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Guess who turns two today? The fastest ridin' . . . . . . rootin' tootin'est toddler around. Just like her daddy, she's a neat freak. . . . . . most of the time. But when it comes to "popcorn," all rules go out the window. . . . . . she's not the most adventurous of eaters, but sometimes she'll indulge me. . . . . . and she always puts on a good show. . . . . . does she look like she has horns? Most of the time its a halo, but that willful, stubborn, bossy two-year-old is definitely starting to show . . . what are we in for this year? I'll keep you posted. She's the light and the joy of my life. Two years full of smiles, laughs, messy diapers, and a few hugs. . . bring on many more years, lighter on the diapers and heavier on the hugs, please.

Don't worry, blog. You're not alone. You are not the only thing in my life that I have completely ignored for the last several months. I've neglected house, yard, laundry, inbox messages, and husband. I've avoided friends and abandoned the gym. And for what reason? The SCBWI Conference. (That stands for Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators, btw). You know I'm a sucker for packaging and when the bright, colorful slick brochure with a rocket on front arrived in the mail I knew I had to go. The names of the presenters jumped off the page at me for further enticement. David Weisner? Kadir Nelson? Two of the most skilled (and awarded) illustrators in children's books. . . Richard Peck? I loved the Soup books growing up. I HAD to go. But, I decided early on, I wasn't just going to GO, I had to go full steam ahead. If I was going to network, I needed new business cards. If those business cards were going to be useful, I needed a website. If the w