So my FIL David sent me an email asking for an update. Sorry about the lapse. I've been in busy mode with more than a dollup of self-pity added in. The kids are home from full-day school for the summer. The boys are to start half-day summer school tomorrow. They go to school for 3 wks, then off 2, back for 3, and off 2 more before full-day school resumes. So the kids have been home and bored senseless. I share the senseless part, but I haven't been too bored. For example, a quick summary of a day, let's do Friday.. Jacob decides that if he can't play in the water in the backyard, then the water park will just have to come inside. SO he floods the kitchen (by swiveling the faucet over the coutertops instead of the sink). While I'm cleaning that up, he floods the bathroom (by holding his hands immediately under the faucet and spraying water everywhere). While he's flooding the house away, Joshua, Rachael, and Abby are terrorizing the Home Depot man who's installing a screen door to the backyard. And can I just say that screen doors do little to nothing in terms of keeping out the bugs when you have kids purposely hold the door wide open to get a reaction out of you!! I've lost count of the number of times Abby has stood there with a demon grin on her face. Oh, and let's not even mention the caulk incident. I told Deren that, in looking back, I should have had warning bells going off in my head when the girls were intently watching the install man caulk around the new door. Let's just say that cault does not come out of clothes easily and that small amounts are apparently okay to ingest. But the new door is sturdy. Joshua tested it by giving the glass several jumps after the guy took it out of the box.

So after the caulk incident, I spent the better part of 2 hrs coaxing and nagging at the kids to eat. After giving the caulk girls a bath, I sent them to bed. Jacob then started back up with the water park theme - this time in his pants. The boy peed on himself for about a half hour straight. Every time he got dry pants on, there he went again.

So by then I was about 1 hr late nursing Daniel. I decided to check on the girls. They had gone through every (and I mean EVERY) drawer in the their room and dumped the clothes in one big pile on Rachael's bed. I told them to start cleaning - they laughed at me. By now the county psych ward was starting to sound pretty darn good.

And we're down to one car now - that's BIG, BIG on the pity party list. The van reeks of gas. It's had the problem off/on for 2 yrs, and it's getting worse. I went to drive it for a quick errand yesterday, and made it a couple blocks before my stomach was turning. We don't want the kids in it. So the alternative is, well, house arrest. No summer camps, no library ventures - we're stuck. So I'm thinking zoloft about right now.. I know I need to do SOMETHING because I've had a horrible attitude and Deren's in misery. Anyway, pray for wheels for us, if you're inclined.

BTW, on a non-whining note, here are some of the latest happenings:
1) Deren's parents visited over the Memorial Day weekend. In keeping with our holiday tradition, the kids were all sick. And their flight down here was cancelled and they ended up driving all the way. And the weather was cool and stormy. And I thought I was going to stop with this whiney business!!! I'll post some pics.

2) Mr Daniel is saying "ma ma." He IS a mommy's boy! He's such a cute sweetie pie! He's doing better with his baby food, but having problems with his, ahh, movements, shall we say. He's not sitting up yet. He's following after Jacob and Abby, and is showing low muscle tone (hypotonia).

Daniel and Abby are sick with a cold right now. And why is it called a "cold" when their temper is hot, their foreheads are hot, and it's 100+ heat index outside?! I'm thinking the boys will get sick in the next couple days, just in time for summer school (sigh)

..I'll post pics later. Daniel's wailing for the momma.