Sara

I'll post some pictures from our Alabama trip soon. (We had a great time.)

But, first, I have sad news. Our cat Sara died today.

For almost 9 years, she has been a faithful friend. She was patient with the kids, with Max, and even with Gracie. She was a proud hunter who loved to bring her catches to us as gifts.

She loved warm milk and spaghetti. But her favorite treat of all was watermelon. She will be missed.

The Dream Team

I honestly can't ever remember packing for a trip where I didn't stay up till 2 or 3 in the morning throwing the last few items in a bag. Even before I had kids. Of course, packing for 4 (thankfully Scott does his own) usually means that my head barely hits the pillow before the alarm goes off.

But today, I'm proud to say that I finished packing for our Alabama trip before the sun went down. Of course, that required a lot of help from the handy assistants. Katherine practically cooked the spaghetti by herself while Dylan watched Isaac. And it took all three of them to get that last item - water the plants - marked off our list.

Ready, set, Alabama, here we come!

The End is Near

We haven't dropped off the face of the earth. We've just been caught up in a whirl of last minute summer activities. When we hit the "just 3 more weeks to school" mark, the girls flew into a wild panic to mark off their summer to-do lists.

We've had non-stop play dates. Some with friends they hadn't seen since school let out in June. The fact that the girls would see them at school in just a short while did little to console them. The "summer get-together" is a must.

Besides socializing and shopping for school supplies, we're again packing for another trip. This time we're going home to Alabama. At least, that's what we're aiming for. The latest weather reports have us arriving for a stop-over in Atlanta just about the same time Tropical Storm Fay is scheduled to make her appearance. Getting stuck in another airport is on my "what not to do list". We don't need to be checking that one off.

Hit or Miss?

Isaac poses with his stylist.

Move Over Tina Turner

Yes, this is her real hair! That's what it looked like after we took down the princess 'do she kept in for a week.

Daredevil in a Diaper

Over the past couple of years or so, a good deal of our time has been spent protecting ourselves from Isaac. Rule #1 around here: Never turn your back on him. If you do, you may find yourself, as I did a few days ago, on the receiving end of a "pirate sword" that is actually a tree limb about 6 feet long and 3 inches in diameter. All I heard was, "Aye aye, Captain!", and the next thing I knew, I was lying, sprawled on my stomach, across the front yard.

But things have changed in the last few weeks. And I'm not so sure it's for the better. Instead of protecting ourselves from this wild child, it's all we can do to protect him from himself. He has become this fearless, impulsive daredevil constantly perched, ready to jump or "skateboard" off some high spot he's monkey-climbed his way to. And, no, he doesn't own a skateboard. But this hasn't stopped him from jumping on anything with wheels and declaring it a skateboard.

Please tell me this is a phase and will quickly pass. My nerves can't take much more. One of us is going to end up in a padded room.

Two Firsts in Two Days

We took the girls to the American Idol concert last night - their first "real" concert. Considering the fact that we're totally addicted to AI, it was really exciting. We saw all of our favorites, but the girls - of course - were most excited about David Archuletta. LOTS of screaming...LOTS of fun...my ears are still ringing!!

I took Isaac to see the dentist today - his first visit to get his teeth checked. Considering the fact that he was totally against lying back in a chair with a spotlight shining down into his eyes, it was really a pretty unpleasant experience. LOTS of screaming...NOT ANY fun...my ears are still ringing!!