Two weeks ago, I started going to Mrs. Duffin's house to play with other kids. Mommy says I'm going to preschool. I've heard other people say that I'm going to day care. I'm not sure what those things are, but I know I like Mrs. Duffin and I like playing with the other kids.

Mommy takes me to Mrs. Duffin's house every Wednesday for about two hours. The first day, all of the mommies stayed with us while we played. Last week, only my mommy stayed. She was our class helper. Mommy said that she won't do that all the time as Mrs. Duffin has another assistant already hired. But, Mrs. Duffin hasn't gotten her assistant's finger print report back yet, and she won't let the assistant work with us until that report comes back. Mommy says that the report is a very important thing.

I like going to Mrs. Duffin's house. We play with the toys, have story time, play outside (if the weather is nice) and have art time. I already made two pictures that mommy and daddy put on the refrigerator.

Mommy and daddy said that this will be a good experience for me because I can learn to play with other kids my own age. So far, I'm having a lot of fun.

Thanks mommy and daddy! :)

-- Amanda

I am a Chicago Bears fan, and I'm going to be the first to say it ... our season is over. We will NOT win the division and we will NOT go to the playoffs. At this point, we are 1-2 with our only win coming against lowly Kansas City (and we almost blew that one).

The reasons ... Rex Grossman is NOT a good NFL quarterback. He has poor mechanics and makes bad decisions. And, he can't handle the pressure of NFL defenses. Cedric Benson is soft and prone to fumbles. And now, our vaunted defense is spending too much time on the field since our offense can't get anything going. The defense is NOT creating the turnovers like they did last season. And four of our starters are injured. Hopefully, Briggs and Vasher will be back soon.

Bears GM Jerry Angelo is the reason for all of this trouble. He is the guy that drafted Grossman and Benson, and gave them a lot of money. So, he feels that he must justify those decisions. That's why he traded Thomas Jones, our No. 1 running back last season, to the Jets so that Benson can be the No. 1 back. Soon enough, Brian Griese (yes, I said Brian Griese) will be our starting QB and Adrian Peterson will be seeing more time at running back.

The bottom line is ... this season is over. Let's start preparing for next season. Start scouting the league for available quarterbacks (Donovan McNabb anyone) and task your college scouts to find you a top-flight running back (Mike Hart).

If we finish at 8-8 or better this season, I'll be amazed. I actually see only five to six more wins on the season. That would put the Bears at 6-10 or 7-9 -- not a great performance from a team that went to the Super Bowl last season.

-- Mike

Melissa and I have decided to get back into the gym and get better about our eating habits. Our diet wasn't too bad, but we didn't include enough fruits and veggies. Plus, we got into this nasty habit of having a snack (ice cream, usually) before going to bed. So, for our health and to set a good example for Amanda, we are getting better about our diet — no more fast food, plenty of veggies/salad with meals and plenty of fruit for snacks — plus, we are working out again.

On Wednesday, August 15, I weighed in a 230 pounds and about 30 percent body fat. I weighed myself last night and I was down to 225 pounds and 29 percent body fat. It's a small step, but it is progress. My goal is 200 pounds and less than 20 percent body fat. Once I get there, I'll see how I feel and look. If needed, I'll shoot for 195 pounds.

-- Mike

I turned two years old today. After my daddy got home from work, I went to dinner at Chevy's with my family...mommy, daddy, grandma, grandpa, auntie Sherri, nana, papa, auntie Wendy, Abby and Josh. I love Chevy's because the food is so good (I love the "avocado" soup) and the people are so friendly. After dinner, they brought me a big sundae, a birthday sombrero and everyone sang to me! I liked that very much.

Since my birthday fell on a Monday, mommy and daddy had my birthday party on Saturday. A lot of my family and friends were there. Mommy and daddy got a BIG water slide. I love the water and I love slides. When the people were setting it up, I got so excited, I screamed..."I slide now!"

Abby took me on the water slide and held me in her lap, then we slide down together. At the bottom was a small pool of water. We made a big splash when we landed. Abby gave some of my friends a ride on the slide, then we all played in the small pool. After a while, daddy gave all of my friends rides on the slide. He didn't take them all the way to the top. He put them (and me) part way up, and caught us when we got to the bottom.

After we played, mommy lit the candle on my ice cream cake, and everyone sang to me. Then, I blew out the candle. After all of the playing and cake, I got very sleepy. Everyone left, and I took a nap.

The next day, mommy, daddy and Abby helped me open all of my presents. Everyone gave me such fun things. Thanks to everyone for being so generous (mommy and daddy told me to say that!).

I had such a great birthday weekend. It was fun playing with everyone and spending time with all of my family and friends. Thank you everyone!

-- Amanda