Screech!!!!

It's funny how life is cruising along, and then then a wee little virus crashes into it and how it comes to a screeching halt. Van was on call last week, so the kids and I gotoutta Dodge and went to Houston to see my sister and her family. We visited the zoo (baby giraffe!, baby elephant!), the health museum (completely facinating)and found Takara-So, my first apartment. It is Japanese-style and in a very diverse neighborhood ethnically and culturally. Van moved in after we got married and he graduated from A&M. We had so many fun memories there, but for some reason, the only one I could think of to tell the kids is when I got flashed by a jogger. I'm not sure why I told them that story.

The kiddos really enjoyed each other's company. Cousins are the best, you know. We just could not let the party end, so the six children and I headed for Utopia to meet my parents. They had been in Ft. Davis outfitting their cabin with cabinets and plumbing. Carly (9) had her first drive on the riding lawn mower. It is a right of passage in our family. I don't think that Zane wore shoes the whole time. He had a pink pair that he could have borrowed from his cousin, but I think that if I duct-taped some to his feet, he would still find a way to lose them. Daniel (12) fixed my telephone photo problems. Rootbeer floats were a big hit. Avi charmed Papa, and she got to take a stuffed animal with her on the lawn mower ride. I attended the senior citizens' rummage sale and got teased by my mutual garage-sale-loving friend that I made the trip every year for it. Scored two giant paintings (if not for the paintings for the frames) that I promptly hid in my parent's closet as to not put my husband in shock. Huffed and puffed and loaded the car, put my emotional children in it, and headed towards Waco. We whirlwinded into HEB, and met our babysitter at our house where she helped unload groceries. I met Van a few houses down the way where we escaped for a date night. We ended up on the porch of our new property, admiring the rock work. We ended up choosing white flagstone. I teased Van that we spent two years looking at the menu at Baskin Robins, and he picked vanilla, and he agreed. It sure is pretty, though, and we are thankful.

All Wehmeyers left early Saturday morning to help host a life group facilitator retreat in Lampasas. It was really fun, and I got to do the funnest with the kids with a story and craft while the facilitators did the dull, adult stuff. My kids were, of course, the least cooperative, but it still went well. We used river rocks from Utopia that the cousins collected to be honeybees to "bee prayerful" but by the time we had finished the story (Paul and Silas in prison) and done the craft, I forgot to pray with them. Ugh. They swam until they were a nice pink glow, and the owners of the home that we were borrowing were so generous in their grandparentness. We are really excited about life groups at church this year and are hopeful that the retreat was a bit of a re-charge for our dedicated facilitators.

Then, we were pooped on Sunday. Got sick on Monday. Stayed home the last two days. Ugh. I feel pretty good, but my breathing is bad. Avi is about finished up with her junk, but Zane is still gooey. My favorite quote so far is "Hey, guys! We get to make bologna sandwiches!" We had made a trip to Walgreens to "grocery shop" and bought bologna. He assembled the sandwiches for his siblings, and they brought them into the living room to watch Scooby Doo. Motherhood at its best. I have to go to Dallas on Friday, so I'm making myself stay on the couch so no one (my husband) doesn't send me to the doctor before that. Therefore, I've asked him to do even more extras and he smells the most alluring than he ever has--the smell of dishwashing soap. I'm thankful for a good one.

Cade has been healthy and has been a big help in many ways. He's ready for school, though! He's been very encouraging about school to his little brother. "You get to learn to read! You get to watch Magic School Bus!" He keeps telling him that he will have to get immunizations, though, which may actually be true, so that's not very helpful! Avi spends her day as a librarian with a legal pad, 2 pens, markers, and sometimes scissors. She is also seen at the end of the day covered in markers and her hair is sometimes shorter. Its a tough balance because she NEEDS these items to be a librarian. She occasionally asks us to check out a book and has many rules about how to do this, and she typically charges $10 a book. I've also seen her play drive-thru with her baby doll. "I would like a big sandwich and a little sandwich. $10? I only have $3. Okay." and she passes the sandwich to her baby who gets held in the front seat. Hmmmmm.... Zane is into sneaking fresh batteries into his toys. He has to sneak to the locked tool closet, find a screwdriver, pop it open, sheepishly approach me with it all behind his back because I'm in the way of the batteries under the sink and finally fess up that he needs new batteries. I unlock the stash, hand him the goods, and watch him emerge from his room loaded perfectly. Maybe he is ready for kindergarten after all. I can't keep up with that!