Side Notes

There really isn't much to blog about right now. Well, nothing exciting to blog about anyways. It's really been just same ol' same ol' around here. So I suppose the best way to blog about it is with side notes. So these are just a few of the things that have been going on around here these days.

On August 12th, Josh's Grandpa passed away. He was 96 years old. What an amazing feat to live to such an age! He was a survivor Pearl Harbor and lived through so many of the ever changing times in America. The things he must have seen and experienced in his many years must have been countless and fascinating. I am honored to have known him and blessed to have been a part of his long life. It was very emotional to watch the funeral of a man of service. The folding of the American flag was inspirational and the presentation of the flag to his wife was heart wrenching. He was a wonderful man and will be missed.

Alex and Abby are still very much in Wiggle overdrive. Sometimes, I must admit, it can be a bit trying for me. They want to wear their Wiggle shirts nonstop and I don't enjoy doing laundry that often. But in the end, it's all good because I know that every child has something that they love dearly. Mine just happen to love shirts instead of teddy bears and blankets.

We got the last major vaccine for the kids this week. I was holding off on their chicken pox vaccine until they were old enough to handle the itching of chicken pox. Yes. I know the vaccine is supposed to prevent the disease. But due to it being a live virus, my kids are the small percentage that just so happen to actually react to it. With the MMR, both kids got full body rashes. Alex's was much worse. It was pretty yucky. It turned out that it was basically a mild case of the measles. (non transferable of course) Apparently a small percentage of kids react to live viruses. Who knew? Both Alex and Abby have gotten some mysterious pock-like marks on them this past week since getting the vaccine. So if that's the worst of it, we'll be good.

Tomorrow we are heading out on another summer adventure. Josh's sister, JanDell, lives in England with her husband and two children. Every other year or so, they visit the ol' U.S.A. for a month and this year the plan is to meet up with Josh's family in Branson, Missouri for the week. I've not been to Branson since I was a wee little thing so I'm not sure what to expect. But it will be nice to see everyone and the kids will have fun playing with their cousins. Unfortunately, the plans involve a lot of water. And in case anyone was wondering, I have a bit of a fear of jumping into dark mysterious water. Seriously, have you seen what a gar looks like?? Sharp teeth. Beady little eyes. Creeeeepy! I'm not sure the joy of water sports will trump my fear but we'll see. If I do get in the water and something moves past my leg then trust me...you'll know. People will hear my blood curdling scream at least four states away.

And of course, we have one joyous, final little note. Warning: You are not experiencing Deja vu. Though it may seem like you are hearing this for the umpteenth time...wait a second. You are hearing this for the umpteenth time. Josh got laid off...again. Happy happy...joy joy. As fun and as exciting as this info is...um...yeah. That's about all I can really say. (please note: the term 'happy happy...joy joy' is actually intended as sarcasm and does not mean that I am experiencing any happy joy-joyness over this repetitive situation.)

Otherwise, enjoy the beautiful weather if you're lucky enough to be having the same weather as we are. I already miss summer and it's not even over yet. I smell fall on it's way in.