updates...

Matthew is the craziest kid. He started throwing his binky at me in January and won't take one anymore. He has adopted his sister's philosophy that thumbs are the only way to go. Even when he is so congested that he breathes out of his mouth, his thumb is still in there, while sounding like Darth Vadar. Marlies, this kid should be your favorite. Anyway, Matthew has a reputation in Nursery on Sundays. Every week I come in to do the singing time with the Nursery kiddos. A few weeks ago there was some new kid named...brace yourself...Cloud (it's a boy) whimpering from a leader's lap. I started singing, figuring that it's pretty normal for the new kids in Nursery to be upset because they are away from their parents. Well...This was a different kind of circumstance. Matthew has evidently been chasing the kid with long hair around trying to hold his hair in one hand and suck his thumb in the other. It is usually well tolerated by the kiddos because he's pretty gentle. Not so with little Cloud. Our own Chunky Monkey can cause this kid to shower (remember that he's a cloud) by chasing after him and then drooling all over him. Fellow Cousins, be prepared. Awesome.

Claire is scheduled for surgery on Thursday. She is going to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out and ear tubes put in. She is nervous about it and it comes out in her as shyness around anyone new. I wish there was something I could offer her to calm her down. Hopefully this will help her not to get so many ear infections.

She was sharing a cookie with Chunky today and was generous enough to accidentally put her finger in his mouth with the cookie. It came out bloody, the poor kid. She was brave and sucked it up and we put a bandage on it. She told me "I love it when I have bandaids, Momma." What a trooper.

Chunky's gets to have the same surgery the Monday after Claire's and I'm very excited. His ears are bleeding again, his eyeballs and nose won't stop running. Hopefully this will help him feel better.

Chunky and I have been sick. Vomiting through the night sick. We are feeling better today, but woosh! That was a rough couple of days. Poor Nick.

Nick is taking some summer workshop classes this semester hoping to boost his GPA a little bit. Should be interesting.