. Let's go again! And when you photograph at an amusement park, you get blur.

15. Did you check out the Como Town link? See why you should live here? Minnesota is fabulous for kids. Here's the Como Town song that Alla sings, courtesy Ron of course: Won't you take me to, the Como Town, won't you take me to, the Como Town?

16. Did you know? She's his Alla Balla, and she's my Sugarlump. That's what she told me.

17. Our robin's eggs hatched! There are three hungry chirpies in that nest that is impossible to photograph (smart mama). But we can see them from our downstairs window, and we watch her swoop in with some good worm or bug for those little ones. They always want more and that mama is working overtime to keep them fed.

18. The school registration came today for fall. They are allowing her to do drop-off in the spring. As in one day a week for two and a half hours by herself. Whoa. Good thing January is so dang far away.

19. I left Alla with Ron for bedtime last week for the first time. And it was fine.

20. OK, well, that's all I got. For now. Take it all in and enjoy your week. I'm not likely to have anything again til then anyway. But you gotta give me credit for bringing out the big guns this time.