Bah Humbug...

I'm so not ready for Christmas. What did I say in my last post about it being easier now that none of my kids believe? What was I thinking? For some reason, it has been very hard to wrap up my shopping this year. I think the pressure is on because I can't blame Santa if everyone isn't pleased. My budget just isn't in line with my intentions. Ugh.

Plus, we lost a dear family member this past week. Our dog, Buddy, who we have had for over 12 years, was hit by a car on Friday, December 18....just one week before Christmas. We are still trying to come to grips with it.

We first got Buddy because Kaylee and Whitney were immensely afraid of dogs when they were little. I mean really afraid. Like, crawl-up-on-your-lap-and-dig-their-nails-in-your-back-if-a-dog-was-in-the-room kind of afraid. A friend was building a house and didn't want a dog in her new house, so was giving him away. He was about 1 year old at the time. He definitely cured the kids of their fear. For that, I am grateful to him.

However, I had my issues with Buddy - especially recently. He shed. A lot. Lately, it was in the form of very large tufts of fur left randomly around the house. Since he was housebroken when we got him, he never had any accidents. At least, not in the old house. For some reason, in the past month and a-half, he had at least six mishaps here at the new house. You have to understand - the carpet at the old house had been there at least 10 years before we moved in, so I was not overly concerned about it. However, all of the carpet here is fairly new and really nice. I had just about had it with him! Plus, did I mentioned that he followed me? Everywhere. I can't count the number of times I tripped over him. Oh, the guilt.

Also, we had a fenced in yard at the old house with two gates. Buddy had gotten to the point that, even if the gates were left open (which happened a lot), he would not venture out of the yard. It just didn't happen. He just understood that his spot was in the back yard, and could have cared less if he was free to venture out. On Wednesday of last week, one of the gates here was accidentally left open. He was let out at least four times after that and never wandered away. For whatever reason, Thursday afternoon, he left the yard. Jeff and I were at Whitney's basketball game when Kaylee called to say she couldn't find him. Jeff left to help her look. We had driven separatley, so I waited for Whit and came home. I wasn't too concerned, really. I mean, he never ventured out, so I was sure he wasn't far. We couldn't find him that night. We had to tell Whitney and Cassidy that he was lost. But, we reassured them that we would look again the next morning. I had the day off, and was going to have posters printed and passed out. I'd go door to door if I had to. Buddy would come home. Kaylee texted her friends. One person called to say they saw him crossing Walnut Street about 4:00. Jeff went back out to look with no luck.

On Friday morning, Jeff left for work. He was running a little late, but still decided to make a sweep of the neighborhood where Buddy had been spotted before he left town. He didn't get far before he saw him. Buddy was in the middle of the road. He could tell it had happpened recently. Right after he got there, a cop arrived because he had gotten a call that a dog had been hit. Jeff called me to let me know to come with a bag. The kids had heard the phone ring, so they knew something was up. Jeff came back home to give them the news. That is one moment I will never forget. There are so many things that could have gone differently, and the outcome could have been better. Those are the things I keep thinking about...the "what if's."

So, if the stockings aren't hung by the chimney with care. If the halls aren't all appropriately decked. If I can't manage to go out and get those last few gifts to make everything "even," I hope everyone understands. My heart just isn't in it right now.

Santa Who?

This is the first year that none of my kids are official "believers" in the big, red elf. Cassidy cornered me last year shortly after Christmas and relentlessly asked me if Santa was real until I told her the truth. I tried everything I could think of to avoid the inevitable, but trust me - she was not going to give up until she heard it from my lips. That was about the same age that Kaylee made us tell her. Whitney has never approached the subject - she just kind of let it go quietly. I think she was always more concerned about disappointing us by letting us know that she had caught on. (That's the kind of kid she is.)

So, while we will always embrace the spirit of Santa - we no longer have to make up stories about how he can get all around the world in one night. I don't have to tell the kids I have a "meeting" with Santa to discuss how they have been all year as a cover-up for shopping. I don't have to hide different wrapping paper for the Santa gifts. However, we also no longer have the leverage of bribing them with "Santa won't bring you anything this year." It is bitter-sweet in many ways.

That being said, I am so ready for this phase! Don't get me wrong - those years were fun while they lasted, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Writing letters to Santa, sitting on his lap, putting out cookies and milk, and staying up all hours just to get everything wrapped while the kids slept. But, this way just seems simple. We discuss wants vs. needs, and talk about staying in a budget. I've even let them pick out some of their own items so I don't have to deal with return lines! I realize this doesn't sound very spirited, but we can relax a little and really enjoy the season instead of stressing about them being disappointed on Christmas morning. My biggest challenge is going to be hiding everything from prying eyes until then.

Oh, don't worry - they may still get a couple of surprises:)

If You Give a 16-Year Old A Mower...

If you give a 16-year old a mower, and ask her to mow the yard, she will. (Sometimes.)

If her dad asks her to keep the mower running until the gas runs out, so he can winterize the mower, she will get bored. She will attempt to sit in the swing to "mow" and the mower will shut off. She will then try to start it while in the swing.


Once the mower starts, she will try to tie her sleeve around the automatic shut-off "lever" so that she doesn't have to keep squeezing it for it to run.


When that doesn't work, she will get bored and text her friends until the gas runs out.


The end.

Cassidy and Whitney went Trick-or-Treating yesterday. BAD MOM ALERT: I DID NOT TAKE ANY PICTURES! Don't judge me...it was really cold out, so you couldn't really see their outfits anyway. Give me a break, I've been doing this Halloween thing for 16 years, and this is the only one I have not photo proof of. Just trust me - they went.

Cassidy had her 10th birthday party last week. We had to postpone it due to the whole flu episode, but it turned out pretty well. It is really nice to have a basement to shove a birthday party down to. Here are just a couple of pictures.




Oh - we have discovered that birds love our new house as much as we do. So much so that they attempt to fly right in through the front picture window. I've heard them on several occasions. However, Kaylee finally found "evidence" yesterday. WARNING: IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH, DO NOT LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING PICTURE. For some inexplicable reason, my husband thought it was "cool" and had to take pictures. It's like living with an 8-year old boy sometimes.

The large smudge on the window is what it left behind on impact. It then bounced back on to my wicker table. Lovely. I hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Working Mothers of the World - Unite!

What a week. And it looks like the next one won't be much better. Cassidy was sick last week. Remember when I had to pick her up from her friend's because she had a temp? Well, she went to school Monday - no problem. She woke up Tuesday with a temperature, and seemed a little out of it. Like every good working mom, I told her to eat her breakfast and see how she felt later. Kaylee kept telling me it was the swine flu. I kept telling her Cassidy just had the sniffles and mind her own business. She finally threatened to call Children's Services on me if I sent Cass to school. So, Cass stayed home.

I got her in to the dr. in the afternoon. Once there, they registered her temp at 104 (I'm surprised they didn't call Children's Services). The dr. pretty much told me it was, indeed H1N1, without coming right out and telling me. He was trying to be very politically correct about the whole thing, since they aren't officially testing for the virus, so he can't actually call it H1N1. But, he basically looked at me like "you know what I'm really saying here." He came in the room with a face mask on for the exam. That'll get your attention pretty quick. After her exam he proceeded to get out a canister of disinfectant wipes and wipe down everything from his stethoscope to the pen he used to document her file. All the while discussing this "unknown" source of flu with me. It was very surreal. Kaylee gloated. Yes, she gloated when told that her sister really had swine flu. Siblings are great.

So, Wednesday I stayed home 1/2 day with her. Jeff was supposed to get off a little early, so I figured he'd be home not too long after I went to work at 12:30. No - he got off at his regular time. (Again, I'm just waiting for Children's Services to show up.) These are the days that a working mother loathes. My gosh, your child is home sick, but you have obligations and commitments at work....people counting on you and duites to fulfill. I HATE these days. I'm sure my mother is looking down from Heaven shaking her head.....she never was thrilled with the idea of me working after I had kids.

I was feeling a little punky myself. Not horrible, mind you - just headache and scratchy throat. But, I woke up Thursday with a very sore throat and throbbing head. Temperature only about 99.7. MAJOR lineup of activities I had to take care of at work that day, including an evening banquet to attend. What to do? Cassidy was actually feeling a little better. But, I took the advice of every public service commercial urging me to stay home if not feeling well, and called in sick to work. I very rarely call in sick to work and the guilt on this particular day would have been very painful if my condition hadn't allowed me to sleep through 3/4 of it. That was really as bad as it got for me - sleep. I'd wake up just long enough to think "wow, I've been asleep a long time, I should get up." Then, I'd roll over and go back to sleep. Cassidy even brought me drinks and took my temp!

Friday I just was a little tired and dizzy. I stayed home 1/2 day again. Cassidy had been without fever for over 24 hours, so could have possibly gone to school, but she had a bad headache, and I figured why push it on a Friday?

We were supposed to have about 10 or so girls over on Saturday for Cassidy's 10th birthday party. We had to postpone to give me an opportunity to disinfect the house. And that is what I did for the majority of the weekend - cleaning and laundry. Oh, and help Cass catch up on loads of homework.

Why do I give you this much detail? Why not just say we were a little under the weather last week and continue? Well, you have to appreciate it when I tell you that Whitney woke up today and just wasn't herself. I kept asking what was wrong, and she would just say, "I don't know, I'm just tired." I finally took her temp and got 100.5. That is when I knew it wasn't over yet. I urged her to take some Motrin. She said her stomach felt funny. I told her - oh, it's not the stomach flu, you will be fine. She then puked all over my kitchen floor. (After I had cleaned.) I don't know if it is the same flu or a different one. All I know is that I have to go to work tomorrow. This sucks.

Sending Hugs

Please say a prayer for this family. I found their blog through another blog I follow. I don't know either family. Someone suggested it to me one day, and from there I link to other blogs, etc., etc. Jeff thinks it is weird that I read about people I don't even know. For some reason though, I love learning about other people's lives. We really have more similarities than differences, and it is comforting to see that. However, this family has just suffered a major loss, and my heart aches for them. How do you reach out to someone you have never spoken to "in real life?" I'm sending hugs to them through prayers, though. Please do the same.

Fall is definitely here to stay. I am resisting the urge to run out and buy pumpkins and mums for our front porch. There is always something "more important" for our money to go toward. I know - that is no fun. I am pressuring Jeff to get some drywall and painting done in the basement, so we can move our old TV down there, so we can buy a new one for the family room upstairs. To him, these things take time - time to research televisions, read consumer reports, and visit every TV showroom in the tri-state area to find the best deal. To me, running to Wal-Mart and throwing one in the cart is sufficient. So, we have a difference of opinion here. Men really are from Mars sometimes.

Cassidy attended a mini cheer camp last week, and got to cheer pre-game at the home game on Friday night. It was pouring down rain. Not fun.

After she was done, we left the game and I took her to a friend's where she was spending the night. I got a call on Saturday morning that she was shivering and had a temperature. Hmmmm, maybe cheering in the freezing rain was not such a great idea? Mother-of-the-year award, here I come! She slept a lot yesterday, but her fever has broken and she seems to have perked up. She does have a nasty cough still. She has this week to get better because we are having her birthday party next weekend.

What can I say?

I think my blog is getting boring. This is why I stopped scrapbooking - every year started to look the same....back to school; Halloween; Christmas; sledding; last day of school; zoo trips; dance recital; birthdays. I don't feel like my life is that boring, but it is definitely challenging trying to make it sound interesting to anyone else! That is why I've been absent a lot - nothing new to say. So, here goes some more repetitive stuff.


Homecoming was last month. We had a parade/pep rally the Thursday before, which was the first time Van Wert has done it for years. It was a lot of fun, and I hope the tradition continues. Each class got to make a float. Here is the sophomore class float, which won! It would look more meaningful with kids on it, but Jeff took the pictures. He helped with some of the construction so to him, the actual float was more important.

Kaylee with her date (they are "just friends").

All of the girls and their gorgeous dresses.

Whitney has also had a couple of games.

Other than that, not much to blog about. It has definitely gotten cold too fast. We continue to do some home improvement projects. Jeff is building a shed (read: guest house). He has until the first snow to get it done because I insist on parking in the attached garage by then. I have NEVER gotten to park in an attached garage before...how sad is that? I'm trying my hand at dry wall patching - just because I want to get some stuff hung on the walls and don't want to wait until Jeff has time to do it. I figure it's just dry wall - I can't hurt it too bad. He may have a different opinion :).

Kids are doing well in school. We have had some of the typical high school drama to deal with, but I guess it comes with the territory.

Well, I have to get some housework done because Jeff and I are going bowling tonight. Have I ever mentioned that I hate bowling? How do I get talked in to these things?

Catch-Up

I'm getting so bad about posting what is going on, that I'm having to play catch-up. Of course, school started. It seems like we didn't even have a summer...although all of us getting ready in the mornings in a new house was different. Here are a couple of first-day pictures:

It was Kaylee's first day to drive to school, so I wanted to get a picture of her in the car. She wasn't cooperating...

Football also started. Guess who is on the 35-yard line during the pre-game (which just happens to be right in front of our seats)?

She was trying so hard NOT to look right at us!

We are also in the middle of the VW County fair. UGH! Why they start school before the fair is beyond me. School has already been canceled twice due to fog, so the kids are getting an extra-long fair break over Labor Day weekend. They love it.

Cassidy is adjusting to her new school. We moved her from St. Mary's this year. It was a hard decision, but we just felt it was in her best interest. She is in fourth, Whitney is in seventh, and Kaylee is a sophomore. Where does the time go?

I've been doing a little painting, and Jeff has been busy with some household repairs (washing machine leak....don't ask) and planning to build a shed. There is always some project taking our time (and money). Oh - and our van broke down at the mall last week, so that has only added to the adventure. Luckily, it was covered under our warranty, so that saved a few bucks.

I'm sure ther is more than that going on, but that is all my brain can process right now. Gotta go to bed. 'Night.

We're Here

Did I say we would be moving for the next two days? Make that two months. Or, as many people have told me - "don't expect to be completely settled in for at least a year." If I had only known....

Well, true to their word, we are in, but not 100% settled. We don't have much up on the walls yet, and there are still a few boxes around the house. (There are still A LOT of boxes in the garage, but that is Jeff's territory.) I've been busy doing some patching and painting. Remember that furniture shopping I wanted to do? We have furnished the family room, but not yet the living room. The TV is sitting on the floor in the family room. Eventually, it will go to the basement, but first we have to pick out a new one for upstairs. All in due time I guess.

The kids have been busy having friends over and enjoying the pool.

Whitney turned 13 in July! Oy - two teenagers in the house! Please keep us in your thoughts...

Oh, and Kaylee got her license yesterday. As I stated on Facebook - I think my life is about to get somewhat more simple, yet a lot more complicated. It is so great that she will be able to help out with some of the running - school, cheer practice, dance, etc. But....then again.....I guess it's a mom's job to worry.

Also - school starts next week. I can't believe how fast this summer went. Throw a move in to the summer, and there is absolutely no time for anything extra. We have done some school shopping, with more to come this week. I've had to squeeze it in at the last minute. Both Cassidy and Whitney want me to take pictures of their school shoes and post them - like I did last year. Apparently, that will be our tradition. No time for that tonight though. I have to prepare for the week ahead. I just wanted to get a quick update out here so my two readers wouldn't worry about us :).

Moving...

...for the next two days we will be moving to our new home. May be absent for awhile, until we settle in and get the computer hooked up again. Wish us luck!

Secret, secret...

...I've got a secret.

Okay, so it's not much of a secret anymore. Word is out, and it's true - we are MOVING!

Finally, after at least seven years (I'm not kidding) of looking, we have found a different house and are moving. None of us have really come to grips with it yet. We've been looking for so long, that it doesn't seem real. It is all going to sink in about two weeks from now, when we will be knee deep in boxes and trucks. (Not really looking forward to that part.)

We are totally PSYCHED! Finally, each kid gets their own room, and we will have a basement to "shove" the kids down to when they have friends over. I get to go furniture shopping, and TV shopping, and decor shopping! We are kind of in the process of packing, but that seems to be going slow. Could it be softball games every night? Hmmmmm.....

At the same time, we are a little (stress little) sad. There are a few things we will miss about our current home:

• My kitchen - Jeff and I designed our kitchen when we decided to completely remodel the dining/kitchen area. Jeff built the bar with glass blocks himself. Plus, I love my cabinets.


• Our porch - It is a really nice, old-fashioned porch for sitting and watching people.


• Neighbors - We actually felt a little guilty when we told our close neighbors about our upcoming move. I feel like we are abandoning them. :(


• Walking to the football games. Sure, now that I have double the games to go to, I have to wrestle with a parking spot.


• Walking to Rocky Top for ice cream, or the movie store for videos.


• Halloween - Our neighborhood totally rocks at Halloween. For some reason, people flock here. We may just have to come back for that occasion.

I won't get in to the things I won't miss about the house, but there are a few. Obviously, or we wouldn't have started looking. It has been a nice "starter home" and we have made a lot of upgrades to it over the years. It is the house we brought two of our babies home to - the only home they have known up to this point. That makes me a little melancholy. It will be fun to see them adapt to the new house. Whitney is my sentimental one, and I have a feeling she will spend quite a bit of time "missing" the old house. I keep telling everyone - we are taking the memories with us - we will never leave those behind. All of the kids have friends in the new neighborhood, so I think the transition will go smoothly overall.

I've promised softball photos, so here are a few. We've been a little preoccupied, so there aren't as many as there have been in the past.

Whitney plays for Convoy. Occasionally, she gets to pitch, which she really likes.

Cassidy plays for Ohio City. Don't ask how I managed to have two kids play for two different towns. Long story. She is trying her hand at catching this year. (She has also started to pitch.)

Oh, Whitney also got to ride a float in the Peony Parade, for Flip Tuck Gymnastics.

Our summer is shaping up to be quite an adventure!

Dance Recital 2009

It has taken me awhile to get these on here. Dance recital was a few weeks ago - just haven't had time to update. Here are some action pictures of the girls.

I can't believe Whitney got her 10-year trophy this year. She was pretty excited...it's almost as big as she is! (hehe)

As usual, they all got flowers after their performance. They were being a little silly while we were trying to get them to pose with their bouquets.

Whitney tried out for 7th grade cheerleading and made it. So, that means even MORE football games next year. Boy, those stadium chairs I bought last year are sure going to come in handy.

In other news....school is finally out! Whew! That is always a relief, although our summer is action-packed. Cassidy had an awards day the last day of school.

I'll try to get softball pictures on here soon. It has either been chilly at the games, or I have just plain old forgotten to bring the camera.

More exciting news to come, so stay tuned. Although most people already know by now (I'm starting to realize just how small of a town Van Wert is), I want to form my thoughts about how to post about our latest announcement......

Sweet 16

Kaylee turned 16 last Sunday. It was a pretty low-key celebration here. I feel bad. I'm sure every girl would like to have a big Sweet 16 party, but it just wasn't in the cards. We don't have the house for entertaining a bunch of teenagers. Maybe we'll do something special later in the year. We did have a few relatives over for cake.

She couldn't give me any good birthday ideas, so she got money. I know - how boring. Nope - no car. Again - just not going to happen yet. We still need to get some driving hours in before she can get her license. It's just hard to find the time to even do that right now. Once she has that, she will "share" with her dad, and we'll see how that goes.



She tried out for cheerleading this week, and made it. Another year of football games for us! We are excited for her. It was a lot of fun to watch her last year. I just hope that there is no accompanying drama...you know how teenagers can be. Sometimes I feel like I'm back in high school.

This weekend is the dance recital, which will take most of our time. Pictures to come soon.

Whitney and Cassidy have each started their softball seasons. I'll post about that after dance. One thing at a time!

HAPPY 16th KAYLEE!

Mother's Day - A little late

I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day. Mine was....well, not too bad. Cassidy was very sweet, and made me breakfast. She actually had me place my "order" the night before. I took her and Whitney to see the Hannah Montanna movie - just to get out of the house awhile. Other than that, I was totally lazy.

Today - May 12 - is the day that my own mother passed away twelve years ago. I last saw her on that Mother's Day in 1997, and she died the next day. So, Mother's Day, and today in particular, are bitter-sweet. It makes me stop and reflect on my childhood, my mom, and my kids. She would be very proud of them. I can't believe it has been twelve years. I was 28, Kaylee was about to turn 4, and Whitney was less than 10 months old. My mom never even met Cassidy - but I know she would have gotten a kick out of her! My dad passed away less than two years later - I had just found out I was pregnant with Cassidy.

Sorry - don't mean to be a downer!

We had a garage sale this past weekend. A relatively successful one! Got rid of a lot of junk, and made a little money to boot. Who can complain? Cassidy had another great soccer game. We are winding down with dance - with the recital taking place next weekend. Plus, Kaylee turns 16 this coming Sunday (the 17th). (She has not been able to give me any ideas for her birthday. Weird teenagers.) Whitney just had a band concert tonight. No pictures....it's too tough to get good lighting.

I'm sure there is more going on around here that I could get in to. But, it's late and I'm tired. Good night....

Where does the weekend go?

Busy is an understatement to describe our weekend. I was off of work on Friday to take Kaylee to the pediatric cardiologist in Lima. This was the check up that our family Dr. asked for after she fainted in February. As I suspected... everything is fine. He said these things just happen sometimes, especially during the teenage years. He was a little surprised that she has been having these for seven years already; but since they only happen about once a year, he didn't think it was worth medicating her for. He could have done a "tilt table" test to try to replicate her passing out, but that would have just resulted in medication, and he thought it was silly to medicate her all year when it only happens about once a year. Makes sense to me. If it continues to happen into adulthood, we might reconsider.

Saturday Whitney had a gymnastics "meet" here in town. It was really a kind of end of the year show so the parents could see what their kids had been working on all year. Since Whitney is on the team, she was asked to help and to exhibit for the parents the routines involved when you make it to team. I think she was just as nervous as if it had been a real meet. We couldn't make it to the whole thing, because Cassidy also had her first soccer game. We took the camera and camcorder, and by the time we left her game, the battery was dead in the camera, and we had run out of disc space in the camcorder, so couldn't get any of Whitney at her event. Sorry, Whit!

Here are a few shots of Cassidy's game, though. This is the first year that Upward has sponsored soccer, and she loved it. She has played indoor soccer for years, but was never a big fan of outdoor soccer...until now! She scored four goals!

Then I came home and cleaned house; went to the grocery; Jeff and Cassidy went to softball practice; Whitney and I walked over to look at prom decorations; went to the grocery store; made supper; and walked back over to watch "promenade."

Today Kaylee and Whitney had their last dance competition of the season - luckily, right her in VW at the PAC. Whew! After that, I cleaned the kids' closets and dressers to prepare for a garage sale we are planning for this coming weekend. I hope the weather cooperates.

Another busy week looms ahead. I guess I had better go start to prepare...

Bad Blogger

I can't believe what a bad blogger I have been lately. I haven't posted since St. Patrick's Day, and here it is, after Easter. I really don't mean to wait until holidays, it just works that way. I feel like I don't have much new to say I guess, so have avoided putting the "same old stuff" on here.

For instance, gymnastics finally ended. Whew! I know these pictures aren't great, but here are a couple more shots of Whitney's final meet:



She had a nice season, and is now moving on to other things....like softball. This year she is playing for Convoy. The past two years she has played for Ohio City. We switched for a few reasons, but mostly so she could play with her good friend, Saige. Cassidy decided not to play, so we figured Convoy is just about as close, so why not. Then, Cassidy changed her mind, and wanted to play. We have been happy with her experience in OC - so now, I have kids playing in two different cities. Not real bright on our part, but it will make summer interesting.

At Whitney's last meet, they had activities set up for the kids. Cassidy conquered the rock wall - easy and medium levels. She got mad at me when I wouldn't let her try the hard level. Cassidy is also getting ready for soccer. This kid never stops.

We have been busy with more remodeling/redecorating:



Here is a shot of our bedroom, after repainting. Finally! We had not painted it since moving in, and the prior owners apparently liked to decorate by painting cats...interesting. It looks soooo much better. Our room is huge, so it took forever. There are additional projects in the works, but we'll save those for a surprise!


Easter was fun. I don't have any good pictures of the kids decorating eggs. Kaylee's boyfriend came over to decorate with us, and I forgot to get any. (She wouldn't have let me anyway!) We then went to Bellefontaine (Kaylee drove) to visit my family. Here are some pics of the Easter egg hunt.

Lily

Sophie (and my sister, Terry)
Ethan

Okay, technically Ethan didn't hunt for eggs since he is only a few weeks old. Ethan and Sophie belong to my niece, Ali. Her husband is in Iraq. He left in February, and Ethan was born in March. He won't be back until December or January. I can't imagine my husband being in Iraq and me with two little ones - I don't know how she does it.

That is all I have time for right now. I have to see how Cassidy is doing (she came home sick from school today), and get my laundry out of the dryer. The excitement just never ends around here.