July 8 update

It has been a LONG week - and feels much longer.

For starters - the whole family, aunts, uncles, cousins, best friends and more ... all decided to share a stomach bug last week which is still hanging onto a few of us this week. Not that it was that bad of a bug - take your pick of upper or lower problems. Those who suffered upper - recovered much quicker than than those suffering from the lower end. Lots of extra laundry. Lots of messes to clean up. And lots of sleeping through the day. I think Tim has escaped it so far....

Last week, Rhoda's church had a VBS - dressed a large chunk of the church up to look like ancient Rome and wore togas and everything. The kids LOVED it. Vannan loved visiting Paul in prison and hiding in the underground church when the guards came to capture them. We will be studying the Ancient Greeks, Romans, New Testament and Early Church during our next school year - so I thought this was a great opportunity to get them excited about their new History units. But this also ment VERY LATE NIGHTS. I stayed home - it was hot, but not as hot as riding in our car....

The car - oh the car. Once again the AC has given out. Tim was able to take it in yesterday and get it fixed - only to have it go out again today. Or maybe it's the computer part again ... the one that costs so much. We've got to have a bigger car to travel with LaRue though, since the trunk doesn't work, everything gets packed into the back seat (miserable way to travel) and there really isn't room for our big girls between us in the front seat. Car seats don't fit there either. And Tim really likes his elbow room.

They did get to see the fireworks Friday night - and some more with our church Sunday night. We had a BIG storm Sunday - knocked out the water pump at the well at the end of the road, so no electricity for 90 minutes or so, and no water for 3 or 4 hours.... meanwhile I was on my way downhill with the stomache bug - which I have NOT bounced back good afterwards.

Vannan turned 12 yesterday. Nothing exciting happening yet - but she has a Royal Princess Tea Party planned for July 18 - assuming she hands out the invitations. Grandpa and Grandma got her a horse scarf and a pink cowgirl baseball hat and a music book.

Tim and I passed our 19th anniversary yesterday too. Too hot to call it celebrating, which would also require us to be at the same location. He spent his day watching Micheal Jackson's funeral while waiting for the AC to be fixed on the car, then went to a job hunt support group in the evening. He did bring me some chocolate, chicken, and a pretty necklace and earring set when he came home. I spent the day trying to stay awake in the heat and manage all these kids. It was a VERY LONG DAY.

Our garden is producing a lot of tomatoes and cucumbers - a handful of peppers - and 1 Zucchini so far. A watermelon is about the size of a child's play ball. We hope we get lots more. I went out to look today, and found myself picking and popping cherry tomatoes right off of the vines. YUM. I don't know if we'll end up with much to put back. Next year we'll have to put the pots a LOT further apart.

Vannan has been posting the goats out front almost every morning. They've almost cleared my front yard of the weeds and poison ivy.

Ah yes, and a blog friend had twins yesterday for our anniversary. Keep them in your prayers - Kendra and Connor. They were early - a day shy of 32 weeks, but are doing fine for their age.