Poor Jeremy and Marlene...

I don't know that Jeremy and/or Marlene read here, and I am on my other computer, so I cannot add their email addys to the list, so, just so you know I'm not trying to type behind their backs or anything...

Last Sunday, when we were visiting Jeremy and Marlene, the kids were playing downstairs. Reagan came upstairs with an address stamp caught on her finger. She had a few stamps on her hands and one on her neck. Apparently, Molly had stamped Reagan's hands, but we were pretty sure than Reagan had done her neck. Ben tried to wash it off of her, but it stayed on. No biggie.

Later, Jeremy took the kids outside to play cornhole and otherwise play with the kids. They decided to go for a walk, and Jeremy told Molly and Reagan to go get their shoes. Molly came back out, but, apparently, Reagan did not. Jeremy said they were in the garage for close to ten minutes after Molly came back out before they walked up the street alongside their development.

Flash to Marlene, Ben's Mom, and me, chatting away in the kitchen upstairs. Reagan had been on my lap and left, I presumed to play with the rest of the kids. Killian decided that he wanted to go out with Ben (who had been in the shower) too, and they were looking all over the place for his shoes.

We hear someone from the driveway yelling up to the kitchen, "Hello?" A couple was standing in the driveway, holding Reagan crying and barefoot. I ran down to get her, but couldn't get the door open, Mar came down and helped me get it open. I basically went out, took Reagan, and rushed her inside. The couple talked to Marlene and Ben's Mom, telling them they had found her down the drive (behind Jeremy and Mar's condo), standing next to the electrical box down there. Ben said he thought it was about five condos/townhouses down. The couple said they found her there, crying, and figured out she was from here by the stamp on her hand! They asked her if she lived here, and she said, "No," and, of course, she was right. :) Reagan was crying and said something about Uncle Jacob that I didn't get.

It occured to me that Reagan may have taken Killian's shoes, so Reagan came out with me to find his shoes. They were on the sidewalk along the side of the townhouse, just sitting there in the middle of the sidewalk. My guess then was that she had put on Killian's shoes after looking for and not finding her own (or maybe even finding them and trying to put them on). She followed Jeremy and the kids around the side of the townhouse and figured out that she wasn't going to catch up to them. She turned around, leaving the shoes, but when she got back to the garage she couldn't figure out where to go and kept going--all of the townhouses look the same.

So, why am I reliving this story? Jeremy and Marlene were beside themselves. I, however, having been spared the whole fear of her missing, I guess, LOL, understand completely how it could happen, and really don't blame Jeremy by any means. In fact, I was negligent in the fact that Reagan left me, and I just presumed that she was being watched. We very shortly thereafter packed up our kids and left, and I hope that it didn't appear to Jeremy and Marlene that we were doing it because we were upset or angry about the events that occurred just prior to us leaving, because it really had nothing to do with our departure. It was just a crappy end to a lovely visit for all of us.

I think when Reagan was talking about Uncle Jacob, I think she actually was talking about Jeremy, and the thing that may have upset her the most about the whole thing was that he left her behind. I don't know if that will make him feel any better...What floored me, and nearly makes me cry every time I think about it still, is the fact that that address stamp is what got her back to us quickly. How's that for an indication that everything happens for a reason???

Oh, Jeremy and Marlene, what an adventure you are about to begin! My dear brother and his precious wife are expecting their first baby in less than a month.

So much undocumented...

Ah, the summer is getting away from me, and so often, I haven't managed to get on here and tell you about some wonderful times spent with family, the everyday mundane, and whatever else might be going on.

Thankfully, Jenny received good news from her doctor regarding the lump that was removed from her armpit last week. All is well.

Prompted partly by Jenny's medical goings on, I requested a consult from the PA who removed my mole a few weeks ago. I am scheduled for a general physical with the doctor at this office, but it is not for some time, so I figured it best to move on with a couple of things I know are problems for which I would likely be referred anyway. One, a surgical consult for the lipoma on my chest. It's been there for a long time--since just after Molly was born, I think. It had nearly disappeared when I was eating an extremely low fat vegan diet just before I was pregnant with Reagan, but came back bigger than ever when I dropped the diet. Someone (you know, with medical credentials) looked at it when Molly was little and declared it a lipoma and told me I could easily have it removed, or, if it didn't bother me, I could leave it.

The surgeon I saw yesterday said the same, but also mentioned that I have a herniated belly button. At the time, he asked me if I ever had any pain there, and I said no, but since then, I have remembered a few times when I couldn't figure out why my stomach hurt right around my belly button--like I though that my belt buckle had been pressing there, but there was no mark.

So, I have surgery scheduled for both at the same time in September.

Next week, I go to the allergist. I've known for years that I needed to return to an allergist and be retested (the last time was 1992). It would seem that my allergies are spiralling out of control and every time we visit somewhere else, it seems I'm dealing with a massive allergy attack. I stopped eating peanuts about 7 years ago, when, after eating a number of peanut butter cookies, my toungue swelled up. I stopped eating cashews about two years ago, when I noticed I became flushed whenever I ate them. And, a couple of weeks ago, I went to bed after eating things I have eaten many times before (not neccessarily those particular brands, but I checked ingredient labels, and nothing unusual sticks out). My stomach hurt, then I threw up, broke out in hives on the backs of my arms and hip, and had trouble breathing. I took some children's Benedryl and was eventually able to breathe normally again. Sooo, yeah. I'm a little nervous about what's going on, and I hope I get some defininative answers with allergy tests.

In the meantime, today while I was fixing lunch, Reagan walked outside for about two minutes and walked back in proudly carrying a baseball sized watermelon. We had been coveting the thing, checking its (amazing!) growth daily. It is the only one of its size, and we are afraid that the others won't make it to ripe before the weather cools, but there are a few tiny ones that might. *SIGH*

Haven't posted in forever....

Just need to note a few things so I don't forget, but don't have time for more...
Should it bother me that Molly pronounces Chucky Cheese's like Chucky Cheesus (rhymes with Jesus?).

Collected a list of new Halloween movies for this Fall's Halloween flix festival. Will have to review last year's movies too when we get closer.

Very excited already about the Disney Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey in 3-D. Maybe a great Thanksgiving weekend thing???!!!

Yeah, I know I'm pathetic already thinking about Fall and even Christmas. I have a hard time with that. I am very much enjoying the summer, and working extra hard at it, as it feels like it is ending fast. Our garden is thriving. We are going to put in a couple of new beds for cool season crops yet. I will hopefully update more on that on my Remaking Suburbia blog, but I haven't posted there in a long time either.

Just so you know, just 'cause I haven't posted doesn't mean we haven't been busy! (Quite the contrary!).

Holey Moley

I went in on Wednesday to have a couple of moles checked on my arm. The P.A. told me that they were likely nothing but age spots and at this point there's no reason to biopsy them. He burned them off with liquid nitrogen and will check them again in about 2 weeks. If they don't respond normally or come back, then they will biopsy them.

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My neighbor Michelle and I hung out sans kids last night. I did a lot of downloading. I have to say it is both amazing and wonderful to have such a good friend right across the street.

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Before Molly goes to bed each night, she has to talk about the cats. Well, she pretty much feels a need to talk about the cats all the time, and her current non-stop project is a huge train of boxes linked together with pipecleaners for the cats. But, by far, the best part of the conversation was when she said, "...and then Grandfather and my REAL Grandfather said...."And "Grandfather and, um, the other grandfather...."

Independence Day!

We had a wonderful weekend visiting with some family members we haven't seen in a long time. Sadly, there is never enough time to get to visit with everyone, and it seems conversations are always interrupted or cut short. We missed a few folks too who were unable to make it to the celebrations.

Sadly, we are now all worn out and under the weather. I hope to share more about the last few weeks of fun we've had once we recover from them!

Action Alert! Contact your senator now!

Tell them to vote NO on the climate change bill. This bill places immense taxes on energy use. How about we make it possible to switch to alternative energy sources before we make the regular ones inaccessible???? This bill was 900 pages long and just had an additional 300 pages added, was passed in the House and is now headed to the Senate. How fast do you suppose folks can read 1200 pages??????

Our New Favorite Song

Laura and Joel did an awesome choreographed dance to "Lucky" by Jason Mraz for their first dance.

When we came home, our daisies had started blooming, and Molly asked to pick one for her dad. She carried it around for awhile, then I heard her singing as she stuck the flower behind her ear. She didn't have the words down, but I made out enough of it to know she was singing, "Lucky."

I told Ben about it, and he had actually already downloaded the song to his I-phone. He played it for the girls that night (about 3 times). They listen and sing along, and Molly makes Ben do the boy part while she does the girl. Yesterday, the whole routine included another daisy for Ben to put behind her ear. She's working very hard on memorizing all the words. While Ben sang with Molly, Reagan called behind her, "I ToO! I ToO!"

It brings tears to my eyes.