Happy New Year!

It's been awhile since I last wrote. Here's what's been going on in the Bentz household.

• I registered Allie for Kindergarten this week. We went to the District Office to drop off the forms and I turned to Allie and said, "That's it. You're now registered for Kindergarten!" Allie jumped up and down and said,"Hooray! Can I ride on the bus with Isaac tomorrow?" I told her, "Not yet. You have to finish preschool first and then you'll go to Kindergarten in the Fall."
• We are under a Wind Chill Warning from 6pm tonight (Wed.) through noon Friday. Area schools are expected to be cancelled. Tomorrow's high is minus 5 degrees and the wind chills are expected to be between 35 and 45 below zero. Even if school isn't cancelled, I'm keeping Isaac home!
• Isaac and I went to Cub Scouts last night. He decorated some lovely votive candleholders and colored a page that showed the Food Guide Pyramid. Afterwards we went to the library to get some books and videos to ward off any cabin fever we might get in the next few days.
• Last Friday we had friends over to watch our favorite TV show "Psych" and play a board game called Settlers of Catan, which I got for Christmas. We had a great time. The game went for an hour or two and we opened a bottle of wine which I got for Christmas from Dad and Diane. It was good red wine from Steuben County, IN, called 101 Lakes.
• Allie has her first eye doctor appointment coming up in a week or two. It's not required for addmission to Kindergarten, but they strongly recommend it. I'm curious to see what her vision is, because we're forever telling her to back away from the tv.
• Isaac seems to be doing well in school. He's reading at a 2nd grade level. I wish he enjoyed reading as much as I do. I can only get him to read the books he brings home for homework. Otherwise, he wants me to read to him. I bought him some chapter books recently to try to peak his interest. Some of them are simplified versions of books like "Treasure Island" and there's also a book about the history of chocolate, which he loved.
• I have an appoinment with my ear doctor in a few weeks to test my hearing and talk about whether I qualify for ear surgery yet. In case you forgot or didn't know, I have a dead bone in my ear that needs to be replaced when my hearing gets bad enough. Aside from temporary hearing loss from my headcold and allergies, I haven't noticed any dramatic hearing loss, so I'll be surprised if I qualify for surgery yet.
• I just finished cleaning the kids' toilet upstairs, a job I hate. Brock had an accident, which is rare and totally fine and understandable. There was pee on the floor and on the sides of the bowl, which I cleaned up. While I was there, I cleaned the toilet and the walls and floor around it because Isaac keeps missing the mark. I'm so glad I painted the walls with semi-gloss paint! Cleaning that toilet would be so much easier if he made the mark.
• I've enjoyed seeing my Mapes aunts and uncles and cousins on Facebook recently. If you don't know what Facebook is, it's a social networking website. I've been in better contact with them lately than I ever have been. What a blessing it's been to get to know my family all over again. Many of them live in the Fort Wayne area. Others live all over: Southern Indiana, San Diego, Seattle, Tucson, Ft. Sill, OK, Phoenix, and Arkansas. I've also been able to reconnect with old friends from high school and college who I thought I would never see again.
• I'm currently reading a large volume of short stories about the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as "Memoirs of a Mangy Lover" by Groucho Marx. It's not Groucho's best work; I far prefer his autobiography called "Groucho and Me," which I own a copy of and read it over and over again because it's so funny. Back to Sherlock Holmes. The stories are very interesting and often have plot twists. The stories take place in London in the late 1800's. If you know me, you know that I love English literature before 1900. They have a way of writing with such wordy conciseness (an oxymoron, I know) and they sometimes use big words that stretch one's vocabularly. Perhaps later this year I'll look into Charles Dickens' books too.
• Time to go read to Brock and Allie before naptime. Brock usually sleeps from 2 to 3:30. Allie usually stays up and plays quietly. Today, I may have her take a nap because she's been such a grouch. Wish me luck! :)

Isaac's First Grade Picture, 2008

A handsome young man! He got new frames last month. They're more expensive, durable (I hope) and have a two-year warranty. I'm hoping he gets two years out of them, but he's growing fast! You might have noticed his new teeth and lack of same. :) Soon his smile will make him look even older than he already does.

More later, I hope. We're in the middle of a crazy busy week. It's all such a blur I have to look at the calendar to remember what I did yesterday. :) Now it's 7:30 am and time to feed the kids and then put Isaac on the bus!

What we've been up to lately

Hello everyone!

It's been awhile since I posted but it's been a busy last couple of weeks. Our InterVarsity intern and 3-month houseguest Sarah moved in with us last weekend. It's been a joy getting to know her and finding out that we both like musicals and like to randomly burst into song! Yeah! She likes kids, has an easygoing personality, is physically active, and seems like a good fit for our family. Tomorrow morning she's running in a 5K race and Sunday she's going to Chicago to watch a baseball game with the other interns. Tonight the five of us enjoyed pizza, Crazy Bread, fresh pineapple, and a board game. Allie quit before it was over, which is typical!

Isaac graduated from Kindergarten today. (There are still 6 1/2 school days left.) Shane and I went and heard his class sing a few songs. One was a tearjerker and yes, I cried. Shane videotaped the program. If I ever figure out how to get it on the computer, I'll put it on here so you can watch it. I also cried when it was Isaac's turn to get his diploma. This school year went so fast!

Tomorrow I go to cooking club all day. That's the club I'm in where I get together with 3 friends and we each take home 30 meals (that's 120 total divided between the four of us). We buy all the ingredients in bulk beforehand and split the cost. It usually comes to about $200 for those 30 meals. (Three each of 10 different recipes.) It's grueling but rewarding. We also have a lot of prepwork beforehand. This time I was assigned to cook and cube 9 lbs. of chicken, cut 6 lbs. of raw chicken into strips, pick up 36 steaks from the butcher and make room for them in my fridge, which is already full from storing 48 lbs. of chicken breasts. It's funny when you open our fridge because every square inch of space inside is packed! It's a minor inconvienence for all the easy freezer meals we'll get!

It's been an exhausting last couple of weeks and I'll be glad when it's Sunday and I have nothing pressing to do. A real Sabbath for me! What a concept! The weather is supposed to be nice and in the 70's this weekend and then it's supposed to rain a lot next week. Which reminds me, Isaac's first T-ball/Little League game is Tuesday. He's on the roster for playing catcher and pitcher. The last couple of practices haven't been as fun for him. Please pray for him not to be discouraged but that he would learn how to play and be part of a team and most of all, have fun in the process. Shane and I want this to be a positive learning experience for him.

That's all for now. Time for me to finish the dishes and then turn in early. Hello to our Indiana family! Hope you all are well! Keep in touch!

Isaac Starts T-Ball

Don't tell Cindy, but I'm hi-jacking her blog. :)

I wanted to tell you that Isaac is really excited to be on a T-Ball team this year. He has never actually participated in baseball, softball, kickball, or anything much like that, so he has a bit of learning to do, but really wants to. Most of his team appear to be older and more experienced in baseball so I am hopeful he maintains a sense of learning and fun throughout this.

I haven't seen a lot of T-Ball games in my life, but those that I have seen tend to look more like a large group of baby carnivores all chasing after the one limping next meal -- very fun. My favorite part of T-Ball games was nominating myself to be the commentator from the bleachers. The other parents seemed to enjoy my play-by-play calls of the action on the field.

T-Ball has come a long way. The kids seem older, more experienced, and the practices so far give the impression that the games will be played more like little league games than T-Ball. The first practice was this past Tuesday and part of it involved how to perform a double-play. I am hopeful that its purpose was mostly to introduce the kids to structured teamwork.

Back to school, back to health, back to normal

It was so good to send Isaac back to school today. I'm sure his friends will be glad to see him and he them. He's on his second day of antibiotics. He never had a fever that I noticed yesterday. He said he was tired this morning so I hope he does ok. If he's still tired after school I'll have him lie down for a while. Thank goodness it's Friday! Tomorrow Shane and Isaac are going to Walking with Dinosaurs at the coliseum. We got him tickets for his birthday back in March. He's very excited.

While the guys are at the show, Allie and I are going to the free zoo in Madison. Afterwards we'll all meet up and have dinner at Culver's. At first Allie was disappointed to miss the dinosaur show, but when we talked about what we would do with our mother daughter time, she got very excited about the possible places we could go and things we could do. We also explained that Isaac got fewer birthday presents because of the cost of tickets, and so she decided that on her birthday she'd rather have toys than see a show. :)

It feels so good to get back to normal!

Allie's ears

I was surprised to hear this afternoon that Allie has a double ear infection. She only complained of pain in one ear just this morning. She's now on an antibiotic and pain reliever.

The doctor said it's ok for Isaac to go back to school tomorrow. He's excited. I'm so relieved! It's been a long time!

Both kids are doing fine and enjoying each other's company these many days. Although I think they're starting to need a break from each other because they've been arguing a bit more than usual.

Sinus Infection

It's looking more like a sinus infection that Isaac has. His nose is getting runnier and there is more dried green mucus around his nose. (Sorry if you're grossed out by the details.) He started taking an antibiotic this morning. I made doctor appointments for both kids this afternoon. I had to make one for Allie because she has an earache, so I figured I might as well bring Isaac in, too, even though she already prescribed an antibiotic for him. I wanted to get him started on the antibiotic this morning so that he could go back to school tomorrow -- as long as his fever doesn't make another appearance this afternoon.

Day 10

I feel like I'm repeating myself. Today was just like yesterday. No fever in the morning, then his temp was 100.1 at 5:30pm. Why did it have to return after the pediatrician's office closed? Now I'll have to wait until tomorrow to take him back in. I don't feel like he's sick enough to go to Urgent Care tonight.

It just so happens that I have our pediatrician's email address since I've known her from the women's Bible study at church a few years ago. I emailed her just now and explained the situation. With any luck I'll hear back from her tonight. There's a chance it could be a sinus infection and if she's willing, maybe she can phone in a prescription tonight. We'll see.

Fever, again. Day 9 of this loooong virus.

Isaac's fever is back this afternoon. I've noticed that's when it usually spikes. He'll be staying home again tomorrow, and the boys I was supposed to babysit are going to Molly's. (Thank you, Molly!!) Sadly, Isaac's field trip to a farm is tomorrow and he's going to miss it.

Tomorrow will be day 10 of this virus. Sigh.

Isaac's Doctor Appointment

Isaac hasn't had a fever this morning, which is good. The pediatrician said that it's probably a virus -- it could be influenza or it could be a virus that is turning into a bacterial infection. So, we're going to wait it out and see if he gets a sinus infection or something. His lungs, throat, ears, nose all look good.

Once again, it was a good thing I kept him home today because he has a spot of impetigo under his nose. It's highly contagious until he's been on an antibiotic ointment for 24 hours.

Thanks for your prayers for Isaac's health. His fever being normal most of the time is a good thing. It means he's getting better. If he stays fever free for the rest of the day he can go to school tomorrow.

I'm so frustrated!

Isaac's fever seemed to break yesterday and so I sent him back to school today. This afternoon his fever is back again at 100.3. It's been 8 days! I called the doctor and made an appointment for tomorrow morning at 10. If he gets worse tonight I'll take him to Urgent Care, but I don't think he will. I look forward to getting some answers tomorrow!

I felt so bad telling Brock's mom that she should make other arrangements for tomorrow. She wasn't sure where to take him. Hopefully one of our mutual friends can take him. I'd hate for Brock to get whatever it is that Isaac has.

It's been frustrating. Last week, Isaac missed four days of school and I missed four days of supplemental income via babysitting. We've been housebound except for a trip to the doctor and some errands on Saturday. It's so hard to have cabin fever when a dozen neighborhood kids are playing outside and you can't join them. I almost cried this afternoon.

He seems ok at the moment, although tired. Right now he's sitting on the couch wrapped up in a blanket and eating a popcicle. I just want my son healthy again. I'll post again tomorrow after the appointment. Please pray we would get some answers and that Isaac would get over this soon!

Isaac's fever is back

I'm glad I kept him home from school again today. Even though his temp was normal at 8:30am, it has now spiked back up to 103.1 as of 2:30pm. I see why they say to wait until he's fever-free for 24 hours before sending him back to school.

So now, we're sitting in the kitchen eating orange sherbet and watching PBS kids on tv. Isaac's been lying on the couch all day, poor kid. He doesn't seem to miss school much but I think it's because he's enjoying being home with just me and Allie, and having me baby him as I tuck blankets around him and bring him drinks and cuddle with him.

What's New

Some of you faithful readers have been waiting a while for another post. I apologize. Spring has sprung in Southern Wisconsin and we have been spending less time indoors. Here's a rundown of what's new in the Bentz household.

• Isaac's left tooth has finally broken through the gum. It's been awhile since he's had any teeth up there! The right tooth may take a little longer due to nerve damage that happened when he nearly knocked it out two years ago.


• We're going to have an InterVarsity intern live with us for 3 months over the summer. Her name is Sarah. She's from Virginia. We spoke over the phone and we really hit it off. I'm looking forward to meeting her in person. The rent we'll receive from her staying with us will help offset the loss of my babysitting income over the summer. Shane and I are thinking of putting her in one of the kids' rooms and moving the kids into the same room while she's here. We could put her in the roomy bonus room, but it gets very hot in the summer. However, that would probably be the best place for her if we get an air conditioner.


• Shane is building a huge shelf for our storage room in the basement. It's going to be a much nicer place to store all of our Sam's club buys. We always have plenty of paper towels, toilet paper, canned veggies and fruit, cereal, napkins, and whatnot.


• Shane's Mom and Bill came up and stayed with us last week. It was a lovely visit and we hated to see them go. The next morning at breakfast, Allie asked me, "Are Grandma and Papa coming over today?"
• Shane has two days of meetings coming up on Monday and Tuesday and will be working about 12 hours those two days. Please pray for God's will to be done as big decisions are being made that may affect him.
• Have you noticed the poll in the right-hand margin asking you to vote on whether I keep my gray hair? Well, I finally decided to color it dark brown. It was too dark at first but now it's showing some "natural" highlights. The salt and pepper look is not for me. Maybe in a few years when I have more gray, I'll let it go au naturelle. For now, I'm going to have to be chained to the coloring bottle.
• I'm still doing exercise classes at the gym. I'm not losing any weight but at least I'm gaining muscle and building endurance. If only I could break my love affair with sweets, I might get somewhere!
• Shane bought a big HD tv recently. It's for the basement when we get it finished. For now, it's on our dresser. I love sitting on our bed folding laundry with the tv on.
• I have one more Stampin' Up! workshop to do next month, and then I'm retiring. I'll keep selling Stampin' Up! products for anyone who wants to place an order, but no more workshops for me. As long as I still sell $300 a quarter to meet my sales quota, I'll keep my active status. For right now, I'll be able to place orders through the end of the year. After that, I don't yet know.
• I got a laptop for my birthday last week. It's been nice to take it all over the house and even outside while the kids are playing. No more wondering what the kids are up to downstairs while I'm using the computer. Now I can go where they go. It's pretty sweet! Thank you, Bill, Kay, and Shane!
• Allison is doing a great job writing her name and is showing more of an interest in words. She likes to put a bunch of letter magnets together and ask me, "Mom, what does this spell?"
• I signed the kids up for a slew of summer school classes in July. Both kids will take swim class at the Oregon Pool. Allison will also take a pre-Kindergarten class for 4-year-olds. Isaac has an earth science class and a math game class. Isaac will also be in t-ball. He's excited about it. I can't wait to take some home video of one of his games! By the way, summer school here in Oregon is nothing like the remedial bore that I had to endure as a kid. It's very popular here, and classes fill up in minutes. Our school system has a lot to offer and I'm so glad we're in it!
• Shane and I went out to dinner for my birthday. That morning I had a restaurant in mind but I couldn't remember the name of it. So I searched online and made reservations and that night we went there. Only it wasn't the restaurant I thought it was. On the way, we actually passed the restaurant I had in mind but couldn't remember the name of. But we decided to check the other place out. It turned out to be a super fancy place. We just about died when we saw the prices on the menu. The average dinner was $50. That's just for one person. I was like, my birthday isn't worth this much! So we made up an excuse to the hostess and left. We went to the other place and was told that the wait was 45 minutes! Yikes! We called the sitter to let her know we might be late and we even debated going to yet another restaurant, but everything turned out ok because we were seated after only 20 minutes. It was a delicious Italian meal. I never had spinach fettucine noodles before, and now I'm hooked. Yum.
• Our dear friends Nathan and Kelli and their one-year-old son Eli are coming over for brunch tomorrow morning, so I'd better hit the hay or I'm going to be toast in the morning! Ha ha! Later!

Influenza

Wow...Where have the last few weeks gone? Shane and I got over our cold viruses a couple of weeks ago that was probably influenza. The kids and I got our flu shots but apparently, it was the wrong strain and we ended up getting it anyway. Fooey.

Allison has had influenza this week along with impetigo, a very contagious but small rash near her mouth. She missed school this week and I missed three and a half days of babysitting (as well as the income I would've gotten from it). Oh, well. C'est la vie! (That's life!) She's doing much better now, but earlier in the week she had some awful coughing fits that went on and on as well as a fever that went up and down. The influenza really seemed to wreak havoc with her lungs. Shane and I took turns rocking her at night. She tested negative for strep. Now she's on two inhalers for coughing, children's Motrin for fever, an antibiotic ointment for impetigo, and a children's decongestant and antihistamine. It's been a long week and I myself am ready for my afternoon nap. (I put both kids down for naps at the same time. I actually nap with Allison in my bed, while Brock naps in hers.) Taking care of a sick child for a few days has left me a little run down. I can't tell you how many times she coughed in my face when I rocked her half asleep. My throat feels a little swollen and I feel tired. Hopefully, that'll be the extent of it, because I think I already had influenza this year.

Isaac has stayed healthy this week. He's been doing well in school, although he and a few friends got in trouble for goofing off in the bathroom this week and missed a whole day's recesses. He still enjoys his schoolwork, playing games of all sorts, collecting quarters, watching the Discovery Channel, and counting the days until his birthday (nine days). He's especially excited about his birthday falling on Easter this year, March 23rd. I think he's imagining a sugar heaven of birthday cake, ice cream, jellybeans and chocolate bunnies. He'll be six years old. I'm not throwing another big party for him this year, so we'll probably go to Chuck E. Cheese's as a family.

Take care, everyone, and if it's been awhile since I heard from you, please drop me a line! I'd love to hear from you!

Isaac's cute writing and more snow...

Isaac brought this home from school recently. It says, "I can kook (cook). I can red (read). I can slep (sleep). It just makes me smile.

We're getting another major ice and snow storm today. Shane found 1/4 inch of ice on our driveway this morning. Now we're getting something like 5 to 14 inches on top of the ice and on top of the snow that's already on the ground from the last snowstorm just a few days ago. Oy! Driving has been a challenge for me in our sedan. I can hardly see around the snowbanks at intersections. With this additional snowfall, it's going to be even more difficult.

Church is cancelled today, so we're staying put. I made chili for lunch. It seemed like the perfect comfort food when you're snowed in. It doesn't do much for the cabin fever we're all experiencing, though. So... Shane and I are thinking of taking the kids to an indoor waterpark in the Wisconsin Dells, which is about an hour from here. Isaac is off of school on Friday and I don't have to babysit, so Lord willing, that's when we'd go.

I'll take some outside pictures when the snowstorm is over so you can see what it's like up here in Winter Wonderland.

Asperger's Update

I had a great conversation with the school psychologist today about Isaac's behavioral issues. It turns out that she hadn't ruled out Asperger's but that it had been a concern to watch out for "down the road." I'm so glad I talked to her. She answered a lot of my questions. The best part is that she's going to meet with Isaac for half and hour every week to work on appropriate social responses and reading social cues. I'm so hopeful and grateful. She's also supportive of my taking Isaac to a child psychologist (in addition to her) if his pediatrician recommends it. Our appointment with Isaac's pediatrician is on Tuesday.

Also, many thanks to C. L. for sharing with me her experiences with her son's Asperger's and helpful insights she's gleaned! I have a lot to learn but already I feel so much better informed. Asperger's Syndrome doesn't sound so horrible after all. :)

I'm wondering again... Is it Asperger's?

Two things are weighing on my heart tonight.

Firstly, I watched a home video tonight with my mom in it and seeing her smile again brought me to tears. She was looking right at the camera and smiling so peacefully. I turned to my kids and said, "See, that's your Grandma Truex...she's my mom. I haven't seen her since before you were born and that makes me sad." (It's been about seven years.)

Secondly, I read this article about Asperger's Syndrome at http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/OnCall/story?id=4133184&page=1. This paragraph gave me a jolt when I realized they could be describing Isaac:

"Asperger's syndrome is just one disorder in the autism family, resulting in extreme social awkwardness. But unlike many autistic people, those with the disorder can maintain relationships with people, including marriage, and hold down jobs, according to Chapman. Despite this, patients often have a hard time detecting emotional subtleties and social cues that the average person takes for granted."

Omigosh. I think that might be Isaac's problem. Our pediatrician suggested he might have it when I took him in for his 3rd year physical. I had Isaac evaluated through the Oregon school system and he was found to have some delays, and Asperger's was ruled out. Now that these instances of bullying have happened to my son, I'm wondering if they're picking on him because he's different. Is he different because of...Asperger's? I've been saying over and over again how socially awkward he is and that he has always had a problem reading social cues... I guess my next steps would be to call the school psychologist again and discuss it with her. I can also call the child psychologist our pediatrician recommended a few years ago. I never took Isaac to see her because she had a nine-month waiting list. Now I'm thinking it would be worth the wait to get a second opinion and some answers to Isaac's behavior issues. I'll keep you updated. However, it may be awhile if there's still a long waiting list.

So, I'm feeling a little depressed right now because of the bullying, wondering about Asperger's, and missing my mom. (I don't miss her smothering me, though! She was the queen of over-protective mothers.) But underneath it all, I feel happy. I enjoy being home during the day and babysitting, spending the evenings with Shane in the family room, reading my European history books whenever I can -- sometimes by the fireplace, or in bed, or in a bubble bath, or at the gym while I work out. Shane and I have a new favorite show we enjoy watching together ("Psych" on the USA network).

I'd like to end this depressing post with a prayer: Lord, help me to be a good mother to my children especially when they need me most. Help me to make wise decisions regarding Isaac's instruction and care. Thank you for Shane and the man you made him to be -- patient, personable, insightful, charming. Shane was an awkward diamond in the rough when he was a kid, being teased and taunted because of his cleft lip. You redeemed that boy; you made him a man of Godly character who is slow to judge and quick to give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Father God, I pray that in the same way, you'd shape Isaac into a Godly young man, and instill in him all the Fruits of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control, and gentleness. Let my son never doubt his intrinsic worth; may he be confident in You. May You be his Ever-Present Defender. Forgive me for worrying, help me to trust You fully, and guide my steps. Amen.

Isaac Bullied at School Yesterday

I don't have much time right now, but I've been wanting to post this all day, so here goes. Hopefully, it'll be short and sweet and I'll have plenty of time to grab a shower and make dinner.

Isaac was bullied yesterday during the last recess by two boys, Zach and Evan (Kindergarteners from another class). They pushed him down, tackled him, and punched in the arm twice and made him cry. This is not the first time these boys have bullied him. The last time, they lost their recess privileges and had to earn them back. Anyway, as soon as Isaac told me about it last night, I emailed his teacher who forwarded it to Mr. Johnson, the Assistant Principal. Mr. Johnson called me this morning to assure me that it's a high priority to make school "a safe place" for Isaac and that he would talk to everyone involved today.

Mr. Johnson called me again this afternoon and said that the boys have written letters of apology to Isaac and that they will be disciplined. He couldn't go into what the discipline was, but on Monday he's going to meet with the three boys during recess and do a structured activity with them. I look forward to knowing what that is. Please pray that Isaac would be Christ-like: especially loving, forgiving, and gracious, and that Zach and Evan would learn compassion and the appropriate way to play, and that all three boys would learn a positive lesson from this. I don't know what the boys' home lives are like, but I pray that they would receive the love and attention and direction they need from the adults who care for them. In addition, please pray for Isaac to learn to love his enemies and to pray for them. What an opportunity for an object lesson this provides for Isaac. Still, it breaks my heart to know that he was mistreated. But I'm happy to say that I have a lot of confidence in the staff at school and I am impressed at how quickly this was handled and that my concerns have been heard and measures have been put in place. As for the long term, however, it remains to be seen whether those measures will be successful. I'll update my blog later when I find out more information. Thanks for your prayers.

No Front Teeth!

Isaac lost his 4th tooth just now. Check out his adorable toothless grin! His smile will sure look different when his permanent teeth come in. (Click on a picture to see him better.)

Kids in the Pool

We've had hot weather this week in Southcentral Wisconsin. Temps in the high '80's. All three kids, Isaac, Allison, and Brock (read below for his introduction) enjoyed the pool for about 30 minutes today. They were good and worn out for naptime.

The bugs have been terrible around here. The moment you step outside, you get a dozen mosquitoes, grasshoppers, and bees swirling around your head. The spiders must be having a field day with so much to eat. The grasshoppers are the size of my little finger. I can hardly stand to take the kids outside at the moment. I wonder how long it will be until it frosts...a month? Right now our overnight temps are in the 50's. I'm SO ready for Fall! A small number of trees are already showing some color at the very tops. Mmmm... I can almost smell that Fall air already.

We had a cricket on our carpet last night. It was almost funny watching Shane attempt to swat it. If you've ever tried to use a flyswatter on carpet, you'll know what I mean. It wasn't working. He swats, it jumps; he swats, it jumps; etc, for five minutes. Looking back, it was funny, but at the time, I was really squeamish. To me, crickets are worse than spiders. They kinda look like spiders, but they jump unpredictably. That freaks me out.