Come on, baby! Let's do the Twist!

Well - it has been hectic as usual around here. Let's see - Beth's daughter Helen was diagnosed with Swine flu. Beth was taking care of Helen so we rearranged things so that Devon would watch the kids till everyone was feeling up to par. Both Beth and Helen had the swine flue before everything was said and done. The ladies are back to normal health and the kids are back to spending their days with Aunt Beth.

Jack is still desperate to go to my work. He cries himself to sleep at night because he wants me to take him to my work. (I haven't been able to take Jack with me because I have been in rehearsals.) I have promised him that once the show is open I will take him on Saturdays - and of course after the show we will go upstairs to play with the Thomas table. I'm not sure how this is going to go over though - I think the show is going to be too scary for him. He refuses to believe me. AND the toy store got rid of the Thomas turn table.

Wy is into hair. He is constantly asking if he can pet my hair. He asks me to pet his hair. Some nights he can't even fall asleep unless I am touching his hair.

Connie joined Daisy Troop 3010 this week. At their next meeting, the girls are supposed to talk about ways to help save the planet. Connie was stumped over how she could help the planet until we reminded her that we recycle. That got her very excited.

Abby has a walking program that she is supposed to participate in for school. It counts as 2% of her grade each semester so we are heading out for a 1/2 mile walk after dinner each night. I am worried about being out so late once the weather begins to change. Maybe we can move it up a titch and do the walk before dinner? We'll see how it all shakes out.

Jess is very busy in Omaha. She says she enjoys her classes and is surprised by the fact that English is her favorite class. They were supposed to begin reading Romeo and Juliet the other week. I gave her the helpful hint of reading it out loud to herself. I can read and read Shakespeare until I am blue in the face, but if I don't read it out loud I have NO idea what in the world he is saying. I told her you look and sound like a crazy person - so be sure to hide in a closet! She had a very bumpy start her first week, but I think things are smoothing out.

She had a terrifying incident this past Sunday; she and Maggie (one of the daughters of the family she lives with) went to the park. A car pulled up and out jumped a handful of adult men who grabbed a teenage boy and began beating him with guns. The girls ran across the park to join another woman and her kids. Jess dialed 911 but hung up because she didn't want the men to see her talking on the phone. She and Maggie ran home. Someone called the cops. From what we have been told, the cops caught the fellas who beat up the boy, but we don't know how the boy is doing. Please say a few prayers for him, the children who witnessed this violence and though part of me doesn't want to - we should also offer up a prayer for the men who hurt that boy.

Speaking of violence; I took a self defense class the other weekend and am determined that the women I love participate in the next class. I feel much more confident about avoiding or getting out of a threatening situation. And I have already made some changes - I make sure I have my keys in my hands before I exit a store. I no longer put my keys on the hood of the car as I buckle the kids in just so I can keep them handy. If it is just me going to my car - I only unlock the driver's side door instead of all of them. So ladies - when the instructor lets me know of the next class - I'm going to strongly urge you all to go with me, because nothing is more important than each of us coming home safely at night.

Finally - we have begun to implement a big chore chart with assignments for everyone large and small. We have also added a weekly family night to the mayhem. I thought you would enjoy a few snapshots from our night of fun. We introduced Twister to our Family night festivities. Don't let Grandma fool you - she is the silly old lady who brought the game home from the store. Well, it looks like Abby is have a great time.

Somehow I got dragged into this foolishness. The kids thought this was hysterical. John refused all attempts at being dragged into the mayhem. My father simply ignored everything and pretended he was alone in the room. Gammy gave in and you can see where that got her...

Well friends - you tell me: is the party over or is it just getting started when you dogpile your grandma?

For a few more shots of the Twister insanity - visit our shutterfly account - the link is on my sidebar...

OK - hopefully it won't be so long before I catch up with you again. Much love and many blessings. Love.
Amy and the gang.