Tight Security

The Vacation Bible School that 6 of my kids are attending this week has an elaborate security pick up system. Each child's name is in a log book with a number. Each parent gets a laminated leaf with a corresponding number, color coded to their child and his team color. The log book also requires the team leader to put a check by the child's name when you come and show them your leaf. This is all quite complex and wonderful, but necessary? - I'm not convinced. It's almost the end of July, the kids have been home for almost two months now. I'm pretty sure that nobody in their right mind would be even remotely interested in stealing kids that didn't belong to them. These kids are hot, sweaty, whinny and tired by the time VBS lets out.....but there you are with your numbered leaf and you have to take at least your own home. I'm just not seeing an anti-kidnapping plot needed here.

Working on the Chain Gang

James has thrown out some big jobs for the kids this summer and they come with a big pay-off. He offered $100 to any kids who stick with each job through completion. The rules say that if you work for 99% of it and quit the day before it's done....no money-none-zip-zilch....you have to finish to collect any money.

The first job was moving a very very very large rock pile. 5 kids began the job. 1 kid quit because she had a kidney transplant (tough luck Grace) and 2 kids quit because "AnnaClaire was bossing them." So 2 kids collected $100.

The second job is filling in 5 very very very long ditches in the yard that were made when we put in the Geo-thermal heating system. 4 kids have started the job. So far, they've put up with the bossing, but the gnats are driving them crazy.
Well, driving the girls crazy - the boys are just ignoring them.
Here are the girl's very creative anti-gnat outfits. Scary.

Should You Be Doing That?

We are home from the hospital and Grace's recovery is going fantastic. She has a pile of medicine that she must take for the rest of her life to ensure that her body doesn't wake up and kick her new kidney to the curb. She's moving a little slow...but for Grace that takes on a different meaning than for most transplant patients.
Yesterday, 9 days from surgery, Grace rode a scooter around the driveway and fell out of the hammock in the back yard.
She's on to the next challenge!

Facebook Protest

I love Facebook as much as the next guy...or girl, but I'm seeing a sad side effect. Facebook is causing blog abandonment. It's easy to write a sentence and pop a picture up, but where's the real writing? Where's the deep inner thoughts and profound statements? I want more than a status update....I want to know people. Sure, you "just got home and you're tired and going to bed", but how do you feel about that and what amazing things did you do all day that made you that tired?
If you haven't written in your blog since June....I'm talking to you. I know you're on Facebook everyday. At least blog once a week.
Facebook is Hannah Montana.....I want CSI.
So go write in your blog.

Transplant !

As long as we've been waiting for the call, it came as a complete surprise. There was a kidney for Grace! Our celebration was saddened by the realization that a young man's life had ended for this gift to be given. Seven different children here at Children's Hospital received an organ transplant from his death and we are forever grateful that he checked the donor box on his driver's license.
We arrived at Children's Hospital at 5am as instructed, only to learn that her surgeon was on vacation in Florida. The earliest flight back had him landing at 7pm which delayed her transplant all day. But it was worth the wait!
Grace's new kidney is working...she's peeing like never before. Her pain level is very manageable and everything looks great.
Thank you for all the prayers and calls. We are awed to see God's hand in Grace's life once again.

Tired of Hanging Around

With summer well under way, I have come to realize that young boys like to do stuff. They don't really care so much what, as long as it involves movement, sound and a chance to be better than every other person in the universe. When I see just a wall, they see a challenge to climb faster than Spider Man and certainly quicker than all their brothers. With a group of boys here this large, things can happen.

Did I specifically say not to take the keys out of neighbor's parked riding lawn mowers?

If you take all your stuffed animals outside and hide them in your fort for a week, they will smell worse than zoo animals.

I never gave permission to have a yard sale and sell all their toys and buy their friends toys when their mom had no clue either.

I could go on and on.

I try to have lots of planned activities. We swim in the pool every sunny day, go to the park and take family walks, play games, etc. And all this doesn't seem to touch their need for doing stuff.

So for the next 3 weeks my boys will be doing the VBS tour. 3 different churches - lots of games and crafts...they'll be happy - not to mention me!

And if any of you are working in a VBS this summer, anywhere in the country, let me tell you something.....you might be the front line between mom's and their summer sanity!! So THANK YOU!!!!

Go David! and come back when you're done.

Our last two sons to reach adulthood have left our home in a rather undesirable manner. They caused much pain and sadness on their departure.

But yesterday was different- a reason to celebrate!

We drove David to the airport to head to Texas for Basic Training in the Air Force. He wants to follow in his father's footsteps and be an officer in the military.

I am sad to have him leave...but it's the right time. Just looking at the last family picture, he and I joked that he was "too big for the nest" and he remarked that he had stayed so long in the home oven that he was darker than the rest of the blue eyed kids.

With David gone, the house will be cleaner (much cleaner) and quieter and we can't wait till he returns!

Happy Independence Day

Splish Splash

Our summer has been going swimmingly....literally. We started off the season with a large number of boys sporting "swimmies" to stay afloat in the pool. They were bobbing every where you looked. But all that has changed! With just a few hours of instruction and aided by the all powerful male ego, they boys have shed their swimmies and are doing the real thing. We have diving board jumpers and touching the bottom and front flips and lots of good old swimming.
So our very large pile of swimmies is sitting untouched and I'm sitting poolside most days playing lifeguard.
Come over and keep me company!